Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Regular Meeting of the Ames City Council 12/17/2019MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA DECEMBER 17, 2019 The Regular Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 6:00 p.m. on December 17, 2019, 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, David Martin, and Chris Nelson. Ex officio Member Devyn Leeson was also in attendance. GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION DISTINGUISHED BUDGET PRESENTATION AWARD: Mayor Haila presented the award to Finance Director Duane Pitcher and Nancy Masteller. The 2019/20 Budget was submitted to the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. The award was reviewed by the GFOA professional staff and by outside reviewers. This is the 34th consecutive year that the City of Ames has been honored with the award. Mayor Haila said that approximately 1500 cities, counties, and school districts in the United States and Canada receive this award every year for budgets submitted for the current year. This year, ten cities and three counties in Iowa received the award. CONSENT AGENDA: Council Member Betcher requested to pull Item No. 13: appointment of Council Member-Elect Rachel Junck to the Ames Convention and Visitor’s Bureau; and Council Member Gartin also asked to pull Item No. 20: agreement with Ames Foundation for Tree Planting Project, for further discussion. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty Hansen, to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda: 1. Motion approving payment of claims 2. Motion approving Minutes of Special Meetings held December 4 and December 6, 2019, and Regular Meeting held December 10, 2019 3. Motion approving certification of Civil Service applicants 4. Motion approving Class C Liquor License Ownership Change for Texas Roadhouse, 519 South Duff Avenue 5. Motion approving Class E Liquor License Premise Update - Fareway Stores, Inc., #386, 619 Burnett Avenue - Pending Inspection Approval 6. Motion approving new 5-day (January 11-15) Class C Liquor License - Great Caterers of Iowa, 2321 N Loop Drive 7. RESOLUTION NO. 19-638 approving Encroachment Permit for a sign at 2408 Lincoln Way 8. RESOLUTION NO. 19-639 accepting Abstract of Votes for December 3, 2019, Ward 4 Run-Off Election 9. RESOLUTION NO. 19-640 approving appointment of Council Member Amber Corrieri to the Conference Board’s Mini-Board 10. RESOLUTION NO. 19-641 approving appointment of Council Member Bronwyn Beatty- Hansen to the Ames Transit Agency Board of Trustees 1 11. RESOLUTION NO. 19-642 approving appointment of Council Member David Martin to the Ames Economic Development Committee (AEDC) 12. RESOLUTION NO. 19-644 setting January 28, 2020, as date of public hearing regarding amendment to 2019/20 Annual Action Plan projects for Community Development Block Grant Program 13. RESOLUTION NO. 19-645 setting January 14, 2020, as date of public hearing for conveyance of 1417 Douglas Avenue to Mainstream Living 14. RESOLUTION NO. 19-646 setting January 14, 2020, as date of public hearing regarding conveyance of City property at 1420 Lincoln Way to Metro FiberNet, LLC, in the amount of $21,600 15. RESOLUTION NO. 19-647 approving Comprehensive Annual Finance Report for Period Ending June 30, 2019 16. RESOLUTION NO. 19-648 approving appointment of two representatives to the Story County 911 Service Board 17. RESOLUTION NO. 19-649 approving Commission On The Arts (COTA) Special Grants for Spring 2020 18. Ames Main Street: a. RESOLUTION NO. 19-651 of support for Ames Main Street Program b. RESOLUTION NO. 19-652 approving Ames Main Street and Main Street Iowa Program Agreement 19. RESOLUTION NO. 19-653 approving Construction Observation/Administration Service Agreement regarding 2018/19 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation (Siphons) to WHKS of Ames, Iowa, in an amount not to exceed $86,700 20. RESOLUTION NO. 19-654 approving Construction Observation/Administration Service Agreement regarding 2019/20 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation (Munn Woods) to WHKS of Ames, Iowa, in an amount not to exceed $147,800 21. RESOLUTION NO. 19-655 approving Police Department’s participation in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau Nighttime Seat Belt Enforcement Grant Program 22. RESOLUTION NO. 19-656 approving partial completion of public improvements and reducing amount of required security for Scenic Valley Subdivision, 4th Addition Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolutions/Motions declared adopted/approved unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. APPOINTMENT OF COUNCIL MEMBER-ELECT RACHEL JUNCK TO THE AMES CONVENTION AND VISITOR’S BUREAU: Council Member Betcher stated that she requested to pull Item No. 13 because the appointment says it is effective January 1, 2020, but she won’t be sworn in until January 2, 2020. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Martin, to amend the Resolution to read “appointment term effective as of January 2, 2020.” Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty Hansen, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 19-643 approving appointment of Council Member-Elect Rachel Junck to the Ames Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, 2 as amended. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. AGREEMENT WITH AMES FOUNDATION FOR TREE PLANTING PROJECT: Council Member Gartin requested to pull Item No. 20 to give Parks and Recreation Director Keith Abraham a chance to talk about the tree planting efforts since there is a broad community interest in it. Parks & Recreation Director Abraham said that the tree planting effort began five years ago with the Sesquicentennial when 150 trees were planted in the park system. In the first five years of the Street Tree Planting Program, 723 trees were planted in the rights-of-way. In addition, 1,000 trees were removed from the right-of-way due to the Emerald Ash Borer situation and they are replanting each tree. Community involvement and volunteers are encouraged to contact the Ames Foundation or City Forester Paul Tauke to get involved with the tree planting and watering. Moved by Gartin, seconded by Beatty-Hansen to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 19-650 approving the Agreement with Ames Foundation for the Tree Planting Project. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. PUBLIC FORUM: Mayor Haila opened Public Forum. Richard Deyo, 505 - 8th Street, #2, Ames, commented that he thought they should know what happened at Bernie Sanders’ Office. Mayor Haila closed Public Forum after no one else came forward to speak. 321 STATE AVENUE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT: Planning & Housing Director Kelly Diekmann reviewed the outline of the history of this project and the direction already provided by Council. He advised Council that they are again looking for direction from Council on how to proceed. A review of the time line for the current path was requested by Council Member Beatty-Hansen. Mr. Diekmann explained that the process is expected to take four to six months from the time a company is hired and concepts are developed to requesting bids. The goal is to have construction start this summer with infrastructure and lots platted to move forward with building single-family dwellings along Wilmouth. Council Member Gartin asked about the possibility of an indoor pool at this location. Mr. Diekmann responded that one concept for the four acres on the north side of Tripp Street depicted a single–purpose facility for an indoor pool, a parking lot, and a park. The reason City staff is not recommending to use this space for a pool or a park is because there isn’t room for further expansion. 3 Housing Coordinator Vanessa Baker-Latimer said the land was purchased for the use of affordable housing with CDBG funds. Changing the concept would change the use of the land from a neighborhood purpose to a community-wide purpose which would cause the project to no longer be counted as a Low- to Moderate-Income (LMI) project for the neighborhood according to HUD guidelines. She verified for Council Member Betcher that the neighborhood park would be eligible for CDBG funds, but the pool would not be eligible. Ms. Betcher said an indoor playground or a pool was of great interest to residents. Council Member Martin added that discussion was had with the neighborhood in very general terms. Ms. Betcher asked when considerable movement can be expected to be seen for the rest of the property. Ms. Baker-Latimer replied that once the platting is done, housing options would be considered and developed. She added that other additions for the area are also being looked at, including the bike path. Mr. Diekmann said it would be very difficult to do more than three to four houses in a year because of the market and funding. It is expected to be at least a three-year project to build out the site. The subsidy amount was a concern expressed by Mr. Gartin who asked Mr. Diekmann to review options to help bring the amount of subsidy down per unit. Mr. Diekmann advised Council that $80,000 has been the consistent expectation, but lot size and product construction are factors that can change the overall cost. If Council decides to not include basements, staff would need to know first to be able to come back with the cost implications. He reminded Council that in June, the direction was to build single-family homes on Wilmouth, and to look at other housing concepts for the remainder of the parcel. Once a decision has been made regarding platting for a second addition, that will dictate a street layout and utility lines locations. According to Ms. Betcher, there was enthusiasm for small lot development. She said affordable housing needs to be addressed; that is not being addressed very quickly with the current course. Mr. Diekmann commented that the multi-family plan needs at least 40 units to have scale to make the LITEX tax credit valuable. He said three to four acres of land would be needed to get 50 units onto a property in Medium Density unless a higher-density-looking building is built, but that affects the cost too. Mayor Haila advised Council that they need to decide if they want to pursue the indoor pool or not. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Gartin, to not continue to pursue locating an aquatic center at the State Avenue site. Mr. Martin mentioned that there was a post card sent out inviting the public to come discuss it. Mr. Abraham said the post card was brief and encouraged individuals to review the staff report on previous discussions for Franklin park. Mayor Haila opened public comment. Pat Brown, 3212 West Street, Ames, encouraged Council to get moving on this project and to keep 4 focus on the objective, which is affordable housing and some options on a park. She advised Council to consider the best use of the land and safety issues; she believes affordable housing with a park would be very amenable. Mayor Haila closed public comment. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. It was suggested by Mayor Haila that Council include the community in discussion if they want to change from the previously agreed upon single-family housing to include rentals. Mr. Diekmann said the idea of moving Franklin Park to 321 State was to have a more visible and accessible park. Ms. Beatty-Hansen said if the neighborhood is amenable to the swap, she would support the change. Mayor Haila opened public comment on Franklin Park. Jay Adams, 248 Village Drive, Ames, said he thought it had already been decided to save the Park that his grandparents helped build. He said he is against the Park being moved. There already is a lot of green space with the ISU Arboretum. He added that the area is already over-saturated with rentals, so it doesn’t make sense to add more rentals. There is no incentive to stay in the area if issues keep being revisited after being decided on. He urged Council to not move the Park. Linda Adams, 248 Village Drive, Ames, said Jay lives on a street that is close to the Park. She said there are multiple apartment developments; the area is saturated. There are still neighborhoods and single-family homes and young families who would like to start next to the Park, and this green space is what draws them to the area. There are also a lot of families in the apartments who use the Park. It is a neighborhood park meant for this neighborhood. There are no streets that go into the park, but you can park next to it. She pointed out that 321 State doesn’t need more green space because the ISU Arboretum is right next to it with 35 acres and an additional seven acres in the College Creek area that borders the area. She said the Park needs to stay where it is so the neighborhood has green space. Ms. Adams brought up the concern of the area becoming unstable; the potential increase in rentals would destroy the neighborhood, which is why Council had been working on the rental cap for that area. Joanne Pfeiffer, 3318 Morningside Street, Ames, said she agrees with the first two speakers. She said she is very concerned about the increase of rentals and the possible destruction of the neighborhood. Sharon Stewart, 437 Hilltop Road, Ames, said she was at the budget planning meeting to support the arts in this community. This is an example to take artistically minded people to come up with a plan to make Ames “weirder”. One of the things that is great about affordable housing is giving people a chance to grow their equity. She said she is more concerned about building well-built structures to encourage people to get a start. She suggested a tiny house neighborhood allowing people to invest in building equity in the neighborhood through home ownership. Ms. Stewart advised Council to get artistic minds involved to make it an interesting place where people want to 5 live. Mayor Haila closed public comment after no one else came up to speak. Ms. Beatty-Hansen clarified that the rental cap’s purpose was to cap the amount of single-family homes that could be converted to rentals. Apartment style is a different type of building and use and would cut down on the need for people to rent out single-family homes if there were actually affordable apartments. She acknowledged that the apartments that have been built in the area are not affordable. Ms. Corrieri commented that she had consistently voted against the past plans for 321 State and Franklin. She said she will continue to support some sort of affordable housing on one of the two sites. Ex officio Devyn Leeson brought attention to a person who had wanted to comment, but didn’t get a chance before public comment was closed. Awein Majak, 409 Beedle Drive, Ames, discussed issues with affording housing in Ames. Across the state, if low income people are put in the same place, there become problems with drugs and high crime rates. She asked Council to request that landlords subsidize two or three apartments in their complexes instead of putting the low-income people all together in one place and the middle-class people in one place together. She suggested mixing everyone together to make it equal. Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to approve Option 1: to develop 321 State Avenue with a mix of market rate and affordable homes (51%), as originally planned, and to include the consideration of multi-family options on 321 State Avenue. Ms. Beatty-Hansen clarified that this motion includes leaving Franklin Park where it is. Mr. Gartin said he has been an adamant supporter of having only single-family housing on 321 State. He said with great reluctance, he agreed that Ms. Corrieri was right in that greater flexibility is the best way to move forward. Mr. Martin commented that he likes this direction, but he is concerned about the amount of outreach that has been done. He said there needs to be more outreach before they can change the course of the discussion since the main concern tonight was about the pool and