Bronwyn's Council Review

As usual for the review, my comments will be in red and italicized. 
 

The Ames City Council meets on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom. The agenda includes:
 

• 17. Resolution approving preliminary plans and specifications for Emma McCarthy Lee Park Bridge Project; setting July 21, 2020, as bid due date and July 28, 2020, as date of public hearing. The bridge over Clear Creek in Emma McCarthy Lee Park washed out in a June 2018 flood. Now that FEMA funds have been secured ($32,000), the City is ready to send out the project specifications for bid. As the report states, "Plans and specifications call for the bridge to be a steel framed bridge with wood plank decking, similar to other bridges in the park system. The bridge will be double the length and width of the former bridge at 70 feet long and 10 feet wide. Part of the project includes grading a path connection from the parking lot to the bridge approach. Once the bridge is completed, staff will install the asphalt path connection."  Further: "The bridge specified will be constructed approximately four feet above the former bridge deck that was destroyed. Also, the bridge is engineered to withstand the force of water if it ever becomes inundated." The estimated cost for the replacement project is $270,517, but actual costs will of course depend on the bids received.

  
  This item was part of the Consent Agenda, and passed 6-0.

• 18. Resolution approving preliminary plans and specifications for 2020/21 US Hwy 69 Improvements (South Duff Avenue and US Highway 30 Eastbound Off-Ramp); setting July 22, 2020, as bid due date and July 28, 2020, as date of public hearing. Ames is on a roll with new traffic signals this year, having recently added signaling to the State and Mortensen intersection and the S. Dakota off-ramp from U.S. 30 Westbound. This 2021 project will add traffic signals to the S. Duff Ave. off-ramp from U.S. 30 Eastbound and add a direct connection to Billy Sunday Rd. Assuming all goes well, this should be a big improvement over the current layout. Estimated costs are $1.2 million, of which $800,000 will come from Iowa DOT grants. As always, actual costs will depend on the bids received.
  
  

  
  This item also passed 6-0 as part of the Consent Agenda.

• 33. Staff Report regarding Modifications to Outdoor Dining Related to COVID-19. As far as I can tell, it's just a lot harder to catch the Coronavirus outdoors than indoors. After receiving a couple of inquiries about promoting outdoor dining, Council supported my motion from the last meeting to ask the Chamber of Commerce to survey local businesses and bring back suggestions. Staff considered these suggestions and boiled them down to five recommendations, including temporarily waiving minimum requirements for parking stalls that will be re-purposed for outdoor dining and allowing outdoor dining to extend into the public sidewalk space of neighboring businesses if those neighbors grant permission.

  
  The five recommendations that David mentioned above were all approved unanimously (6-0), as well as a motion to temporarily remove the requirement for a 48" tall barrier for establishments serving alcohol outdoors. (Such establishments would still have to have a line that alcohol could not cross, but the line could possibly be as simple as a line drawn on the pavement.) Also, Gartin moved to waive the $35 fee for outdoor service areas, and reimburse those who had already paid it this year. This also passed 6-0.
  
  (video)

• 34. Delinquent Utility Accounts Related to COVID-19. Due to COVID-19 economic impacts, and consistent with State orders that apply to private utility companies, Ames hasn't issued any utility disconnect notices since mid-March. Now that the State's orders have lapsed, the dollar amount of total delinquent electric & water utility bills in Ames is currently about $200,000 higher than usual and Council is being asked to decide on a policy going forward. It stands to reason that many of the customers with overdue bills are suffering from major income disruptions and may not be able to pay their balances. Council's decision on this will have a big impact.
  
  At the moment, I'm grateful that staff previously recommended (and Council agreed) to designate the recently announced $354,515 in federal CDBG COVID-19 funding to providing relief in the areas of utility bills, rent, and mortgage for those affected by COVID-19. But the CDBG funds come with complicated federal requirements and it will be hard to understand how many applicants with overdue utility bills will meet those requirements until the City has been able to process enough of them.

  
  After discussion on this item, it is clear that Staff and Council are very adverse to disconnecting anyone's utilities, especially this year. The process outlined in the staff report involves taking the next month or two to send first notices to delinquent accounts, with a goal of either arranging a payment plan or connecting residents with assistance available to help with utility costs. Such assistance might include CDBG funds, LIHEAP grants, or assistance from one of several area non-profits and churches. Council voted 5-1 (Junck voting nay) to proceed with this course of action and to have staff report back in August so a next course of action can be discussed before further steps are taken.
  
  (video)

• 35. Staff Report regarding Small Lots and Increasing the Diversity of Housing Types. Council requested this report as the first step in addressing our goal to "Increase the stock of diverse housing types for a variety of income levels through zoning, including adjusting minimum lot area, multiple dwelling units on a lot, and accessory dwelling units."

  
  This was an interesting discussion, and it is valuable to remember that while smaller lot sizes relate to affordability of housing, they certainly aren't the sole answer as it would still be possible to have an expensive house built on a small lot. Council directed staff to further research a 5,000 square foot lot size as a new standard or to allow for a variable lot size standard, and to explore creating a PUD (Planned Urban Development) tool that would allow for potentially denser developments. These motions both passed 6-0. 
  
  (video)

• 36. Hearing on 2019/20 Shared Use Path System Expansion - Vet Med Trail (S. 16th Street to ISU Research Park). This item awards a contract to pave the existing granular Vet Med shared use trail from S. 16th Street to ISU Research Park during this construction season. Total cost is expected to be $362,715.05.

  
  It is exciting to see this long-overdue project finally taking shape. Council voted 6-0 to award the contract for the paving of this segment of trail from S 16th to the Research Park.
  
  (video)

Non-Agenda Packet: The following items are requests and communications to the council that are not on the agenda for full discussion.  This includes staff reports and communications or requests from constituents and developers. Typically the council will ask city staff for more information (a memo), put the item on a future agenda for deliberation and possible action, or just accept the communication, taking no further action. Council generally processes these requests and communications during the agenda portion called "Disposition of Communications to Council." 

(video)

• Ames Farmers' Market. Now that the Governor has lifted all Farmers' Market restrictions, the Ames Main Street Farmers' Market is requesting that the City also permit all normal Farmers' Market activities. (The only reason the City has a say in this is because this downtown Farmer's Market takes place on a public street.)
  
  Council voted 5-1 (Betcher voting nay) to allow non-food vendors to resume sales at the Farmers Market and to allow pre-purchase sampling of food/wine. Gartin moved to allow entertainment to resume, as well as prepared food to be eaten on premises and tables and chairs reinstated, but this motion died due to lack of a second.
• Request for AUFP Amendment for Former Caremoli USA site adjacent to Hwy 30. This staff memo adds context to the applicant's request to modify the Ames Urban Fringe plan to allow for their preferred uses.
  
  Council voted 6-0 to place this item on a future agenda for discussion.
• Ames Urban Fringe Plan (AUFP) Map Amendment Request for Rural Residential. This staff memo adds context to the applicant's request to modify the Ames Urban Fringe plan to allow for their preferred uses.

COUNCIL COMMENTS: (video)

During Council Comments, Corrieri moved to place a discussion of COVID-19 on a future agenda, along with a report of what Council can legally do or not do in regards to a local COVID-19 response. This passed 6-0.

Thanks for reading,
Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen
Ames City Council, At Large