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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Packet of Communications to Council April 22, 2025 City Office 515.239.5105 main 515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811 515.239.5142 fax Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org MEMO To: Mayor and City Council From: Jeramy Neefus, Principal Clerk, City Manager’s Office Date: April 18, 2025 Subject: Packet of Communications to Council Listed below are the communications to the City Council known to staff as of April 18, 2025: 1. Geoff Huff, Chief of Police – April 11, 2025 RE: False Alarm Billing 2. Geoff Huff, Chief of Police – April 11, 2025 RE: Pet Licensing Program 3. Geoff Huff, Chief of Police – April 11, 2025 RE: Special Penalty Enforcement Areas – Game Day Parking 4. Nichole D. Flippen, Horizon Land Management General Counsel – April 16, 2025 RE: Request for Extension of Public Sewer Line to Maple Grove Mobile Home Park 5. Jacque Pfaffle, Ames Resident – April 17, 2025 RE: Request for Zoning Exception to Allow Residential Awnings and Covered Porch Smart Choice MEMO Non emergency Administration fax To: Mayor and City Council Date: April 11, 2025 From: Geoff Huff, Chief of Police Subject: False Alarm Billing Staff Report Many businesses in the City utilize security systems that notify the Police Department in the event the alarm is triggered. Although these systems can provide a valuable service to detect break-ins, in some instances the alarm systems can be faulty or triggered by a lack of diligence by the business. Currently, the City allows for three False Alarms before the business incurs a $30 per occurrence charge. It appears this fee is no longer a sufficient deterrent to ensuring alarm systems are not being activated falsely. False alarms are costly to the City and can be dangerous to our police officers: 1. Responding to a false alarm usually involves a two-officer response for safety reasons. An average call takes 30 minutes per officer to clear, depending on the response of the alarm holder (approximately $45 per response) 2. Responding to false alarms can put officers in a mindset that all alarms are false and therefore may not take them seriously in cases when there is a real alarm. 3. While officers may not respond to all alarm calls with lights and siren, any response to a call for service increases risks to life and property. In some alarm cases, officers do respond with lights and sirens, which increases safety risks and liability for accidents. 4. Responding to false alarms takes officers away from other duties and reduces the level of customer service that can be provided to those requiring police assistance at that time. Other communities have instituted higher penalties to incentivize reducing the incidence of false alarms. Examples include: Clive – First two calls free, 3rd = $75, 4th=$100, 5th and subsequent = $150 Ankeny - $25 new permit fee, $15 renewal; First three calls free, then $50 and $100 Marshalltown – First two free, then $40 Urbandale: First free, then $100, $200, and $400; resets on calendar year If the City Council is interested in considering an increase to the fine amount, staff recommends that this item be put on a future City Council agenda for discussion. Smart Choice MEMO Non emergency Administration fax To: Mayor and City Council Date: April 11, 2025 From: Geoff Huff, Chief of Police Subject: Pet Licensing Program During the presentation of the proposed FY 2025/26 Police budget in February 2025, staff mentioned to the City Council the prospect of exploring a Pet Licensing Program (PLP). This memo contains further information regarding the pet licensing concept. If the City Council is interested, it would be appropriate to direct staff to place this item on a future City Council meeting for further discussion. The City of Ames does not currently have a PLP. Many other Iowa communities utilize a licensing program, as evidenced in the list attached to this memo. Out of the top 15 cities in Iowa by population, only two cities do not have a PLP including Ames. Of the three university communities in Iowa, Ames is the only city that does not have a PLP. Even those cities with a DMACC campus (Ankeny & Des Moines) have a PLP. Most cities that have a PLP do not provide the level of animal care, sheltering and control (field services) that we provide in Ames. PLPs provide benefits for pets and their owners, those in the community who may encounter at-large animals, and for the operation of the City’s Animal Control Program. These benefits include: 1. A license identifies a dog or cat and allows the owner to be quickly reunited with them in case they get lost. A license can be traced 24 hours a day of the year by the Ames Police Department. Rabies tags can only be traced through the issuing veterinary clinic and only when the clinic is open. After hours and weekends present significant challenges. 