HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Regular Meeting of the Ames City Council 10/11/2011MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
AMES, IOWA OCTOBER 11, 2011
The regular meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor Campbell at 7:00 p.m.
on October 11, 2011, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue. Present from
the Ames City Council were Davis, Larson, Mahayni, and Orazem. Ex officio Member Finseth was
also present. Council Members Goodman and Wacha were absent.
Mayor Campbell asked the City Council members if they had any objections to reversing the order
of the Presentations and Proclamations. No objections were voiced.
PROCLAMATION FOR FIRE PREVENTION WEEK: Mayor Campbell proclaimed the week
of October 9 - 15, 2011, as Fire Prevention Week. Accepting the Proclamation on behalf of the
Ames Fire Department were Lieutenant Sebastian and Firefighters Moulden, Buchman, Bleeker,
Peterson, and Thie. Lieutenant Sabastian described several of the activities that would be held
by the Fire Department in observance of Fire Prevention Week. Council Member Mahayni
pointed out that the Ames Fire Department had received the highest rating of all City
Departments in the most-recent Resident Satisfaction Survey at 98%.
PROCLAMATION FOR CHARACTER COUNTS WEEK: The week of October 16-22, 2011,
was proclaimed by the Mayor as Character Counts Week. The Proclamation was accepted by
Jim Hallihan, Mary Jo Mattila, and Ames Police Chief Chuck Cychosz. Mr. Hallihan issued a
challenge to the Ames community to take the words from the Proclamation and implement good
character in their personal lives and businesses. He described how Iowa Games competitions
promote good character in all levels of participation.
PRESENTATION ON ALL-AMERICA CITY LITERACY AWARD: Carolyn Jons, spoke
on behalf of the following Ames organizations and their leaders: Ames Community School
District, Ames Public Library, Ames Tribune, Des Moines Area Community College, Ames
Chamber of Commerce, Iowa State University Curriculum and Instruction Department, United
Way of Story County, and Raising Readers in Story County. She asked the Council to imagine
what it would be like five years from now for visitors to be greeted by a sign that says,
“Welcome to Ames - A City of Readers.” That is one of the goals of the above-named Steering
Committee in its mission to increase early language and literacy development in children from
birth to age eight. The Steering Committee had unanimously agreed that pursuing a “City of
Readers” initiative would benefit Ames, now and in the future. They also agreed that the first
step would be to apply for the 2012 All-America City Grade Level Reading Award. Reference
was made to the information pertaining to the Award that had been distributed by Ms. Jons
around the dais. The national focus this year is on developing comprehensive community plans
to increase grade-level reading proficiency by the end of third grade. According to Ms. Jons, that
is already a goal of the Ames Community School District and Raising Readers in Story County.
Ms. Jons invited the Council to write a letter of support to be included with the Committee’s
Letter of Intent for the grant. She also asked that the Council consider appointing an interested
Council member to the Steering Committee and discussing providing some City funding or
support staff time for the Steering Committee as it plans for the All-America City Award. The
application must be submitted by March 1, 2012.
Mayor Campbell noted that the Agenda listed this as an All-America City Literacy “Grant.” Ms.
Jons advised that it is not a grant, it is an award. She further stated that up to 30 communities
will be selected from those applying for the Award. The representatives from those communities
will attend a national conference next summer, and at that time, ten communities will be selected
to actually receive the Award.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Larson, directing the Mayor to write a letter on behalf of the
City Council in support of this effort to be included with the Steering Committee’s Letter of
Intent to the national organizations that support the Award.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
The Mayor stated that the Council would discuss the other two requests, i.e., appointment of a
Council member to the Steering Committee and an allocation of funding or staff time, at a future
meeting.
