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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - February 4, 5, and 6, 2025, Special Meetings of the Ames City Council Minutes, Full1 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: Culture and Recreation Program 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. Director Schofer highlighted that the Library recently launched a new Strategic Plan that was the culmination of input gathered from five stakeholder groups and four general public input sessions. She noted that the plan focuses on the areas of Connecting Ames, Serving Ames, and a Place for Ames. With 25,000 patrons accessing the Library every month, Director Schofer noted that it was critical in providing a welcoming and accessible environment. An overview of functions and services in the areas of staff development, volunteer engagement, gathering spaces, technology, youth services, bookmobile operations, and beyond book opportunities were provided by Director Schofer and Manager Dornink. Council Member Gartin inquired about state funding for library services. Director Schofer noted that drastic cuts to library programming had not been observed, highlighting the friends group that works to financially support library operations. Council Member Gartin then asked about spaces and services for refugees. Director Schofer showcased that library spaces and resources are dedicated to hosting international family meetups, English language learner events, and conversation circles. Council Member Gartin recognized the challenges of homelessness and inquired how it had impacted library services. Director Schofer acknowledged partnerships and outreach efforts to serve the unhoused community and connect patrons to needed resources. Council Member Gartin concluded with questions regarding the summer lunch program. Director Schofer noted that all are invited to attend lunch in the summer. She explained that staff plans family-oriented programs around the lunch to encourage attendance and reduce stigma. She furthered that teen volunteers assist with the program. Bookmobile operations were referenced by Council Member Betcher. Director Schofer noted that the number of bookmobile visits were increasing, and the schedule had been optimized to better serve the needs of the community. Council Member Betcher inquired about replacement of the bookmobile. Director Schofer shared that the Library had been paying into a reserve account to support the replacement of the bookmobile, noting that the friends group was also committed to making a financial contribution and would determine how to best support the process when the time comes. 2 Utilities Program 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. He noted safe, reliable, and affordable as the three priorities guiding the department. The Nutrient Reduction Modification project was then discussed with Director Dunn noting the future impacts to operations, specifically to the Water and Pollution Control Laboratory. Council Member Gartin asked for an update on aquifer health. Director Dunn shared that the Department has piezometers in each well, so staff was able to monitor and track the depth of the water supply in real time. He furthered that if staff does observe an aquifer under stress, pumps would be turned off and operations relocated to a different location. Lead service pipes were then referenced. Director Dunn noted that there were approximately 250 lead service pipes still in service. He shared that if there was sanitary sewer work in progress near a property with a lead service pipe, staff replaces the pipe at no charge to the property owner. He emphasized that if a lead service pipe was damaged, it must be replaced immediately to address water chemistry and erosion control concerns. He concluded that all lead service pipes are proposed to be replaced by 2037 at a rate of 10% per year. Council Member Betcher noted historical peak water demands observed over the last year and inquired about the impact of development on the utility. Director Dunn noted that the utility was not in danger of depleting the aquifer with expanded development; rather, it would need to drill additional wells to access the water. He continued that from a policy perspective, staff would have to be conscious of the costs of new wells. Interim Director of Public Works Justin Clausen continued 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. He then conducted a review of the proposed budget and projects for each aforementioned area, highlighting continued efforts for planning and implementation of a new solid waste management system. Transportation Program 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. Interim Director Clausen reviewed winter operations for the Street System, highlighting seasonal salt usage and seasonal snow accumulation as well as the Ames snowplow public dashboard that was available to residents during active snow events. Council Member Betcher referenced budget increases for the Smart Watershed Program and inquired about program usage. Interim Director Clausen shared that, though participation numbers ebb and flow, staff continues education and outreach alongside the implementation of the Climate 3 Action Plan (CAP) to gather program interest. Council Member Betcher then asked about Airport Operations, asking about the old terminal. Traffic Engineer Damion Pregitzer highlighted that the old terminal was included as part of the lease with the Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at the Airport and it was currently being utilized for activities related to the flight school. He noted that preliminary conversations were underway with the FBO to replace the old terminal with a new maintenance hangar due to liability concerns. Council Member Gartin observed that water main breaks continue. Interim Director Clausen replied in the affirmative, stating that as staff continues to replace the thirty miles of 6-inch cast iron water main, a reduction in breaks should be seen over the long term. Council Member Gartin then inquired about Resource Recovery and plans for recycling services. Resource Recovery Superintendent Mark Peebler replied that as staff worked on plans for the new Resource Recovery Campus, recycling infrastructure would be built in with the goal of