Monday night's meeting has only 25 total items; of special note is the council's consideration of a repeal of the College Hill Vision Plan, (Item 13); that discussion is bound to generate public interest and comment. I also have the honor of swearing in our new K-9, Boona, at the start of the meeting (Item 2). Many of the other items affect only small groups of residents or organizations, but feel free to take a look.
We won't have any committee meetings Monday night, so we'll kick off at 7pm for the regular council meeting. Feel free to join us in person, on Channel 15, or via livestream on YouTube. Thanks as always for doing the work to be an informed and engaged citizen!
Call to Order by the Mayor
Roll Call
Pledge of Allegiance
Approval of Minutes
1. Regular meeting of October 2, 2023.
Agenda Revisions
Special Presentations
2. Swearing-in Ceremony for K-9 Boona. Boona and his handler recently completed the required law enforcement training and are ready for service with the Police Division. This will be a great opportunity for the public and council to meet our new K-9 team, and I'll be doing the swearing in with Boona; it's a great tradition for all canine officers.
Public Forum. (Speakers will have one opportunity to speak for up to 5 minutes on topics relevant to City business.)
Staff Updates
Special Order of Business
3. Public hearing to consider entering into an Agreement for Private Development, and to consider conveyance of city-owned real estate to KL Iowa 02, LLC. This agreement has been in the works now for more than a year; it would be the first $9M phase of a planned $22M robotics manufacturing complex for Kubica Corp., which already has a 50,000 square foot R&D center in the southern industrial park. I believe this kind of high-tech manufacturing center is a great compliment to the Cedar Valley's great efforts in becoming a center for advanced robotics and automation.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published 10/07/2023)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Staff comments.
d) Public comments.
e) Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement for Private Development and a Minimum Assessment Agreement; and approving and authorizing execution of a Deed Without Warranty, conveying certain city-owned real estate to KL Iowa 02, LLC.
4. Public hearing to consider vacating a drainage easement on Lots 17 & 18 in West Viking Road Industrial Park Phase V. This change would allow six large lots to be combined into one unit. I have no concerns about the change, as any new user of all the properties would be required to have a stormwater management plan for draining the water from this area anyway.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published 10/07/2023)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Staff comments.
d) Public comments.
e) Resolution approving and authorizing vacation of a drainage easement on Lots 17 & 18 in West Viking Road Industrial Park Phase V.
5. Public hearing on a proposal to undertake a public improvement project for the North Cedar Heights Reconstruction Project – Phase II, and to authorize acquisition of private property for said project. This agreement would make the necessary property and engineering arrangements for this road and sewer upgrade project to continue in Cedar Heights.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published 10/07/2023)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Staff comments.
d) Public comments.
e) Resolution approving a public improvement project for the North Cedar Heights Reconstruction Project – Phase II, and authorizing acquisition of private property for said project.
6. Public hearing on a proposal to undertake a public improvement project for the West Viking Road Reconstruction Project, and to authorize acquisition of private property for said project. This proposal would allow for the rebuild of Viking Road to better handle vehicles in that area, as well as adding trails and entrances into the industrial park.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published 10/07/2023)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Staff comments.
d) Public comments.
e) Resolution approving a public improvement project for the West Viking Road Reconstruction Project, and authorizing acquisition of private property for said project.
7. Public hearing on proposed amendments to Chapter 26, Zoning relative to shared parking requirements in the Downtown Character District (CD-DT). The council forwarded a request to the Planning and Zoning Commission to review the CD-TD parking requirements for shared parking, and to eliminate Section 26-196E, from the city code. P&Z unanimously voted to not recommend approval of this change. For this reason, if the city council wishes to still adopt it against the advice of the P&Z commissioners, five of seven council members would have to be in agreement for the change. As I understand it, a key driver for the shared parking ordinance is to encourage density and promote growth in the downtown area.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published 10/07/2023)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Staff comments.
d) Public comments.
e) Pass an ordinance amending Chapter 26, Zoning, by removing Section 26-196E. Special Parking Standards, relative to allowing adjacent on-street parking to count towards shared parking requirements in the Downtown Character District (CD-DT), upon its first consideration. (requires 5 aye votes)
Old Business
8. Pass Ordinance #3044, granting a partial property tax exemption to KL Iowa 01, LLC for construction of a warehouse and manufacturing facility at 6313 Production Drive, upon its second consideration. With Kubica Corporation's completion of its 50K sqft manufacturing facility in the industrial park, the follow-up ordinance is to formally grant the tax exemption previously agreed to.
Consent Calendar: (The following items will be acted upon by voice vote on a single motion without separate discussion, unless someone from the Council or public requests that a specific item be considered separately.)
