Notable in Monday night's regular council meeting is the approval of the plans for a $3.3M reconstruction of the Greenhill Road and South Main intersection as a roundabout (Item #11) and also the condemnation hearings for four residences in the city. It's also a night for finance, with several funds transfers up for council approval.
Prior to the regular meeting, we'll meet in Committee of the Whole at 5:45 to hear two presentations -- the first is from Foth Engineering, about the design proposal for Main Street from Seerley Boulevard to 6th Street. Also, we'll hear the city's audit report findings -- that's a very important report to understand how we're hitting the mark for managing city finances properly.
I hope you can join is in-person or online for both meetings...and as always, thanks for doing the work to be an informed and engaged resident.
The City is providing in-person and electronic options for this meeting. The City encourages in-person attendees to follow the latest CDC guidelines to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
The meeting will be accessible via video conference and the public may access/participate in the meeting in the following ways:
a) By dialing the phone number +13126266799 or +19292056099 or +12532158782 or +13017158592 or +13462487799 or +16699006833 and when prompted, enter the meeting ID (access code) 962 7287 1738.
b) iPhone one-tap: +13126266799,,96272871738# or +19292056099,,96272871738#
c) Join via smartphone or computer using this link: https://zoom.us/j/96272871738.
d) View the live stream on Channel 15 YouTube using this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzeig5nIS-dIEYisqah1uQ (view only).
e) Watch on Cedar Falls Cable Channel 15 (view only).
To request to speak when allowed on the agenda, participants must click “Raise Hand” if connected by smartphone or computer, or press *9 if connected by telephone. All participants will be muted by the presiding officer when not actually speaking.
Call to Order by the Mayor
Roll Call
Approval of Minutes
1. Regular Meeting of November 1, 2021. Simply adds the minutes to the record as an accurate reflection of what transpired in the meeting.
Agenda Revisions
Special Presentations
2. Proclamation recognizing November 26, 2021 as Holiday Hoopla Day.
3. Proclamation recognizing November 27, 2021 as Small Business Saturday.
4. Proclamation recognizing December 1, 2021 as Civil Air Patrol Day.
Public Forum. (Speakers will have one opportunity to speak for up to 5 minutes on topics germane to City business.)
Special Order of Business
**** Items 5-8 all deal with properties within city limits that have deteriorated significantly due to severe neglect. After repeated notices to the property owners, the city is now acting to have those properties declared a nuisance so that further action can be taken (possibly including tear-down of the structures if deemed uninhabitable. ****
5. Hearing on the proposed condemnation of property located at 1227 West 22nd Street.
a) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
b) Oral comments.
c) Resolution declaring the property located at 1227 West 22nd Street to be a nuisance due to being structurally unsafe, a fire hazard, or otherwise dangerous to human life and health, and ordering abatement of said nuisance by removal, repair or demolition of said property and requiring the owner of said property to abate said nuisance by December 2, 2021.
6. Hearing on the proposed condemnation of property located at 315 East Dunkerton Road.
a) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
b) Oral comments.
c) Resolution declaring the property located at 315 East Dunkerton Road to be a nuisance due to being structurally unsafe, a fire hazard, or otherwise dangerous to human life and health, and ordering abatement of said nuisance by removal, repair or demolition of said property and requiring the owner of said property to abate said nuisance by December 2, 2021.
7. Hearing on the proposed condemnation of property located at 710 West 13th Street.
a) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
b) Oral comments.
c) Resolution declaring the property located at 710 West 13th Street to be a nuisance due to being structurally unsafe, a fire hazard, or otherwise dangerous to human life and health, and ordering abatement of said nuisance by removal, repair or demolition of said property and requiring the owner of said property to abate said nuisance by December 2, 2021.
8. Hearing on the proposed condemnation of property located at 1303 Walnut Street.
a) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
b) Oral comments.
c) Resolution declaring the property located at 1303 Walnut Street to be a nuisance due to being structurally unsafe, a fire hazard, or otherwise dangerous to human life and health, and ordering abatement of said nuisance by removal, repair or demolition of said property and requiring the owner of said property to abate said nuisance by December 2, 2021.
9. Public hearing on the City's FFY20 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME programs. This 26 page report goes into detail about the city's use of federal funds to support low- to moderate-income residents, including through the Section 8 housing voucher program. For those interested in promoting affordable housing in our community, this is an important report to read.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published October 27, 2021)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Staff comments.
d) Public comments.
e) Resolution approving and authorizing submission of the FFY20 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME programs.
