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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - February 4, 5, and 6, 2025, Special Meetings of the Ames City Council Minutes1 SUMMARY OF MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA FEBRUARY 4, 2025 The Special Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 5:15 p.m. on the 4th day of February, 2025, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law. Present were Council Members Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, and Anita Rollins. Ex officio Emily Boland was absent. FY 2025/26 BUDGET PROPOSALS: Ames Public Library Director Sheila Schofer and Resource Services Manager Alissa Dornink presented the proposed operating budget, showcasing the community programs and services provided to the residents of Ames. It was highlighted that the library is critical in providing a welcoming and accessible environment that connects community members to social services and opportunities for civic engagement. Water and Pollution Control Director John Dunn continued the budget proposal presentation with the Utilities Program by introducing and thanking the leadership team for the Department. He reviewed the technical support functions of each division and discussed personnel support services before presenting the accomplishments and compliance records for the Department. Interim Director of Public Works Justin Clausen concluded the Utilities Program with recognition of the Public Works division leads before he reviewed the proposed budget for the following activities: Water Distribution System, Sanitary Sewer Collection, Stormwater, and Resource Recovery. The activities and services of the Transportation Program were then discussed by Interim Director Clausen with input from Traffic Engineer Damion Pregitzer and Interim Operations Manager Brad Becker. The activities included the work groups of Administration, Engineering, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Traffic Engineering, Traffic Operations, Street Lights, Street System, Parking Operations, and Airport Operations. Director of Fleet Services Corey Mellies shifted focus to the proposed budget for Governmental/Internal Services. He reviewed the activities of Fleet and Facility Services, detailing the distribution of fuel sources and usage as well as the projected fuel prices. Director of Finance Corey Goodenow concluded the budget proposals with a review of activities for the Finance Department in the areas of Utility Customer Service, Parking Violation Collection, Economic Development, Financial Services, and Information Technology. He highlighted that Messenger and Print Shop Services that were previously incorporated into the Governmental/Internal Services budget had been absorbed into the General Fund. The members of the City Council engaged with City staff during each section of the presentation to gather clarifications on specific issues and inquire about status updates for current projects. DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: Mayor Haila noted that there were no items for consideration. COUNCIL COMMENTS: The Mayor and Council Members thanked staff for the time and 2 efforts dedicated to preparing the proposed budget. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Gartin, seconded by Betcher, to adjourn the meeting at 7:52 p.m. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. SUMMARY OF MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA FEBRUARY 5, 2025 The Special Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 5:15 p.m. on the 5th day of February, 2025, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law. Present were Council Members Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, and Anita Rollins. Ex officio Emily Boland was absent. FY 2025/26 BUDGET PROPOSALS: Director of Parks and Recreation Keith Abraham began with an overview of the Culture and Recreation Program. He showcased grants, fundraising, and scholarships before highlighting the impact of funding on new and ongoing programs offered to the community. Director Abraham then recognized the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) being completed by the Department and the future impact those will have on its operating budget. Cemetery activities were next to be reviewed by Director Abraham. He noted the impact of upcoming landscaping and tuckpointing projects to the budget and also recognized donations received. Director Abraham then shifted to the Transportation Program and listed the accomplishments of the Right-of-Way (ROW) program, highlighting the importance of the forestry grant received by the Department and its positive impact on the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) response plan. Director of Electric Services Donald Kom and Assistant Director Curtis Spence continued the proposals with the Utilities Program. Director Kom presented the operating budget for activities in the areas of Administration, Demand Side Management, Electric Production, Fuel and Purchased Power, Electric Distribution, Technology Services, and Engineering. He then began the Public Safety Program proposal with discussion of the Storm Warning System, highlighting that staff had not yet started planning for future replacement of the system as all components are functioning properly. The Public Safety Program continued with Fire Chief Rich Higgins. He, alongside Deputy Fire Chiefs Tom Hackett and Karen Tapper, reviewed the proposed budget for Fire Safety. He recognized the ongoing partnership with Iowa State University (ISU) and reviewed plans for the relocation of Fire Station No. 2 and the construction of Fire Station No. 4. Chief Higgins then shifted to the proposed budget for Building Safety with input from Building Official Sara Van Meeteren. He shared that there were no proposed increases to fees for building permits or rental fees. He then discussed the Public Nuisance Ordinance and Council Member Gartin inquired about carbon monoxide detector requirements. Moved by Gartin, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to ask staff to prepare a memo that considers best practices for the use of carbon monoxide detectors with enforcement options. 