Monday night's session has a lot of items on it (some of them are expensive!) but not much I could see in the way of controversy. I noticed that the minutes were incorrect, so I'll be addressing that, and #14 is a mobile app (costing $17K over five years) that I'm questioning the business case for (my explanation is below). Prior to that meeting, we'll also have a work session, a Committee of the Whole, and an executive session, so it will be a full night. Hope you can join us for the council meeting, at least!
Also, this review was my first time using the city's new meeting management system -- it's really sharp! Videos are housed on YouTube, making viewing so much easier (and you can watch at 2x speed!). As a researcher / librarian I really appreicate this, and hope you find it useful, too. Also, the P&Z meeting last week was livestreamed (so you could watch it from anywhere, not just Channel 15!) and I hope council meetings will be livestreamed, too.
Call to Order by the Mayor
Roll Call
Approval of Minutes
1. Regular Meeting of November 5, 2018. The draft minutes read "Public Safety Services Director Olson responded to questions by Councilmembers Miller and Green and questions asked during public forum regarding the Public Safety Officer (PSO) program." This statement is incorrect, as I asked no questions. I will motion for the minutes to be amended to read:
"Public Safety Services Director Olson responded to a question by Councilmember Miller and questions asked during public forum regarding the Public Safety Officer (PSO) program.
Councilmember Green expressed the need commission a Public Safety Strategic Plan to determine and communicate the department's future direction."
Administration of Oath to Public Safety Officers
Agenda Revisions
Old Business
2. Pass Ordinance #2934, amending Section 29-107 of the Code of Ordinances by removing property located at the north end of Lakeshore Drive from A-1, Agricultural District, and placing the same in R1, Residence District, upon its third & final consideration. No concerns; we've discussed this in previous council sessions.
3. Resolution approving the preliminary plat of Park Ridge Estates Subdivision. (Contingent upon approval of Item 2.) I watched this part of the P&Z meeting from last week, to see if the concerns of the nearby residents had been addressed. I'm pleased to see a drainage plan has been developed which appears to address resident 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.)
4. Receive and file the following resignations: No concerns.
(a) Joni Krejchi, Art & Culture Board.
(b) Steven Schofield, Visitors & Tourism Board.
5. Approve the following recommendations of the Mayor relative to the appointment of members to Boards and Commissions: No concerns; both are very qualified candidates!
(a) Kendra Wohlert, Art & Culture Board, term ending 07/01/2021.
(b) Meridith Main, Historic Preservation Commission, term ending 03/31/2020.
6. Approve a request for street closures for Holiday Hoopla on November 23, 2018. No concerns about the closure; I'm interested to know if the city charged the required $25 fee for the street closure barricades.
7. Approve the following applications for cigarette/tobacco/nicotine/vapor permits: No concerns. Invest in your future by quitting smoking. www.smokefree.gov
(a) Fareway Store, 4500 South Main Street.
(b) Five Corners Liquor & Wine, 809 East 18th Street.
8. Approve the following applications for beer permits and liquor licenses: No concerns.
(a) Hansen's Dairy, 123 East 18th Street, Class C beer & Class B native wine - renewal.
(b) Famous Dave's, 6222 University Avenue, Class C liquor - renewal.
(c) Fareway Store, 4500 South Main Street, Class E liquor - new.
(d) Five Corners Liquor & Wine, 809 East 18th Street, Class E 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.)
9. Resolution approving and adopting Summary Plan Descriptions for the City of Cedar Falls Employee Health Benefit Plan. No concerns; a very lengthy document, and I'm just interested to know if there are any major changes from last year.
10. Resolution approving and adopting Summary Plan Description for the City of Cedar Falls Employee Dental Plan. No concerns; same as #9 above.
11. Resolution levying a final assessment for costs incurred by the City to mow the property located at 2208 Coventry Lane. No concerns. If residents don't mow their property and it becomes a nuisance, the city contracts out for the mowing at $95/hr and puts a lien on the property for payment.
