This is a fairly routine meeting; several administrative items like contracts for approval. Of interest, we're continuing the public hearing on rezoning the land just north of where the new high school will be (Item #2) and council is being asked to approve a resolution of support for the building of a parking structure on the southwest lot at 3rd and State Street (Item #15). I've listed some of my thoughts about this proposed structure. Also, we don't have a Committee of the Whole or Work Session on this night, so join us for the regular Council Meeting, which starts at 7pm. Thanks for doing the work to be an informed and engaged citizen!
To protect against the spread of the COVID-19, the meeting will be held via video conference. The public may access/participate in the meeting in the following ways:
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Call to Order by the Mayor
Roll Call
Approval of Minutes
1. Regular Meeting of July 6, 2020. This simply enters the meeting minutes into the official record as an accurate reflection of what transpired at the meeting; it is not an appropriate time to debate the merits of the meeting items themselves.
Agenda Revisions
Special Order of Business
2. Continuation of the public hearing on the proposed rezoning from R-1 Residence District and A-1 Agricultural District, to RP Planned Residence District, of property located east of Union Road and north of West 27th Street. We started the public hearing on this in our last council meeting. Typically these don't have to be continued, but there were matters to resolve with the developer prior to being able to pass this ordinance, which is an early step in creating a new residential subdivision in the city.
a) Staff comments.
b) Public comments.
c) Pass an ordinance amending Section 26-118 of the Code of Ordinances by removing property located east of Union Road and north of West 27th Street from the R-1 Residence District and A-1 Agricultural District, to the RP Planned Residence District, upon its first consideration.
Old Business
3. Pass Ordinance #2967, vacating certain public right-of-way along Prairie Parkway, upon its third & final consideration. We discussed this in a previous meeting; no additional questions or concerns.
4. Pass Ordinance #2968, amending Chapter 2, Administration, of the Code of Ordinances relative to establishing a Human Resources Division within the Department of Finance and Business Operations, upon its second consideration. This would modify the Ordinances to allow the city to hire a Human Resources Manager; for an organization of the city's size and complexity, this addition makes sense to me. No questions or concerns. One more reading / approval would be required on August 3rd would be required for this to become law.
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 a proclamation recognizing August 2020 as Gastroparesis Awareness Month. I will be recording & sharing a Proclamation Spotlight with this originator this upcoming week. Gastroparesis is horrific, and I hope a cure or effective treatment can be found soon.
6. Receive and file the resignation of Lisa Thomas as a member of the Human Rights Commission, effective July 1, 2020. Ms. Thomas was only recently appointed but has left UNI for a similar position in Georgia. Because the Selection Committee for the HRC also interviewed Ms. Angela Waseskuk for this position and was found highly qualified, I have recommended Ms. Waskeskuk to fill the remainder of this term in 7.c. below. When the next seat opens on the Human Rights Commission, I'll consider a full new slate of candidates. No questions.
7. Approve the following recommendations of the Mayor relative to the appointment of members to Boards and Commissions. Aside from 7.c, each of these candidates is being re-appointed for additional terms. In past years, re-appointments for certain boards had gone through re-interviews with the council, but this was not required by any policy, and with Council consensus, I've eliminated the re-interview requirement. No questions or concerns.
a) Maureen Burum, Community Center and Senior Services Board, term ending 06/30/2023
b) Larry Petersen, Community Center and Senior Services Board, term ending 06/30/2023
c) Angela Waseskuk, Human Rights Commission, term ending 07/01/2022
d) Katelyn Browne, Library Board of Trustees, term ending 06/30/2026
e) Molly Cormaney, Library Board of Trustees, term ending 06/30/2026
f) Cynthia Snell, Library Board of Trustees, term ending 06/30/2026
8. Receive and file the Committee of the Whole minutes of July 6, 2020 relative to the following items: This simply enters the meeting minutes into the official record as an accurate reflection of what transpired at the meeting; it is not an appropriate time to debate the merits of the meeting items themselves. No concerns or questions.
a) Update on potential pool partnership.
b) Urban chickens and ducks. c) Bills & Payroll.
9. Receive and file communications from the Civil Service Commission relative to certified lists for the following positions: These lists provide a rank-order for the top applicants for Civil Service positions in accordance with Iowa Chapter 400, the Civil Service Code. No concerns or questions.
a) Arborist.
b) Assistant Equipment Mechanic.
c) Engineering Technician II.
d) Visitors & Tourism Sales and Marketing Coordinator.
10. Approve the application of The Dragon's Cave, 2225 College St, for a cigarette/tobacco/nicotine/vapor permit. The City Council is the approving authority for these kinds of permits. Smoking has been proven to cause cancer; quitting is a terrific action to improve your health.
