Bronwyn's Council Review

As usual for the review, my comments are red and italicized in the context of the latest Council Preview by David Martin.
 

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

• 20. Presentation of 2021 Resident Satisfaction Survey Results. Each year, the City conducts a statistically valid survey using random sampling to determine residents' satisfaction with City services and other aspects of living in Ames. This survey was performed in April 2021—after a year of COVID-19 impact and the 2020 derecho. There's a huge amount of information in these results. Overall, the Ames Public Library, arts programs, fire protection, ASSET, and law enforcement are residents' favorites for increased operational funding, while street reconstruction, traffic flow improvements, and greenway/parks improvements top the list of residents' favorites for increased capital expenditures. 
  
  Staff reviewed the results of our most recent Resident Satisfaction Survey, showing high levels of satisfaction as usual. No action was required on this item.
  
  
• 21. Motion directing staff to negotiate a long-term land lease with Heartland Senior Services as requested for the consolidation of two lots at 205 S. Walnut. Heartland Senior Services enriches the lives of older adults in Story County and provides support for their families and caregivers. The City owns the Heartland Senior Services building and land and has leased it to them for $1.00/year for many decades. Part of the 2019 Healthy Life Center plan and motivation included building a new facility for HSS, but that didn't work out. Heartland Senior Services is now proposing that they construct a new building at their own expense, with the City committing to a new long-term $1.00/year lease for the land. 
  
  This item passed 6-0, paving the way for an expansion of Heartland's facility at it's current location on South Walnut.
• 22. Staff Report on artistically-painted fire hydrants. Expressing concerns about operability, visibility, maintenance, and workload for the Public Art Commission, staff does not recommend launching a fire hydrant painting program at this time.
  
  Council voted 5-1 (Martin voting Nay) to decline proceeding with an artistically painted fire hydrant program at this time. Council voted 6-0 to repaint the dalmation-painted fire hydrant on 16th St.
• 24. Staff Report on Ames 2040 Plan comments. The initial round of public comments on the City's draft comprehensive plan, Ames Plan 2040, have been received and are presented in this report. Council now has an opportunity to make further edits to the draft in response. Staff also plans to bring further changes to our attention on October 26, along with suggested implementation priorities.  Public hearings for the final draft are anticipated in November.
  
  After a presentation by staff, one minor modification was made to the plan, including the RLP designation as a possibility in the RN3 and RN5 zones.
• 25. Staff Report on Setbacks for Accessory Structures and Detached Garages on Single and Two-Family Lots. This staff report lays out options that could allow for better sustainability and/or more flexibility in siting of garages and other accessory structures. Council is considering this because of a request from a homeowner who would like to rebuild his rather old garage, but isn't permitted to keep the same footprint due to setback requirements enacted in the zoning code after the garage was built.
  
  Council voted 6-0 to allow currently existing accessory structures to be rebuilt without having to move to meet newer setback requirements. 
• 26. Discussion of HOME - American Rescue Plan Grant Agreement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ames has been allocated $1.3 million in federal funds to be used for assistance in combating housing instability. However, it will take more work to determine exactly how the funds may ultimately be used. Staff advises that they currently anticipate enacting a competitive grant program for these funds.
  
  Council voted 5-1 (Gartin voting Nay) to accept these funds.
• 28. Hearing on Voluntary Annexation with non-consenting property owners located north of Lincoln Highway and west of Ames corporate limits to Boone County along N. 500th. After the City was approached by a property owner north of Sunset Ridge in West Ames, the Council voted to initiate annexation of this land, but to also include three adjacent non-consenting properties in the annexation. Including these non-consenting properties allows for a more uniform city boundary—and we recently voted to include non-consenting properties nearby on Lincoln Way for similar reasons. However, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted not to recommend including the non-consenting properties in the annexation.  
  
  Council voted 6-0 to proceed with the 80/20 annexation process, including the non-consenting properties in the annexation.
  
  

Communications to Council: The following items are requests and communications to Council that aren't published on the agenda, so we won't deliberate them substantially.  This includes staff reports and communications or requests from constituents and developers. Typically, Council will ask city staff for more information, put the item on a future agenda for deliberation and possible action, or just accept the communication, taking no further action. 
 

• Waste Collection Service Study. This staff memo expresses support for the concept of performing an internal study on the possibility of moving towards a more consolidated waste collection system following completion of the waste-to-energy study currently in progress.
  
  Council voted 6-0 to direct staff to proceed with this study, and to communicate this possibility to the consultant who was selected to complete the Waste-to-Energy study.

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