Monday night's council meeting (7pm in the council chambers) appears to have no controversial items. Council is being asked to approve a few new ordinances regarding 48 hour parking (Item 2), the new subdivision north of the new high school, and monument-style mailboxes (#4). We'll also vote on spending up to $290K on surveillance cameras (Item #13) and up to $65K on new parking pay stations. Also several downtown signage and aesthetic changes worth checking out (Items #23-25).
Prior to the regular City Council meeting, at 5:20 the council will hear a short presentation on the national 2020 Census and how it will be conducted. After that, staff will brief council on the proposed master plan for the two large city-owned properties adjacent to the Hudson Road / Highway 20 Interchange. The master plan is a overarching map / guidance for how the area will be developed, and is projected to take several decades to ber fully realized. Given the scale of the undertaking, it may have a significant impact on the local economy and the tax base.
Hope you can join us for either or both of these meetings...in person, via Channel 15, or streaming live on YouTube.
Call to Order by the Mayor
Roll Call
Approval of Minutes
1. Regular Meeting of September 16, 2019. Simply enters the minutes of our last council meeting into the record as an accurate reflection of what transpired at the meeting. No questions.
Agenda Revisions
Old Business
2. Pass Ordinance #2954, amending Chapter 23, Traffic and Motor Vehicles, of the Code of Ordinances relative to 48-hour parking on city streets, upon its third & final consideration. No questions; we've discussed this updated parking ordinance at previous council meetings. The idea here is to force owners of vehicles/trailers to actually move the vehicle/trailer away for a certain length of time, not just moving 2 feet forward or back to "beat" the 48-hour ordinance. The goal is to encourage the owners to store their items in their own driveway/garage rather than the city streets.
3. Pass Ordinance #2955, amending Section 26-118 of the Code of Ordinances by removing property located in the vicinity of 1700-2000 Union Road from the A-1, Agricultural District, and placing the same in the R-1, Residence District, upon its second consideration. No questions; in our last meeting we learned about staff's recommendation to make this change, to enable single-family homes to be constructed close to the location of the new high school.
4. Pass Ordinance #2956, amending Chapter 19, Streets and Sidewalks, of the Code of Ordinances relative to monument mailboxes, upon its second consideration. No questions. City staff has recommended not to allow this, but I don't see monument-style mailboxes as any less a nuisance or risk to vehicles than street trees....and those are harder to remove.
New Business
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.)
5. Receive and file the Committee of the Whole minutes of September 16, 2019 relative to the following items: Simply enters the minutes into the record as an accurate reflection of what transpired at the meeting. No questions.
a) Wheat Pasting Murals in Cedar Falls by Fortepan Iowa.
b) Bills & Payroll.
6. Receive and file Departmental Monthly Reports of August 2019. A detailed accounting of city staff's many, many activities during that month. No questions.
7. Approve the following applications for beer permits and liquor licenses: City Council is the approving authority for all alcohol sales permits. No questions.
a) Murphy USA, 518 Brandilynn Boulevard, Class C beer - renewal.
b) Blue Room, 201 Main Street, Class C liquor - renewal.
c) Chapala 2, 1704 West 1st Street, Class C liquor - renewal.
d) Peppers Grill & Sports Pub, 620 East 18th Street, Class C liquor - renewal.
e) SingleSpeed Brewing Co., 128 Main Street, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
f) Casey's General Store, 601 Main Street, Class E liquor - renewal.
g) Fareway Store, 214 North Magnolia Drive, Class E liquor - renewal.
h) Hampton Inn & Suites, 101 West 1st Street, Class C beer & Class B wine - new.
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.)
8. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Title VI Non-Discrimination Agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT), approving and authorizing execution of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Standard Title VI/Non-Discrimination Assurances, and designating a Title VI and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Coordinator for the City of Cedar Falls relative to receiving federal funding through the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT). (Begins Page 95) An administrative action to comply with requirements to receive federal transportation funds. No questions.
9. Resolution levying a final assessment for costs incurred by the City to mow and clear vegetation on the property located at 2040 Waterloo Road. No questions; city staff is requesting to charge this property owner $454.89 for the cost of mowing the property & code enforcement after repeated violations of the tall grass ordinance.
10. Resolution levying a final assessment for costs incurred by the City to mow and clear vegetation on the property located at 929 Newman Avenue. No questions; city staff is requesting to charge this property owner $382.57 for the cost of mowing the property & code enforcement after violations of the tall grass ordinance.
11. Resolution approving and adopting a rate of $3.89 per $1,000 taxable value for the Downtown Cedar Falls Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) for FY21. A self-imposed property tax on all Downtown properties. This rate is unchanged from last year. The SSMID tax is used to fund Community Main Street, Inc. and its efforts to continually improve and promote our downtown. No questions.
12. Resolution approving and authorizing the expenditure of funds to upgrade the City's data backup and recovery system. This would allocate $116K for new equipment for the city's data needs, including storage for the city's new video camera recordings. It may be hard to estimate an answer, but I'd be interested to know what the life expectancy would be for this new gear, as the previous equipment is just four years old. No other questions.
13. Resolution approving and authorizing the expenditure of funds for the purchase and installation of cameras and lighting in the Downtown area. This would allocate a "not to exceed" price of $290K to wire Downtown for improved video surveillance by the Cedar Falls Police. No questions at this time.
14. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Cooperative Agreement for Use of Swimming Pools with the Cedar Falls Community School District. This continues the existing agreement with Cedar Falls schools for joint use of the pools at Peet and Holmes. This commits the city to 45% of the actual operating costs of the pools. No questions.
15. Resolution approving and authorizing the expenditure of funds for the purchase of a bio solids transport unit. NAllows the Water Reclamation Division to purchase a truck for transporting solid waste to our farm partner as fertilizer. I'm surprised at the spread of bids (see page 161)...were they comparable equipment? It just seems strange that one unit would cost $92K, but another unit would be $222K. No other questions.
16. Resolution approving six Claims for Non-Residential Relocation Assistance Reimbursement, in conjunction with the West 1st Street Reconstruction Project. Approves the release of about $60K in taxpayer funds to reposition the advertising signs of businesses impacted by the widening of 1st Street. Is this city money or state money? I'll ask.
17. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement to Purchase Parking Meter Equipment and Related Services with IPS Group, Inc., in conjunction with the implementation of recommendations from the Downtown and College Hill parking studies. This would allocate $65K in taxpayer funds for 7 parking pay stations around Downtown. The detailed cost breakdown is on page 192. Each station will service multiple parking spaces; I will ask if this purchase is expected to meet the city's parking management requirements, or if other equipment will need to be purchased in the short run. I used a similar machine for the first time while in Chicago this week; it was really simple. This purchase will also include access to the ParkSmarter app, which will add some great additional functionality via a smartphone. No other questions.
18. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a License Agreement with Aureon Network Services relative to installing a fiber optic telecommunications system in the West 12th Street & South Division Street right-of-way. A straightforward legal agreement to allow a company to run fiber optic to Cedar Falls High School, at no cost to the taxpayers.
19. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a License Agreement with Aureon Network Services relative to installing a fiber optic telecommunications system in the Magnolia Drive right-of-way. A straightforward legal agreement to allow a company to run fiber optic to the new Fairway on Greenhill Road, at no cost to the taxpayers.
20. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Storm Water Maintenance and Repair Agreement with CF Gateway Business Park, Inc. relative to a post-construction stormwater management plan for property located at the northeast corner of Hudson Road and West Ridgeway Avenue. A standard agreement with the newly-completed event center, for managing their stormwater runoff. No questions.
21. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Storm Water Maintenance and Repair Agreement with James V. Sands relative to a post-construction stormwater management plan for Lot 6 of Prairie Springs U.M.C. Minor Plat. A standard agreement for managing their stormwater runoff at the new housing development just off Greenhill Road. No questions.
22. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Storm Water Maintenance and Repair Agreement with Tjaden Properties, L.L.C. relative to a post-construction stormwater management plan for Lot 16 and Tract "B", West Viking Road Industrial Park Phase IV. A standard agreement for managing their stormwater runoff at the new Air King Filtration building. No questions.
23. Resolution approving a Central Business District Overlay Zoning District site plan for façade improvements at 100 East 2nd Street. A sign request for Andy's Bike Shop. City Council is the approving authority for these kinds of aesthetic changes Downtown. No questions.
24. Resolution approving a Central Business District Overlay Zoning District site plan for façade improvements at 202 Main Street. A sign request for Horny Toad Bar & Grill in Downtown, adding a sign along the side street. o questions.
25. Resolution approving a Central Business District Overlay Zoning District site plan for a commercial/residential mixed use redevelopment and façade improvements at 203/205 Main Street. This would allow improvement of the frontage and remodel the interior of the old St. Vincent's Thrift Store downtown, adding two apartments above. No questions.
26. Resolution approving final occupancy of the Holiday Inn & Bien Venu Event Center prior to the acceptance of the public improvements in Gateway Business Park at Cedar Falls. This property owner requests the occupancy permit prior to having some previously agreed-upon items completed. These items are outside the property owner's control, and do not appear to impact safety or well-being. No questions.
27. Resolution setting November 4, 2019 as the date of public hearing on the City's 2018-2019 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant Program. No questions about the hearing date.
28. Resolution setting October 21, 2019 as the date of public hearing on a proposed ordinance granting a partial property tax exemption to Broadstone BCI Iowa, LLC for construction of an industrial warehouse and production facility at 2900 Capital Way. No questions about the hearing date.
Ordinances
29. Pass an ordinance amending Chapter 23, Traffic and Motor Vehicles, of the Code of Ordinances relative to establishing a 35 miles per hour speed limit on Ridgeway Avenue from Hudson Road east to Iowa Highway 58, upon its first consideration. This would lower the speed limit in this section from 45 MPH to down to 35 MPH, near the new Fleet Farm. My understanding is that 45 MPH is not practical in that short stretch leading to the new roundabout on Ridgeway. No questions.
Allow Bills and Payroll
30. Allow Bills and Payroll of October 7, 2019. No questions.
City Council Referrals No referrals.
City Council Updates No updates.
Public Forum. (Speakers will have one opportunity to speak for up to 5 minutes on topics germane to City business.)
Adjournment
| Council Packet Link | |
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| Meeting Date | 10/07/19 |
