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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - February 23, 2021, 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 FEBRUARY 23, 2021 REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CONFERENCE BOARD Mayor Haila announced that it was impractical to hold an in-person Council meeting due to the Governor of Iowa declaring a public health emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, limits have been placed on public gatherings, and this meeting was being held as an electronic meeting as allowed by Section 21.8 of the Iowa Code. The Mayor then provided how the public could participate in the meeting via internet or by phone. The Regular Meeting of the Ames Conference Board was called to order by Chairman John Haila at 6:00 p.m. on February 23, 2021. Present from the Ames City Council were Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, and David Martin. Linda Murken, Lisa Heddens, and Latifah Faisal represented the Story County Board of Supervisors. Other members in attendance were as follows: Joe Anderson, Nevada School Board of Directors; Sabrina Shields-Cook, Ames Community School Board of Directors, and Jennifer Britt, United Community School Board of Directors. Gilbert School Board of Directors was not represented. MINUTES OF JANUARY 26, 2021: Moved by Heddens, seconded by Betcher, to approve the Minutes of the January 26, 2021, meeting of the Ames Conference Board. Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED 2021/22 BUDGET FOR CITY ASSESSOR’S OFFICE: Interim City Assessor Brenda Swaim mentioned that she hoped that the rest of the Board received the corrected pages (3 and 4) of the Report. The Mayor opened the public hearing and it was closed when no one came forward. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Murken, to adopt the proposed 2021/22 budget for the City Assessor’s Office. Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. CONFERENCE BOARD COMMENTS: Council Member Martin mentioned that at the last Conference Board meeting he made a motion to put the topics of the mini board structure and a process for evaluating the permanent Assessor’s performance on the Agenda for tonight’s meeting. He commented that the background material that was needed in order to move forward was not ready yet. The information will still come back to the Board when it is ready. The Mayor mentioned that since there will probably be some Special Meetings scheduled in the future to consider appointing a City Assessor, hopefully they will have the materials ready for one of those meetings. Story County Board of Supervisor Lisa Heddens thanked the City for considering taking over the payroll for the City Assessor's Office as of January 2022. Council Member Corrieri gave an update on the search for a City Assessor. The goal is to come back to the Board with a recommendation in April 2021. Mayor Haila mentioned that he appreciated the Board’s help in getting recommendations for the Board of Review. He noted that he is still working on getting one more person to fill a spot on the Board, but should have a full Board by the end of the month. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Heddens to adjourn the Ames Conference Board meeting at 6:08 p.m. MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL CALL TO ORDER: Mayor John Haila called the Regular Meeting of the Ames City Council, which was being held electronically, to order at 6:08 p.m. with the following Council members participating: Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, and David Martin. Ex officio Member Nicole Whitlock was also present. Mayor Haila stated that it was impractical to hold an in-person Council meeting due to the Governor of Iowa declaring a public health emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, limits have been placed on public gatherings, and this meeting was being held as an electronic meeting as allowed by Section 21.8 of the Iowa Code. The Mayor then provided how the public could participate in the meeting via internet or by phone. The Mayor announced that the Council was working off an Amended Agenda. City staff had added an item under Consent: Resolution awarding 5-Year Enterprise Agreement to Carrier Access IT LC of Clive, Iowa, for CISCO Security Software (Umbrella, ISE, & Duo) for Information Technology Division in the amount of $166,010.80 to be paid $33,202.16 annually. Mayor Haila noted that staff had pulled Item No. 42: Closed Session due to the information not being ready to be presented to the Council. CONSENT AGENDA: Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda. 1.Motion approving payment of claims 2.Motion approving Minutes of Special City Council Meetings held February 2, 3, and 4, 2021; and Regular Meeting held February 9, 2021 3.Motion approving Report of Change Orders for period February 1 - 15, 2021 4.Motion approving New 12-month Class C Liquor License with Sunday Sales: Dog-Eared Books 203 Main Street 5.Motion approving ownership change for Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout) and Sunday Sales - Casey’s General Store #2905, 3612 Stange Road 6.Motion approving ownership change for Class C Liquor License & Sunday Sales - Texas 2 Roadhouse 519 South Duff Avenue 7.Motion approving ownership change for Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (carryout) & Sunday Sales -Kum & Go #1113 2801 E 13th St 8.Motion approving ownership change for Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (carryout) & Sunday Sales -Kum & Go #227 2108 Isaac Newton Drive 9.Motion approving ownership change for Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer) and Sunday Sales - Sam’s Club 305 Airport Road 10.Motion approving ownership change for Class C Liquor License, Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales - Chipotle Mexican Grill 435 S Duff Avenue 11.Motion approving renewal of the following Beer Permits, Wine Permits and Liquor Licenses: a.Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service & Sunday Sales - Coldwater Golf Links 1400 S Grand Avenue b.Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (carryout) & Sunday Sales - Kum & Go #113 2801 E 13th St c.Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (carryout) & Sunday Sales - Kum & Go #227 2108 Isaac Newton Dr d.Class A Liquor License with Outdoor Service & Sunday Sales - Elks Lodge 522 Douglas Ave Pending DRAM e.Special Class C Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit - The Spice Thai Cuisine 402 Main Street f.Class C Beer Permit with Class B Native Wine Permit & Sunday Sales - Swift Stop #4 1118 South Duff Ave g.Class C Beer Permit with Class B Wine Permit & Sunday Sales - Swift Stop #5 3218 Orion St h.Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (carryout) & Sunday Sales - Casey’s General Store #2905 3612 Stange Rd I.Class B Beer with Sunday Sales - Pizza Pit Extreme 207 Welch Ave Pending DRAM j.Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (carryout) & Sunday Sales - Sam’s Club 305 Airport Rd 12.RESOLUTION NO. 21-066 proposing vacating utility easement at 220 S. Duff Avenue and setting date of public hearing for March 9, 2021 13.RESOLUTION NO. 21-078 approving the 2020 accomplishments of the Historic Preservation Commission and the Work Plan for 2021 (2020 Certified Local Government Report) 14.Essential Corporate Purpose General Obligation Bonds and General Obligation Refunding Bonds and General Corporate Purpose General Obligation Bonds: I.RESOLUTION NO. 21-079 setting date of public hearing for March 9, 2021, to authorize issuance of Essential Corporate Purpose General Obligation Bonds and General Obligation Refunding Bonds in an amount not to exceed $25,665,000 ii.RESOLUTION NO. 21-080 setting date of public hearing for March 9, 2021, to authorize issuance of General Corporate Purpose General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $700,000 3 15.RESOLUTION NO. 21-081 approving the Police Department’s application for and participation in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau Enforcement Grant program 16.RESOLUTION NO. 21-082 approving Professional Services Agreement with WHKS & Co., of Ames, Iowa, for 2021/22 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Design projects in an amount not to exceed $222,000 17.RESOLUTION NO. 21-083 approving Professional Services Agreement with GBA Systems Integrators, LLC, of Lenexa, Kansas, regarding Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Traffic Network Design in an amount not to exceed $193,740 for Phase 1 18.RESOLUTION NO. 21-106 awarding 5-Year Enterprise Agreement to Carrier Access IT LC of Clive, Iowa, for CISCO Security Software (Umbrella, ISE, & Duo) for Information Technology Division in the amount of $166,010.80 to be paid $33,202.16 annually 19.RESOLUTION NO. 21-084 approving amendment to extend City employee COVID-19 Leave Policy through April 30, 2021 20.Requests from Ames Chamber of Commerce for Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from May 1 to October 16, 2021: a.Motion approving blanket Temporary Obstruction Permit and blanket Vending License for Central Business District from 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. b.RESOLUTION NO. 21-085 approving closure of 300 and 400 blocks of Main Street, Burnett Avenue from 1:30 p.m. c.RESOLUTION NO. 21-086 approving suspension of parking enforcement in CBD Lots X and Y from 6:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. d.RESOLUTION NO. 21-087 approving waiver of parking meter fees and enforcement, usage and waiver of electrical fees, and waiver of fee for blanket Vending License for event from 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 21.RESOLUTION NO. 21-088 approving preliminary plans and specifications for Ames Fire Station #1 HVAC Replacement project; setting March 24, 2021, as bid due date and April 13, 2021, as date of public hearing 22.RESOLUTION NO. 21-089 approving preliminary plans and specifications for 2020/21 Collector Street Pavement Improvements (20th Street); setting March 17, 2021, as bid due date and March 23, 2021, as date of public hearing 23.RESOLUTION NO. 21-090 approving preliminary plans and specifications for 2020/21 CyRide Route Pavement Improvements (9th Street); setting March 17, 2021, as bid due date and March 23, 2021, as date of public hearing 24.RESOLUTION NO. 21-091 approving contract and bond for Baker Subdivision Geothermal Well Installation 25.RESOLUTION NO. 21-092 approving contract and bond for 2019/20 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation (Basin 10) 26.Brookside Park Restroom Renovation Project: a.RESOLUTION NO. 21-093 approving final Change Orders No. 2 through 6 in the amount of $444.20 b.RESOLUTION NO. 21-094 accepting completion 27.RESOLUTION NO. 21-095 approving Plat of Survey for 2805 and 2809 Green Hills Drive 28.RESOLUTION NO. 21-096 approving Plat of Survey for 2929 and 2935 Green Hills Drive 4 and 2209 Suncrest Drive 29.RESOLUTION NO. 21-097 approving Plat of Survey for 2926 and 2930 Green Hills Drive 30.RESOLUTION NO. 21-098 approving Plat of Survey for 2216 and 2220 Suncrest Drive and Outlot ZZ Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motions/Resolutions declared carried/adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. PUBLIC FORUM: Merlin Pfannkuch, 1424 Kellogg Avenue, Ames, stated that a year ago, the City blessed his neighborhood with sidewalks so, it now seemed to be a good time to review this issue again. He noted that his neighborhood would like to get the snow removal issue resolved this winter, so they don’t have to go into another winter facing issues. Mr. Pfannkuch explained that the City created a problem for the neighborhood with snow removal; the sidewalks are right along the street. He mentioned that yesterday there was an elderly gentleman pushing a stroller on the sidewalk who had to move to the middle of the street because the sidewalk had ice on it. Mr. Pfannkuch stated that it has warmed up enough for the City to clear the ice from the sidewalk. He noted it is impossible to keep the sidewalk clear when the City comes by and does a second plow of the streets and pushes the snow back onto the sidewalk. He would appreciate this getting resolved this winter. Mr. Pfannkuch pointed out that he wanted to talk about the Consent Agenda next. He stated that when the sidewalk project discussion was pulled from the Consent Agenda last year, Council Member Betcher said something like “Merlin we are not being unfair; this is just what we do when we pull something from the Consent Agenda.” He mentioned that he has thought about it a lot and he recalled an instance in the past and doesn’t believe that is how the Consent Agenda has been looked at historically. It was 15-25 years ago that the Agenda was under discussion and Mr. Pfannkuch remembered that a comment was made that it was a mystery how the Agenda was put together and then a discussion was had about the Consent Agenda. It was noted at the time that the Consent Agenda was for items that were considered non-controversial, but there seems to be no written rules as to how the Council operates during a meeting. He suggested that the Council adopt a written rule for the Consent Agenda that states that if the Council wants to do something different than what staff is recommending any action on the pulled item must be delayed until the next Council meeting. He asked the Council to please adopt his recommendation for the Consent Agenda as he felt it would be a good way to operate. DISCUSSION OF ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE RESIDENTIAL SATISFACTION SURVEY: Public Relations Officer Susan Gwiasda stated that every February, she comes before the Council to give a “heads-up” for the annual Residential Satisfaction Survey. She pointed out that typically the Survey is sent out in April to 1,250 randomly selected utility bill customers, and is due back in May. By July staff has received the responses on the Surveys and then staff works with Iowa State University on a report. The final results are presented to the Council in September. Ms. Gwiasda mentioned that before the entire process starts, she likes to present the Survey to the Council to see if there are any recommended changes. Council Member Betcher questioned the section for the respondents to tell the City about themselves 5 i.e., “age, gender, etc.” One of the questions is “Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin,” and the only options are “Yes” and “No.” Ms. Betcher wanted to know if they could add “Prefer not to answer” as an option. Ms. Gwiasda mentioned that when the demographic information was added staff was following the Census data so the data would be in alignment with national data. Ms. Gwiasda didn’t think it would be an issue to add “Prefer not to answer,” but will check with Nora Ladjahasan to see if there is a reason why the Census doesn’t have that as an option. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Martin, to move forward with the Residential Satisfaction Survey with the amendment to add “Prefer not to answer” under the question of “Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin,” after consultation with the survey expert. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. COMPOSITION OF THE AMES CLIMATE ACTION PLANNING COMMUNITY INPUT TASK FORCE: Assistant City Manager Deb Schildroth stated that City had staff worked on drafts of the appointment application and the charge for the Input Committee. She explained this would be used by the group who would be supplementing the community-wide input and feedback process for the Climate Action Plan. As stated in the Request for Proposals (RFP) the City placed importance on having a robust, multi-faceted, inclusive community input process. The consultants responding with their proposals to the RFP were tasked with outlining their plans for community engagement, especially engaging groups that do not normally participate in local government input processes. As stated in previous Council meetings, the Mayor and City Council will serve as the steering committee for this project. In this capacity, the Mayor and Council will provide direction and guidance on key decision points, advise the consultants on interim proposals and policy considerations, and make the final decisions related to the consultant’s recommendations. Obtaining community input and feedback will be done at designated points throughout the Climate Action Planning process. Ms. Schildroth commented that staff will enlist the assistance of the consultants in working with the steering committee in determining those designated times. She noted there are questions and proposed modifications to the draft documents and asked the Council for feedback. Mayor Haila asked Ms. Schildroth to clarify what the role and function of the committee would be and about applying for the committee. Ms. Schildroth stated that the “Task Force” or whichever name the Council chooses to call the committee will be supplementing the community-wide input process. The group is broken out into different community sector groups, in order to have the representation to provide feedback and input on the various parts of the Climate Action Plan and goal development. She explained that they want input from the business community, residents, schools, and from individuals that normally don’t participate in City policy issues. The group will not be a decision-making body or be asked to vote on any recommendations, but will be asked to provide input or feedback on decision points that the Steering Committee has discussed. Ms. Schildroth explained that staff had posted the application temporarily on the City’s website for testing purposes. The application was taken down after testing. Mayor Haila stated he wanted the public to know that there was only beta testing done and the application will be put back up later when staff has had a chance to make any necessary corrections. 6 Council Member Gartin mentioned that the role of the Task Force was laid out very well, but wanted more information on the junctures of when the public would have the opportunity to provide input. Ms. Schildroth commented that there would be the community group and then additional input solicited through the members of the community group. She noted that was how staff had envisioned getting robust input and feedback through the community group members. She hopes that there will be some in person discussions, but that will depend on the status of the pandemic. The Mayor stated that historically there are certain groups of people that may not respond, and this is an important engagement plan. Ms. Schildroth noted that there are efforts that will be put in place for outreach and contacting people to make sure the representation is involved. She explained there are people with varying levels of understanding Climate Change and what a Climate Action Plan is. There is education that will need to be done and this something that the consultant will need to understand. For example some people may not be involved with the Plan until they are informed of how it will affect their utility bills. The Mayor asked the Council to give staff direction on what changes they are recommending to the Task Force composition. Council Member Gartin stated that he believed the Council, during his tenure, has upped its game in terms of community outreach. He assumed that the outreach for this project will be similar to the broad effort that was done for the Complete Streets Program. Mr. Gartin suggested reaching out to President Wintersteen and allow her to decide the kind of person she would want to be represented on the Task Force. The Mayor inquired if the rest of the Council had any objection to reaching out to President Wintersteen, the Council did not object. Council Member Martin mentioned that he liked the idea of waiting awhile to finalize the Climate Action Planning Community Task Force. He noted that the RFP for a consultant is outlined to be heavy on outreach, and the Council needs to rely on the consultant's wisdom to help improve the process. Mr. Martin asked what Residential (three representatives) meant on the list for community sectors. Ms. Schildroth commented that it is a broad category, and it would be for anyone that is a resident of Ames and did not fit under any of the other community sector categories. Mr. Martin then