HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - January 25, 2022, Regular Meeting of the Ames City CouncilMINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE
AMES CONFERENCE BOARD AND
REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
AMES, IOWA JANUARY 25, 2022
REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CONFERENCE BOARD
The Regular Meeting of the Ames Conference Board was called to order by Chairman John Haila
at 6:00 p.m. on January 25, 2022. Present from the Ames City Council were Bronwyn
Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, and Anita Rollins. Lisa
Heddens, and Latifah Faisal represented the Story County Board of Supervisors. Other members in
attendance were: Kelly Winfrey, Ames Community School Board of Directors, Allen Bierbaum,
Ames Community School Board of Directors; and Joe Anderson, Nevada School Board of Directors.
Gilbert School Board of Directors and United Community School Board of Directors were not
represented.
MINUTES OF DECEMBER 14, 2021: Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Heddens, to approve the
Minutes of the December 14, 2021, meeting of the Ames Conference Board.
Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
APPOINTMENT OF NANCY HALVORSON TO BOARD OF REVIEW: Moved by Anderson,
seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-015 approving the appointment of Nancy
Halvorson to the Board of Review.
Roll Call Vote: 3-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Chair, and hereby made
a portion of these Minutes.
DISCUSSION OF CITY ASSESSOR’S BUDGET PROPOSALS: Assistant City Manager Deb
Schildroth directed the Board’s attention to the Tables on Page 3 of the Report. Finance Director
Duane Pitcher explained that the value shown is as of January 1, 2021, and this amount is used to
set the tax rate for the upcoming budget in FY 2022/23. He noted that on the “Assess Values by
Class” table, each class except for the Railroads & Utilities less Gas & Electric, are all set by the
Assessor. Each class of property had increased, with commercial having the highest increase of
12.5%. He pointed out that most classes showed an increase, but the multi-residential decreased. He
explained that the multi-residential was a class that was created about seven years ago with a stair-
step reduction in value each year, and this will be the last year. Director Pitcher commented that he
is not sure how the Assessor will handle the multi-residential class next year, but that class will go
away and move up with residential. There may be a big bump in residential next year, but this will
be due to the change in class. As far as revaluation, there was a modest revaluation in commercial
and residential properties. Commercial revaluation was up about 6%, residential was 3.4%, and
multi-residential was 5.2%, and all of those are subject to rollbacks.
Ms. Schildroth explained that she will be reviewing the proposed budget for FY 2022/23. The
information started on Page 12 of the Annual Report. She mentioned that the Mini Conference Board
met on January 6, 2022, to review the Assessor’s budget proposal. Ms. Schildroth stated that the
expense item for the Assessor remained unchanged from the last budget, but all other staff were
budgeted with a 3% cost of living increase and a 2% merit pool, for a total of 5%. She highlighted
that there was a 13% reduction in staff salary, due to the Administrative Assistant position being
vacant since 2020. The Staff Report provided by the Iowa Department of Revenue recommended not
including the Administrative Assistant position any longer and so that position was not included in
the budget. The hourly rate for the Board of Review wages was doubled in 2022, to $35, in the hopes
of attracting and maintaining qualified members. Ms. Schildroth stated that the City had informed
the Assessor’s office to expect a 7% overall increase in health insurance for the upcoming fiscal year.
The total proposed budget for FY 2022/23 is $985,025, which is a 3.6% reduction from the FY
2021/22 budget.
Council Member Betcher pointed out that when the last City Assessor was hired the City had
negotiated a salary based on moving to Ames and other factors. Ms. Schildroth mentioned that there
were some negotiations and consideration was also given to the salary based on the Annual Salary
Survey of Assessors. Ms. Betcher inquired if it was a possibility that the budgeted amount may not
be the actual amount paid to the new Assessor. It was confirmed that it was correct.
Mayor Haila stated that salaries for the City Assessor’s office staff are now being paid by the City
and the City is re-calibrating the job descriptions to be paid at the City level. The hope is that the
new Assessor can find and hire a Deputy Assessor and set realistic salary ranges. Currently, the
proposed budget is the maximum, but does not have to be used. He said they need to set up a good
management position, and they are starting to trim the budget to give exceptional value to the
taxpayers while being fiscally responsible.
Supervisor Heddens wanted to know how the general compensation range would work for the new
Assessor. She wondered if it would be at the higher range or at the midpoint range. Ms. Schildroth
stated that all the positions in the Assessor’s office were put into the City’s classifications and
compensation schedule. The City Assessor’s salary is in the same range as Department Heads, and
the Deputy Assessor salary is the same range as Assistant Directors. She noted that when taking
those ranges and looking at the latest salary survey, it indicated that the $140,000 does fit into the
same range as other City Assessors.
Supervisor Faisal asked what salary range the current City Assessor job posting was set at. Ms.
Schildroth stated that the range ended at $162,000. The Mayor explained that if a new Assessor was
hired at $162,000, they would already be maxed out on the amount they could make. Supervisor
Heddens stated that the City advertised with the salary range up to $162,000, but if any potential City
Assessor looks at the proposed budget, they will see the $140,000, and she is concerned about the
difference in salary being shown. Ms. Schildroth commented that typically when the City budgets
for salaries it is budgeted at mid-point, hoping they are going to get someone with experience and
then there will be room for negotiations. Ms. Faisal inquired what the salary range would be. The
Mayor noted they would like to start at $140,000 and negotiate from there.