about moving the Park. Mr. Diekmann suggested Council to direct staff to host an open house to discuss the housing concepts. Vote on Motion: 5-1. Voting aye: Betcher, Gartin, Nelson, Beatty-Hansen, Corrieri. Voting nay: Martin. Motion declared carried. Council Member Martin said he has no objection to staff gathering information and hosting an open house; he just voted no for proceeding with a multi-family solution on that site. 6 AMENDING CAMPUSTOWN MID-BLOCK SETBACK: Director Diekmann advised Council that this request was in response to a referral from the December 10, 2019, City Council meeting. The individual making the request for the change is specifically interested in how the requirement would be applied to Lincoln Way along the 2500 Block. The options presented to Council were reviewed: Option 1: Amend the CSC Zoning requirements to remove the 20-foot mid-block break only along Lincoln Way. Option 2: Clarify the CSC zoning language that the mid-block break is applicable, when necessary, as determined by the Planning Director. Option 3: Comprehensive utility and planned access study within the CSC district. Mr. Gartin said he is leaning towards Option 2, but is concerned about the consistency in which the requests will be analyzed. Mr. Diekmann said the elements that go into the analysis would be consistent, but the judgment would depend on the Director. He said he does not believe breaks are needed on the remaining blocks of Lincoln Way, and the ultimate goal is to remove access from Welch and make a one-way access from Hayward. Mayor Haila opened public comment. Seeing no one who wished to speak, he closed public comment. Moved by Nelson, seconded by Corrieri to approve Option 1 to amend the CSC Zoning requirements to remove the 20-foot mid-block break only along Lincoln Way. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. 2019 DOWNTOWN PARKING STUDY: City Traffic Engineer Damion Pregitzer introduced David Garza with Walker Consultants who reviewed the purpose and process of the Parking Study. Mr. Garza said one of the goals was to ensure public access and space availability that support short- term and long-term usage. The findings of the Study were presented to the steering committee who agreed that the results were indicative of typical usage patterns. Mr. Garza recommended to keep collecting data as the occupancy presentation is just a snap shot of a single day of use. Mr. Pregitzer explained that this is not an exhaustive data collection, it’s just a sample to decide if the metric can be used to develop a policy. Mr. Garza continued reviewing the data collected during the Study. Council Member Betcher asked if there was any data collected after parking enforcement hours. Mr. Garza said the data stopped being collected at 6:00 p.m. He advised that the Study showed that the majority of people parking in Downtown tended to follow the posted time limits of 2-hour, 4-hour, and 10-hour, respectively. However, the data also showed a desire for time limits longer than 2- hours in some areas based on the percent of overtime parking observed. Also, throughout the public input process, staff heard from business owners with a wide range of customer needs. The consensus was that customers should also be able to shop at multiple stores without concern of getting a ticket. Mr. Garza also discussed that the Study looked at target occupancy rates for on-street and off-street (parking lots) parking. The Study indicated that 85% occupancy is the "tipping point" for when a parking system becomes over-saturated and customers begin to struggle to find desirable parking near their destinations. The average daily occupancy for the Downtown was 63%, which indicated 7 that there was excess parking supply in the Downtown to meet demand. Therefore, because the data showed the parking supply is below the 85% occupancy target, more spaces can be allocated for the long-term employee parking in the CBD lots. Mr. Garza advised that the Employee Hang-Tag Parking Program appeared to be working well and that the City should consider keeping the Program on a permanent basis. Mayor Haila asked how Ames compared to similar communities in regards to parking fees. Mr. Garza said some communities offered monthly parking programs with lower rates and some offered free parking. One of the recommendations from Walker Consultants was to encourage walking. He commented that free parking should be on the fringe area, not in the core. Mr. Pregitzer advised Council that the cost-per-space in the report, around $40,000, included demolishing the current spaces and is a market-based price. The average noted in the report, around $25,000, is building on an empty space, which does not have the cost for demolition. It was recommended by Mr. Garza that if the City's goal is to create a self-sustaining parking enterprise, it must contemplate increased meter rates over the long term in order to maintain the existing parking infrastructure in a self-sustaining manner. If not, the burden of maintaining the existing system will fall on the General Fund supported by Ames taxpayers. Eventually, rates will need to come up at some point in order to maintain the existing public parking service without creating an undue burden. The Study indicated that the current break-even hourly rate is approximately $1.50/hr based upon