MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE
AMES CONFERENCE BOARD AND
REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
AMES, IOWA
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
REGULAR MEETING OF THE AMES CONFERENCE BOARD
The Regular Meeting of the Ames Conference Board was called to order by Chairman John Haila
at 6:01 p.m. on February 25, 2020. Present from the Ames City Council were Bronwyn Beatty-
Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Rachel Junck, and David Martin. Linda Murken, Lisa
Heddens, and Lauris Olson represented the Story County Board of Supervisors. Other members in
attendance were as follows: Jamet Colton, Ames School Board of Directors; and Joe Anderson,
Nevada School Board of Directors. Gilbert School Board of Directors and United Community
School Board were not represented. Tim Gartin, City Council, was absent.
MINUTES OF JANUARY 28, 2020:
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Heddens, to approve the
Minutes of the January 28, 2020, meeting of the Ames Conference Board.
Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED FY 2020/21 BUDGET FOR CITY ASSESSORâS
OFFICE:
The public hearing was opened by Mayor Haila. After no one came forward to speak, the
Mayor closed the public hearing.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Colton, to approve the FY 2019/20 Budget for the City Assessorâs
Office.
Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
CONFERENCE BOARD COMMENTS:
Mayor Haila advised that the Assessor and City Clerk
were working on a written history on the Conference Mini Board as a follow up to the discussion
from the meeting held January 28, 2020.
ADJOURNMENT:
Moved by Murken, seconded by Colton, to adjourn the Ames Conference Board
at 6:02 p.m.
REGULAR MEETING OF AMES CITY COUNCIL
The Regular Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 6:05 p.m.
on the 25th day of February 2020, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue.
Council Members Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel
Junck, and David Martin were present.
Ex Officio
Member Devyn Leeson was also in attendance.
CONSENT AGENDA:
Council Member Betcher requested to pull, for separate discussion, Item
No. 17: preliminary plans and specifications for 2019/20 Asphalt Street Pavement Improvements
(14th Street and 15
Meeting held February 11, 2020, for some minor corrections.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to approve the following items on the Consent
agenda.
1. Motion approving payment of claims
2. Motion approving Report of Change Orders for February 1 - 15, 2020
3. RESOLUTION NO. 20-079 authorizing Police Department to apply for and participate in the
Governorâs Traffic Safety Bureau Grant Program for traffic safety enforcement
4. Motion approving new 12-month Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine, Class C Beer, and
Sunday Sales - goPuff, 615 S Dayton Avenue - (pending final inspection)
5. Motion approving new 8-month Class B Beer with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales -
Homewood Golf Course, 401 E 20th Street, (pending final inspection)
6. Motion approving transfer of El Azteca Class C Liquor License from 1520 S Dayton Avenue to
2120 Isaac Newton Drive - (pending final inspection)
7. Motion approving renewal of the following Beer Permits, Wine Permits, and Liquor Licenses:
a. Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales - BN'C Fieldhouse, 206
Welch Avenue - Pending Dram Shop
b. Class C Liquor License with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales - Coldwater Golf Links,
1400 S. Grand Avenue
c. Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer), and
Sunday Sales - Kum & Go # 113, 2801 E 13th Street
d. Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer), and
Sunday Sales - Kum & Go # 227, 2108 Isaac Newton Drive
e. Class A Liquor License with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales - Elks Lodge, 522 Douglas
f. Special Class C Liquor License - The Spice Thai Cuisine, 402 Main Street
g. Class C Beer Permit with Class B Native Wine Permit and Sunday Sales - Swift Stop #4,
1118 S Duff
h. Class C Beer Permit with Class B Wine Permit and Sunday Sales - Swift Stop #5, 3218
Orion Street
i. Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer), and
Sunday Sales - Caseyâs General Store #2905, 3612 Stange Road
j. Class B Beer with Sunday Sales - Pizza Pit Extreme, 207 Welch Avenue - Pending Dram
Shop
k. Class E Liquor License with Class B Wine Permit, Class C Beer Permit (Carryout Beer), and
Sunday Sales - Sams Club #6568, 305 Airport Road
8. RESOLUTION NO. 20-080 naming Vanessa Baker-Latimer as City of Ames representatives to
Central Iowa Regional Housing Authority (CIRHA) to serve three-year term
9. RESOLUTION NO. 20-081 approving Small Cell Wireless Pole Attachment Agreement with
Verizon Wireless from January 1, 2020, until December 31, 2025
10. RESOLUTION NO. 20-082 approving request from Mary Greeley Home Health Services to
amend Unit Rate for In-Home Health Assistance in FY 2019/20 ASSET Contract
11. RESOLUTION NO. 20-083 approving request from Story County Auditor for parking waiver(s)
for election day related parking on March 3, June 2, and November 3, 2020
12. RESOLUTION NO. 20-084 authorizing the Police Department to request reimbursement per the
Agreement with Ames Foundation in the amount of $1,330 for the purchase of two portable
ballistic shields
13. Requests from Ames Chamber of Commerce for Ames Main Street Farmersâ Market on
Saturdays from May 9 to October 17, 2020:
2
a. Motion approving blanket Temporary Obstruction Permit and blanket Vending License for
Central Business District from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
b. RESOLUTION NO. 20-085 approving closure of 300 and 400 blocks of Main Street,