Ms. Schildroth went over “Other” office expenses and highlighted a few items. She explained that
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for: “Employee Mileage & Expenses,” there was a reduction because the City Assessor, Deputy
Assessor, and the two residential appraisers receive a mileage stipend. This amount is provided every
month for the expense of using their personal vehicles for City business and the employee mileage
was moved into the Taxable Fringe Benefits category. What is paid out for mileage in the “Employee
Mileage & Expenses” category is any mileage that is incurred when any staff member is attending
any training or education event. She explained that the “Data Processing Services/Major Software”
had a 4% increase. She explained that the Harris Computer Systems (ProVal) is the current software
that the Assessor’s office is using for its property information. That software will be phased-out and
switched over to the new Vanguard software. She noted ProVal was budgeted for FY 2022/23
because the conversion will take some time. The “Utilities” had a 16.8% increase; this number is
provided by the City. The “Equipment & Machinery (Purchases)” is for the replacement of
computers and other equipment that needs to be phased out. The last line item “Management
Services/Contingency” was increased by 1302.9%, for services that were included in the
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was approved by the Conference Board last March that
directed the transition of the City Assessor office payroll from Story County to the City of Ames
effective January 1, 2022. The breakdown is $9,762 for Human Resources and $3,267 for Finance,
which will cover payroll, and recruitments. These services were provided before, but now with the
payroll being handled by the City, those services can now be paid for, and will be an ongoing
expense. The charges are based on the number of employees per office. Ms. Schildroth stated that
the total payroll and related expenses for FY 2022/23 is $300,756, which is an 8% increase. The total
payroll and office expenses for FY 2022/23 is $1,285,781, which is a 1.1% reduction from the
previous fiscal year.
Assistant City Manager Schildroth reviewed the “District Court Case Concerning Northcrest
Exemption (Assessment Appeals/Court Courts), and because it was a non-evaluation year, the line
item dropped to $15,000, which is a 40% decrease. The last line item is the “CAMA Conversion
Project.” On June 16, 2021, the City Assessor’s Office entered into a five-year contract with
Vanguard to purchase software, implementation, training, and consultation services in the amount
of $165,732.50. The City Assessor’s Office was notified by Vanguard in September 2021 that the
amount was on the low side and was advised to budget an additional $40,000 into the FY 2022/23
budget to cover additional costs. There is also a one-time set-up fee in the amount of $3,200 for the
Beacon database connection to the Vanguard system. The overall total expenses for FY 2022/23 will
be $1,343,981; this is an overall 1.4% increase.
The Mayor asked for more information about the contract with Vanguard. Ms. Schildroth
commented that the software was purchased in June 2021 in the amount of $165,732.50, plus the
additional $40,000 will cover the Contract through 2026. She noted that they may need to budget
more money for the FY 2025/26 budget for continuing maintenance of the software. She is not sure
if it will be an annual or multi-year contract. She mentioned that so far, the software is robust and
will hopefully offer a lot of efficiencies for the office.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Bierbaum, to approve the recommendations of the City
Assessor’s Report.
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Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Heddens, seconded by Junck, to receive the proposed budget.
Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Faisal, to set 6:00 p.m. on February 22, 2022, as the date of public
hearing on the proposed FY 2022/23 City Assessor’s budget (adoption of budget will occur after
hearing is held).
Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Ms. Schildroth introduced Lisa Henschel, Database Manager from the City Assessor office. Ms.
Henschel has taken the lead on the Vanguard conversion project. Ms. Henschel explained that the
representatives from Vanguard provided training. Each employee was set up with a log-in for the
testing portion of the software. She noted that for a conversion from a different software package the
conversion was remarkably clean. Ms. Henschel noted that there were a few issues and were
“crippled” by the lack of staff time and commercial appraisal experience. Staff is hoping to begin
the second round of testing within the next month or so. Ms. Schildroth mentioned that the City has
an Agreement with Mel Obbink who has been providing the commercial appraisal expertise. Mr.
Obbink is familiar with Vanguard. Vanguard is used by Assessors throughout the state. The
conversion will take three education rounds.
CONFERENCE BOARD COMMENTS: Council Member Betcher thanked Assistant City
Manager Deb Schildroth, City Clerk Diane Voss, and staff for helping out in the Assessor’s Office
in the interim and helping with the transition.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Bierbaum, seconded by Betcher, to adjourn the Ames Conference
Board at 6:30 p.m.
Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
The Regular Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 6:34 p.m.
on January 25, 2022, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law.
Present were Council Members Gloria Betcher, Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Amber Corrieri, Tim
Gartin, Rachel Junck, and Anita Rollins. Ex officio Member Trevor Poundstone was also present.
The Mayor announced that the Council was working from an Amended Agenda. Item 19: Staff
Report regarding request to review zoning requirements for ground floor commercial use within a
CCR-zoned property at 4820 Mortensen Road; had the word “commercial” was removed and
replaced with “residential.”
CONSENT AGENDA: Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to approve the following
items on the Consent Agenda.
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1.Motion approving payment of claims
2.Motion approving Minutes of Regular City Council Meetings held January 11, 2022
3.Motion approving renewal of the following Beer Permits, Wine Permits and Liquor Licenses:
a.Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit and Class C Beer Permit (Carry-out) -
Fareway Stores, Inc. #093, 3619 Stange Road
b.Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit and Class C Beer Permit (Carry-out) -
Fareway Stores, Inc. #386, 619 Burnett Avenue
c.Class C Liquor License with Sunday Sales - Dog Eared Books, 203 Main St
d.Special Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales - Blaze Pizza,
2320 Lincoln Way
e.Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales - El Azteca, 2727 Stange
Road, Pending Dram Shop Insurance
f.Class C Liquor License with Catering Privilege and Sunday Sales - Ge’Angelo’s, 823
Wheeler Street, Suite #9
g.Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales - Blue Owl Bar, 223
Welch Avenue
4.Request for Midnight Madness on July 9, 2022:
a.RESOLUTION NO. 22-016 approving partial street closures of Collaboration Place Road
to S Riverside Drive (north side lane), S Riverside Drive North to Airport Road (west side
lane), Airport Road between S Riverside Drive & South Loop Drive (south side of
eastbound traffic), South Loop Drive (east side of road), and University Boulevard from
Cottonwood Road to Collaboration Place (east side of road)
5.RESOLUTION NO. 22-017 approving Encroachment Permit Agreement for Sign at 400 Main
Street
6.RESOLUTION NO. 22-018 approving Investment Report for Quarter Ending December 31, 2021
7.RESOLUTION NO. 22-019 approving appointment of Council Member Amber Corrieri to the
Ames Economic Development Committee (AEDC)
8.RESOLUTION NO. 22-020 approving reappointment of Council Member Gloria Betcher to the
Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB)
9.RESOLUTION NO. 22-021 approving appointment of Council Member Tim Gartin to the Ioway
Creek Watershed Management Authority
10.RESOLUTION NO. 22-022 appointing Council Member Tim Gartin to serve on the Headwaters
of the South Skunk Watershed Management Authority
11.RESOLUTION NO. 22-023 approving preliminary plans and specifications for 2021/22
Downtown Street Pavement Improvements (Alley - Duff to Sherman, North of Lincoln Way;
setting February 16, 2022, as bid due date and February 22, 2022, as date of public hearing
12.RESOLUTION NO. 22-024 approving preliminary plans and specifications for 2021/22 Concrete
Pavement Improvements (S. Kellogg Avenue and N. 2nd Street; setting February 16, 2022, as bid
due date and February 22, 2022, as date of public hearing
13.RESOLUTION NO. 22-025 accepting completion of Maintenance Facility Fabric Building
14.RESOLUTION NO. 22-026 accepting completion of public improvements and releasing security
for Sunset Ridge Subdivision, 9th Addition
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motions/Resolutions declared carried/adopted unanimously, signed by the
Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes.