3 Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. The meeting was recessed at 7:15 p.m. and the meeting reconvened at 7:19 p.m. During the recess, Council Member Gloria Betcher joined the meeting telephonically at 7:16 p.m. Chief of Police Geoff Huff concluded the Public Safety Program with review of the proposed budgets for activities in the areas of Law Enforcement and Animal Control. He highlighted personnel recruitment and training efforts, grants received, and community engagement and outreach. He then discussed crime prevention and quality of life before highlighting the prioritization of a new animal sheltering facility. Chief Huff ended the proposals with an overview of Parking Law Enforcement, which is budgeted as part of the Transportation Program. He noted the success of implemented parking initiatives and detailed plans to continue. The members of the City Council engaged with City staff during each section of the presentation to gather clarifications on specific issues and inquire about status updates for current projects. DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: Mayor Haila noted that there were no items for consideration. COUNCIL COMMENTS: The Mayor and Council Members thanked staff for the time and efforts dedicated to preparing the proposed budget. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Junck, to adjourn the meeting at 8:02 p.m. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. SUMMARY OF MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA FEBRUARY 6, 2025 The Special Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 5:14 p.m. on the 6th day of February, 2025, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law. Present were Council Members Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, and Anita Rollins. Ex officio Emily Boland was absent. FY 2025/26 BUDGET PROPOSALS: Transit Director Barbara Neal presented the proposed operating budget for the Transit portion of the Transportation Program alongside Assistant Director of Operations Christine Crippen and Administrative Analyst Rob Jennings. She highlighted that the next budget year was focused on continuing work to increase the large ridership base through safe and efficient transportation that exceeds customer expectations. She also noted that attracting, hiring, and retaining employees remained a high priority. Director Neal concluded with emphasis on the importance of securing state and federal grants to keep the transit system in good repair. General Government/Internal Services were discussed next with Assistant City Managers Brian Phillips and Pa Vang Goldbeck reviewing activities and major projects for the City Council and 4 City Manager’s Office. City Clerk Renee Hall continued with activities for the City Clerk’s Office, highlighting its support of the Mayor and City Council. She introduced the implementation of a new records management system that allows public access to City Council documents as well as Board and Commission materials before turning the presentation over to Communications and Outreach Manager Susan Gwiasda. The Communications and Outreach Division included the activities for branding, graphics, newsletters, website, media releases, video production, podcasting, legacy media, and social media as well as recognition events and the annual resident satisfaction survey. Manager Gwiasda shared a video highlighting accomplishments from the year before Assistant City Manager Vang Goldbeck presented the Sustainability activities. She stated that dollars will be used to coordinate sustainability efforts across City departments as well as develop programs to support the Climate Action Plan (CAP). The Legal Services proposal was next, which was reviewed by City Attorney Mark Lambert. He presented the funding sources that support the Legal Department and the budget allocations, noting that personnel services were the most significant contributing factor to the budget. Human Resources Director Bethany Ballou then presented the Human Resources proposed budget, which included the areas of employee development, workforce planning and employment, and leadership in the Excellence Through People (ETP) program. Risk Manager Bill Walton continued with the presentation of the Risk Management proposed budget and was followed by Human Resources Officer II Krista Hammer with review of the Health Insurance proposal. Both presenters reviewed insurance premiums and claims as well as noteworthy program changes. Health Promotions Coordinator Kacie Schumann concluded the General Government/Internal Services portion of the proposals with the Health Promotion activities. The activities include programs that are designed to promote wellness and healthy lifestyles as well as provide participants with access to preventative screenings and vaccinations. The Community Development Program was next with Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann discussing Planning Services activities, noting both long range and current planning activities. He highlighted that the Department was awarded the State of Iowa American Planning Association Daniel Burnham Award for Ames Plan 2040, which recognizes outstanding comprehensive plans. He then covered activities for Administrative Support Services before transitioning to Housing activities. The City-Wide Housing Programs, Community Development Block Grant (CBDG), HOME Program, and CARES/HOME/ARP comprised the Housing activities. Director Diekmann reviewed the dollar allocations and noted significant projects for each program. The members of the City Council engaged with City staff during each section of the presentation to gather clarifications on specific issues and inquire about status updates for current projects. DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: Mayor Haila noted that there were no items for consideration. 5 COUNCIL COMMENTS: The Mayor and Council Members thanked staff for the time and efforts dedicated to preparing the proposed budget. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Junck, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to adjourn the meeting at 7:48 p.m. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. __________________________________ ____________________________________ Carly M. Watson, Deputy City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor __________________________________ Renee Hall, City Clerk