10. Public hearing on a proposed ordinance granting a partial property tax exemption for The Vault, LLC for construction of a storage/office facility at 6100 Production Drive. This would complete a developmental agreement that first provided land at no cost to The Vault, and then will grant about $83K in property tax exemptions over five years, for a $1.25M storage facility. I support these kinds of agreements for the long-term benefit of Cedar Falls and our long-term corporate / industrial tax base.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published November 5, 2021)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Staff comments.
d) Public comments.
e) Pass an ordinance granting a partial property tax exemption to The Vault, LLC for construction of a storage/office facility at 6100 Production Drive, upon its first consideration.
11. Public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the Greenhill Road and South Main Street Intersection Improvement Project. This project, estimated at $3.3M, would provide for a roundabout to be constructed to replace the signalized intersection there. The increased number of homes and retail in that area has led to a traffic buildup in that intersection, and I support the conversion to a roundabout as a means to safely move cars along through that area. The cost includes not just the roadway itself, but also new storm sewer and water main replacement.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published November 5, 2021)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Staff comments.
d) Public comments.
e) Resolution approving and adopting the plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the Greenhill Road and South Main Street Intersection Improvement Project.
Old Business
12. Pass Ordinance #2997, adopting by reference the 2021 International Building Code, 2021 International Residential Code, 2021 International Mechanical Code, 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, 2021 National Fuel Gas Code and 2020 National Electrical Code, and associated revisions to Chapter 7, Buildings and Building Regulations of the Code of Ordinances, upon its third and final consideration. The council has considered this in our previous two meetings; no additional concerns.
13. Pass Ordinance #2998, adopting by reference the 2021 International Fire Code, and associated revisions to Chapter 9, Fire Prevention and Protection of the Code of Ordinances, upon its third and final consideration. The council has considered this in our previous two meetings; no additional concerns.
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.)
14. Approve the following recommendation of the Mayor relative to the appointment of members to Boards and Commissions: The mayor makes appointments with council consent. Details about this appointment are in the council packet.
a) Sonja Bock, Human Rights Commission, term ending 07/01/2022.
15. Receive and file a communication for the Civil Service Commission relative to the certified list for the position of Public Safety Officer. The Public Safety Department recently solicited for public safety officer candidates; these were deemed qualified applicants.
16. Receive and file the FY2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. This 160+ page report details the financial actions of the city for the past fiscal year, including an independent audit of our books. Any resident who wishes to understand how city government works would be well served to study this report.
17. Approve the following applications for beer permits and liquor licenses: The City Council is the approving authority for all alcohol permits in Cedar Falls.
a) Hansen's Dairy, 123 East 18th Street, Class C beer & Class B native wine - renewal.
b) Lifestyle Inn, 5826 University Avenue, Class B liquor - renewal.
c) Five Corners Liquor & Wine, 809 East 18th Street, Class E liquor - renewal.
d) Aldi Inc., 315 Brandilynn Boulevard, Class C beer & Class B wine – permanent transfer.
e) Alist Nails, 6015 University Avenue, Special Class C liquor – 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.)
18. Resolution authorizing certification of eligible expenses for reimbursement from the College Hill, Downtown, Pinnacle Prairie, South Cedar Falls, and Unified Tax Increment Financing Revenues. This is a routine, required report for the state to show how TIF Funds have been expended.
**** Items 19 to 28 all deal with city interfund transfers for Tax Increment Financing funds. The city annually transfers funds in this manner to cover the costs of improvements in the city's various TIF Dstricts. ****
19. Resolution approving and authorizing an inter-fund loan from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Bond Fund to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund relative to funding for parking lot signage in the College Hill Urban Renewal Area.
20. Resolution approving and authorizing an inter-fund loan from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Bond Fund to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund relative to funding for legal fees, construction costs, design costs, brick costs, utility costs, reimbursement payments, landscaping costs, easement costs and other project costs related to Peter Melendy Park, Downtown Alley, Downtown Parking Lot, and Downtown Streetscape, all in the Downtown Urban Renewal Area.
21. Resolution approving and authorizing an inter-fund loan from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Bond Fund to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund relative to funding design, construction and administrative fees related to the Cyber Lane and Cyber Lane Extension projects in the South Cedar Falls Urban Renewal Area.
22. Resolution approving and authorizing an inter-fund loan from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Bond Fund to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund relative to funding for the West Viking Road, Industrial Park Street Expansion, and other administrative and legal fees in the Unified Urban Renewal Area.