PRESENTATION OF DZ TRIANGLE NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
GRANT: Matt England, former ex officio Council member and Student Affairs Commission
member, and Tor Finseth, presented the project to renovate the public space located at the
intersection of Sunset Drive and Pearson Avenue. This project was funded in part by a grant
from the City’s Neighborhood Improvement Program. Mr. England stated that the project
consists of pillars, a brick patio, native grasses and shrubs, limestone seating, crushed limestone
paths, and park signage. Mr. England reported that partnerships with the following agencies
allowed this project to be brought to fruition: the Government of the Student Body (GSB),
Student Society of Landscape Architects, City of Ames, Greek Alumni Alliance, Interfraternity
Council, Iowa State University, Ames Alumnae Panhellenic, and individual Greek chapters. Mr.
England and Mr. Finseth described the multiple steps taken to complete construction of the
project. The numerous community activities that have been held at the site to date were also
listed. Mr. Finseth described future site additions that have been promised to the funders.
CONSENT AGENDA: Moved by Davis, seconded by Mahayni, to approve the following items on
the Consent Agenda:
1. Motion approving payment of claims
2. Motion approving Minutes of Special Meetings of September 20 and October 6, 2011, and
Regular Meeting of September 27, 2011
3. Motion changing Regular Meeting date of the City Council from November 8 to November 1,
2011
4. Motion approving Report of Contract Change Orders for September 16-30, 2011
5. Motion approving certification of civil service applicants
6. Motion approving renewal of the following beer permits, wine permits, and liquor licenses:
a. Class C Liquor – London Underground, 212 Main Street
b. Class C Liquor – Twenty Twenty, 2424 Lincoln Way
c. Class B Native Wine – Lyla’s Boutique, 404 Main Street
d. Class C Beer & B Wine – Aldi, Inc. #48, 1301 Buckeye Avenue
e. Class E Liquor, C Beer, & B Wine – Target Store T-1170, 320 South Duff Avenue
7. Motion approving placement of research cameras and sensors on City-owned property as part
of an Iowa State University animal ecology research project and in connection with the Urban
Deer Management Program
8. RESOLUTION NO. 11-461 approving renewal of contract with Wellmark for administrative and
claims processing services for Flexible Spending Account effective January 1, 2012
9. RESOLUTION NO. 11-462 awarding contract for fall 2011 Asbestos Removal for Power Plant
to Pro Environmental Abatement, Inc., of Des Moines, Iowa, in the amount of $49,760.00
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10. RESOLUTION NO. 11-463 approving Contract Change Order for Power Plant Unit 8 Waterwall
Installation
11. RESOLUTION NO. 11-464 approving contract and bond for 2010/11 Water System
Improvements (South Duff Avenue Water Main Replacement)
12. RESOLUTION NO. 11-465 accepting final completion of 2011/12 Collector Street Pavement
Improvements (Hayes Avenue)
13. RESOLUTION NO. 11-466 accepting completion of utilities and street construction required
as a condition for approval of the Final Plat of Grand Aspen, 4th Addition (South 16th Street
Widening), and releasing security
14. RESOLUTION NO. 11-467 approving Plat of Survey for 311 Ash Avenue
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolutions declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and
hereby made a portion of these minutes.
PUBLIC FORUM: Jim Lohr, 4247 Stone Brooke Road, Ames, stated that he and his wife recently
returned from a visit to Germany. He thanked the Mayor and City staff for providing a
“Traveler’s Greeting” (Proclamation) for the Lohrs to take to the Mayor of Rommerskirchen,
Germany, from the citizens of Ames. Mr. Lohr read the Proclamation that he had presented to
the Rommerskirchen Mayor. As many people from Ames travel internationally, he suggested
the idea of extending similar goodwill wishes and hospitality globally.
