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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-06-17 Info Packet1 ~"'~rrr ~ ~ `a~ -•ti..~_ CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET June 17, 2010 MISCELLANEOUS IP1 Council Meetings and Work Session Agenda IP2 Iowa City Press-Citizen Guest Opinion: "Not a place to be afraid of" by Bethany Bender [submitted by the Interim City Manager] IP3 Letter from Charles Eastham, Housing Fellowship, to the City Attorney: Opinion from Harry J. Kelly, Nixon Peabody, LLP, Attorneys at Law regarding the location of federally assisted affordable housing IP4 Memorandum from the City Clerk: Radio Show Scheduling IP5 Letter from the Transportation Planner to John Schmitz: Request for a sidewalk on American Legion Road from Scott Boulevard to Buckingham Lane IP6 Letter from Daniel Lechay to the Superintendent of Streets and Traffic Engineering: Summit Street 8~ Kirkwood Intersection Crosswalk and Sign Request [Staff response included in Council packet] IP7 Memorandum from the JCCOG Human Services Coordinator: FY10 Third Quarter Report of Health and Human Services agencies that receive Aid-to-Agencies funding from the City of Iowa City IP8 Memorandum from the Director of Planning and Community Development: Update: Flood- related activities IP9 The Planner -June 14, 2010 IP10 News Release: Rummage in the Ramp looks for sponsors IP11 News Release: City considering revisions to flood-plain ordinance IP12 Invitation: Peninsula Neighborhood Summer Party June 27, 2010 DRAFT MINUTES IP13 Senior Center Commission: May 20, 2010 ~ i _.:.®~~ ,,,~~ City Council Meeting Schedule and 06-17-10 CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas Ip~ www.icgov.org TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30 North Liberty 4:OOp Joint Meeting • MONDAY, JULY 5 Independence Day Holiday -City Offices Closed • MONDAY, JULY 12 Emma J. Harvat Hall TBD Special Work Session 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting (Continue Work Session if necessary) • MONDAY, AUGUST 16 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Regular Work Session • TUESDAY, AUGUST 17 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • FRIDAY, AUGUST 20 Emma J. Harvat Hall 8:OOa Special Formal Council Meeting -Executive Session (City Manager Search) • MONDAY, AUGUST 30 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Work Session • TUESDAY, AUGUST 31 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting Opinion ~~~~~c C' ~~j~~~ Page ilA ednesday, June 16, 2010 Iowa City Press-Citizen Jeff Charis-Carlson, Opinion editor Phone: 887-5435 E-mail: opinion@press-citizen.com Not a place to be afraid of xl S Despite the cold and windy weather, an estimated 500 people attended the inau- gural 319 Music Fest on May 8 at Wetherby Park. Residents from the Wetherby, Broadway and Grant Wood neighborhoods cycled in throughout the day. Many carne purposefully with blan- kets, lawn chairs and family in tow Others just walked in to see what all of the music was about. Residents from the greater Iowa City community came as well, some to sup- port specific performers, while many carne out of curiosity, wanting to see if "The Southeast Side" lived up to the hype. Regardless of their rea- sons for being there, every- one who came enjoyed music from such local celebrities as Dave Zollo and Dave Moore (who paired up for a fantastic set), B.F. Burt and the Uniphonics - as well as up-and-coming per- formers such as Der Dey Go, Rae and the Honeybees, and Idris Goodwin. Volunteers also showed up in force, and more than 60 AmeriCorps, VLSTA and com- munity members ensured that everything ran without a hitch. But really, everyone who had a part in the music festival was avolunteer - choosing to participate, free of cost, because they wanted to help send a message about the southeast side: Our neigh- borhoods are safe and family friendly. I decided to commit a year of service to the AmeriCorps VISTA program Bethany .. Bender ^~ Guest ,~' Opinion `"'~- .. last summer, not knowing exactly what that commit- ment entailed. When I learned that I would be serv- ing at the Broadway Neighborhood Center, I was curious and excited to be embedded in an area of town that I really knew nothing about. The so-called "Mother's Day Riot" had thrown the southeast side into the media spotlight, and when I talked about my VISTA assignment to acquaintanc- es, Iwas told that I should fear for my safety. Such negative rhetoric surrounding the southeast side has been cause for con- cern for many of us who live and work here. We hear peo- ple talk about our neighbor- hoods as if they are a war zone or a ghetto. How can it be that so many Iowa Citians have such a false perception of this area of town, despite having never been here? That, we decided, was exactly why so many Iowa Citians speak about our neighborhoods with a hint of fear and warning -because they have never been here. One of our goals in launching the 319 Music Fest was to provide a reason for people outside of this area to come to our neighborhood - - . -` ' - - + 'i~~ . _ ~.,- -- - --- „~ ~ ~`t ,~ 1 ~- ,, , a ~ ~ m!,e i ~~,~- ~' ~ -~~ ~ -~~ ~ _-~-~ Special to the Press-Citizen The Uniphonics, a popular jam band in Iowa City, invited local teens from the Fanatics to perform on-stage with them during the 319 Music Festival on May 8 in Wetherby Park. and see it for themselves. For those who did come, I have to think that the fun and fam- ily friendly atmosphere made them rethink any negative preconceptions they may have had. While we recognize that the 319 Music Fest did not change overnight the way many people perceive our neighborhoods, we do hope that it will be a catalyst. Perhaps those Iowa Citians who ventured over to Wetherby Park will be able to say next time the subject of the "dangerous southeast side" comes up - at the office, around the dinner table or at a cocktail party - "I've actually been there, and it's not how you think it is." Some of the musicians who performed at the event have decided to give back even more to the community by offering music lessons to youth at the Broadway Neighborhood Center. Other artists and profes- sionals already have inquired about how they can be involved in the next 319 Music Fest or contribute to the community in other ways. Others have simply said, "Wow, I can't believe this park is here. It's beautiful! I'll have to come here more often." We hope that you do take some time to come to our neighborhood and see for yourselves the area that many are telling you, you should be afraid of. We like it here. Bethany Bender is an Americorps VISTA placed at the Broadway Neighborhood Cerrter. IP2 FILED JUN 14 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa //~ RECEIVEp gY JUN 1 1 ZO?0 ~/~ IP3 ~"° the .CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE Housing Fellowship Opening the doors of Johnson County 322 E. 2"d St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Office 319-358-9212 Fax 319-358-0053 June 10, 2010 Eleanor Dilkes, City Attorney City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 RE: Opinion from Harry J. Kelly, Nixon Peabody, LLP, Attorneys at Law Dear Ms. Dilkes: On behalf of the Board of Trustees of The Housing Fellowship, please accept the enclosed opinion prepared by Harry J. Kelly of Nixon Peabody, Attorneys at Law regarding recent actions by the City Council concerning the location of federally assisted affordable housing. The Board of Trustees is very interested in discussing the matter with you and/or other City Officials as you see fit. The Housing Fellowship has a clear mission and goals to address the need for affordable housing in our community. We have long valued our important partnership with the City and intend to continue this valuable partnership in the future. Recent decisions by the Council have impeded our ability to continue to work toward our goals and the provision of safe, decent affordable housing. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please contact our Executive Director at 358- 9212x5 to continue this very important dialogue. We are available at your convenience. Sincere) (~~'~~`c~., Charles Eastham, President Board of Trustees BOARD OF TRUSTEES Stephen Atkins AI Axeen Glorine Berry John Bovey Charles Eastham, President Jeffery Ford John Gianola Kevin Hanick Sally Jablonski Richard Klausner, Vice-President Rick Oehler, Treasurer Royce Ann Porter Christine Wolfe, Secretary United Way of bhnson County N I XON PEABODYLLP ,S ~d" 7 Cf I: h7 E V S le 3" L A W 401 9th Street N.W. Suite 900 Washington, DC 20004-2128 (202) 585-8000 Fax: (202) 585-8080 Harry J. Kelly Direct Dial: (202) 585-8712 E-Mail: hkelly@nixonpeabody.com June 10, 2010 VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL Mr. Charles Eastham, President And The Board of Trustees The Housing Fellowship 322 E.22nd Street Iowa City, IA 52240 ~~_ ~t I V~ .~ ~ J ~ 1 G"10 FILED JUN 14 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa Re: The Housing Fellowship -- Analysis of Discriminatory Impact of Land Use Policies of City of Iowa City Dear Mr. Eastham: This firm has been retained by The Housing Fellowship (the "Fellowship"). As we understand it, the Fellowship is a nonprofit organization located in Iowa City, Iowa, that develops and operates affordable housing properties for families in the Johnson County area. The Fellowship has received many grants and awards, including awards of HOME and other funds administered by the City of Iowa City (the "City") and its agencies. The City and its agencies have operated a number of programs intended to provide additional affordable housing to its residents. For example, in 2009, the Fellowship was awarded a grant of $220,000 in FY10 HOME and CDBG funds by the City to assist in developing additional multifamily housing. In recent years, the City has also adopted a number of policies and procedures (the "Rules," described in more detail below) that are intended to limit the amount and location of new affordable housing properties in the City. The Rules have been applied against the Fellowship so as to make it impossible for the Fellowship to find a satisfactory site to develop affordable multifamily housing at a site located at 2500 Muscatine Avenue (the "Site"), pursuant to the 2009 grant it received from the City. At the request of the Fellowship, we have investigated the Rules and the discussions which preceded their implementation by the City. On the basis of this investigation, the results of which are set forth below, we conclude that the Rules violate Federal and state anti- 13026483.2 W?nlbV"tJIX(?iIf``F:i?f)Q~?.('4~r.'7 FILED JUN 14 2010 Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees cry Clerk June 10, 2010 Iowa Cuy ~ l~°'a Page 2 discrimination laws. While we believe that the Fellowship would prevail if an action were initiated to challenge the validity of the Rules under the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601 et seg. (the "FHAct") and applicable state law, we understand that you prefer not to litigate this matter. Instead, you have told us that the Fellowship would like to initiate a discussion with the City to negotiate its approval of the Fellowship's plan to develop affordable housing at the Site. Factual Background A concern about school wide testing scores was the apparent impetus for the City's adoption of the Rules. In a letter dated November 11, 2003 ("November 2003 letter") to the Iowa City Council ("Council"), the Iowa City Community School District ("ICCSD") voiced its concerns that students living in assisted housing were lowering test scores at certain schools because of their high poverty and high mobility. It suggested that the schools attended by these students required more resources and that an unequal school environment was being created within the ICCSD system. In response to the ICCSD's November 2003 letter, the Council voted in April 2004 to create the Scattered Site Housing Taskforce ("Taskforce") to study assisted housing in the City. Specifically, the City Council instructed the Taskforce to study the current types, distribution, and location of assisted housing in the City as well as to recommend policies and actions regarding assisted housing.l After conducting its review, the Taskforce prepared recommendations to the City Council in 2005. The Taskforce noted a number of trends in its report, including the following: ^ arise in the demand for housing assistance; ^ local housing costs were among the highest in the state; ^ assisted housing tended to be concentrated in certain areas; ^ increasing demand for services provided by certain agencies and non-profits; ^ decrease in federal funding for housing programs; and ^ challenges faced by the ICCSD as a result of student poverty levels and increased student mobility in schools. (Taskforce Final Recommendations for City Council, Oct. 11, 2005, at 2-4 (App. at 2 - 4)). Realizing that affordable housing was one of Iowa City's great concerns because of a shortage of affordable housing in the City, the Taskforce proposed a number of policy objectives including, inter alia, the development of a mandatory inclusionary zoning policy and the establishment of a so-called "fair share" matrix to attempt to identify areas in the City underserved with affordable housing and to equitably distribute assisted housing among the City's census block groups. (Taskforce Final Recommendations for City Council, Oct. 11, 2005, at 5-6 (App. at 5 - 6)). Taskforce Final Recommendations for City Council, Oct. 11, 2005, at 1 (see accompanying Appendix ("App.") at 1). 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP AILED Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees JUN 14 2010 June 10, 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa Page 3 The Taskforce's suggestions met some opposition, including from members of the Taskforce itself. In an October 17, 2005 City Council Work Session, for example, Taskforce member Jerry Anthony identified a number of issues with the Taskforce's recommendations including the following: ^ the ICCSD's claims about students living in assisted housing and lower test scores were not supported by any evidence therefore a firm foundation or justification for the proposed scattered site methodology was lacking; ^ the number of new assisted housing units might decrease significantly, if funds such as CDBG are only disbursed to projects that locate in new parts of the City; and ^ the City would need to identify a new funding source to enable scattering without reducing the supply of assisted units. (City Council Work Session, Oct. 17, 2005, at 8-10) (App. at 10 - 12). The Taskforce acknowledged in 2005 that federal funding for assisted housing was decreasing. Without proper funding, there would be no way to develop assisted housing in other areas of the community. Although the City Council did not formally adopt all of the Taskforce's recommendations, it appears that it has routinely utilized the fair share matrix in determining, on a case-by-case basis, how to proceed with its decisions with respect to approving affordable housing projects in the City. For purposes of this letter, we refer to the ad-hoc, informal use of the Taskforce's matrix to make these determinations as the "Rules." The concerns about testing scores and the impact of additional populations of lower income children on local schools has blocked the proposed development of the Site by the Fellowship. The Site is located in an area appropriately zoned for multi-family housing, which is well-supported by a variety of services and amenities, yet the City has -not approved the application. The Site is also located in a portion of the City with a relatively high level of minorities, and which appears to be attracting minorities moving to the City from other parts of the country. The Fellowship applied and received funding to develop the Site from the City, but since that time the City has refused to approve the project, expressly because of the purported impact the development of the Site might have on area schools. Specifically, the City, without any legitimate justification, intends to restrict housing opportunity because of a perceived, yet unfounded, opinion that the development of the Site (which will only have six town homes or duplex units) will burden the area schools: Thus, in a March 1, 2010 Council work session, the following comments were made in response to a request for approval of the Site: ^ "...and I'm not going to support this project, or any more...any more projects on the east side of town for subsidized housing, and in some of the areas in town that have an oversaturation [of affordable housing properties]." (City Council Work Session, Mar. 1, 2010, at 39 (App. at 14)). 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees June 10, 2010 Page 4 .AILED JUN 14 2010 Iowa1Ci yl i wa ^ "Six two-bedroom; so what's the potential, what's a maximum impact that it could have on the School District, and is that Lucas?" (City Council Work Session, Mar. 1, 2010, at 40 (App. at 15)). ^ "...how many kids fit in atwo-bedroom unit? I don't know." (City Council Work Session, Mar. 1, 2010, at 40 (App. at 15)). ^ "They're still there!" [referencing kids from manufactured housing parks outside of Iowa City limits being at the School District]. (City Council Work Session, Mar. 1, 2010, at 41 (App. at 16)). ^ "I mean, I remember being on the School District from 96 to 99, and we were complaining back then to the City about what was happening on the southeast side, and it kept happening...." "Um, that's the other thing, I mean you're talking right on a very busy street, if you're talking kids and stuff there. Um, it's... I don't think I'm going to support it." (City Council Work Session, Mar. 1, 2010, at 46 (App. at 17)). ^ "...I'm not comfortable... with this site. Um, given...given the School District challenges in the area, given the fact that it's across the street from an area where...we're revitalizing, um, I don't want to approve this at the time. Uh, I think it's...I think its more appropriate to let the School District process play out and... and let our process of re- envisioning the area, uh, across the street, which will impact the whole area, uh, play out as well." (City Council Work Session, Mar. 1, 2010, at 47 (App. at 18)). Concerns about the effect of an increase in low-income children or families entering into certain neighborhoods were voiced in other Council work sessions: ^ "I mean we're getting to the point where these neighborhoods are becoming undesirable, uh, for moderate income families to move into and send their kids to school. I think it's self-destructive, not only for the kids but for the neighborhoods. So I'm not interested in approving this like it stands." (City Council Work Session, Mar. 11, 2008, at 18 (App. at ^ `2And at this time with some of the problems, and significant problems that we have had in our school, I think that we have schools that are overloaded with children, with students who have some significant problems." (City Council Work Session, Mar. 19, 2007, at 31 (App. at 22)). ^ "So, I think as a District, we would welcome a public policy that would not increase the concentration of poverty in those neighborhoods, and when we're seeing that already there, we know that more assisted housing would mean more low-income children. It's just, you know...how we got there, I don't think we can necessarily say it was because of assisted housing, but if its already existing in that community, we...poverty, we just don't want to see that increase and have more kids of poverty there." (City Council Work Session, Oct. 17, 2005, at 7 (App. at 8 - 9)). 13026483.2 NIXON PEAgODY LLP ~IL~D JUN 14 2010 Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees c~cy clerk June 10, ZO10 Iowa Ciro, Iowa Page 5 These comments demonstrate a discriminatory intent as outlined in the legal analysis below. The City's concerns about the effect of the Site on neighboring schools were used to deny the Fellowship's application to develop the Site, and thus, as explained below, have served to make housing opportunity unavailable to minorities and families, in violation of the FHAct. Leal Analysis 1. Federal Antidiscrimination Law. The City is subject to both Federal and state antidiscrimination laws. At the Federal level, in addition to the protections offered by the Fourteenth Amendment and 42 U.S.C. § 1982 for intentional discrimination in this context, the FHAct prohibits a wide variety of conduct that has the effect of restricting the availability of housing to certain protected classes of persons. Specifically, the FHAct has been interpreted to prohibit municipalities from using their zoning and land use powers in a discriminatory manner -that is, in a manner which excludes housing for a group of people on the basis of one of the enumerated classifications listed above. For example, § 804(a) of the FHAct makes it unlawful "to refuse to sell or rent ... or to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling to any person because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin." 42 USC § 3604(a) (emphasis added). Section 818 of the FHAct also makes it unlawful to interfere with the exercise of the right to equal housing opportunity. Id. at § 3617. A plaintiff suing a municipality under the FHAct may establish the municipality's liability by showing intentional discrimination~(referred to as "disparate treatment") or by showing that a defendant's facially neutral policies nevertheless have a significant discriminatory impact (referred to as "disparate impact") on classes of persons protected by the FHAct. Dews v Town of Sunnyvale, 109 F. Supp. 2d 526, 530 (N.D. Tex. 2000). Under both of these standards, the Rules violate the FHAct. A. Disparate Treatment Where the evidence indicates that a governmental body takes action that it knows will have a discriminatory impact on a protected class, its actions amount to intentional discrimination: Courts will consider evidence that adecision-making body took certain actions knowing it would have a discriminatory effect. This is some evidence, which when considered with other relevant evidence, may well establish that the decision-making body intended to cause that effect. United States v. Birmingham, 538 F. Supp. 819, 828 (D. Mich. 1982), aff d as modified, 727 F.2d 560 (6th Cir. 1984) (finding that the City of Birmingham, Michigan had violated the FHAct 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP FILED JUN 14 2010 Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees City Clerk June 10, 2010 Iowa city, Iowa Page 6 by engaging in a policy and practice that prevented a corporation from developing racially integrated low-income senior citizen and family housing in the city). In these cases, a municipality's zoning ordinances and decisions cannot be sustained even if they relate to the achievement of a legitimate governmental interest. When there is proof that a discriminatory purpose has been a motivating factor in the decision, judicial deference to legislative or administrative decisions cannot be justified. See, e.~., Hope, Inc v County of DuPa~e, 717 F.2d 1061, 1076 (7th Cir. 1983) (internal citations omitted) (affirming district court's finding in Civil Rights Acts case that DuPage County and members of its County Board had knowingly and intentionally pursued zoning policies and practices to preclude low and moderate income and racial minorities from living in the county). As explained in more detail below, there is ample evidence that, in implementing the Rules, the City was aware of the effect they would have on housing opportunities for classes of persons protected by the FHAct, and executed that intent. See pp. 10-12, below. B. Disparate Impact Even where intentional discrimination cannot be shown, a city's zoning and land use rules may be held to violate the FHAct, where those policies have a disparate impact on one or more of the classes protected by the FHAct. Courts in the Eighth Circuit have found that land use policies such as the Rules violate the FHAct even in instances where the proposed policies appear facially neutral - in other words, they did not expressly attempt to exclude racial minorities. In these cases, the plaintiffs alleged that municipal policies that limited the development of multifamily housing properties also improperly restricted the housing opportunities of protected classes. Even though the policies were on their face neutral, the court found that they had the effect of restricting housing opportunities for those protected persons. Applying a so-called "disparate impact" analysis, courts in these cases determine first whether the challenged zoning rules have a harsher impact on members of a protected class than on members of the general public. If such a disparate impact is shown, the burden then shifts to the municipality to show a legitimate, nondiscriminatory justification for the rule, including evidence that there was no less discriminatory alternative to accomplish the same goal. (1) Establishing Disparate Impact on Minorities. For example, in an early case, United States v City of Black Jack, 508 F.2d 1179 (8th Cir. 1974), the United States alleged that the defendant city violated the FHAct, among other laws, because of a purportedly neutral zoning ordinance the city passed in response to planned construction of a multifamily development. The United States argued that the ordinance, which prohibited the construction of any new multifamily dwellings in the area, had a disparate impact on African Americans living in inner center city St. Louis. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the United States, holding that the zoning ordinance had the effect of foreclosing housing options for minorities that wanted to live in the area of the proposed development. 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP FILED Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees JUN 14 2010 June 10, 2010 city cieTk Page 7 Iowa Ciry, lows As discussed above, City of Black Jack is not unique. It reflects the well-accepted view of courts in the Eighth Circuit and throughout the United States that have rejected purportedly neutral zoning and land use ordinances, regulations and policies which operated to propagate segregation and to foreclose affordable housing opportunities to racial minorities. See, ~, _Metropolitan Housing Dev Corp v Village of Arlington Heights, 558 F.2d 1283 (7th Cir. 1977) (finding that village was obligated under the FHAct to refrain from rezoning policies that effectively foreclosed construction of any low-cost housing within its corporate boundaries); Resident Advisory Board v. Rizzo, 564 F.2d 126 (3rd Cir. 1977) (affirming district court's decision that Philadelphia local housing authorities had violated the FHAct and affirming court order mandating construction of multifamily housing project and local housing authority submission of racial composition plan); United States v. City of Parma, 661 F.2d 562 (6th Cir. 1981) (affirming most of a district court's finding that Ohio city had engaged in activity which had the "purpose and effect" of maintaining the city as a segregated community in violation of the FHAct); Huntington Branch NAACP v Town of Huntington, 844 F.2d 926 (2nd Cir. 1988) (holding that town violated FHAct by refusing to amend its .zoning ordinance to permit construction of multifamily housing outside of a certain area and by failing to rezone a selected site); Dews v Town of Sunnyvale, 109 F. Supp.2d 526 (N.D. Tex. 2000) (finding that town zoning ordinance which banned apartments and set minimum one-acre requirement for residential development violated the FHAct because it disproportionately harmed African Americans who were large users of apartments and subsidized housing programs and it perpetuated segregation in Dallas area). (2) Establishing Disparate Impact on Families with Children. As noted above, the FHAct also prohibits discrimination on the basis of "familial status," which the FHAct defines as one or more minor children (under the age of 18), who live with a parent, guardian or other person with lawful custody of the children; the status also applies to pregnant women or persons in the process of securing le~al custody of any individual who has not yet attained the age of majority. 