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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - July 27, 2021, Regular Meeting of the Ames City CouncilMINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CONFERENCE BOARD AND REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA JULY 27, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CONFERENCE BOARD The Special Meeting of the Ames Conference Board was called to order by Chairman John Haila at 6:00 p.m. on July 27, 2021. Present from the Ames City Council were 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. Council Member Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen was absent. Ames Community School Board, Nevada School Board, United Community School Board, and Gilbert School Board Community were not represented. Mayor Haila announced that the City is working from an Amended Agenda and part of the Amended Agenda included a Special Meeting of the Ames Conference Board. DISCUSSION OF NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS TO HIRE A NEW AMES CITY ASSESSOR: Mayor Haila stated that the Conference Board had received a letter of resignation from Brenda Nelson, City Assessor. He wanted to review the process that the Conference Board will need to go through to appoint a new City Assessor. It was mentioned that the City Assessor is tasked with appointing a Deputy Assessor and that had not happened before the resignation of Ms. Nelson. Per Iowa Code, the City Clerk automatically becomes the Acting City Assessor. In discussions with City Administration, Diane Voss, City Clerk, has the authority to appoint/ask someone to assist her. Staff is going through the process of asking Assistant City Manager Deb Schildroth to provide some administrative oversight. The work will continue in the City Assessor’s office, as it was previously, and no work will be done by Ms. Schildroth other than being a point of contact for minor administrative duties. The Mayor mentioned that while Ms. Nelson was present she had been looking for ways to continue to strengthen and make improvements to the Assessor Department. It had become apparent that this would be a great opportunity for the Conference Board to request an independent entity to come in and look over the office. He commented that he and Ms. Schildroth contacted the Department of Revenue and found an individual who has done the type of assessments that the City Assessor needs. Mayor Haila wanted to be clear that staff does not anticipate or expect to find anything that is untoward, but will be more of what opportunities there are for improvements. He wanted to bring to the Board’s attention and ask permission to invite the Department of Revenue to review procedures on site. Council Member Betcher inquired how long the assessment may take. The Mayor stated that the Iowa Department of Revenue’s office indicated that the review itself would take a couple of days. He hopes that the Report from the Department of Revenue could be shared with potential applicants to explain what the City is expecting. Story County Supervisor Lisa Heddens asked how long it would be before a representative from the Department of Revenue could come do its review. It was being anticipated that someone from the Department of Revenue would be arriving in mid-August, and it is the hope that by the end of August there would be a Report available to show the Conference Board. Per Iowa Code there needs to be an Examining Board in place. The Examining Board is made up of three individuals; one appointed by City Council, one appointed by the Board of Supervisors, and one appointed by the School Boards. The Examining Board’s duties are to procure a list of eligible candidates for the Assessor’s position from the Department of Revenue and to handle any employment issues within the Assessor’s office. The Examining Board will handle procuring resumes, potentially going through and doing some solicitations, and hearing personnel issues. It was mentioned that it is preferred that a candidate for the Examining Board have some human relations background. Mayor Haila notified the Board that any candidate for the Examining Board must live within the Ames City limits. The Mayor will reach out to the School Boards about appointing someone. There may be a few special meetings of the Conference Board needed in the near future to approve appointees. Mayor Haila stated that the Iowa Code states that within seven days of the Assessor resigning, the Examining Board is to request a list. He had spoken to the Department of Revenue to let them know that the City of Ames would like to have the review done before starting the process of looking for a new Assessor and the Department of Revenue understood. The Mayor mentioned that there was no penalty for not following the seven days; however, he wanted the Conference Board to be aware of what the Code stated. Lastly, there is a Mini Board (City Council representative, Board of Supervisor Representative, and each School Board has a representative for a total of six members), which is a subcommittee of the Conference Board. The Mayor would like to empower the Mini Board to receive the Report from the Department of Revenue, discuss the findings, and then report back to the Conference Board. The Mayor stated the City is going to be aggressive in seeking a City Assessor. He noted that during the last recruitment there, was a small applicant pool to choose from. CONFERENCE BOARD COMMENTS: Story County Supervisor Heddens explained that tonight’s Agenda was combined with the Regular City Council Agenda and to find the Conference Board Agenda someone would have to do some digging in order to find it as it was not listed anywhere. She asked to keep those separate to help locate the Agenda easier. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Corrieri to adjourn the Ames Conference Board meeting at 6:14 p.m. 