offering curbside, single stream recycling services as well as electronics recycling and expanded drop-off recycling. He presented the drop-off recycling data for the past year, noting that staff would maintain a holding pattern at the current facility until a new campus was constructed. Mayor Haila acknowledged the parking meter replacements underway, inquiring if dual meters would be installed. Interim Operations Manager Brad Becker replied in the affirmative, highlighting locations where a single meter would serve an odd number of spaces. Mayor Haila asked about the implementation of a central parking kiosk. Manager Becker replied in the negative with Engineer Pregitzer detailing the budgetary factors that influenced that decision. General Government/Internal Services 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. He highlighted that the fuel contract with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) was set to terminate by the end of the month. Staff planned to use a combination of Iowa State University (ISU) fueling services and fuel cards while a long-term plan was established. Mayor Haila inquired about the use of B100 for fuel in vehicles and equipment in the fleet. Director Mellies noted that the outfitter for B100 was focused on heavy duty vehicles and did not provide a conversion system for light duty vehicles or equipment. He then discussed the electrification of the fleet, highlighting for Mayor Haila that both hybrids and all-electric vehicles have decreased maintenance costs as compared to their gas-powered counterparts. He furthered that staff was not servicing electric vehicle batteries due to safety concerns; however, only one all-electric vehicle had been retired from the fleet due to battery failure. In that area of facilities, staff was completing the keycard access system expansion, providing construction management services on multiple City projects, administering the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan, and performing updates to City Hall. He also shared that staff time was dedicated to the implementation of the CAP, with the retrofitting at municipal buildings taking place. Council Member Betcher referenced the Ames Veterans Memorial, inquiring if memorial bricks 4 were still being sold. Director Mellies replied in the affirmative, clarifying that brick sales had plateaued. Finance 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 (IT). He highlighted the increased investment of staff time in training to better serve customers. Mayor Haila inquired about payment options for utility customers. Director Goodenow shared that Utility Customer Service accepted cash, card, check, and Venmo with in-person and online payment options available. Personnel changes were discussed by Director Goodenow. 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. He also noted that IT staff would be reduced to nine full-time staff members as a decrease in the number of service tickets had been observed and efficiencies had been implemented. Director Goodenow reviewed current projects for the division before highlighting the Purchasing Division. He noted current and upcoming projects, including the revision of internal purchasing policies. Council Member Gartin inquired about interested bidders for City projects. Director Goodenow acknowledged that the Department had seen a decrease in the number of bids received for projects. He noted that staff was exploring the benefits of a purchasing cooperative but was taking implementing electronic bidding as a first step to soliciting more bids. Council Member Rollins referenced cyber security concerns. Director Goodenow shared that staff undergoes both internal and external reviews of the network, which was compiled into a weekly and annual report. IT Manager Brent Moore discussed the structure of security implementation for the City and outlined spam protection services. He also reviewed upcoming projects that would enhance on site security for workplace technology. 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. Mayor Haila recognized the integrity of the budget with the declining revenue from the State of Iowa, thanking City Manager Steve Schainker for his oversight. 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. 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 5 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: Culture and Recreation Program Director of Parks and Recreation Keith Abraham began with an overview of the Culture and Recreation Program. He presented the National Recreation and Parks Association review, highlighting that the City of Ames performs better than the national average in all categories. He then discussed increases to fees and charges before showcasing grants, fundraising, and scholarships. As part of the fundraising efforts, Director Abraham recognized the friends groups that support Roosevelt, Brookside, Ada Hayden Heritage, and Ontario Parks. He noted that the friends groups adopt their own budgets that directly support events, operations, and projects within the park boundaries. Director Abraham then reviewed the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) being completed by the Department and the future impact those would have on its operating budget. Director Abraham highlighted that staff allocated dollars in the proposed operating budget to explore the addition of a Fieldhouse to the Parks and Recreation facilities. The allocation would provide for a formal request for proposals to be issued. The selected consultant would be asked to put together a conceptual building plan, capital cost estimate, operational cost estimate, and present potential locations for construction. Parks and Recreation activities concluded with Director Abraham presenting the accomplishments of the Department. Council Member Gartin commended staff and requested that the Department explore ways to provide metrics to compare City of Ames operations to peer cities. Council Member Beatty-Hansen suggested adding a question to the resident satisfaction survey about community participation in Parks and Recreation classes and programs. Director Abraham discussed available data collection strategies and the metrics that could be provided, noting that staff could begin collecting those data points. Mayor Haila noted that it would be advantageous to connect those metrics to economic development activities and Director Abraham acknowledged the possibility. Cemetery activities were next to be reviewed by Director Abraham. He noted the impact of upcoming landscaping and tuckpointing projects to the budget. He also recognized donations received, highlighting that a large sum was donated for the placement of benches that would be installed in the spring. Transportation Program 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. Mayor Haila inquired about opportunities for volunteer groups to assist in maintenance of newly planted trees. Director Abraham reviewed the planting and watering program, noting that there may be more opportunities for volunteer groups to assist though the Department has mostly focused on education and outreach. Parks and Facilities Superintendent Joushua Thompson added in response to Council Member Beatty-Hansen that new trees are planted 1:1 with felled trees; however, the 6 Department strives to increase that as the budget allows. Utilities Program 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 the Department for activities in the areas of Administration, Demand Side Management, Electric Production, Fuel and Purchased Power, Electric Distribution, Technology Services, and Engineering. He discussed the electric cost per kilowatt hour by customer, highlighting the competitive and affordable pricing of the utility. The Electric Services Long Range Plan was reviewed, and Director Kom noted the creative ways the utility was exploring to purchase natural gas in the coming years. Council Member Gartin inquired about fund balances and cost of internal services. Director Kom reported a healthy fund balance, noting that the consultant for the Cost-of-Service Study provided guidance on reserve dollars, which the utility was maintaining. He provided situational examples of uses and reimbursement of reserve fund dollars. Budget Manager Nancy Masteller clarified that vehicle upgrades for the utility had been allocated to the internal services fund, which accounted for increases to that line item. Mayor Haila referenced expenditures for the utility, highlighting the line item that accounted for Iowa State University (ISU). Director Kom explained that ISU operates as a partner to the utility , paying the appropriate load ration share for transmission costs; however, the sporting facilities, such as Jack Trice Stadium, are treated as a retail customer. Public Safety Program Director Kom continued with the Public Safety Program proposal by discussing the Storm Warning System. He highlighted that these activities crossed several departments; however, Electric Services maintain the system, so allocations are made for labor and material costs. He noted that staff had not yet started planning for future replacement of the system as all components for the system 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. Chief Higgins noted that increases to the budget would allow for the cost of adding an additional firefighter to its Suppression and Emergency Response Division, which would dedicate 11 full- time firefighters to the new Fire Station No. 4. Chief Higgins recognized the ongoing partnership with ISU, highlighting its community commitment by funding 25% of the operating budget and debt services for capital projects. He followed with a review of the plans for the relocation of Fire Station No. 2, which was proposed to be located on ISU land on the west side of State Avenue just south of the Baker Subdivision. Staff has also explored alternative building sites for Fire Station No. 4. Chief Higgins noted that the relocation and construction of these fire stations aims to reduce response times and optimize coverage to serve the growing community. He discussed challenges and opportunities with the City Council members, answering a variety of questions on proposed site plans. 7 Chief Higgins then reviewed training efforts, highlighting fire suppression, emergency action, and live fire training before presenting a breakdown of incident types the Department responded to. Mayor Haila noted that it would be helpful to calculate the dollar amount the Department has saved with the implementation of the Alternative Response to Community Health (ARCH) team. Chief Higgins noted that staff could develop an estimate and provide it to the City Council. An overview of Department operations was reviewed with Chief Higgins highlighting low frequency-high risk operations, community engagement activities, and special operations vehicles. He 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. Official Van Meeteren highlighted the importance of rental inspections in educating community members of the significance role carbon monoxide detectors make, noting that staff cannot enforce utilization of the detectors due to its current omission from the rental code. She shared that carbon monoxide detectors are referenced in the state code; thus, staff provides it as a reminder on the rental worksheet. 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. 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. Police Chief 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, providing photo and video accounts of the Department’s accomplishments. Council Member Gartin inquired about Department initiatives, expressing concerns with texting and driving. Chief Huff noted that staff was undertaking distracted driving initiatives with uncommitted time as it was a main cause of traffic accidents. Crime prevention and quality of life were then discussed by Chief Huff. He noted that the Department had seen a significant rise in assaults and domestic violence. Council Member Gartin asked about driving factors for this increase. Chief Huff stated the cause of the increase to assaults and domestic violence was unknown, highlighting that an officer had been dedicated to a task force that monitors gang and cartel activity. All other areas of crime were noted to be trending down, with more aggressive prosecution of shoplifting contributing to a decrease in theft. Chief Huff then highlighted the prioritization of a new animal sheltering facility. He reviewed that staff was exploring the purchase of the building at 2715 Dayton Avenue for the facility, which contributed to the proposed increase of personnel to include a full-time Animal Control Officer and part-time Animal Control Attendant. He also presented a proposed annual Pet Licensing Program in response to the increased animal hording cases that the Department had observed. This program was in development, with increased revenue and vaccination rates as noted benefits. He 8 concluded with an overview of Pet Licensing Programs across Iowa for comparison. Transportation Program Chief Huff ended the proposals with an overview of Parking Law Enforcement, which was budgeted as part of the Transportation Program. He noted the success of implemented parking initiatives and detailed plans to continue. DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: Mayor Haila noted that there were no items for consideration. COUNCIL COMMENTS: The Mayor and Council Members shared their gratitude for staff and their efforts in compiling the proposed budgets. Council Member Beatty-Hansen also shared that she joined the Homelessness Outreach Team in action and recommended the experience to any City Council member that may be interested. Council Member Gartin shared that he has gained increased awareness of how state policies are putting City innovations at risk, and he encouraged legislators to watch what cities are doing and be supportive. 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. 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: Transportation Program 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. Director Neal noted that the budget had been approved by the Transit Agency Board of Trustees at its December 2024 meeting. 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 since ridership was trending upward with an estimate of 5.1 million passengers in the next year. The Transit budget included an increase of 2.5% over the last fiscal year to its local funding partners. Director Neal emphasized the importance of securing state and federal grants to keep the transit system in good repair and in compliance with all Federal Transit Administration requirements. She noted that the Department was also working to expand accessibility features by 9 enhancing passenger facing information and integrating additional infotainments that show real time transfer information. Director Neal highlighted dial-a-ride services, which would continue to be provided by the Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA). She shared that operating expenses for HIRTA were 80% federally funded and expenditures had increased with increased ridership. She emphasized the importance of the dial-a-ride services, noting that access to reliable and affordable transportation was key to closing the transportation gap. Council Member Betcher inquired about the success of hiring incentives. Director Neal noted that there was a continual recruitment for drivers but both the hiring incentives and recent implementation of CDL third party testing, which allows the Transit Department to administer CDL tests to its drivers, had helped attract more new drivers. Council Member Rollins asked about the number of student drivers. Director Neal noted that the Department employed 150 part-time drivers and 26 full-time drivers, of which about 30% were students or affiliated with the ISU community. Council Member Gartin shared concern over the dependency on state and federal funding. Director Neal noted that the Department was proactively planning and maintaining reserve dollars to address federal and state funding uncertainty. She highlighted that staff would be traveling to Washington D.C. to lobby for transit interests in the coming months and would continue similar efforts at the state level as well. General Government/Internal Services Recognition events, community celebrations, and outreach efforts of the City Council were highlighted by Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips. Assistant City Manager Pa Vang Goldbeck added that in the next year the City Council would undergo event rebranding to present “Council Connect” with a recognizable logo that identifies community outreach opportunities. Assistant City Manager Phillips then reviewed activities and major projects for the City Manager’s Office. He recognized development activities that necessitated a considerable investment of staff time, including the Prairie View Industrial Center, Electric Services Infrastructure, Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus, Downtown Ames Revisioning, and The Linc. Assistant City Manager Goldbeck continued by highlighting engagement activities, drawing attention to the establishment of a county-wide action plan to address homelessness and efforts to continue community engagement and strengthen connections with underrepresented community members. They concluded by presenting staff supported boards and commissions, highlighting special projects in those areas. Activities for the City Clerk’s Office were presented next by City Clerk Renee Hall. She highlighted administrative support functions for the Mayor and City Council and staff accomplishments in related areas. 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 and recognized the adoption of the new Records Retention Manual that guides the management of both electronic and paper records for all City materials. Council Member Gartin inquired about cybersecurity for the new records management system. 10 City Clerk Hall noted that reasonable industry-standard security measures were in place and monitored by staff in the Information Technology Division, who supported migrating records management to a mainstream software. She then turned 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 introduced the Communications and Outreach team and shared a video highlighting accomplishments from the year. Council Member Gartin commended the team for work done and Manager Gwiasda thanked the City Council for authorizing an additional FTE to round out the team and allow for great impact across the digital media sphere. Council Member Gartin then asked about closed captioning services that were listed as a line item in the budget. Manager Gwiasda noted that the exploration of live closed captioning services was initiated by the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and would be continued to implementation because staff believed it to be a necessary service that aligns with the goals of the City Council. Assistant City Manager Vang Goldbeck then presented the Sustainability activities. She stated that dollars would be used to coordinate sustainability efforts across City departments as well as develop programs to support the Climate Action Plan (CAP). She recognized Sustainability Coordinator Nolan Sagan and his management of the energy audit program as well as grant writing efforts and presence at education and outreach events. Council Member Betcher inquired about the continuation of Rummage RAMPage, the annual community-wide garage sale, and Assistant City Manager Vang Goldbeck confirmed its perpetuation. 