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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Packet of Communications to Council dated December 5, 2025 City Manager’s Office 515.239.5105 main 515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811 515.239.5142 fax Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org MEMO To: Mayor and City Council From: Jeramy Neefus, Principal Clerk, City Manager’s Office Date: December 5, 2025 Subject: Packet of Communications to Council Listed below are the communications to the City Council known to staff as of December 5, 2025: 1. John Dunn, Water & Pollution Control Director – November 25, 2025 RE: Drinking Water Monitoring Violation 2. Moira Keech, Ames Resident – December 5, 2025 RE: Request to Amend Chapter 31, Historic Preservation Districts, to Allow Alternations Based on Existing Conditions 3. Kelly Diekmann, Planning & Housing Director – December 5, 2025 RE: Request for Plan 2040 Amendment to Relocate Commercial Area within the Planned Greenbriar Development 4. Pa Vang Goldbeck, Assistant City Manager – December 5, 2025 RE: Boards and Commissions Video Recordings 515.239.5150 main 515.239.5496 fax 1800 E. 13th Street, P.O. Box 811 Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org/Water Water and Pollution Control Department Administration Division November 25, 2025 TO: Mayor & Council FROM: John Dunn, Director W&PC RE: Drinking Water Monitoring Violation This is to make you aware that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has issued the Ames Water Treatment Plant a “Tier 3 Monitoring Violation.” A Tier 3 violation is for a situation that does not have “…a potential to have a severe adverse effect on human health.” It is the least serious form of violation. The Water Treatment Plant’s operating permit requires that a specified number of samples be collected throughout the distribution system each month. The samples need to be spaced out both geographically and over time. The samples are to be tested to confirm the water is bacterially safe and that the water quality has not changed since leaving the treatment plant. The samples must be analyzed by a state-certified laboratory and using an EPA-approved test method. The City’s Laboratory Division is a certified laboratory, and it is certified to test for coliform bacteria using the “Colilert(18)” test method. During September, all required distribution system samples were collected. The eight samples collected on September 23 were analyzed using a slightly modified test method – Colilert(24). The Colilert(24) method is approved by the US EPA. While the Ames laboratory has been certified for the Colilert(24) method in the past, it is not currently. The two test methods are very similar in terms of the analytical methodology. The only reason that the Ames lab even had the test materials for the Colilert(24) is because we use that variant when testing untreated well water to avoid color interference. The laboratory staff noticed that the Colilert(24) reagents were about to expire and ran the samples using the Colilert(24) test instead of the required Colilert(18). They made a mistake, for sure; but their motivation in using the soon-to-expire reagents was to save money for the City. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has issued the Tier 3 Monitoring Violation for “failure to submit results by a certified lab using an approved test method for which that lab is certified.” I did approach the Iowa DNR to ask that they exercise their administrative discretion, since the samples were collected, they were analyzed by a certified laboratory, and they were tested using an EPA-approved method. Unfortunately, the DNR staff declined to exercise their discretion and have decided to issue a monitoring violation for “failure to comply with a testing procedure.” This will require a “Tier 3 Public Notice.” The notice must be made within 3 months after we became aware of the violation. The notice must be made “in a form and manner that is reasonably calculated to reach persons served.”  It must be mailed to customers receiving a bill. It can be in the form of a printed message on the bill that refers customers to the web page for more information, similar to how we disseminate information about the annual Consumer Confidence Report.  It may be posted in a public location. Our intent would be to post it in the lobby of City Hall and at the entrance to the Water Treatment Plant.  It may be published in a local newspaper. The notice to be published will be similar to the following. We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not your drinking water meets health standards. On September 23, 2025, eight samples were collected from the distribution system. The samples were analyzed using a US EPA-approved test method. While the laboratory that performed the analysis is certified by the state of Iowa to perform bacterial testing, it is not certified for the specific test method used on that day. Therefore, the results cannot be used to ensure the quality of the drinking water on that specific date. Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly, such as people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses. You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail. Este informe contiene informacion importante acerca de su agua potable. Le recomendamos que encuentre recursos que le pueden ayudar a traducir este informanción. While we are not permitted to add anything to the wording above that would have the effect of nullifying the public notice, I think it is important that Council know that the test results using the 24-hour test on September 23 were all negative for bacteria. The City has never had a confirmed coliform-positive sample in our distribution system. Our lab has been certified for Colilert(24) in the past, and our internal quality control protocols were followed just as if it were a certified method. I am very confident that the water was safe on that date. All samples except for the eight collected on September 23. All October and November sample results using the Colilert(18) method continue to test negative for coliform bacteria. Specific measures have been taken to ensure the issue does not get repeated. The Laboratory Division staff have been instructed very clearly that they may not deviate from the approved test method without the express authorization of the Laboratory Supervisor. And all of the Colilert(24) reagents have been removed from the lab and disposed of. If you have any questions, please let Steve know and he can pass them along to me. Sincerely, John R. Dunn, PE, MBA Director Ames Water and Pollution Control JRD/ 1 Hall, Renee From:Walsh, Parker Sent:Friday, December 5, 2025 3:25 PM To:Hall, Renee Cc:Diekmann, Kelly Subject:FW: Text Amendment Request Renee – We received the text amendment request outlined below. This is a request to amend the Historic Preservation District code in chapter 31 to allow alterations based on existing conditions. Thanks Parker Walsh Assistant Planner Planning & Housing 515-239-5447 From: Moira Keech <moirakwilliams@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, December 5, 2025 3:10 PM To: Walsh, Parker <Parker.Walsh@cityofames.org> Subject: Text Amendment Request [External Email] Hello Parker, I am requesting a text amendment to the Historic Preservation Code in Chapter 31 to allow historic properties to be altered with materials or features that match the existing condition of the structure. I am asking this as my husband and I are hoping to replace the deteriorated vinyl siding on our home at 722 Burnett Ave with a similar/upgraded cedar replica vinyl siding to preserve the structure of the house with something that is both durable and aesthetically pleasing. Thank you, - Moira Keech Caring People  Quality Programs  Exceptional Service 515 Clark Ave. Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org Planning & Housing Department MEMO 515.239.5400 main To: Mayor and City Council From: Kelly Diekmann, Planning & Housing Director Date: December 5, 2025 Subject: Request for Plan 2040 Amendment to relocate commercial area within the planned Greenbriar Development Background: City Council received an email, see attached, from Luke Jensen representing the development group of the planned 150-acre Greenbriar development located in North Ames requesting a comprehensive plan amendment. The subject property has an RN-4 residential neighborhood designation and a centralized Neighborhood Commercial- Mixed Use Designation along the planned extension of Stange Road. The developer desires for City Council to initiate an amendment to Ames Plan 2040 Future Land Use Map to create an approximate 8-acre commercial area at the intersection of Cameron School Road and the planned extension of Stange Road. The current central location along Stange Road would become RN-4. See attached Map. Staff has had multiple discussions with the developer about the intent of the RN-4 designation and the NC-MU designation that were created at the time of the adoption of Plan 2040. Excerpt Land Use Element pg. 47 RN-4 (Walkable Urban). Mixed-use, mixed-density neighborhoods with a high degree of connectedness and an orientation to pedestrian and bicycle scale. Typically includes a distinct, mixed-use activity nucleus. May include comprehensively planned developments or urban districts that evolved organically. RN-4 is a new designation that differs from the typical RN-3 suburban expansion designations that are common for most of our growth areas. RN-4 describes a vision for development that is planned around walkability, higher densities, and diverse housing types. In this case the NC-MU was included for the site as a centralized anchor for the development. The commercial area is to be an organizing element and identity of the neighborhood. At the time of the Plan 2040 scenario analysis the NC-MU would have been at crossroad of Stange and a east west grade separation of the adjacent railroad, the crossing was eventually dropped