Merlin Pfannkuch, 1424 Kellogg Avenue, Ames, expressed his disappointment regarding the
postponement of the round-table workshop related to the Hospital-Medical Zone that had been
scheduled for October 18, 2011. Mr. Pfannkuch said that the Council’s decision to have the
vote on McFarland’s specific requests before the workshop was a mistake to start with. He
could understand the postponement of the workshop for a legitimate reason, i.e., the City wasn’t
ready or the neighborhoods weren’t ready. Mr. Pfannkuch pointed out that the Neighborhood
residents had been extensively preparing for the workshop and questioned the real reasoning
behind the postponement. According to Mr. Pfannkuch, the purpose of the workshop was to talk
about the big picture, not just McFarland’s specific requests. In Mr. Pfannkuch’s opinion, the
City had “kicked around this Neighborhood enough,” and the postponement of the workshop
scheduled over four months ago may has destroyed any remaining trust that the City Council
had with the Neighborhood. Mr. Pfannkuch suggested that the Council “get a clue” as to how
to work with neighborhoods. He requested that each elected official talk at the roundtable
workshop about whether he or she thought that they had treated this Neighborhood fairly.
No one else came forward to speak, and the Mayor closed Public Forum.
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY (ISU) HOMECOMING REQUESTS FOR OCTOBER 21,
2011: Kurt Beyer, Homecoming Central Committee Advisor, highlighted some of the activities
that will be occurring during ISU Homecoming week.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to adopt/approve:
a. RESOLUTION NO. 11-468 approving closure of portions of Ash Avenue, Gray Avenue,
Lynn Avenue, Pearson Avenue, and Sunset Drive between 6:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
b. Motion approving temporary obstruction permit for area inside street closures
c. RESOLUTION NO. 11-469 approving/motion denying allocation of $1,000 for pancake feed
d. Motion approving Fireworks Permit for ground effects fireworks shoot on Central Campus,
beginning at approximately 11:55 p.m., pending approval of ISU Risk Management
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolutions/motions declared adopted/approved unanimously, signed by
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the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes.
5-DAY LICENSES FOR OLDE MAIN BREWING COMPANY: Moved by Davis, seconded
by Mahayni, to approve the following 5-Day licenses for Olde Main Brewing Company:
a. Class C Liquor (Oct. 15-19) at ISU Alumni Center, 420 Beach Avenue
b. Special Class C Liquor (Oct. 22-26) at ISU Alumni Center, 420 Beach Avenue
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
CLASS C LIQUOR & OUTDOOR SERVICE FOR ELEMENT/CHASERS/e: Police Chief
Cychosz introduced Commander Huff and asked him to explain the information contained on
the Liquor License Renewal Criteria Form. Commander Huff reviewed the results of the various
areas of compliance checks and gave examples of the Police Department’s concerns. Based on
the high number of calls for service, underage patrons in the establishment, and apparent
inability of the bar personnel to make improvements after continued contact, the Police
Department recommended that the license not be renewed. Mr. Huff corrected one item that had
been listed on the Criteria Form. He stated that the bar owner, Scott Davis, had contacted him
last night and advised that the bar does provide an incentive of $15/confiscated ID.
According to Commander Huff, there had been 47 citations during the 12-month renewal period.
Mr. Huff advised that he had had a lot of conversations with Scott Davis since July 2011. At
that time, the bar had received 26 violations. Commander Huff had indicated to him through a
series of emails that the Police Department needed to see some improvement to operations that
would prevent violations; however, since that time, 21 additional violations had occurred. Most
concerning to the Police Department was over-serving and the high number of all-ages events
that the establishment has hosted during the past 12 months, which Commander Huff estimated
being in excess of 40. The Police Department began denying the requests for all-ages events in
August because it was felt that those events were contributing to the problems at the bar.
Council Member Orazem noted that prior to this year, the bar had been charged with relatively
few violations. He asked to know what happened this year. Commander Huff stated that the
police officers doing the compliance checks had noted a lack of supervision at the doors.