23. Resolution approving and authorizing an inter-fund loan from the Capital Improvements Fund to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund relative to funding for camera costs in the Downtown Urban Renewal Area.
24. Resolution approving and authorizing an inter-fund loan from the Economic Development Fund to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund relative to funding for the purchase of land and related expenses in the South Cedar Falls Urban Renewal Area.
25. Resolution approving and authorizing an inter-fund loan from the Economic Development Fund to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund relative to funding for the purchase of land and water rights in the Unified Urban Renewal Area.
26. Resolution approving and authorizing an inter-fund loan from the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Fund to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund relative to funding for legal, engineering, construction, and administrative fees related to the Ridgeway Avenue Project in the South Cedar Falls Urban Renewal Area.
27. Resolution approving and authorizing an inter-fund loan from the Visitors & Tourism Fund to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund relative to funding for the landscaping design project in the Pinnacle Prairie Urban Renewal Area.
28. Resolution approving and authorizing the transfer of funds relative to Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues to be received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.
29. Resolution approving and authorizing submission of the City's FY21 Annual Urban Renewal Report. This is a consolidated report required by the state legislature, and lists all urban renewal projects funded in FY21 through Tax Increment Financing.
30. Resolution approving a Cedar Falls Utilities Electric, Gas, Water, and Communications Utility Installation or Relocation Project within the Cedar Falls Unified Highway 58 Corridor Urban Renewal Area. This would allow up to $231K in Unified Corridor TIF funds to be expended to improve commercial broadband service to 100GB in that area. No concerns.
31. Resolution approving and accepting an Iowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs for marketing initiatives of the Hearst Center for the Arts. This is for $17.7K in COVID relief funds to market and promote the arts in our community. This state grant will be used for direct marketing efforts. No concerns.
32. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement for Professional Services with Exceptional Persons, Inc. relative to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for service agencies. Provides up to $9500 in federal funds to EPI for rent assistance to low-to-moderate income residents. No concerns.
33. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement for Professional Services with Northeast Iowa Food Bank relative to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for service agencies. Provides up to $9500 in federal funds to NEIFB for employee compensation, for staff who deliver food to low-to-moderate income Cedar Falls residents. No concerns.
34. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement for Professional Services with Pathways Behavioral Services, Inc. relative to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for service agencies. Provides up to $9500 in federal funds to Pathways to support substance abuse treatment for low-to-moderate income Cedar Falls residents. No concerns.
35. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement for Professional Services with Salvation Army relative to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for service agencies. Provides up to $9500 in federal funds to Salvation Army to provide sheltering services to low-to-moderate income members of our community. No concerns.
36. Resolution approving the preliminary plat of West Fork Crossing. This approves the proposed street and infrastructure plan for this new subdivision to the northwest of the new Cedar Falls High School. A final plat will have to be approved by council later, in order for the developer to begin construction.
37. Resolution receiving and filing the bids, and approving and accepting the low bid of Peters Construction Corporation, in the amount of $3,851,456.00 for the City Hall Remodel Project. The City Council approved the remodel project in our last meeting; this will allow Peters to move forward with the work, which is expected to take all of 2022.
38. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Service/Product Agreement with Routewear, Inc. for replacement of the automated refuse cart management system. The previous software package for refuse cart service (for automated billing) is no longer supported, and so this new contract will allow the city to continue the service, but with a new support system.
39. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Professional Service Agreement with AECOM Technical Services, Inc. for design services relative to the Cedar Heights Area Street Reconstruction Project. Provides up to $114K in taxpayer funds to AECOM for design support for the reconstruction of Timber Drive and West Ridgewood Drive.
40. Resolution receiving and filing the Evaluative Report of the Planning & Zoning Commission, and setting December 6, 2021 as the date of public hearing to consider taking action on a petition requesting the reestablishment of the Downtown Cedar Falls Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID). No concerns about the proposed date of the hearing.
Ordinances:
41. Pass an ordinance amending Chapter 24, Utilities, of the Code of Ordinances, relative to sanitary sewer rates, upon its first consideration. This is a rate increase to cover the cost of state-mandated facility upgrades at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The increase is partially offset by directing $6M in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the project.
Allow Bills and Claims
42. Allow Bills and Claims for November 15, 2021. The City Council is the approving authority for all bills and claims made against the city since the previous council meeting.
City Council Referrals
City Council Updates
Staff Updates
Adjournment
| Meeting Date | 11/15/21 |
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