Burnettt Avenue from Main Street to the U.S. Bank drive-through, and Tom Evans Plaza
from 5:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
c. RESOLUTION NO. 20-086 approving suspension of parking enforcement in CBD Lots X
and Y from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
d. RESOLUTION NO. 20-087 approving waiver of parking meter fees and enforcement, usage
and waiver of electrical fees, and waiver of fee for blanket Vending License for event from
5:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
14. Requests from India Cultural Association:
a. RESOLUTION NO. 20-088 directing staff to amend FY 2020/21 COTA Annual Grant
allocation to deduct $5,000 in funding
b. RESOLUTION NO. 20-089 directing staff to amend FY 2019/20 COTA Annual Grant
allocation to add $5,000 in funding, and authorizing the funds to be used for activities
described in FY 2019/20 COTA Annual Grant Contract
15. RESOLUTION NO. 20-090 approving preliminary plans and specifications for 2019/20
Collector Street Pavement Improvements (Bloomington Road - Grand Avenue to Hoover
Avenue); setting March 18, 2020, as bid due date and March 24, 2020, as the date of public
hearing
16. RESOLUTION NO. 20-092 approving preliminary plans and specifications for Power Plant Unit
8 Steam Turbine Parts Procurement; setting March 25, 2020, as bid due date and April 14, 2020,
as date of public hearing
17. RESOLUTION NO. 20-093 approving Change Order No. 9 with HPI, Inc., of Ames, Iowa, for
Unit 7 Turbine Generator Major Overhaul
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolutions/Motions declared adopted/approved unanimously, signed by the
Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these Minutes.
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 11, 2020:
Mayor Haila advised
Council that he would like to amend Page 4 of the Minutes, regarding the City Improvement Plan:
that âCouncil Member Gartin inquired about the use of a public restroom in the downtown plazaâ
should read âinclusion ofâ instead of âuse ofâ. Also on Page 14, Paragraph 2, in the second line, it
said âasking to be annexed in south area of Highway 30", but the sentence should read, âarea south
of Highway 30" for clarity.
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to approve the Minutes of the Regular Meeting held
February 11, 2020, as amended.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
PRELIMINARY PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR 2019/20 ASPHALT STREET
PAVEMENT IMPROVEMENTS (14th STREET AND 15
Municipal Engineer Tracy
Warner said, due to the age of the neighborhoods, some people had been very adamant about the
removal of mature trees or specific species of trees that had been intentionally grown. She explained
that the City was trying to balance the infill of sidewalks throughout the area and had taken measures
to try to accommodate the concerns of the residents.
3
Council Member Betcher expressed concern that she didnât see anything about ADA requirements
or how they were creating an accessible through-way because there were big gaps with no sidewalks
on either side of the street. She asked what kind of obligation the City had under ADA to ensure
there was at least one side of the street that had a connection.
Ms. Warner responded that the obligation was to install the handicapped ramps at the corners,
otherwise there was no other obligation unless they received a request to infill the sidewalk. The
ramps would be to a landing where someone could turn around if it did not connect to a sidewalk.
Ms. Betcher said there was a policy that required sidewalks on both sides of the street, but in this
neighborhood at least, it would be good if they had sidewalk continuity at least on one side of the
street so residents could traverse the area more successfully. She said she was more concerned about
individuals and the gaps in the streets than she was concerned about the trees.
Council Member Gartin asked if the City offered to plant replacement trees that were removed for
sidewalks. Ms. Warner said they could offer that as an option, but the new tree would be much
smaller than the mature tree they may be removing.
Mayor Haila opened public input.
** Bob Folkmann, 1326 Burnett, Ames, said there was no street going west from Burnett and 14th Street
had never had a sidewalk on either side. He added that not many pedestrians walked that street as
there were no houses that faced the street on 14th. Because of the new water main from 16th to 13
the ADA sidewalks were installed and they repositioned the fire hydrants. He said he felt the
sidewalk was not necessary because Duff Park was not much of a draw from where he lived. There
was a much bigger playground at Meeker, which was where the kids preferred to go. He explained
that he had a hedge as a privacy fence that he enjoyed, and he believed that spending money on
sidewalks that wouldnât be used very much was a waste of money, plus it would quadruple the
amount of sidewalk he would have to shovel.
** Merlin Pfannkuch, 1424 Kellogg Avenue, Ames, said if Council wanted to discuss this topic, it
should not have been on the Consent Agenda. He said property rights were fundamental rights, and
if Council were to mandate sidewalks, they would have to be very careful, especially in established
neighborhoods. He added that the intersection at 15th and Kellogg was not controlled, so it was
obviously not much of a problem. He said he was very unhappy how this transpired on the Consent
Agenda.
Mayor Haila closed public input.
Mr. Gartin asked if there was a timing issue with this item. Ms. Warner said there were two projects
out for bid with the majority being asphalt work. Those were typically bid in the spring, and bids had
been coming in really high, so timing was important due to cost.
