Hope you're enjoying a beautiful and unseasonably warm weekend! I didn't see any major controversial items in this packet...a few items of interest though. We're approving an CDBG/HOME annual report for a major federal program to help low-income residents as Item E.1. Council is also being asked to approve a plan for a downtown mural (Item 2.n); it went through the Planning and Zoning Commission on a 5-2 vote, with the "no's" having reservations about being asked to approve art (they felt the Public Art Committee should weigh in, even though it's privately funded on private property). I'll bring this up for discussion. Also (and cue the trumpeting of angels), we're voting to approve a MuniCode-based replacement for our obsolete SIRE agenda management system (Item 2.d)...for residents (including me) who've complained about the difficulty of finding and accessing agenda packets via the city website, this should fix that. And also make it easier for the city to stream council meetings live on YouTube, which I hope we start doing in the not-too-distant future.
Also, for those of you following the backyard hens ordinance, the vote has been pushed back to a meeting sometime in the future, because one of the councilors is expected to be absent Monday night, and Mayor Brown would like the full council to be present for that vote.
Finally, I'm experimenting with a new format for my annotations -- I've put them in table form, and my notes are at the far right. Hopefully that helps in the readability/findability of my annotations. Let me know what you think of the change, it takes the same amount of time either way. Hope to see you Monday night!
P.S. Thanks a lot for taking the time to read this, and don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions about it or have amplifying info that can help council in our decisions.
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A.
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Call to Order by the Mayor.
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B.
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Roll Call.
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C.
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No concerns. | |||||
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D.
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Agenda Revisions.
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E.
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Special Order of Business:
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1.
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This is the public's opportunity to weigh in on this item, before council vote. | ||||
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a.
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Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published September 10, 2018)
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b.
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Written objections filed with the City Clerk.
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c.
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Oral comments.
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2.
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Resolution approving the submission of the City's FY17-18 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for the Community Development Block Grant & HOME Programs.
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I don't have any special concerns about this; the annual report is lengthy and detailed, and I'm very interested to learn more about the city's connection to groups like the Salvation Army, Family & Children's Council, and other agencies. We have to create / submit this report to the Federal Government as a condition of receiving funds. | |||
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F.
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Old Business:
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1.
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Last meeting, we voted to approve the new facade (aesthetic) guidelines for downtown. This is the second of three times we have to vote on it for it to become official. | ||||
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G.
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New Business:
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1.
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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.)
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a.
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No concerns. The mayor will have the opportunity to appoint a new member of the commission to fill this seat. | ||||
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b.
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The low bid came in at $103K; the estimate was for $130K, and I'm curious what would then happen with the other $27K we allocated. Does it go back to the city's coffers, or remain in this project for associated library uses? I'll ask. | ||||
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c.
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This is a benefit event for the Cedar Valley Cyclists and the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, from 9am - Noon. Cheer them on! | ||||
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d.
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(1) Pablo's Mexican Grill, 310 Main Street, Class B beer - renewal.
(2) Doughy Joey's Peetza Joynt, 126 Brandilynn Boulevard, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
(3) Little Bigs, 2210 College Street, Class C liquor - renewal.
(4) The Landmark, 107 Main Street, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
(5) Voodoo Lounge, 401 Main Street, Class C liquor - renewal.
(6) Mary Lou's Bar & Grill, 2719 Center Street, Class C liquor - temporary outdoor service. (September 21-22, 2018)
(7) Escapology Cedar Falls, 2518 Melrose Drive, Special Class C liquor - new.
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No concerns. | |||
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2.
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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.)
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a.
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Allows a new bank to be used for depositing city funds. No concerns. | ||||
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b.
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The city creates this report to show our spending on streets and roads, in order to obtain Road Use Tax Funds from the state. No concerns. | ||||
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c.
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The SSMID is a self-imposed property tax on Downtown, to fund the Community Main Street organization. This resolution just set the tax rate for this year (no change from last year). No concerns. | ||||
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d.
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No concerns; as a civic researcher, I'll be VERY happy to finally move off the obsolete SIRE system. I'll ask about the $1800 timestamping option for YouTube....I find that very helpful for jumping right to particular agenda items. | ||||
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e.
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No concerns. Minor Change | ||||
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f.
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Adds this private neighborhood to the city's garbage collection route. No concerns. | ||||
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g.
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Allows city to move forward with the construction of the library's Co-Lab. No concerns. | ||||
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h.
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Allows city to move forward with the construction of the library's Co-Lab. No concerns. | ||||
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i.
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$3640 for a peer review of a traffic study, within project budget. No concerns. | ||||
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j.
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This would allow INRCOG to apply for a federal grant on the city's behalf to pay for 80% of the cost of paving over the gravel trail next to Lake Street in North Cedar. I have a few concerns about the design of this trail, but that's for another time. | ||||
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k.
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Resolution supporting a Grant Application to the Federal Recreation Trails Program for the Lake Street Trail Project, and confirming the City's commitment to maintain the trail for public use for a minimum of twenty years.
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This follow-on resolution is apparently required to actually move ahead with the grant application. | |||
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l.
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These agreements are needed to disburse federal funds to local agencies No concerns. | ||||
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m.
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No concerns. I'm glad to see the incentive program being used. | ||||
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n.
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Huh! This is a very interesting one. This proposed mural is in a very public location, but on private property, and privately funded. What's the council's proper role here? Should we be weighing in on the mural design? What are we actually approving here? | ||||
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o.
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No concerns. I strongly support investment and infill in our downtown and original neighborhoods. | ||||
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p.
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Whiile I'm unhappy we're continuing First Street/57 as a stroad, I have no concerns about these specific agreements. | ||||
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q.
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Just sets the date for the hearing. No concerns. | ||||
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r.
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Just sets the date for the hearing. No concerns. | ||||
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s.
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Just sets the date for the hearing. No concerns. | ||||
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t.
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Just sets the date for the hearing. No concerns. | ||||
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H.
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Allow Bills and Payroll.
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No concerns. | ||||
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I.
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City Council Referrals.
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No referrals. | ||||
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J.
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City Council Updates.
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No updates. | ||||
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K.
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Executive Session to discuss Property Acquisition per Iowa Code Section 21.5(1)(j) to discuss the purchase or sale of particular real estate only where premature disclosure could be reasonably expected to increase the price the governmental body would have to pay for that property or reduce the price the governmental body would receive for that property, following Public Forum.
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L.
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Public Forum. (Speakers will have one opportunity to speak for up to 5 minutes on topics germane to City business.)
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M.
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Adjournment.
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| Council Packet Link | |
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| Meeting Date | 09/17/18 |