asked if the Community Schools (three representatives) were intended for students or faculty staff or both. Ms. Schildroth commented that it was intended to include both. Council Member Martin thought parts of the charge for the Task Force may be going beyond what he was envisioning as a supplemental input function of the Task Force. Mr. Martin recommended removing the “recommendation” language and leaving that duty to the consultant and the Steering Committee based on the input received from the outreach methods. It was also recommended to change the name of “Task Force” as Mr. Martin mentioned it sounded as if the title was allowing the group to be responsible for effecting change; he understood the group to be more of a community input group. It was recommended to change the name to “Supplemental Input Committee” or something else. Another change that Mr. Martin had was for the multi-layer process for the group. He understood the Task Force members to be excellent communicators to ensure that interests are coherent and represented properly, but the sub-groups that the Task Force may assemble makes it 7 too complicated. Mr. Martin wondered if it would be enough to have the Task Force and encourage them to come up with appropriate structures to reach the communities. Ms. Schildroth clarified that the Task Force individuals would go through the appointment process, and anybody that the Task Force is assembling or reaching out to would be determined by the Task Force individuals. Mr. Martin mentioned that made sense to him and that the application was a little confusing and some of the wording in the application may need to be changed to make it clear. City Manager Steve Schainker stated they may be able to simplify everything and give the Task Force separate direction and not necessarily have that information on the application. Council Member Betcher stated she wanted to follow-up on the bullet points that Council Member Martin referred to earlier. She noted that the bullet points seemed to require, at some level, some expertise in sustainability, climate change, or something scientific. The list is broad and doesn’t include scientists or people that may not have that expertise and Ms. Betcher wanted to know if she was reading the Task Force Charge wrong. Assistant City Manager Schildroth stated that the thought behind it was that they were not going to require any climate change expertise for the members on the Task Force. The Task Force members could be learning as they are proceeding with Task Force duties; however, members could be getting the expertise from a sector representative, resource group, or a consultant. Mayor Haila asked if that was the role of the consultant. Ms. Schildroth confirmed that part of it was and that it would help obtain a balance. Ms. Betcher mentioned that she thought the concept of the Task Force would be similar to the way the Campus and Community Commission operates. Ms. Schildroth stated that would be a good analogy. Council Member Betcher explained that when it comes to the list of representatives there is some tinkering that could be done, but she did have a problem with the category “Other” because she would not want to be claimed as “other.” She would prefer if staff could figure out a way to describe the category. It was suggested to just say “Residents who historically have not participated in City policy issues” as that is descriptive of the kinds of people that the City would like to engage in discussions. Ms. Betcher stated she would encourage the overlap on expertise and categories. She suggested having three to five individuals with higher level Climate Change knowledge and gave an example of a member being a student and a resident. Ms. Betcher noted that this has been done with other Commissions and felt it would enrich discussions and might address some of the concerns. Council Member Gartin stated that he assumed that people with a background in climate issues would self-select and someone with no interest and no background are not going to sign up. Mr. Gartin noted he was apprehensive about creating a requirement for the positions. He liked Council Member Martin’s suggestion about renaming the Task Force to something else. He noted that the issue when selecting the target for greenhouse reduction doesn’t fit with the selection of the others and agrees with removing that bullet from the application. Council Member Junck stated that when she reviewed the list there were a lot of different representatives from the community and some areas have two or three representatives, while ISU Student Government and ISU Facilities Planning and Management each only had one representative. Ms. Junck thought there could be a broad difference between representatives from residential opposed to business and she felt the same could be for ISU Student Government. ISU Students could 8 have completely different views on climate action depending on their background, major, and where they live. She felt that expanding ISU Student representatives would be helpful and not just having someone from ISU Student Government. Council Member Beatty-Hansen stated she agreed with adding more students and understands that the residential representative may end up being a student. She would be okay with adding two or three more ISU Student representatives. Ms. Beatty-Hansen agreed with changing the name of the Task Force to something else. The Mayor recommended also removing bullets four and five from the Task Force charge. Ms. Beatty-Hansen agreed. City Manager Schainker commented that if bullets 3-5 are removed the Council could still ask the Task Force. Council Member Corrieri mentioned that most of her comments were similar to what Council Member Martin had already stated. She thought the committee was to serve as a conduit for communication and feedback from the public. She is supportive of removing bullet 3 and removing or revising bullet 4 and 5. Ms. Corrieri felt that bullets 3-5 were asking a lot and she gets a little nervous asking members of the community to go out and research and provide opinions when that is something the consultants, staff, and the Council should be doing. She commented that she was fine with expanding the number of people to the various sectors, but we need to be careful to make sure a broad section of the community is represented. Mayor Haila stated that the Task Force members could be subdivided into three groups and each City representative took a of the group. Ms. Schildroth explained that it would be more doable if the groups are broken down into smaller groups, and then figuring out a way to share the communication amongst the other groups. Sustainability Coordinator Mary Rankin commented that she would agree with Ms. Schildroth about the smaller groups and having that good feedback. She