Scott Davis, 2401 Chamberlain Street, Ames, owner of the bar in question, introduced Ryan
Howe and Taylor Nystrom as floor managers. Currently, they don’t have a manager for the
middle floor; two managers had been fired this year. Mr. Davis advised that the bar consists of
three floors, totaling 14,000 square feet. It has a capacity of nearly 500 people. He had been
asked by Commander Huff to submit a plan on how they were going to rectify the high number
of violations. Mr. Davis said they have the same plan that they had before: a person at every bar,
all employees go through the Ames Police ID training, all doors are manned, and an incentive
is provided for confiscated IDs. Mr. Davis said that employees who make mistakes or do not do
their jobs are fired. He said they are constantly looking for the right combination of door staff
and floor staff.
According to Mr. Davis, 108 fake or altered IDs had been turned in during the past 12-month
renewal period. He explained the procedures taken by the bar when they host under-age events.
Mr. Nystrom said many of the violations “were a matter of human error”to not catch underage
persons sneaking into the bar. He stated that the bar’s personnel turnover had been very high.
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At the inquiry of Council Member Davis, the Council was told that the bar is equipped with
video surveillance, and it is used. The cameras are currently being repositioned to allow better
views of the door. Council Member Davis said one of his concerns is that, although 90% of the
Bar’s employees had attended ID training, the employees were apparently not listening to what
the officers had told them and are not using the training.
When asked to address the number of false alarms, Scott Davis stated that there was a door that
people were pulling open. Council Member Mahayni referenced the amount of unpaid fines
owed by Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis advised that the fines have now been paid; at the time, he did not
have the money to pay the fines.
Council Member Orazem asked Scott Davis how long he had owned the bar. Mr. Davis advised
that he has owned the bar for the past five years. Mr. Orazem asked to know why Mr. Davis had
not taken action when it was known that the number of violations were getting out of hand.
According to Mr. Davis, he has fired the floor personnel who were not doing their jobs.
Council Member Mahayni pointed out that the statistics report for the bar in question was one
of the worst he had seen during his time on the Council.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Orazem, to deny renewal of Class C Liquor & Outdoor Service
for Element/Chasers/e, 2401 Chamberlain Street.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
MCFARLAND CLINIC: Assistant City Manager Bob Kindred said that there were several items
relating to the McFarland Clinic office building to be constructed on 12th Street between Duff
and Carroll Avenue on the Agenda. He explained that the first item related to Council’s recent
rezoning of eight properties in the area. A public hearing was held on June 14. The maps
distributed to Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and affected neighbors during the
rezoning process were correct, and all discussion was based on the parcels shown on those maps.
However, errors were subsequently found in the legal descriptions submitted by the applicant
and by staff and included in the published notices and ordinance. This led to two of the eight
properties being inadvertently omitted. Since those two parcels have only completed a portion
of the rezoning process, the final steps to include those parcels need to be repeated. The Planning
and Zoning Commission does not need to hear the matter again, since the Commission relied
upon the maps, and not the legal descriptions, in its earlier deliberations. Staff recommended that
the Council set October 25 as the date for first reading of the ordinance to rezone the two lots,
and 8 AM on both October 26 and 27 for the remaining two readings to adopt the ordinance. In
addition, Council will need to correct the erroneous legal description in Ordinance No. 4073,
which was adopted by the Council on July 12, 2011.
Addressing the rescheduling of the workshop with the Hospital-Medical Neighborhood, Mr.
Kindred advised that November 17, 2011, appears to work for the neighborhood leaders, medical
facility administrators, and five of the six Council members. The sixth Council member is out
of town and has not yet indicated his availability on that date.
Planning and Housing Director Steve Osguthorpe explained that two of the three Plats of Survey
on the Agenda involve the same issue dealing with double-frontage lots. The first Plat of Survey
pertains to land that is located between Duff Avenue, Carroll Avenue, and 12th Street. A
boundary line adjustment to combine those three lots into one lot would be made, if approved.
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Mr. Osguthorpe advised that the Subdivision Code currently states that double-frontage lots will
not be permitted “except where essential to provide residential development from arterial streets
or to overcome specific disadvantages of topography and orientation.” According to Mr.