charging that rate for the 683 meters. However, it went on to say that if the City considered charging a flat daily-rate for the CBD lot of $3.00/day, the break-even meter rate could drop to approximately $1.22/hr. It was noted that offering free parking would make areas of paid parking more expensive because all parking areas have similar maintenance and enforcement costs. Mr. Garza reviewed the recommendations based on the results of the Study, which are: 1. Implement a short-term and long-term parking strategy that sets on-street time limits to three hours; allocate CBD Lot X for long-term employee hang tag use. 2. Maintain the existing four-hour Employee Parking Hang Tag Program; evaluate the long-term feasibility of rates at lot X, Y, and Z. 3. Promote CBD Lot N, S and Q as long term parking maintaining the status quo arrangement. 4. Maintain existing sidewalks and public realm to promote greater walkability. 5. Increase fine schedule for violators. 6. Consider a phased and incremental five-year meter rate strategy. 7. Evaluate parking occupancies on-street and set target rates for occupancy. 8. Form a Downtown Parking Advisory Committee. Ms. Betcher asked why the advisory committee should only meet once a year. Mr. Garza explained that the once-a-year requirement would be a formal meeting, but communication would happen informally throughout the year. Council Member Beatty-Hansen wanted to know how many bicycle parking spots were currently 8 available. According to Mr. Garza, bicycle parking data was not included in this Study. Mr. Pregitzer said the purpose of the Study was more focused on the financial system. Ms. Beatty- Hansen said she would like to know the number as inadequate bicycle parking affects the use of car parking. Mr. Martin discussed his view on technology and parking meters. He asked at what point it would be recommended to a city to use technology to accept credit and debit cards at the point of sale. Mr. Garza said the mobile pay technology is tied to a credit card, which was a partial solution to the technology question. He said the cost for replacing meter heads with card accepting devices was included in the appendix of the report. Ms. Betcher clarified with the consultant that removing meters from downtown was not considered in this study. She asked what the impact would be to remove meters in the streets and charge for parking in the lots that are now free. Mr. Garza replied that typically the premium space is charged for convenience and to promote turnover. Mr. Pregitzer reiterated that this is not an exhaustive study and that large changes are not well received, so this Study was to do what they can with what they have in incremental changes. The options presented to Council were as follows: 1A. Establish a policy that defines short-term time limits as three hours and a long-term limit as ten hours: convert on-street meters to a three-hour limit, maintain an employee hang-tag system for Downtown at $10/space/month in CBD Lot X only, thereby converting the remaining CBD lots (Y and Z) to three-hour free parking and 24-hour Reserved. 1B. Establish a policy that defines short-term time limits as three hours and a long-term limit as ten hours: convert on-street meters to a three-hour limit, abolish the Employee Hang-Tag Program and establish CBD Lot X as ten-hour free parking; CBD Lots Y and Z would become three-hour free and 24-hour Reserved. 1C. Establish a policy that defines short-term time limits as three hours and a long-term limit as ten hours: convert on-street meters to a three-hour limit, abolish the Employee Hang-Tag Program and establish CBD lots X, Y, and Z as ten-hour free parking on the southern half of the lots and three- hour free parking on the northern half. 2A. Direct staff to adjust all parking rates and fees (maximum 40% increase) on a biannual basis beginning in FY 2022/23. Delay any final decision on whether or not to cover both operational and capital costs from parking fee revenues only until staff develops within the next two years a long-range plan for parking system capital improvements. This plan would cover the needs of the entire parking system. 2B. Direct staff to adjust all parking rates and fees (maximum 40% increase) on a biannual basis beginning in FY 2022/23, such that estimated revenues cover all anticipated operational and capital costs of the parking system. The evaluation for the needs of the parking system would take place in the previous fiscal year. 9 2C. Direct staff to adjust all parking rates and fees (maximum 40% increase) on a biannual basis beginning in FY 2022/23, such that estimated revenues cover all anticipated operational costs only of the parking system. Staff would make recommendations for how to pay for capital costs on a project-by-project basis. The evaluation for the needs of the parking system would take place in the previous fiscal year. 3A. Direct staff to work with the Ames Main Street to establish an ongoing Downtown Parking Advisory Committee (meeting annually). 