42 USC § 3602(k). Courts recognize that municipal rules that restrict multifamily housing opportunities may have a disparate impact on families with children and therefore may violate the FHAct. For example, in Buckeye Community Hope Foundation v City of Cuyahoga Falls, 263 F.3d 627 (6th Cir. 2001), the plaintiff, Buckeye Community Hope Foundation, had purchased property in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and submitted a 72-unit site plan for approval at a city planning commission meeting. At the meeting, several residents of the city expressed concern about the z Families are also a protected class in the area of housing under Chapter 216 of the Iowa Code. According to the state law "it is unlawful for any person to ...otherwise make unavailable, or deny any real property or housing accominodation...to any person because of the...familial status of such person." Iowa Code Ch. 216.8 (2009). 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP FILED Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees JAN ~ ~ 2010 June 10, 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa Page 8 impact the development would have on their neighborhood, including their concerns about safety and the class of people that would be moving into their neighborhood. Despite these concerns, the city planning commission approved the site plan and submitted its recommendation for the development to the city council. During subsequent city council meetings, residents continued to express their concerns about the development, including concerns about "extra crime and drugs ,~ « that come with low-incoming housing, various problems associated with Section 8 housing - despite the fact the project did not involve Section 8 vouchers -and "kids running around in [y]ards." Id. at 641. After a number of these meetings, the city council voted to approve the site plan through an ordinance. The ordinance was effectively stayed, however, by a voter referendum petition in opposition to the development and building permits could not be issued for the project. The plaintiff sued the city, alleging that the city had effectively stalled its multifamily housing site plan as a result of the referendum. Agreeing with the plaintiffs in a subsequent appeal, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that a jury could reasonably conclude the public's opposition to the development was "premised on fears that the large influx of children would change the character of the neighborhood." According to the court, various statements made during city council meetings evidenced an anti-family bias that "[r]an contrary to the clear dictates of the Fair Housing Act." Again, the Buckeye Community Hope Foundation case is not unique. Although the familial status prohibition is a more recent addition to the FHAct, other courts have found that municipal zoning rules that have a harmful impact on families with children may violate the FHAct. See e }~ Fair Housing Council v. Ayres, 855 F. Supp. 315 (C.D. Cal. 1994) (in a case involving an attempt to exclude families with children by imposing strict limits on the number of persons who could occupy a unit, the court found that a determination of disparate impact is sufficient to make out a prima facie familial status discrimination case under the FHAct). (3) Unsuccessful attempts to justify discriminatory policies. As noted above, where a plaintiff demonstrates that a local government's policies have a discriminatory affect on protected classes, the burden shifts to the local government to demonstrate bona fide, non- discriminatory justifications for its actions. As the following review indicates, courts have closely scrutinized these justifications, ruling them insufficient if they are not supported by fact, are pretextual, do not produce the intended benefit, or are not the least discriminatory method available to solve the perceived problem. For example, after finding that the contested ordinance in City of Black Jack had a discriminatory effect on the black population of St. Louis, the burden shifted to the city to show that it had legitimate governmental interests which supported the ordinance. The city pointed to three main justifications: (1) road and traffic control; (2) prevention of overcrowding of schools; and (3) prevention of devaluation of adjacent single-family homes. The court summarily rejected these justifications, stating the challenged ordinance was not necessary to meet the goals sought by the city. Regarding the overcrowding of schools, the court noted the limited impact of 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP AILED JUN 1 ~ Z010 Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees c;ry clerk June 10, 2010 Iowa Ciry, Iowa Page 9 the proposed housing on local schools, such as the fact that apartments surrounding Black Jack produced approximately one schoolchild for every five families while single-family houses produced approximately three schoolchild for every five families. The court also determined that there was no evidence to indicate the school facilities were already overcrowded. Concluding, the court stated that there was "no factual basis for the assertion that any one of the three primary interests asserted by the City is in fact furthered by the zoning ordinance, and we find that the other asserted interests - at least on the facts of this case -are clearly not substantial in relation to the housing opportunities foreclosed." Id. at 1187. Finding that the. city had not met its burden, the Eighth Circuit remanded the case to the district court to enter a permanent injunction enjoining the city's enforcement of the ordinance. Likewise, in Resident Advisory Board v. Rizzo, 564 F.2d 126 (3rd Cir. 1977), a case affirming a district court's decision that local housing authorities had violated the FHAct by promoting policies and blocking housing that would have benefitted minorities, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals stated that when the burden shifted to defendants in disparate impact cases, the defendants had to show the existence of a legitimate bona fide interest in theory and in practice and the defendant had to demonstrate that no alternate course of action could be adopted. Id. at 149. In Resident Advisory Board, one of the defendants offered the fear of violence as a justification for blocking multi-family housing development in Philadelphia. The court quickly rejected this argument, determining that an apprehension of violence or increased crime in the area was not a legitimate justification for violating the FHAct. Id. at 150. Nor can a city adopt post hoc rationalizations for its misconduct. In Dews v. Town of Sunnyvale, 109 F. Supp.2d 526 (N.D. Tex. 2000), the district court found that Sunnyvale's one- unit per acre zoning ordinance had a discriminatory effect on the black population of Dallas. When the burden shifted to the city to show it had a legitimate governmental interest to support the ordinance, the town claimed that the zoning ordinance served to promote .public health because of a septic tank problem and other regional obligations like environmental protection, agriculture, transportation and air quality. The court swiftly rejected these justifications. Regarding the latter justification, the court stated that it was "pretextual and [had] been fabricated for use as a defense in [the] lawsuit." Id. at 568. It determined that the "existing zoning failed to advance the public interests allegedly imposed by these regional obligations, and that Sunnyvale repeatedly ignored the advice of its planners, advice which would have advanced these public interests." Finally, Sunnyvale had "produced no evidence that these regional public concerns require[ed] the exclusion of apartments and high-density single-family homes." Id. at 568. In at least one case, City of Huntin on, the local government attempted to justify its action on the basis of the need to deconcentrate affordable housing and to spread out the location of affordable housing throughout a community, much as the "fair share" plan purportedly sought to do in the City. The Second Circuit scoffed at those justifications, pointing out that whatever 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP .~ILE.D Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees JAN 1 ~ 2010 June 10, 2010 1owalC Clerk h', Iowa Page 10 merit the city's deconcentration plans might have had, the city had not created new affordable housing in either the zones designated for additional housing, or in the zone in which affordable housing was allegedly over-concentrated. In effect, the city's alleged effort to deconcentrate affordable housing in that case had the effect of preventing the construction of affordable housing. Where, as in City of Huntin on, the means adopted had the opposite of the effect intended -restricting, rather than increasing, the supply of affordable housing - by definition it cannot be used to justify a zoning or land use pattern that produces a discriminatory effect. The court in Cit~of Huntington also said that the town's goals could be achieved by encouraging development in the area with tax incentives or abatements. Id. at 939. As these cases indicate, the courts are vigilant about enforcing the FHAct's protections. Where a city attempts to justify a policy that has a disparate impact on one of the classes of persons protected by the FHAct, the courts will closely scrutinize the city's purported justifications. Many of the justifications that were offered in City of Black Jack, Resident Advisor~Board, City of Huntington and similar cases -including avoiding overcrowding in schools, and reducing concentrations of low-income families, among others -were echoed by the persons who supported the Rules. Like those justifications, they do not overcome the discriminatory impact of the Rules, and are not sufficient to protect them. 2 ApAlication to the Rules. Applying these principles to this case, we believe that, whether viewed as intentional discrimination under the disparate treatment analysis, or as unintentional discrimination under the disparate impact analysis, the Rules and the City's decision to deny the Fellowship's application to develop the Site constitute violations of the FHAct, for the reasons stated below. A. Establishing Disparate Treatment. As explained above, zoning and land use rules violate the FHAct if they intentionally discriminate against protected classes. The adoption and application of the Rules by the City demonstrate a clear intent to discriminate in violation of the FHAct, especially in their impact of families with children. From the time of the original consideration by the Taskforce, it is clear that the Rules were intended for one goal - to reduce perceived burdens on local schools by restricting the number of children living in Census Tract 18. The advocates of the Rules were completely candid and transparent about their goals. They made it clear that they were responding to initiatives from the ICCSD, which in turn was responding to perceived concerns about the number of lower income students at Grant Wood and several other schools. In adopting the Rules, the Taskforce made it clear that its goal was to prevent additional low- income children from attending those schools. Similar concerns were made by the City Council at the time it considered the fair share plan. Likewise, earlier this year, the City Council voted against the Fellowship's request to develop the Site, specifically because of concerns about 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP ~r~~~ `~~~ 14 2010 Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees June 10, 2010 Io a1C ~1 ik Page 11 Ewa increasing the number of children in the area served by those schools. Simply put, virtually all of the relevant actors expressed their concern about increasing the number of children at local schools, and used these concerns to deny the Fellowship's application to develop the Site. It is clear that the City applied the Rules to decrease housing opportunities for families with children in Census Tract 18, which constitutes intentional discrimination in violation of the FHAct.3 B. Establishing Disparate Impact. (1) The Rules have a disparate impact on minorities and families with children. Even if they were not adopted with the intent to discriminate against minorities and families with children, the Rules have a disparate impact on protected classes of people in the City, in violation of the FHAct, much like the challenged land use rules in City of Black Jack and Cuyahoga Falls. Regardless of the intent behind these actions, the Rules have a disparate impact because they restrict the availability of affordable housing in the City for these protected classes and they harm the community by perpetuating segregation. For example, we understand that the area impacted most by the Rules, Census Tract 18, is also the area with the City's largest concentration of minorities. Because of these demographic patterns, restricting the opportunity to build low income housing in Census Tract 18 will unavoidably have the effect of restricting housing opportunities for minority families. The effect of adopting the Rules was to restrict affordable housing in those places with the greatest need, without putting in place measures to make additional housing sites available elsewhere. As predicted (pg 3 above), this has disproportionately affected housing opportunities for minorities in the City. We are confident that, if required to do so, the Fellowship could demonstrate that the Rules, which, in the absence of anon-discriminatory justification, is more than sufficient to find a violation of the FHAct. Likewise, the Rules have a clear discriminatory impact on families with children. As noted above, from the first consideration of the fair share plan, its supporters' goal was to restrict housing opportunities for families with children in those areas that they considered over- ' Arguably, the City may contend that its goal was not to diminish the number of families with children living in Block 1, but only to diminish the number of lower-income families living there. Leaving aside the dubious judgment behind denying affordable housing to those who most need it, courts have not been responsive to using discriminatory policies to carry out such questionable social engineering. See pp. 8-10, above. The fact is that, whatever the affected families' income, the Rules were designed to restrict housing opportunities for families with children. They had that effect, and so violated the FHAct. 4 The outcome might have been different if the City, at the time it considered the Rules, agreed to advance additional funds to assist developers in acquiring developable parcels elsewhere in the City, as some members of the Taskforce recommended. Although it was warned about those consequences, the City chose to ignore them, which only underscores the lack of a bona fide justification for the City's policies here. 130264832 NIXON PEABODY LLP FILED JUN 14 2010 Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees City Clerk Iowa City, lows June 10, 2010 Page 12 represented with lower income families. Just as the Rules had a disproportionate impact on minorities, it also had a disproportionate impact on families. As noted above, both in adopting the Rules and in denying the Fellowship's application, the City made clear that its primary concern was to eliminate perceived overcrowding at several local elementary schools. The approach adopted by the City was to impose restrictions on the number of affordable housing units that could be located in certain parts of the City -with the express goals of reducing the number of children who would be attending those schools. Even if this did not constitute intentional discrimination against families with children -and as noted above, we believe it manifestly does -there can be no question that the adoption of the Rules had the effect of restricting housing for families with children in some parts of the City. Again, in denying the Fellowship's application, the City improperly laid an additional burden on families with children that discriminated against them for purposes of the FHAct. In reaching these conclusions, we are not relying on isolated statements, nor are we taking statements out of context. At every discussion of the fair share plan, or of the housing proposals offered by the Fellowship, the impact of increasing the number of families with children was discussed and restrictions were regularly accepted. Moreover, the plan succeeded: Even though the Fellowship had received a grant of HOME and CDBG funds from the City and qualified in every way -in the process, receiving praise for its goals and for its operations from the very officials who rejected its applications -the City Council denied the Fellowship's application to develop the Site expressly because it was located in the "no-children" zone established by the fair share plan. Both the fair share plan and the "case-by-case" approach otherwise used by the City unmistakably restricted the opportunity for families with children to reside in Census Tract 18. We are confident that, were it to file a lawsuit under the FHAct, the Fellowship also would be able to demonstrate that the Rules also had a disparate impact on families with children. (2) There is no legitimate non-discriminatory justification for the Rules. As noted, where a plaintiff demonstrates that facially neutral local land use rules have a disparate impact on classes of persons protected by the FHAct, the burden shifts to the local government to demonstrate a legitimate non-discriminatory basis of its conducts See pp. 6, 8, above. In this instance, the two principal justifications that the City has relied upon in adopting the Rules -that the Rules are necessary to decrease overcrowding of local public schools, and to steer new affordable housing to other areas of the City -have been rejected decisively by the courts. As noted above (at pp. 3-5), the evidence strongly indicates that in adopting the Rules, the City intentionally sought to exclude families with children from allegedly over concentrated areas, such as Census Tract 18. Where, as here, a city intentionally restricts housing opportunities in violation of the FHAct, the existence of a justification for the policy will not save the discriminatory policy. 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP ~1~~.~ Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees /U/~/ 1 June 10, 2010 ~ ?410 Page 13 1O~'a ~~ IIo ~d If anything, the justifications offered to date by the City only underscore the express discriminatory intent of the Rules.b They make clear that the City's goal was to exclude multifamily housing residents generally and, in particular, to prevent families with children from moving into certain neighborhoods in the City that, in its view, were heavily impacted. At best, these sentiments do not constitute the sort of legitimate justifications that would rescue an otherwise discriminatory land use pattern. At worst, the specific justifications provided by the City Council members and others at various meetings and hearings and in written statements and memoranda show an express intent to prevent families with children from residing in certain areas of the City and, in particular, from impacting certain school districts. Even assuming that it was not the intention of the ICCSD, the members of the Taskforce, and the City Council to discriminate against minorities or families with children, however, the justifications that have been offered for adopting and implementing the rules are not sufficient to save the Rules. Over and over again, the Eighth Circuit and other Federal courts have rejected similar purported justifications. As noted above (pp. 8-9), the Eighth Circuit expressly rejected school overcrowding as a justification for adopting discriminatory land use policies in City of Black Jack. Likewise, in City of Huntington (pp. 9-l0,above), the Second Circuit rejected local policies that arguably were intended to deconcentrate affordable housing and encourage a "fair share" approach in that community, where the evidence indicated that the policy's only real impact. was to discourage affordable housing opportunities generally. Of course, the City may attempt to proffer different justifications for its policies now, but it is likely that courts would consider any such justifications pro hoc rationalizations for its discriminatory polices that would not be sufficient to validate the Rules or its recent denial of the Fellowship's application to develop the Site. See pp. 9, above (denying proffered justifications as pretextual). To be a justification for a discriminatory policy, of course, there must be a bona fide basis for the alleged discriminatory conduct, but that does not exist here. Indeed, there is little, if any, factual support for the City's action here. As one commentator explained, "the notion that free- and-reduced lunch equal assisted/affordable housing which equals bad test scores is not a notion that is supported by any facts." (Minutes of Housing and Community Development Comm'n at 5 (March 11, 2010) (App. at 26)). Moreover, when pressed at various times to demonstrate such a factual connection, the ICCSD demurred, contending that confidentiality policies prevented it from sharing information that allegedly would support its position. See pp. 3, above. But absent such support, there is no evidence in the record at all that the policies adopted by the City would 6 The Third and Eighth Circuits have held that proof of discriminatory effect alone is always sufficient to establish a violation of the Fair Housing Act. Fair Housing Council, 855 F. Supp. at 317 citing Resident Advisory Board, 564 F.2d 126 at 146-148 and City of Black Jack, 508 F.2d 1179 at 1184-85. However, assuming arguendo that discriminatory intent is required, the councils' various statements regarding children evidenced that intent. 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP -~jLED Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees JUN Y 4 2010 June 10, 2010 Crry Clerk Page 14 Iowa Ciry, lox, promote the goals it sought and in the absence of such evidence, the proffered justifications are illusory. Likewise, the City rebuffed any attempt to consider other, less discriminatory approaches to solve the problems it raised, such as relocating children to alleviate perceived overcrowding or overconcentration. (City Council Work Session, Oct. 17, 2005, at 7 (App. at 8).) Rather, in adopting the Rules and in denying the Fellowship's application to develop the Site, the City was responding to alarms that are totally unsubstantiated, and made no attempt to consider less discriminatory solutions to the problems it perceived. Having failed to substantiate its concerns, or to consider other alternatives that did not disparately impact protected classes, the City cannot justify its actions here. Here, less discriminatory methods were available to the City to address its concerns about over-crowding, including providing additional transportation services to other schools or building new schools to accommodate additional children, if necessary. The course chosen - using its zoning and land use policies to prevent the construction of multifamily housing -has a clear discriminatory impact on both minorities and families with children. Simply put, the FHAct does not allow municipalities to use discriminatory housing policies to reduce its educational expenses or to solve other community needs. If these facts are presented to a court, we believe that the court will find that the Rules violate the FHAct and Iowa laws. Conclusion After reviewing the factual and legal summaries above, it appears that the City violated the provisions of the FHAct and improperly discriminated against minorities and families with children in the City in implementing the Rules and in denying the Fellowship's application to develop the Site. We would welcome the opportunity to speak with you in more detail and discuss any questions that you may have about potential actions the City could take that will end this improper discrimination and extend the benefits of affordable multifamily housing to the residents of the City, including without limitation allowing the Fellowship to proceed with its plans to develop the Site. As noted, the Iowa Code also prohibits discrimination on the basis of familial status or race. Given the similarities between the two pieces of legislation, federal court decisions interpreting the FHAct are persuasive when a court considers the provisions of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. State v. Kedin~, 553 N.W.2d 305, 307 (Iowa 1996). 13026483.2 NIXON PEABODY LLP Mr. Charles Eastham and Board of Trustees June 10, 2010 Page 15 Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. Very truly yours, Harry . K y cc: Ms. Maryann Dennis 13026483.2 ~IL-~~ `~~~ Y ~ 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa NIXON PEABODY LLP EILEI~ ,IUN 14 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa APPENDIX To Letter to Charles Eastham and the Board of Trustees From Harry J. Kelly, Esq. June 10, 2010 13030303.1 ~~L~~ JUN 14 ~Q10 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa TABLE OF CONTENTS Taskforce Final Recommendations for City Council, October 11, 2005 .......................1 .....................7 City Council Work Session, October 17, 2005 ................................ City Council Work Session, March 1, 2010 ........................................................11 ............17 ...................... City Council Work Session, March 11, 20 ..................... ............19 City Council Work Session, March 19, 2007 ........................................... Housing and Community Development Commission, March 11, 2010 ........................24 FILEIa JUN 14 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Final Recommendations for City Council 11 October 2005 INTRODUCTION The Scattered Site Housing Taskforce ("Taskforce") was created by the Iowa City City Council by unanimous vote on April 6, 2004. The Council's instructions to the Taskforce were to "study the existing distribution, location and types of assisted housing in Iowa City" and "recommend policies or actions, as appropriate, regarding the disbursement, location, and type of future assisted housing." The Taskforce consisted of eight individuals from the community who volunteered their time and talents to the inquiry: • Don Anciaux -Chair, Iowa City Planning & Zoning Commission Jerry Anthony -Vice Chair, Housing and Community Development Commission Darlene Clausen -Representative, Iowa City Neighborhood Council • Matthew Hayek -Chair, Housing and Community Development Commission • Jan Leff -President, ICCSD Board of Directors • Jan Peterson -Executive, United Way of Johnson County Sally Stutsman -County Supervisor, Johnson County Board of Supervisors Joan VandenBerg - At-RisldYouth and Family Coordinator, ICCSD Between Apri12004 and October 2005, the Taskforce toured much of the community's assisted housing infrastructure, conducted 24 open session meetings, and held two public hearings. Numerous individuals and organizations were invited to present data and opinions. Of the 17 organizations that presented, 11 were providers of assisted housing. Others presenters included housing-related departments at the City, University of Iowa experts, residents, developers, and so on. The Taskforce reviewed over a thousand pages of written material submitted by these organizations and individuals. Following this exhaustive review, the Taskforce began a process of deliberating the issues at hand. This report (1) summarizes some of the trends identified by the Taskforce and (2) offers a number of policy recommendations for consideration by the Council. Page 1 of 8 1 AILED Iowa Cily Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Final Rocommendations for City Council I I Octobu 2005 ,)UN 14 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa TRENDS The Taskforce identified numerous trends that need community attention. The more salient trends include the following: (1) Demand for housing assistance is on the rise. In 2000, the waiting list delay for Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8) vouchers through the Iowa City Housing Authority was zero. An individual or family could apply for housing assistance and, if qualified, receive a voucher immediately. By 2005, the waiting list has grown to more than 2,650 names. An individual or family applying now for housing assistance faces an approximately two-year wait for a voucher. It should be noted that Iowa City is by no means unique in this regard; other metropolitan areas and even smaller communities within the state have witnessed this very trend in recent years. The influx of low-moderate income populations likely stems from housing policy shifts in major metropolitan areas as well as demographic and economic changes. Iowa City is a particularly attractive place to live due to job opportunities and a broad array of services such as health care, human and social services, education, and public safety. (2) Local housing costs are amon tQ he hilliest in the state. Whether renters or owners, Johnson County households face among the highest housing costs in Iowa. In fact, Johnson County has the highest proportion of cost-burdened households statewide. While the cost of housing within Iowa City drives the countywide average, this dynamic is changing as Coralville now has a higher median price for single-family units. The .Taskforce found that numerous members of the community whose incomes are modest are unable to pay market rates to rent or purchase housing. Land prices continue to rise. (3) Assisted housing tends to be concentrated. The Taskforce found that certain census block groups contain a disproportionately high number of assisted housing units, while other block groups contain few (and often no) assisted housing units. Census block groups are the smallest geographic measurement for which reliable statistical data are available. This fact makes it very difficult to gauge the concentration of assisted housing within, for example, a single square block or a portion of a single street. Without a doubt, large multi-unit assisted housing complexes result in an even higher concentration in the immediate vicinity. (4) Emergency and transitional housing is even more concentrated. Within the spectrum of assisted housing, emergency and transitional housing (i.e. housing for the. homeless or nearly-homeless) is especially concentrated. One area in particular stands out in this regard. Block group 18-2 presently contains 41 percent of all transitional housing and 69 percent of all emergency housing. If the local homeless shelter is relocated pursuant to current plans, block group 18-2 could end up with 100 percent of all emergency housing. The Taskforce believes this situation merits special attention. (5) Poverty.and mobilitypose a challenge to our schools. The school district has witnessed marked changes in its student population. Poverty levels at certain schools, measured by Page 2 of 8 2 ~~LED Iowa City Scattered Site Housing Taskforce ,1 U N 14 2~ I Q Final Recommendations for City Council 11 October 2005 City ~Cletk Iowa City, Iowa the percentage of students receiving a free or reduced price lunch, are on the rise. By way of example, 26 percent of Mark Twain Elementary students received a free or reduced price school lunch in 1995; by 2004, the figure was 61 percent. This contrasts sharply with other schools in the district, where rates were as low as 2 percent. The district wide average was 21 percent.. A chart summarizing the 2004 free/reduced lunch numbers of all ICCSD elementary schools is attached as Table 1. Other data are likewise alarming. Rates of student mobility (the likelihood that a student will not start and finish an academic year at the same school) are on the rise. At Twain, the mobility rate exceeded 60 percent by 2003, while elsewhere in the district the mobility rates were as low as 8 percent (Lincoln Elementary). Teachers who addressed the Taskforce noted the difficulty of providing quality educational outcomes to high- poverty, highly-mobile student populations. The district targets higher-poverty schools with considerably more resources (up to ten times the amount targeted to lower-poverty schools) in the areas of guidance, reading, class-size reduction, ESL, special education, before-and-after school programs, family resource centers, and the like. Despite this, however, educators from the classroom to the central administration office shared what they described as a growing crisis for education within the community. Notwithstanding the commitment of additional resources, Twain and Grant Wood are the two ICCSD elementary schools at risk of being placed on the federal watch list. The Taskforce is concerned with what it regards to be increasingly disparate school environments within the same public school system. Due to confidentiality restrictions on school data, the Taskforce was unable to examine links between poverty and mobility on the one hand and assisted housing on the other. However, it believes the City, the school district, and other relevant organizations should research this issue further and explore appropriate responses. (6) Local serviceproviders face increasing demand. The Taskforce heard from numerous agencies and non-profits that provide housing and/or services to low-moderate income populations. The message from these entities is that their workloads continue to increase and that many of them face barriers to meeting demands for housing, social and human services, and the like. As budgets for these services are reduced by the federal and state governments, additional burdens are placed on local government, the agencies themselves, and private donors. (7) The University of Iowa impacts local housing. The Taskforce found that rental units of all kinds (both assisted and unassisted) are found mostly within a third of Iowa City's residential census block groups, and mostly near the University of Iowa. This is due to zoning as well as market demands. The total current enrollment at the University of Iowa is 29,745. Only 20 percent of University of Iowa students live on campus. -The remaining 80 percent live in private market rental units. Of the total enrollrirent, 15,765 (53 percent) live in private market rental units in Iowa City; 1,785 (6 percent) live in private market rental units in Coralville. As a result, individuals and families compete with college students for rental housing. The college students can often pay higher rental rates and/or find roommates to share rent expenses, placing low-moderate income individuals and families at a disadvantage. Page 3 of 8 3 FILED lows City Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Final Recommendations for City Council 1 1 October 2005 JUN 14 2010 City'Clerk Iowa City, Iowa (8) Federal funding for housing programs is decreasing. City staff and the presenters discussed the declining levels of support for housing, jobs and services for low-moderate income persons. Drops in CDBG, HOME and Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8) funding have diminished the federal resources available for local housing needs. RECOMMENDATIONS The Taskforce urges the Council to consider two sets of objectives: General policy obiectives: (1) Iowa City should strengthen its commitment to assisted housing and increase opportunities for affordable housing generally. (2) Iowa City should adopt a scattered site policy to ensure a fair share distribution of assisted housing throughout the community. Specific policy obiectives: (3) The City should launch a campaign to educate the community about the importance of affordable housing, the impact of allowing the status quo to continue, and the degree to which housing and development decisions must involve all segments of the community. {4) The City should enlist other municipalities, as well as the county and area school districts, for purposes of collective action to address affordable housing and services. The issues of housing and poverty cannot be solved by the City alone. (5) The City should make land available for emergency and/or transitional housing throughout the community. The City should neither encourage nor support additional transitional or emergency housing within census block group 18-2. At present, 41 percent of all transitional housing, and 69 percent of all emergency housing, is located within census block group 18-2. The new Shelter House facility will result in the location of 100 percent of all emergency housing within census block group 18-2. (This recommendation is not intended to impact plans for the new Shelter House facility. The Taskforce recognizes the difficulty to date associated with finding a location for the new shelter.) (6) The City should commit resources to encourage future assisted housing to be placed in underrepresented census block groups identified by the fair share matrix provided with these recommendations. This means committing additional funding (i.e. beyond current expenditures and beyond the CDBG/HOME funding stream from HUD) to providers of assisted housing to offset the increased cost of developing housing in such areas. Page 4 of 8 4 FILED Iowa City Scariered Site Housing Taskforce n' y Final Rxommcndations for City Council JUN 1 ~ 2010 1 I October 2005 City'Clerk Iowa City, Iowa (7) If the City commits sufficient resources to scatter assisted housing without causing a reduction in current rates of supply, it should not support additional assisted housing in census block groups identified as significantly overrepresented. (8) The City should encourage affordable housing within the private market. This may involve changes in zoning and code regulations; permitting smaller lot sizes, row housing, and the like; and exploring creative approaches to housing and development policy. (9) The City should ensure that the needs of our assisted housing population are adequately met by the community's service providers. The City should avoid imbalances between the level of need and the ability to meet that need through human and social services. The City should collaborate with public and private partners on comprehensive services to those in poverty. Assistance in the areas of transportation, child care, counseling, education, and employment can help individuals and families become and remain self sufficient. (10) The City should encourage low- and medium-density rental housing (such as duplexes, town houses and the like) to be developed in currently-underrepresented areas of the convnunity. At present, most rental housing is confined to only 10 of 31 census block groups. Such a policy would disperse rental housing away from the University of Iowa student areas and make it easier for families to compete with students for such housing. (11) The City should Lake additional steps to increase sustainable home ownership among its population earning less than 80 percent of area median income. (12) The City should develop a mandatory inclusionary zoning policy with incentives for new housing developments. An inclusionary zoning policy holds great promise for affordable housing at minimal cost to taxpayers. [Adopted 6-1; Hayek voted against; Anciauac abstained.) (13) The City should expect owners and managers of all rental housing to manage their facilities adequately. The Taskforce encourages vigorous enforcement of existing policies. Much public opposition to assisted housing results from deficient maintenance and management of unassisted.tenant populations. As a mere 1,150 of the approximately i 5,000 rental units in Iowa City are assisted, it is important to monitor all rental facilities. (14) In conjunction with its review of the Consolidated Plan (CITY STEPS), the City should provide for a yearly review of fair share data so that the matrix provided with these recommendations is updated as conditions within block groups change. The Taskforce recommends that City staff and HCDC coordinate this annual task. (15) The City should conduct a comprehensive review of any scattered site policies at five- year intervals. The City should consider a sunset provision to ensure that such policies are closely monitored. Page 5 of S 5 FLED Iowa City Scattered Site Housing Taskfo~e Final Recornmcndations for City Council I 1 Octobcr 2005 JUN 14 2010 City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa (Recommendation nos. 1-11 and 13-15 were adopted 7-1; Anthony voted against them. Recommendation no. 12 was voted on separately (see above).) FAIR SHARE MATRIX As described above, the Taskforce concluded that concentrations of assisted housing are a growing problem for the community and should be addressed as a matter of policy. At the same time, the growing need for both affordable and assisted housing requires a continued commitment. How best to address concentration and housing demand is the challenge we face. After considerable analysis and deliberation, the Taskforce decided to establish a "fair share" matrix (Table 2) (see also the attached map showing census block groups within the community that lack assisted housing). For this, each of the 31 applicable census block groups was assigned two numbers. The first number is the present amount of housing units (both assisted and unassisted) within a given block group as a percentage of all housing units in the community. The second number is the present amount of assisted housing units within that block group as a percentage of all assisted housing units in the community. This approach demonstrates how a given block group compares to other block groups in terms of its share of assisted housing. Additionally, the takforce wanted the matrix to be easy to understand, employ readily available and reliable data, and permit efficient updating as new building occurs within the community. The fair share matrix demonstrates that the total current number of housing units within a given block group may be as low as four and as high as 2,945. Similarly, the fair share matrix demonstrates that the total current number of assisted housing units within a given block group maybe as low as zero and as high as 392. The basic premise of the fair share matrix is this: for a blockgroup to contain its `fair share" of assisted housing relative to other blockgroups, its percentage of all assisted housing should approximate its percentage of all housing. The Taskforce believes this approach provides the most equitable means of improving the distribution of assisted housing. It should be noted that the fair share matrix does not -and cannot -answer all questions or account for all variables. For example, zoning constraints within certain block groups preclude medium- or higher-density apartments and condominiums, discouraging the even distribution of such housing. However, after considering various different approaches and data sources, the Taskforce concluded that the fair share matrix represents a fair, logical way to measure the assisted housing landscape. While the fair share matrix was selected as the primary means by which concentration or lack of affordable housing opportunities should be gauged, other data were considered and are worth mentioning. The Taskforce reviewed the following data and discussed their merits and faults at great length. Consensus was not reached regarding the use of these data, and as such they were not included as criteria in the fair share matrix. However, the Taskforce believes these and other factors should be considered in any scattered site policy. Page6of8 6 FILED JUN 14 2010 Pa e 1 October 17, 2005 City Council Work Session g City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa October 17, 2005 City Council Work Session 6:35 pm Council: Bailey, Champion, Elliott, Lehman, O'Donnell, Vanderhoef, Wilburn UISG Rep: Schreiber Staff: Atkins, Karr, Dilkes, Helling, Franklin, Boothroy, Nasby, Miklo, Howard TAPES: OS-61, SIDE 2; OS-66, SIDE 1 and SIDE 2; OS-67, SIDE 1 and SIDE 2 SCATTERED SITE HOUSING TASK FORCE: (IP2 of 10/13/05) Lehman/ Matt, looks like you're number one. Hayek/ Well, good evening. My name is Matt Hayek. I'm the Chair of the Iowa City Scattered Site Housing Task Force. I am presenting the findings of the Task Force tonight, along with Jerry Anthony and Joan Vandenberg. Jerry is a member of the Housing Commission and just replaced me as the Chair of that Commission. Joan Vandenberg is the At-Risk Youth and Family Coordinator for the Sc'~ool District. Beyond the three of us, there were five others who served on this T~'.sk Force. All told, there were eight of us -two from HCDC, two from the School District, one from the Neighborhood Council, one from Plannirig and Zoning, one from the United Way of Johnson County, and one from the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. This group, this Council, created us in Apri12004, and gave us the following instructions. To study the existing distribution, location and types of assisted housing in Iowa City, and to recommend policies or actions, as appropriate, regarding the disbursement, location, and type of future assisted housing. We took that task up and over the next year and a half met two dozen times in open session meetings, including a bus tour of a good portion of the assisted housing infrastructure in Iowa City. We held two public hearings, and a subcommittee consisting of Joan, Jerry, and I met numerous times to put together the draft, the written draft, for consideration by the Task Force, and that's ultimately what you have before you. We heard from numerous organizations as apart of this process, as well as individuals. We heard from a total of seventeen organizations within the community, eleven of which provide assisted housing. We he'~rd from City planners, University of Iowa experts, residents of assisted and nc'n-assisted housing, developers, the Neighborhood Council, the School District, and others. We considered over a thousand pages of written material submitted to us by City planners, as well as some of the interested organizations. After considerable deliberation, negotiation, and accommodation, we ended up with this report, and I do want to stress, this is a product of compromise and accommodation. There were numerous dispirit points of view on this Task Force, and we worked very hard to come - to reach a final report that almost all of us could agree with, and what this report consists of is a section regarding friends that we see in the community, recommendations that the Task Force would ask the Council to consider, and a possible means of scattering future assisted housing This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of October 17, 2005. 7 AILED 1 .lUN 14 2010 Ci Council Work Session Page 6 October 17,1005 tY cityClerk Iowa City, Iowa this report does constitute the final act of the Scattered Site Housing Task Force. I'm .doing this more out of, as a favor of the other seven members. They have worked incredibly hard on this. Many of you have been in the room at our meetings. Our deliberations have been very difficult. I want to publicly commend them and thank them, and also tell them that they're work is complete. So, at this point I will hand it over to whoever wants to go. Joan? Would you like to go next? Vandenberg/ First of all I would like to thank the Council for the attention that this very important issue is receiving because I think it's a critical one for our community, and I think it all started with a letter from our School Board, and just to kind of refresh your memory, the School Board sent a letter saying the concentration of pover(~ was one of the barriers to learning that we identified at our conference and I think it's important to note that certainty it's not the only barrier that we experience in the District, and certainly housing goes way beyond the scope of what we're dealing with in the District, but there's a common ground, I think, that we need to identify between the City and the School District, and that's how we're going to deal with issues of poverty in children in our community. So, I appreciate the attention that this has, and also just kind of want to help clarify what the District would like to see happen from this. First of all, there's a strong correlation between poverty and academic achievement, and it's not a cause and effect. There are certainly kids who aze not poor who have academic struggles, and there are certainly kids who are, but who do extremely well, but we certainly see more and more kids who aze bright, but because of their circumstances and their poverty, aren't having the same opportunities as other kids to realize their potential, and I think, you know, we want to have them have the same opportunities as their more affluent classmates. Our District data certainly shows that th's is the case, and national data would do that, as well, and it's just common sense,~'when you have kids who their parents are maybe working two jobs, they don't have good nutrition, they maybe perhaps don't have adequate childcare after school, it just makes sense they're not going to do as well in school. So I just want to get it cleaz, we're not saying that all kids have, you know, who are in poverty, have these issues, but it certainly...there's astrong correlation. And we have a number of things that we're doing in the District to address this. We have Family Resource Centers. We have our Afterschool Programs, the 21s` Century Community Learning Grants. We have afterschool tutoring. We have a new Academic Mentoring Program, and I think we're seeing good success with those. I think we have far greater challenges in those schools when you have half or more than half of the kids in the classroom who have issues of poverty. I think when you look at a classroom teacher, they have twenty kids in their class, and four of them have some issues, they can accommodate pretty well. It's a challenge, but they can do it. If you have ten kids or twelve kids or even fifteen kids in that classroom, it becomes extraordinarily difficult to meet the challenges. So I tl-'ink, as a District, we would welcome a public policy that would not increase the concentration of poverty in those neighborhoods, and when we're seeing that already there, we know that more assisted housing would mean more This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of October 17, 2005. 8 FILED JUN 14 2010 October 17, 2005 City Council Work Session City Clerk Page 7 Iowa Ciry, Iowa low-income children. It's just, you know...how we got there, I don't think we can necessarily say it was because of assisted housing, but if it's already existing in that community, we (can't understand} poverty, we just don't want to see that increase and have more kids of poverty there. Certainly, the Task Force experience has been an exercise in compromise, as Matt talked about, and I just want to point to the free-reduced lunch data once again. It is difficult to use in some ~~vays because some of the school boundary areas aren't exactly neight~orhood schools, but as you look at that and as you look at what has happened to some of our Iowa City schools, I think it provides a really good sketch, or a...qf how our community is developing, and when we have some areas of the;community.that actually have decreased and they go. from 7% to 2%, and you have some -that .go .from, you know, in the,. mid 20's to over 60%, I think that says something about the way that our community is going„and you know, in addition, I just want to. kind- of remind... some of you. remember. that I used to workin a neighborhood organization.and Ireally believe in strengthening neighborhoods. This goes beyond the School District. I mean, this is a community issue,;and ~I think that fora neighborhood to be able to have good leadership and to do some good community organizing, it's really difficult when you have a high number of families who are in crisis, who are in transitional housing, who are in. emergency housing,: and o I really want to encourage you to continue those revitalization efforts in hat part of town, and as we look to .engineer neighborhoods in the future, that we make all the neighborhoods as stron&as we can. So, that's about all L.. Bailey/ Joan, I have a question. Since you. are speaking from the School District's :perspective;-whatis the School District willing to do regazding boundaries, because some,of these low, free and reduced.lunch percentages, these schools, are certainly close to what might be considered low-income azeas, and yet those students don't attend those schools. So what is the District willing to do as a policy... Vandenberg/ Well, that's a question far bigger than me (laughter). I think....there have been some discussions, and I think, you know, how do you decide who to move? Do you move just the poor kids, or do you move all kids, I mean, it creates a whole other task force. Bailey/ I mean, I (can't understand) and it was a policy way back then even to bus those kids to whatever school was appropriate or whatever. i Vandenberg/ And I think that's what we would, you know..... Bailey/ ...not believed to be the policy. Vandenberg/ And I think it's certainly something worth discussing, but I think that I would personally hesitate to move, just to bus pour kids... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of October 17, 2005. 9 JUN 14 X010 City Council Work Session Page 8 October 17, 2005 Ciry'Clerk Iowa City, Iowa Bailey/ Well, I agree with that, but I guess, when we're being asked to implement Policies, I also expect the School District, who initiated this discussion, to know what policies also will be implemented to know that our policies are actually moving in the same direction, and not moving rn contradictory directions. Vandenberg/ Right, no, and I think that's a good point. Lehman/ Tha%tlc you, Joan. Anthony/ Thank you very much. I'll be very, very brief. Overall, I'm in favor of a policy that provides low-income families (can't understand) to locate in scattered locations in Iowa City, so long as this policy does not worsen the problem of the lack of affordable housing in our community. Putting these two issues together, lack of affordable housing is clearly awell-documented problem that our community faces. Are there any problems in concentration of assisted housing? The evidence does not show any kind. So when I was appointed to this Task Force, I was happy to get an opportunity to work for a goal that I think is worthy. Good policies need to be grounded in data and sound analysis, and adopted to resolve problems. This Task Force was set up primarily, as Joan said, as a response to a claim from the School District that its students living in assisted housing tend to lower school test scores. If the School District's claim could have been supported by evidence, then I feel that the Task Force would have had a firm foundation to formulate a legally defensible scattering strategy. Unfortunately, the Sc.IOOI District could not provide us with this data to back its claims. Data such a~ where do students live? Are they participating in our free and reduced lunch programs? And what is the best course? If that data could have been made available, this debate could have been settled eighteen months ago. But, I guess the School District could not provide this data, primarily because of confidentiality restrictions. So the crucial data that could have proved or disproved their claim is not made available, and in the absence of that, I really have to conclude that there is no evidence to say that students living in assisted housing lower test scores. Now some of the data that we did get from the School District was about free and reduced lunch program and (can't understand) and low performance, and evidence from that data is not conclusive. You could read it either way. And therefore, to me, the lack of this evidence to support the School District's charge was a serious challenge to our efforts. When we came to this point in our deliberations, along sometime in October of 2004, and perhaps at that time, looking back, I feel the Task Force should have disbanded. But by this time, considerable momentum had built up, primarily within the Task Force and perhal .~ outside it too, to come up with findings and recommendations in support of scattering. (can't understand) We looked for non-school data that would somehow link concentrations of assisted housing with bad quality of life, and we could not find data linking the two, and soon we decided to abandon that approach, too. Finally, we hit upon the fair-share approach. That every part of the City should have it's fair share of assisted housing. Why? Because it sounds cool. Fair sounds like a very good thing, so we have this policy of afair-share This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of October 17, 2005. 10 FILED October 17, 2005 City Council Work Session `~~` ~ 4 2010 City Cletk Iowa Cih~, Iowa approach. Now what this approach also means that the scattering would attempt to improve the quality of life in Iowa City without solving an identifiable problem and w thout knowing if there are tangible benefits from scattering. That's usually not a firm foundation for a new policy initiative, especially one that is potentially very controversial. That said, it can still work if the scattering policy does not worsen an existing problem, but here's how it can. If, for example, CDBG Funds are disbursed only to projects that locate in new parts of the City, that is, areas that have a lower share of assisted housing or none at all, compared to some other parts of the City. Then the number of new assisted housing units, both rental and ownership produced in each CDBG allocation cycle, would drop off significantly. This is because land in other parts of the City is more expensive than in those where assisted housing now locates. Also, neighbors in other parts of the City are more hostile than those where assisted housing locates. So, each new unit of assisted housing would take more time, more money to produce, adding to the severe affordable housing crisis we face. If the City can create a new pool of money, dedicated to finance scattering, then we can make this policy work. Here's an example of how this new policy, new pool of money, would help out to scatter, as well as not reduce, the supply of housing, and this is contained in our recom nendations, I think recommendations six and seven speak to that. I'm not sure of the numbers, but this is in the recommendations. So, here's an example. Let's say aCDBG-funded project plans to build housing for low-income families and is awarded say $100,000 in CDBG Funds. If it locates in some part in southeastern Iowa, let's say in tract 13, it can buy say two pazcels of land for say $50,000 each. But if it is required to locate in say Manville Heights or Walnut Ridge, presuming (can't understand) about $100,000, it can get only one parcel. At this point, the new scattering fund could step in and give this project an additional $100,000, thereby enabling the purchase of two parcels in Manville Heights. So, by this method, the City can get the scatter (can't understand) and a greater supply of assisted or affordable housing. And this would make a fair- share concept legally defensible, and the Task Force overwhelmingly agreed that this should be the approach, and if there's any scattering policy that should be adopted, it should be after such a fund is created, and after such a fund is put in operation. But, to really implement this policy, we also need afair-share matrix to ider•:tify the areas that have more than their fair-share of assisted units, and those tnat have less. This matrix, too, would have to be legally defensible. The matrix that the Task Force has approved has, just my personal opinion, the rest of the members of the Task Force approved it overwhelmingly. My personal opinion, it has significant shortcomings, but I wouldn't go into right now because I have it (can't understand). So, hopefully if the City decides to go ahead with the scattered site policy, then a new matrix would be used. So in conclusion, to make a scattered site policy legally defensible, the City would need to identify a new funding source to enable scattering without reducing the supply of assisted units, and formulate a better matrix. Both these activities were significant challenges. A simpler approach, as politically contentious as any other, is a mandatory, inclusionary zoning policy, applicable for all or most new developments. This policy would require developers of new subdivisions and apartment buildings to This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City catty Council meeting of October 17, 2005. 11 FILED ollJN 14 2010 page 10 October 17, 2005 City Council Work Session City Clerk Iowa City, lowa set aside a few units for low-income families in exchange for additional density or some other concession. This would build a steady supply of new affordable housing at scattered locations, all around the City, and require no additional sources of funding. In other words, a financially sustainable, long-term option that addresses the current issues of scattering and the lack of affordable housing. In fact, as the meeting minutes of the October 3Td meeting of the Scattered Site Housing Task Force read, members of the Task Force, barring Matt, overwhelmingly felt that this is one of the two specific recommendations that would make a difference in the location of new assisted units in Iowa City. During the course of our deliberations, that were sixteen, seventeen, eighteen months, staff presented us with vast amounts of information. We have included several examples of inclusionary zoning policies (can't understand, some mandatory, and these policies were enacted in various cities on the west coast and the east, in red states and in blue, in big cities and small, but perhaps not a single example of a scattered site policy, such as the one we have proposed, was presented. It just goes to show how difficult it is to support a scattered site policy, which is not based on inclusionary zoning. Inclusionary zoning is far more easily defensible, especially given the well-documented (can't understand) affordable housing in the City and the County. Thank you very much. Lehman/ Thai ilc you. Elliott/ Jerry, just to respond, you and I have differed before on some things and we've had some interesting and very respectful discussions, and you know that I not only respect, but I enjoy our discussions, I do have to disagree with you on the point regarding the school. When you want to almost ignore the school's concerns that were expressed because of the lack of test score data. I, in fact, I think it would be good if we had that, but I understand why we don't. I think you fail to understand that there are professionally trained, experienced teachers who are on the front lines of this, and they can provide us, I think, with better more effective, more productive information than test scores could. So, I'm certainly not willing to discount any of the information from the schools. I think it is very important that we pay close attention to that. Champion/ Test scores are published; they're not secret. Vandenberg/'ihey used to be published, right? (several talking at once) I think what Jerry is referring to, just to clarify. We have, you know, the test scores for kids on free-reduced lunch, and there is a correlation. What we don't have is children who live in assisted housing. So, we can't tell you, kids (can't understand). It's a breach of confidentiality. So, but I think it's not a leap of faith to say that, you know, kids in assisted housing generally are low-income. The same trends would apply. But we can't do it, you know, unit by unit. (several talking at once) Anthony/ Can I respond to Bob's comment, and to some of the other comments? Well, This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of October 17, 2005. 12 March 1, 2010 City Council Work Session I-Iayek/ Do you want to take a break now? We've got a lot of people here for the next... Bailey/ I know, but... Wright/ Can we just take like afive-minute {several talking} Hayek/ Take afive-miimte break. (13RCAI~ Proposed Affordable Rental Nousin~ Site 2500 Muscatine Avenue fIP51: Page 38 FILED JuN 14 zoo City'Clerk Iowa City, Iowa Longl What I'll do is talk a little bit about the project, and then talk about why we're here. The Housing Fellowship is proposing...well, about a year ago,1'll step back. About a year ago, City Council approved $220,000 in Home and CDBG fiords to acquire land to construct up to eleven housing units. And, they fotlnd...t}tey found the location at 2500 Muscatine Avenue and there's enough land there to construct sixtwo-bedroom units. And just to give you au idea...this is a, well,, six two-bedroom emits at that location, and also more importantly, 14 homes in North Liberty, so they are working to scatter their projects throughout the metropolitan area. With this particular project, um, all of the two-bedroom Homes will have...are geared towards persons at 60, at least all of them will be below 60% of median income. I just wanted to put that out there to show you what income that is. And the rents, don't pay too much attention to these rents. They're not exactly the home rents, and without getting into ail the...the HUD language. They will be less than thattwo-bedroom number there. And, with that number, keep in mind you also have to back out, if the tenant pays utilities, which they will be, so it'll probably be...$75 to $SO less than that number, so just to give you an idea of what...what we're talking about het•e for housing. And it's going to be:..they don't have, they don't want to put too much into the schematics, so I don't have any drawings until it's been approved. But it's either going to be duplexes or townhomes at this location. This is the proposed location. I'm sure most of you are familiat• with this site. Uh, it's...right next to Memory Garden Cemetery and Hy-Vee, and CVS is across the street. There is immediately adjacent to the west, there is a, uh, three buildings, with a total of 27 apartments. Those ace market-rate apartments. They're not assisted units. And, Autumn Park, which is a...T-IUD calls it project-based, elderly assisted housing. We don't have any of our Home fiords in it, or CDDG funds, but it's IIUD funds. I believe it's 64 units, and then the other, the I-Iousing Authority, they have 20 units up on, near Scott and Court Street, that's been labeled ICHA. And this is in census tract 14, block group 2. Just keep that in mind; we'll be talking about that numbee quite a bit {laughter). There's an aerial view of...just give you another, better idea. And what's currently there, is a former dentist office. Hayek/ A !ot of teeth pulled in that officel (laughter) Long/ They have moved, and the Housing Fellowship does have a...an accepted purchase offer on the property, and it's contingent on...well, your approval, and the environmental review process, which we will do afterwards. So, this is why we're here! You look at...it's up in the, uh, I don't have a pointer, but if you look at 14, up...to the east, and your rigl~t...and 2 is the...clustee•. (mumbled) pointer (laughter) (mumbled) fancy laser This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa guy ~i~y ~t,u~~~.~ .~~~~ session meeting of March 1, 2010. 13 FILED JUN 14 '1010 Cit Council Work Session City Clerk Page 39 Match 1, 2010 y Iowa Cin~, lo-.va pointer! So right here, it's the area that is not shaded. So...step back, when the Housing Fellowship applied for these funds, in our application guide...guideline, we state, in November 2005 City Council reached consensus on identifying areas of the community where the development of Ilome andlor CDI3G assisted rental housing would be encouraged. As the attached map shows, census tract 14, block group 2, is not an area that was identified as underserved of affordable housing opportunities, and requires you to review the location. So, if it was across the street, by CVS, we wouldn't be here tonigltt, but based on this, uh, information that was put together in 2000...2003, 2004, tth, 2004 or 2005, um, that's why we're here. The site is zoned multi-family. So it's appropriately zoned. And, is in an area that we...we encourage affordable housing to be built, because it's with access to public tt•ansportation, grocery stores, schools, and uh, other areas within walking distance. This particular black group, um, has 713, well...in 2000 lead 713 units, and we can estimate...it's hard to estimate. We didn't do tl~e estimate, but not too many units have been constructed in that census tract block group since then because it's a pt•etty developed area. And of that number, 87 or 12% of the units have been publicly assisted with our funds, CDl3G, Home, orproject-based. And if you take out Autumn Park, which is G4 units, or 77% of those, um, we're down to, I believe it's 3% of the block group, including the 20 public housing units. And I...I say that, take out elderly only because when this map was first proposed to City Council, there were some parts of the area of..:of the census .tract block groups that were...ehanged (mumbled) initially you...we were not allowed to develop in census tract 105 (mumbled) and that...that census tract was skewed a bit because there is a 30- unit...37 unit elderly housing development that was financed with...pat•tially financed with Nome funds, and that was...that switched to that (mumbled) um, so it's just one of the reasons we took that out, and because of the issue with the (mumbled) with tlte, uh, schools. We just back that up, because it does not have an impact on schools. So I guess we're here to answer questions and also there are a number of members of the Board of Directors from the Housing Fellowship here and a couple sl:aff members if you want mote detailed information about rellowship ot• the project. Apparently (mumbled) and manage, um, l 16 housing units in Iowa City (unable to hear person away fiom mic) used to have some units in Cotalville. They were...there's still four, I'm sorry. I believe 16 of them were destroyed by the flood, but they still have four there. Wright/ And this is the map we were just talking about a few mututes ago that's on the outdated side, is that correct? Long! I would agree with that. Champion/ You know, these...this is (coughing, unable to hear) is putting more subsidized housing. I'm going to use that term rather than affordable housing, cause I think there's a big difference, into the east side schools, which have their hands full right now, and I am not going to support this project, or any more...any more projects on the east side of town for subsidized housing, and in some of the areas in town that have au oversaturation. Ithink it's a very unhealthy situation we're creating, and I feel very strongly about it. I...1've said that fot• several years. I didn't vote on the funding for the This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council work session meeting of March l , 2010. 14 FILED aUN 14 ?_01Q Cit Council Work Session Page 40 March 1, 2010 Y City Clerk Iowa City, Iowa past two years because of my involvement with Shelter House, so now I can vote, and I'm going to say no. Wilburn/Wasn't the big...I'm trying to remember...I believe the one...the consensus foc that policy came from the Council...1 believe the big focus was on census tract 18. Is that correct? Long/ Correct. Initially census tract 181 was identified for additional affordable housing opportunities, based on the fair share matrix...and that was swapped to where we were told not to put anything there, but according to this mah•ix that was developed, and again, it was never approved. None of this has ever been...it's not a policy. It's a guideline. 1t was swapped, as well as 172, which is where Twain. That also was identified foc additional affordable housing opportunities, based on the fair share matrix that was developed and then that was shifted, and so... Wright/And we're talking here at tlie...142, which is as you said, if we... if the Autumn Park apartments were not there, would be an area, uh, identified for additional affordable housing, is that right? Long/ It's below the average. Wright/Below average, if you could move the Autumn Pack apartment complex for senior citizens. Bailey/ It's six units. Okay, so how... Long/ It's'two bedrooms. Bailey/ Sixtwo-bedroom; so what's the potential, what's a tnaxitnutn impact that it could have on the School District, and is that Lucas? Long/ That is Lucas. WrighU And what's the, uh... Bailey/ How many kids...potetltially in tl~at...six unit? Long/ Uh, I'd have to...(botli talking) Bailey/ ...how many kids fit in atwo-bedroom unit? I don't know. Hayek/ Yeah, if you want to bring somebody (several talking) Hightshoe/ Maryann, can you get that? About how many kids you think in the six...the six homes would have. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council work session meeting of March 1, 2010. 15 Ci Council Work Session Page 4t March 1, 2010 t3' Long/ rive to eight (several talking) ~~L`ED BaileylOkay. JUN Y ~ ~p,p Ciry'Clerk Champion/ Lucas is one of those schools in trouble. Iowa Ciry, Iowa Bailey/ Well, no, it's...1 understand you can't say w}tat ages, but I mean, I'm just talking about how many people will actually live here and potentially wltat...what is the impact on the schools. Okay. Long/ Lucas I believe is at...38. Tracy has the numbers here, just a minute. We...(mumbled) Hightshoe/ Oh, I have the districts across Iowa. (several talking) Lucas might bus from a different area, outside of Iowa City, into Lucas where it might (several talking} free and -•educed lunch... Wright! Yeah, they... Bailey/ They bus outside...just east of our bounda-y. Long/ They go...I can...I did pull up the map from the School District and of the 159...kids on free and reduced lunch, 80 in the elementary school anyway were from, uh, manufactured housing parks ot-tside of Iowa City limits. So over half. Champion/ They're still there! Long/ They are, but it's something beyond out• control. Mims/ What does the...what...fairly lengthy discussions iu their minutes talked about, again, this tax credit applications and...and this memo indicates that the Housing Fellowship...Housing Fellowship will include the six-unit, 2500 Muscatine Avenue property, as part of the scattered site, low income housing tax credit application that also includes 14 homes in North Libe-•ty. How is that going to impact, I mean, is this going to get built or if they're not doing tax credit applications right now because nobody's buying the-n...what a-•e we looking at in terms of...tltat... Long/ The likelihood... Mims/ Yeah. Long/ It's hard to predict. They aren't...the application, I'm not sure the Iowa Finance Authority has set the application date for the next round, um, I know there was just a...an application recently that was submitted so...um, iPs hard to predict what's going to happen. It...a lot does depend on the national economy and whether investors are purchasing tax credits. I haven't heard yet that they're...I do know that their cu-zent project has tax credits sera-•ed. I...I don't... This represents only a reasonably accurate transenptton or the Iowa ~.i~y ~.i~y ~~~~~~~^• ..~.~~ session meeting of March 1, 2010. 16 FILER JUN 14 2Q1Q Ci Council Work Session City Clerk Page 46 March 1, 2010 tY Icwa Cary, Iowa do know, excuse me, is that there's still a need in Iowa City for, um...affordabiebousing. The Housing Fellowship is...has a track record as being a pretty responsible steward of their properties. {both talking} Champion/ ..talking about affordable housing or subsidized housing? Wright/ I'm talking about affordable housing. Champion/ This is subsidized housing. Wright/ We don't have our definitions straight on this, Connie. It could...we don't have our dictionary! Um...given the...the ovet•all...numbers in that census block, I don't think this is going to cause any particular problems. We're talking about sometwo-bedroom units, sixtwo-bedroom units going in there, um...what, 3°/a...only 3% of the residential units in this tract and block group have been publicly assisted for non-elderly rental households. That`s a pretty small percentage. So L..] don't have any problem with this going forward. Wilburn/ I support it going forward for the reasons you just stated. Mims/ I think I'm with Connie on this one. I...it's teal tough one. I think as we've talked about the map is outdated, um, I think, yes, if it was across the street we wouldn't be talking about it, but again, that whole...southeast side. I guess what I come back to is, I mean, I remember being on the School District fiom 96 to 99, and we were complaining back then to the City about what was happening on the southeast side, and it kept happening and it kept happening, acid until we kind of really. stop and look at this, and I think tonight maybe we'-•e really starting to have that discussion, saying, hey, we've got to really stop and look at what we're doing, how it's affecting the schools, inclttsiona~y zonn~g or not, whatevet•, um...this being on a busy street concerns the too. Um, that's the other thing, ! mean, you're talking right on a very busy street, if you're talking kids and stuff there. Um, it's...I don't think I'm going to support it. I'm not going to support it. I~ayek/ I, ull, I agree that this...the location map is old, it's based on even older data, um, the...this creates a very fi•ustrating process for those involved, um, but that's the reality of current city...what was it? Guidance, was that your term? (several talking and laughing) Um... Wi Iburn/ It was not adopt, um, it's not an ordinance, uh, I don't even think it was a resole... Long/ No, it was not. Wilburn/ It was not a resolution. The focus at the time was...there was concern by a majority of Council on census tract 18, and um, it was to, 11tH, my tecollection...thatm~p was a guide to try and encourage some type of scatteting to occur. We just heard from staff that some of that scattering has occurred, and for areas that are not in the shaded areas, it comes back to Council. So that's not a proscription o-• a prohibition, and I...I don't, you know, again, I go back to tl-e conversations befote...we need to be prepared to say where This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council work session meeting of March 1, 2010. 17 FILED JUN 14 201 Ciry Clerk Pa e 47 March 1, 2010 City Council Work Session Iowa Ciry, towa g housing is going to be, and I don't...I don't, you know...they went through the prrocess, they're following the guidelines, they've got an application in for some potential support, uh, it's addressing, uh, an issue, uh, that, uh, there is public good within that...l mean, otherwise we're going to have au ongoing...defacto moratorium on building. Bailey/ That's what concerns me. I'm sorry. I-Iayek/ 1...I was going to say is...not withstanding this older data and the...the soft policy, if you can call it, that needs to be clarified and...and hopefully we're at a point where we're...where we're going to revisit these issues as an entire Council, I'm not comfortable with...with this site. Utn, given...givett the School District challenges in that area, given the fact that it's across the stt•eet from an area where...we're revitalizing, um, I don't want to approve this at this time. Uh, I think it's...I think it's more appropriate to let the School District process play out and...and let our process of t•e-envisioning the area, uh, across the street, which will impact the whole area, uh, play out as well. Bailey/ Here's the concern, you know, as our process plays out people still need housing and I think Ross is right. We're t•eally doing, l mean, this is effectively a moratorium on building housing. So we better be prepared to move a little bit more Ruickly than I just heard a few minutes ago, or...or we're not going to move forward on providing housing for people who need it in our community, and that's...that's coneet•ning. I understand that there ate some big issues, and I understand all those kinds of things, but...this seems to fit ct•itet•ia; they bring it forward; it's a...it's a good pt•oject; it's close, well, it has all the amenities. There's potentially eight to ten kids impacting the school district, okay, maybe that's not small. Maybe that's large, I don't know, but we're just slowing this down because we won`t make a policy. We have soft policies. We have guidance. We really do need to r•a-np this up if this is the way these discussions are going to contittt-e to go, becat-se...we grant these funds, they can't spend the funds becat-se...we won't give'em sites. Long/ We are in the middle of an allocation process, actually March 25t1t... Bailey/ Rigltt! Long/ ...be making recommendations to you to approve in April. Champion /And that's why 1 want to make myself clear. I know I'm only one vote, t-!t, but we've got to find some other solution then...then these particular...this particttlat• neighborhood. I know that land is more affordable there, but we're creating problems for ourselves, and problems for the City, and pe-•eeived problems for...by a lot of people. Bailey/ Without... Champion/ 1'-n not willing to do it anymore! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council work session meeting of March 1, 2(110. 18 ~ILEI~ JU~1 14 1Q1U Page 16 March 11, 2008 Special City Council Work Session City Clcrk Iowa Ciry, Iowa The Housin Fellowshi FY08 HOME Propect -Site Location Review P2 of 3/6 Info Pkt Hightshoe/ Hi, I'm Tracy Hightshoe with the City's Planning Department. Um, we're here today to discuss a request from the Housing Fellowship. There's two components of the request -one was a site location request, the second was a funding request. We have a Power Point presentation to discuss the actual location request, um, we'll talk about the funding request after the presentation, and then Steve Long, um, myself, and the applicant, Maryann Dennis from the Housing Fellowship, are available to answer any of your questions. The Housing Fellowship has made a request. They want to apply for aloes-income housing tax credit application for 22 units of affordable rental housing. Under the low-income housing tax credit, um, program the applicant must have site control. They must actually acquire the site, before the application, which is coming up this November. Under the proposal, they have, um, signed purchase agreements for 22 of the lots. There are 16 homes in Mt. Prospect Addition, Part 9; two homes on Chamberlain Drive, which is in the Village Green subdivision, and four homes on Westbury Court, which is the Old Towne Village. They have the potential to purchase eight units in Mackinaw Village, which is in the northern pa-t of town off of Foster Road. The reason why the site location has to come back to the Council is based on the Fiscal Year OS application guidelines, which state that homes that are, or projects or units that are not in areas encouraged, are not identified, um, to...as areas, to encourage affordable housing, um, must come back to the Council for review and,approval. The Mt. Prospect Addition, Part 9, is in census tract 18, block group 1, u m, which is not in an area that is currently shaded as, um, encouraged for affordable rental housing. The location of Mt. Prospect Addition, as you can see here, lies directly south of Grant Wood School. It's bounded by two bike trails and the Sycamore Greenway trail, directly adjacent, or south of the project. The Mt. Prospect Addition, Parts 1 through 8, have approximately 305 homes. It is zoned predominantly low-density, single- famiiy. Staff went through the Mt. Prospect Addition, um, to determine how many units we've assisted with CDBG and HOME funds, or the Housing Authority has acquired for public housing or for, um, affordable rental. We found that we have subsidized four of the approximate 305, which means we've subsidized 1% of the current subdivision. When looking at the Iowa City rental permits for the Mt. Prospect Addition, 87% of the homes are owner-occupied. You look at the Census Tract data from 2000 census, and in census tract 18; 63% of the homes are owner-occupied, compared to the city, um, wide average of 47%. Under this project, the Housing Fellowship will buy all lots in the Part 9 Addition. It'll be under common property management, with the Housing Fellowship doing the landscaping maintenance. Here you can see the red line is where Census Tract 18, Census Tract 18 is a very large census tract. It goes from the river, Highway 6, all the way down basically to Napoleon, or um, Kickers, if you follow the southern edge right there. The Mt. Prospect Addition, Parts 1 through 9, um, are basically the peach colored addition, and then if you can see on This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council special work session meeting of March 11, 2008. 19 FLED ,IUN 14 7Q10 City Clerk pa e 18 March 11, 2008 Special City Council Work Session Iowa City, Iowa g Champion/ ...Grant Wood Elementary, and I would like #o get some idea of what the School District feels about any more low income housing in that area. Hightshoe/ Spoke to Joan Vandenberg from the School District today about the proposal, um, since GI'ant Wood does have a high percentage -they're the third largest free and reduced lunch, um, school in the district. It goes, I think, Twain, Hills, and then Grant Wood. She has concerns about putting 16 more affordable rental units that all feed to Grant Wood Elementary, but at the same time, she recognizes the need for affordable rental, and she has a lot of respect for the Housing Fellowship property management. She was thinking maybe some compromise could be made between, out of the lb units, some owner-occupied, some rental. 'That was her... Champion/ Well, I have great respect for the Housing Fellowship too, but I also have a great respect for the predicament we're putting our public schools in in this city, namely Grant Wood, Mark Twain, and Lucas. I mean, we're getting to the point where these neighborhoods are becoming undesirable, uh, for moderate income families to move into and send their kids to school. I think it's self-destructive, not only for the kids but for the neighborhoods. So I'm not interested in approving this like it stands. We put a lot of money into, um, housing study a couple years ago. What'd we call that? O'Donnelll Scattered site. Champion/ Scattered site housing, and then we're not going to pay any attention to it? Wilburn! Just a little bit of, more information. I had a conversation after your' conversation with Joan Vandenberg, and uh, I think she wanted to make it clear, and again, she's not speaking on behalf of the School District. Just, you know, her component what some of the issues might be. The issues that the school would be concerned about, one is just, um, it's related to where the next school is going to go, um, if...and I don't believe there's been a decision as to where the next school would go that would handle not just this particular development but other pieces of development that would be in the Grant Wood neighborhood, or any other that have the concerns about the demand and strains of the free and reduced lunch and supportive services, that's another component, but another concern that impacts the school, and again, there's no official policy statement on this from the school related to the City's policies, is, uh, you know, uh, that, uh, about supports for, um, you know, any families that are in a, um, and studies have shown people that are not in such high transition, if they, if they can get some type of housing where things are stable, then that helps out the situations and concerns that you're...that you're discussing, uh, so I think Joan wanted to make sure she's not speaking on behalf of, and not taking a position for or against this particular development, but that they're, those are just kind of broad things, if, uh, if that, uh, would, you know, where's the next location of a school, and again, she's not, um, that's not something (several talking) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council special work session meeting of March 11, 2008. 20 FILED JUN 14 2010 Ci Council Work Session Page 30 March 19, 2007 h' c,c~ Clerk Iowa Ciry, Iowa CDBG/Home Policy Wilburn: CDBG/Home Policy. Am I out on this one? Dilkes: I think you were last time. Wilburn: Then I'm out this time. I will not be participating in this discussion due to a conflict of interest with CDBG and HOME funding. Bailey: Go ahead. Vanderhoef: Have a nice break. . Bailey: All right. Yes, we're ready. Long: I'm here tonight to set a policy for the use of our fiscal year'08 CDBG and HOME funds for affordable owner and rental occupied housing. You might remember at the February 20`s meeting we talked about the use of fiscal year'07 funds for owner occupied and rental, and you determined that or clarified the policy that for owner occupied funds the houses can be placed anywhere in Iowa City, and for rental, go ahead and continue to use the map that was approved in 2005, and you have that with you tonight. So currently we're, well, the Housing and Community Development Commission is, they're reviewing all the recommendations and on Thursday night they're going to recommend proposals to you for your May la meeting. So we're kind of at a point where eve need to start thinking about where we can place these homes. There were a couple of questions that came up last time about tenure of homes, and the Housing Fellowship, since 1988 has constructed 14 homes, and only one family has moved. So tenure of residence in owner occupied, not the homes themselves. Vanderhoef: That's neat. That's really neat. Long: Only one family has moved since then. And Habitat has constructed 44 homes, 17 of which are in Iowa City, and only one family has moved as well. Correia: Wow. Bailey: Above the average population. Vanderhoef: I think that's stability in the max. Long: So for'OS funds we're recommending that affordable assisted homes of CDBG, well at least assisted with CDBG and HOME funds be placed anywhere in Iowa City. Elliott: Or home ownership. Long: Or home ownership. So I guess I'd like to get some direction. On rental, we're recommending, until we get a clear idea of the market, and we're hoping that the This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of March 19, 2007. 21 FILE JUN Y 4 xOlp Pa e 31 March 19, 2007 City Council Work Session g City Clerk Iowa City> Irnva upcoming Housing Market Analysis will give us that idea, that we use - we still use this map, basically, for rental projects until we have a clear sense of the market. Elliott: I, I'm more concerned about the school district than the shaded particular neighborhood areas. Correia: You know, one of the things that, I mean, I've talked wish folks at the school district, and one of the issues that they're seeing is the mobility. That they have a lot of kids moving around, not just moving in, moving around. Going from one neighborhood school to another neighborhood school as their family is trying to stabilize in rental housing. So I think that there's ample evidence to suggest that housing stability, whether it's in rental or home ownership, is what helps, and classroom stability helps kids. And I think that, in many communities when there's a distressed neighborhood, you know, a city uses its resources to help that neighborhood stabilize rather than pulling resources out and creating more instability. And I think that, you know, we're seeing that, you know, one of the school district representatives said is that it feels like it's getting worse. The mobility and the classroom instability al! across, not in just any one particular school. So I don't know, I have a problem with saying categorically we don't want to assist any project that may be beneficial for a neighborhood with these funds that are designed to help neighborhoods. But that's my - Elliott: I think your - I can't argue with your point. That could be one of the considerations. And one of the components that causes tl~e problems. But I think there are a number of other considerations. And at this time with some of the problems, and significant problems that we have had in our schools, I think that we have schools that are overloaded with children, with students who have some significant problems. Correia: Well I think some of those concerns have become over-inflated and the teachers that I talk to, in some of the schools, the issue is kids moving in and out. They start a year with 24 kids. Halfway through the year half of those kids are gone that have started the school year, and they have an additional half new kids - Elliott: Oh, oh yeah. Correia: And it's not necessarily coming from outside the community. They're moving around the community and teachers want kids to just stay put, and families can't stay put when there's instability in their housing situations. And so we've seen even just in the last year a lot of instability in 18 because we're losing affordable homes. We lost affordable homes, over a hundred units of affordable homes, and so those kids and families are moving around. And that's not beneficial for their educational situation, for their family stability, so. Elliott: I don't, I don't agree that moving more rental assisted housing into that area would, would be positive in addressing that problem. Correia: I disagree. Vanderhoef: I agree on the rental. This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of March 19, 2007. 22 ~U~ 1 ~ ~~l(~ Pa e 7 October 17, 2005 City Council Work Session g City Clerk Iowa Ciry, Iowa low-income children. It's just, you know...how we got there, I don't think we can necessarily say it was because of assisted housing, but if it's already existing in that community, we (can't understand) poverty, we just don't want to see that increase and have more kids of poverty there. Certainly, the Task Force experience has been an exercise in compromise, as Matt talked about, and I just want to point to the free-reduced lunch data once again. It is difficult to use in some ~~vays because some of the school boundary areas aren't exactly neighborhood schools, but as you look at that and as you look at what has happened to some of our Iowa City schools, I think it provides a really good sketch, or a...of how our community is developing, and when we have some areas of the community that actually have decreased and they go from 7% to 2%, and you have some that go from, you know, in the mid-20's to over 60%, I think that says something about the way that our community is going, and you know, in addition, I just want to kind of remind....some of you remember that I used to work in a neighborhood organization and I really believe in strengthening neighborhoods. This goes beyond the School District. I mean, this is a community issue, and I think that for a neighborhood to be able to have good leadership and to do some good community organizing, it's really difficult when you have a high number of families who are in crisis, who are in transitional housing, who are in emergency housing, and so I really want to encourage you to continue those revitalization efforts in that part of town, and as we look to engineer neighborhoods in the future, that we make all the neighborhoods as strong; as we can. So, that's about all I.. . Bailey/ Joan, I have a question. Since you are speaking from the School District's perspective, what is the School District willing to do regarding boundaries, because some of these low, free and reduced lunch percentages, these schools, are certainly close to what might be considered low-income areas, and yet those students don't attend those schools. So what is the District willing to do as a policy.. . Vandenberg/ Well, that's a question far bigger than me (laughter). I think....there have been some discussions, and I think, you know, how do you decide who to move? Do you move just the poor kids, or do you move all kids, I mean, it creates a whole other task force. Bailey/ I mean, I (can't understand) and it was a policy way back then even to bus those kids to whatever school was appropriate or whatever. Vandenberg) And I think that's what we would, you know..... Bailey/ ...not believed to be the policy. Vandenberg/ And I think it's certainly something worth discussing, but I think that I would personally hesitate to move, just to bus poor kids... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of October 17, 2005. 23 JUN 14 2Q1f1 HOUSING ANO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARGFi 11, ?010 Ciry Clerk PAGE 3 of 19 Ictiva Ciry, Iowa (IFA}tow-Income tax-credit analyst. Hlghtshoe said she was told the project would keep moving forward as it is an Internal Revenue Service program: The analyst said that when the value of the price drops, gaps in financing occur, so the federal government created a program providing $72 million in gap financing this year, and plans to expand it for next year. Richman noted that there are no FY11 tax credit projects applying for CDBG/HOME= funding. Hightshos Informed the Commission that the City Council also did not approve the revised Unsuccessful or Delayed Projects Policy. Hightshos advised Commissioners that a copy of The Iowa City Hous(ng Authority's (fCHA) annual report has been included in the HCDC packet and will be an agenda item at a later date. Hlghtshoe noted that the map In the Commissioners' packets shows all ICHA public housing units, rental units, transitional shelter, elderly rentals, and project-based rental housing. Hightshos said that the only low-Income housing not Indicated on the map was Section 8 rental . housing, and that is because it is a snapshot in time.. Because Section 8 tenants Ilve in units owned by private landlords, the location of any given Section 8 assisted household is variable. Hlghtshoe noted chat HOME-assisted projects cannot refuse a tenant solely because they are Section 8 voucher holders. She said the map is Intended to be a reference for future conversations. Hlghtshoe updated Commissioners on the Extend the Dream project. Hlghtshoe said that conflict of interest provisions under CDBGlHOME rules are very strict.. As a result, Lepic Kroeger would not be able to accept any commission on the sale because the Board President is affiliated with the company. The original application was for a Pubilc Facilities project, with no rental unit included in the application. Because of this, if the Commission recommends funding the space it must be used as strictly commercial space; no one can Ilve there. Hightshos noted that the applicant can always approach City Council directly after the Commission has made Its recommendation and ask that the rental unit be allowed; however, the rental unit would have to be occupied by one of the business managers, and that business manager would have to be fow-to-moderate Income. Another condition for funding would be that Extend the Dream would have to Institute new procedures for separation of financial duties. Hlghtshoe said that their financial auditor had said that he would come up with some strict recommendations for Extend the Dream sometime after April 15~'. Hightshos Bald it was likely that staff would make sure those recommendations had been in effect for a couple of months before releasing any funds to the organization. Hlghtshoe said that all of these matters had been discussed with Extend the Dream, and that staff is awaiting their response. She said that the response is expected prior o the Commission's March 25~' meeting. Hlghtshoe said that she believed any other information that had been requested by the Commissioners could be found in !halt packets. Richman noted that there are two meetings left for the allocation cycle: tonight's meeting, and the March 25'h meeting. He said that the meeting on March 25~' will be to finalize allocations. Commissioners received a table outlining the suggested allocations and rankings for individual projects as proposed by each Commissioner. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss these proposed allocations and the thought-processes that went into them. Richman explained that new allocation forms would then be completed by Commissioners prior to the next meeting. Hlghtshoe said she would distribute new allocation forms to the Commissioners. Richman 24 FILED ,IUN 14 2010 HOUSING ANb COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 11, 2010 Ciry Clerk PAGE 4 of 18 Iowa City, Iowa noted that typically Commissioners had not re-done their ranking sheets, but chat they did generally move dollars around on their allocation sheets. Hightshoe explained that the recently revised CITY STEPS Is what guides this funding cycle. She said that In that plan priorities were established as being high, medium, or low. Hightshoe said she had taken the Commissioners' ranking sheets and identified the high score, low score, the range and the average score. She said that CITY STEPS states that allocations will be based on priority, with the high priority Items being funded first, then moving on to medium priorities, and lastly, if funding remains, the low priority Items. Hightshoe said that the category rank was transposed to average allocation, and that that is what order the -items are listed in. HOUSING ACTIVITIES: Richman asked 1f anyone wished to offer any comments as to how they had approached funding Housing Activities. ' Zimmermann Smith said that she had two main concerns in her allocation approach, one project-specific, and one more general in nature, First, she had specific concerns about the rental aspect of the UnlverCity Neighborhood Partnerships Program. She said that it had been her impression that this was a homeownership program, as It had been promoted on the City's website and In the newspaper as such. She said that she was wondering about the shift in focus from homeownership to rental. Long said that the program was designed io stabilize neighborhoods in the downtown and University areas. Long said the current website focuses on the I-JOBS homeownership grant application, though the UniverCiiy program Is much broader and includes the support of well managed affordable rental properties close to downtown and campus. He said the I-JOBS grant is focused strictly on homeownership, and that has sort of clouded the overa-I theme of the UnlverCity message; but the whole Idea is to provide safe, decent, affordable housing downtown whether it be rental or owner-occupied. Zimmermann Smith noted that ail of the publications on the City's website focus on homeownership. Long said that actually the first part of the website focuses on the overall broad 11n1verCity program and the rest of the website focuses on the I-JOBS grant, but agreed that it Is difficult to distinguish. Zimmermann Smith said that the more general issue she was concerned with Involved the school district's efforts to redistrict. Zimmermann Smith said that some of the appticatlons Involve projec#s that could Impact the free-and-reduced lunch percentages for schools In the project areas. Zimmermann Smith said that this concerned her'not only because she fs a parent of child in the school district, but also because she would Ilke to see City Council and the School Board get together to come up with creative ways to disperse some of this housing. Zimmermann Smith said that none of the applicants, with the exception of Isis, have agreed not to purchase property In the two tracts Identified In the 2007 map as having concentrations of low-Income housing. She noted that Horace Mann is within the boundaries of the UnlverCity Program, and that the school currently has a 55%free-and-reduced lunch papulation, which is approximately 20% above the district average. She Bald that If the Commission puts more low- income housing in that area and the school district does not wind up redistricting, the free-and- reduced population could become even greater at that school. She said that one redistricting option before the School Board lowers the free-and-reduced lunch population at Horace Mann to 13%; if that option was adopted, then the UnlverCity Program could be a great option for that area. Zimmermann Smith said she would like to send a message to the City Council to take such Issues Into consideration when they are approving funding for projects, and that is why she funded various rental housing projects at zero. long noted that Cfty Council guidance for 25 ED JUN 14 X010 HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 11, 2010 Ciry Clerk PAGE 5 of 19 Iowa Ciry, Iowa HCDC is based on location. Zimmermann Smith said she would like. Council to provide more updated guidance in Tight of what is going on locally with other governmental organizations. Long asked (f it was correct that free-and-reduced lunch was set at poverty level. Zimmermann Smith said she believed so. Steven Rackls of ICHA said that chat Information is in the ICHA pamphlet that had been distributed to Commissioners. Long said that to qualify for free-and- reduced lunch he believes that a family has to be at or below 30% of the median income; ail HCDC-funded projects would be at or below 60% of the median Income. Zimmermann Smith said that there are some statistics in the pamphlet that indicate that most of the program . participants qualify for free-and-reduced lunch. Hightshoe said that that pamphlet refers to Section 8 clients, which is a different program. Rackls said that Zimmermann Smith was touching on a hot button issue. He~sald that the press and the school district would have people believe that alt kids on free-and-reduced lunch are in assisted housing, affordable housing, or low-Income housing. He said that the ICHA report shows that there are 1,200 kids on the Section 8 program. Of those 1,200 children, 1,100 are eligible for free-and-reduced lunch, though it is not known whether or not they have actually applied for It or received it. Rackfs said that even if every eligible child on Section 8 did receive free-and-reduced lunch, that number still only represents one-third of the total number of children on free-and-reduced lunch in the Iowa City School District. This means that over 2,000 children throughout the community participate In the free-and-reduced lunch program and do not receive Section 8 rental assistance. Rackls said that the notion that free-and-reduced lunch equals asalsted/affordable housing which equals bad test scores (s not a notion that (s supported by any facts. Zimmermann Smith said she had made not contentions about test scores. However, Zimmermann Smith said, there Is a direct Impact of free-and-reduced percentages on schools. She said this Is not because the children are bad kids, but that there are quantifiable effects of high free-and-reduced populations. Rackls said that there fs no cause and effect between free-and-reduced lunch and low test scores. Zimmermann Smith said she was not interested in debating free-and-reduced lunch; rather, it Is obvious to her that the Clty Counc(I is concerned about these issues at some level or they would not have had the 2007 map drawn; which happens to Include a couple of schools with high populations of chUdren eligible for free-and-reduced lunch. Zimmermann Smith said she was not trying io start a big argument, she simply wanted people to take this under consideration, and she wanted City Council to think about it. She said that it is frustrating as a citizen to see bodies of government falling to communicate on these Issues, and failing to come up with more comprehensive plans for resolution. She said this was the rationale she used in awarding zero allocations to the projects she did. Charlie Eastham of THE Bald that his recollection of the HCDC guidelines for housing funding was that they said nothing at all about the school district. Rackls noted that the original 2007 map did allow for affordable housing in Census Tract 18, the Grant Wood neighborhood; however, City Council did not adopt that recommendation. Richman asked if anyone else had guiding principles they would like to discuss; or If the discussion could move into individual projects. No one offered comment so the discussion moved to the Shelter House/NAMI rental project. Shelter HouselNAMI -Rental ($200,000 reauest): Richman noted that on this project he was somewhat of an outlier, saying that it looked as though most everyone but he and McMurray had funded the project at a high level. Richman said his primary concern with this project was the fairly high. per-bedroom cost of $33,000. He said the model was an interesting one, but it was a new model for the community, which also Impacted his decision. He said he Is certainly In favor of new options for addressing problems in the community, but that the novelty of this Idea was a bit of.a concern for him. 26 r IP4 ~!