HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Meeting of Ames City Council 01/08/2011MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING
OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
AMES, IOWA JANUARY 8, 2011
The Ames City Council met in special session at 8:30 a.m. on the 8th day of January, 2011, in
the Parks and Recreation Activity Room, 1500 Gateway Hills Park Drive, pursuant to law with
Mayor Campbell, Council Members Davis, Goodman, Larson, Orazem, and Wacha and ex
officio Member England present. Council Member Mahayni was brought in telephonically for
parts of the session. City Manager Steve Schainker, Assistant City Manager Bob Kindred, City
Attorney Doug Marek, and City Clerk Diane Voss were also in attendance. Assistant City
Manager Sheila Lundt arrived at 10:10 a.m.
UPDATE ON EXISTING CITY COUNCIL GOALS/OBJECTIVES: Mayor Campbell
stated that she had met with individual Council members last week to receive their input on
what they preferred to discuss at the goal update meeting. The discussion will center on
common themes raised during those one-on-one conversations..
The Mayor asked each Council member to state a summary of how they felt 2010 had gone.
Council Member Goodman stated that he thought a lot had been accomplished. Council
Member Larson said that he felt the goals had resonated with the public, as he had heard
many comments about them. Council Member Wacha pointed out the large issues, e.g., the
flood and Rental Housing Code, which took a great deal of time. He would like the Council
to continue working to accomplish the goals that they have already been set. Council
Member Davis said he had hoped that more could have been accomplished. In order to do
that, he suggested that the Council members do less micro-managing in the future. Council
Member Orazem also alluded to the amount of time that the larger issues had taken. He
thought the list of accomplishments was impressive, but more work needs to be done. Ex
officio Member England agreed that much had been accomplished; more could have been
done if there had not been a flood.
Mayor Campbell highlighted several of the opportunities she, in her capacity as Mayor, has
to network with other cities, Story County, the state, and state and national agencies.
Common themes to be discussed at this session were reported by the Mayor, as follows:
1. Flooding – what is being done by the state, FEMA, and what is the City’s role
2. Industrial Land
3. Human Services – increasing needs of the Ames community that are not being addressed
4. Diversity (Inclusive Community)
City Manager Schainker suggested the following guidelines for the City Council to consider
when setting its goals:
1. What does the Council have passion for?
2. What does Council and staff have time for?
3. What does the community have the emotional energy for?
Council Member Larson noted that there are three levels of the Council’s goal-setting
procedure: Goals, Objectives, and Specific Tasks. He is personally very passionate about all
six of the Council’s previously set broad-based goals. Council Member Goodman shared his
belief that micro-managing occurs when the Council members disagree with one part of the
staff’s analysis. Several examples were given. Council Member Wacha said that Council
members want to be very responsive to the community. He also believes that Ames City
Government wants to be everything to everybody; however, the Council must be willing to
admit that some issues, although important to a someone in the community, may not be
important enough to be referred to staff.
The Mayor said the Council needs to spend some time at the goal-setting session deciding the
following:
Does the Council want the same goals?
Have any goals been completed?
Are there new tasks that need to be placed under the previously set goals?
Does the Council want to set any new goals with new tasks?
City Manager Schainker then reviewed the goals that the City Council had set at its three
goal-setting sessions held in January 2010; those were confirmed on January 22, 2010. The
status of each was presented by Mr. Schainker, as follows:
Goal No. 1: Go Green to Promote Environmental Sustainability.
a. Promote and educate Ames residents about community-wide sustainability. A plan is
anticipated to be presented by August 2011 by the Sustainability Task Force to guide the
community in electricity use reduction. Council Member Larson noted that after the report has
been presented, and the City Council will need to decide where to go from there.
b. Increase availability of alternative forms of transportation. Council Member Goodman
expressed his passion to meet with the Ames Community School District to discuss future
mass transit needs. He acknowledged that the Ames School Board is obligated to a long-term
agreement with its current contractor and dealing with the busing issue would not be possible
at this time.
Discussion ensued concerning the shared-use path system. City Attorney Marek advised that
the City has 25 miles of shared-use paths. Pertaining to the shared-use path system, Council
Member Davis noted that he was very disappointed over the most-recent settlement agreed to
by ICAP. It was noted that staff had already been directed to review the processes to be
followed before settlements are agreed to. He would like the City to pursue other carriers to
see what they have to offer.
Goal No. 2 Promote Economic Development.
a. Promote Ames as a regional center. Mr. Schainker has regular contact with Mr.