12. Resolution levying a final assessment for costs incurred by the City to mow and clear vegetation on the property located at 2013 Maplewood Drive. Same as #12. No concerns.
13. Resolution levying a final assessment for costs incurred by the City to mow the property located at the northeast corner of Lincoln and Greeley Streets. Same as #12. No concerns.
14. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an agreement with CivicPlus for the City's new custom mobile app. This is $17.5K over five years for a mobile app for the city. I would need to know what problem would be solved with this expense, that can't be met through our existing CedarFalls.com site, which is already built to be mobile-friendly. As a web developer, I've dealt with similar questions from executives about a custom mobile app, because it just seems to be "the thing to do". But I would encourage the city to resist this urge, and instead focus resources on improving the content and usability of our CedarFalls.com site.
15. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Agreement for Development of a Strategic Plan for the Cedar Falls Tourism and Visitors Bureau with the University of Northern Iowa Institute of Decision Making. I'm fan of strategic planning as a means of creating and communicating concrete plans for an organization's future. This resolution would dedicate $4,951 in taxpayer funds toward a year of facilitation by IDM. My only concern with IDM's plans in the past is they have typically not presented a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) so we don't know what problems the strategic plan is trying to address. I'd like to see that in this plan. I'd also hope to see metrics as well -- what we'll be measuring to know if the plan is being successful. And also a plan for annual report-out to the council on the implementation of the plan.
16. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Professional Service Agreement with Foth Infrastructure and Environment, LLC relative to the Ridgeway Avenue Reconstruction Project. NThis commits to a $289K project as part of the buildout of the new Farm Fleet property on the southwest corner of Ridgeway and 58. No concerns.
17. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of five Owner Purchase Agreements and eight Tenant Purchase Agreements, and approving and accepting five Public Utility Easements and five Owner's Temporary Grading Easements, in conjunction with the West 1st Street Reconstruction Project. The voluminous legal documentation here is necessary for the widening of 1st Street / Hwy 57. No concerns.
18. Resolution approving a Central Business District Overlay Zoning District site plan for renovations at 312 Main Street. Lark Brewing wants to put an overhead door at the back of their restaurant in the alley. No concerns.
19. Resolution approving a College Hill Neighborhood District Overlay Zoning District site plan for facade improvements at 917 West 23rd Street. The new Icon Donuts next to Greenhouse Kitchen on College Hill will need a business sign and awnings. No concerns.
20. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Offer to Buy Real Estate and Acceptance for 73.65 acres, more or less, of real estate owned by Artesian Earthworks, L.L.C. relative to expansion of the West Viking Road Industrial Park. This is a large tract of land just to the west of the city limits. No concerns.
21. Resolution approving a Business/Research (BR) Zoning District site plan for construction of an office building on Lot 21 of Cedar Falls Technology Park, Phase II. This is a new building in the technology park which would be used by Rabo Agrifinance. No concerns about the construction, but I do worry about this continued focus on developing offices and commercial space far away from residential areas, and the sprawl and automobile-centered culture that ensures.
22. Resolution setting November 27, 2018 as the date of consultation and December 17, 2018 as the date of public hearing on a proposed Amendment No. 5 to the Downtown Development Area Urban Renewal Plan. No concerns; this amendment would seek to add $250,000 for a comprehensive Zoning Ordinance change to downtown through a "visioning process". This would be the first step (a prototype) for similar zoning modernization throughout the city, which I fully support.
23. Resolution setting November 27, 2018 as the date of consultation and December 17, 2018 as the date of public hearing on a proposed Amendment No. 5 to the Cedar Falls Unified Highway 58 Corridor Urban Renewal Plan. I have concerns about this, but will wait until the public hearing. No concerns about the date.
Allow Bills and Payroll No concerns.
City Council Referrals No referrals.
City Council Updates No updates.
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.
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 | 11/19/18 |