According to Ms. Betcher, this item showed up on the Consent Agenda on Friday and Council had
followed the process of pulling the item after staff did outreach with the neighbors. She added that
the
City Code
mandates that they were supposed to have sidewalks and that Council had allowed
large gaps in the sidewalk system in Old Town and this area north of Old Town for a long time.
Council supported having sidewalks mandated on both sides of the street. She said it was not
4
unreasonable to ask the City to save money by providing infill on one side of the street when there
were people who cannot get around in the community. She explained that she had tried to go on the
sidewalks in this area in a wheelchair and it was difficult for non-able-bodied citizens to walk
continuously on a sidewalk, especially if there was no sidewalk on either side of the street. She
commented that there was nothing underhanded about how this was handled.
Council Member Corrieri agreed with Ms. Betcher and added that many of the Council Members did
walk the area and did get a feel for the lack of connectivity and accessibility in this area. A few years
ago, Council made a conscious effort to prioritize accessibility; this was a perfect example of City
staff leveraging another project in order to achieve some of their goals. There was a point made that
there were not a lot of children in the area, but that didnât mean there wonât be in five years.
Mr. Gartin commented that Mr. Pfannkuchâs point about the general principal regarding notifying
people about matters that might affect them should resonate with Council. He added that if there
wasnât a timing issue, he wanted to put this on a future agenda, even though Council would in all
likelihood approve it.
Moved by Gartin to place this item on a future agenda to provide opportunities for affected neighbors
to be notified. Motion died due to lack of a second.
It was suggested by Mayor Haila that Council take action on the resolution to approve the plans and
specifications for the project, as proposed, which was absent sidewalks on both sides so it could go
out to bid. He clarified that they were not adding anything that residents were not agreeing to at that
time.
Council Member Martin asked if the ADA ramps would be installed without the infill connectivity
if the plan on the map was executed. Ms. Warner explained that some areas have some infill and
some have already existing sidewalks, but Council could direct staff to fill in the rest of it.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Martin, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-091 approving preliminary
plans and specifications for 2019/20 Asphalt Street Pavement Improvements (14th Street and 15
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
Ms. Warner explained that if Council directed staff to achieve connectivity, staff would work on the
design and either create an addendum or a change order to incorporate the changes. It wouldnât
necessarily come back to Council for approval.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to direct staff to complete an addendum to achieve
connectivity on at least one side of 14th and one side of 15
Mr. Gartin added for clarification that if someone objected to the plan, they could contact City
Council to express their concern, but that there was no mechanism for Council to vote it up or down.
Vote on Motion: 5-1. Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Junck, Martin. Voting nay:
Gartin. Motion declared carried.
5
PUBLIC FORUM:
Mayor Haila opened Public Forum.
** Brant Lemer, 5333 Tabor Drive, Ames, and property owner of 5615 West Lincoln Way, Ames, said
he was confused after meeting yesterday with City staff on a possible voluntary annexation with
possible involuntary annexation as well in the 5500-5800 block of Lincoln Way, west of Sunset
Ridge Subdivision to the Boone and Story County line. Over 30 acres of this area had recently
changed ownership, and the process to request annexation of that property, until recently, was put
on hold. He stated that when this subject did eventually reach Council, he would like them to
consider not exercising involuntary annex proceedings just because of the majority property of one
party who requested it. He said that he would also like the opportunity to entertain any early
discussions with staff, if possible.
** Brian Adams, 5507 Lincoln Way, Ames, said he was approached by Chuck Winkleblack who
offered to buy his property as Mr. Winkleblack purchased the property around him. He claimed that
Mr. Winkleblack informed him of the 80/20 annex rules that his property would probably be forcibly
annexed, but the City utilities would be too far away, so they would not provide City utilities to his
property. He said Mr. Winkleblack would not explain forced City annexation or what terms he would
have to pay for if he were to be forcibly annexed into the City. He was concerned that no other
neighbors knew about this because there had been no communication.
Mr. Gartin asked Mayor Haila to clarify who the people would contact if they would like to be
notified about future annexation. Mayor Haila said they can contact the Planning & Housing Director
Kelly Diekmann, and he can keep them informed.
** Chuck Winkleblack, 105 S 16th Street, Ames, explained that when they acquire properties, they like
to contact the people in the neighborhood and let them know whatâs going on, but they are very
careful not to speak on behalf of the City. He said when he talked about near future plans before,
staff had asked if there was any idea what the neighbors would want, so he reached out to the
neighbors. He said it was coming and asked if they were interested in the annexation or not, but that
they would not be speaking on their behalf.
Mayor Haila closed Public Forum and asked Planning & Housing Director Kelly Diekmann to
explain the normal process with the annexations.
Mr. Diekmann stated that Council was not informed of what was going on because there was not a
complete application for an annexation. Once the application was complete and they knew who was
voluntarily annexing, the request would be brought to Council for approval and then reviewed if
there was other territory that would be required to be included or may reasonably need to be included
per
Iowa Code
. Calculations and notifications had not been done yet as the application was
incomplete. Once the territory was determined, that prompts the process to begin and thatâs when
staff would send out the notices.
