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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Joint Meeting of the Ames City Council and the Iowa State University Government of the Student Body 10/08/2014MINUTES OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AND THE IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY GOVERNMENT OF THE STUDENT BODY AMES, IOWA OCTOBER 8, 2014 The Ames City Council met at 7:00 p.m. on the 8th day of October, 2014, in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union, Iowa State University, pursuant to law with the following Council Members present: Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Matthew Goodman, Chris Nelson, and Peter Orazem. Mayor Ann Campbell, ex officio Council Member Lissa Villa, City Manager Steven Schainker, Assistant City Manager Melissa Mundt, and Management Analyst Brian Phillips were also present. RENT SMART AMES: Following introductions of the Council Members, ex officio City Council liaison Lissa Villa asked Assistant City Manager Melissa Mundt and Neighborhoods Intern Zach Bauer to provide an overview of the Rent Smart Ames program. Ms. Mundt indicated that she and Mr. Bauer serve on the Student Experience Enhancement Committee (SEEC). Mr. Bauer noted that the City Council had made addressing landlord and tenant issues a Council Goal. He and Melissa had worked to create a web portal on the City’s web site to educate renters. The website connects to a free rental listing service managed by the Iowa Finance Authority. Council Member Corrieri inquired whether there was a process to reach out and get landlord participation. Ms. Mundt responded that the University Department of Residence is connecting with landlord to attend a training explaining the use of the site. Council Member Nelson asked if there was a process to check the listings against the City’s rental registration records. Ms. Mundt indicated that was possible. Council Member Orazem asked if there was an ability to highlight crime-free housing listings more prominently. He indicated that he would like to do that if possible. Ms. Mundt stated she was not sure whether the site could do that. Council Member Orazem inquired as to whether sublets could be listed, and Ms. Mundt indicated they could. Ms. Mundt and Mr. Bauer demonstrated the features of the website, showing how listings can be sorted. Mr. Bauer showed the other two sections of the City’s web site, which provide information for landlords and for tenants. He demonstrated the educational components of each page. City Manager Steve Schainker informed the group that this year, the City Council adopted a goal, advocated for by the City Council liaison, to investigate a tenant-landlord mediation service. This service was available many years ago. He asked whether it was still the Government of the Student Body’s (GSB) interest to pursue this. Council Member Goodman noted that students are generally unprepared for some situations as renters. If students want more help, the City Council needs to know. But if this is good enough, the City Council could move on to other issues. GSB Senator Hartnett stated that the website does a great job of educating, but he was not sure how this helps resolve conflicts. Perhaps a service to resolve conflicts is needed. Council Member Orazem expressed that education can help avoid disputes at a low cost. It is the tenant responsibility to identify issues early on. Council Member Goodman reiterated that if GSB wants to pursue mediation services, the City Council would listen. CYRIDE: Transit Board Trustee Zach Murrell explained that he had provided information regarding CyRide for the packets. He asked if there were any questions. GSB Senator Abbas asked for further details regarding the funding of new service purchases. Transit Director Sheri Kyras responded that the new transportation bill eliminates funding for new buses for transit systems of CyRide’s size. The burden for purchases now moves to the local authority. The discussion is now about how to provide a level of service acceptable to users. GSB Vice Speaker Breitbrath mentioned that his constituents are concerned about overcrowding. He wondered about the timetable for a new funding model and for when new buses might be added. Director Kyras explained that funding discussions are continuing this fall. Every trip is monitored daily. CyRide is continuing to add buses to reduce overcrowding. Four new articulated buses will be added in the next two years, and newer used buses have been purchased to both replace old buses and expand the fleet. GSB Senator Fitten stated that the Transportation Bill is reauthorized every year. He wondered what the prospects were for bus funding returning to that bill in the future. Director Kyras responded that the chances were slim to none. She mentioned that CyRide could use help lobbying if GSB had the ear of federal lawmakers. Council Member Goodman stated that with fare-free ridership, there is no price signal to the users. In the 20 years before fare-free, ridership increases were small. After fare-free was put in place, the slope of ridership became much more steep. Without a price signal of paying for each ride individually, there is no thought about the cost. Council Member Orazem stated that congestion is the price signal. Council Member Goodman indicated that one option is to offer unlimited off-peak rides, and limited rides during peak times. Mayor Campbell mentioned that another cost to the City is road construction, because buses are so heavy. GSB Senator Hartnett stated that at some point, students must realize that this resource is finite. Ex officio Villa stated that students pay multiple times. Trustee Murrell said that students pay through the University, through student fees, and then through properly taxes if they live off campus. A GSB senator asked if there were any solutions to limit over-use of the service. Director Kyras stated that it is tough for a transit system to cap ridership. GSB Vice Speaker Breitbarth reiterated that GSB senators should talk to their constituents about this issue, and find out whether students would be willing to pay more in fees or do other things to address the situation. BIKING: GSB President Hillary Kletscher stated that a bike sharing initiative started last year. A studio class is looking at designing a system and its feasibility. The project is now being funded as a strategic priority of the College of Design and the Division of Student Affairs. The idea is that once it is successful on campus, it could expand to the City of Ames. However, the details of what it looks like in the future are not yet known. President Kletscher added that she had received concerns from students about biking in high-traffic corridors in Ames. GSB Senator Hartnett noted that bike trails in Ames are more recreational than for commuters. He suggested that the City Council should look into this further. City Manager Schainker stated that the Long Range Transportation Plan looks at both commuter and recreational bikers. It addresses completing routes to connect proactively and also waiting for certain developments to complete connections. He also mentioned that institutional roads throughout the community are the responsibility of Iowa State. Last year, lighting on Mortensen Road was an issue that was resolved. GSB Speaker Walsh stated that the bike paths on Coldwater Golf Course and by the Middle School are very nice. He suggested that a path on Welch Avenue would be helpful. Management Analyst Phillips provided an update regarding nine projects that the City Council had directed City staff to investigate to address biking issues in Campustown, including on Welch Avenue. GSB Senator Vezeau expressed his interest in putting bike racks at CyRide stops at the periphery of town so users could ride to that stop and transfer to CyRide. He asked whether there was City interest in this. Council Member Goodman expressed interest. Council Member Betcher stated that the issues of renting, CyRide, and mobility are connected. If landlord could get involved in bike share, or if other unique opportunities were pursued, things like that could alleviate CyRide issues. Council Member Gartin noted that the Ames Bicycle Coalition is dealing with these issues. He suggested that the organization would be a good resource to think through some of these ideas. GSB Senators Abbas and Fitten both expressed concern that the weather is not conducive to biking year-round. Ex Officio Villa mentioned that the City Council is welcome to attend Meet Your Government Day. GSB Speaker Walsh thanked the City Council for attending. He invited the council members to attend future meetings and mentioned that GSB members will continue to attend City Council meetings. ADJOURNMENT: The joint meeting adjourned at 9:02 p.m. ___________________________________ ____________________________________ Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor ___________________________________ Brian Phillips, Scribe