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PUBLIC FORUM: Mayor Haila opened Public Forum.
Susie Petra, 2011 Duff Avenue, Ames, stated she is apprehensive about the Lincoln Way Mixed-Use
proposal. In early December she had shared her concerns about the Proposal and those concerns still
remain. She commented that the driving force for developers purchasing many thriving tax-paying
businesses along Lincoln Way appears to be the desire for a convention center. Ms. Petra thought the
City already had one: the Gateway Center. In a town of about 64,000, of whom approximately 54,000
are permanent residents, there are already 31 hotel/motels plus bed and breakfasts. She stated a
complete occupancy rate study must be completed before any building plans continue. Her second
concern was with the design itself. She said the Ames 2040 Comprehensive Plan speaks of “pedestrian
and bicycle scale,” but when looking at the renderings submitted, it showed most of the structures were
facing Lincoln Way and are built right up to the sidewalk. Ms. Petra commented that the sidewalk is
right next to Lincoln Way, which is heavily traveled. She said there is no grassy right-of-way
separating the sidewalk from Lincoln Way, and this leads to no bicycle/pedestrian safety in the Plan.
She asked where any accumulation of snow or slush would go, and wondered if it would be pushed
onto the sidewalk, and if so, where does the snow from the sidewalk go.
Ms. Petra felt there wasn’t any community connectivity in the Plan, but community connectivity is
written into the Ames 2040 Plan. All of this punctuated her concerns that she voiced in December. She
said there was too much concrete for the spacial imprint. Ms. Petra mentioned that she had spent over
50 years of her life teaching and supporting creative design and strongly supports innovative and
creative ideas. She stated ISU has a great architecture and design department, and felt it was
embarrassing to have the design that was submitted as the strongest design possible. Ms. Petra urged
the Council to take advantage of the talent that exists in Ames and start over with an architect who
understands and can design a building with the space limitations of the design. She would like the
Council to consider doing a complete occupancy rate study and to find a design that fits with space and
needs of the community.
Sue Ravenscroft, 455 Westwood Drive, Ames, handed out selected pages from two background studies
that were done on economic development. She stated a couple weeks ago, she heard something on
NPR about Sioux City’s remarkable Downtown Economic Development and how successful it was.
She stated she looked for Sioux City’s Report, and that is one of the handouts that was given to the
Council. She stated that if the Council looked at Page 3 of the Report there were three analyses done.
They were for retail, residential, and office market growth, and under each topic Ms. Ravenscroft saw
two key words: “existing inventory” and “current inventory.” She explained that Sioux City had a Plan
that involved looking at what facilities currently exist. Sioux City thought that before engaging in a
major development they should look at current supply, current usage, current population, current
vacancy rates, growth rates, local environment, business conditions, and estimate how much demand
could change under varying assumptions. Ms. Ravenscroft referred the Council to review Pages 48-51
of the handout to see Sioux City’s thoughts on the retail sector. She stated that Sioux City planned
carefully and based their proposals and detailed information on local conditions and how the conditions
could change. She asked what the City of Ames had done for analysis to prepare for the Lincoln Way
Project. She felt it was embarrassing that she couldn’t find anything on the Web that provided any
background planning. Ms. Ravenscroft noted she read the full report from Decision Innovative
Solutions (DIS) and looked at the report for Newton and it followed the same template. She could not
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find any background data in the reports. She said that DIS relied on the square footage figures given
to them by the developer; that is not an independent measure. Ms. Ravenscroft pointed out that DIS
used the Newspaper Association of America paper that showed average sales by square foot of every
type of facility and this was done for Newton, Iowa as well. She pointed out that DIS did not do the
following: an inventory of comparable spaces; look into if a hotel is even needed; who are the current
users; what are the vacancy rates, the population growth; and didn’t think about other businesses. Ms.
Ravenscroft felt that the City of Ames deserved better than the current proposal. Ames deserved to
have a Plan that included the same kind of comprehensive, thorough, thoughtful background that Sioux
City had. She said that this project was too big and too important to base it on incomplete and self-
interested data. Ms. Ravenscroft asked the Council to slow down and get reliable data to develop
thoughtful projections on future needs before the Council commits to anything further on this project.
Hector Arbuckle, 2503 Bruner Drive, Ames, stated he was representing the Climate Action Team. He
stated that as the City moves forward with the Climate Action Plan process, the Climate Action Team
asked that the City work to ensure that the City does not commit itself to locking in any future
emissions.
When no one else came forward to speak, the Mayor closed public forum.
2022-2027 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLAN: City Manager Steve Schainker stated last week
the five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) was presented during a Workshop. Today was an
opportunity for the public to respond to the CIP. It was noted that the public can still provide
comments at any time until February 8, 2022.
Mayor Haila opened public comment.
Hector Arbuckle, 2503 Bruner Drive, Ames, stated his first input was on the streets. He said that he
and many others at ISU do not own a car. He gets around the City by walking, biking, or using
CyRide. He said that a lot of the streets in Ames are hostile to pedestrians. Within the CIP, there are
a number of projects to increase capacity of the roadways, and other projects to increase
bicycle/pedestrian connectivity. Mr. Arbuckle asked the City to work to prioritize bicycle/pedestrian
connectivity above automobile capacity and level of service. He recommended that the Council take
the money that would be used for future traffic projections and instead use the money to improve the
connectivity and safety for bicycle/pedestrians.