Wolford, and Mr. Wolford remains committed to moving forward with the development of
the regional commercial area along E. 13th Street as soon as economically feasible. The City
Manager continues to serve on a committee that is developing recommendations for the
creation of additional flat space. Staff has been working with the leadership of the South
Ames Business District on the entryway project. The idea of a joint promotional campaign
has not yet been discussed.
b. Support private sector growth to improve quality of life, increase number of jobs,
develop stronger tax base. A request for financial support for the new industrial park
was made by the Ames delegation; however, to date, no sources of federal funding have
been identified by Congressman.
Council Member Larson advised that the Ames Economic Development Commission has
been discussing other sites for an additional industrial park due to the events that have
occurred, i.e., annexation of land by Nevada, the development moratorium agreed to with
the City of Nevada, etc. The AEDC is contemplating land on the north side of Highway
30.
c. Beautify entrances to Ames. The Chamber of Commerce committee charged with
developing a concept for wayfinding signs is waiting to offer a final recommendation
until the visioning/branding process is completed. Reference was also made to the results
of the Resident Satisfaction Survey.
Goal No. 3: Create and Promote a Community Vision.
a. Lead major entities in Ames to create a community vision. A report to Council
summarizing the Dubuque experience has been made. It was learned that Dubuque did not
engage in a community visioning exercise, but rather identified major projects for
consideration. A recommendation regarding the preferred visioning consultant is planned
for January 25, 2011. The recommendation is to go with Brand Endeavor of Marina del
Rey, California.
b. Once established, promote the community vision. The vision has not yet been
established. Action will be taken after that is accomplished.
Goal No. 4: Rejuvenate Campustown.
a. Partner with ISU, GSB, and private sector to redevelop and revitalize Campustown.
A committee was led by the City Manager, an RFP was developed, interviews were held,
and Lane4 was selected as the Master Developer for the Campustown Revitalization
Project. A Memorandum of Understanding will be on the January 25, 2011, Agenda for
approval. The Major has met with the ISU President on the Council’s desire to have a
cooperative plan regarding what services will be provided by the University in
Campustown. The formal meeting has not yet been held.
b. Increase safety, security, and cleanliness of Campustown. The Police Chief has met
with various rental property owners over the past year to explain the program. In
response to an inquiry from Debbie Lee, the Council provided a report outlining another
approach utilized in Davenport and West Des Moines concerning safe apartment
buildings. One local apartment building owner, Keith Denner, has stepped forward to
become involved in such a project in Ames. He has experience with the same type of
project in West Des Moines. The Student Affairs Commission has taken on this project.
The Police Chief compiled results of the safety walk held last fall. Issues that remain are
whether there is support for security cameras and increased lighting in the area. Council
Member Davis said he would like to see what the results of the neighborhood police
program indicate before moving forward with other programs. Council Member Orazem
would like additional information from Chief Cychosz. He will send his questions to City
Manager Schainker to furthering to Chief Cychosz. The answers to those questions will
then be passed on to the City Council. Discussion will need to ensue by the City Council
on the possibilities of adding security cameras and increased lighting in certain areas.
c. Work to support an enduring Campustown Action Association. The Mayor sent a
letter to the Director of the Ames Economic Development Commission asking for
assistance for re-energizing the Campustown Action Association. Council Member
Goodman stated that he is serving as the Association’s Vice-President and highlighted
some of the activities that are occurring to entice existing commercial establishments and
others to invest in Campustown. He noted that the Association has due-paying members
for the first time. Non-monetary assistance has been provided by the AEDC. Ex officio
Member England shared what the Government of the Student Body is embarking on in an
effort to clean up Campustown.
Assistant City Manager Sheila Lundt arrived at 10:10 a.m.
Goal No. 5: Strengthen and Protect Neighborhoods for a United Ames.
a. Work with ISU and GSB to enhance interactions between students and residents.
Ex officio Member England enlightened the remainder of the Council of the work done
by the Student Affairs Commission to develop a new web site and working with GSB to
establish a new web site to disseminate relevant rental information. This is in lieu of
establishing a new landlord/tenant service.
b. Find creative and bold ideas to address crime. The Safe Neighborhoods Team will be
initiated in January 2011, headed by Sergeant Howard Snider.
c. Continue working toward a more-welcoming community. A VISTA volunteer
provides staff support. Section 8 customers are now provided with a packet that includes
information from a variety of sources. A future endeavor might be to provide the Story
County Resource Guide from MICA to all human service customers. The City would
need to work with the agencies to provide for the distribution of similar packets. There
would be some cost for staff time and printing. Additional costs to provide a Guide to
City Services in that packet would also be a factor.
d. Council’s commitment to outreach techniques. Council Members shared how they are
connecting with Ames residents.