form the plan, but the overall land use concept was maintained. The developer has indicated to staff that they don’t believe that commercial can be successful in the central location along Stange Road and would only build commercial if it is located along the higher traffic volume location of GW Carver and Camerson School Road. Staff Comments Discussion of the request by the City Council is warranted due to the City’s interest for the RN-4 neighborhood and commercial developments success and the developer’s interest in commercial as well. The proposal to move the commercial may have merit in terms of developer’s interest for the types of commercial they plan for the area. At the same time, relocating the commercial will alter the pattern of development envisioned for this site and the developer will need to address the RN-4 neighborhood development goals with their preferred commercial location. Staff recommend this issue be placed on a future agenda for a more in depth discussion of the Greenbriar site concept. Ames Plan 2040 Future Land Use Map 515.239.5101 main 515.239.5142 fax 515 Clark Ave. Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org City Manager’s Office MEMO To: Mayor and City Council From: Pa Vang Goldbeck, Assistant City Manager Date: December 9, 2025 Subject: Boards and Commission Video Recordings The City has 18 boards or commissions made up of volunteers from the community that advise or guide the City Council and staff in decision making. In the spirit of transparency, the City has gone above and beyond what the Open Meeting Laws require and have recorded and live broadcast several of these boards and commission meetings. In April 2026, the City, along with other larger municipalities around the country, will need to comply with the Department of Justice’s new digital accessibility standards. For video recordings and live broadcasting, this means that live captioning is required, and any archiving of videos needs to include accurate and complete transcripts. As much as artificial intelligence and technology has advanced, tools to seamlessly live caption accurately while broadcasting and tools to transcribe are not quite at a satisfactory level yet. Over the last few months, staff have tried several products to prepare the City to meet new compliance standards. Unfortunately, while many tools can capture most of what is being said, the accuracy is not at a level which would eliminate or limit the need for staff to read through everything produced and make necessary manual corrections. As such, it is taking staff approximately four hours to ensure live captioning and transcripts are accurate per board/commission meeting hour. Additionally, upon reviewing the viewership of board/commission meetings, there is not a high demand for watching live broadcasts or re-watching archived meeting videos. Data analytics for archived videos show that the most watched archived videos are City Council meetings, then Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. Staff estimate the live views per non-City Council meetings are less than three people regularly on average. Given the circumstances above, staff is evaluating whether to reduce the number of boards/commissions being live broadcast and recorded. Over the last month, staff have communicated with some boards and commissions about reducing or eliminating video recording meetings and will continue to work on a transition plan with the boards. By April 2026, the anticipated live broadcasting and recording schedule will be: Continue to live broadcast and video record: • City Council Meetings • Ames Area Metropolitan Planning Organization • Ames Conference Board • Planning and Zoning Commission Limit live broadcast and video recording to scheduled times as recommended by the board/commission: • Commission on the Arts • Parks and Recreation Commission Transition away from live broadcasting and video recording: • Property Nuisance Appeals Board • Property Maintenance Appeals Board • Historic Preservation Commission • Zoning Board of Adjustment *There are several boards/commission (ex. Library Board or ASSET) that are not impacted since they do not include live broadcasting or video recording. In the first quarter of 2026, staff will continue to work with boards/commission impacted to transition as needed. Open Meeting Laws will still pertain to all board/commission meetings, and meeting minutes will continue to be kept and made available. In the first quarter of 2026, City staff members who take board/commission meeting minutes will be convened to review meeting minute-taking duties, with the goal of standardizing practices where it makes sense. For the Media Staff, this reduction in recording and live broadcasting could impact the level of part-time staffing (currently there are 2-4 part-time employees on the team). Additionally, their duties may shift from meeting coverage to content creation. The full impact is unknown; therefore, the Media Team will continue to operate as is and adjust as needed.