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 6:16 p.m. on July 27, 2021, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law. Present were Council Members Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, and 2 David Martin. Council Member Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen and ex officio Member Trevor Poundstone were absent. The Mayor announced that the Council was working off an Amended Agenda. City staff added an item to the Consent Agenda to approve a contract and bond for the Prairie View Industrial Center Utility Extension Project. The Pending Dram Shop Insurance was removed from Consent Item 8g; a correction was made to the dollar amount listed for Item No. 23 and 30b; and the date of the public hearing for Item No. 31d was corrected. CONSENT AGENDA: Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda. 1.Motion approving payment of claims 2.Motion approving Minutes of Regular Meeting held July 13, 2021, and Special Meeting held July 22, 2021 3.Motion certifying Civil Service candidates 4.Motion approving Report of Change Orders for period July 1 - 15, 2021 5.Motion approving ownership change for Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer) and Sunday Sales - Kum & Go #1215, 4506 Lincoln Way 6.Motion approving ownership change for Class C Liquor License with Catering Privilege and Sunday Sales - Texas Roadhouse, 519 South Duff Avenue 7.Motion approving ownership change for Class A Liquor License - Green Hills Residents’ Association, 2200 Hamilton Drive, Suite 100 8.Motion approving renewal of the following Beer Permits, Wine Permits and Liquor Licenses: a.Class C Liquor License with Catering Privilege, Outdoor Service & Sunday Sales - Cyclone Experience Network, 1800 S 4th Street Pending Dram Shop Insurance b.Class C Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit & Sunday Sales - Hy-Vee Market Grille, 640 Lincoln Way c.Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit and Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer) - Fareway Meat Market #189, 3720 Lincoln Way d.Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service, Catering Privilege, Class B Native Wine Permit, Outdoor Service & Sunday Sales - The Mucky Duck Pub, 3100 S Duff Avenue e.Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer) and Sunday Sales - Kum & Go #1215, 4506 Lincoln Way f.Class C Liquor License with Sunday Sales - Es Tas Stanton, 216 Stanton g.Special Class C Liquor License with Sunday Sales - New Hickory Holding Company, 1404 S. Duff Avenue h.Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales - La Casa Maya, 631 Lincoln Way 9.RESOLUTION NO. 21-405 approving Investment Report for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2021 10.RESOLUTION NO. 21-406 appointing Chunhui Chen to the Ames Human Relations 3 Commission 11.RESOLUTION NO. 21-407 approving Agreement between Ames Human Relations Commission and Iowa Civil Rights Commission regarding Intake and Investigation of Civil Rights Complaints 12.RESOLUTION NO. 21-408 approving Official Statement for General Obligation Corporate Purpose Bonds, Series 2021A, setting date of sale for August 10, 2021, and authorizing electronic bidding for the sale 13.RESOLUTION NO. 21-409 approving renewal of contract with EMC Risk Services, LLC, of Des Moines, Iowa, to provide third-party administration of the City’s Worker’s Compensation and Municipal Fire and Police “411 System” claims for August 1, 2021, through July 31, 2022, at a cost not to exceed $55,000 14.RESOLUTION NO. 21-410 approving Professional Services Agreement with WHKS & Co., of Ames, Iowa, for the 2021/22 Shared Use Path System Expansion - Ioway Creek (SE 16th Street to S 5th Street) in an amount not to exceed $72,400 15.RESOLUTION NO. 21-411 approving Professional Services Agreement with MSA of Ankeny, Iowa, for 2021/22 Arterial Street Pavement Improvements (Ontario and North Dakota) in an amount not to exceed $82,125 16.RESOLUTION NO. 21-412 approving Ames Sanitary Landfill Environmental Covenant with Iowa Department of Natural Resources 17.RESOLUTION NO. 21-413 reauthorizing the GIS Software Enterprise Licensing Agreement with Environmental Systems Research Institute of Redlands, California, for a term of 3 years at a rate of $66,500 per annum 18.Ames on the Half Shell: a.RESOLUTION NO. 21-414 waiving enforcement of prohibition of alcohol consumption in Bandshell Park (Section 17.17 of Municipal Code) from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Friday, August 13, 2021 b.Motion authorizing Parks & Recreation Director or designee to administratively approve alternative dates during August and September 2021 should additional cancellations occur 19.RESOLUTION NO. 21-415 approving preliminary plans and specifications for 2021/22 Shared Use Path Maintenance setting August 18, 2021, as bid due date and August 24, 2021, as date of public hearing 20.RESOLUTION NO. 21-416 approving contract and bond for 2020/21 Arterial Street Pavement Improvements - 13th Street (Duff Avenue to Meadowlane Avenue) 21.RESOLUTION NO. 21-417 approving contract and bond for Sludge Pumping Building Improvements Project 22.RESOLUTION NO. 21-430 approving contract and bond for Prairie View Industrial Center Utility Extension Project 22.RESOLUTION NO. 21-418 approving Change Order No. 4 for the 2018/19 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation (Siphon) in the amount of $126,739.20 23.RESOLUTION NO. 21-419 approving Change Order No. 1 for Electric Services Underground Trenching in the amount of $67,000 24.Major Final Plat for Scenic Valley Subdivision, 6th Addition: 4 a.RESOLUTION NO. 21-420 approving partial completion of public improvements b.RESOLUTION NO. 21-421 approving Major Final Plat 25.RESOLUTION NO. 21-422 approving completion of Emma McCarthy Lee Park Bridge Project 26.RESOLUTION NO. 21-423 approving completion of Inis Grove Park Sidewalk Project 27.RESOLUTION NO. 21-424 approving