Bronwyn's Council Preview

The Ames City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall.   The agenda includes the following. Note that you can generally click on individual agenda items below to get the full staff report or other explanation.
 

• 17. Progress Report from Sustainability Coordinator regarding FY 2022/23 Activities. 
  • Motion accepting Report.
    Each year, Council gets a report on the activities of the shared (w/ ISU) Sustainability Coordinator. These activities include marketing and growth of the compost diversion program, Smart Business Challenge, Rummage RAMPage, and work on the Climate Action Plan draft. (Item #46 on this week's agenda)
  • Resolution approving contract with Iowa State University for Sustainability Advisory Services from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, in an amount not to exceed $37,032.
• 46. Presentation on the Final Draft of the Climate Action Plan.
  This final draft of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) represents years of work, and will the biggest and most challenging undertaking the City has seen yet. If you remember, back in 202? Council directed SSG (the consultant tasked with drafting the plan) to aim for a target greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction of 83% by 2030, and net-zero by 2050. SSG then developed 30 action steps within 6 "Big Moves". The Big Moves are:
  1. Building retrofits
  2. Net-zero new construction
  3. Renewable energy generation
  4. Reducing vehicle emissions
  5. Increasing active transportation and transit use
  6. Reducing waste emissions
  
  After analyzing these, it appears that our implementation plan falls short of our initial targets of 83% by 2030 and net-zero by 2050, projecting instead a 71% reduction by 2030, and 94% by 2050. Meeting these new targets is estimated to cost $3.2 billion, though that cost is borne by all sectors, including local, state, and federal revenue sources, and private sources, both individual and commercial. (And, on the plus side, future energy cost savings will absolutely result from that $3.2b investment.) Staff have included a suggested action plan for the short term, some of which is already underway, such as our Solid Waste system evaluation. Other action plan items include looking into building retrofits and net-zero new construction and how to incentivize or require progress in those areas.
  
  Please make no mistake, very little in this Climate Action Plan will be easy and cheap, and local government can't solve everything. If you believe in man-made climate change as a threat to our species, then know that it is going to take a big collective effort to change some ingrained habits that we know aren't sustainable, but we do them anyway. Ok, end rant.
  
  This Final Draft does not contain any new material, other than the suggestions incorporated from the 13 public comments submitted during the CAP's public comment period. 
• 47. Resolution approving deaccession of 32 ceramic reliefs from Public Art Inventory and authorizing staff to demolish 16 brick piers along Fifth Street.
  You may recognize these brick pillars from the downtown area. Unfortunately, weather and time are no friends to brick, so it is being suggested to retire (demolish) them. Due to the delicate nature of the ceramic reliefs, staff do not believe they can be salvaged.
   
• 48. Outlaws Liquor License.
  • Resolution accepting settlement agreement 
    If you may remember from 2022, Council voted to deny the renewal of Outlaws' liquor license. Outlaws has since been appealing that decision with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD), but in the meantime, they have offered to settle with the City by providing a list of corrective or preventative measures to ensure no minors enter their establishment. In addition, if they are found to have minors on the premises, the City may consider a license revocation (a more serious step than simply a failure to renew a license).
  • Motion approving new 8-month license, Class C Retail Alcohol License with Outdoor Service – Outlaws, 2522 Chamberlain Street, Pending Dramshop Review.
• 49. Staff report on Front Yard Parking for Planned Residence District and Planned Unit Development.
  Some developers want to build an apartment building on Mortensen, but the only place topographically appropriate for parking is between the building and the road, and that isn't currently allowed, nor does Council typically have the authority to review front-yard parking options for PUDs or PRDs. So, the developers are asking Council to include parking in the list of things we (Council) can consider when a PRD or PUD is being proposed. 
• 50. Staff report on Boone County Subdivision Waivers.
  A family within the City's urban reserve overlay would like to subdivide their farmland in order to allow the next generation to manage production. Staff suggest they have no problem with this, as long as the land remains for farm use, and no additional residences are built on the subdivided properties.
  
   
• 51. Hearing on a Rezone with Master Plan for 4098 E 13th Street (JT Warehouse).  First passage of ordinance.
   
• 52. Hearing on Status of Funded Activities (SOFA) in Connection with the City of Ames 2022 COVID-19 (CDBG-CV) Cares Grant Funds through the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA).
  This is a staff report on the dispersement of COVID Cares funds to several organizations that provide child care for low/moderate income families. One organization was not able to complete their request, so some funding ($281,000) may potentially go unspent.

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.
 

• Waiver request.
• Ames sidewalk policy.
• LINC and Way Team.
• CAP Comments.
• AEDC Funding Request.
• S16th and S Duff bike ped detour.

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