11. Approve the following applications for beer permits and liquor licenses: The City Council is the approving authority for all alcohol permits. No questions.
a) Chuck E. Cheese's, 5911 University Avenue, Class B beer - renewal.
b) Cypress Lounge, 209 A State Street, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
c) Hy-Vee Market Grille, 6301 University Avenue, Class C liquor - renewal.
d) Octopus, 2205 College Street, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
e) The Other Place, 4214 University Avenue, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
f) Sturgis Falls Celebration, Gateway Park, Special Class C liquor & 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 approving and authorizing execution of an Actuarial Services Agreement with SilverStone Group, LLC relative to Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) 75. This action commits $4800 in taxpayer funds to a required biannual actuarial audit. No concerns.
13. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement for Restoration Services with Fischer Bros., LLC relative to waterslide maintenance and restoration at the Falls Aquatic Center. This commits $162K in taxpayer funds (and Aquatic Center revenues) toward repair & refurbishment of the water slides at The Falls. No questions or concerns.
14. Resolution approving and adopting revisions to the Housing Rehabilitation Manual for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding relative to the CARES Act. NThis changes the Housing Rehab Manual to allow for spending of additional funds provided by Coronavirus - based federal CARES Act. No questions.
15. Resolution supporting a River Place Term Sheet relative to a proposed Amendment to Agreement for Private Development and Downtown Parking. This Amendment has a whole lot of legal-speak to parse through...but the gist of it is that the River Place developer, who owns the new building that's going up on 3rd and Main, would construct a parking structure behind it, at 3rd and State. This would be in place of a six-story mixed-use building that River Place had previously sketched up. As I understand it, in exchange for tax incentives, River Place would build the structure, which would have retail storefronts on 3rd and part of State. It would have options for the city to lease or purchase the parking structure over time while Riverplace would maintain ownership of the retail storefronts (legally, a condominium-style arrangement). Based on the information provided so far, I strongly support this public-private partnership to bring more parking to Downtown as efficiently as possible. I have two reservations / concerns / goals: (1) I'd really like to see the parking as "flat deck", rather than "inclined" (like the UNI ramp) so that part or all of the structure could be more efficiently repurposed to office, retail, or residential in the decades ahead. (2) I'd love for it to look as little like a parking ramp as possible. Not much we can do about the big entryway on State Street, but I hope the facade can help mask the fact that it's a parking structure. You see this in new city parking structures across the country, and I hope we can cost-effectively duplicate the effect here. No concerns about the Resolution of Support.
16. Resolution approving and authorizing the expenditure of funds for the purchase of an electric extrication tool set for the Public Safety Department. This would allocate $29K in taxpayer funds to a cutting-edge (sorry for the pun, I couldn't resist) electrical battery-powered spreader, cutter, and telescoping ram. These are amazing lifesaving tools, and we're going with the version preferred the operators, rather than just the lowest-cost product. When lives are on the line, lowest-bid just won't cut it (ugh, I did it again).
17. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Owner Purchase Agreement, in conjunction with the West 1st Street Reconstruction Project. This commits $500 in taxpayer funds as reimbursement to the property owner for the need to remove a tree that is conflicting with the build of the new West First Street. No questions or concerns.
18. Resolution approving and accepting completion of public improvements in McMahill First Addition. This is the Council's acceptance that all agreed-upon public improvements in the area surrounding Aldrich Elementary have been completed. No questions or concerns.
19. Resolution approving the final plat of McMahill First Addition. As noted in the memo for this item, the elementary school opened prior to approval of the final plat because some of the public improvements hadn't yet been completed. If those improvements are accepted in #18 above, the final plat can be approved. No questions. While it's not part of this project, the ongoing planning to connect Arbors Drive northward to Greenhill, as well as other road connectors, will be very important to provide residents and students additional access to the school by more than 'just' Erik Road.
20. Resolution receiving and filing the bids, and approving and accepting the low bid of ASTECH Corp., in the amount of $219,995.82, for the 2020 Seal Coat Project. This is a standard administrative action for city street maintenance. No questions.
21. Resolution approving and accepting the contract and bond of ASTECH Corp. for the 2020 Seal Coat Project. (contingent upon approval of previous item) This allows ASTECH to move forward with the work.
22. Resolution receiving and filing the bids, and approving and accepting the low bid of Benton's Sand & Gravel, Inc., in the amount of $176,494.61, for the Clay Street Park Water Quality Improvements Project. Similar to #20; a fairly standard process; no concerns about the cost estimate for these improvements to Clay Street Park.
23. Resolution approving and accepting the contract and bond of Benton's Sand & Gravel, Inc. for the Clay Street Park Water Quality Improvements Project. (contingent upon approval of previous item) Allows Benton's to move forward with the project.
24. Resolution receiving and filing, and setting August 3, 2020 as the date of public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the 2020 Sidewalk Assessment Project - Zone 3. No concerns about setting this hearing date.
25. Resolution setting August 3, 2020 as the date of public hearing on a proposal to convey a portion of vacated public right-of-way along Prairie Parkway. No concerns about setting this hearing date.
Allow Bills and Payroll
26. Allow Bills and Payroll of July 20, 2020. No questions about bills and payroll.
City Council Referrals
City Council Updates
Staff Updates I'll have staff provide an update about our COVID-19 response posture and city actions from the recent storm.
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 | 07/20/20 |