Osguthorpe, there are currently a number of situations where there are double-frontage lots in
non-residential applications. He stated that the request for the southern lot includes a request for
a waiver of the City’s prohibition of double frontages. That waiver meets the City’s criteria and
is consistent with the City’s practice in many past non-residential situations. Mr. Osguthorpe
noted that a text amendment to deal with double-frontage lots is also on the Agenda.
According to Director Osguthorpe, the Plat of Survey request for the northern lot includes a
provision for the City to be granted an electrical easement in exchange for abandoning an
existing underground electric line.
Pertaining to the Remote Parking Agreement, Mr. Osguthorpe stated that one condition for
approval of the Minor Site Plan for the building in question is that a Remote Parking Agreement
be approved by the City Council. He said that such Agreements are commonly used in the City.
In this case, 30 spaces from the 1128 Duff Avenue site will be used to meet the parking
requirement for the new building on 121 East 12th Street.
Council Member Orazem pointed out that a petition had been received by the Council from area
residents asking the City to examine the traffic flow that would result from the proposed
expansion. He asked if the proposal would have any implications on traffic flow. According to
Mr. Osguthorpe, because they are only dealing with a boundary line adjustment, staff would
determine that there are no increased traffic impacts because no additional lots are being created.
He said that any traffic issues would be addressed during the site plan review process. According
to Mr. Osguthorpe, the double-frontage provision and the combination of lots provide more
flexibility to address the flow of traffic.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-470 approving a
waiver of double-frontage lot design for the property located at 1128 Duff Avenue/1117-1119
Carroll Avenue.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-471 approving a Plat
of Survey for 1128 Duff Avenue/1117-1119 Carroll Avenue, with the following conditions:
1. An electric easement for the existing electric line that crosses the property be filed at the
time of recording the Plat of Survey in the Story County Recorder’s Office
2. A copy of the recorded easement be filed with the Ames City Clerk’s Office along with the
recorded Plat of Survey.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-472 approving a Plat
of Survey for 1203-1215 Carroll Avenue/119 East 12th Street, with the following conditions:
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1. A five-foot easement be granted to the City for an existing underground electric line along
the north property line.
2. Another existing electrical easement located in the center of the Plat of Survey be vacated.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-473 approving a
Remote Parking Easement.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-474 setting the date
of public hearing for October 25, 2011, for vacating an electric easement at 119/121 East 12th
Street.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to set the date of public hearing for October 25, 2011,
on rezoning Lot 4, Block 7, Sunrise Addition, and correcting the rezoning of a portion of Lot 5
of Emery’s Subdivision.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to set Special City Council Meetings for 8:00 AM on
October 26 and 27, 2011, for second and third reading/adoption of ordinances, respectively.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
2936 AND 2924 SOUTH LOOP DRIVE AND 3008 UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD: Director
Osguthorpe explained that, if approved, a boundary line adjustment would be made to combine
three lots into one lot. There would be frontage on University Avenue, South Loop Drive, and
Airport Road. A waiver of the double-frontage lot provisions would also need to be granted.
A point of access issue was also brought to the attention of the Council by Mr. Osguthorpe. Staff
is asking that a stipulation be placed on any approval of the Plat of Survey that would allow the
final language to be worked out. That language would be included on the Plat of Survey to
allow points of access as defined safe and appropriate by the City Engineer.
Moved by Davis, seconded by Mahayni, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-475 approving a
waiver of double-frontage lot design.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
Moved by Davis, seconded by Mahayni, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-476 approving a Plat
of Survey for 2936 and 2924 South Loop Drive and 3008 University Boulevard, subject to the
following stipulation:
1. The access restriction on the original plat be amended to allow access onto University
Boulevard in locations deemed safe and acceptable by the City Traffic Engineer, and that
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the amendment be reflected on the Plat of Survey with notation approved by the City
Attorney and the Traffic Engineer.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT CONCERNING PROHIBITIONS ON
DOUBLE-FRONTAGE LOTS: Mr. Osguthorpe noted that the City Council had referred this item
to staff for a possible text amendment to allow double-frontage lots in non-residential zones. He
asked that the amendment state that “A lot with double frontage or reverse frontage not be
permitted in residential zones, except where essential to provide separation of residential
development from arterial streets or to overcome specific disadvantages of topography and
orientation.”