321 STATE AVENUE SUBDIVISION CONCEPTS:
Planner Diekmann said Council needed to
pick a preferred concept for single-family layout. In addition to reviewing the subdivision concepts,
staff needed direction from City Council on its preference for percentage of affordable single-family
housing units developed on the site. It was understood that the minimum requirement was for 51%
of the housing units developed on the total site to be targeted to households earning less than 80%
6
of the average median income (AMI). Staff presented scenarios without lot layouts for either placing
multi-family or single-family housing units on either the north or south side of the parcel.
Mr. Diekmann reviewed the concept options and advised Council that there were four points to
consider when determining the preferred concept:
1. Housing location, including housing flexibility for multi-family buildings versus single-family
buildings, location of multi-family buildings
2. Salability of market rate lots
3. Estimated cost to construct improvements, including total cost and cost per-dwelling unit
4. Lot layout & integration, desirability of lots, compliance with City standards
Council Member Betcher recalled that, in December, Mr. Diekmann thought that it would not be
possible to do multi-family on either side of Tripp Street if they also did single-family along
Wilmoth. It was also unlikely that they could do multi-family on the south side, but more likely that
they could accomplish that on the north side. Mr. Diekmann said if single-family lots were built on
Wilmoth, there would be enough land for a medium-density or less level of apartment project.
Concerns were brought up from neighbors regarding potential flooding of lots on the south side that
back up to the creek, according to Ms. Betcher. Mr. Diekmann explained that there would be a
separate lot for flood land other than the planned home sites.
Mr. Martin asked what staff would do if Council were to move forward and choose an alternative
that had a blank space option for other uses going forward. Mr. Diekmann responded that they would
want to be in front of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) schedule for plans with March
2021 as the deadline. He said they would need to have a discussion this summer (June at the earliest)
about expectations so staff can put a Request for Proposals (RFP) together and have time for
developers to respond back to Council with plenty of time to work with the developer and ideas.
Civil Design Advantage (CDA) will prepare the preliminary plans, the final plat, and the
improvement plans. He clarified that they would have 60 days from tonight to go out to bid. Then
they can start to focus on the other part of the site.
In response to Mr. Gartinâs request for further information on the rental housing needs, Housing
Coordinator Vanessa Baker-Latimer explained that when staff prepared the Consolidated Plan last
year, one requirement of HUD was that they look at housing needs assessments. Data provided by
HUD and others in 2017 showed a definite housing gap for extremely low income renters. There
were 223 HUD subsidized housing units and 497 tax credits. In the community, there were 221
Section 8 units, and through analysis, they anticipated that there were just over 5,000 units that were
not available to low-income, including students, and were not affordable for households with 50%
or less of the median income. The Laverne Apartment building was built in 2010 and that was last
subsidized housing built in Ames.
After further discussion was had regarding subsidies, Mr. Gartin commented that he felt there was
great value in asking the market to buy and develop these lots. He recommended asking developers
and realtors for feedback among these designs to see which would be more attractive to the market.
Ms. Betcher reviewed traffic flow patterns with Mr. Diekmann regarding spacing between
intersections and curb cuts. Ms. Beatty-Hansen asked how many lots were planned to be developed
each year. Ms. Baker-Latimer said they planned on starting the development with building two or
three homes and then listing the other lots for sale.
7
Council Member Corrieri asked if the single-family percentage of 51% could be adjusted to help
with potential challenges with selling the affordable single-family homes. Ms. Baker-Latimer
confirmed they could adjust it as long as they still met the 51% requirement, which included rental
housing and owner-occupied per unit and they could set the market rate lots at any rate from 81 - 100
AMI to meet the goals of their intended market.
Marketability was debated regarding parking and garage expectations on the narrow lots. Mr.
Diekmann advised Council that these lots were not going to sell for $75,000. If they were concerned
about the aesthetics with home proportion to the lot size, staff needed direction to address that
tonight. Ms. Beatty-Hansen commented that the goal was to have something that looked different
and the smaller lots would make it more affordable.
Mr. Martin asked if they should consider apartments at all due to the complex history with years of
fighting to prevent rentals on this site in cooperation with the neighbors. In January, Council changed
direction, and this was the first meeting that the public had been able to address Council on this
topic. He said he felt that communication had not been going well from Council to the neighborhood.
Mr. Martin suggested a Council workshop about the need in the community and how different modes
of living might be different than what Council was fighting against in previous years. Ms. Betcher
agreed with Mr. Martin and said that the option to discuss adding multi-family housing to the plan
was directed to staff at the December 17 meeting. She said there was room to continue this
discussion in light of their goals and the possibility of having a more flexible approach with what
they do with the outlot.
Mayor Haila opened public comment.
** Ted Huiatt, 3025 Evergreen Circle, Ames, Story County Community Housing Board President,
requested to include local nonprofits in the continued development of this area. He suggested the
land trust model, like what was done with condominiums or town homes. The land trust model
lowered the price of the house for low-income home buyers and included a shared equity model
where the equity was divided between the home owner and the land trust to keep the cost low as they
sold it to maintain affordability.
** Terry Potter, 608 Douglas #1, Ames, said he was there on behalf of A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy
(AMOS), who supported the Cityâs purchase of the property with CDBG funds for the purpose of
increasing the amount of affordable housing for working families in Ames. The original request
included a commitment of a minimum of 60% affordable units, attached housing, and rental units
on this parcel. He said they believed it was critical to expand the availability of affordable housing
for working families below the 80% AMI threshold.