completion of the Electric Distribution Parking Lot Reconstruction 28.Water Treatment Plant Lime Sludge Disposal: a.RESOLUTION NO. 21-425 accepting completion of Year Three (FY 2020/21) Lime Sludge Disposal Contract with Wulfekuhle Injection and Pumping, Inc., of New Vienna, Iowa, in the final amount of $341,217.54 b.RESOLUTION NO. 21-426 awarding Year Four (FY 2021/22) Lime Sludge Disposal Contract with Wulfekuhle Injection and Pumping, Inc., of New Vienna, Iowa, in the amount of $381,900 Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Motions/Resolutions declared carried/adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. PUBLIC FORUM: Tom Cackler, 4909 West 190th Street, Ames, noted that the Council had received correspondence regarding his request. He would like to do a three lot Subdivision on his property. Mr. Cackler had gone through the Planning Department to have his request considered and his request was rejected. Planning staff had told Mr. Cackler his next step would be to write a letter to the City Council. He noted that this afternoon he had received a letter from the Planning Director indicating that his request would be under tonight’s Disposition discussion. Mr. Cackler asked the Council to consider letting him move forward with his request. He understands that the Ames Urban Fringe Plan is an important document, but has some concerns about how it is being implemented for existing land owners. Mr. Cackler believed that what he was requesting would be compatible with the goals of the Fringe Plan and would like to have the opportunity to present them. Mayor Haila told Mr. Cackler that the memo from staff was just received today so it will go out in Council Packets this Friday. This will mean that the Council will determine if they want to take any action on his request at the City Council Workshop on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. City Manager Steve Schainker commented that there was some confusion, but in order to follow Council policy, the staff memo was received on Monday and the cut-off for any items to be on a Council Agenda is the Friday before a Council meeting. DISCUSSION WITH ASSET VOLUNTEERS REGARDING FY 2022-23 ASSET PRIORITIES: Assistant City Manager Deb Schildroth mentioned that the ASSET funding process for FY 2022/23 will begin in August 2021. She explained that ASSET has a total of six volunteers; two members were present (Andrea Rich and Ed Gillott). Last year the priorities were kept the same as FY 2020/21 because the results of the 2020 Community Needs Assessment were delayed due to COVID-19. In early 2021, the assessment results became available. The ASSET Joint Funders held a special meeting on May 5, 2021, when the assessment process and results were presented. Across all sources of the data collection methods used in the assessment, the top health and human services 5 needs were as follows (listed in priority order with the most important listed first: 1) mental health services, 2) food security, 3) housing, 4) child care, 5) suicide prevention, and 6) income. The changes being recommended more closely align in priority with the assessment results and add a couple of service areas. Council Member Martin thanked the ASSET volunteers for adding the letters to the sub-priorities to make it easier to identify which bullet they would be discussing. He noticed that the previous priorities referred to substance abuse prevention where the new priority refers to substance use prevention, which is a different word and meaning. Mr. Martin asked if that was intentionally done. Ms. Schildroth commented that it was. The Board is updating language and terms that are currently used in those sectors of service. Council Member Betcher noted that back in November 2020, there was a discussion on whether or not Council has been foregrounding social justice issues or health equity as something that comes through in their priorities. Ms. Schildroth mentioned that the services that come through the ASSET process do overlap in serving those individuals that tend to fall in the social justice population groups. ASSET is going to start looking at information collected from the agencies and make sure that the services provided are available to everyone. If there are any discrepancies that come up from the agencies then ASSET will want to know what those agencies’ plans are to serve those individuals. Ms. Betcher mentioned that she had brought this up as she is hoping that the Council will start a discussion about social justices. She does not want to change the priorities that are listed, but to look at the way the Council’s policies and priorities align with their Goals and Vision. Council Member Gartin commented that prioritizing and giving greater weight to mental health is consistent with what he has heard. He mentioned that it has been a difficult year and families are struggling. Volunteer Member Andrea Rich stated that the Community Needs Assessment was an eye opener for her on the mental health needs, especially for young people. She mentioned that there are limited funds and the Volunteers have been working to follow the priorities even when the decisions are very difficult. Volunteer Member Ed Gillott explained that he has worked in the Human Services field for 30 years and he understands the process from a provider standpoint. The issues have not changed in 30 years as there is still a need for families with young children. The work the Volunteers are doing is as important as ever. Mr. Gillott stated that putting emphasis on the priorities is a great way to make these issues more visible and make items a priority when deciding where the money should go. Ms. Schildroth gave a brief overview of what ASSET volunteers do throughout its process. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to approve the City of Ames ASSET Priorities for the FY 2022-23 Funding Cycle. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. 6 Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to have a Council Workshop sometime before the next round of funding to discuss the ways in which the Council’s Visions and Goals related to inclusion and creating a diverse community should or should not be used in establishing the ASSET funding priorities. Council Member Betcher stated her motion was meant to start a discussion about the goals and how they are playing out in the funding and if the Council should be looking at its goals, and whether how many units they fund and how those units are utilized in the community. She didn’t believe that Council has had this type of discussion before and felt a regular City Council meeting would not be an appropriate time to have the discussion. Council Member Martin stated he thought it was a great idea to have the conversation, but not sure an entire Workshop would be appropriate. Ms. Betcher explained the Workshop could be short or added onto another Workshop. Council Member Gartin wanted to know what the Council is doing that needs to be improved. Ms. Betcher stated she didn’t have an example, but the question is what does the Council see as the endgame. Right now, she gets the impression that the Council is concerned about units of service, how those units are distributed, and how much the City is paying for different contracts. Ms. Corrieri commented that the agencies have moved away from units and now report on the outcomes established by United Way and ASSET on a quarterly or annual basis already. She mentioned the agencies are all reporting using Scorecard and each agency has different outcomes based on the services they provide. Ms. Corrieri felt it would be more appropriate to incorporate social justice outcomes as part of what they are already reporting through the services. Ms. Betcher stated she doesn’t disagree, but as a policy setting body the Council should be asking themselves “what is the policy they are setting.” Mr. Gartin noted that he is still lost as still doesn’t see what the Council could be doing differently and what could be achieved through having a Workshop. Ms. Betcher stated that she trusts the agencies and the Board, but should be asking how they apply to ASSET priorities. Vote on Motion: 3-2. Voting Aye: Betcher, Junck, Martin. Voting Nay: Corrieri, Gartin. Motion declared carried. Ms. Schildroth asked for clarification on the timing and wanted to know if the Workshop would need to happen before the Council votes on the allocation amounts. Ms. Betcher didn’t want to change this year’s priorities, but recommended having a Workshop before the next discussion of these priorities, which would be before July 2022. DOWNTOWN PLAZA: Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann stated that Fleet Services Director Corey Mellies will be the project manager as the project moves from the planning stages to the construction stages. Director Mellies explained staff is asking the Council to waive Purchasing Policies to be able to move forward with Confluence. The waiver is being asked for in order to move forward with the process and start construction next summer. The plan would be to start construction on the new Plaza once construction of the parking lot is completed on 6th Street. He noted that in the Staff Report there is information about the updated costs. Tonight is the first step to get the project 7 going and he mentioned that more than likely they will have to look at ways to reduce costs on the project. The goal is to come back to the Council in September 2021 to discuss the ice system. Council Member Martin wanted to clarify that the waiver being requested was not for the actual construction of the Plaza. Mr. Mellies confirmed it was not, but the waiver is to enter into a Professional Services Agreement with Confluence. City Manager Steve Schainker explained that the Council had asked staff to go back and get updated costs for the Indoor Aquatic Center and staff has done that as well for the Plaza. He noted the figures are not based on an updated design, but on conservative estimates from the consulting group on a percentage increase. Mr. Schainker mentioned that the current budget is $3.7 million, and the estimated costs are $4.2; there is a shortfall of about $1.2 million. There is hope that the bidding environment will change, otherwise staff will need to cut costs or try to find extra money in the budget to allocate to this project. The Council committed to this project no matter what as this is part of the Local Match with the Iowa Reinvestment District. The only risk is to proceed with the design fees and if it comes to the point that the numbers are too high and staff can’t reduce costs, those designs are already in place to use later. Mayor Haila stated he has always been an advocate for alternates, and it would be helpful to have alternates added to the specifications. Mr. Mellies noted they will look at alternates and deducts. There have been preliminary discussions about having two bids; one to do the street work and grading on Clark and then come back and do more of the infrastructure. Moved by Martin, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-427 waiving the Purchasing Policies and Procedures for competitive bidding of professional services and approving a single-source contract. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. Moved by Martin, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-428 awarding a contract to Confluence of Des Moines, Iowa, for the design and construction management of the Downtown Plaza in the amount of $325,250 City Manager Schainker wanted to clarify that the $325,250 does not include design services for a full ice system. This was not included in the amount as the discussion of synthetic or full ice will be brought to the City Council for a decision on what will be implemented later. If the full ice system is chosen, there will be $52,000 in additional design fees. Council Member Gartin asked, when thinking about the design for the Plaza, did staff also consider the maintenance of the area. Mr. Schainker explained that Parks and Recreation has been included in conversations and is aware of the maintenance that will be required. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. 8 DOWNTOWN REINVESTMENT DISTRICT URBAN RENEWAL AREA AND PLAN: Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann noted this is the first step in the process to create an Urban Renewal Area that would have the same boundaries as they are included in the Iowa Reinvestment District Application. Urban Renewal not only has a map that identifies the area where the City has Urban Renewal power, but the City also has to list out the activities and projects that the City will undertake for the purposes of Urban Renewal. Those activities and projects are listed in the Draft Plan. The second part that needs to be addressed is if the City is going to use Tax Increment Financing (TIF). The Urban Renewal Plan must reflect if, and how, TIF funds will be used. The identified amount of TIF funds is a cap on the amount of TIF that can be collected in support of Urban Renewal Projects. Additional projects, or any increase in the TIF that exceeds what is authorized in the Plan, would require an amendment to the Plan. The Plan identifies up to $30 million dollars for use in facilitating private development. The Reinvestment District Application identified $25 million for the Lincoln Way Mixed Use Development and $3.5 million for the future Kellogg Hotel. Based upon escalated costs, staff has increased the potential amount of TIF that could be applied to private development projects. The Plan also includes $2 million for property acquisition to either remediate blight or for economic development purposes. The total amount of potential TIF is $32 million. After reviewing the Plan with legal counsel there were a couple of edits that needed to be made to the Draft Plan. Under Section VI: Renewal Projects and Activities there is a table that is listed as “Public Improvement Projects” and a note is going to be added to each of the estimated costs stating, “these costs may vary depending on final design and timing of construction.” Director Diekmann stated in the same table there is a project listed as “Pedestrian and bicycle facility enhancement,” which is meant to be a broad program and the notes on the side list specific projects. It will be better for the City to leave the notes as broad as possible. Staff will be deleting the sentences that reference the street level and the pedestrian bridge. The final edit is under Section VII: Types of Renewal Activities, under subsection B (General Obligation Bonds) the second paragraph is not necessary as it mentions how some projects may not be economically viable without incentives. Director Diekmann explained it is talking about the City’s own project and the City does not give incentives to themselves. City Manager Schainker mentioned this project is unusual as normally when the City does an Urban Renewal Plan there is only one project in place. The City is creating this Urban Renewal District for a 75-acre parcel that may last 20 years. There could be many more projects that may come up. Mr. Schainker noted it was important to emphasize that approval of the proposed Downtown Reinvestment District Urban Renewal Plan does not directly commit the City to any of the projects described in the Plan as they will be subsequently and individually approved by the City Council on a case-by-case basis. Director Diekmann explained that with TIF, this will set up the authority to have TIF in the future, but the Council will have to adopt an ordinance that is much more specific on how the funding is generated, a timeframe, and distribution. Council Member Betcher stated there were some questions from residents wondering what would happen if the Indoor Aquatic Center did not get built. She explained that the City is not locked into 9 describing the Urban Renewal Area (URA) as it is delineated in the report. Mr. Diekmann explained that the Council can repeal the Plan at any time or make amendments to make the boundaries smaller. The URA is an implementing tool consistent with the City’s Policy direction. Mayor Haila opened public input and closed it when no one came forward to speak. Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-429 approving the Necessity to initiate the proceedings for creating an Urban Renewal Area. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Martin, to forward the draft Urban Renewal Plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission for recommendation. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to appoint staff from the Planning & Housing Department as the City’s representative to the consultation with affected taxing entities. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Gartin, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-429 setting August 24, 2021, as the date of public hearing for the Urban Renewal Plan. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. DIRECTING STAFF REGARDING THE ISSUING PROCESS FOR GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS RELATING TO THE INDOOR AQUATIC CENTER: City Manager Steve Schainker explained that there are three financing options for the City Council to choose from for the Aquatics Center to be pursued. The three options were: 1) Urban Renewal, 2) Referendum Election, and 3) Hybrid Urban Renewal and Referendum Election. Mr. Schainker noted that regardless of which financing option the Council chooses, staff will need to notify the public on the project. The Mayor opened public input. It was closed when no one came forward to speak. Mr. Schainker explained that if the Council approves the Downtown Reinvestment District Urban Renewal Plan on August 24, 2021, and wants to proceed with the Urban Renewal financing option, at the meeting on August 24, 2021, staff would give notice to the public that it intends to issue bonds for the Indoor Aquatic Center. The next step would be on September 14, 2021, where the Council would consider the Resolution for the issuance of the bonds, and at that time, a petition would have to be submitted by the close of the hearing to ask for an election instead of doing the Urban Renewal process. If a petition is received, staff only has two days to verify the names before the September 16, 2021 deadline to notify the County Auditor. 