Goal 6: Further Streamline and Improve Government Processes.
a. Work to make City Council meetings and City processes more efficient and effective.
Statistics regarding the number of meetings and hours met from 2008 through 2010 were
given.
b. Revisit City Codes, policies, and procedures to streamline processes. An overview of
the Land Use Policy Plan (LUPP) was presented to the Council on March 9, 2010. A
developer workshop was held on April 20, 2010.
c. Promote Ames as a welcoming place to do business by embracing a “can do”
attitude. A comprehensive review of the development review process was completed with
results presented to the Council on August 24, 2010. Staff is completing a new web-based
survey to be distributed to all customers related to planning and building code issues. The
AEDC will be using a new software for its biennial survey that will allow them to obtain
feedback from a broader business community and not just from major manufacturers.
Results will be available some time this year.
Summarizing the Council’s activities over the past year, City Manager Schainker distributed a list
of pending formal referrals made by the City Council to the staff. Seventy-four (74) were
accomplished during 2010; there are 16 pending. Staff was directed to provide the pending
referrals report to the Council on a regular basis. Council Member Davis asked that if letters
come in after the Council packet has been sent out, they be held until the next packet. It was
clarified that if the correspondence pertains to an agenda item, it will be placed around the dais.
The meeting recessed at 10:50 a.m. and reconvened at 11:05 a.m.
City Manager Schainker asked the Council to provide more information on the four common
themes.
1. Flooding. Topic that must be dealt with; should be a public statement.
a. Flooding from the rivers
b. Flash-flooding caused by City infrastructure’s inability to handle the onslaught of water.
Assistant City Manager Bob Kindred gave an update of what the City is currently doing. The
City is going to take the lead and bring in other entities. Discussion ensued what that
entailed, e.g., funding, who is involved. Mr. Kindred described activities being done by the
Iowa Flood Center.
City Manager Schainker advised that $250,000 had been allocated for the study. City
Council members concurred that the City should take a leadership role to deal with flooding
from the rivers and involve ISU (Administration/Professional), Story County, and the Iowa
Flood Center.
Council Member Goodman adamantly expressed the problem that he has with all taxpayers
being assessed retroactively for recurring problems in certain areas of the community that
could have been avoided by different development practices. The Council members agreed
that new local policies need to be enacted to deal with flash flooding.
2. Industrial Land. Mr. Schainker noted that there are two issues: (1) get infrastructure across
the Interstate and (2) financing. He said that E. 13th Street was chosen because it was the most
cost-efficient location. Discussion ensued about sites at E. 13th Street, Lincoln Way, and out to
590th. Mr. Schainker said that costs could be calculated for a different site if it were
identified. It was concurred to direct staff to look at a site on Lincoln Way that has railroad
access and is closest to the City limits. The City Manager was also directed to update the E.
Ames Industrial Study previously done for the approximately 2,000 acres on E. 13th Street and
analyze a possible swap in responsibilities with Mr. Wolford, if possible. It was agreed that
these items will be new tasks under Goal 2a.
3. Human Services. Council Member Larson said there were four items to be dealt with under
this heading: (1) the City’s relationship with ASSET – understanding the City’s role and
sending the message to the other providers regarding the amount of each funder’s
contribution, (2) Section 8, (3) Heartland, (4) Richmond Center. He noted that the City’s
liaison to ASSET has been Assistant City Manager Sheila Lundt for over 20 years. Sheila is
retiring, and Mr. Larson expressed his concern over the transition to another person. Mr.
Larson suggested that Goal No. 5 be changed to “Strengthen and Protect our Community for
a United Ames” (striking the word Neighborhoods). Ms. Lundt provided an update on the
Richmond Center. The Joint Funders’ meeting is scheduled for January 20.
It was agreed that Human Services should be a new goal. Council Member Larson suggested
that the ASSET funders meet to discuss what services are being provided and who is paying
for them. Ms. Lundt suggested that the Ames School District and Mary Greeley Medical
Center be invited to be members of the ASSET team, even if they do not make any monetary
contributions. It was decided that Council should make a stronger commitment to working
with the Joint Funders through the ASSET process. It was decided that the City Council meet
with the Joint Funders to determine funding increases by each funder and how funding is
allocated to agencies.
Discussion occurred on the Section 8 Housing Program. Council Member Wacha summarized
staff’s findings that there is no non-profit agency that could legally assume the responsibilities
of the Program. The agencies that are eligible to take on the City's Section 8 Program have
requirements that are as strict as or stricter than the City’s; however, nothing prevents those
agencies from changing their requirements.
