This council meeting appears to lack the controversial topics of our past several meetings, but still a lot of material to cover. Of note, some of our actions are to approve finding an INRCOG study for regionalized wastewater management (sewage treatment with other Cedar Valley municipal governments) (item G.2.g), as well as funding of another permeable alley this year E.1. Another potentially significant item is G.2.k, which would allow the Greenhill Village Master Plan to be changed to allow townhomes in area previously set aside for single-unit homes. Join us in person in the council chambers at 7pm Monday night, watch us on YouTube, or follow along the next day on YouTube.
A. Call to Order by the Mayor.
B. Roll Call.
C. Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of April 2, 2018. This item simply validates that the minutes are an accurate reflection of the meeting and receives the minutes into the city record. This would not be an appropriate time to debate the merits of the items discussed.
D. Agenda Revisions.
E. Special Order of Business:
1. Public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the 2018 Permeable Alley Project. This hearing involves the construction of a permeable alley from Franklin Street to Tremont Street between W. 15st Street and 16th Street. With just a basic understanding of how the $75K - $80K permeable alleys are designed to work, I'm eager to find out if they're actually having enough of a positive impact on stormwater runoff quality to justify continuing / funding the program in the years ahead. Also, I want to find out how many more alleys we expect to give this treatment to, and how we decide where to construct them.
a. Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published April 6, 2018).
b. Written objections filed with the City Clerk.
c. Oral comments.
2. Resolution approving and adopting the plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the 2018 Permeable Alley Project.
3. Public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the Campus Street Box Culvert Project. This would replace a small bridge at Campus Street near UNI. The attached memo doesn't explain why the project needs to happen; I'm assuming the bridge is simply past the end of its service life, but I'll ask if there's more to it. All bridges receive a rating "A" through "F" , and it would be interesting to know what all our bridge ratings are.
a. Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published April 6, 2018).
b. Written objections filed with the City Clerk.
c. Oral comments.
4. Resolution approving and adopting the plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the Campus Street Box Culvert Project.
5. Public hearing on a proposed vacation and dedication of utility easements on Lots 33 & 34 of Pinnacle Prairie Business Center North. This item would change the easements (where utilities get barried) in the Pinnacle Prairie lot just approved for Kwik Star. With this plan approved in the last council meeting, I have no concerns for changing the easements.
a. Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published April 6, 2018).
b. Written objections filed with the City Clerk.
c. Oral comments.
6. Resolution approving and authorizing vacation and dedication of utility easements on Lots 33 & 34 of Pinnacle Prairie Business Center North.
F. Old Business:
1. Pass Ordinance #2921, amending Chapter 7, Buildings and Building Regulations, of the Code of Ordinances relative to the adoption by reference of the 2017 Edition of the National Electrical Code and certain amendments thereto, upon its third & final consideration. I have no concerns for changing the easements.
2. Pass Ordinance #2922, amending Chapter 29, Zoning, of the Code of Ordinances relative to removal of familial terminology to be in conformance with the Code of Iowa, upon its second consideration. This is the second of three required readings for this ordinance. You can watch the short April 2nd, 2018 public hearing on YouTube.
G. New Business
1. 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.)
a. Approve the following recommendations of the Mayor relative to the appointment of members to Boards and Commissions: The appointee applications are included with the link; the Mayor recommends the appointments, and City Council confirms them.
(1) Dan Berregaard, Board of Rental Housing Appeals, term ending 05/01/2022.
(2) Kim Kranz, Board of Rental Housing Appeals, term ending 05/01/2022.
(3) Brian Bowman, Parks & Recreation Commission, term ending 06/30/2021.
b. Receive and file a communication from the Civil Service Commission relative to a certified list for the position of Building Inspector. No questions or concerns.
c. Receive and file the Bi-Annual Report of Community Main Street relative to FY18 Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) Funds & an FY18 Economic Development Grant. The CMS Director's report (the second doc in the above link) is a terrific synopsis of CMS's annual activities. Residents can easily take for granted all the amazing things that CMS does through their commited staff and volunteers. No concern or questions for this report.
d. Receive and file the plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the Center Street Recreational Trail Project. This project, estimated at about $530K, would be covered by up to $258.5K in state funds, with the rest paid for with city funds. I've not seen the plans for this project yet but understand it will improve bike and pedestrian access along Center Street in North Cedar. This ties in with the Community-Wide Strategic Plan -- #11a: Increase annual development in North Cedar based upon a plan outlining connectivity, housing, bikability and funding opportunities.
e.Approve the following sign related requests: No questions or concerns.
(1) Waterloo-Cedar Falls Annual Coin Show, temporary signs, April 23-29, 2018.
(2) Walk for Wishes, temporary sign, April 25-28, 2018.
f.Approve a request for street closures for the Iowa Shrine Bowl Parade on July 21, 2018. No questions or concerns.
g. Approve the following applications for beer permits and liquor licenses: No questions or concerns.
(1) Godfather's Pizza, 1621 West 1st Street, Class B beer - renewal.
(2) ZSAVOOZ, 206 Brandilynn Boulevard, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
(3) CVS/Pharmacy, 2302 West 1st Street, Class E liquor - renewal.
(4) Prime Mart, 2728 Center Street, Class E liquor - renewal.
(5) Walgreens, 2509 Whitetail Drive, Class E liquor - renewal.
(6) Second State Brewing Company, 203 State Street, Class B beer & outdoor service - sidewalk café.
(7) Chad's Pizza & Restaurant, Birdsall Park Softball Complex, Class B beer & outdoor service - 6-month permit.