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 and accounted for a majority of the proposed 5% budget increase. Council Member Gartin asked about the decrease in matters over the last year and inquired about legal staff in comparison to peer cities. City Attorney Lambert shared that the numbers of matters fluctuate each year and staff did not have a metric to communicate the number of hours invested in each matter. He followed with a review of legal staff at Iowa cities that were comparable in size, highlighting the unique role of outside counsel. 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. She noted that in the previous fiscal year, staff launched 165 recruitments, which resulted in 121 external hires and 22 promotions. Risk Manager Bill Walton continued with the presentation of the Risk Management proposed budget. The Liability Insurance Program was reviewed, followed by the Property Insurance Program, with Manager Walton discussing cost saving strategies. Presentation of the Health Insurance proposal was next with Human Resources Officer II Krista Hammer highlighting that it was the goal of staff to keep increases less than 10% each year. She presented a breakdown of the budget, showcasing increases to pharmacy and discussing claim 11 limits. Mayor Haila inquired about coverage for weight loss medication and the impact to claim limits. Officer Hammer noted that weight loss medication was not currently covered under the health insurance program and staff was looking for further guidance in how programs like Medicare might cover weight loss medications, which tend to come with an elevated cost. Health Promotions Coordinator Kacie Schumann concluded with the Health Promotion activities. These activities include programs that are designed to promote wellness and healthy lifestyles as well as provide participants with access to preventative screenings and vaccinations. Coordinator Schumann noted that the program goal for the coming year was to help the workforce stay mobile as they age through injury prevention workshops and short fitness training videos that staff can incorporate into their day. Mayor Haila asked about contractual expenditures. Coordinator Schumann shared that vaccinations and health screenings were covered under contractual expenditures. She noted the benefits of providing these on-site services to staff and highlighted plans for expanded services, while also recognizing the increased cost of these services to the City due to the discontinuation of federal subsidies. Community Development Program Long range and current planning activities were discussed by Planning and Housing Director Kelly Diekmann before he examined development over the last year. He highlighted that single-family home production dropped, platting activities decreased, and no accessory dwelling unit or duplex applications were received. Available staff time was dedicated to commercial/industrial projects and policy planning. He discussed the Development Review Committee with the City Council Members, highlighting staff efficiencies to better serve commercial/industrial developers. Council Member Gartin inquired about policy planning. Director Diekmann highlighted that the Department was awarded the State of Iowa American Planning Association Daniel Burnham Award, which recognizes outstanding comprehensive plans, for Ames Plan 2040. In order to implement Ames Plan 2040, staff has identified the need for a complete rewrite of the zoning ordinance. He noted that the rewrite would incorporate updates to the subdivision code as well as adoption of the Complete Streets Plan and Walk Bike Roll Ames. He furthered that the proposed operating budget included allocations for a consultant for the rewrite. Director Diekmann then covered activities for Administrative Support Services, which functions as the first interface for customers interacting with the Fire, Planning and Housing, and Public Works Departments. Council Member Betcher inquired on code enforcement cases being reported. Director Diekmann noted a significant increase in reports to Ames on the Go, highlighting that Administrative Support Services dispatches the reports received to the appropriate Department for follow-up. The City-Wide Housing Programs, Community Development Block Grant (CBDG), HOME Program, and CARES/HOME/ARP comprised the Housing activities, Director Diekmann explained. He reviewed the dollar allocations and noted significant projects for each program, highlighting the first-time homebuyer and renter affordability programs. He engaged with the City Council in robust discussion concerning infill projects for low- and moderate-income housing, 12 emphasizing budgetary requirements that necessitate careful planning. City Manager Steve Schainker concluded by sharing his appreciation of the City Council for providing direction during the budget meeting. He noted that City staff does an excellent job each year to put together a program of work with proper prioritization of funds. He reminded the City Council that the Budget Wrap-Up meeting would take place on February 11th. DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: Mayor Haila noted that there were no items for consideration. COUNCIL COMMENTS: The Mayor and Council Members echoed thanks to staff for the time and efforts dedicated to preparing the proposed budget. Additionally, Mayor Haila commended the Public Works Department for the advanced preparation of the streets ahead of the winter storm, noting that a compliment was given at a meeting he attended earlier in the day by an out-of-town attendee. 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