4. Inclusive Community. The Mayor noted that several persons in the community raise the issue
of what Ames is doing to make people feel more welcome. It was noted that this would be
included under an existing goal.
City Manager Schainker reviewed each of the six current goals. It was concurred as follows:
Goal 1
A: Tasks 1 and 2 have been completed. Tasks 3, 4, and 5 are still being worked on.
B: Tasks 1 has been completed. Task 2 has been delayed.
Goal 2
A: Task 1 remains with a new task added: Explore possible swap in responsibilities with
Mr. Wolford, if possible. Task 2 has been completed. Task 3 will be dropped.
B: Task 1 has been completed.
Task 2 is ongoing.
Three new tasks were added under Goal 2: Update the E. Ames Industrial Study, update
the cost of the sanitary sewer line from Dayton Road east to the regional commercial
area, and explore E. Lincoln Way adjacent to the City that has railroad access as a
possible location for an Industrial Park.
C: Task 1 is delayed.
Goal 3
A: Task 1 has been completed. Task 2 will be done on January 25, 2011.
B: Task 1 is ongoing.
Goal 4
A: Task 1 has been completed. Tasks 2 and 3 are delayed.
B: Task 1 has been completed. Task 2 is ongoing.
C: Task 1: added share how the CC might be a partner. Task 2 has been completed.
Goal 5
A: Task 1 has been completed. Task 2 is ongoing.
B: Tasks 1 and 2 are completed
C: Task 1 remains with a wording change: “…to support the continued staffing of United
Ames.” Task 2 has been completed. Task 3 is ongoing.
D: Added new tasks:
1. Meet with Joint Funders to determine relative funding increases and how to
appropriately allocate funding to agencies.
2. The Mayor will appoint two Council members to participate with the Mayor in Joint
Funders’ meeting.
The meeting recessed at 2:00 p.m. and reconvened at 2:10 p.m.
Goal 6
Discussion ensued concerning the number and length of Council meetings. Council Member
Mahayni said he wants the Mayor to be empowered to use her authority in controlling City
Council meetings by making the Council remain focused. He told the Mayor to be more
forceful to make Council members not to go into minute detail. Mr. Mahayni suggested that
the Council actually adopt resolution that future meetings would not go beyond four hours.
Council Member Goodman said that he was not comfortable giving the Mayor the
prerogative to decide when discussion on a particular topic should be over. He adamantly
does not want to limit the amount of time to be taken on any topic. Council Member Orazem
noted that limiting debate on each issue is not going to ensure that Council will arrive at a
resolution sooner. Discussion ensued on whether the agenda should indicate an “expected
time” in the left margin. Ex officio England pointed out that if the debate seems to be going
on and on, a Council member could always call for the question. Council Member Goodman
suggested that the Council members attempt to keep meetings to four hours or less. Council
Member Davis said that he would be agreeable to saying that the meetings would adjourn by
11 PM. Mr. Goodman: said he wanted the Council members to be empowered to “stand up
for themselves” when the Mayor wants to curtail the discussion.
A: All tasks remain with new tasks added:
1. Members will make every attempt to adjourn Council meetings by 11 PM.
2. Mayor will keep track of time of deliberation of each item and bring it to the Council
members’ attention.
3. Staff will structure meeting agendas and the Mayor may use her prerogative to re-
order items on the Agenda to minimize waiting time for interested persons present.
B. Tasks 1 and 2 have been completed.
Regarding a new task, discussion ensued as to whether a new economic development position
should be part of the City or the Chamber. It was concurred that the mission is to ensure that a
potential business owner has a positive experience after working with the City of Ames.
Council Member Davis suggested that City Manager Schainker give a report to the City
Council as to how the position would be structured internally and how it would be structured
through the Chamber. Council Member Goodman prefers that the position be created in the
City; that way, the City would have control over the tasks accomplished by that employee.
New task: Direct City Manager to work with AEDC Director to develop options for creating a
Business Development Specialist position.
New task: The City Council will hold a workshop to seek input from business stakeholders to
determine issues experienced by some in renovating existing commercial spaces.
C: Tasks 1, 2, and 3 have been completed.
Goal 7. Added new goal: Mitigate Flooding, with new tasks:
City will take a leadership role to deal with flooding from the rivers and involve ISU
(Administration/Professional), Story County, and the Iowa Flood Center.
Enact new local policies to deal with flash-flooding.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 3:27 p.m.
__________________________________ ____________________________________
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor