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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Meeting of the Ames City Council 08/16/2011MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA AUGUST 16, 2011 The Ames City Council met in special session at 7:00 p.m. on the 16th day of August, 2011, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law with Mayor Ann Campbell presiding and the following Council Members present: Davis, Goodman, Larson, Mahayni, Orazem, and Wacha. Ex officio member Finseth was also present. MOTION APPROVING TRANSFER OF CLASS C BEER & B NATIVE WINE PERMIT: Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Goodman, to approve the transfer of a Class C Beer and B Native Wine Permit for Ames British Foods. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. RESOLUTION APPROVING REVISED FINAL PLAT FOR NORTHRIDGE HEIGHTS SUBDIVISION, 14TH ADDITION: Moved by Davis, seconded by Wacha, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-395 approving the revised Final Plat for Northridge Heights Subdivision, 14th Addition. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes. SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE RELATING TO PRECINCT AND WARD BOUNDARIES AS A RESULT OF THE 2010 CENSUS: Moved by Mahayni, seconded Wacha, to pass on second reading an ordinance relating to precinct and ward boundaries as a result of the 2010 Census. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE PRESENTATION OF PLAN FOR ELECTRIC CONSUMPTION REDUCTION: City Manager Steve Schainker discussed City Council’s goal of going green to promote environmental sustainability. He said the City contracted with Iowa State University for Merry Rankin to work with the Sustainability Task Force, and after many months of meeting, they have compiled a plan on reducing electrical consumption in Ames. Merry Rankin thanked the Council and acknowledged members of the Sustainability Task Force present. Ms. Rankin reviewed the charge given to the Task Force of addressing electrical consumption of the Ames community and identifying goals and resources toward collective reduction. She explained the involvement of the 17 members on the Task Force representing the primary electrical consumption sectors of the Ames community, as well as the community members that were involved in a subcommittee or served as a sector consultant or expert resource. A representative from each sector presented a description of their sector, initiatives, goals, and their top two priorities toward reducing electrical consumption. The sectors represented were: • Building Contractors/ Developers • Business • Civic Organizations • Faith-Based Organizations • Non-City Government • Residential • School Districts Ms. Rankin thanked everyone involved in the process. She said there is much diversity in the needs, challenges, goals, and action steps in all sectors, but some common findings among all sectors can be noted: 1. The interest in and dedication toward ensuring a sustainable future is important to the Ames community. 2. There is an abundance of resources currently available and in place to assist and guide all sectors’ members in achieving significant and immediate reductions in electrical consumption. 3. Reduction goals are embraced by all sectors. 4. In spite of the interest in sustainability and the available resources, there are still considerable challenges throughout the Ames community in engaging sector members in electrical consumption reduction initiatives, activities, and programs and sustaining involvement on an ongoing basis. Ms. Rankin also said there are three overarching themes between sectors on which to base some comprehensive action steps that encompass all sectors: 1. The need for an increased and enhanced focus on education and awareness resources and campaigns. 2. The need for an increased and enhanced focus on engaging, motivating, and sustaining participation. 3. The need for an increased and enhanced focus on sustainability-minded planning and policies. Ms. Rankin said that to support the three action steps that encompass all sectors, the Sustainability Task Force is proposing the following: 1. The establishment of an Electrical Efficiency Education Committee - The focus of this committee would be to take a collective look at the educational resources noted in the City of Ames Sustainability Plan for Electrical Consumption Reduction and other relevant resources and offer recommendations related to increasing the accessibility, availability, and utilization of these resources. It would also consider the need for additional resources and implement steps for their development and completion. 2. The establishment of an Electrical Efficiency Engagement and Recognition Committee - The focus of this committee would be to create a recognition program specifically related to achievements and engagement in electrical consumption reduction by individuals and organizations in the Ames community. 3. The establishment of a Review Team of Current Policies Related to Electrical Efficiency - The focus of this review team would be to consider and evaluate current policies and provide recommendations to the City Council as related to planning and policy consideration that should be undertaken and/or implemented to offer further assistance and incentive as related to electrical consumption reduction. Ms. Rankin said these groups would not be long-standing, and each committee would work with City staff toward its goals. She said the Task Force is hopeful that the City Council will support City staff in assisting the Task Force with putting the committees together and assisting the 2 committees in moving forward with future plans. Council Member Orazem asked the school subcommittee about energy usage for the new middle school compared to the old middle school. He said the new school is 50% larger than the old one, and energy costs are more than double what they were at the old site. He asked about additional space in other schools. Gerry Peters, Director of Facilities Planning and Management for Ames Community School District (ACSD) said that window air conditioners account for much of the air conditioning in schools currently. He said that ACSD is hoping to offset some of those costs with technology such as wind energy or solar generation. Mr. Schainker said the existing code involving alternate energy may need to be revisited since the options approved by Council are residential in scale. Council Member Davis expressed interest in the Residential Sector’s goal to put a “home energy yardstick” feature on the City website. This feature would allow utility customers to view their energy use in relative terms and to compare their energy use to the energy used in similar homes with a similar household size. Member Davis asked how much this feature would cost. Corey Metzger, Mechanical Engineer at RDG Planning and Design, said that the group researched the feature, and it would cost approximately $25,000 initially and about $7,000 yearly. Council Member Larson asked for clarification regarding the request for Council to support the use of City staff time for the recommended committees. Ms. Rankin said many of the resources are already out there, but the resources and the means of disseminating the resources may need to be adjusted for particular