~„®,~,~ C[TY OF IOWA CITY E~QR DATE: June 15, 2010 TO: Mayor and City Council ~~ FROM: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk RE: Radio Show Scheduling At your work session on June 14th the following assignments were agreed upon for the KXIC radio show on Wednesday mornings: June 23 - Champion June 30 - Dickens July 7 - Hayek July 14 - Mims July 21 - Champion or Wright July 28 - Champion or Wright August 4 - Hayek Please let me know if you have questions. U:scheduling.doc June 8, 2010 John Schmitz 4249 Kilburnie Ct. Iowa City, IA 52245 Re: Request for a sidewalk on American Legion Rd. from Scott Blvd CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washin;ton Sn-eet Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 (319) 356-5000 (319) 356-5009 FAX www.icgov.or; to Buckingham Ln. Thank you for your petition regarding the desire for a sidewalk or trail on American Legion Rd. between Scott Blvd. and Buckingham Land - it has been forwarded to me for a response. I have attached a graphic of the full Windsor West Subdivision. As this neighborhood is developed a more integrated sidewalk network will be constructed, including a connection from the northwest corner of the neighborhood to the Ralston Creek corridor. You may be aware the City will be constructing a trail through Scott Park on the north side of Ralston Creek in 2011. One option, for which the City Engineer has provided a cost estimate (attached) is to construct asidewalk/trail on the north side of American Legion Road. Another option would be to construct a temporary trail between your subdivision and the future Scott Park Trail. This temporary sidewalk would be supplanted by the neighborhood sidewalk system as the neighborhood is developed over time. Neither of these projects have been budgeted for, and are not in the City's Capital Improvement Program. A project of this size requires some lead time to be planned for, budgeted and designed. Maintenance of the trail (snow plowing, mowing and miscellaneous repair) will also be an issue. We will bring both of these options to the City Council for their consideration during their budget discussions this winter. Please keep in mind the City Council will be weighing this project with the needs of other neighborhoods and capital projects throughout the City. The Parks and Recreation Commission also annually prioritizes their recommended projects including trail projects; I recommend bringing this project up to the Parks and Recreation Commission through Parks and Recreation Director Mike Moran (356-5110). Please contact me at 356-5252 or John-Yapp(a~lowa-City.org with any questions; I'd be happy to discuss this project further. Sincerely, ~~r~ John Yapp Transportation Planner cc: City Council Dale Helling Rick Fosse Jeff Davidson Mike Moran Ron Knoche Bob Miklo j~ r ~'r j'~ J~ ~ ~...~, May 5, 2010 Iowa City Council COPY n $ 2~ =~ ~~ We, the homeowners in the Windsor West Neighborhood on the east sib rb~~a•,~i~,{E,'P'', would like to make you aware of a major safety issue. The only access in and out of the Windsor West Neighborhood is American Legion Road which does not have any sidewalks or shoulder. This presents a major safety issue to pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles when vehicles encounter such pedestrians and bicyclists. Many of us have seen and experienced near misses year round. This letter is to request the City of Iowa City to install a sidewalk from Scott Blvd to B. uckingham Lane. as soon as possible to prevent an injury or fatality. We understand that American` Le'gioii Road is on the 5: year- capital road,improvement plan, but we also know that~does not guarantee that the road will be upgraded within the 5 year time period. We cannot afford to wait any longer due to the safety concerns. We understand that when the neighborhoods off of Sycamore Street (1/2 mile South of Hwy 6) encountered this same issue a sidewalk was installed until such time that Sycamore Street is upgraded. We have contacted city staffto investigate the issue. Ron Knoche (City Engineer) has gathered and provided the attached cost estimate to install a sidewalk on the North side of American Legion Road from Scott Blvd to Buckingham Lane. We would like to thank you in advance for your attention to this very important safety. issue. Tlie contact person for the neighb'o'rhood on this issue. is John Schmitz; 424Q Kilburnie Ct. Iowa City, Ia 5224.5 (Home 337-5412, Work 356-1502) PRELIMINARY PLn ~ WINDSOR WEST - PtdT PAEPARED BE I' IHL4 CONSULTANTS IIVC. 3917 SOUTH GDBBBT ST. s IOWA CRY, IOWA 52210 ~..~ & SENSITIVE AREAS SITE PL~~1 - PARTS TWO AND THREE )WA CITY, IOWA suBmvm3D1/DWNeR OWNERS ATroRNEY ARLDICTON DEVELOPIINNT, DtC YICHAIN. PUGN 1189 S. Lt AV@ TOWER PI.ACS uNR A ONE s. cHeERI st. RIWI CRY, IOWA 572!0 IOWA CITY, IGWA 52210 aie rin i m rwr PLAT/PI.AN APPROVED ~` by th< n m060w~°x°Mrw r~r0°~„mo ~°u' m ~~°wn noirr~. rums nw® w.r. City o[ Iowa City ~,~,~r~x°.T°".,a"~°.c~O.~.~~ :~.~""a."'.r~. ~.nw x iccairm our demo- afMa arzrn Kew of xad uE v Mw rare tfsr xrt K DI.11 r¢r; 1fMZ xmCYaTR M.YIM Li MaM 1rL iOll r4- rGl¢ NmaY1MY rON rY Mar u~S rMd r¢T, IOYi >a'.Mlr'4 rlpN frO MaM tflL IS9 rrzy •mMt dry>r^4 Mae no r Uf. hD IQP, ilfl4 Yr3f ~ tl n Mar uhf. 9~ ¢ M~orS bvl0.TYT. ~ f~iD G.! 61~ Ilarrl uC ~d IQ ~ mTaY% MaO 9rr Mad 1d4 ~Am r¢T. A dC Ma11'16r tea 1E1f6: VIYrY U.L011(N ~IGYd 1~ Wv a WT Ma. MO~wM LME 1~H~ rH4 A Lv rw a MbMd> ~~ fST AO~ti ~M0~9Y r W~U.m u~o M~fl~ w~lo1 Ufa : a M1~61tl~1 Ri~iu Is31e[IOf 6laaam. STANDARD LEGEND AND NOTES -oo~ maN~ - - - -_ MMdr-oo-ar w omrw.a.-a-e.uo ---__ -v10fiuc ~afrom --e-- --_ P) e 'e - ue°~ir ru ~ m - Mrac 8$5 -ni[r ~- nv°SM°®°~wnrr mi nfnd smr :a - maom mr ssMa -~ -- nfs fY dwrvM.7 © ~` - mgr t~aata m rut MM[~ ~m mw~fa~®M arxa ouafMllenul ~ ® - ffn aac I~ I r r afar ~ h ~~~~, >® o ~A~ `_ n - ffvrfwf~RY~ t5 d. TaY tYR rMV~lf r~6~ h,J Y Uf~lD da]®,ew7'Nn[Y • +~. WINDSOR WEST - PART9 TWO AND THREE vu me ... ~ .r/ __..... _... ..... { 5. 1 I ~ _ l ~';'~ _ C "t rrrn- k ~ . ~ ~ 7- _..._ -- I.oc ° T € ~ ~ ~ y cif Z~~N-imr~O~*t ~ ° ~t t i 1 ~ >y> OUZO m~~ ~ 5 pg 25gyC~~~ 7 ~ E ~ §y o m~A ~~"~ p~~~a7R~ ~S~yro~ ~~~ V ~ S = as q qE T t ~' - ~ tmn ~ Az ~3~a d ~3 3 ~ g cl-nr of IowA clTir Project: Amercian Legion Road from Scott Blvd to Buckingham Lane Concept Estimate Date: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 i UNIT I UNIT PRICE ( TI7Y (]U BN TOTAL BID ITEM NO, i ITEM 1 D d Gradin E ti I I _ ' ~ _. _.... ' _.... -.._.._._ r--- g__,. , on an xcava Y W W RO CY ~ $ . B 00 500 ~ $ 000.00 4 AND BORRO __ AD A 1 ;EXCAVATION CLASS tO: ._ . . ___.,___;_ . __ . -. _ i _ _ _. _ t--- , _ _ ~- ~---- 2 :TOPSOIL_STRIP, SALVAGE & RESPRFJ~D - .. ....._...__._ - __CY $. __.._ 6 00 ; __ 370__ _ L$ __ __ __2,220.00 ! PCC Paving -- F- ------- -.. _ 3 iSIDEWALK_PCC, 61N. SY ` $ _ 32.00 i_ ___.83__~ 3 __ _ 2,658.00 4 :DETECTABLE WARNING PANELS W/TRUNCATED DOMES SF ~$ _,-,_ _ 63:00 ~ _ _ 80__ _ _I_ $ -___ 5,040.00 halt Pavin Hot Miz As E g . _ p 5 :PAVEMENT, HMA,61N. __. _.-.____..______ TON .$ _ _ 6500._ _. 690___ $ __ ___ __44,850.00 Erosion Control _____. -_ ;CONSTRUCT70N EROSION CONTROL ...--__ _._ __ _ 6 ._._ __ _..___..__ LS_ i S. . , 2,OOD.OD j 1 ; S- - _ _ _ .. _ ...-_____ ._?,000_00 _ _ _ _ _ rtace Restoration Su - --. _. _ - ~~ 7~ :SEEDING, FERTILIZING 8 MULCHING (URBAN MOCj __ __. _ _.__ACRE _ $ ~ ___.300000: .. 1.00 $ 3,000.00 TrafficCOntrol_ ..____._ 8 TRAFFIC CONTROL _ LS $ ,. _2 000 OO _ ... 1 .. : g 2,000.00 Mobilization ~ ... 9 'MOBILIZATION LS S 10,0OO.OD _ S $._ , ,. _ _ 10,000.00 Survey ~ ~ .. ' _ ... ........ ... .. _._..... ~.....e,. Ls s S.OOt1.00 1 . 5 5,000.00 Continengecy (25%) Design, inspection and Admin (20%) Right of Way Acquisition Total Estimated Cost 5 20,191.50 5 18,153.20 S 30,000.00 ~ ta7,zoo.oa N ' O C~ p7 i ...., ~ ~.~ ,..s=a, . s ~ L~ I µ ~ ~ a . _ .. i _ - --- ~"J I _ _ ~i Pay#1 Page 1 06-17-10 IP6 528 Clark Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 June 8, 2010 Mr. Bud Stockman Superintendent Streets and Traffic Engineering City of Iowa City 3800 Napoleon Lane Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Mr. Stockman: Every morning a friend of mine, a senior citizen who lives on Marcy Street, has to cross Kirkwood Avenue to catch the inbound Kirkwood bus at Summit Street. Every time she does this she is afraid -with good reason -that she will not make it across the street alive. A constant stream of fast-moving cars flows in both directions and there is no signage whatsoever to help people cross safely. I cannot understand how this situation has been allowed to come about and I ask that your department do something about it. A sign instructing drivers to Yield to Pedestrians and azebra- striped crossing zone painted on the street are an obvious remedy. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing this problem resolved soon. Sincerely, r ~C~~ 1 Daniel Lechay ~~.~ Cc: Rick Fosse, Public Works Director Matt Hayek, Mayor Regenia Bailey, City Council (District C) _~ r ~ ~~~~~ ..~..~ CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 (319) 356-5000 (319) 356-5009 FAX www.icgov.org June 15, 2010 Re: Summit Street & Kirkwood Intersection Crosswalk and Sign Request Dear Mr. Lechay: Thank you for your letter regarding your friend's difficulties crossing Kirkwood Avenue at Summit Street. I agree that traffic congestion on Kirkwood Avenue can make it difficult for persons to cross at the intersection, especially during peak traffic hours. We do have criteria that we use to determine if a marked crosswalk is appropriate, including the number of pedestrians who cross at the intersection, traffic volumes, visibility, and the location of nearby crossings. We would like to take a closer look at the intersection to see if it meets the criteria. We will perform a study this summer, and may gather additional information this fall. There are also criteria for the in-street Yield to Pedestrian signs; we will examine whether the intersection is appropriate for them. I also want to provide some background information on the intersection. The traffic congestion on Kirkwood (especially during the peak hour) is the result of a 1993 neighborhood initiative and subsequent City Council decision to install all-way stops at Dodge / Kirkwood and Kirkwood / Keokuk and a single stop sign for southbound traffic at Summit / Kirkwood. The intent was to discourage additional traffic from using Kirkwood Avenue and to make it difficult to turn left onto Summit Street, thereby discouraging traffic from using Summit. While these trafhc control measures have largely worked as intended, the resulting traffic congestion on Kirkwood Avenue and lack of an all-way stop at Summit Street is making it difficult for pedestrians to cross at the intersection. Please let me know if you have additional input -Your phone number was not included on the letter. I can be reached at darian-naale-pamm(a~iowa-city. orq or at 356-5254. SI erely, Dar' Nagle-Gamm Traffic Engineering Planner CC: City Council Matt Hayek, Mayor Rick Fosse, Public Works Director \\Cityfilel\data\JCCOGITRANS\Bike and Ped PlanninglStudies\Crosswalks\2010\Summit & Kirkwood\response letter to requestor.doc Johnson County Council of Governments 410 E ~X/ashington St. Iowa City, Iowa SZZ40 ~r ~ Date: June 9, 2010 To: Iowa City City Counci From: Linda Sev on, JC OG Human Services Coordinator IP7 Re: FY10 Third Quarter Report of Health and Human Services agencies that receive Aid-to- Agencies funding from the City of Iowa City Three years ago, the JCCOG Urbanized Area Policy Board directed the Human Services Coordinator to collect and review quarterly performance information reports by the agencies that receive funding from Coralville and Iowa City. Each quarter, JCCOG issues a summary report based on information submitted by the agencies. This quarter we requested the agencies share successes and challenges they and their clients face in a narrative format. Also, agency board minutes and financial reports are submitted each quarter. Attached you will find the third quarter report. The fourth quarter report will be based on statistics and data information. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact me at 356-5242 or linda-severson@iowa-city. org. jccoghs!aid to agencies FY10/3rdQ Report/council memo.doc Agency: American Red Cross FY 10 Funding: Iowa City $6,000 Coralville $1,500 Local funding is used for Emergency Services Program and Health & Safety Services Successes: In FYlOQ3, the agency assisted 25 clients immediately following a disaster. We ensured their immediate basic needs were provided for such as food, shelter and clothing. This enabled them to begin rebuilding their lives. In addition, the agency continues to actively recruit, train and utilize disaster volunteers to respond to emergencies. The agency has struggled with recruiting volunteers from Johnson County in the past; however, the agency trained 16 new disaster volunteers in March 2010. This is a significant success for the agency and for our communities across Johnson County to have trained dedicated local volunteers who are available to respond to disasters. These volunteers will work closely with local Fire Departments and Emergency Management Agencies to ensure a coordinated and timely response. In addition, in FYlOQ3 many organizations offered Red Cross training in Johnson County. With their support, many more individuals were trained in the lifesaving skills of CPR, first aid, Automated External Defibrillation, water safety, etc. The agency also trained 43 new Lifeguards who are now empowered and prepared to save the lives of area children this summer. We also recruited and trained 10 new Water Safety Instructors who learned the skills needed to teach area youth how to swim. Challenges: Due to the current economic climate not many businesses and organizations are providing health and safety training to employees or they have reduced the number of employees who are being trained. This has a direct impact on the number individuals trained in these lifesaving skills in Johnson County. We continue to inform them the benefits of training and/or provide other cost- effective training solutions such as our on-line training. On-line training would reduce the time employees are away from work and they can self pace the online portion of the training. We have received positive feedback from partners and community members who have taken advantage of this training option as it cost-effective, flexible and convenient. S:\HUM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\American Red Cross Agency: Big Brothers Big Sisters FY 09 Funding: Iowa City $35,000 Coralville $4,760 Local funding is used for staff salaries and benefits. Successes: In May of '08 Big Brother "Ryan" is matched with Little Brother "Dylan" (age 9). Ryan is a medical student. Even though he is busy he makes time for Dylan regularly. Dylan seems to ALWAYS be smiling whenever he and Ryan are together. A year or so into the match Ryan has to do a residency out of town so his wife officially joined the match. Big Sister "Ashley" and Little Sister "Diamond" have been matched for two years, Ashley is a 21 year old U of I student; therefore started her match at 19. She has been a consistent yet flexible volunteer. Her Little Sister got Ashley a personalized globe that says "Diamond and Ashley sisters forever". Jim Clayton and Christine Allen have been long term volunteers with our program. They are now helping their current Little Brother "Alex" graduate from high school. Challenges: Due to a high number of volunteer inquiries during this quarter, we are faced with the dilemma of not having enough staff to supervise new matches. We made 20 new Community Based matches during the month of February, an all-time high for this time of the year! This leaves us with two options: hire more staff or slow down our enrollment process. As of now, we will be enrolling more volunteers because we anticipate some match closings in May/June with our student population, but it's something we need to keep a close eye on in the next quarter. We continue to have space issues accommodating existing staff, case files, and other storage needs. Fortunately, the Johnson County Extension agency has purchased property and plans on constructing a new facility to be completed by June 2011. We are very excited about this project and hope to have a good amount of input in the project design and specifications. S:\HLJM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\BBBS Agency: Crisis Center of Johnson County FY 10 Funding: Iowa City $36,500 Coralville $7,000 Local funds are used for the Crisis Intervention program and the Food Bank & Emergency Assistance programs. Successes: In January, the Crisis Intervention program had 4 active interventions for the month. Four welfare checks were done for a range of clients. They intervened on two suicidal clients, a homicidal client and a client who was expressing both suicidal and homicidal ideation. The outcomes of the welfare checks are largely unknown (as is the typical case), but with the client expressing both suicidal and homicidal ideation, the police were able to locate him and help transport him to UIHC for further evaluation. The Crisis Center is chairing the Hunger Project - (the coalition of Johnson County food pantries established in 2009). The group is working on a short-term goal to address the duplication of services. Challenges: Some previous challenges regarding out-of--date technology are easing up, although it will take a couple of years for us to recover fully from the outdated system the Crisis Center previously employed. Karol software for the Crisis Line was purchased and implemented. Some of the challenges we face are in training the volunteer staff for its use and to become comfortable with measuring our services. Sometime during the summer of 2010, the food bank will replace its hardware and software with Civieore software. Training the volunteers and similarly to the CI program -moving the volunteers toward surveying and measuring success will continue to be a challenge. Staffing at the Crisis Center is also a challenge to secure and design in a way that best programming needs. With the departure of one fulltime staff person in May 2010, we will have the ability to reorganize the position into two part time positions. The total number of employed staff is not optimal. As an example: although we secured more money for Emergency Assistance dollars to assist with housing, utilities, etc., we had to turn people away because we didn't have the adequate level of staff to meet the time-related needs of administering the program. Parking for staff, volunteers and clients is another issue that needs addressing. We have frequent "traffic jams" and accidents in our parking lots which is distressing and costly. We are currently exploring some alternatives. Finally, space inside our facility is inadequate. We are exploring ways to "re-tool" our. This, along with creating storage so we meet requirements for storage of confidential information is an issue we continue to explore. S:\HLJM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\Crisis Center Agency: DVIP FY 09 Funding: Iowa City $52,000 Coralville $4,000 Local funds will be used for the 24-Hour Hotline, Shelter, Criminal Justice Advocacy, Economic and General Advocacy, Peer Counseling Support, Support Groups, Youth Services and Educational Services. Successes: In an example a mother of a victim of domestic violence called our crisis line for the first time. She wanted to get help for her daughter, but was having difficulties approaching her and getting through to her daughter with the concerns she had about her safety. The mother had called the police in regard to a domestic violence incident involving her daughter and her daughter's abuser. She did this with her daughter's safety in mind, but consequently upset her daughter. Her daughter told her that she would cut contact with her mother if her boyfriend received jail time for breaking the no contact order. Police did discover letters intended for the woman's daughter from her abuser, and in fact they were breaking the no contact order. We talked for a while about her daughters history with her abuser, and how much happier she had been when he was in jail the first time. We worked through how difficult it can be as a mother to watch your daughter struggle with domestic violence. We identified some of the reasons that an abuser would want to separate her daughter from family. We discussed styles of communication, avoiding strengthening resistance, and building trust. The client identified the need for a support group for parents in domestic violence situations. Challenges: From DVIP: During the first three quarters of FY10 we have sheltered 76 women and children from the Waypoint service area. At the current rate of shelter, Benton, Jones and Linn counties will make up approximately 25% of our total shelter census for FY10. When I first talked about this with board members this past fall, I was concerned about the loss of safe shelter for victims of domestic violence and the domestic violence victims that had access to the least amount of resources would be most profoundly impacted by the closing of Cedar Rapids Shelter. Because of poverty statistics in Iowa and across the country, I was concerned that women of color would be disproportionally affected. At this time, 93% of the women and children we have sheltered from the Waypoint service area are women and children of color. I don't share this information lightly, or to flame an already difficult discussion about people from outside our area using local services. First and foremost, we will shelter anyone that is victim of domestic violence regardless of where they come from. We are fortunate that we have sufficient funding from federal and state fenders to ensure that every local dollar supports Johnson County residents, and the additional funding allows us to respond to victims who are forced to leave their home area for safety. Another difficult trend we are seeing is that victims are staying in the home longer and being exposed to more lethal forms of violence because the economy is discouraging victims from taking the risk of dislocation and unemployment. S:~IIiJM~FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)~DVIP Agency: Elder Services, Inc. FY 10 Funding: Iowa City $54,055 Coralville $2,000 Local funding is used for case management, Aging and Disability Resource Center, and nutrition (Iowa City) and home assistance or chore services for residents of Coralville. Successes: Elder Services marks its success by the success of their clients. Stories, such as these, tell their success and ours. For this report, we wanted to highlight those folks whose aging-in-place is complicated by brain injuries: "Tom" and "Hannah" are a couple in their 70's. Hannah has a degenerative brain disorder, and Tom was recently diagnosed with a terminal illness that will cause Hannah to survive him. He needed assistance arranging for her current care, and planning for the future. Their retirement income is no longer adequate to cover their needs. The Options Counselor connected them with a private Geriatric Care Manager who obtained and coordinated services that allowed them to remain in their home, as well as communicate with family and friends regarding Hannah's future. "Netti" is a survivor of an abusive relationship that has left her with an undefined mental disorder. She is estranged from most of her children, and is grieving the deaths of the two with whom she did have contact. She came to Elder Services feeling helpless and hopeless, unable to manage her finances. The Options Counselor arranged for a CPA to go over Netti's finances; he determined she needed cheaper housing. Netti was overwhelmed by the process of cleaning, packing, and selling her home, in addition to finding a new one. The Options Counselor helped Netti locate a subsidized apartment, and set her up with a mental health counselor to address her mental health needs and help her with coping skills. Challenges: The ongoing challenge is providing services without adequate funding. Each client requires additional time to assist as no single payment source is available to meet all requirements, and long-standing sources have experienced cut-backs so new sources must be located. For example, cost of building wheelchair ramps has increased, payment sources have decreased, and we have formed a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to utilize their skilled volunteer labor force when appropriate thereby reducing cost to materials only. The stagnation in funding of human services coupled with the downturn in individual donations due to the economic recession and slow recovery, continues to place a strain on service provision. Agency: Free Medical Clinic FY 09 Funding: Iowa City $7,263 Coralville $2,000 Local funding is used to provide health care to people who have no access to other health care. Successes: From a recent survey: "Free Medical Clinic in my opinion is excellent. Besides having a select group of doctor, all the personnel are very attentive and always are quick to respond and answer the questions one has. Personally I have a very good concept of the services and all the personnel that work here. I think that if the FMC did not exist it would be supremely traumatic and in some case even fatal because we wouldn't have access to medicines that in many times are absolutely necessary." Challenges: 306 new patients are seen in the third quarter (35%) of all patients 872. FY 10 YTD patient number is 2065 and 1004 or 49% are new patients. 