2. Licensed pets are held longer before being placed up for adoption at the shelter to give them a chance to be reunited with their owners. 3. A license ensures that dogs/cats are vaccinated against rabies, a fatal disease. Rabies is a current threat to human and animal health, and state law requires that dogs be vaccinated against rabies. 4. Owners of licensed pets receive a helpful reminder to re-vaccinate their pet prior to the rabies vaccine expiration date. 5. A free microchip and lifetime registration can be included with each license purchased. If the pet is already microchipped, the lifetime registration in the City’s database is included. 6. License fees help support the Ames Animal Shelter and Animal Control services such as maintaining our high-level standards of care, reuniting lost pets with their owners, finding new homes for unwanted animals regardless of how long it takes, responding to reported animal neglect/cruelty/hoarding concerns, animal nuisance calls, limited wildlife response, emergency animal housing, dangerous domestic animals, or other violations of the Ames Municipal Code. These services are currently funded primarily through property taxes. Revenues from license fees would shift more of the pet- related enforcement expenses to pet owners rather than spreading these costs to all property taxpayers. Ames has approximately 24,633 households, according to calculations from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). There are approximately 16,182 dogs living in 11,084 households and 11,399 cats living in 6,404 households. It is estimated that approximately 70% of all pets in our community are spayed/neutered (19,306) and the others are intact (8,275). On average, approximately 500 cats and dogs are adopted or reclaimed by their owners from the Animal Shelter annually. Additionally, there are over 700 active registrations for the use of the Dog Park. Staff’s computerized records system used to manage these adoptions/reclaims and Dog Park tags would also be used to manage the PLP registrations. The data from other cities in Iowa indicate an average fee of approximately $10 annually for spayed and neutered cats and dogs, and an average fee of approximately $19 per year for unaltered animals. Cities vary in whether they assess a fine for failure to maintain a license, but those that do impose an average fine of $21.53. If the Council supported pursuing a PLP, staff would recommend: 1. A license fee for altered dogs and cats of $12.00 per year ($1.00 per month), 2. A license fee for unaltered cats and dogs of $24.00 per year ($2.00 per month), and 3. A fine amount of $0 for failure to comply. If non-compliance proved to be an issue in the future, staff would return to the City Council for a discussion about a potential monetary fine for non-compliance. Although there would be no citation amount for failing to license an animal, staff would recommend incorporating the licensure requirement (and associated fee) into all adoptions from the Shelter and require owners of unlicensed animals whose pet is in the shelter’s custody to obtain a license prior to the animal being released to the owner. Based on the estimated animal population data described above, the proposed fees have the potential to generate up to $430,272 of annual revenue. Without a citation amount to discourage non-compliance, however, the amount actually collected is likely to be substantially less. COMPARISON OF PET LICENSING FEES IN IOWA CITY ANNUAL FEES - CATS ANNUAL FEES - DOGS PENALTY ALTERED UNALTERED ALTERED UNALTERED FEE Adel $10.00 $20.00 $10.00 $20.00 Altoona $15.00 $20.00 $10.00 Ankeny $15.00 $25.00 $15.00 $25.00 Aurelia $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $1.00 Belle Plaine $7.50 $15.00 $7.50 $15.00 Bettendorf $3.00 $25.00 $20.00 Breda $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 Carter Lake $10.00 $15.00 $10.00 $15.00 $5.00 Cedar Falls $6.00 $12.00 $6.00 $12.00 Cedar Rapids $6.00 $12.00 $6.00 $12.00 Centerville $7.50 $7.50 $7.50 $7.50 $15.00 Clinton $15.00 $20.00 $15.00 $20.00 Clive $17.00 $24.00 $19.00 $29.00 $10.00 Coralville $5.00 $30.00 $5.00 $30.00 Corydon $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 Council Bluffs $10.00 $22.00 $14.00 $30.00 $15.00 Crescent $7.00 $18.00 $15.00 $30.00 $10.00 Dallas Center $5.00 $20.00 $5.00 $20.00 Davenport $10.00 $30.00 $10.00 $30.00 Delhi $8.00 $8.00 $8.00 $8.00 Denison $10.00 $20.00 $10.00 $20.00 Des Moines $15.00 $35.00 $15.00 $35.00 $50.00 Desoto $5.00 $15.00 $5.00 $15.00 DeWitt $10.00 $30.00 $10.00 $30.00 $10.00 Dubuque $14.00 $34.00 $14.00 $34.00 $16.00 Dyersville $3.00 $3.00 Elkhart $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $2.00 Evansdale $5.00 $15.00 $5.00 $15.00 $5.00 Fairfield $10.00 $50.00 Farley $5.00 $5.00 Fort Dodge $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 $20.00 Fort Madison $10.00 $20.00 $10.00 $20.00 $10.00 Grandview $5.00 $25.00 $5.00 $25.00 Grimes $15.00 $25.00 $15.00 $25.00 Grinnell $10.00 $12.00 $10.00 $12.00 Hampton $5.00 $8.00 Harlan $5.00 $5.00 $10.00 Iowa City $10.00 $40.00 $10.00 $40.00 Iowa Falls $20.00 $20.00 $25.00 Jefferson $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 $1.00 Johnston $10.00 $10.00 $10.00 $10.00 LeMars $10.00 $10.00 Logan $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 Macedonia $10.00 $15.00 $25.00 $1.00 Marengo $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 Mason City $10.00 $50.00 $10.00 $50.00 Moravia $5.00 $5.00 $1.00 Mount Vernon $10.00 $10.00 $200.00 Muscatine $5.00 $25.00 $5.00 $25.00 Nevada $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 Newton $15.00 $25.00 $15.00 $25.00 North Liberty $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 Norwalk $10.00 $20.00 $10.00 Ottumwa $10.00 $20.00 $10.00 $20.00 Perry $5.00 $20.00 $5.00 $20.00 Pleasant Hill $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 $2.50 Red Oak $5.00 $25.00 $5.00 $25.00 $10.00 Sergeant Bluff $10.00 $10.00 Sioux City $15.00 $50.00 $15.00 $50.00 Solon $2.00 $10.00 $2.00 $10.00 Storm Lake $10.00 $20.00 Tabor $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 Tiffin $10.00 $10.00 $10.00 $10.00 Urbandale $17.00 $27.00 $19.00 $29.00 $25.00 Walnut $8.00 $22.00 $10.00 Waterloo $5.00 $25.00 $5.00 $25.00 Waukee $15.00 $25.00 $15.00 $25.00 $100.00 Waverly $10.00 $20.00 $10.00 $20.00 $5.00 West Branch $5.00 $20.00 $5.00 $20.00 West Des Moines $17.00 $24.00 $19.00 $29.00 $25.00 Winfield $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 Average $8.91 $19.10 $9.17 $18.88 $21.53 Smart Choice MEMO Non emergency Administration fax To: Mayor and City Council Date: April 11, 2025 From: Geoff Huff, Chief of Police Subject: Special Penalty Enforcement Areas (Game Day Parking) In response to complaints from neighborhoods adjacent Jack Trice Stadium, the City Council adopted a Game Day Parking ordinance which provides enhanced penalties for illegal parking in a designated area on ISU football home game days. This strategy is intended to reduce the incidence of cars being illegally parked on both sides of narrow residential streets, which makes the streets difficult to traverse for the public and emergency responders that are more active on these days. Staff is seeking Council direction regarding whether there is interest in modifications to this ordinance. The Parking Division has been enforcing the game day parking regulations for several years, giving us the opportunity to review data. In FY 2022/23, staff wrote 879 game day parking tickets; there were 1,239 in FY 2023/24 and 1,130 in FY 2024/25. At this point we are averaging around 200 tickets per game. Staff has evaluated the number of repeat violators that have been cited. Over the past three seasons, 52 vehicles were issued three or more citations. This accounts for a total of 193 citations . Most of these citations are paid. If there is a desire to gain additional compliance with the Game Day parking regulations, strategies that may be pursued include: 1. Increased fine amounts for Game Day citations 2. Higher fines for repeat offenders 3. A combination of higher fines for Game Day citations and higher fines for repeat offenders The current system can identify repeat offenders and , therefore, would work to identify and apply an increased fine. However, repeat offenders account for a under 6% of total game day citations issued. This strategy would not likely make a significant difference in compliance as the total number is small. An overall increase in the citation amount may be a more effective strategy. Private parking lots are charging up to $25 for game day parking (this may increase in fall 2025). A person who pays the Game Day citation within 7 days will pay a $35 fine . The $10 differential is not a strong deterrent when parking illegally and paying the fine allows the violator to park closer and leave the area more quickly compared to parking in a paid parking lot. If the City Council is interested in considering changes to this ordinance, staff would recommend placing this topic on a future City Council meeting for discussion. 