users. Mr. Schainker said implementation will be addressed later, but most of the support will be provided by the utility department. He said the Public Relations Office will also be involved. Mr. Schainker said all the initiatives are important, so it becomes a matter of how much time it will take to work on the recommendations. Ms. Rankin said the groups are very proactive, so some concerns can be addressed with more of a focus group approach so that questions can be answered and the committees can continue on. Council Member Orazem addressed the educational initiatives and activities survey that was developed for organizations in the Ames community. He said that a small percentage of respondents surveyed have utilized the Smart Energy free energy audit. He asked why more organizations are not taking advantage of it. Ms. Rankin said that many are not aware that it is offered, and some businesses may be leery because they’re worried compliance issues may be discovered. Mr. Schainker said it would be beneficial to ask about the audit on the annual Residential Satisfaction Survey. Ms. Rankin said that awareness is really the issue, since when the process is known and users navigate it, the results are very beneficial. Council Member Wacha thanked everyone for their work, and said that behavioral change is where a lot of opportunity lies. He said that large apartment complexes would be a good place to focus. Ms. Rankin agreed that they are a very important part of the residential sector, and discussed how they can begin efforts and partner with landlords. Jim Gaunt, spokesperson for the faith-based organizations sector, said that his group is working through the fact that those who reap the benefits of electrical consumption reduction are not necessarily the ones that pay for the capital improvements. Council Member Orazem said he is really interested in energy reduction competitions as a means for sharing information, and seems a natural way to look for ways to conserve. He wondered who would lead the competition. Jen Malone, spokesperson for the business sector, said the 3 Chamber would be an option, as well as the business sustainability organization for leading the effort on competitions among businesses. Council Member Larson said that the Greek community at Iowa State University is at the crux of competition, and there are approximately 2,000 residents that live in Greek housing. He said great opportunity could be found there for energy reduction in the form of competitions. Ms. Rankin said she has already been approached by the Greek community, and Greek Go Green is a program that will be kicked off this fall. She said their first area of focus is electrical consumption reduction. Council Member Mahayni said the Sustainability Task Force has presented its report in ten months, which is an impressive accomplishment. He also said that this is “touching the surface,” and that moving forward with sustainability efforts is important. Council Member Orazem discussed the residential yardstick idea. He wondered if the concept would trigger more audits when residents are able to see their household consumption in comparison with similar households. Mr. Metzger said that the number of occupants per household would also be part of the comparison. He also said their group is hoping to target schools and some civic organizations to see if certain incentives can be offered (i.e. extra credit to students who begin energy conservation methods at home). Mr. Gaunt said that the faith- based organizations sector sent a letter to all faith-based organizations containing a table with electrical usage by account number for all faith-based organizations. He said he heard that the organization with the largest consumption was a bit disturbed, so he believes that how consumers rate in comparison to others does matter. Council Member Goodman said that he had audits performed on his home and his businesses. He said he found that taking the next step was the hard part, and that a little bit of hand-holding may be helpful. He said he is interested in how many audits actually translate into action. Ms. Rankin said the business sector and the faith-based sector will have their own groups to share ideas, motivate, and talk about successes and next steps. She also said the three committees would be providing resources and contacts for moving forward. Council Member Mahayni said the message is that the City has to invest resources in order to create new awareness within the community. He said he has heard this, and the City will need to invest more in this initiative. SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE PRES ENTATION OF SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION AND AWARENESS INITIATIVES AND ACTIVITIES: Mr. Schainker said the second part of the Task Force charge was to find out what other entities around the City are doing to promote electrical consumption reduction, which is contained in the second report given. Ms. Rankin said that a 23-question educational initiatives and activities survey was developed that focused specifically on educational efforts by organizations in the Ames community related to electrical consumption reduction and other areas of sustainability. Ms. Rankin reviewed the results, and said that over 60% of the organizations are not providing electrical consumption reduction education and awareness information or events to employees, staff, volunteers, customers, clients, or partnering organizations. These respondents didn’t consider offering 4 these opportunities a priority of their organization. Ms. Rankin also said that 43% of the organizations surveyed had used Smart Energy resources and 54% of respondents reported they provide education and awareness for other areas of sustainability to their employees, staff, and volunteers. She said many respondents had concerns about expenses involved, but the opportunities for awareness are present. Ms. Rankin said the organizations surveyed are most interested in best practices and tips. She told the Council that while 39 respondents completed the survey, 200 additional people viewed it and did not fill it out. Mr. Schainker said the report is a result of much effort and many hours and dedication. He said that no direction is needed now, and that after staff and Council have studied the recommendations, it will be brought back to Council for direction. Mr. Schainker said that looking beyond this assignment, this group will help brainstorm ideas as Council desires to move forward and accomplish its goal of going green to promote environmental sustainability. COMMENTS: Moved by Davis, seconded by Goodman, to refer to staff a letter from QuikTrip regarding an alcoholic beverage tasting event. Vote on Motion: 5-1. Voting aye: Davis, Goodman, Larson, Mahayni, Orazem. Voting nay: Wacha. Motion declared carried. Moved by Davis, seconded by Larson, to refer to staff a letter from Heartland Senior Services regarding its contract with the City of Ames. Mr. Schainker said this item will be discussed at the next Transit Board meeting. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 9:21 p.m. ___________________________________ ____________________________________ Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor ___________________________________ Erin Thompson, Recording Secretary 5