79% of all patients, be they new or returning are from Johnson County. Barriers to care are the constantly increasing number of new patients. More resources are needed to treat patients with chronic health conditions. In Q3 alone, 16% of new patients were given a diagnosis of diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma. In the first three quarters of FY 10 total visits for all patients were 4518 S:\HUM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\Free Medical Clinic Agency: Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County (HTFJC) FY 09 Local Funding: Iowa City $8,000 Coralville $15,000 Local funding is used to supplement its revolving loan fund and assist with a portion of the operating expenses. Successes: During the first quarter of 2010, through the administration of the ECICOG and Iowa City new home construction program 16 homebuyers of newly constructed homes were able to close on their own purchases. All of the buyers had household income below 100% Area Median Income. Through the Federal Home Loan Bank home repair program, four households were assisted with home repair grants in the 3rd quarter. All of those assisted had household income below 40% AMI. The HTFJC Board made $300,000 available to agencies and individuals in its revolving loan fund spring application round. Applications were due March 22 and there were two applications received, totaling $468,000 in requests. Challenges: While the HTFJC staff is kept busy administering the single family new construction programs for Iowa City and ECICOG, other areas of the HTFJC business suffers. Little marketing and public relation efforts are being done outside of what is being done through the administration contracts. S:\IIUM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\HTFJC Agency: ICARE FY 10 Funding: Iowa City $8,950 Coralville $1,210 Local funding is used to provide case management to Iowa City and Coralville residents living with HIV/AIDS. Successes: ICARE continues to receive request from local agencies to come and speak to groups about the work that we do at ICARE. This quarter we spoke with 5 people from 5 different African countries about the work that ICARE does and how we are able to reach the people who don't live close. This has been the second time that ICARE has had an opportunity to do this. We have also been asked to speak with different groups at the University of Iowa about ICARE and have done this with providing information about HIV/AIDS, ICARE services and how those in our community are able to get involved. ICARE has hired a new Program Coordinator, Carol Paper, who was the previous Prevention Specialist. Carol brings over 20 years of HIV/AIDS experience with her and a lot of knowledge of community resources. ICARE continues to assist clients with emergency assistance. We have assisted a client who's hours were reduced at work maintain his household by helping pay for his electric bill. ICARE continues to help clients with transportation to doctor appointments for clients that live locally as well as assist them in getting to the grocery store. ICARE continues to work with MECCA to help those clients with substance abuse issues maintain their sobriety. ICARE had a client whose daughter was recently murdered and ICARE was able to provide emotional support to the client when this happened. ICARE continues to help this client with the support that he needs. ICARE continues to provide educational groups to the community including the group Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics of AIDS (SISTA) for African American females. ICARE continues to provide educational groups to the Residential and Outpatient groups at MECCA. Challenges: On July 14, 2009 the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) issued an immediate waiting list for new enrollees to the program. ICARE is working with the University of Iowa to help those that need medication through a patient assistance program however there maybe clients in the future who will not qualify for the patient assistance program. ICARE currently has 4 clients on the ADAP waiting list. There is also a lack of housing assistance available which has caused ICARE to start a waiting list for our Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA). The waiting list continues from month to month. ICARE has had this waiting list since April 2008. With the economy there has been a higher need for emergency assistance with utility bills, food assistance, and medical expenses. As of January 2010 there were no funds available for mileage for those who travel at least 25 miles to the doctor. These funds helped those who may not have enough money get to the doctor make their appointments. S:\HLTM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\ICARE Agency: MECCA FY 10 Local Funding: .Iowa City $27,000 Coralville $500 Local funding is used for Detoxification/Civil Committal Client Services, Crisis/Information Services and Prevention Education. Successes: In collaboration with members of the Partnership for Alcohol Safety (PAS), MECCA's Prevention Manager participated in multiple planning sessions, research, and development of original material for a Parent Forum on Alcohol Safety for Students to be held at West High School in April. The parent forum will serve as a Town Hall Meeting during Alcohol Awareness Month to provide education to parents about the prevalence and risks of underage and binge drinking and what parents can do to prevent substance abuse problems by their children. Items purchased for the Forum include additional educational materials for parents and paid advertising for the forum. On the treatment side of services we have had several successes to share: We heard from a mother of a 19 year-old male who participated in residential treatment in Jan 2010. She called our staff to say how grateful she is for all that we did for her son while he was here. The mom reports that he is working and living on his own and staying clean. She said it wouldn't have happened without Mecca's help! A client who has dealt with chronic homelessness in addition to substance abuse and mental health problems came to us after having been beaten up on the streets. He was able to participate in residential treatment and stabilize. Staff assisted him in finding sober housing to live in after he completed his program. A client contacted us for help when she discovered she was pregnant and moved into our transitional housing program to be able to have supportive, stable, alcohol and drug-free housing. She was able to remain drug and alcohol free and delivered a healthy baby in March 2010. Challenges: The primary challenge for prevention services in Johnson County continues to be having enough resources, mainly staff time, to implement prevention comprehensively in our community. Ideally for the greatest impact, we would be able to reach multiple audiences with multiple prevention strategies throughout the community. We continue to seek partnerships and strategies that will expand our reach to broader audiences for the best use of our existing resources. For treatment services, recent barriers are related to funding challenges. We anticipate that we will need to start a waiting list for outpatient treatment services early in the fourth quarter. The effects of the economy have impacted our budget in several ways: Medicaid decreased reimbursement amounts, more clients are unable to pay their portion of the treatment cost which reduces our budget while costs continue to rise. Due to the loss of revenue, we were not able to afford to fill several vacated positions which has decreased our ability to provide services. S:\HUM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\MECCA Agency: Johnson County Consortium for Youth Employment FY 10 Funding: Iowa City $14,000 Local funds are used for pre-employment training, intern placements (wages) and staff salaries. Successes: A student from the September class was placed at the Goodwill store in Iowa City. After some problems in the store itself, she was then placed in the Goodwill office in the Eastdale Plaza. She did such a fantastic job assisting the clerical staff, that after her 100 hour internship was completed, she was asked to work there for a week, with Goodwill paying her wage, which the clerical staff was away and coverage was needed. She has now turned 18, will be graduating high school, and has secured a job and moved into her own apartment. Challenges: Due to the economy, there has been continuing difficulty finding private businesses willing to partner to offer subsidized internships. A variety ofnon-profit agencies have stepped in and provided the work sites, but these sites do not generally lead to on-going employment. Additionally, working with high school students during the academic year has proved challenging for getting in the work hours, especially when the work hours are Monday -Friday until S:OOpm. The program has now prioritized providing summer subsidized employment and skill/leadership development. Agency: Mayor's Youth Empowerment Program (MYEP) FY 09 Funding: Iowa City $14,000 Coralville $3,000 Local funding is utilized to pay at-risk youth a subsidized wage while they are learning necessary soft skills (e.g. show up on time, fill out a time sheet) and perform the necessary tasks with minimal training time. Successes: The success of our programs are measured by the number of youth we keep out of trouble and hear towards a positive life style. MYEP conducted a survey during the last quarter to access the success of the Youth Leadership program. Below are some of the highlights. • "Alex" was hired at Kiddie Konnection Daycare as a full-time employee after being subsidized by MYEP. • "Jack" was subsidized through MYEP and will be attending college in the fall. • "Lawrence" was referred to MYEP by RJ, a career facilitator. He started his work based program in January 1010 in the MYEP after school program. During the last quarter his school attendance has improved and he is enjoying school and thinking about attending college in the future. • "Bob" plays basketball for City High, subsidized by MYEP to work on the weekends with Key Dag Lawn Services to allow him to focus on school. He will be attending and playing basketball at Kirkwood. Challenges: This past quarter MYEP struggled again to find businesses willing to hire youth. With the economy still in trouble, businesses can hire college students and pay them the same as they will pay high school age youth, so they choose to deal with college students instead of venturing into hiring high school students who may need more hand holding. Another challenge is the same; we are facing funding reduction when the need is even greater. MYEP is dealing with the 2.5% rate reduction in the Medicaid programs as part of the 10% state wide budget cut. This past quarter MYEP paid out $6,636.53 in youth wages and $19,567 from July 1, 2009-March 31 2010. S:\HUM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\MYEP Agency: Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County FY 10 Funding: Iowa City $61,000 Coralville $1,500 Local funding is used for new programming, continue successful programming after funding cuts, leverage funding from State, Federal and private funding and assist with paying overhead costs. Successes: Child and Youth Development Programs: We are excited to report that the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) completed their site visit of our programs in Q3. We have prepared for this visit for 2 years-revising and updating policy and best practices and completing rigorous staff training. A successful NAEYC results in National Accreditation which is an outstanding mark of quality early education programs. We will hear the results of the visit next quarter. Family and Community Programs In February we began a new program-the Community Liaison program-to offer support for families that has involvement with the DHS foster care system. The program offers counseling and resource support to help prevent child removal and/or help more quickly to reunify families if children are removed from the home. Also in February, we facilitated acommunity-wide strategic planning meeting for area stakeholders, policy makers, residents, and others to help identify short and long term action plans to address safety and positive youth involvement on the southeast side of Iowa City. The event was well attended (88 people from around the City) and generated 9 action plans. Each action plan group agreed to meet regularly over the next few months to make progress on the short term goals and to better outline the long-term action steps. We have 3 meetings set with the group early next quarter to plan the Youth Summit (to beheld May 15th next quarter); the Youth Summit is one of the action plans. Challenges: As an agency, we continue to struggle with childcare funding issues. In our classrooms with grant funding, child attendance and enrollment are consistent; we believe that parents are finding more success in maintaining work. In our classrooms with Child Care Assistance funding, however, we have close to 60% turnover in enrollment. Several of our classrooms rely heavily on Child Care Assistance funding and these classrooms are losing significant money as child enrollment and attendance fluctuates. Translation services are an on-going issue. Agencies, including the Department of Human Services, refer families to NCJC to translate documents or complete forms. Schools call regularly for translation assistance during parent-teacher conferences. Our bi-lingual family support staff cannot maintain this high level of translation service request. As a short-term solution, we are employing a 10 hour a week translator to work with `drop-in' families. We hope for acommunity-wide response in addressing this issue. S:\HUM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\NCJC Agency: Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP) FY 10 Funding: Iowa City $12,000 Coralville $3,000 Local funding is used to partially fund the Fiscal Manger, the Volunteer Coordinator (who also provides direct service) and support operational expenses (e.g. audit, building maintenance, office supplies). Successes: The following examples are quotes taken from individuals that used RVAP services in the past quarter which demonstrate the impact of these services: • Youth Programming: One youth worker said: "I wanted to write to let you know that I thought the meeting last night was terrific. I have already heard feedback from many of the members that they really enjoyed it and they are looking forward to next Tuesday. Thank you so much for doing this for us...you are great at what you do. You have such a natural way of making people feel comfortable around you...THANK YOU!" • Support Group: "It is nice to feel connected." Comment made by a new Mujeres Unidas support group member. • Counseling: After a counseling meeting with a young man, his support worker sent an email stating, "Thanks so much for spending time with (my client) yesterday. He quickly developed rapport with you and indicated that he was comfortable talking with you. I think that we gathered some information that will be useful!" • i-site: "It's nice to hear from you because I've been meaning to email you a thanks for all your help. RVAP has actually helped me quite a bit over the last few years dealing with past relationship abuse in my own life, so on a personal level I was touched to see fellow students speaking out in such a creative way. Please pass on my sincere thanks to all the actors...for all the wonderful work they do!" Challenges: We are very proud of our work to increase outreach and services to underserved populations. In the recent past our outreach has included people with disabilities, people with mental illness and substance abuse issues, teenagers, and the Latino community. While these efforts are essential to providing accessible services, it presents a considerable challenge to our agency since it takes a high level of staff training to maintain the competency to deliver culturally/community specific services to many populations. We strive to meet this challenge by establishing strong partnerships with other agencies. We dedicate staff time to reading, discussions and learning about the communities and people we serve. When possible, we send staff to training and invite local speakers to our agency. S:~IUM~FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)~RVAP Agency: Shelter House FY 10 Funding: Iowa City $35,000 Coralville $4,000 Local funding is used for Emergency and Short Term Transitional Shelter (Coralville and IC); Drop-In Center (IC and Coralville) and STAR (IC). Successes: 'I'o be Near I_ami1y Clara came to us just over a year ago. She was 52 years old at the lime and a victim of domestic violence. Shc had been homeless fo.r tl~c last six years. Due to arthritis, high blood. pressure, gallstones, a pinched tietve, una~ntrolled clial~et:es, asthma, and liver and kidney problems---coupled with limited learned skills-she had not been able 1-o mai.ntaui gautfi~l employment since the mid- 199Us. STAR staff wrote letters to Iowa Senators on her behalf and assisted Clara with t:he application process for Social Secutit:y. She was .iiiii:ially denied; S'I'i~R began tlxe appeal process with her immediately. Clara won her case and the courts determuzed that she was qualified i:o receive disability benefits. Even with monthly incorne u~ place, fiziding a place £or C,;lara to live: proved to be another elifClcult:y as an inaccuracy ui her birth certificate made obtauung an Iowa Ill impossible. S~l"~1R staff worked with Clara to correct the birth certificate using her elcsxncntary school records and her son's birth certif cafe to provide the regtured accurate uiformation. She was then able to obtain a state ITJ and complete the necessary housing assistance applications. Clara recently moved into her own apartment near her daughter and grandchildren. Speaking about the Shelter House STAR Program, Clara said, "You all hclpcci xne. I don't know ho~v to put it into wards, but without you,1 couldn't have made ic!" Challenges: 1. "1'he existing facility compromises our mission and reit~forccs negative perceptions. 1~ new and unproved facility is needed. Update: The new shelter facility is schediYled to open mid-Octobet of this year. 2. Sheltcx 1-louse struggles to stabilise the funding base and to build a reserve fund. "1'liis year poses the added challenge: of buildisig up operaring revenue to cover the additional costs of operating the new facility (as of October 1, 2010). 3. 'There is a need for Permanent: Supportive 1-Iousuig for the chronically homeless population. S:\HUM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\Shelter House Agency: United Action for Youth (UAY) FY 10 Funding: Iowa City $65,000 Coralville $3,000 Local funding is used for Basic for Runaway and Homeless Youth, Transitional Living Program, Street Outreach, Crime Victim Support, Teen Parent Services, Positive Youth Development, and Operating the Youth Center (Iowa City). Street Outreach, Positive Youth Development, Teen Parent Services and Counseling for Teens (Coralville). Successes: The Kids First divorce workshops for 6 -16 year olds are now in the sixth month of operation. 84 youth have been served. The workshops occur every other month on Saturday for 2.5 hours. Youth are divided into four age groups, so that curriculum and discussion is on target developmentally. The groups are court ordered for all Johnson County dissolutions. Parent feedback has been extremely positive. As a result of her child's involvement, one parent who had four elementary age children in the workshop volunteered her time to UAY for a day. Children learn something of the legal process of divorce, information on relieving their own stress, and how to set appropriate boundaries if they find themselves trying to care take parents. The volunteer parent reported that after the workshop, each of her children did an excellent job of integrating some of the key concepts, including letting her know that they were not responsible for her happiness. At the end of the one time workshop, many of the children are asking about when they get to come back. After seven years of UAY staff facilitating the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership Program, the chamber has turned the program over completely to UAY. In that time 175 Johnson County juniors in high school have completed the program. Through partnership with the Iowa City Community School District Safe Schools, Healthy Students grant & Academic Mentoring Program, UAY has staff in every secondary school in the district. This fall UAY provided case managers for Southeast, Northwest and North Central Junior Highs and UAY Academic Mentoring Program staff are based at City, West, Southeast and Northwest. UAY also has a therapist and street outreach counselor based at Tate High School every week. As a result, after-hours crisis calls have been reduced and we are able to respond to request for crisis services during the school day and provide consistent follow-up services more efficiently. Challenges: Department of Education support for families with children birth - 3 years suffered the statewide 10% cut. Empowerment funding was also reduced this fiscal year. Our state reimbursement from the Family Development and Self-Sufficiency Program (FaDSS) was $2450 per family per year, which just covered our cost of providing service. Each family receives a minimum of two visits per month, however with our teen families some require 4-5 visits per month. 30% of the teen parents we serve are FaDSS funded. The new rate is $1985 per family per year. As a result of the cuts, there is atwo-month waiting list for pregnant and parenting teens to receive services. S:\HUM\FY 10 3rd Q report (council summary)\UAY CITY O F I O W A C I T Y IP8 MEMORANDUM Date: June 16, 2010 To: City Council From: Jeff Davidson, Director of Planning and Community Development Re: Update: Flood-related activities Another homeowner that initially declined to participate in the HMGP program has decided to reapply. She will be closing in July. A total of 42 residential properties have been acquired with Federal and State funds. Of the 42 properties, 30 of the homes have been acquired through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (FEMA), eight with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, and four with Community Disaster Grant (CDG) funds. As of today, 32 properties have been demolished in the Parkview Terrace and Taft Speedway neighborhoods. • On June 15'h, planning staff attended a joint meeting with the University of Iowa, Coralville, and Mid-American. Participants outlined current and future flood recovery projects in the area and how they could work together to coordinate schedules and efforts. • On June 15'h planning staff participated in a conference call with I-Jobs officials to discuss the North Wastewater Treatment Plant and Fire Station #4 projects. Staff also inquired about the process for I-Jobs II applications. • Staff is continuing to work with projects that are being funded through the Community Disaster Grant program. These include the acquisition and demolition of properties in the Showers Addition, design for a levee on the west side of the Iowa River, and the purchase of additional properties for flood mitigation. The funds have to be expended by June 30th, 2010. • The City is now accepting applications for Round Two of the Single Family New Construction Program. The program offers down payment assistance of up to 25% of the purchase price of 37 newly constructed homes in Iowa City to help address the loss of Iowa City housing stock in the 2008 flood. Applications will be accepted through June 25, 2010. • Staff continues to review Jumpstart applications for disbursing State Jumpstart 2 and State Jumpstart 3 funding for housing rehab/repair, down payment assistance and interim mortgage assistance. A total of $1.71 million in State Jumpstart funding has been used to assist 76 flood- impacted residential households and $861,000 in Federal Jumpstart funding has been used to assist 17 households. The City is now accepting applications for the two new business assistance programs: Equipment Reimbursement Assistance Program, and Flood Insurance Reimbursement Program. The City is continuing to take applications for the other four available business assistance programs: Expanded Business Rental Assistance Program, Loan Interest Supplement Program, Residential Landlord Business Support Program, and Commercial Rental Revenue Gap Program. • Staff will be preparing 2 grant applications to the I-JOBS II program, one for the Baculis/Thatcher/Commercial Court levy, and one for the Fire Training Facility. The I-JOBS II program evolved from the $30 million Smart Growth legislation enacted in the past legislative session. • Staff is working with EPA on the second round of funding for the Riverfront Crossings planning initiative. The second grant will allow asub-area design plan to be completed by a consultant team. The completion of a sub-area design plan will allow staff to work with specific land owners on redevelopment projects in Riverfront Crossings. IP9 VOLUME 2, ISSUE I I Week of JUNE 14, 2010 Newsletter for the Iowa City Planning & Community Development Department r ~,~_,., ~ .._ ... .,_... t',... _ _~,. _ i:.,_. N.r t Calendar A schedule of upcoming meet- : ings appears inside. Page 5. Deadline nears The deadline for submitting applications for Round 2 of the City's Single Family New Con- struction Program is Friday, June 25. Purchase price for each of the 37 new homes will range from $ 125,000 to $ 180,000, and a 25% downpayment assistance is also available. For more info, visit www.icgov.org/newhomes. Inside ®oroation Stations i The goal of downtown's purple parking meters is to encourage people to donate their extra change to local nonprofits i rather than panhandlers. Page 3. P11~ prnjects PIN grants for neighborhood projects have been announced. See what's in store! Page 4. . Party an the Park It's that time of year again, when neighbors get together for Party in the Park! Page 4. Hare you subseribed? To subscribe to The Planner, go to: www.icgov.org/subscribe then to "Newsletter..." then click on "Planner Newsletter." _ City considering revisions to floodplain ordinance The City of Iowa City is asking the public for input on several revisions it is proposing to the floodplain chapter of the zoning ordinance, the section of the City's Zoning Code designed to protect residents and minimize property loss and damage due to flooding. The suggestions have been proposed by staff members from Building Inspection, continued on page 2 Floodwaters cross Dubuque Street in 2008. The Planner, 6.14. I 0 -page 2 Floodplain ordinance revisions proposed continued from cover Urban Planning, and Public Works to reflect changes and stricter standards they feel are necessary in light of the amount of damage the city incurred dur- ing the 1993 and 2008 floods. If approved, elevation and flood- proofing standards for buildings in a floodplain would be raised to meet the risks associated with a 500-year, rather than a 100- year, flood. If adopted, the changes would help reduce future flood risk, protect home- owners' and business owners' real estate investments, and in- crease safety and access for emergency responders. The Planning & Zoning Commis- sion will discuss the proposed changes at their next meeting on June 17, beginning at 7 p.m. in Emma Harvat Hall in City Hall. Iowa City residents are encour- aged to submit written com- To submit comments E-MAIL TO: Julie Tallman, Development Regulation Specialist julie-tallman@iowa-city.org or Robert Miklo, Senior Planner bob-m iklo@iowa-city.org MAIL OR DROP OFF TO: City Hall 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 ATTEND P&Z MEETING: Interested parties may also attend the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on June 17 to make comments in person. ments prior to the meeting. In- the proposed changes are available terested parties may also attend in the agenda and meeting packet the Planning & Zoning Commis- for the Planning & Zoning Commis- sion meeting to make comments sion meeting at www.icgov.org/ in person. More details about boardagenda/2181.pdf. Around town A tranquil scene from Chauncey Swan Park, a little earlier in the spring. The Planner, 6.14. I 0 -page 3 II ~ i ~~~ 1 {, + , ~- -.r.