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to pass on first reading an ordinance amending Section
23.401(3)(b) of the Municipal Code to restrict double-frontage lots in residential zoning districts
only.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
2011/12 DIAL-A-RIDE CONTRACT AMENDMENT: Transit Director Sheri Kyras described
two issues that had arisen since Council’s initial approval of the five-year contract in June 2010.
The first issue resulted from the Iowa DOT requesting changes to the contract to reflect non-
financial language clarifications. The second issue resulted from Heartland Senior Services’
concerns over the financial portion of the contract and whether the revenues were covering the
costs that they were incurring to provide the Dial-A-Ride service. Ms. Kyras and Assistant City
Manager Sheila Lundt had attempted to address the issue with Heartland. An independent audit
was performed, and it was found that the Contract was approximately $2,000 short for last year.
However, when a different methodology was used that considered the length of the trips, the
amount stated in the contract was sufficient. Ms. Kyras concluded that the only change that was
needed to the Contract, besides the Iowa DOT-required changes, was a minor adjustment in the
fuel surcharge.
Director Kyras advised that the Transit Board of Trustees had approved the contract amendment
in two parts: the Iowa DOT changes were approved on July 20, 2011, and the fuel surcharge,
retroactive to July 1, 2010, was approved on October 4, 2011.
Ms. Kyras also noted that, in discussions with Heartland Senior Services, there is a possibility
that they will not continue the Contract after June 30, 2011. Staff is putting together a Request
for Proposals to go out for finding another service provider for Dial-A-Ride services.
At the inquiry of Council Member Orazem, Ms. Lundt stated that Dial-A-Ride equates to
approximately 12% of the rides provided by Heartland Senior Services; the balance of their rides
consists of City and County rides. One of the things that Heartland has been asked to do is to
show the number of rides that are within the City of Ames and how many are in the County
areas. It will be a rather lengthy process to accurately assign costs. The overhead being assigned
to Dial-A-Ride ran anywhere from 10% to 23%; that needs to be more accurately depicted.
Council Member Larson noted the unspent balance of $246,000 in the Iowa DOT Contract and
asked where that balance came from. Ms. Kyras stated that Dial-A-Ride is funded by federal
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dollars that flow through the Iowa DOT Public Transit Office to CyRide. It is based on a
formula, and the CyRide’s cost due to the efficiencies from Heartland providing the service as
opposed to CyRide providing it at union wages and overhead has been so much less, a balance
is accumulating. That, however, is not only for this service; it is also used for shelters and/or
purchasing vehicles. One vehicle has been purchased with those funds and it is leased to
Heartland Senior Services.
Council Member Larson said he hoped Heartland Senior Services and CyRide could discuss the
continuation of the Dial-A-Ride service. Ms. Kyras replied that when the Request for Proposals
(RFP) for Dial-A-Ride services is sent out, it will be sent to Heartland Senior Services as well
as other potential providers. She noted that CyRide has enjoyed a good relationship with
Heartland Senior Services.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-477 approving the
2011/12 Dial-A-Ride Contract Amendment to increase the fuel surcharge rate, effective July 1,
2010.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
TIGER GRANT APPLICATION: Transit Director Sheri Kyras advised that the federal
government released a notice of funding availability ($540 million) for the 2011 TIGER Grant
in late June, 2011, with final applications due on October 31, 2011. She recalled that CyRide
was not one of the recipients of the TIGER II Grant last fall. With the intermodal facility
partially funded under the TIGER I Grant, Ms. Kyras stated that staff is requesting to seek
additional funding that could more closely build the facility as originally envisioned. The second
phase would allow for adequate parking to advance a Campustown Redevelopment project and
recreational facilities within the area as well as alleviating parking issues in that part of the City.