** Tony Ramey, 425 Hilltop Road, Ames, commented that this was originally zoned to be Residential
Low with the idea that it would be single-family dwellings and he hoped that it would stay that way.
The concept he preferred was a hybrid of the south part of A and north part of F for single-family
owner-occupied dwellings, which he acknowledged would be difficult to achieve. The neighborhood
association had been fighting this battle since 2013. Another component was that the use of LIHTC
funds required it to be rental housing. He advocated for a lease-to-own paradigm for LIHTC funds
to build houses to be leased so the person leasing could buy them.
8
** Julia Sager, 429 Hilltop, Ames, brought up the idea of cottage housing, which was designed to be
walkable and neighborhood centric. The north side would be ideal for that as it was already a
reasonable walk to Campustown and to the bus service. She said she felt it would be a good fit with
small units for small families, or singles, or older people, who wouldnât have as many cars which
would allow cluster parking. She said there could be a number of units that would be more
affordable and would be very attractive to parents whose students would be at ISU for four years.
** Tom Procknow, 406 Joy Circle, Gilbert, President of Habitat for Central Iowa at 3504 North Grand,
Ames, voiced his concern that the lots would be so expensive for Habitat to purchase in Ames. He
said they raise funds to help build, but properties are proposed to be so expensive. He asked if
Council could require the potential developer to sell some lots to nonprofits so they could afford to
build homes.
** Joanne Pfeiffer, 3318 Morningside Street, Ames, commented that as the Chair of the Neighborhood
Association, she had an obligation to speak about quality of life and strong neighborhoods. She
talked about creating sustainability for the neighborhood. There was a comment in the paper last
Sunday from the consultants who mentioned the ideal ratio would be 55% owner occupied and 45%
rentals. This neighborhood is already at 70% rentals, so adding any more rentals was frightening to
her. She suggested looking for evidence-based living in neighborhoods that were above the 70%
rentals and what happened to neighborhoods with a different balance. Council Member Gartin asked
Ms. Pfeiffer for her opinion on the options. She responded that she didnât have a strong opinion other
than not wanting to see multi-family rentals.
** Diane Birt, 303 Hickory Drive, Ames, said she and her husband owned a house on Hilltop with their
son, and she was there to talk about the thought that the entire neighborhood was totally against
rentals. There was a survey done in 2016 that had 118 households respond in the College Creek Old
Middle School Neighborhood where 53% of respondents said they only wanted owner-occupied, no
rentals; the other 47% said it was fine to have rentals. She offered to send a copy of the survey to the
City Clerk for distribution to Council for reference. She added that she was a member of AMOS and
supported what her colleague Mr. Potter had said.
** Marilyn Clem, 3306 Morningside Street, Ames, remarked that her house was built in 1954 with no
garage and all the lots with garages on her street were 65 feet wide and 165 feet long. One year, there
was a torrential downpour and the firewood she had stored at the back of her property was swept
halfway up the hill, and nothing has been done about the College Creek situation. The retention pond
should take care of most of the run-off, but she still had concerns. She said she didnât want more than
70% of her neighborhood as rental. For comparison, she pointed out that Franklin had all rentals and
they were in bad shape. There was a possibility that those houses could be bought up and rebuilt just
like the habitat across from her house. She said she had a rental next door where her sister lived. She
added that the rentals on Morningside conformed to the neighborhood and she would like to see the
peace and quiet kept there. Ms. Clem commented that Sharon Guber, who had worked on this
project, died unexpectedly Sunday, and she would like to see some of Sharonâs ideas included.
** Rich Ketcham, 2923 Arbor Street, Ames, said if you were to go down the roads and see rental signs
or property management signs attached to houses, it wouldnât bode well. He said he was a firm
believer in owner-occupied houses for people to have the opportunity to develop equity in a property.
9
He added that if the City got input from local developers, they would only get local models like what
already existed in the City like the development on Mortensen and Copper Beech. Another
component that he was concerned about was the potential for removal of some of the green space
from the Arboretum for a fire station, which he felt should be included in this whole conversation.
He commented that he would support owner-occupied housing to help stabilize the area with
consistency in the neighborhood.
** Debbie Ramey, 425 Hilltop Road, Ames, expressed concern that, of the over 200 units or houses in
their Association, 70% were rentals. She said the Association would like to have a community of
people committed to the neighborhood. Oftentimes, the renters were only there for a short period of
time and did not have a vested interest in the property. The design of the houses that Council was
talking about creating with small property footprints was what happened on Dotson; the properties
all became rentals because of the size with no vested care, and despite being relatively new, they
were not in good shape. On Tripp Street, Windsor Center was an apartment high-rise with three
stories for persons with limited income which would be less than half a mile from another set of
high-rise housing in the neighborhood. She commented that she does not disagree with having
rentals, but would prefer lease-to-own, and she liked what her husband said earlier about creating
lots on the north and south side and not having high-rise apartments.
** Lauris Olson, 1705 Buchanan Drive, Ames, Story County Supervisor, declared that 80% of median
income was still a good income, but there were people in the City who could not afford to own.