~e•• ~ ~.P~a ,~ JCCOG TRANSPORTATIC~I~I PLANNING J®F-IN YAPP Johnson County Council of Governments Executive Director 319.356.52.52 john-Y~PP~iowa-dty.org Websitf_: Donation Stations installed downtown to curb panhandling Two types of change are coming to downtown Iowa City - or at least that's what the City of Iowa City hopes will happen, now that nine Donation Station meters have been installed in the downtown area. The program hopes to encourage shoppers, business owners, and visitors to deposit spare change in the special purple meters to help fund local non- profit services rather than giving money directly to a panhandler. The program, which will complement the City's newly adopted panhandling ordinance that restricts areas where panhandling can occur, hopes to curb aggressive soliciting in the downtown district and put funds into the hands of agencies that can provide necessary services and support for those truly in need. Local law enforcement officials note that while panhandlers may lead people to believe they are down-and-out and homeless, that is some- times not the case. Some of the solicitors are professionals who travel to Iowa City because it has been proven to be financially lucrative, while others are asking for money to support a drug or alcohol habit. Not all panhandlers are homeless, they emphasize, and certainly not all homeless people are panhandlers. www iccog.org The funds that are collected from the meters will be divided by several local nonprofit agencies that provide food, medical care, transportation, outreach, and other services to the community's homeless and low-income residents: Free Lunch Program, Iowa City Free Medical Clinic, Crisis Center, Community Mental Health Center PATH Program, Shelter House, and United Action for Youth. For more information on the program, contact Linda Severson or Wendy Ford at the City of Iowa City. For Linda, call 319.356.5242 or a-mail linda-Severson@iowa- city.org. For Wendy, call 319.356.5248 or a-mail wendy- ford @ iowa-city.org. Donation Station The nine Donation Station meters are easily recognized because of their bright purple color. They have been placed in several locations downtown. The Planner, 6.14. I 0 -page 4 Neighborhood projects awarded PIN grants Seven neighborhood projects have been awarded funding in the amount of $ 14,480 from the City's Program for Improving Neighborhood (PIN) grant pro- gram. This is the 16th year the City has made funding available for neighborhood improve- ments. All 33 neighborhood associa- tions were eligible to apply for the grants through the Neighborhood Council of Iowa City. The Neighborhood Council reviewed the requests and made recommendations to the City Council, which appropriated the grant funding for FY I I . The projects and amount of funding that were approved include: Northside Neighborhood Association: $500 to assist in providing entertainment and equipment to host a grand open- ing for the newly redeveloped North Market Square Park. SERVICES .......................................... NlARCIA BOLLINGER Neighborhood Services Coordinator 19.356.5237 marcia-boliinger@iowa-city ~.~f-g i/Vc:b page: www.icgov.or'gi t~eigl7borhoodservices tional workshops at Grant Wood School gymnasium. $2000 for staffing for roller skating events at Grant Wood School gym. $950 for food and prizes for the annual Harvest Party held in Grant Wood School gym. Office of Neighborhood Ser- vices: $3,650 for a shaved ice machine, popcorn, freezer, and supplies for use in the Mayor's Youth Empowerment Program's FasSnack! vehicle, which will provide employment opportuni- ties and job training for area youth. For more information, contact Neighborhood Services coordi- nator Marcia Bollinger at 319.356.5237 or e-mail marcia-bollinger@iowa-city.org. Party in the Park 2010 begins Morningside-Glendale "Party in the Park" - a summer entertainment venue that moves from Neighborhood Association: park to park each week and offers neighbors a chance to get together $5,000 to assist low- and mod- for an evening of fun, including live music - is officially underway for erate-income households to Summer 2010. The parties are sponsored by the City of Iowa City make required repairs to Parks & Recreation Department and the Neighborhood Services Divi- deteriorated sidewalks. lion. Miller Orchard Neighbor- hood Association: $2,000 to provide materials fora "Neigh- borhood Improvement Day" in which Reclaiming Roots, a local nonprofit organization, will coordinate a variety of repairs and improvements throughout the neighborhood. Grant Wood Neighborhood Association (3 grants): $750 for materials and honorari- ums to host a variety of educa- This week, on Tuesday, June 15, neighbors and friends will gather at Scott Park, at the intersection of Scott Boulevard, Court Street, and Muscatine Avenue. Live music will be provided by Acoustic Mayhem. On Thursday, June 17, the party moves to Pheasant Hill Park on Con- cord Circle/Green Mountain Drive, where musicians Bob and Kristie Black will perform. Jill Harper, City High art teacher, will also be on hand with some of her students to showcase the progress being made on the neighborhood art project taking place in the park. Both events are scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. In addition to live music, the parties offer games, arts and crafts, and complimentary ice cream. There is no charge to attend. For more information, contact Marcia Bollinger at Neighborhood Ser- vices at 356.5237 or marcia-bollinger@iowa-city.org. [NEIGHBORHOOD The Planner, 6.14. I 0 -page 5 UPCOMING MEETINGS This is a tentative schedule of upcoming meetings. To verify that the meeting will be held, check the calendar on the City website at www.icgov.org or call the Planning & Community Development office at 356.5230. Meetings will be held at City Hall at 410 E. Washington Street. The individual list- ings below provide the name of the meeting room. Thursday, June 17 ^ Housing & Community Development Commission 6:30 p.m., Lobby Conference Room ^ Planning & Zoning Commission 7 p. m., Emma Harvat Hall Thursday, July I ^ Public Art Advisory Committee 3:30 p.m., Lobby Conference Room ^ Planning & Zoning Commission 7 p.m., Emma Harvat Hall Thursday, July II ^ Historic Preservation Commission 6 p.m., Emma Harvat Hall Wednesday, July 14 ^ Board of Adjustment 5:15 p.m., Emma Harvat Hall Thursday, July 15 ^ Housing & Community Development Commission 6:30 pm, Lobby Conference Room ^ Planning & Zoning Commission 7 p. m., Emma Harvat Hall To view agendas & meeting packets for City meetings Agendas have not yet been written for some of these meetings. To find out what's on the agenda, visit the City website prior to the meeting. Go to the City's Calendar page at www. icgov.org/defau It/apps/ G EN/calendar.asp, click on the date of the meeting, and then on the name of the group that will be meeting. Agendas and meeting packets for all scheduled meetings are posted to the web at least 24 hours in advance. Around town The sights, the sounds, the smells...there's just no place else in town like the Farmers' Market! If you haven't made it yet this year, make plans to visit soon...you're never sure what goodies you might find! WHO SHOULD YOU CONTACT? ..a ..................................................................................................o..................... PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT General Phone: 319.356.5230 Fax: 319.356.5217 Department Web Page: http://www.icgov.org/PCD ADMINISTRATION Jeff Davidson Director 3 19.356.5232 jell-davidson@iowa-city.org COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Steve Long Coordinator 3 19.356.5250 Steve-long@iowa-city.org JccoG John Yapp Executive Director 3 19.356.5252 john-yapp@iowa-city.org Janet Dworsky Administrative Secretary 319.356.5230 Janet-dvorsky@iowa-city.org Jodi DeMeulenaere Public Information Assistant 319.356.5236 Jodi-demeulenaere@ iowa-city.org ........................................... URBAN PLANNING Robert Miklo Senior Planner 3 19.356.5240 bob-miklo@iowa-city.org Urban Planners: Karen Howard 319.356.525 I karen-howard @iowa-city.org Christina Kuecker Historic Preservation 319.356.5243 Christina-kuecker@ iowa-city.org Sarah Walz Board of Adjustment 319.356.5239 Sarah-walz@iowa-city.org Community Development Planners: Tracy Hightshoe 3 19.356.5244 . tracy-hightshoe@iowa-city.org Doug Ongie 3 19.356.5479 doug-ongie@iowa-city.org David Purdy 3 19.356.5489 david-purdy@iowa-city.org Housing Rehabilitation Specialists: David Powers 319.356.5233 david-powers@iowa-city.org Jeff Vanatter 319.356.5 128 jell-vanatter@iowa-city.org Liz Osborne Program Assistant 3 19.356.5246 liz-Osborne@iowa-city.org ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Wendy Ford Coordinator 3 19.356.5248 Wendy-ford @iowa-city.org Transportation Planners: Brad Neumann 3 19.356.5235 brad-neumann@iowa-city.org Kent Ralston 3 19.356.5253 kent-ralston@iowa-city.org Kristopher Ackerson 3 19.356.5247 kristopher-ackerson@ iowa-city.org Darian Nagle-Gamm 319.356.5254 darian-nagle-gamm@ iowa-city.org Human Services Planning: Linda Severson Coordinator 3 19.356.5242 . linda-Severson@iowa-city.org NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES Marcia Bollinger Coordinator of Neighborhood Services & Iowa City Public Art Program 3 19.356.5237 marcia-Bollinger@iowa-city.org City of Iowa City -News & Headlines Back to News Releases Page 1 of 1 IP10 News Releases Originally posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 1:31:06 PM RUMMAGE IN THE RAMP LOOKS FOR SPONSORS Rummage in the Ramp -- the City of Iowa City's gigantic, nine-day garage sale -- is looking for event sponsors to help defray expenses of the sale so that more of the proceeds can go directly to benefit local nonprofits. Organizers are looking for help in covering the costs of t-shirts for volunteers, advertising, signage, and, possibly even a remote radio broadcast to help publicize the event. In exchange, sponsors will be recognized on t-shirts that all volunteers will wear, signage that will be publicly displayed throughout the event, as well as in news releases and on the City website. Expenses for this event are fairly minimal, so sponsorship contributions of any size will be helpful. This year, Rummage in the Ramp is scheduled July 25 through August 2 at the Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp just north of the Rec Center. Hours for donations and sales will be noon to 8 p.m. on most days. Rummage in the Ramp was introduced in 2007 by City of Iowa City Recycling Coordinator Jen Jordan as a way to divert tons of furniture, household goods and other materials from the landfill when tenants move out of their apartments at the end of July. Instead of piling belongings on the curb, in alleys, or in dumpsters, Rummage in the Ramp encourages movers to donate their still-usable goods, which are then offered for sale to the public at bargain prices. The program has helped divert about 60 tons of furniture, beds, clothing, books, kitchenware and other household items from the landfill, putting them back to good use in another home. Since its inception, Rummage in the Ramp has partnered with local nonprofit organizations that help staff the event and then divide the profits from the sale to help fund their programs. Sponsorships from local businesses or other donors would ensure that operating and promotional costs would not need to be taken from sale proceeds, meaning that nonprofits would be able to pocket more revenue for their organizations and programs. In 2009, 22 agencies each received $575 from their share of the profits for their help in staffing the sale. Businesses and others interested in making a donation or finding out more about sponsorship opportunities may contact Jennifer Jordan at 319.887.6160 or a-mail iennifer-iordanCc~iowa-city.org. For additional information about Rummage in the Ramp, visit www.icgov.org/rummageintheramD. Originating Department: Neigh. Services Contact Person: Marcia Bollinger Contact Phone: (319) 356-5237 Back to News Releases http://www.icgov.org/default/apps/GEN/news.asp?newsID=6373&page=l&output=print 6/17/2010 City of Iowa City -News & Headlines Back to News Releases Page 1 of 2 Ub-1 /-1U IP11 News Releases Originally posted on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 4:02:09 PM CITY CONSIDERING REVISIONS TO FLOODPLAIN ORDINANCE The City of Iowa City is asking the public for input on several revisions it is proposing to the floodplain chapter of the zoning ordinance, the section of the City's Zoning Code designed to protect residents and minimize property loss and damage due to flooding. The suggestions have been proposed by staff members from Building Inspection, Urban Planning, and Public Works to reflect changes and stricter standards they feel are necessary in light of the amount of damage the city incurred during the 1993 and 2008 floods. If approved, elevation and floodproofing standards for buildings in a floodplain would be raised to meet the risks associated with a 500-year, rather than a 100-year, flood. If adopted, the changes would help reduce future flood risk, protect homeowners' and business owners' real estate investments, and increase safety and access for emergency responders. The proposed changes include: CHANGES IN TERMINOLOGY: Staff acknowledges that the current terminology, "100-year floodplain," which represents a 1 % chance of flood in any given year, and "500-year floodplain," which indicates a risk of 0.2%, are largely misunderstood and cause people to misinterpret the actual, annual risk of flooding. Over the life of a 30-year mortgage, for example, property in a 100-year floodplain actually has a 26% chance of flooding. To reflect the actual risk of building in a flood hazard area, staff proposes to replace the terms with "Flood Hazard Area" in all sections of the City's zoning ordinance. NEW DEFINITIONS: Under the proposal, definitions would be added for "Class I Critical Facilities" and "Critical Facilities. Class I Critical Facilities would include emergency operation centers and hospitals that must have access during a flood, as well as facilities that may be difficult to evacuate during a flood, such as jails and nursing homes. Critical Facilities, on the other hand, would include City Hall, courts, schools, water distribution, and wastewater treatment facilities that need to be protected from flood damage but do not necessarily need to be accessible during a flood. IDENTIFICATION OF SHALLOW FLOODING AREAS: Currently, areas of shallow flooding are not addressed in the City's floodplain regulations. This proposed change would correct an omission and codify another class of flooding that is mapped where Willow Creek flows across the airport runways. EXPANDING BUILDING STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS: The building standards and requirements in the current flood ordinance are written to meet the risks of a 100-year flood. The new ordinance would increase standards to meet the risk of a 500-year flood -- the levels the city witnessed in 2008. If the stricter regulations are adopted, it could result in lower flood insurance premiums for Iowa City residents. Under the new standards, any new construction taking place in a floodplain would need to be elevated, or in the case of commercial buildings, elevated orflood-proofed, to one foot above the 500-year flood elevation. Depending on where a home or structure is located, that additional elevation could range from a couple of inches to a couple of feet. Existing structures in flood hazard areas would be allowed to expand without elevating or floodproofing, as long as the planned expansion would not be larger than 25% of the structure's original floor area, and/or the planned improvements or repairs would not exceed 50% of the structure's current assessed value. When plans exceed those limits, property owners would be required to meet the new standards by elevating or floodproofing to one foot above the 500-year flood elevation. The new standards would also require that any new Class 1 Critical Facilities be located outside of flood hazard areas. Existing Class I Critical Facilities would be allowed to remain in their current locations, but would need to adhere to new requirements if major expansions or improvements -- such as those outlined above --were planned. The Planning & Zoning Commission will discuss the proposed changes at their next meeting on June 17, beginning at 7 p.m. in Emma Harvat Hall in City Hall. Iowa City residents are encouraged to submit written http://www.icgov.org/default/apps/GEN/news.asp?newsID=6350&page=l&output=print 6/17/2010 City of Iowa City -News & Headlines Page 2 of 2 comments prior to the meeting to Julie Tallman, Development Regulation Specialist, at Julie-tallman(a~iowa- cit .or , or Robert Miklo, Senior Planner, at bob-mikloCa~iowa-city.ora, or by mailing or dropping off written comments to City Hall, 410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. Interested parties may also attend the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting to make comments in person. More details about the proposed changes are available in the agenda and meeting packet for the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting at www icgov.ora/boardaaenda/2181.pdf. Originating Department: Planning Department Contact Person: Robert Miklo Contact Phone: (319) 356-5240 Back to News Releases http://www.icgov.org/default/apps/GEN/news.asp?newsID=6350&page=l&output=print 6/17/2010 N ~~ ~a air ~u C1 e .~ .~ ~. ~.~! 4V •` 'wq~+, WR J a t~ q .~ C3 t~ tU V3 /~r Yb~ a~ c~3 fJ) .~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~ L ~ G7 RS }, q) N ~z. q~ ~ Cl ~ ~ ~ ~ U ~ ~ tT3 ~ ~ Ll rs S2 _ 0~ ~ -' ca ~ m sa v ~ r . .. -~ ~ ~ Zr t3 ~ ~ ~ ~ UY tU . , ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ T~3 ~ .N 'Z7 Q .ice] ~ '- ~tL7 C/) ~_ Q ~ M ~ to ~ ~ ~ •s:- ~ C N ~. C ~ ~ v ~. ~ c ~ ~ c c ~- vi ~ cu c .~. o cv ,~ dy -~ ~ c ~ .,-~ .~ ~ t!3 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ cn O ~ ~ '- ~~,~ o?~s~~o>>,'~ ~ a ~ ~ ~~cv aa~~~~~ ~ o ~i ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ H ~ ~ p ~ a~ ~ - a ~~ ~ ° ~ v s y~~ ... _ ...,., /.:~ ~! ~r A` ..1 ..`'~ ~~ j F :~~: ~ .,~ y-;~ c.r„ -;,~ :~~ _~ ;, -3 ..J ~ 'x., ~y~, r' +, „'__. ~ •.r , _~ ~S_-: C~ y ~:,~ Preliminary Minutes May 2010 MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION MAY 20, 2010 ROOM 208, IOWA CITY/JOHNSON COUNTY SENIOR CENTER Members Present: Merce Bem-Klug, Chuck Felling, Jay Honohan, Sarah Maiers, Jean Martin, Michael Lensing Members Absent: Staff Present: Linda Kopping, Emily Light Others Present: RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: None. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 4:00 PM. Jay Honohan chaired the meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM APRIL 22, 2010 MEETING: Motion: To accept the minutes from the April 22, 2010 meeting. Motion carried on a vote of 6/0. MartiNMaiers. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. COMMISSION ASSIGNMENTS: Honohan will report to the City Council in June. Bem-Klug will report to the Board of Supervisors, and Kopping will attend with her. DISCUSSION OF NUTRITION PROGRAM LEASE: Honohan said the committee has not yet discussed the specifics of a new lease to present to the City of Iowa City Legal Department and Elder Services. Kopping asked maintenance worker Craig Buhman to draw up a list of equipment he thinks would be appropriate for the Senior Center to maintain, i.e. things that are physically attached to the building. IP13 Preliminary Minutes May 2010 CQNSIDERATION OF THE PROPOSED POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CODE OF CONDUCT AND ACTIONS TO TAKE WHEN THE CODE IS VIOLATED: Honohan summarized areas that have been revised in the code of conduct. He removed the language that directly instructs staff members how to speak to policy violators. He also added language stating that a policy violator should receive a copy of the incident report related to their violation. Honohan added timelines in the appeal process, and added the step of review by the executive committee of the Senior Center Commission before review by the city manager. The Commission discussed whether a fourth offense (or a violation resulting in police removal) should have a 30-day or 60-day suspension. The Commission decided the fourth offense (or a violation resulting in police removal) will be a mandatory 30-day suspension. The Commission decided to change the third offense to a mandatory 14-day suspension. Motion; To approve the code of conduct and disciplinary process as amended. Motion carried on a vote of 6/0. Lensing/Felling. RECONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED CERAMIC STUDIO GUIDELINES AND POLICIES: Kopping said that the Senior Center staff decided to implement a ceramics room user fee to cover the cost of materials. The cost is $20/quarter for each user. Given the Center's current policy, if aloes-income person wants to use the ceramics room, the entire fee would be waived. Motion: To accept the proposed ceramics studio guidelines and policies. Motion carried on a vote of 6/0. Maiers/Martin. UPDATE ON BOARD APPOINTMENTS FOR FRIENDS OF THE CENTER: Honohan said that the initial list of nominees has been exhausted, and the board is still one person short. Lensing suggested Louise Gisolfi. Felling suggested Theresa Carbrey. Lensing suggested Don Carstensen. Honohan suggested Joe Pew. Kopping suggested Jim Curry. Honohan will pursue these suggestions. Kopping has developed an informal system for tracking donations to Friends of the Center, but she would like something more official. Honohan suggested hiring Steve Kuht at Greenwood and Crim to create a system. Honohan said as soon as the board reaches nine members, the board will make quick progress in setting up the basic functions. Preliminary Minutes May 2010 OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW: Kopping reported that the showers in the weight room have been non-functional for months, and the problem has been determined. McComas-Lacina will pay for the repairs because of an installation problem. They say the showers should be fixed within a month; Kopping suspects it may be longer. Kopping hired Hung Le to work as a temporary maintenance person while Craig is on medical leave and on light duty. Kopping said she is trying to replace the Volunteer Specialist. She has updated the job description and renamed the position Community Outreach Specialist. The person will be responsible for volunteer programming, promotion of the Senior Center, including intergenerational programming, marketing, website management, and social media. Three internal applicants have applied and will be interviewed. Kopping has asked someone from the Personnel Department to sit in on interviews. Bern-Klug asked if there will be an external search. Kopping said it will depend on how the internal interviews go. Lensing asked about income breakdown of members. Light said we are currently not tracking this information, except for including a question on the participant surveys that are conducted every few years. Honohan said someone in his Spanish class suggested charging a small fee for participants in free classes, as payment for use of the facility. Lensing said it could be worded as a "suggested payment." Maiers said she thinks there would be objections to this because members already pay annual membership fees and taxes. Honohan pointed out that many instructors already collect fees. Felling said those fees are to pay instructors for their services, and a portion of the fees collected are paid to the Senior Center for use of the facility. Kopping said there has been talk in the past about a registration fee of $5/class. Discussions have not resulted in any changes. Kopping said a lot of Senior Centers charge small registration fees for each program. Many center managers believe paying a small participation fee causes people to perceive the program as more important and tends to increase actual participation. Kopping suggested telling members who express willingness to pay higher fees that the Center wants to keep fees as low as possible, but would certainly welcome donations to help support operational expenses. Preliminary Minutes May 2©10 The Commission briefly discussed registration fees and asked Kopping to come up with a rough estimate of how much revenue could be generated from registration fees. Maiers said she would rather raise the membership fee than add on registration fees to classes that are currently free. Light said that some have suggested adding fees to access the fitness rooms. Honohan asked to put an item on next month's agenda involving "fee opportunities." He said we haven't made any changes in a while, except for parking fees. Kopping reported that the Senior Center staff is prioritizing the self-assessment committee recommendations, and will create an action plan from those priorities. Felling said one of the members was impressed by the inclusion of the self- assessment recommendations in the program guide. Kopping said someone contacted her to use the report as a model for conducting aself-assessment of an organization with which he was affiliated. COMMISSION DISCUSSION: Board of Supervisors Report on the April Meeting: Honohan reported to the board of supervisors at their last meeting. City Council Report on the April Meeting: Maiers had a scheduling conflict and did not attend. Honohan asked if the City Council has advertised for the vacant Gommission position. Kopping said yes, and she has spoken with a Senior Center member who is interested in applying. ADJOURNMENT: Motion: To Adjourn. Morton carried on a vote of 6/0. 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