Additionally, it would complete the coordination of transportation functions within the City by
allowing CyRide to link with other forms of transportation that would be located at the
Intermodal Facility. Ms. Kyras brought the Council’s attention to the benefits of accomplishing
Phase II of the Intermodal Facility. Ms. Kyras alleged that the economic benefits to the
community could also be significant.
According to Ms. Kyras, the preliminary budget totals $12,506,250 to fund Phase II of the
Intermodal Facility. The new TIGER grant requirements include a $10 million minimum federal
share and 20% local match. There will be a local match required, if the grant is received, of
$44,250 for street improvements. It is being proposed that the City and ISU commit to the local
match in the amount of $22,125 each.
Moved by Davis, seconded by Mahayni, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-478 approving support
for a TIGER Grant application to fund Phase II of the Intermodal Facility and committing
$22,125 from the Contingency Fund towards the local match, if the Grant is approved.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
SUSTAINABILITY COORDINATOR: City Manager Schainker reminded the Council that the
City had entered into a one-year contract with Iowa State University to utilize the services of its
full-time Director of Sustainability. Per that contract, the City contributed $2,083.33/month
($25,000 annually) to the University towards the total cost of the position. The initial assignment
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from the City Council for the Director of Sustainability was to work with a community task force
over a 12-month period to develop recommendations to reduce electric consumption throughout
the community. That assignment was not accomplished in its entirety, and in July 2011, the City
Council agreed to extend the contract with ISU through September 2011 to allow time for the
task force report to be completed. That report was presented to the City Council on September
27, 2011. According to Mr. Schainker, the contract needs to be extended again to retain the
services of the Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Ames.
Mr. Schainker told the Council that it needed to decide if it wanted to extend the Agreement
again, and if so, what the scope of services would be. At its September 27, 2011, meeting, the
Council adopted the recommendations of the Task Force in regards to energy consumption
reduction by directing staff to develop a plan to implement the various recommendations related
to that topic. In addition, it delayed making any final decisions regarding the next steps towards
accomplishing the City Council’s overall sustainability goal until after the Council’s next goal-
setting session in January.
It was also the recollection of the City Manager that the City Council, on September 27, 2011,
had requested the Sustainability Coordinator to look at some of the cities who had adopted
frameworks to determine the impacts that particular framework had had in that city; that was to
be done prior to the Council’s goal-setting session.
According to Mr. Schainker, the decisions made on September 27, 2011, could offer some
direction in terms of the scope of services for the Sustainability Coordinator during the next
three to four months. City Manager Schainker recommended that the contract for Sustainability
Coordinator services be extended through January 2012 to accomplish those two tasks. After
January 2012, the Council will need to decided if it wants to extend the contract further and what
the assignment will be.
Council Member Larson said he did not believe that it had been determined what the next steps
would be. His recollection was that the City Council had cited its preference to discuss the issue
of sustainability at the Council’s next goal-setting session. He continues to feel that there needs
to be a broader discussion of the next steps before any additional scope of services is agreed
upon.
Council Member Orazem said he did not want to lose sight of the fact that there is still a lot of
work remaining to be done on the reduction of electric usage. He felt the reason that the Council
had focused on that was because there could be some concrete assessments. Mr. Orazem
referenced the McKinsey Report on this (Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U. S. Economy)
dated July 2009 that said that “electric utilization could be reduced by as much as 23% with
things that are cost-effective for firms,” however, the firms need to be informed about ways to
do that. Mr. Orazem believed that the plan should specialize in the Electric Utility sector first.