Mr. Arbuckle also questioned the timing of the sewer system repairs. He said that, in 2012, there was
a report that the City of Ames had 25 million in immediate repairs that needed to be completed
within five years, but according to the CIP those repairs will not be finished until 2028. He asked
why the City hasn’t been able to repair and maintain the existing sewage network within the five
years it first indicated. Mr. Arbuckle wanted to know if there was a way to invest in the current
sewage network to make sure it does not degrade. He asked how the City was going to be able to
maintain the needed infrastructure as the City continues to expand.
The Mayor closed public comment when no else came forward to speak.
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Council Member Beatty-Hansen asked if Mr. Arbuckle’s question about the five-year plan for the
sewer improvements could be answered as to why there has been a delay. City Manager Steve
Schainker stated that projects are delayed sometimes due to federal funding or if land needs to be
acquired. He was not sure if it was due to staffing issues; normally when there is not enough staff,
outside consulting firms are used. Mr. Schainker noted that the weather can intervene as well.
Council Member Junck noted that Mr. Arbuckle’s question was on Page 72 of the CIP. It was
mentioned that the construction costs had inflated at a higher rate than anticipated causing extensions
to the timeframe.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen inquired if the funding for the Water Pollution Control Nutrient
Reduction Project would come out of the same category as the sanitary sewer. Public Works Director
John Joiner explained that it has been State Revolving Funds that were being used for the last several
years for sanitary sewer system improvements and is a different category than the Nutrient Reduction
project.
SCOPE OF SERVICES TO BE INCLUDED IN THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR
HIRING A CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT FIRM FOR THE INDOOR AQUATIC
CENTER PROJECT: Parks and Recreation Director Keith Abraham noted that on November 23,
2021, City Council approved hiring a Construction Manager for the Indoor Aquatic Center. He
pointed out that the hiring of a Construction Manager is new for the City as the City normally uses
an architect bid and then a General Contractor. The Construction Manager acts as an extension of
the owner’s staff. The owner holds all the individual contracts and competitively bids them, and the
Construction Manager is involved in the design process, which will hopefully reduce change orders.
This method is a collaborative team approach among the owner, architect, Construction Manager,
and contractors. Director Abraham said that hopefully the increased cost of hiring a Construction
Manager is offset by the elimination of the General Contractor’s markup to the construction bid
amount. The City will assume the risks associated with any increased cost of materials. A Scope of
Services was put together and was included in the Report. The proposed timeline and steps for hiring
a Construction Management Firm were reviewed. In the Scope of Services, it listed the following:
City’s objectives; City’s role; Role of the Construction Manager; Compensation; Working
Relationship; Definitions; Construction Management Services; and Additional Services. Director
Abraham noted that, as the Scope of Services was being put together, staff wanted it to be as
thorough as possible; as this is new to the City, and a lot of the information from the Scope of
Services can be written into a contract. There will be an evaluation team who will review the
submittals.
Council Member Gartin explained that he had spent some time with the High School construction
project team who are using Construction Management Services. He thought it was interesting to see
how they used the LEAN construction methodology and wanted to know if the City of Ames would
use the same process. Director Abraham stated that it wasn’t spelled out, but the LEAN process is
a standard for Construction Managers to do business.
The Mayor opened public input. It was closed when no one came forward to speak.
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Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to approve the Scope of Services to be included in the
Request for Proposals for hiring a Construction Management firm for the Indoor Aquatic Center
project.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
STAFF REPORT REGARDING AQUATIC PROGRAMMING AFTER MUNICIPAL POOL
CLOSES AND POTENTIAL CHANGES IN HOURS AT FURMAN AQUATIC CENTER TO
ACCOMMODATE SWIMMING LESSONS: Parks and Recreation Director Keith Abraham
noted that this item is for informational purposes only. He explained that the Municipal Pool will
close on February 28, 2022, and demolition will happen sometime in March 2022. Staff has been
exploring options to continue to offer year-round aquatic programming. The Staff Report listed a
number of aquatic programs that are currently being offered. Since there will not be an indoor pool
to use, staff have been exploring options regarding the use of community aquatic facilities. Several
factors need to be considered to determine whether a community aquatic facility is a viable option
and those include, but are not limited to, water depth, temperature, patron capacity, available times
for use, and potential rental fees.
Director Abraham said that based on recent conversations with the Ames Community School District
(ACSD) and the current understanding of the anticipated usage for the new High School pool,
external use philosophy, and planned water temperature, ACSD does not appear to be a viable
option. The ACSD will have pool temperatures at around 78 degrees and the Municipal Pool is kept
at 84 degrees. Mr. Abraham noted that 78 degrees for swim lessons is a little cold. A conversation
was had with Mary Greeley Medical Center (MGMC) about its pool; however, staff’s concern was
that the pool was not that big or deep. Due to hours of usage that would be available, security
concerns, and pool capacity, offering City programs at MGMC would not be a good option. Director
Abraham explained that when speaking with hotels/motels, they have had a rough time as it was hard
to reach the owner of the facilities. With the variety of hotel/motel pool configurations, pools at these
facilities may not meet the needs or be well-suited for programs to be offered. Some hotels/motels
within the community currently offer options for the public to utilize their pool. For those facilities
with the public swim option, staff will evaluate the effectiveness of using community facilities in
promoting swim options. Mr. Abraham stated that a meeting is scheduled with Iowa State University
to look at its facilities. ISU is interested in working with the City, and the City currently utilizes ISU
Forker Pool for Warm Water Aqua classes. When looking at the Green Hills pool there are already
Aqua classes and Parent/Child Swim classes conducted at this facility. Staff will be meeting with
management at Green Hills to discuss future use options for additional programming. He noted that
there have not been any classes at Green Hills for the past two weeks due to the number of COVID
cases at the facility. Staff is working with private fitness clubs to start conversations to see if there
is any opportunity to use any of their facilities.
