​	David's Council Preview

NOTE: This meeting was canceled due to the August 10 Derecho. Its topics were taken up on August 18. 

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

• 24. Presentation of the Draft Greenhouse Gas Inventory and additional studies. The Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Climate Vulnerability Assessment, and Citywide Solar PV Energy Potentials Study were commissioned last year. "The goal of the Citywide Inventory is to estimate the GHG emissions associated with the activities of the people who live, work, learn, travel, visit, and recreate within the City’s geographical boundaries during the three study years, 2014, 2016, and 2018. The goal of the City Operations Assessment is similar but with a narrower focus on the emissions associated with the City governmental activities. Both of the analyses must be transparent and able to be replicated, updated, and compared with future assessments for Ames and assessments for peer cities." Establishing this baseline data is a prerequisite to developing a Climate Action Plan, which will investigate and recommend how Ames should respond to the climate crisis. Establishing a process for developing the Climate Action Plan is our logical next step.
  
  There are hundreds of pages of content here; the presentation during the meeting should be helpful in putting it all into context. 
  • Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory
  • Climate Vulnerability Assessment
  • Citywide Solar PV Energy Potentials Study
  • PowerPoint Presentation.  (I assume this is primarily what we will review during the Council meeting.)
    
    
• 25. Staff Report on Factors to Consider If Implementing a City-wide Face Covering Mandate. On July 15, following a unanimous vote of Council, our Mayor sent a letter to Governor Reynolds asking her to delegate to Ames the authority to mandate face coverings in public settings such as out and about or within businesses. Meanwhile, Council also wondered what criteria we would use to decide to issue a face covering mandate if that authority were actually granted to us, and so we requested that staff develop a process for making such a decision. The report suggests triggers such as: the Mary Greeley Intensive Care Unit reaching its capacity, the Story County positivity rate exceeding 10%, ISU and schools reverting to online-only instruction, businesses independently reducing their hours, and/or direct orders from the Governor. This report also includes a round-up of other Iowa cities' recommendations and requirements for face coverings.
  
  In addition, our City Attorney describes an "alternative legal theory" being discussed among municipal attorneys in Iowa. Under this theory, the Attorney General's analysis is mistaken, meaning that current law together with the public health disaster proclamation do not give the Governor exclusive authority over face covering mandates. However, having considered this alternative theory, our City Attorney stands by his advice that the City of Ames does not currently have authority to mandate face coverings in public settings. 
• 26. Discussion of City Council Conferences in FY 2020/21. "It is not yet clear exactly what the impact of the pandemic will be on Fiscal Year 2020/21 revenues; however, City staff is proceeding cautiously with expenditures until the impacts can be fully known." Given this, Council is being asked to consider whether to refrain from attending out-of-state conferences this year.
• 29. Hearing on Integrated Site Plan (Major Site Development Plan and Preliminary Plat) for 3619 Stange Road. This proposal would allow for a Burgie's Coffee and Tea Co. shop, with a drive-through, to be added to the land between the Fareway grocery store and Stange Road north of Bloomington Road.
• 30. Staff Report on request from Dickson Jensen for sidewalk waiver adjacent to Bricktowne Development. The City has halted issuing building or occupancy permits for Bricktowne due to the lack of sidewalks required by a 2017 agreement. In this item, the developer requests that City Council waive the sidewalk requirement due to conditions of the ditch in the right-of-way and because the sidewalks in question do not connect to other areas.

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." 
 

• Water Meter Appeal. On July 28, Council asked staff for this memo regarding a water meter replacement fee appeal.
• Potential Rezoning Near Sunset Ridge. A resident writes to express concern about potential rezoning of land currently outside of the Ames city limits but immediately adjacent to the Sunset Ridge neighborhood (e.g., Wilder Ave., north of Lincoln Way).
• Annexation Permission Request. Verbio writes asking Ames to permit it to annex property to the City of Nevada.

Thanks for reading,
David Martin
Ames City Council, Ward 3

P.S. The continued uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic makes mail-in voting in the November general election a compelling option. If you live in Story County and would like to vote by mail, you can fill out and mail in a postage paid mail in ballot request form.  If you live outside of Story County, look for the correct information via the Iowa Secretary of State's absentee ballot site.

And if you're not registered to vote -- the November election will be here before you know it! You can register to vote or update your voter registration online using your Iowa a driver’s license or ID number at Iowa Secretary of State website.  Those without a drivers's license or ID number can get forms and information here https://www.storycountyiowa.gov/638/Voter-Information-Forms.