3B. Maintain the current practice of engaging Downtown on a project-by-project basis. Mayor Haila opened public comment. Sara Spohnheimer, 210 Main Street, Ames, expressed concerns on the communication with the public on the Parking Study. It had been alleged that the parking fund was not self-sustaining, but there hadn’t been as much discussion about covering capital cost, which was a change in the expectations of the fund. The self-sustaining description covered the enforcement of parking, and adding in capital costs and maintenance as another expectation has caused a philosophical shift. She suggested that outreach to the community be pursued by staff. She said that, according to State Code 384.24 and 384.26, the capital improvement funding couldn’t come from the same revenue source as it does for the streets, but according to City Attorney Mark Lambert, the General Purpose Bonds could be used for the capital improvements. She asked for more transparency in the reasons for potential increases. The public perception is that the parking fund had not been self-sustaining, so Walker Consultants recommended to raise the rates. She felt that the Study was for the goal of parking rates to pay for more than parking, rather than reviewing how the parking was working. Eric Abrams, 232 and 233 Main Street, Ames, pointed out that this was Walker’s recommendation report. The steering committee went through the recommendations and would like Council to review the committee’s recommendations. He said Lot W lacks lighting and security, otherwise, they could use that for employee parking. Drew Kamp, 304 Main Street, Ames, Executive Director for Ames Main Street, said Option 1C is the preferred policy recommendation. Option 2C would be ideal, but 2A would be acceptable also. Option 3A is preferred, but he wanted it noted that the committee has a proposed list. Brian Keat, 115 Main Street, Ames, said he supports Alternative 1C. He added that if Alternative 1C is not palatable, he would recommend Alternative 1A, but would like to expand the hang tag to Y and Z as well. The option that won’t work, according to Mr. Keat, is Alternative 1B. Mayor Haila closed public comment. Ms. Beatty Hansen suggested waiting to take an action on Item No. 2. Mayor Haila wanted to know how many people parking downtown are employees and how many are customers. The Parking Study did not fully explore that issue according to Mr. Pregitzer. Mayor 10 Haila said if the majority are employees, it might influence policy decisions compared to if it’s mainly customers. Ms. Betcher explained that the data doesn’t clarify who has the hang-tags, so there is no way to ensure the ten-hour spots are available for employees. She added that if the hang tag system was restricted to Lot X and that lot was full, employees couldn’t park anywhere else. Mr. Pregitzer confirmed that parking in other lots would not be allowed under Option 1A. A time limit on changes to the parking regulations was recommended by Mayor Haila so Council isn’t revisiting this issue every six months. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to approve Alternative 1A: establish a policy that defines short-term time limits as three hours and a long-term limit as ten hours: convert on-street meters to a three-hour limit, maintain an employee hang-tag system for Downtown at $10/space/month in CBD Lot X only, thereby converting the remaining CBD lots (Y and Z) to three- hour free parking and 24-hour Reserved. Mr. Nelson asked to add a friendly amendment that Lot W could be in addition to 1A to open up parking for long term parking. Ms. Betcher asked for clarification on what was being added. Mr. Nelson clarified that lighting and grubbing would be added. Mr. Pregitzer suggested Council to ask for an assessment on the cost to clean up Lot W since that hasn’t been fully vetted. Ms. Beatty- Hansen agreed. Council Member Beatty-Hansen explained that approving Option 1A instead of Option 1C is for consistency and to make smaller tweaks to the Parking Plan. Mr. Pregitzer clarified that the three-hour limit is all on-street meters that currently have two-hour and four-hour limits. The lot remains at ten-hours. All of X, Y, and Z (except reserved) are three- hour free. Lot Q would be ten-hour free. The hang tag would only exempt holders from the three- hour limit in Lot X. He also asked that the current policy be maintained until April 1, 2020, to allow for time to change the meters. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Nelson, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, for staff to bring back a memo assessing the cost of lighting and grubbing in Lot W. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to leave in place the current policy until staff can make the changeover, no later than April 1, 2020. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to approve Option 3A: to direct staff to work with the Ames Main Street to establish an ongoing Downtown Parking Advisory Committee with the requirement to meet at least biannually. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. 