mentioned that an important part of designating different sectors in the application is to ensure that the City is getting the heart and soul perspective from the people that are working in those sectors or managing within those sectors that understand the challenges and obstacles. Public Relations Officer Susan Gwiasda mentioned that it is helpful to hear the Council’s feedback on this topic. She felt that they are looking at the group as balancing ideas that represent the community. There needs to be feedback from everyone and if breaking into smaller groups helps than that is what needs to be done. Mr. Schainker thought it was important to note that there would be no voting on the Task Force. He pointed out that there needs to be enough people to represent different perspectives. Mr. Schainker noted that they want to make sure there is a diverse perspective, and this will help make any final decisions. The Mayor asked how the feedback will be provided to the Council from the different groups. Staff will look at the consultant’s perspective and find what thresholds there may be, and 9 bring a revised Plan to the Council for final approval. He explained that the City can still proceed with hiring a consultant; who will help lay out a game plan to present to the Council. Mr. Schainker pointed out that if someone is not selected to be on the focus group that there will still be plenty of other opportunities to provide input to the Council. Mr. Martin recommended adding a healthcare sector to the group (Mary Greeley Medical Center and McFarland Clinic) as they would have unique needs for energy consumption and footprint. He thought it would be wise for the City to adjust the final committee based on the list of people who apply and not be rigidly based on numbers. Council Member Betcher stated she wanted to go back to her previous comment about the sector resource group representative and sector consultant don’t fit on the application and thought that these people should have a separate form to complete. That list will serve as a resource list for the committee to reach out to. Assistant City Manager Schildroth gave a recap of recommendations: 1.Renaming the “Task Force” to help communicate its role, consider “Supplemental Input Committee or Supplemental Input Focus Group” 2.Under sectors ask President Winterseen to appoint an ISU representative. 3.Add additional ISU students 4.For clarification under community schools, the representatives could be students or staff members 5.Replace the “Other” category with “Residents who historically have not participated in City policy issues. 6.Reach out to the Healthcare sectors about their involvement 7.Other layers of involvement were the Sector Resource Group Representative and Sector Consultants. A list will be collected to have available to the different community sector Task Force members. 8.On the Task Force Charge section remove bullets 3, 4, and 5 and allow the discussion between the Steering Committee and the consultant drive when those topics will come up for feedback. 9.Attempt to simplify the application by cleaning up wording. Council Member Gartin mentioned he was interested in knowing if ISU was doing a parallel Climate Action Plan. Ms. Rankin commented that ISU put forward a Strategic Plan for sustainability and operations that was endorsed by the ISU President in the Fall of 2020. The Strategic Plan specifically notes carbon emission reductions and strategies that are being put forward. Ms. Rankin explained she will send the Strategic Plan link and supporting documents to the Council. Mr. Schainker added that some of the groups will have a lot of people and others that may be short of interested people. He mentioned that they may need the Council to provide a list of names for staff to recruit. Mr. Schainker pointed out that staff will have to be a lot more proactive with getting representation for some groups. 10 Ex officio Whitlock stated her concerns were about the “other” category, and Council Member Betcher already addressed that concern, and Council Member Junck already mentioned adding additional ISU students. Ms. Whitlock commented that one ISU student doesn’t represent how incredibly diverse the ISU students are. Moved by Gartin, seconded Betcher, directing staff to move forward with the input body per the recommendations of Council. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. The Mayor opened public input regarding anything the Council had discussed tonight. Lee Anne Wilson, 5326 Springbrook Drive, Ames, stated this was an interesting process. She wondered about the process about putting together committees as people don’t come with one dimension. She wanted to know if there could be a different format where the City could say they are looking for a robust representation from a list and then have the application put down what categories they would be able to contribute to and assemble a group from that. Ms. Wilson noted that there could be many groups that need representation and have fewer people apply and this may cause some people to get upset. She felt it might be a simpler process. Public input was closed by the Mayor. He noted that this will not be the last opportunity to provide input, and anyone can email the Council or staff at any time during the process. STATE REINVESTMENT DISTRICT INCENTIVE PRE-APPLICATION: City Manager Steve Schainker explained that staff has been working on a complex endeavor for the past few months. The City is trying to create a partnership with a developer to develop the property between Grand Avenue and Kellogg Avenue. It is the hope that when the project is completed it will be a catalyst for the redevelopment of the area. In October, representatives from the Ames Economic Development Commission informed City staff that the State Legislature had authorized an additional $100 million for Iowa Reinvestment District Program. Mr. Schainker explained that the City had to hire three consultants. One consultant was to help give estimates on a new indoor Aquatic Center located across the street from the IA DOT complex, another developer to give concepts and projections on cost for the Downtown Plaza, and finally, as part of the application process, a consulting firm was hired to give economic projections that were required as part of the state program. It should be understood that this incentive does not come in the form of an upfront grant. Rather, only the state portion of the new hotel/motel (5%) and sales taxes (4%) that are generated in the City Council-approved Reinvestment District and Urban Renewal Area will be rebated each year over a twenty-year period to help fund the project. Instead of offering the Reinvestment District incentive revenue to the developer to finance the construction of the mixed-use buildings north of