Director Abraham said it was hard to say when they could start offering programs at this time;
however, at Green Hills, staff may be able to start some programming as early as March. He noted
that it may be September before some of the Parks and Recreation aquatic programming could start.
Mr. Abraham stated that staff is recommending reducing Open Swim hours on Monday and
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Wednesday evenings to allow swimming lessons to occur. To accommodate a portion of the
decreased open swim hours from the addition of evening swim lessons and water walking, staff is
proposing to add Twilight Open Swims. These Open Swims would be offered on the second and
fourth Mondays in June and July.
Council Member Gartin said that he was intrigued that the City has had over a 50-year relationship
with the Ames Community School District, and now all of sudden they have no time available for
the City when help is needed. He explained that there are a lot of families who don’t have the
resources to take their kids to a club for swimming lessons. Mr. Gartin commented that this is an
important issue for the community and City swim lessons are important to families. He hoped the
ACSD would reconsider. He asked, with all the other facilities, how does the City handle liability
issues. Director Abraham stated that conversations were had with the City’s Risk Manager, and the
City would need to obtain a Certificate of Insurance and make sure the City is listed as an additional
insured. Mr. Abraham noted that swimming pools are different as staff needs to know that the
chlorine levels are being maintained. There are already Agreements with Green Hills and ISU, so
they are not concerned about those two facilities, but there are concerns about the hotel/motel pools.
NOMINATION OF THE PI KAPPA ALPHA FRATERNITY HOUSE TO THE NATIONAL
REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES MEETS NATIONAL REGISTER “SIGNIFICANCE
CRITERION A AND C,” AND RECOMMEND NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBILITY TO
THE STATE NOMINATIONS REVIEW COMMITTEE: Council Member Junck asked if there
was a reason why the Historic Preservation Commission voted for Criterion A and C instead of just
Criterion A. Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann noted that the Board felt that the Pi
Kappa Alpha Fraternity House met both criteria. He stated it didn’t really matter as only one criterion
was necessary.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-027 approving the
nomination of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house to the National Register of Historic Places meets
National Register “Significance Criterion A and C” and recommends National Register eligibility
to the State Nominations Review Committee.
Council Member Betcher commented that this was a great way to support the Greek system without
having to demolish buildings. She said by allowing the Greek system to access funds from national
and state tax credit opportunities was a great way to support the Greeks.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
STAFF REPORT REGARDING REQUEST TO REVIEW ZONING REQUIREMENTS FOR
GROUND FLOOR RESIDENTIAL USE WITHIN A CCR-ZONED PROPERTY AT 4820
MORTENSEN ROAD: Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann explained that this item
originally came up as a comment to the Ames Plan 2040 in October 2021. The site was developed
as Convenience Commercial/Residential (CCR) zoning, which is unique to Ames as it does not exist
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in other parts of the City.
Director Diekmann stated that the CCR Zoning was a product of a goal from the last Land Use
Policy Plan to establish a large commercial node to serve west Ames. The buildings were constructed
as a three-story mixed-use building in 2005. The site was developed with the requirement to have
mixed-use development, meaning that commercial would be on the ground floor and residential
could be above. The property owner has been providing space for short-term lodging uses in the form
of short-stay efficiency rentals in some of the ground level units since 2017.
Director Diekmann said that what is before the Council is to discuss the options to change any of the
zoning or any parameters of the zoning to meet the applicants request, which is to take the short-stay
units and make them more household living style residential. One option would be to approve a
Zoning Text Amendment to alter the standards of how housing and commercial are mixed on a site.
If the Council Members wanted to consider the site to be more residential, they could initiate an
amendment to the Ames 2040 Comprehensive Plan Land Use Designation and subsequently rezone
the property to Residential High-Density (RH). Director Diekmann said that the City needs to think
about what they want on the property and how they see the site operating in the future. He noted that
there may be a few things that the City may want to secure as a City if the rules were loosened. There
are a couple other properties that may be affected if the designation was changed.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen asked Director Diekmann if the Council was interested in requiring
a percentage of affordable units to be included in the Agreement would it work better with Option
1. Director Diekmann commented that it would depend; if it was a standard in the Zoning Ordinance
that would apply to all properties, and staff would have to figure out how to write that and not sure
if that could be done. If it was a case-by-case basis, that would be more of a Contract Rezoning
approach. The Contract Rezoning would apply to Option 2 in the Report.
Council Member Betcher inquired if the same would be true if the Council wanted to reserve a
portion as commercial. Director Diekmann said it could work the same way. He noted that the way
“RH” and “CCR” are written, a Site Plan is required to allow for commercial use and how the
ground floor uses would work. This would be controlled through a Site Plan review process and may
not require a Contract Rezoning. He explained in “RH” commercial is not allowed without Council
approval if it exceeds 5,000 square feet.
Mayor Haila opened public input.
Brent Haverkamp, 4915 Timber Creek Lane, Ames, stated he is the owner of the property that was
being discussed. He explained that he was not the original developer of the property. The property
was developed as mostly residential property in a commercial zone. The commercial on the property
was a failure and the property went back to the bank when he bought it as a foreclosure. Mr.
Haverkamp said the property had about 70,000 to 80,000 vacant, unmarketable commercial space.
Today the property is a 330 mixed-use apartment. The first floor consists of 129 units, and because
of the “CCR” zone, they have to operate as short-term housing. He said because of the unique
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situation, management does a variety of things to keep the length of housing down, which is difficult
to manage. Mr. Haverkamp stated that national lenders view short-term housing as a significant
negative, so the property doesn’t qualify for financing. He pointed out that he would like the site to
be similar to his neighbors to the west, north, and southeast and operate the apartments on the first
floor with a conventional lease and tenant.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen asked Mr. Haverkamp why the commercial spaces were
unmarketable. Mr. Haverkamp said it was partly because the property is a deep site and there is very
little road frontage. He noted it is also away from the South Dakota/Mortensen Road corner so it can
be missed. Mr. Haverkamp mentioned that approximately 25% of the first floor is commercial, and
it has been difficult to find tenants that want to traverse through the site.
Council Member Gartin inquired as to how many units would be available for lease if the Council
agreed to Mr. Haverkamp’s proposal. Mr. Haverkamp explained that they have 335 apartments on
the site and since they are already doing short-term housing, the number of units would not change.
It would help Mr. Haverkamp with the way the site is managed and financed. Mr. Haverkamp noted
there would not be any construction changes or changes to the use of the site. Mr. Gartin asked
which option in the Staff Report would Mr. Haverkamp recommend. Mr. Haverkamp stated that,
when speaking with Director Diekmann, the Zoning Text Amendment to CCR Zoning would be the
cleanest, but would defer to the Planning staff. Mr. Gartin inquired what other properties in the area
allow the conventional leasing. Mr. Haverkamp pointed out the locations on a map.
Council Member Junck asked how many units were typically vacant out of the 129 short-term units.
Mr. Haverkamp stated that a 90% occupancy rate was typical for this property. He pointed out that
the first-floor units will have more vacancy than the other units because of the transient nature of the
units.
Council Member Betcher inquired as to when the property was purchased by Haverkamp. Mr.
Haverkamp said it was in 2008. Ms. Betcher asked when the last time was that the commercial
spaces were marketed as commercial spaces. Mr. Haverkamp stated that there are spaces on the first
floor that are apartments and spaces that are commercial. They market the commercial spaces on an
ongoing basis, of which there is about 30,000 square feet of commercial space. There has been no
conversion of the property and they have found that the commercial demand at this property has been
weak.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen asked Mr. Haverkamp how he felt about reserving some units for
low-to moderate-income families. Mr. Haverkamp pointed out that if they were to do that it would
put them in a different classification and would add complexity to the market. He stated that, given
the age of the units, he would be surprised if their current rates weren’t that far off from a moderate-
income family. Mr. Haverkamp mentioned that he was not sure what additional paperwork would
be needed or how it would affect the finances or the operation of the building; therefore, he would
not be able to answer the question appropriately.
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Council Member Betcher asked if Mr. Haverkamp had any sense as to how the City would benefit
from making the change for him. Mr. Haverkamp stated that, in his opinion, a property that is more
valuable will be more valuable to the City as it will increase the tax base. He felt that the 129 units
were less valuable and what that tells him is that the market doesn’t accept them as there are too
many units for the month-to-month leasing. The market would value those units higher and more
people would want to rent the units; therefore, making them more profitable.
The Mayor closed public input when no one else came forward to speak.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen stated she would be willing to entertain Option 2 because she would
be interested in securing some low-to moderate-income housing units. She said even though it was
mentioned that the rates were comparable to moderate-income, there is no guarantee that those rates
would stay that way. Ms. Beatty-Hansen felt it would be a fair trade-off for increasing the value of
the property. She said the City would get some dedicated low-to moderate-income housing, the rates
were not that different so it shouldn’t be hard on the landowner, except for paperwork.
Council Member Gartin inquired if the City had ever done a request like that before. Director
Diekmann stated that it can be done with a Contract Rezoning; however, he didn’t believe the City
had ever negotiated an affordable housing requirement. Mr. Gartin mentioned that the Council has
aspirations whenever they create zonings, with a desired outcome, and most of the time he felt the
Council does a great job, but sometimes the zoning doesn’t work out. He felt this was a situation that
is a quirk and that there are units that the property owner can’t get traditional funding for, and at this
point he thought the City would be “squeezing” something from the owner. Mr. Gartin had strong
concerns about requiring the property to be a different type of usage.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen commented that she is not asking for the entire property to change,
but maybe a quarter of it.
Council Member Rollins mentioned that since 90% of the units are rented at one time, the other 10%
could be used for low-to moderate-income families. Ms. Rollins noted it would be better than having
the units stay empty and the property owner not get any return on his investment.
Council Member Gartin stated that none of the Council has any idea of what is involved in the
management of properties. Ms. Beatty-Hansen stated that they would initiate a set of standards that
would come back to the Council. Director Diekmann explained that under Option 2, the applicant
would have to apply; that is entirely up to them.
Mayor Haila said that the applicant was caught unaware or wasn’t prepared to talk about low-to
moderate-income housing and suggested, instead of approving Option 2 with that requirement, he
felt it would be more appropriate to have staff engage in conversation with the property owner. If
the property owner was not interested in pursuing the low-to moderate income housing, it would
change the outcome and the property owner may withdraw their request. Council Member Beatty-
Hansen stated she is not trying to “shove something down their throat,” as the property owner would
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be able to operate as they are now and the owners financing with national lenders is a business
decision and not something to do with the Council. Council Member Gartin said the financing is for
the entire building not floor-by-floor. Ms. Beatty-Hansen commented that it wouldn’t affect the
properties financing. It was commented that it could. She stated she was comfortable delaying any
action to be able to ask the property owner more questions.
Council Member Betcher agreed that the City should get something out of this change. She stated
that the reason this area was zoned the way it was in the 2000s was because the City was growing
to the west and it was going to be a commercial node; however, that has not succeeded, but the City
is continuing to grow to the west. Ms. Betcher wondered if it was possible that the City was just
catching up; as the City did in Somerset when it took too long to develop than it was supposed to.
She was hesitant to say that the Council should allow all the spaces to be converted to long-term
residence and lose potential commercial space that is currently available. Ms. Betcher asked if there
was a percentage of the space that could be reserved, under “RH” zoning, as commercial .
Council Member Gartin commented that this is an important decision and the Council’s goal is to
figure out how to help people and never once has the Council made the decision to make the criteria
“how to get something out of this.” Council Member Beatty-Hansen stated she disagreed as she felt
this was every Urban Revitalization Area that the City has. Mr. Gartin disagreed.
Council Member Corrieri stated, personally, she was fine having a conversation about what had been
discussed. She stated that not every landlord can be an affordable housing landlord as it is more
complicated than just renting to people who have a certain income level. Ms. Corrieri questioned
how the City would be able to hold a landlord accountable to an affordable housing requirement.
Director Diekmann explained the City would have to rely on an annual report, as the City would not
be involved in clearance of the household.
Council Member Beatty-Hansen mentioned it was reasonable to give time to think about the options
discussed.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Junck, to direct staff to talk to the landowner about the
concept of Contract Rezoning that would include a percentage of units to be set aside as affordable
housing and report back to the Council.
Council Member Gartin commented that one thing that guides the Council in zoning is the use of
other properties in the area. He noted that the properties to the west, north, and southeast have a
similar zoning. Mr. Gartin said the Council has an opportunity to fix a mistake, but not take
advantage of the mistake.
Council Member Betcher mentioned that the Council should be thinking about this property in the
long-term and the property may be more valuable as commercial given the development in the west
and south.
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Vote on Motion: 4-2. Voting Aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Junck, Rollins. Voting Nay: Gartin,
Corrieri. Motion declared carried.
RE Q UE S T FO R PR O PO S A L S RE GAR D I NG SM ALL L O T I N D U S T RI A L
DEVELOPMENT SUBDIVISION UTILIZING TAX INCREMENT FINANCING: Director
Diekmann stated that staff had only received one proposal. The proposal was not presented to the
Council as staff had not finished its assessment. Staff was looking for direction to proceed.
Council Member Betcher asked how many people attended the informational meeting. City Planner
Justin Moore said staff held a virtual online informational meeting, and there were a few attendees
who asked questions.
Mayor Haila opened public comment.
Chuck Winkleblack, 105 S. 16th Street, Ames, stated he had sent an email earlier to the Council. He
said that he wanted to clarify that he is not requesting tax abatement on the large lots. He thought
that if there was someone, under the current State Code, that could qualify for industrial
development, he didn’t want to preclude the development from having that. Mr. Winkleblack
commented that if the developers were to put forth the money for the development instead of the
City, the City would not have the same level of requirements, because the City would not be
spending as much of the money upfront as a developer would. He hoped the City could find a
compromise. There were a few things he had mentioned previously about the Request for Proposals
(RFP) that he was not crazy about. Mr. Winkleblack noted that if the developer does the
infrastructure and left out the road improvement part, the process would go a lot quicker. He believed
what Hunziker Property proposed was a win-win and there is a significant need in the market place.
Public input was closed when no one else came forward to speak.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Betcher, to direct staff to proceed with evaluating the
proposal and attempt to negotiate mutually acceptable terms for a possible development agreement.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
KINGSBURY’S SUBDIVISION, 5TH ADDITION: The Mayor noted that this item has been
requested to be pulled by staff as the Development Agreement was not ready.
HEARING ON PROPOSAL FOR THE CITY OF AMES TO LEASE ITS RIGHT, TITLE,
AND INTEREST TO PROPERTY LOCALLY KNOWN AS 205 SOUTH WALNUT, AMES,
TO HEARTLAND SENIOR SERVICES FOR A PERIOD OF 50 YEARS (CONTINUED
FROM JANUARY 11, 2022): The Mayor re-opened the public hearing and stated that it has been
requested by Staff to continue the hearing until February 8, 2022.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to continue the hearing to February 8, 2022.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
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HEARING ON PROPOSED TEXT AMENDMENT TO MODIFY THE PLANNED UNIT
DEVELOPMENT OVERLAY DISTRICT STANDARDS TO ALLOW FOR A SMALL
COMMERCIAL COMPONENT TO DISTRICTS: Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann
mentioned that this was a request that staff received from Steve Burgason of Ansley Ames
Development Group. After discussion of the request and options by staff, City Council gave direction
to proceed with changes to the Planned Unit Development Overlay standards, rather than the F-PRD
standards. City Council directed staff to set a limit of up to 35,000 square feet of floor area within a
PUD based upon the intent for such use to be a smaller scale than planned commercial nodes within
the prior Land Use Policy Plan. He noted that there are some restrictions on uses as it defines it down
to restaurant, entertainment, trade, retail, and office uses. There were attachments in the Staff Report
that listed what those uses would be. Director Diekmann felt the change would be a good addition to
the PUD Overlay.
The Mayor opened the public hearing.
Hector Arbuckle, 2503 Bruner Drive, Ames, stated he felt this was a great Text Amendment. He was
in favor of allowing restaurant, entertainment, retail trade, and offices in these developments. Mr.
Arbuckle encouraged the Council to consider amending the residential zones to allow this type of
development. He would like to see neighborhood restaurants and corner stores that will allow a
vibrancy in the community that people could walk to.
Mayor Haila closed the public hearing when no one else came forward to speak.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to approve Alternative 1, which was to pass on first reading
an ordinance for the proposed Text Amendment to modify the Planned unit Development Overlay
District Standards to allow for a small commercial component to Districts.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
HEARING ON 2021/22 PAVEMENT RESTORATION - SLURRY SEAL: The Mayor opened
the public hearing. There was no one wishing to speak, and the hearing was closed.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-030 approving the final
plans and specifications and awarding contract to Fort Dodge Asphalt Company, of Fort Dodge, Iowa,
in the amount of $255,733.75.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made
a portion of these Minutes.
HEARING ON CITY HALL PARKING LOT EXPANSION: The Mayor opened the public
hearing and closed it after there was no one who wished to speak.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Rollins, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-031 approving the final
plans and specifications and awarding a contract to All Star Concrete LLC, of Johnston, Iowa, in the
amount of $306,300.56.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made
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a portion of these Minutes.
HEARING ON 2021/22 ASPHALT STREET PAVEMENT IMPROVEMENTS (OPAL DR.,
OPAL CIR., HARCOURT DR., TURQUOISE CIR., AND TOP-O-HOLLOW RD.): Mayor
Haila opened the public hearing. It was closed when no one asked to speak.
Moved by Rollins, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-032 approving the final
plans and specifications and awarding a contract to Manatt’s Inc., of Ames, Iowa, in the amount of
$2,133,380.02.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made
a portion of these Minutes.
HEARING ON 2021/22 SEAL COAT STREET PAVEMENT IMPROVEMENTS & 2021/22
WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM - STAFFORD AVENUE (E. 13TH STREET
- SOUTH END): Mayor Haila opened public input and closed it when no one came forward.
