I didn't see anything controversial for the 12/17 meeting; we'll be discussing the use of Downtown TIF funds for a city code update (#2), expansion of the TIF area for the Industrial Park (#4), changes to the fees for the Rec Center (#15) a potential artwork in front of City Hall as a memorial to Jon Crews (#16), among other topics. Prior to that, at 5:15 we'll be hearing from our City Engineer about the Greenhill Road Corridor Study and the Middle Cedar Watershed plan, plus recognizing Joni Krejchi for her work on the Art & Culture Board. Otherwise, join us at 7pm at City Hall, on Channel 15, or streaming live on YouTube.
Call to Order by the Mayor
Roll Call
Approval of Minutes
1. Regular Meeting of December 3, 2018. (Page 4-8) This simply approves the minutes as an accurate reflection of our meeting. No concerns.
Agenda Revisions
Presentation by a Representative of the Cedar Falls Human Rights Commission
Special Order of Business
2. Public hearing on the proposed Amendment No. 5 to the Downtown Development Area Urban Renewal Plan. (Page 9-33) This would allow up to $250K to be allocated from Downtown TIF funds to be dedicated toward "Visioning and Zoning Code Update for Downtown Cedar Falls, including that portion included in the Downtown Development Area Urban Renewal Area. This includes professional services related to developing a detailed vision plan and an associated zoning ordinance for Downtown Cedar Falls and near neighborhoods." ( p. 28). I generally support the zoning modernization effort; the last major effort like this was nearly 50 years ago (1970). This will fund this effort for the downtown area, with the intent that the lessons learned will be used on College Hill and then the rest of the city.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published December 6, 2018)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Oral comments.
3. Resolution determining an area of the City to be a blighted area, and that the rehabilitation, conservation, redevelopment, development or a combination thereof, of such area is necessary in the interest of the public health, safety or welfare of the residents of the City; designating such area as appropriate for urban renewal projects; and adopting the Amendment No. 5 to the Downtown Development Area Urban Renewal Plan. This Resolution is to approve moving forward with the allocation of the $250K through TIF Funds from #2 above.
4. Public hearing on the proposed Amendment No. 5 to the Cedar Falls Unified Highway 58 Corridor Urban Renewal Plan. (Page 34-103) This would add the new property to the industrial park area covered by the Unified TIF, to aid in the development of that area for manufacturing, distribution, and industry. While I have a very cautious eye toward the use (and potential misuse of TIF) I don't have concerns about this use, since it's an expansion of industrial park and conforms with the city's Comprehensive Plan land use map.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published December 6, 2018)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Oral comments.
5. Resolution determining an area of the City to be an economic development area, and that the rehabilitation, conservation, redevelopment, development or a combination thereof, of such area is necessary in the interest of the public health, safety or welfare of the residents of the City; designating such area as appropriate for urban renewal projects; and adopting the Amendment No. 5 to the Cedar Falls Unified Highway 58 Corridor Urban Renewal Plan. Simply approves the item covered in the public hearing above (#4). No 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.)
6. Approve the recommendation of the Mayor relative to the reappointment of Roger White to the Health Trust Fund Board of Trustees, term ending 12/31/2024. (Page 104) No concerns.
7. Receive and file the City Council Goal Setting Report of November 14, 2018 and November 15, 2018. (Page 105-116) This is probably one of the most important documents in city government, as the consensus contained in this document is used to set the stage for the entire upcoming year through the Goal Setting document (Item 12 below). The City Council met four eight hours total as a group at the Cedar Falls Community Center, on top of individual one-hour interviews with the facilitator. Looking through this document, it's an accurate reflection of what transpired....my concerns with this process are that:
- No individual votes are taken for/against these items, and the session isn't recorded.... so unless you attend, you can't know how your elected representatives sided on any particular topic.
- No agenda is posted for discussing any topic, so as a member of the public, you can't know when, during a four-hour session, to be present to observe...or even on which of the two days a topic of interest will be covered.
8. Receive and file communications from the Civil Service Commission relative to certified lists for the following positions: (Page 117-118) The Civil Service Commission uses tests and interviews to determine the best candidates for open city positions. The two documents in the packet are the rankings for two of these positions. No concerns.
a) Administrative Assistant.
b) Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator I.
9. Receive and file the FY18 Annual Report of the Cedar Falls Human Rights Commission. (page 119-129) This annual report details the activities, budget, and members of the commission. Given the recent ranking of Waterloo / Cedar Falls by a major news outlet as "The Worst Place for Black People" in America, I am very interested to know how remediating this will be addressed by the Human Rights Commission in the years ahead.
10. Approve the following applications for beer permits and liquor licenses: (Page 130) City Council must approve all alcohol sales permits annually. No concerns.
a) AmericInn Lodge and Suites, 5818 Nordic Drive, Class B beer - renewal.
b) Huhot Mongolian Grill, 6301 University Avenue, Special Class C liquor - renewal.
c) Beck's Taproom Grill & Deringer's Public Parlor (f/k/a Noble Oak), 314 Main Street, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
d) College Square Cinema, 6301 University Avenue, Special Class C liquor - change in ownership.
e) Sharky's Fun House, 2223 College Street, Class C liquor & outdoor service - change in ownership.
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.)
11. Resolution establishing the 2019 pay for City of Cedar Falls elected officials, in compliance with the City's Code of Ordinances. (Page 131-132) This would raise the Council annual pay to $6,173.40 and raise the Mayor's salary to $93,113.28 (2019). This isn't a performance increase, but simply an adjustment in line with the consumer price index as required by Section 2-43 of the City Code. No concerns.