Lincoln Way between Clark Avenue and Kellogg Avenue, the City’s goal in seeking Reinvestment District revenue is to generate these state incentive funds to help mitigate the property tax increase for the construction of a new indoor aquatics center for the City. Mr. Schainker stated that the Reinvestment District Program requires that a proposed district not exceed 75 contiguous acres. By 11 maximizing the size of the district, the City will be able to capture any new state hotel/motel sales tax revenues, up to the initial amount awarded by IEDA from any new projects that are identified in the City Application. The five projects included in the City’s pre-application are as follows: 1. Indoor Aquatics Center - estimated cost of $27,494,000 2. Downtown Plaza - estimated cost of $4,200,000 3.Onondaga Development (Burnett and 5th) 4.Lincoln Way Mixed-Use Development 5.Kellogg Hotel (East of Kellogg) Mr. Schainker commented that there is still a lot of discussions to be had with developers, but the City needs to add in the elements that they can into the pre-application. He went over the financial projections, and the total expenses would be $27,494,000 for the Indoor Aquatic Center. It was noted that the City has $2 million from the Winakor bequest to apply towards the Indoor Aquatics Center. Mr. Schainker mentioned that Dan Culhane, Ames Economic Development Commission, had volunteered to lead the effort to obtain donations for the Aquatics Center. To date Mr. Culhane has secured a $3 million commitment, and he is optimistic he will be able to secure the remaining $5 million of donations in time for the final application. Mr. Schainker stated the way this will work is that the City will have to issue the General Purpose Corporate Bonds and then the hope is to mitigate the principle and interest burden on the taxpayers through the receipt of the Reinvestment District funds. Mr. Schainker went over the estimated Property Tax Obligations. The estimated G.O. Bond Principal Payments came to $17,494,000 and the G.O. Bond Interest Payments were $4,426,746. The consultants estimated that the five projects listed on the pre-application will give a projected Reinvestment District Revenue of $21,527,983. If the consultant’s estimate is correct, the City would only have to raise taxes to cover $392,763 for the Indoor Aquatics Center. Mr. Schainker mentioned he thought that those figures were a bit ambitious, but that is the amount they are going to apply for from the state. There is no guarantee that the full amount will be awarded from the state; a more conservative number was done and that estimate came to $5,627,834 that would need to be raised. If no money was awarded from the state, the Council will need to decide if the City should issue bonds for the $21,920,746. Mr. Schainker wanted to make sure everyone understood that all he is asking for today is approval to submit the pre-application. He noted that all the information in the pre-application will probably be modified. It may be modified due to the amount awarded or during negotiations with the developer. Mr. Schainker also wanted everyone to understand that the developer may walk away, the state may turn down the City’s application, and a lot can still happen, but the City has come this far and should not walk away from the opportunity. Council Member Betcher asked Mr. Schainker to highlight a couple items very clearly for those viewing. She wanted to verify by filing the pre-application, the City is not committing themselves 12 to anything. Mr. Schainker confirmed that was correct and the City can still walk away from the project, and a final agreement will need to be signed. Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann pointed out that the City hasn’t even fulfilled all the requirements; the City still needs an Urban Renewal Area. Ms. Betcher commented that she wanted to make sure the citizens realized that “you can’t win if you don’t play,” and if the City doesn’t submit the pre-application then the City can lose millions of dollars from the state that could have helped fund a project that would otherwise be paid for by taxpayers. There have not been any Agreements signed and only sending a pre-application. Council Member Gartin wanted to clarify how much the Ames Economic Development Commission (AEDC) said they would raise. It was noted that the AEDC will be working on raising $8 million. Mr. Gartin noted that when work was done to raise money for the Healthy Life Center the goal was $6 million. Mr. Schainker noted it was a lot more as it was a bigger project and thought the amount was $29 million that needed to be raised, but he is not sure as he does not have the figures in front of him. Mr. Schainker commented that the AEDC is asking for money from bigger donors as the money needs to be upfront. Mayor Haila opened public comment and closed it when no one came forward. Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann wanted to clarify that the pre-application hasn’t been completed yet, and the estimates on revenues and some of the other figures presented tonight may change as the application is updated before being submitted. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Gartin, authorizing City staff to submit a pre-application to the Iowa Economic Development Authority for the Reinvestment District Program with the understanding that the assumptions, financial projections, and project elements might change after the pre-application receives favorable review and more in-depth negotiations with the developer occur. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, directing staff to begin the required process of establishing an Urban Renewal Area coterminous with the Reinvestment District Boundary. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. URBAN REVITALIZATION AREA ANNUAL REPORT: Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann stated that all five applications are being recommended for approval as requested. The Mayor opened public comment. It was closed when no one came forward. Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-100 approving the requests for tax exemptions for: 415 Stanton, Unit 211; 415 Stanton, Unit 316; 138 Gray Avenue; 311 Ash Avenue; and 1810 SE 16th Street. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. 13 HEARING ON CITY ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM: The Mayor opened the public hearing and closed it after there was no one wishing to speak. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Gartin, to accept the report of bids for the City Access Control System. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. HEARING ON THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT LIME POND UNDERDRAIN IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT: The Mayor opened the public hearing. There was no one wishing to speak, and the hearing was closed. Moved by Gartin, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-101 approving the final plans and specifications and awarding a contract to RW Excavating Solutions, LC, of Prairie City, Iowa, in the amount of $86,635.56. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. HEARING ON THE PROPOSED 2020/21 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN PROJECTS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG), HOME, AND CV-CARES PROGRAMS: Housing Coordinator Vanessa Baker-Latimer explained that the 2020/21 Annual Action Plan was started in March 2020. It was to be submitted to the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in May 2020; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the submittal of the Action Plan was put on hold in order for the City to prepare to implement a CDBG-CV CARES (COVID-19) program in response to the pandemic. There have been a lot of changes to the Plan since last March. Ms. Baker-Latimer explained that they had to add the Round 1 and Round 3 funding that was received for the CV-CDBG CARES program. She pointed out that the 2019 Action Plan was amended three times in order to add the funds. An activity for the disposition of the 6th Street properties was added to the Plan. The sale of the 6th Street property was needed to support the infrastructure project for the Baker Subdivision. Funds were set aside for the appraisal, abstracting, and other items that needed to be done to get the 6th Street property sold. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Assistance money was added to the Plan. She noted that staff debated if the LIHTC Assistance money should be added to this year or next year's budget, but in order to make the application strong with Prairie Fire, it was decided to include the LIHTC money in this year's Plan. Ms. Baker-Latimer noted that as the proposal was reviewed with Prairie Fire and changes were made it was asked to increase the HOME for LIHTC Assistance funds from $250,000 to $350,000. The Mayor opened the public hearing and closed it after there was no one wishing to speak. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-102 approving the Annual Action Plan Projects and directing staff to submit the Plan for approval by HUD no later than February 28, 2021. 14 Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. Ms. Baker-Latimer mentioned to the Council that next month they will be seeing the 2021/22 Action Plan that will be due in a few months. She appreciated the Council’s support. HEARING ON ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT TO THE DOWNTOWN SERVICE CENTER ZONING DISTRICT TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF VEHICLE PARKING SPACES REQUIRED FOR APARTMENT USE: Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann mentioned that staff will be coming back to the Council with the other two issues regarding overnight parking and remote parking in the general area later. The public hearing was opened by the Mayor. He closed the hearing after no one asked to speak. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Gartin, to pass on first reading an ordinance on a Zoning Text Amendment to the Downtown Service Center Zoning District to reduce the number of vehicle parking spaces required for apartment use. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. HEARING ON REZONING OF 2801 & 2803 WEST STREET FROM RESIDENTIAL HIGH DENSITY TO NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL WITH UNIVERSITY WEST IMPACT OVERLAY: City Planner Justin Moore stated that the property owner is requesting a rezoning of single parcel of land location ate 2801 West street from Residential High Density (RH) to Neighborhood Commercial (NC) with the University West Impact Overlay. The owner had approached staff about adding one additional residential unit into the small apartment building on the lot. The lot currently contains a small apartment building and a small commercial building, both on the same lot. Under the RH standards having two building with different uses on the same lot makes both uses non-conforming. As a non-conforming principal use there can be no additional units added to the apartment building according to the standards in Section 29.307(2)(a)(b)©, which restrict intensification and the addition of dwelling units in non-conforming apartments. The Neighborhood Commercial zoning classification allows for both household living and commercial uses to exist as principal uses on the same lot and have multiple buildings on a lot. Staff had reviewed the request and found that the addition of a dwelling unit within the existing building would not trigger additional parking or other site improvements due to the existing count of bedrooms within the apartments. Council Member Gartin inquired if this area was where the barbershop was. Mr. Moore confirmed that was correct. Mr. Gartin wanted to know what could be done differently with this property. Mr. Moore stated that with a NC zoning designation in the future the property could have a stand-alone commercial use on it. It was pointed out that in the future if there was an increase to the size of the existing building or any increase in impervious area over 150 square feet would trigger a Minor Site Development Plan review, and then the property would need to be brought into compliance with the Site Development Standards under the Zoning Ordinance. The NC designation does open more 15 possibilities for more commercial use on the site as well as permitting residential use to co-exist with it. Mr. Gartin stated they would be changing the zoning for one property, but could change the use down the road. It was asked if the access to the property was on West Street. City Planner Moore stated that the property is accessed primarily off Hyland from the east and with shared access to the north. The primary front of both the apartment and barbershop front West Street with vehicular access off Hyland. Mayor Haila opened public comment and closed it when no one came forward. Moved by Martin, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to pass on first reading an ordinance rezoning 2801 & 2803 West Street from Residential High Density to Neighborhood Commercial with University West Impact Overly. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. HEARING ON MAXIMUM LEVY: Finance Director Duane Pitcher commented the hearing for this item was set at the last meeting. This is a process that started a year ago, which requires the traditional means of publishing and posting on different social media sites. The adoption of a maximum property tax levy must be done for any year that the City expects to adopt a budget that includes a levy of property taxes (excluding debt service) exceeding 102 percent of the prior budget. Mayor Haila opened public input. It was closed when no one came forward. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-103 approving the maximum levy amount of $22,401,045. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-104 setting March 9, 2021, as the date of the final public hearing on the Adjusted Budget for FY 2020/21. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. Moved by Gartin, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-105 setting March 9, 2021, as the date of the final public hearing and adoption of the proposed budget for FY 2021/22. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. ORDINANCE REQUIRING SECONDHAND DEALERS TO OBTAIN A PERMIT TO CONDUCT BUSINESS WITHIN THE CITY OF AMES: City Attorney Mark Lambert explained that this is to correct an oversight in the Ordinance. Part of the purpose of revising this Ordinance six years ago was to expand the requirement for pawnbrokers to keep records of items received, who they were purchased from, serial numbers, etc., and to apply those same requirements to “Secondhand Good Dealers.” 16 The public hearing was opened by the Mayor. He closed the hearing after no one asked to speak. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to pass on first reading an ordinance requiring Secondhand Dealers to obtain a permit to conduct business within the City of Ames. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. ORDINANCE SETTING THE SPEED LIMIT FOR THE NEW SOUTH 5TH STREET EXTENSION: Council Member Beatty-Hansen asked if this item should have the rules suspended. The Mayor stated that it is up to the Council. Ms. Beatty-Hansen stated that this was done before with a speed limit ordinance. The Mayor opened the public hearing and closed it after there was no one wishing to speak. Moved by Junck, seconded by Betcher, to pass on first reading an ordinance setting the speed limit for the new South 5th Street extension. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to suspend the rules necessary for the adoption of an ordinance. Roll Call Vote: 5-1. Voting Aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Junck. Voting Nay: Martin. Motion declared carried. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to pass on second reading an Ordinance setting the speed limit for the new South 5th Street extension. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 4431 setting the speed limit for the new South 5th Street extension. 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 mentioned the first item was a memo from Interim Police Chief Geoff Huff giving a liquor license update. City Manager Steve Schainker explained that no action was needed from the Council. The second item was a memo from Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips regarding the Public Art Commission’s research into options for painting or wrapping electrical transformers in the Downtown area. Mr. Schainker mentioned that the project will move forward unless the Council objected. No objections were made. The Mayor mentioned that there was another item that was not on the list. Council Member Martin explained that the Council received an email from Scott Kostohryz that stated, “now that the U.S. Board of Geographic’s Names has approved the name change of Squaw Creek to Ioway Creek, I 17 believe that it is only prudent to remove the word Squaw from Squaw Creek Drive and Squaw Creek Gardens in Ames, as well.” Moved by Martin, seconded by Betcher, to ask staff for a memo on fixing street names, park names, community garden names, and what it would take to also update the relevant maps and signs that the City provides and controls. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Council Member Beatty-Hansen stated that the Council received an email from Chad Watkins regarding reimbursement for vending license for last year. City Manager Steve Schainker explained that the amount to refund is very small and suggested the Council give him direction to handle the refunds administratively. Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips noted that there would be five vending licenses that would need to be refunded. It is $50 a year for a license; three of the licenses were held by Mr. Watkins and the other two were other individuals. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Junck, to empower staff to deal with the reimbursement of those vendor licenses as mentioned. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Council Member Martin stated he had a couple of items to discuss. The first item was regarding the payroll shift of the City Assessor’s office. He explained that Mr. Phillips had sent the Council a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Moved by Martin, seconded by Betcher, to place the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a City Council Agenda. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Mr. Martin noted that his second item relates to what else the Council could be doing for sustainability. He mentioned that there was a motion on July 23, 2019, to have staff bring back additional information to Council on the Alliant model for net-metering with a goal of improving the incentives that Ames offers for solar customers. Mr. Martin stated he didn’t remember this item coming back to the Council. Mr. Schainker thought that Electric Services Director Don Kom had sent out a memo. Council Member Betcher thought a memo was sent out or the information was given to the Council orally at a meeting. Mr. Schainker mentioned that he can follow-up and get a report on net-metering. Moved by Martin, seconded by Junck, to ask City Manager Schainker to refresh the Council’s memory on the response to the July 23, 2019, motion regarding net-metering. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Council Member Betcher thanked the Ames Fire Department for saving her office building on Campus. She has an office at Ross Hall and the Fire Department did a great job putting out a fire that could have been a lot worse. She mentioned that she also wanted to follow-up on the suggested 18 change to the Consent Agenda policy about removing items from the Consent Agenda. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to put on a future agenda a discussion regarding the process of pulling items from the Consent Agenda Vote on Motion: 4-2. Voting Aye: Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Junck. Voting Nay: Beatty-Hansen, Martin. Motion declared carried. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Betcher to adjourn the meeting at 8:31 p.m. ______________________________________________________________________ Amy L. Colwell, Deputy City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor __________________________________ Diane R. Voss, City Clerk 19