City Manager Schainker asked for clarification of the expectation of the recommendation given
by the Council at its September 27, 2011, meeting. He said it was clear that Council wanted
staff to develop a plan for implementing the recommendations related to reducing electric
consumption, but he was unsure about the framework issue. Mr. Schainker read an excerpt from
the Minutes of September 27, 2011. Council Member Mahayni replied that what had been read
by Mr. Schainker was his recollection of the discussion. He thought that the information related
to other cities’ frameworks was needed to lead into the discussion at the Council’s goal-setting
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session. Council Member Larson said that he did not envision approving “cramming a year’s
worth of committee work into a couple months.” He was not looking for a detailed report of the
impact of adopting a certain framework prior to the City Council’s goal-setting session; he did
not recall that the details were even discussed. Mr. Larson recalled that Council Member
Goodman had made the motion; however, due to his absence at this meeting, it would be
difficult to determine the intent of his motion. Council Member Larson believed the Council
had given direction related to the 14 recommendations related to reducing electrical consumption
with the creation of the three subcommittees. City Manager Schainker said that the Council
could approve an extension of the current Contract, allow work on the reduction of electrical
consumption component, and wait on the clarification of the next assignment.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Orazem, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-479 approving an
extension of the contract for the Sustainability Coordinator, pending approval of ISU, through
January 31, 2012, for work on developing a plan to implement the electric consumption
reduction recommendations.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
RESIDENT SATISFACTION SURVEY RESULTS: Public Relations Officer Susan Gwiasda
presented highlights from the results of the City’s 29th Annual Resident Satisfaction Survey. She
stated that there was a 22% response rate. Thirty-one percent (31%) of the respondents gave the
City a “very good” rating, and 63% gave a “good” rating.
HEARING ON NUISANCE ASSESSMENTS: Mayor Campbell opened the public hearing. No
one came forward to speak, and the hearing was closed.
Moved by Orazem, seconded by Mahayni, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 11-480 assessing costs
of mowing/brush removal and certifying assessment to the Story County Treasurer.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these minutes.
ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT RELATED TO DEFINITION OF “STORY:”
The public hearing was opened by Mayor Campbell. Director Osguthorpe asked that the hearing
be continued to allow additional time to develop the definition of “story” to ensure coordination
with the Inspections Division.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to continue the hearing until December 13, 2011.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
HEARING ON TEXT AMENDMENTS TO CORRECT/CLARIFY SECTIONS OF THE
ZONING ORDINANCE: The Mayor opened the hearing. Director Osguthorpe requested that staff
continue the hearing to allow time for the ordinance to be adequately reviewed.
Moved by Davis, seconded by Larson, to continue the hearing until December 13, 2011.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
ORDINANCE AMENDING AND UPDATING 2011 DESIGNATING SNOW ROUTES:
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Davis, to pass on second reading an ordinance amending and
updating the 2011 Designated Snow Routes.
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Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a portion of these Minutes.
COUNCIL COMMENTS: Moved by Larson, seconded by Davis, to refer back to staff the memo
from the Planning and Housing Department regarding a Zoning Code text amendment
concerning the prohibition of parking between buildings and streets in the Planned Industrial
Zone.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Larson, seconded by Davis, to refer to staff the letter dated September 28, 2011, from
the Ames Historical Society pertaining to parking hang tags for Main Street business employees.
Mr. Larson noted that the City had not received the request from the Main Street Cultural
District (MSCD) requesting parking hang tags, but wanted staff to have the letter from the Ames
Historical Society letter so it had it when analyzing the anticipated request of the MSCD.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Orazem, seconded by Mahayni, to refer to staff the petition of the H-M Neighborhood
pertaining to the traffic flow around McFarland Clinic.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously
Moved by Orazem, seconded by Davis, to refer to staff the letter dated October 6, 2011, from
Olde Main Brewing Company relating to Zoning Code change for a property in the Industrial
Park.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Orazem, seconded by Mahayni, to refer to staff the letter dated October 7, 2011, from
Chuck Winkleblack offering an idea to improve the traffic flow on South Duff Avenue.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Mahayni, seconded by Larson, to refer to staff the requests of Raising Readers for
appointment of an interested Council member to its Steering Committee and an allocation of
funding and staff time to the Steering Committee.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Davis to adjourn the meeting at 9:17 p.m.
____________________________________ ____________________________________
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor
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