12. Resolution approving and adopting the FY20 City Council Goals & Objectives. (Page 134-160). This document is required by Section 2-172 of the City Code and provides overall direction for the city. The document is nearly identical from year to year; city staff updates it to reflect changes, or completed projects, or the addition of new projects. I recommended in our Goal Setting Work Sessions (#7 above) that the document be reorganized to be more accessible and understandable to the general public, and to include standard outlining format (like I. A. 1. a.) to make it easy to find/reference various aspects of the document. Didn't happen this year, but I'll try again next year.
13. Resolution approving and adopting revised job classifications, in conjunction with the City’s pay plan study. (p. 161 to 501) These pages make up the bulk of this week's council packet. I skimmed the position descriptions, particularly taking interest in the Administrator and director-level positions. No concerns.
14. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of three leases relative to property vacated by the 2008 flood buyout programs. (Page 502-524) Residents can lease greenspace owned by the city for $1 a year. The residents are responsible for the land upkeep. No concerns.
15. Resolution approving and adopting the recommendation of the Parks & Recreation Commission relative to a Recreation Fee Schedule to become effective April 30, 2019. (Page 525-533). On the Program Fee Schedule (p.533),the document does not include a line item for city staff or council; we receive a significantly reduced rate (my family membership as a City Councilor is just $20, compared to $220 for a normal resident family pass...which will increase to $260 this year). I would just like for greater transparency in the special breaks given to this large sub-population (city staff and elected officials), which is being subsidized by other rec center users. I believe, in general, that Council should be experiencing the city exactly the same way that all other residents do. Whenever we're offered special breaks, that should be clear to the public who elects us.
16. Resolution approving and authorizing placement of a sculpture near the main entrance to City Hall, as requested by the Cedar Falls Public Art Committee of the Art & Culture Board. (Page 534-539) This is a general approval to permit a new artwork to be placed in front of City Hall in memory of former mayor Jon Crews. This will require moving the existing Eternal Flame sculpture to Veterans' Park. The approval does not include a design (this will be decided later). I will ask how this public art is expected to be funded (tax dollars or private donations). I do also have general concerns about the memorialization of public buildings and other publicly-owned assets, particularly City Hall. I believe we should have much stricter policies about naming, similar to policies held by the state and federal government.
17. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of five Owner Purchase Agreements and four Tenant Purchase Agreements, and approving and accepting two Public Utility Easements and five Owner's Temporary Grading Easements, in conjunction with the West 1st Street Reconstruction Project. (P. 540 - 634) This is a continuation of purchasing efforts for the widening of First Street / Hwy 57. No concerns.
18. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Grant Agreement-Development with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources relative to the Clay Street Park Water Quality Improvement Project. (p. 636 - 639) DNR approved a $150K grant for water quality improvement at Clay Street Park, which will be put toward a bioretention cell (aka rain garden) in the park area as well as permeable alleys next to the park. The estimated cost for the improvements will be $192.1K, so the city will be on the hook for the remaining $40K. No concerns.
19. Resolution approving and accepting a Lien Notice and Special Promissory Note for property located at 1416 Clay Street relative to the Rental to Single Family Owner Conversion Incentive Program. Offers a $10K forgivable loan for improvements to a previously-rental home that's been purchased by a resident for their own dwelling. No concerns; I read each of these applications carefully to better understand what's allowed for improvement. I can see how this program might be abused, but in the cases here (#19, 20, and 21) these applications are very much in line with the intent of the program. No concerns.
20. Resolution approving and accepting a Lien Notice and Special Promissory Note for property located at 821 College Street relative to the Rental to Single Family Owner Conversion Incentive Program. Similar to #19 above. No concerns.
21. Resolution approving and accepting a Lien Notice and Special Promissory Note for property located at 1616 Olive Street relative to the Rental to Single Family Owner Conversion Incentive Program. Similar to #19 above. No concerns.
22. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Informal Project Contract for Demolition with Benton's Sand & Gravel, Inc., in conjunction with the Northern Cedar Falls Flood Buyout Program. (Page 668-682) This will obligate $5800 to Benton's to clear the land the 2703 Timothy Street property in North Cedar, which the city recently bought out with FEMA grant funds. Cedar Falls Fire/Rescue will be burning the house down for training, and Benton's will clear away the debris and turn it back to greenscape.
23. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of Supplemental Agreement No. 1 with Snyder & Associates, Inc. relative to 2019 Engineering Services. (Page 683-686) Seeks to provide additional funds for contracted engineering support services for the re-doing of the downtown sidewalk pavers. This project is apparently beyond the scope of what Council agreed to contract with Snyder & Associates for back in our last council session. I'll ask if we'll likely be seeing more of these supplemental agreements in the months ahead.
24. Resolution setting January 7, 2019 as the date of public hearing on amendments to the City's FY19 Budget. (Page 687-688) Simply sets the date for this hearing. P. 688 contains a list of the proposed amendments, for your review. No concerns about the date.
25. Resolution setting January 7, 2019 as the date of public hearing on the proposed rezoning from A-1, Agricultural District, to R-1, Residence District, of property located to the north of Arbors Drive and west of Richard Road. (p 689-698) This simply sets the date for the hearing. Background documentation is attached. No concerns about the date.
Allow Bills and Payroll
26. Allow Bills and Payroll of December 17, 2018. No concerns.
City Council Referrals No referrals.
City Council Updates No updates.
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 | 12/17/18 |