10 Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to move forward with the Urban Renewal financing option. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Mr. Schainker wanted to emphasize that Council had wanted staff to go back and look at the updated costs that increased the project costs to $31 million. He explained in the next couple of months staff is going to try and refine that total. The costs will be conceptual costs and not design costs, as staff will have to sell the bonds to enable the City to hire a design engineer. Mr. Schainker mentioned that the numbers will continue to change as a consultant is hired. He wants to get the best information possible for when they start the public campaign. STAFF REPORT REGARDING ADDRESSING THE NEED FOR SMALL INDUSTRIAL LOTS: City Planner Justin Moore explained that the City had received a proposal from a developer to use Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to help finance a proposed new industrial park on land they are proposing to annex into the City along Dayton Road near the USDA facilities. At the May 25, 2021, meeting, the City Council directed staff to study the availability of smaller industrial lots within the City. The smaller industrial lots would be categorized as General Industrial (GI). A map was shown overhead that indicated the GI zoning is primarily concentrated in east Ames near Dayton and Bell Avenues and East Lincoln Way. Staff looked at properties that were fewer than ten acres that were not yet built upon. Staff found there were 65 unbuilt GI zoned lots in the City. Of those unbuilt lots, 61 are less than ten acres in size. However, of these small lots, 33 of them are located within a floodplain, leaving 28 potentially developable. Many of the currently unbuilt lots are located along Freel Drive and Southeast 5th Street, which is in the floodplain. Additionally, Freel Drive must be paved. Development would be permitted in the floodway fringe areas, but the costs to fill and elevate structures along with increased flood insurance premiums make development less practical. Mr. Moore commented that staff also took into consideration any nearby competing business or industrial park. Staff looked at Boone County small industrial lots. The land immediately west of Boone County has seen some development of commercial and industrial service uses over the last 15 years and is part of a Tier 2 area for the Ames Plan 2040. The rate of development in this area has been slow since it initially started in the early 2000s and has not had any significant additions in over a decade. Based on these development trends, staff did not view the Boone County area as being in a competitive position or posing a current market alternative to provide for industrial land that meets similar needs to those described within Ames. Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann wanted to clarify that the map that showed the South Bell area is now different because the records in GIS were from January and three of the lots now have construction started on them. City Manager Steve Schainker pointed out that the analysis proves there is a need for small lots and Council will need to decide if the City wants to provide incentives or let the market handle it. Staff does not feel comfortable with responding to the first request and felt it would be more appropriate to look at a competitive process. The cost will have to be evaluated as the City will have to pay the cost upfront and the cost will be paid back through the TIF. 11 Council Member Gartin mentioned this is a complicated item and wanted to know what the long- term objective was. Mr. Schainker stated that the City wants to increase its tax base, more specifically industrial tax base, which will create more jobs. He noted that by doing this the City will be picking one group that will have the ability to sell those lots cheaper as they will not have to pay for the infrastructure or the cost of acquisition. Creating smaller lots is keeping with the Council’s vision of Economic Development. Council Member Martin stated that staff had done a great job showing the need for small lots in Ames. Mr. Martin stated his recollection is that a property owner and developer come to the City saying, “we have this property and we would like to annex it to the City, and they would like it to be industrial zoned and by the way they would like a TIF.” His question for the City was what is the argument that a public investment is required to get that to happen as opposed to someone who wants to have industrial zoning on its own property. Mr. Schainker noted that the City is not responding to the one property, but is going to solicit proposals. Director Diekmann stated the person who made the request is present and could speak to that question. Mr. Martin commented that he would like to hear that; however, he wanted to know what the City’s obligation is to use public funds. Mr. Schainker pointed out that there is no obligation for the City. He stated that the Council will have to look at previous requests for TIF to justify if they thought it was successful to offer the TIF or not. Mr. Diekmann mentioned that the “niche” that is being discussed is difficult to gage economically on what would happen. The market would be