11 Mr. Gartin asked Public Works Director John Joiner to address if Council had been communicating and being honest with the public. Mr. Joiner said the Parking Fund has been self-sustaining for the last few years. In 2017, staff was directed to have revenues that allowed for capital costs along with operational costs. The Parking Fund had been self-sustaining, but not with the capital improvement costs included. Regarding the bonds that were brought up - parking lot maintenance is not an essential corporate purpose, therefore, it cannot be funded with General Obligation Bonds. General Purpose Bonds could be issued to fund up to $700,000 without a special community vote. He added that there is a difference between General Purpose and General Obligation Bonds. City Manager Steve Schainker commented that this is not a philosophical change; the goal is for the Parking Fund to break even and pay for maintenance. It came to the point for the first time to reconstruct lots, which is different than maintaining. Ms. Betcher clarified that this is not just Downtown, it’s all the parking across town. Ms. Corrieri asked if a $700,000 bond can be bonded every year. Mr. Schainker said it is every year, but there are other things that might need to be bonded for besides parking lots. Mr. Nelson commented for clarity that the parking lots behind Main Street have not been reconstructed since they were built 50 years ago. Mayor Haila called for recess at 8:54 and reconvened at 9:01. EAST INDUSTRIAL AREA UTILITY EXTENSION PROJECT: Municipal Engineer Tracy Warner reviewed the parameters of the project changes and advised Council of the process. Mayor Haila opened public comment. Seeing none, he closed public comment. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 19-657 approving the Professional Services Agreement Amendment No. 2 to the professional services agreement with Stanley Consultants Inc. for the East Industrial Area Utility Extension Project for an additional amount not to exceed $60,200 (total contract not to exceed $396,570). Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Gartin, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 19-658 approving the Plat of Survey for the lift station and future elevated water tank site. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. Moved by Nelson, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 19-659 approving the Purchase Agreement from Janice S. Schroer Revocable Trust UTA October 30, 1997, for the lift station site in the amount of $73,450. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to direct staff to initiate the process of rezoning the 12 lift station and future elevated water tank site from Agricultural to Government Airport. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion carried unanimously. SOUTH GRAND AVENUE EXTENSION PROJECT: Ms. Warner advised Council that this project is the extension of South Grand Avenue. She detailed the changes and updates to the project. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 19-660 approving Agreement for Professional Services Amendment No. 4 with Shive-Hattery, Inc., of West Des Moines, Iowa, in the amount not to exceed $147,900. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. 2019/20 PAVEMENT RESTORATION - SLURRY SEAL PROGRAM: Mayor Haila opened the public hearing. After no one came forward, he closed the public hearing. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Nelson, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 19-661 approving final plans and specifications and awarding a contract to Fort Dodge Asphalt Company of Fort Dodge, Iowa, in the amount of $240,787.76. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. ORDINANCE NO. 4404 CHANGING THE COUNCIL MEMBER’S TERM TO BEGIN ON JANUARY 1ST FOR THE AMES TRANSIT BOARD: Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to pass on first reading an Ordinance changing the term of office of the City Council member serving on the Ames Transit Agency Board of Trustees to begin on January 1. Mayor Haila opened public input. Since no one wished to speak, he closed the public input. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to suspend the rules necessary for the adoption of an ordinance. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to pass on second reading an Ordinance changing the term of office of the City Council member serving on the Ames Transit Agency Board of Trustees to begin January 1. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 4404. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. 13 ZONING CODE AMENDMENTS REGARDING STACKED DRIVEWAY PARKING FOR SINGLE-FAMILY AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS: Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to pass on second reading an Ordinance amending Zoning Code regarding stacked driveway parking for single-family and two-family dwellings. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. REZONING OF 808 E. LINCOLN WAY FROM AGRICULTURAL “A” AND HIGHWAY- ORIENTED COMMERCIAL (HOC) TO GENERAL INDUSTRIAL (GI): Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to pass on second reading an Ordinance rezoning 808 E. Lincoln Way from Agricultural “A” and Highway Oriented Commercial (HOC) to General Industrial (GI). Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried. ORDINANCE NO. 4403 REGULATING MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENTS: Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Martin, to pass on third reading and adopt ORDINANCE NO. 4403 regulating massage establishments. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. BUDGET ISSUES AND GUIDELINES: Assistant City Manager Deb Schildroth reviewed the allocation amounts for ASSET. The current year’s funding was $1,466,202 which was an increase of 3% from the previous year. The City Council’s priorities for human services funding in FY 2020/21 are around housing, mental health and substance abuse services, and youth development services. The total requested by the City for agencies is $1,625,097, which is close to 11% over the current year’s allocation. ASSET administrative services will be increased to include training for agencies in equity inclusion and diversity. Ms. Schildroth continued reviewing the report regarding information that was gathered on clients who were turned away from services due to funding issues or agencies not having the services or the staff available to provide the services. She added that the report does not include those with waiting lists. Finance Director Duane Pitcher advised Council that the predicted increase amount is 5%. Ms. Schildroth added that the Story County Board of Supervisors met and approved a 5% increase. Mr. Martin said the inflation rate for the past year was 2%. He proposed increasing ASSET by 4% and using that extra percent towards COTA funding, as that should satisfy the passion expressed for funding for the arts. Moved by Martin, seconded by Corrieri, to increase ASSET funding by 4%. Mayor Haila asked how United Way is coming with its score card. Ms. Schildroth said that, for the first time, they are able to use some trend lines as a pilot so the volunteers will be able to use that information as they are recommending allocations. Mayor Haila asked if there is a community assessment that shows if the funder’s priorities reflect the actual needs of the community. Ms. Schildroth responded that ISU has developed committees to assess the needs. 14 Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Ms. Beatty-Hansen brought up the expiration of the Human Service Agency Capital Funding Pilot. She asked extending the Pilot beyond 2020 would be a separate discussion. Mr. Schainker agreed that it would be a different conversation. Council Member Martin advised Council that the 1% from ASSET funding amounted to almost $15,000, which ended up to be about 9% for COTA funding. Moved by Martin, seconded by Corrieri, to increase COTA funding by $15,000. Mayor Haila asked if there was a way to help offset the costs to promote performing arts to enhance the culture and the community. Ms. Beatty-Hansen said art is one of those things that makes the community fun. Mr. Nelson commented that he is uncomfortable with saying that they didn’t give ASSET a 5% increase because they wanted to take 1% from ASSET to give it to COTA specifically. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Martin, seconded by Nelson, for staff to bring a memo back for non-profit arts events to help make the City Auditorium more affordable. Mr. Gartin asked for a little history in the memo on how the Auditorium funding was done and how it has changed over the years. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Martin, to approve a 4% increase overall in Outside Organizations funding. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Council Member Betcher commented that she thought they had removed the resident committee, but the note on Page 12 references staff and the Resident Committee. Mr. Schainker confirmed that the Resident Committee was removed. Ms. Corrieri asked when the request for information for potential projects for the CIP should be brought up. Mr. Schainker said it should be brought up sooner than later. Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Gartin, to see a memo from staff regarding the history on CIP funding for a downtown plaza with funds appropriated to that particular project. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL: 1515 Letter from Jean Kresse, dated December 6, 2019, Regarding Update on Human Services Agency Capital Funding Program: Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, for a memo from Jean Kresse regarding the success and future needs for the Program. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Memo from Sara Van Meeteren, Building Official, dated December 13, 2019, Regarding Staff’s Response to AEDC Survey: Mr. Nelson commented that the purpose of surveys is to follow up over time for progress and suggested to follow-up in a couple years. Letter from Gary Reedy, dated December 9, 2019, Regarding Request for a Yield or Stop sign at the Intersection of Hunziker Drive and Roosevelt Avenue: Moved by Gartin, seconded by Martin, to refer to staff for a study on the request. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Mayor Haila commented that the change in parking behind Main Street from four hours to three hours is going to make it very difficult for employees who will have to move their vehicles more frequently. If anyone is interested in reconsidering that, it can be brought up again on Thursday, December 19, 2020. Mr. Nelson mentioned that this was his last regular City Council meeting. He said serving on Council has been a world view-changing experience. He expressed appreciation for the staff and offices for their hard work and for the support of his family for being understanding for the past six years. He wanted everyone to know that he always did what he thought was best for the community. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Nelson to adjourn the meeting at 9:50 p.m. ___________________________________ ____________________________________ Rachel E. Knutsen, Deputy City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor 1616