1 Hall, Renee From:Nichole Flippen <nflippen@horizonlandco.com> Sent:Wednesday, April 16, 2025 3:18 PM To:City Council and Mayor Cc:Kate Costello; Sara Strenk; David Hoyle; Tammy Joseph; Emmet Conneely Subject:PROPOSED CONNECTION TO CITY OF AMES PUBLIC SEWER LINE EXTENSION - 6100 W. LINCOLN WAY, AMES, IA 50014 Attachments:CES-PP2501 Maple Grove MHP Preliminary Sanitary Sewer Plan 3-17-2025.pdf; Maple Grove MHC_WW LTR_02-25-25.pdf; REQUEST FOR SEWER CONNECTION (MAPLE GROVE)(04-2025).pdf [External Email] Good aŌernoon Mayor Haila & Council Members: Please see the aƩached correspondence requesƟng submiƩed on behalf of Maple Grove MHC, LLC. Should you have any quesƟons or concerns regarding this correspondence, please feel free to contact me directly. Nichole D. Flippen, Esq. General Counsel Horizon Land Co., LLC 2151 Priest Bridge Drive, Suite 7 Crofton, MD 21114 Ofϐice: (410)721-3374 x23 || Fax: (443)332-0055 nϐlippen@horizonlandco.com || www.horizonlandco.com Nichole D. Flippen General Counsel nflippen@horizonlandco.com Horizon Land Management, LLC 2151 Priest Bridge Drive, Suite 7 Crofton, MD 21114 Direct: (410)721.3374 ext. 23 April 16, 2025 VIA E-MAIL ONLY TO: mayorcouncil@amescitycouncil.org RE: PROPOSED CONNECTION TO CITY OF AMES PUBLIC SEWER LINE EXTENSION 6100 W. LINCOLN WAY, AMES, IA 50014 Dear Mayor Haila & Council Members: Horizon Land Management, LLC serves as the management agent for an 8.3 acre parcel located at 6100 W. Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50014, which is commonly known as the Maple Grove Mobile Home Park (“Park”). The Park, which is just beyond the City of Ames’s (“City”) limits, operates on a private wastewater treatment system (“System”), but with the expansion of the City’s public sewer line, the Park’s owner, Maple Grove MHC, LLC (“Maple Grove”), would like to look into alternative options, including the potential to connect to the City’s public sewer system. As you may be aware, the Park’s System, which serves fifty-nine (59) mobile home lots, has suffered significant wastewater treatment issues since 2014. The System was rehabilitated after a 2018 notice from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (“IDNR”), but in 2021 the System was found to be inadequate in treatment capacity; therefore, a new treatment facility was designed in 2023 which, due to enlargement of the System beyond its existing location, required waivers from the owners of two nearby properties. Notwithstanding several attempts to contact these owners to obtain the requisite waivers to enlarge the System, our efforts have been unsuccessful. So, our ability to move forward with the enlargement of the Park’s System has been in a holding pattern. Based on current development plans, it appears that the City is in the process of extending its public sanitary sewer collection system (“Public Sewer Line Extension”) to an area near the Park. It is our understanding that the Public Sewer Line Extension will cross S. 500th Avenue (Y Ave.) and will then head north in the west right-of-way (“ROW”) of 500th Ave. This extension will create an opportunity for the Park to connect to the Public Sewer Line, which would eliminate the need for the Park’s System to be enlarged, provide for more efficient wastewater treatment and resolve the concerns raised by IDNR. In fact, a letter from Brenda L. Smith of the IDNR to Mindy Bryngelson of the City of Ames specifically noted that “The IDNR fully supports the City of Nichole D. Flippen General Counsel nflippen@horizonlandco.com Horizon Land Management, LLC 2151 Priest Bridge Drive, Suite 7 Crofton, MD 21114 Direct: (410)721.3374 ext. 23 Ames providing wastewater collection and conveyance of wastewater from the Maple Grove MHP to the City’s publicly owned treatment works.” As such, we feel that this solution would be beneficial to all. While the current plans for the Public Sewer Line Extension would be near the Park, it would not extend far enough north to allow sensible connection and extension to the Park itself; therefore, modifications to the existing Public Sewer Line Extension plans would be required. Specifically, the proposed Public Sewer Line Extension would need to be modified (i) to extended 92’ further north along the west ROW and (ii) to install a manhole at that location. This slight modification would only add 80’ of sanitary sewer, since there is a 12’ stub being proposed north of the manhole; and the relocation of the manhole would not cause the plan to exceed the maximum manhole spacing requirement of 400 feet. For ease of reference, I have attached a plan showing the desired extension of the sanitary sewer to the Park. Per discussions with our engineer, reasons and benefits for the relocation of the proposed manhole and additional 92’ of sewer include the following:  Sanitary sewer is designed to minimize the total number of manholes to reduce infiltration and inflow of stormwater and ground water into the treatment system, thereby reducing treatment costs.  The proposed design modification for the sewer manhole placement would allow a connection and extension to run parallel and 15’ south of the south line of the properties lying west of 500th Ave.  