Council had been talking about starter houses, but thatâs different than affordable housing. She urged
Council to look at multi-family housing to service the range of citizens who will never be able to
buy.
Mayor Haila closed public comment.
Director Diekmann said that a 55-foot lot is a very standard size lot with choices for detached or
attached garages. With 50-foot lots, the best aesthetic would be a single-wide driveway to get to a
single- or two-car garage in the back, and the orientation of the house had to be perpendicular to the
street.
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to set the minimum percentage of affordable single-family
homes at 51%.
Ms. Baker-Latimer clarified that if the City used HOME Funds to construct single-family homes,
they would have to be sold within nine months or they would automatically convert to rentals. Ms.
Betcher asked if the City would be the landlord if there wasnât a buyer in nine months. Ms. Baker-
Latimer confirmed and reiterated that the goal was to always qualify the buyers first so the house
could be built according to the buyerâs preferences. Council Member Junck asked if it would be
possible to do a rent-to-own option if it were to transition to a rental. Ms. Baker-Latimer said it
would be an option as they have done that type of program before.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
10
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Betcher, to select Option F: 26 Single Family Lots, Loop Road. This
concept includes a modified circular street north of Tripp Street with open space in the middle and
single-family homes all fronting toward the open space.
Mr. Gartin said lots of feedback had been received regarding concerns about neighborhoods being
up next to the rental housing, but by placing it on the south side, there would be some insulation with
the houses along Wilmoth that would act as a barrier between the neighborhoods to the west and the
rental housing. The owner-occupied properties to the north would create greater continuity with
existing neighborhoods. Council Member Martin said he would prefer the unspecified structures be
closer to Lincoln Way for transit reasons.
Council Member Junck said she agreed with having owner-occupied housing on the north half for
connectivity of the neighborhood, but Option D was her favorite as it also had good traffic flow and
more single-family units available. Ms. Beatty-Hansen said she liked that option also, except for the
road that went to Wilmoth.
Ms. Betcher said of the layouts with the single-family houses on the north, she liked Option F
because of the homes along Wilmoth to fill in along the street face. She commented that she was less
concerned about the back of the lots facing State as that already happened in many areas around the
City. She commented that she had looked at Option A because it had more space to the north to work
with and would be cheaper with infrastructure, but she could support Option F.
Vote on Motion: 5-1. Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Junck. Voting nay:
Martin. Motion declared carried.
Moved by Martin, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to ask for a Council workshop engaging the
neighbors on the topic of the layout for the open part of Concept F.
Mayor Haila asked for clarification on the term layout. Mr. Martin said it was more to do with the
undesignated part of Concept F.
Ms. Junck commented that she was not on Council for the original discussion for multi-family
housing, but she was okay with multi-family rental depending on how it looked and how it worked
with everyone in the neighborhood. Council Member Corrieri remarked that Council needed to be
realistic about a viable LIHTC property. She said she was not sure if they could achieve the goals
of allowing people to work in Ames and find decent, safe, affordable housing to rent with duplexes
or townhomes because of what was needed in the low-income market.
Council Member Betcher said she was interested in seeing other products to introduce something
different to help meet the affordable housing goals. She added that having a discussion about what
to do with the outlot made sense so they could include Ms. Junck and the neighbors in the discussion
of whatâs going to happen.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
2020/21 PROPOSED ANNUAL ACTION PLAN PROJECTS AND PUBLIC FORUM
FOLLOW-UP FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG)/HOME
11
PROGRAMS:
Housing Coordinator Baker-Latimer said the allocations for 2020/2021 have been
announced, so they could move forward.
Mayor Haila opened public comment. No one came forward, so he closed public comment.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-094 approving the
proposed 2020/21 Annual Action Plan Program Projects and proposed budget and directing staff to
prepare the Annual Action Plan for public comment.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-095 setting the date
of public hearing for May 12, 2020.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
Mayor Haila called for a recess at 8:29 p.m. and reconvened at 8:35 p.m.
MORTENSEN ROAD SIDEWALK INFILL UPDATE:
Civil Engineer Mark Gansen explained
that staff was looking for a time frame for infrastructure to be implemented on the three different
properties along Mortensen Road that did not have sidewalk or shared use path infrastructure.
Mayor Haila pointed out that the property owner of 1305 Dickinson would be willing to complete
their project by July 2020. Mr. Martin said having one side done was better than having nothing
done.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to approve Alternative 1 directing staff to allow the owners
of all three properties until July 1, 2021, to complete the installation of their sidewalk/path projects,
and to initiate an assessment project after that deadline for any path or sidewalk remaining to be
installed with the additional request that the shared use path at 1305 Dickinson Avenue be completed
by July 2020.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
DISCUSSION OF ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR RESIDENTIAL SATISFACTION
SURVEY:
Public Relations Officer Susan Gwiasda asked for input on the annual Residential
Satisfaction Survey. She said the most recent survey had 12 pages with two to three questions per
page depending on how in-depth it was.
The survey was usually sent out electronically in mid-March
to capture students before they left and residents received a paper copy. She said the surveys were
typically returned between May and early summer, and the raw data came back in early August with
analysis in September and presentation in October.
