Dan DeGeest's Council Review

The review of the Ames City Council meeting for October 25, 2017.  The agenda included:

Hello Friends,

My job took me out of town this weekend so I was unable to attend the City Council meeting this week.  I was in Bozeman, MT, another college town similar in size to Ames.  I found myself, like I did when I toured Manhattan, KS, making mental notes about what seemed to work well.  Interestingly, I saw the same thing - a mix of businesses, hotels, restaurants, breweries, bars, etc. eclectically mingled in the same area where everything can be accessed by walking.  It creates a vitality we simply have not captured yet in Ames and a model we should continue to study and consider.
Please see below for some very brief updates on some of the issues discussed.  You can always find the official minutes here if you wish to dig deeper.

Thanks for reading,

Dan DeGeest>>

• 24. Miracle League Field and All-Inclusive Playground.
  In 2015, several parties came to the city with a request to build an all-inclusive playground and Miracle League field in Ames. Parks and Rec is recommending the facility (paid for in most part by fundraising and donations) be installed at Inis Grove Park. Neighbors have raised concerns about lights, noise (PA system), traffic, and parking. Parks and Rec is recommending that the proposed design come back before them prior to final approval, so they can make sure the neighborhood concerns have been addressed.
  Many people were on hand to offer both concerns and support for this project and reiterating points and positions that have been given during prior discussions of this issue  Nobody wants to say it is a bad idea just a bad location, which is unfortunate because that is the epitome of the Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) mentality.  All the expected reasons why it should be placed somewhere else were given - parking, traffic, & noise in particular - despite the efforts by the Parks and Recreation commission to evaluate all possible locations with Inis Grove coming out on top.
  Motion to accept Inis Grove location but with a stipulation to prohibit lighting of the field failed. 2-3-1 (Betcher/Beatty-Hansen YES, Gartin/Orazem/Nelson NO, Corrieri ABSTAIN)
  Motion to accept Inis Grove location with no such stipulations passed. 4-1-1 (Betcher NO, Corrieri ABSTAIN)
• 25. South Duff Safety and Access Project.
  The city recently moved forward on the design phase for improvements on South Duff from South 5th to the Squaw Creek bridge. The engineer estimates a project cost of $927K or so, between construction and administration. $850K is available through Iowa DOT grants, and the remaining amount will be paid equally by the City, Walmart, and Hunziker. Council approval will allow this project to go to bid, with results of bidding provided at the November 22nd Council meeting. 
  Motion approving project and 3 way cost splitting PASSED 6-0.
• 26. Resolution approving agreement to provide Access Easement at 436 South Duff Avenue (Panda Express) in the future.
  Earlier in 2016, a minor site development plan was submitted for the property at 436 South Duff (Panda Express). It was approved with a requirement for a future access easement. This easement would only kick in if the property to the north (426 South Duff) redevelops in such a way that would also involve an access easement through their property.
  Motion approving PASSED 6-0.
• 27. Staff update on Landscape Ordinance concept provisions.
  In August, Council got an update on staff’s work to create a new system of landscaping requirements. At that time, staff had developed a point-based approach to landscaping, requiring developers to meet minimum point totals in several categories. (Categories included soil quality, environmental design, screening, groundcover, planting design, and additional features.) Staff are asking Council for guidance on whether to continue with the point-based concept, tweak the point requirements, or go a different route.
  Motion to table discussion to allow more time for developers to evaluate the proposed changes PASSED 6-0.
• 28. Staff Report on request of customer for adjustment to utility account.
  A resident was away for about a month during parts of June and July, and had the misfortune of returning home to discover a pipe had come loose from the water heater and was running into a floor drain. The water and sewer charges for this episode total $4,089.76. The resident is requesting Council adjust their utility costs. Staff provides several options ranging from waiving the costs to denying the request. Ultimately staff recommends developing a policy that would allow the City Manager or Manager’s designee to make this adjustment without Council approval. Staff also recommends adjusting the resident’s bill to the lower winter rate for water.
  Motion to adjust amount due using the winter utility rate PASSED 6-0.  Custom will now owe $1,063.62.
• 29. Resolution approving request of Main Street Cultural District for $3,000 local match for National Register of Historic Places nomination application.
  The Main St. Cultural District is asking the City for funding to complete the National Register of Historic Places application. If successful, there’s a possibility for federal and state tax credits and other financial incentives for rehabilitating historic buildings/areas. Staff recommend approval. 
  Motion approving PASSED 6-0.
• 30. Presentation of results of Resident Satisfaction Survey.
  The results of the 34th annual resident satisfaction survey are in. In general, residents want to spend more on recreational opportunities and CyRide. Capital funding priorities included traffic flow, street repair, and storm water drainage. Generally speaking, Ames residents report high levels of satisfaction with city services. 90% of respondents gave “somewhat or very satisfied” ratings to 8 out of 9 City departments.
  Yay, Ames!!  The City does a pretty good job overall, people like it here, we have it really good.  Pretty much the same thing we learn every year from this effort.  However, I did find a few data points interesting.  The largest increase for respondents came from the 18-24 year old age group - all other age groups declined.  Respondents indicating that they rent rather then own a home also increased and the income group with the highest representation was those making less than $25K a year.
  I didn't ace statistics in college but I think it is pretty easy to see why certain priorities surfaced to the top.  The City of Ames is spending money (over $150K) to develop a marketing campaign to attract and retain millennials.  I think this report shows that they are already here, let's figure out how to find them jobs, homes, and fun things do and keep them here.  We can all benefit from that effort.
   

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