for small businesses and some are lower operating costs and need lower capital costs to have a business in Ames. Mayor Haila opened public input. Chuck Winkleblack, 105 S. 16th Street, Ames, noted that he wanted to show the real need and doesn’t disagree with staff, but he happened to know about the properties more specifically. The number actually available to be purchased and built on is closer to zero. He showed overhead the map of the 28 lots that were fewer than ten acre lots that were unbuilt GI Zoned properties outside the floodplain. Mr. Winkleblack went through each of the properties and pointed out what each property was and indicated that the majority of the lots were not for sale. He noted that developers have come in, and when looking at all the complications of building on Freel Drive, they find it is not a viable option. Mr. Winkleblack answered that a request was submitted to the City for annexation and industrial development, but the lots would end up being 10-20 acre lots that would not require infrastructure to be added. He noted that they are competing with Huxley, Nevada, Boone, and other places where other cities will give people land if they will build a building. The intent is to buy down the cost of the infrastructure to make it available to customers. Mr. Winkleblack commented that some of the development standards within the City of Ames are far more difficult than in other surrounding communities, and all these things drive up the price for the end user and the developer for the lots. Public Input was closed when no one else came up to speak. Director Diekmann stated that if Council chooses the RFP process, staff would not be able to work 12 on developing the RFP until later this fall. With the Ames Plan 2040, he did not want to commit any resources anywhere until public outreach was done. Moved by Martin, seconded by Corrieri, to direct staff to prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) for competitive bidding process with proposals describing the size of the development, cost of infrastructure, timing, planned uses, and level of City subsidy for a TIF infrastructure project. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. INITIATION OF AN APPLICATION FOR VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION OF LAND LOCATED ALONG NORTH 500TH AVENUE NORTH OF LINCOLN WAY: Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann explained that the Council first reviewed this request on June 22, 2021, and directed staff to reach out to abutting property owners about potential annexation. Staff sent outreach letters to five neighboring properties in June to determine their interest in joining the annexation. Only two property owners have responded, and they are not interested in joining the annexation. A map was shown overhead indicating the property that applied for the voluntary annexation. There are three properties on the west side and Director Diekmann indicated staff could proceed with the 100% annexation and not implement the 80/20 rule. The Council could justify bringing the properties in as an 80/20 as it meets the State criteria for uniform boundaries. He mentioned that staff felt they didn’t need to bring in the other properties because the City does not control all the right-of-way along the County Line Road, and it is not essential to make the boundaries as uniform in this area. Director Diekmann commented that it is staff’s recommendation to accept the application for 100% Voluntary Annexation for only the property in the request. Mayor Haila mentioned that a lot of people were objecting to the property along Lincoln Way where a proposed 80/20 did not want to be drawn in, but the City wanted to in order to have a squared-off area. He wanted to know what the consistent logic was for approving the 100% only and not having a uniform boundary. Director Diekmann stated in this case there will be one property that is between two pieces of the City and the property to the north won’t be in the City. He pointed out that this is one of the few times the Council could accept the 100% voluntary annexation and not cause a problem in the future. The Mayor asked about North 500th Avenue where there is frontage and rights- of-way and asked if that was a County or City road. Director Diekmann stated the road is split with Boone County as a 50/50 split. It was asked who would oversee maintaining the road, repairs, and plowing the area. The Public Works Department works with Boone County to do trade-off projects and they organize routes to be more efficient. Mayor Haila opened public input and closed it when no one came forward. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, authorizing the initiation of application for a Voluntary Annexation of land located along North 500th Avenue North of Lincoln Way. Council Member Martin commented that this was difficult as there were two ways to look at the fairness of the request. When he looked at the request, he felt it was fair to the recent history in the neighborhood to square off the boundaries. 13 Vote on Motion: 0-4-1. Voting Aye: None. Voting Nay: Betcher, Corrieri, Junck, Martin. Abstain: Gartin. Motion failed. Moved by Martin, seconded by Corrieri, to approve the Application of Voluntary Annexation and direct staff to initiate the process of annexation for an 80/20 annexation process to annex two abutting properties along North 500th Avenue. Vote on Motion: 4-0-1. Voting Aye: Betcher, Corrieri, Junck, Martin, Voting Nay: None. Abstain: Gartin. Motion declared carried. PLEDGING UP TO $246,000 OF LOCAL MONIES TO BE USED TO MEET THE MINIMUM LOCAL MATCH REQUIREMENT OF THE FEMA HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE WELL FIELD STANDBY POWER PROJECT: Mayor Haila opened the public hearing. It was closed when no one came forward to speak. Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 21-431 pledging up to $246,000 of local monies to be used to meet the minimum local match requirement of the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Application for the Well Field Standby Power Project. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. ORDINANCE AMENDING THE URBAN DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGARDING REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: Police Chief Geoff Huff mentioned that before the Council is a request to change the Urban Deer Management Ordinance. The request is to change the reporting requirement from once a year to every five years. Historically the information in the Report doesn’t change that much from year to year so a less frequent interval will reduce administrative burden for the program. Staff will continue to monitor the aerial deer counts, and if there are substantial changes, that information will be reported to the Council. Council Member Gartin inquired as to how many deer were harvested with the Program. Chief Huff stated last year there were 22. He explained that is not a huge number, but still contributes to the population control. Mayor Haila asked how many deer/vehicle accidents there were. Chief Huff mentioned he did not have that data available, but there were a few. Council Member Betcher, commented that when the Council gets the report annually it is also an opportunity for the Council to decide if they want to continue the Ordinance. She wanted to know if the change in reporting requirement meant that the Council would not be able to revisit the possibility of an Ordinance change except every five years. Chief Huff stated that the Council could address changing the Ordinance at any time; however, since there are not substantial differences in the reporting, staff will recommend continuing the program due to the overpopulation of deer. The Mayor asked for public input. There was no one wishing to speak, and the hearing was closed. 14 Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to pass on first reading an ordinance amending the Urban Deer Management Program regarding reporting requirements. Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. ORDINANCE REZONING, WITH MASTER PLAN, 4514 AND 4605 HYDE AVENUE FROM AGRICULTURAL (A) TO SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL LOW DENSITY (FS-RL): Moved by Betcher, seconded by Martin, to pass on second reading an ordinance rezoning, with Master Plan, 4514 and 4605 Hyde Avenue from Agricultural (A) to Suburban Residential Low Density (FS-RL). Roll Call Vote: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: The Mayor mentioned there were two items to review. The first item was a letter from Jerry Nelson, Intelligencer Investments, requesting the City to consider a Text Amendment to allow a theater space to not have a 40-parking space requirement in the DSC zoning area. City Manager Steve Schainker recommended referring the letter to staff for a memo. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to refer the letter from Mr. Nelson to staff for a memo. Vote on Motion: 4-0-1. Voting Aye: Betcher, Corrieri, Junck, Martin. Voting Nay: None. Abstain: Gartin. The second item was an email from Keith Shepherd, TowerCo Director of Business Development, requesting to relocate a cell tower. The Mayor stated that staff is recommending authorizing the Assistant City Manager to negotiate with the tower company for a site for the tower to be relocated on City property. Mr. Schainker mentioned this item will come back to the Council for approval; this request is just authorizing Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips to start discussion with TowerCo. Moved by Martin, seconded by Betcher, to refer the email from Keith Shepherd to Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips to begin discussion. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Council Member Betcher commented that she appreciated the fact that the Council will have a discussion on its policies. She hoped to be having an opportunity soon to have the diversity, inclusion, and policy training that had been previously discussed. Council Member Martin stated that, regarding the Comprehensive Plan, review and publication, he had communicated to some Council Members that he would prefer another look at the Ames 2040 Plan before it goes out to the public. He noted that City Manager Schainker had given the Council a few options to approach the Ames 2040 Plan and Option 2 suggest that the Plan would be on August 17 and an additional version would be sent to Council for review before voting on August 24 whether to approve the final version for public distribution and comment. 15 Moved by Martin, seconded by Betcher, to pursue Option 2, which is that the Plan would be on the August 17, 2021 Agenda and an additional version would be sent to Council for review before voting on August 24, 2021, whether to approve the final version for public distribution and comment. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously City Manager Schainker mentioned that it has been hot the past couple of days and the City of Ames is going to be issuing peak electric usage alerts. They would appreciate the citizens of Ames holding back on their electric consumption for the next couple of days; to not do laundry or use the dishwasher during peak hours. Mr. Schainker stated that, due to not having any rain lately, staff is looking at the City’s drought Policy. He asked citizens to reduce water consumption as much as they can. Staff will educate the public again what that Policy is once they begin going through the Policy. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Betcher to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 p.m. ______________________________________________________________________ Amy L. Colwell, Deputy City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor __________________________________ Diane R. Voss, City Clerk 16