Council Member Gartin said he wanted to add something about the pool. Ms. Beatty-Hansen
suggested âhow much increased property taxes would you be willing to increase to pay for the pool.â
City Manager Schainker advised Council that they needed to discuss the next steps. He said people
needed to see what they were getting before being asked to provide a dollar amount.
12
Mr. Martin asked how useful the answer was regarding the Furman pool. Ms. Gwiasda said it
showed a definite majority of support.
Ex Officio
Devyn Leeson commented that providing a definite
dollar amount would be more effective than giving a range of numbers. Mayor Haila said they could
have stale data and that one of Councilâs goals was to get this moving, but if the results werenât back
until October, they would hopefully have more information at that time. Mr. Martin suggested having
a separate survey for the trajectory of the pool idea.
Council Member Junck said she would support keeping the sense of community part and suggested
adding a question about feeling welcome or feeling belonging in the community. She asked if there
were any questions with the option for open-ended responses. Ms. Betcher said she was thinking
something similar, but argued that feeling welcome and feeling included were two different things.
Mr. Martin cautioned about getting too specific with the questions as he believed there could be a
method to the survey focusing on observations instead of personal feelings. Mr. Gartin said he liked
having health data in the questionnaire and thought Ms. Junck had a good suggestion if they could
find a way to incorporate it in the survey.
Moved by Junck, seconded by Gartin, to add a question to the Sense of Community section of the
survey regarding how people felt that they belonged in the community.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to remove the question about what they could do
to make Ames cool because if you have to ask, then you probably arenât cool.
Ms. Corrieri said itâs important to ask what they can do better, but not necessarily how to be cool.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to amend the motion to get rid of the word âcoolâ
and replace it with the language from the Cityâs values statements.
Mr. Leeson asked if vibrant was clear to everyone. He added that fun is pretty clear because thatâs
a personal opinion, but he doesnât believe everyone has a personal opinion about what vibrant
means.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to amend the motion again to replace the word
âcoolâ with âfun vibrant communityâ.
Vote on Motion, as amended: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
CITY COUNCIL VALUES, GOALS, AND TASKS FOR 2020/21:
Assistant City Manager
Phillips said there were two goals that had been modified since the last goal setting session. First was
adopting an attractive, single-civic act by the end of 2021, which was originally set for the end of
2020, but had since been modified to push the completion date back. The second was the
Beautification Master Plan for completion in spring of 2021, which was modified to be the end of
2021.
Council Member Corrieri asked if the Parks & Recreation Commission would be soliciting input
from the public first and then bring the public input back to Council to develop a vision, or would
Council be directing the Parks & Recreation Commission to take their ideas for the pool to the public
for a response first. Mr. Schainker suggested adding a Step 2 for Council to help with guidance on
13
discussions with the public. Ms. Corrieri expressed concern that leaving the public input discussion
too open-ended would not produce helpful information. Mayor Haila said it would be better for
Council to develop amenities and desires first and then take it to the public for feedback. One
suggestion was to insert one more task to meet with Council to write a vision for things to be
included in the project.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to insert a task into the Downtown Community Space goal
and the Indoor Aquatic Facility goal that Council would first develop a vision or a wish list that is
then pursued by the Parks & Recreation Commission for public feedback.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Mayor Haila asked if the term âaquatic facilityâ should be broadened to be more than that. Mr.
Schainker said they could vote on the broader limit and then amend it later.
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Junck, to direct staff to add under the âMeeting with the School
Board,â a new Task 2 to evaluate best practices around the country in peer communities about school
and city cooperation in closing the achievement gap.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Council Member Gartin requested clarification from City Attorney Mark Lambert regarding the
ability for the City to create an Ordinance broadening hate crime protections. Mr. Lambert said he
would have to look into it more, but he didnât think there was a lot of room for them to do so. In
terms of the misdemeanors they could charge, they could only charge
Municipal Code
violations,
City Ordinance violations, and municipal infractions. The hate crime laws usually enhanced the
penalty of the underlying crime, so those were probably all out of reach for the City.
Mr. Gartin asked why Council was asking staff to do something that Mr. Lambert said they couldnât
legally do. Ms. Betcher commented that Iowa City had done something about it that expanded the
range of penalty and the cost of the fines. Mr. Martin said the potential was that the staff report was
brief and they canât do anything. Ms. Beatty-Hansen explained that Iowa City laws had expanded
the Cityâs hate crime law to include harassment and trespassing in July 2019. Mr. Lambert said he
would have to look into it, but could put the information in a staff report. Mr. Gartin commented that
the Legislature was addressing Task 2 and Task 3, which may end up being taken off the table.
According to Council Member Betcher, Council wanted to get reports first and see what the
Legislature was going to do and then after that, expanding was the next part.
Moved by Martin, seconded by Betcher, to approve the goals as amended.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Mr. Phillips commented that there would be follow-up with a spring written update, a fall written
update, and some way of reviewing this some time in the summer.
MAXIMUM PROPERTY TAX LEVY:
Finance Director Duane Pitcher said Council could
approve or lower the Maximum Levy, then after thatâs done, Council could go forward and set the
hearing date for the total budget.