If the manhole were not relocated, the connection would run diagonally across the undeveloped property lying to the south, which would reduce the development potential. Design relocation of the proposed manhole would allow said vacant property to be developed economically and productively. Considering the foregoing, we are curious to know whether the City would consider permitting the Park to connect to the City’s sewer lines by agreement. If the City of Ames is willing to make this modification to its Public Sewer Line Extension plans to benefit the Park, Maple Grove would be willing to pay for all costs associated with the proposed design modification and installation of the additional sanitary sewer main, as a sign of good faith and Maple Grove’s appreciation for the City’s accommodation. Nichole D. Flippen General Counsel nflippen@horizonlandco.com Horizon Land Management, LLC 2151 Priest Bridge Drive, Suite 7 Crofton, MD 21114 Direct: (410)721.3374 ext. 23 Might the City be willing to consider this accommodation? If so, please contact me at your earliest convenience. I may be reached by telephone at (410)721-3374 ext. 23 or via e-mail to nflippen@horizonlandco.com. On behalf of Maple Grove, we appreciate your time and consideration and look forward to your prompt response. Best regards, Nichole D. Flippen General Counsel Enclosure Cc: Kate Costello Sara Strenk David Hoyle Tammy Joseph Emmett Conneely FIELD OFFICE 5, 6200 PARK AVE STE 200, DES MOINES IA 50321 Phone: 515-725-0268 www.IowaDNR.gov Fax: 515-725-8201 Sent Via Electronic Mail Receipt Confirmation Requested February 25, 2025 MINDY BRYNGELSON CITY OF AMES 515 CLARK AVE. AMES IA 50010 mindy.bryngelson@cityofames.org SUBJECT: Maple Grove MHC LLC The Iowa DNR fully supports the City of Ames providing wastewater collection and conveyance of wastewater from the Maple Grove MHP to the City’s publicly owned treatment works. Providing such a connection and service is expected to alleviate the wastewater treatment disposal challenges experienced at the mobile home park. A history of complaints and investigations by the Iowa DNR demonstrates ongoing concerns about the wastewater facility. The existing wastewater treatment system at Maple Grove MHP has endured persistent problems, including hydraulic overloading and mound failures (2011/2014/2018). These failures led to the necessity of pumping and hauling wastewater offsite, which is not a sustainable long- term solution. The system is designed as a non-discharging system, but there have been instances of illicit discharges, posing environmental risks. The most recent operational concerns were detailed in the last two inspection reports for the Maple Grove MHC. In 2017, the site maintenance manager was reported to be unsure of the wastewater flow direction and endpoint. The same inspection noted a lack of familiarity with the operation and maintenance of the pumps and flow meter. A 2012 inspection noted that the telemetry system for remote monitoring was not functional, hindering timely detection of problems. These operational issues raise concerns about the consistent and effective management of the wastewater treatment process. In late 2023, Maple Grove MHC did attempt to address the Iowa DNR’s concerns by requesting approval to remove the old mounds and construct new mounds. However, due to separation distance requirements they were required to obtain waivers of separation from the two commercial building owner(s) and file with the county recorder. Maple Grove MHC has been unable to obtain these waivers which has put their project at a standstill. As the City of Ames is well aware of the Iowa DNR’s role ensuring environmental and regulatory compliance, it’s important to raise awareness of the facility’s past illicit discharges and the risk of continued environmental contamination they pose. Connecting to the City's wastewater collection system would eliminate the potential for such incidents, ensure regulatory compliance, and provide a reliable, long-term solution for wastewater treatment at Maple Grove MHC. It would also eliminate the need for the mobile home park to manage and maintain its own complex wastewater treatment system, assist in the reduction or elimination of potential environmental hazards related to the current system, and protect human health by providing consistent and reliable wastewater treatment. FIELD OFFICE 5, 6200 PARK AVE STE 200, DES MOINES IA 50321 Phone: 515-725-0268 www.IowaDNR.gov Fax: 515-725-8201 I’m confident that the City of Ames will continue to be an invaluable asset to its residents and partner in environmental stewardship. If the City has any questions or would like to discuss this matter further, please feel free to give me a call at 515-250-4094 or you can email me directly at brenda.smith@dnr.iowa.gov . Sincerely, Brenda Smith, Environmental Specialist Field Services and Compliance Bureau Field Office# 5, 515-725-0628 c: Emmett Conneely, econneely@horizonlm.com Brenda L. Smith Digitally signed by Brenda L. 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