9. Receive and file the City Council Standing Committee minutes of October 2, 2023 relative to the following items:
a) Native Plantings in the City Right-Of-Way.
b) College Hill Vision Plan.
c) 12th & Clay Street Update.
10. Approve the following recommendation of the Mayor relative to the appointment of members to Boards and Commissions:
a) Maureen Burum, Community Center and Senior Services Board, June 30, 2026.
11. Approve the following applications for retail alcohol licenses:The city council is the approving authority for all alcohol permits and liquor licenses.
a) Casey's General Store, 601 Main Street, Class E retail alcohol - renewal.
b) Fareway Store, 4500 South Main Street, Class E retail alcohol - renewal.
c) Fast Track Racing, 200 block West 2nd Street, Special Class C retail alcohol & outdoor service - 5-day permit.
Resolution Calendar: (The following items will be acted upon by roll call vote on a single motion without separate discussion, unless someone from the Council or public requests that a specific item be considered separately.)
12. Resolution Calendar with items considered separately.
13. Resolution rescinding Resolution #22,360, being a resolution approving and adopting the Imagine College Hill! Vision Plan. The Community Development standing committee voted on October 2nd (on a 4-3 vote) to have the city staff draft a resolution to reverse the council's May 3, 2021 adoption of the College Hill Vision Plan.
14. Resolution approving and authorizing the expenditure of funds for replacement of additional network switches relative to updating the City’s computer network equipment. This would allow the expenditure of $67.5K for city computer network switches, which had to be replaced to ensure the security of the city's network.
15. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement with Fishbeck relative to a feasibility study for a potential Downtown parking facility. This would provide $39K for the downtown parking facility study; the contract would be with the same firm that carried out the 2018 parking study.
16. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a contract with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) relative to grant funding for traffic enforcement and training. This would allow the city to receive $9K in state grant funding for traffic enforcement.
17. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Iowa Welcome Center Operations Agreement with the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) relative to the Cedar Falls Tourism and Visitors Center partnering to provide Iowa DOT signage, technical assistance, and promotion through Iowa tourism publications. This allows the city's center to be an official Iowa Welcome Center, with additional visibility and opportunities for grant applications.
18. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement with M.M. & A., d/b/a Icon Poly for fabrication of fiberglass statues for the Panthers on Parade. This would allow the contractor to build the fiberglass TC mascot statues, to be paid for by 25 sponsors who have already committed to the project.
19. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of Amendment Number Five to the Subaward Agreement with Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) for an extension of the Voluntary Property Acquisition Program funded through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program relative to the Northern Cedar Falls Flood Buyout Program. This amendment allows additional properties to be purchased under the federal buyout program, completely using state and federal funds.
20. Resolution approving and authorizing expenditure of funds for the purchase of an automated refuse collection apparatus for the Refuse Section. Public Works is asking to purchase a side-loading refuse handler for $359K. It's concerning to see how far out the delivery estimates are going for new vehicles (2-3 years) so I'm glad to see we can purchase a prebuilt new unit right away.
21. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Professional Services Agreement with Strand Associates, Inc. for facility planning services relative to the Water Reclamation Facility Upgrades Project. This would set aside up to $450K for the planning of a major upgrade to our wastewater treatment plant.
22. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Joint Funding Agreement for Water Resource Investigations with the U.S. Geological Survey for support, operation, and maintenance of the Cedar River Streamgage Station. This is the annual agreement for the funding our our river gauge, which is vital for forecasting flooding conditions. The cost would be $12.4K to the city for this fiscal year.
23. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Professional Service Agreement with Shive-Hattery, Inc. for design services relative to the West 23rd Street Reconstruction Project - Hudson Road to Campus Street. This would provide up to $323K for the design of this important travel corridor adjoining the UNI campus.
24. Resolution setting November 6, 2023 as the date of public hearing on a proposal to undertake a public improvement project for the Viking Road and Prairie Parkway Intersection Improvements Project, and to authorize acquisition of private property for said project. Simply sets the hearing date; no concerns.
25. Resolution setting November 6, 2023 as the date of public hearing on the FFY22 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funded activities from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. Simply sets the hearing date; no concerns.
26. Resolution setting November 6, 2023 as the date of public hearing to consider entering into a proposed Amended and Restated Agreement for Private Development with McDonald Construction & Remodeling, LLC. Simply sets the hearing date; no concerns.
Allow Bills and Claims
27. Allow Bills and Claims for October 16, 2023. The city council is the approving authority for all bills and claims made against the city since the previous council meeting.
Council Updates and Announcements
Council Referrals
Adjournment
| Council Packet Link | |
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| Meeting Date | 10/16/23 |