14
Mayor Haila opened the public hearing. Seeing no one wishing to speak, he closed the public
hearing.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-096 approving the
Maximum Levy amount of $6.99654.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-097 setting March 10, 2020,
as the date of final public hearing on the Adjusted Budget for FY 2019/20.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-098 setting March 10,
2020, as the date of final hearing and adoption of the budget for FY 2020/21.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
Moved by Martin, seconded by Betcher, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-099 authorizing the
issuance of $13,865,000 Essential Corporate Purpose General Obligation Bonds and $9,635,000
General Obligation Refunding Bonds and associated tax levy for debt service and setting March 10,
2020, as the date of public hearing.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
HOMEWOOD GOLF COURSE CLUBHOUSE PROJECT:
Mayor Haila opened the public
hearing. Seeing no one who wished to speak, he closed the public hearing.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-100 appropriating
$449,845 from the Park Development Fund balance.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-101 appropriating
$20,000 from the undesignated Parks and Recreation Department Donations Account.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-102 approving final plans
and specification and awarding the contract to R. H. Grabau Construction, Inc., of Boone, Iowa, in
the amount of $1,374,881 (base bid plus Alternate 3).
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
CAMPUSTOWN PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS (WELCH AVENUE):
Traffic Engineer Tracy
Warner said the two bids they received were higher than the staff estimate, so they reached out to
see why they were higher and what could be done differently, but they wanted to turn this around
15
quickly. She commented that the Campustown Action Association (CAA) had a strong desire to
construct in 2020 instead of 2021, but they were also okay with extending the completion date to
November 13, for the overall project. However, that meant that sidewalks would remain open
throughout with temporary planks, when necessary. She clarified that Lot X would not be used for
storage and the overall phasing would keep Kingland in their underground parking garage until it
was to be paved to resolve some concerns as well. She said the ISU home game foot traffic in the
area would be addressed through ISU Athletics passing the information to their ticket holders and
fans. Ms. Warner suggested doing some outreach in non-conventional ways as well to make sure
people knew Campustown businesses will still be open.
Mayor Haila opened the public hearing. Since no one wished to speak, he closed the public hearing.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to accept the Report of Bids for the Campustown
Public Improvements Welch Avenue Project.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to approve the final plans and specifications for the
project as bid.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Gartin, seconded by Junck, to reject all bids and direct staff to re-bid.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Corrieri, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-103 approving
preliminary plans and specifications for the project with modifications; setting March 18, 2020, as
bid due date, and March 24, 2020, as the date of public hearing.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PARK PHASE IV ROAD AND UTILITY
IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT:
Mayor Haila opened the public hearing. Nobody came forward
to speak, so he closed the public hearing.
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Martin, to accept the Report of Bids.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
SOUTH GRAND AVENUE EXTENSION (0.1 MILES NORTH OF SOUTH 16th STREET
NORTH 0.54 MILES TO SOUTH 5th STREET):
The public hearing was opened by Mayor Haila.
After no one came up to speak, he closed the public hearing.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to accept the Report of Bids for the South Grand Avenue
Extension (0.1 miles north or South 16th Street north 0.54 miles to South 5
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to approve the final plans and specifications for the project.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
16
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 20-104 approving final plans
and specifications and awarding a contract to Peterson Contractors, Inc., of Reinbeck, Iowa, in the
amount of $9,368,716.27, contingent upon receipt of Iowa DOT concurrence.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a part of
these Minutes.
REZONING 2800 E 13
TH
STREET FROM AGRICULTURAL âAâ TO GENERAL
INDUSTRIAL âGIâ:
Moved by Corrieri, seconded by Beatty-Hansen, to pass on third reading and
adopt ORDINANCE NO. 4407 rezoning 2800 E. 13th Street from Agricultural âAâ to General
Industrial âGIâ.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Ordinance declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
made a part of these Minutes.
DISPOSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL:
Letter from Bill Jennings, dated February 19, 2020, RE: Parking in the front yard at 2030 Country
Club Blvd. A variance was applied for and denied by the Zoning Board of Adjustment on January
8, 2020.: Moved by Martin, seconded by Junck, for a memo from staff.
Vote: 4-1-1. Voting aye: Betcher, Corrieri, Junck, Martin. Voting nay: Beatty-Hansen. Abstaining
due to conflict of interest: Gartin. Motion declared carried.
Memo from Mark Lambert, City Attorney, dated February 21, 2020, RE: Legal opinion about
requiring internet providers to submit performance data reports.: Mayor Haila said this was just
under advisement, and no action was necessary.
Staff report from Keith Abraham, Parks and Recreation Director, dated February 25, 2020, RE:
Emerald Ash Borer Response Plan - Five Year Review.: City Manager Schainker said this was just
an update, and no action was required.
COUNCIL COMMENTS:
Ex Officio
Devyn Leeson advised Council that he would be sending out
the agenda by Thursday or Friday for the joint meeting on March 4, 2020, at 5:30 pm.
ADJOURNMENT:
Moved by Beatty-Hansen to adjourn the meeting at 9:27 p.m.
________________________________________ ____________________________________
Rachel E. Knutsen, Deputy City Clerk
John A. Haila, Mayor
17