Monday night's meeting has no controversial items, from what I can tell. We'll be approving and adopting the latest CIP plan, which is included in the council packet in all its 261 page glory (I'd love to see this become a searchable, public online database someday!). I do have notes below about some item's I have questions on. Prior to council at 7pm, we'll have a Committee of the Whole meeting at 5:45 where city staff will updated the Council on West First Street Reconstruction Project and some significant changes for zoning in the College Hill area, to be brought forward to Council for a vote at a later date. Hope you can join us in person, on Channel 15, or streaming on YouTube.
Call to Order by the Mayorstre
Roll Call
Approval of Minutes
1. Regular meeting of January 7, 2019.
Agenda Revisions
Special Order of Business
2. Public hearing on the proposed FY2019-FY2024 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). The public has the opportunity to comment on and ask questions about this project.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published January 9, 2019)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Oral comments.
3. Resolution approving and adopting the FY2019-FY2024 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). No concerns about the overall CIP, as this is just a general planning document; individual projects will still need to be approved by City Council prior to completion. Some of these items were discussed in the November goal setting sessions, so aren't a surprise. Typically a project will be put in the CIP years in advance, so it's worth perusing the document to see what's being planned for the future.
4. Resolution declaring an official intent under Treasury Regulation 1.150-2 to issue debt to reimburse the City for certain original expenditures paid in connection with specified projects. This document is required by the IRS, so that the city can reimburse itself for the CIP projects from bond funds. No concerns.
5. Public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the Place to Play Playground Project. The public has the opportunity to ask questions and comment on this project.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published January 11, 2019)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Oral comments.
6. Resolution approving and adopting the plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the Place to Play Playground Project. This $1M playground would include $40K in taxpayer funding for construction, with the rest from private donations and a Black Hawk County Gaming Association grant. This is a major project, and though nearly all of the initial cost is expected to be provided by the community (not the city), what does that mean long-term for maintenance and upkeep? Does the city expect to be on the hook for replacing all of the equipment when it wears out? And what would that timeframe look like? I'll ask.
7. Public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the 2019 Street Construction Project.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published January 11, 2019)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Oral comments.
8. Resolution approving and adopting the plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the 2019 Street Construction Project. Allows the city to move forward with letting the contract for street reconstruction. No concerns.
9. Pass Ordinance #2935, amending Section 29-107 of the Code of Ordinances by removing property located to the north of Arbors Drive and west of Richard Road from A-1, Agricultural District, and placing the same in R-1, Residence District, upon its second consideration. We have discussed this in previous council sessions. Before I can feel comfortable actually approving future residential site plans, I will need to have confidence that the stormwater drainage issues in this area are being addressed.
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.)
10. Receive and file the resignation of Robert Frederick as a member of the Civil Service Commission. No concerns. I had a great conversation with Mr. Frederick last week, about the roles and responsibilities of the commission (prior to learning he would be resigning). The main goal of the commission is to ensure that the city's hiring and promotional processes are carried out fairly, so it's vitally important that the commissioners are unbiased and independent thinkers, preferably with knowledge about human resource practices. If interested in filling this role, contact city hall for an application.
11. Receive and file the Committee of the Whole minutes of January 7, 2019 relative to the following items: This simply approves the minutes of the Committee of the Whole meeting as an accurate reflection of what transpired at that meeting. No concerns.
a) FY19-24 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) - Joint Meeting with Planning & Zoning Commission.
b) Bills & Payroll.
12. Receive and file communications from the Civil Service Commission relative to certified lists for the following positions: The Civil Service Commission receives the results of all testing for city hiring and promotions, to ensure that each applicant has a fair opportunity to be considered on individual merit. No concerns.
a) Civil Engineer I.
b) Public Works & Parks Supervisor.
13. Approve the following applications for beer permits and liquor licenses: City Council must approve any alcohol sales permits. No concerns.
a) Panchero's Mexican Grill, 6421 University Avenue, Class B beer - renewal.
b) Hy-Vee Tasting Room, 6301 University Avenue, Special Class C liquor - renewal.
c) Fraternal Order of Eagles, 2125 West Lone Tree Road, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
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.)
14. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of two leases relative to property vacated by the 2008 flood buyout programs. This has been a common request, which I've commented on in previous annotated agendas. Makes sense to me, and no concerns.
15. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of two Owner Purchase Agreements and one Tenant Purchase Agreement, and approving and accepting two Owner's Temporary Grading Easements for Construction, in conjunction with the West 1st Street Reconstruction Project. This continues on with the details for the 1st Street reconstruction project, widening the highway to five lanes which requires agreements with property owners. Looking through the purchase agreement for some property owned by Music Station, I noted that Council is being asked by city staff to pay $187K total for the purchase of seven parking spaces from Music Station plus some frontage. The entire property was last assessed at $356K total value, so I'll ask why our purchase of a small part of the land equates to more than half the total assessed value of the property.
16. Resolution approving and accepting a Warranty Deed for the purchase of 73.65 acres, more or less, of real estate owned by Artesian Earthworks, LLC relative to expansion of the West Viking Road Industrial Park. No concerns about the purchase itself, but the documentation (page 356) only notes paying $1 for the for the Warranty Deed. I don't see from past agendas that Council has officially approved the payment of the $1.5M for the property in past council sessions (maybe I'm wrong). So I'll ask what this Warranty Deed is, and when we will need to formally approve the sales price. This is just something where I'm still new and figuring out how these things work. I'll add to this comment once I find out.
17. Resolution approving and accepting a Warranty Deed for the purchase of 126.07 acres, more or less, of real estate owned by Lois Rieger, John Rieger, Rick Rieger and Steven Rieger relative to expansion of the West Viking Road Industrial Park. No concerns about the purchase, but same as #16 above....the legalese says the owners of the property are conveying it to the city for $1, rather than the actual $2.4M. Will find out what that means.
18. Resolution supporting a Workforce Housing Tax Incentive Program (WHTIP) application to be submitted to the Iowa Economic Development Authority, and supporting the contract with State Street Mixed Use II LC. This resolution just gives City endorsement for River Place's application to the state for grant money for the development of housing downtown. The documents are really interesting (Starting on Page 364) -- as a local history buff, I always enjoy learning more about how these kinds of development projects came to be. No concerns about the submission....I'm a huge fan of infill development, and know that it does cost a little more than developing on "clean" farmland. I believe it's smart for the city to support the offsetting of the development costs on "brownfield" and "grayfield" sites to encourage infill development.
19. Resolution setting February 18, 2019 as the date of public hearing on a proposal to undertake a public improvement project for the Walnut Street Box Culvert Replacement - University Branch of Dry Run Creek Project and to authorize acquisition of private property for said project. No concerns about the setting of this date.
Allow Bills and Payroll
20. Allow Bills and Payroll of January 21, 2019. No concerns.
City Council Referrals No referrals.
City Council Updates No updates.
Executive Session
21. Executive Session to discuss Collective Bargaining per Iowa Code Section 20.17(3), following Public Forum.
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 | 01/21/19 |