2. 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.)
a. Resolution approving and adopting amendments to Administrative Policy No. 7, City Council Meeting Procedures. This relates to how we carry out council meetings; this policy does not appear to be available for public inspection on the city's website; I'll address this. I'm also not sure what the value is of having a policy that basically just rewords what's already in Section 2, Divison 3 of our City Code.
b. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Engagement Agreement with Ahlers and Cooney, P.C. for services relating to bond sales. Ahler's Law Firm would charge a flat $11,500 to administer the bonding of up to $6.7M in debt for the city. I generally know what bonds do, but will be working to get a lot smarter on the dynamics of bonding over the next few years. No questions or concerns about this agreement.
c. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of Amendment No. 1 to Memorandum of Understanding with the Iowa Department of Transportation relative to parking citation processing. No questions or concerns.
d. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Easement Agreement, in conjunction with a sidewalk café at 203 State Street. Allows Second Street Brewery to put a sidewalk cafe on State Street [map] from March to November (on city-owned property).
e. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a First Amendment to Exclusive Concession Agreement with Alex Funke, dba Chad's Pizza and Restaurant, relative to a concession agreement for Birdsall Park. Allows Chad's Pizza to go without liability insurance during the winter months, when the concession is shut down. Makes sense...no questions or concern.
f. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Service Agreement with Farmers State Bank relative to drawdowns of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. No questions or concerns.
g. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Iowa Northland Regional Council of Governments (INRCOG) relative to updating the 1973 Area Wide Sanitary Sewer Study with a Regionalization of Wastewater Feasibility Study. This would commit $37.5K towards a $75K regional wastewater facility study to be completed in 2018, and would help us answer whether a regionalized approach to wastewater treatment (potentially including Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Evansdale, Hudson, Elk Run Heights, and Rayoond) makes financial sense. We'll need to make significant investments in our wastewater treatment, so exploring partnerships and shared services makes sense.
h.Resolution waiving all building and zoning permit fees for temporary residential handicap ramps constructed by the Black Hawk County Commission of Veteran Affairs. Before I can grant approval, I'll need to know what our policy is for these kinds of waivers, for the sake of fairness to all. What are the criteria for waivers? Are they just on a case-by-case basis? I'll ask.
i. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Standard Form of Agreement with I & S Group, Inc. for architectural services relative to the Co-Lab Library Project. This agreement commits $15K in city funds torward the $160K cost of a new collaborative makerspace on the second floor of the Cedar Falls Public Library. As a library professional, I generally support the development of collaborative spaces -- if the library is the city's living room, then the makerspace is its workshop. City council doesn't have much in the way of formal input into the design, but I trust the architect will be developing the space so that it can be repurposed 15-20 years down the road when the Makerspace movement passes into something else.
j.Resolution approving and authorizing execution of six Agreements for Professional Services relative to use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, in conjunction with the FY17-18 Annual Action Plan. This makes agreements to transmit Federally-provided CDBG funds to Family & Children's Council, Salvation Army, Visiting Nurses Association, the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Pathways Behavioral Services, and Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northeast Iowa in support of low and moderate income residents of Cedar Falls. No questions or concerns at this time.
k.Resolution approving an amendment to the Greenhill Village Master Plan relative to construction of townhomes in the vicinity of Greenhill Road and Hudson Road. This change to the Greenhill Village Master Plan would permit townhomes to be built in an area previously designated for single-unit residences [map].
l.Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Informal Project Contract for Demolition with Lehman Trucking & Excavating, Inc., in conjunction with a nuisance abatement at 216 Iowa Street. This agreement would pay Lehman Trucking and Excavating $8K to tear down the abandoned house at 216 Iowa Street, and turn it into a grassy plot for future development. No questions or concerns; I support devoting more funds devoted to demolishing blighted properties in our original neighborhoods, to spur infill development of single-unit homes.
m.Resolution setting May 7, 2018 as the date of public hearing on amendments to the City's FY18 Budget. This simply sets the hearing date. No questions or concerns. I have not yet seen the actual amendment requests.
n. Resolution setting May 7, 2018 as the date of public hearing on the proposed issuance of not to exceed $5,800,000.00 General Obligation Bonds (for Essential Corporate Purposes). This simply sets the hearing date. No questions or concerns.
o.Resolution setting May 7, 2018 as the date of public hearing on the proposed issuance of not to exceed $550,000.00 General Obligation Bonds (for a General Corporate Purpose). This simply sets the hearing date. No questions or concerns.
p.Resolution setting May 7, 2018 as the date of public hearing on the proposed issuance of not to exceed $350,000.00 General Obligation Bonds (for General Corporate Purposes). This simply sets the hearing date. No questions or concerns.
q. Resolution setting May 7, 2018 as the date of public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract & estimate of cost for the Center Street Recreational Trail Project. This simply sets the hearing date. No questions or concerns.
r. Resolution setting May 7, 2018 as the date of public hearing to consider entering into a proposed Agreement for Private Development and to consider conveyance of certain city-owned real estate to CRMS, L.L.C. This simply sets the hearing date. No questions or concerns.
s. Resolution setting May 7, 2018 as the date of public hearing to consider entering into a proposed Agreement for Private Development and to consider conveyance of certain city-owned real estate to FN Investments, L.L.C. This simply sets the hearing date. No questions or concerns.
t. Resolution setting May 7, 2018 as the date of public hearing to consider entering into a proposed Agreement for Private Development and to consider conveyance of certain city-owned real estate to Schuerman Construction, Inc. This simply sets the hearing date. No questions or concerns.
H. Allow Bills and Payroll.
I. City Council Referrals.
J. City Council Updates.
K. Public Forum. (Speakers will have one opportunity to speak for up to 5 minutes on topics germane to City business.)
L. Adjournment.
| Council Packet Link | |
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| Meeting Date | 04/14/18 |