Moved by Junck, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-033 approving the final plans
and specifications and awarding a contract to Manatt’s Inc., of Ames, Iowa, in the amount of
$990,785.14.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made
a portion of these Minutes.
HEARING ON 2021/22 TRAFFIC SIGNAL PROGRAM (UNIVERSITY BLVD. & S. 4TH ST.):
The Mayor opened public comment. It was closed when no one came forward to speak.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-034 approving the final plans
and specifications and awarding a contract to Voltmer, Inc., of Decorah, Iowa, in the amount of
$293,231.41.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made
a portion of these Minutes.
HEARING ON 2020/21 SOUTH DAYTON IMPROVEMENTS: Mayor Haila opened the public
hearing.
Hector Arbuckle, 2503 Bruner Drive, Ames, stated that when he reviewed the Report, he noticed that
this project was designed to increase the capacity of the roadway in order to respond to traffic
projections of increased traffic. Mr. Arbuckle felt that this seemed to be a strategy that the City wants
to have increased traffic. He said that as the City continues to grow the City will keep widening the
streets and will ultimately be unsustainable. He thought instead of widening the road the City should
wait to see what will happen. Mr. Arbuckle asked for the City to wait it out to see what is going to
happen before committing to this project.
The Mayor closed the public hearing when no one else came forward to speak.
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Mayor Haila noted that the Council had received emails from citizens that have complained about the
congestion that exists in the area, and this project is in response to the requests received along with a
safety issue of people trying to get through the intersection.
Moved by Rollins, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-035 approving the final
plans and specifications and awarding a contract to All Star Concrete, LLC, of Johnston, Iowa, in the
amount of $696,037.03.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made
a portion of these Minutes.
REVISED ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING NEW WARDS/PRECINCTS (SECOND AND
THIRD READINGS AND ADOPTION REQUESTED): City Attorney Mark Lambert noted that
the Secretary of the State caught one mistake in the original Ordinance. In Precinct 19, the City had said
“go west along the channel of College Creek” when it should have said east. This ordinance is to correct
that mistake.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to pass on first reading of a revised ordinance establishing
new wards/precincts.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to suspend the rules necessary for the adoption of an
ordinance.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to pass on second and third readings and adopt
ORDINANCE NO. 4456 on a revised ordinance establishing new wards/precincts.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
ORDINANCE REZONING 23959-580TH AVENUE FROM AGRICULTURAL “A” TO
INTENSIVE INDUSTRIAL “II” (THIRD READING AND ADOPTION REQUESTED): Mayor
Haila opened public input and closed it when no one came forward.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to pass on second reading an ordinance rezoning
23959-580th Avenue from Agricultural “A” to Intensive Industrial “II.”
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to suspend the rules necessary for the adoption of an
ordinance.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 4457
rezoning 23959-580th Avenue from Agricultural “A” to Intensive Industrial “II.”
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
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made a portion of these Minutes.
ORDINANCE REVISING THE STANDARDS FOR DETACHED GARAGES AND
ACCESSORY BUILDINGS AND NONCONFORMING STRUCTURES: Moved by Rollins,
seconded by Betcher, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 4453 revising the
standards for detached garages and accessory buildings and nonconforming structures.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
ORDINANCE CHANGING THE NAME OF SQUAW CREEK DRIVE TO STONEHAVEN
DRIVE: Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE
NO. 4454 changing the name of Squaw Creek Drive to Stonehaven Drive.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
ORDINANCE AMENDING THE PARKING REGULATIONS TO INCORPORATE THE
RENAMING OF SQUAW CREEK DRIVE TO STONEHAVEN DRIVE: Moved by Betcher,
seconded by Junck, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 4455 amending the parking
regulations to incorporate the renaming of Squaw Creek Drive to Stonehaven Drive.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
DISPOSITIONS OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: Mayor Haila noted that there were
three items on the list. The first item was a letter from Latifiah Faisal, Story County Board of
Supervisors, listing Story County’s priorities for the Ames Urban Fringe Plan renewal and
amendments after the recent adoption of the Ames Plan 2040. City Manager Steve Schainker
commented that they would like to schedule a Workshop on February 15, 2022, to accomplish three
things. The three things they would like to discuss would be:
1. To go over the tasks that will need to be developed for the Councils individual goals
2. Review the Planning and Housing Work Plan
3. Review the process the City will use to discuss the Fringe Plan
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to place the request form Latifiah Faisal, Story County Board
of Supervisors, on a future Agenda.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
The second item was a memo from Mark Lambert, City Attorney, providing the Council with his
response to any potential legal issues regarding the request for funding from the Ames History
Museum’s Expansion Project.
The Mayor suggested forwarding Mr. Lambert’s memo to the Ames Historical Society and highlight
the advice that was given by the City Attorney.
The last item was a letter from Margaret A. L. Blum, Senior Director of Development, The Annex
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Group, requesting a tax abatement for its proposed affordable housing development in Ames.
Moved by Junck, seconded by Betcher, to refer Ms. Blum’s request for a tax abatement to staff for a
memo.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
COUNCIL COMMENTS: Ex Officio Poundstone stated that he met with the speaker of the Student
Senate and they have started working on the Local Affairs Committee. He will be emailing more
information to the Council.
Council Member Betcher noted that Mr. Arbuckle had mentioned during Public Forum
recommendations from the Ames Climate Action Team and an email had been received from Jerri
Neal on January 24 regarding their request. She wanted to make sure the email made it into the next
City Council packet.
CLOSED SESSION: Council Member Junck asked City Attorney Mark Lambert if there was a
legal reason to go into Closed Session. Mr. Lambert replied in the affirmative, citing Section
20.17(3), Code of Iowa, to discuss collective bargaining strategy.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to go into Closed Session.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
The City Council entered into a Closed Session at 8:26 p.m. and reconvened in Regular Session at
8:43 p.m.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 22-036 ratifying the contract
with Ames Professional Firefighters Local 625 of the International Association of Firefighters.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared carried/adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to adjourn the meeting at 8:43 p.m.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
______________________________________________________________________
Amy L. Colwell, Deputy City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor
__________________________________
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk
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