Committee of the Whole

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE City Hall – Council Chambers March 15, 2021 The Committee of the Whole met at City Hall at 5:10 p.m. on March 15, 2021, with the following Committee persons in attendance: Mayor Robert M. Green, Frank Darrah, Susan deBuhr, Kelly Dunn (via video conference), Simon Harding, Daryl Kruse, Mark Miller, and Dave Sires. Staff members attended from all City Departments. Mark Perington and Wade Greiman from Snyder and Associates attended, as well as members of the community attended or teleconferenced in. Mayor Green called the meeting to order and introduced the first item on the agenda, Mayor and City Administrator Ordinance Updates. Kevin Rogers City Attorney reviewed the proposed ordinance changes from the previous council work sessions. A draft ordinance was included in the Committee of the Whole packet. He explained the changes are in accordance with Iowa State code, some provide clarification and some are to incorporate what the City’s actual practice is. Mr. Rogers first reviewed the changes to the Mayor duties. Mayor Green opened it up for discussion from Council. Councilmembers discussed the various ordinance changes, and agreed to include previously deleted duties in the following sections: Sec. 2-187(a) add back language “enforce all regulations and ordinances”; and add back Sec. 2-187(b) (7), “The mayor shall make reports to the city council”. Mayor Green stated he will act as the ombudsman, which is added in Sec. 2-187(b) (9). He stated he will field all complaints from city employees as well as those from residents. Mr. Rogers stated he would review if the Mayor’s appointment of Mayor Pro Tem, which is currently received and filed by the Council. He doesn’t think they have the right to vote the appointment down like they could the appointment of the Police or Fire Chief. Mr. Rogers continued with the review of the changes to the City Administrator duties. Through Council discussion Sec. 2-217 shall be retained, but will track the language of 2-187(b) (1) as it relates to performance evaluation of the city administrator. Through discussion Mr. Rogers stated he would add a time frame to Sec. 2-223 for the appointment of acting city administrator. He said he would look to a personnel policy to remain consistent with other acting positions. Council also thought in the case the city administrator inability to appoint, the mayor should be able to appoint. There being no more discussion Mayor Green introduced the second item on the agenda, Main Street Traffic Study. Chase Schrage Director of Public Works stated tonight we will review the questions from the 2/1/2021 Main Street Traffic Study discussion. He introduced Mark Perington and Wade Greiman from Snyder and Associates. Mr. Perington reviewed the recommendations for a three-lane roadway with on street bike lanes, with three roundabouts at 12th, 18th and Seerley. He explained the safety benefits of roundabouts which include reducing overall crash rates by 25%. Mr. Perington reviewed the possibility for a roundabout at 6th Street intersection. He said as you can see from the diagram the sidewalk will be right up against the fuel pumps of the convenience store, which will not allow a roundabout at this intersection. He reviewed the safety benefits of a three-lane roadway compared to a four-lane. These benefits include cash reduction, speed consistency, and reduced pedestrian crossing conflict. He stated the three-lane will serve the vehicle volume demand for the roadway and a dual lane roundabout will cost more with more right of way needed. He stated that Main Street is identified for planned dedicated bike lanes. He explained side paths could be an option to separate the bikes form vehicles, this would also allow for a wider range of riders. He reviewed the transition of a bike in a roundabout. Mr. Greiman reviewed each alternative and their estimated cost. He said the replacement of the corridor as-is with a four-lane with signals is estimated at $5.84 million, and each alternative was compared, showing how much the cost is over or under the as-is four-lane option. He explained the pricing does not include the costs for utility replacement which is estimated at $4 million. Mr. Greiman stated the City has two Surface Transportation Block Grants to help with funding the project, totaling $2.9 million. He stated there are many tree conflicts along the corridor, which tree replacement could be factored in. Mr. Perington reviewed the public input key points. He stated the report was forwarded to Council. He reminded the Council the public input meetings were at the same time as University Avenue reconstruction, and now there is a better acceptance of roundabouts and drivers are better at navigating them. He stated the staff recommendation is for a three-lane corridor with on-street bike lanes, with roundabouts at 12th, 18th and Seerley. He stated there may be additional grant funding the City can secure. Mayor Green opened it for discussion. Mr. Perington stated there will be minimal delay for the semi traffic south of 18th Street for the commercial businesses and the roundabouts will accommodate semi traffic. Mr. Greiman stated they can review the roundabout at 6th Street and shift the roundabout to the north east, but it will take parking spots from the library. He stated another option is to put in a mini-roundabout. There was discussion about the boulevard option and concern for traffic at the convenience store. It was suggested to have a gateway to downtown feature at 6 th Street, reflecting welcome to the historic downtown. Mr. Perington stated the boulevard option was removed from consideration due to the traffic at the convenience store. Mr. Greiman stated the gateway feature may be added to a corner of the intersection. Mr. Greiman compared the street width of the three-lane with bike lanes to that of the as-is four-lane alternative. Mr. Schrage stated streetscape will be addressed with final design. Mr. Greiman explained the current design standards are for five-foot sidewalks. Mr. Perington stated the three-lane roadway will accommodate emergency vehicles with enough passing room, using the middle turn lane. Mayor Green opened it for public comment. Andrew Shroll 930 Newman Avenue and Chairman of the Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee stated he agrees with the staff recommendation of the three-lane alternative. He stated the side path alternative would work if the City committed to removing the snow. Roger White 2303 Greenwood Avenue agrees with the staff recommendation and said Main Street is the most direct route rather than using bike lanes on adjacent streets or the trail system. Jim Skain 2215 Clay Street doesn’t agree with the roundabout option, stating he feels they are less efficient and not good for bicyclists and pedestrians. Mark Miller motioned to approve of the staff recommendation of the three-lane corridor with on street bike lanes, roundabouts at 12th, 18th and Seerley intersections, and a design option for 6th Street intersection with possible roundabout. Simon Harding seconded the motion. Motion passed 5 to 2. (aye: Darrah, Dunn, Harding, Kruse, Miller; nay: deBuhr, Sires) Mr. Schrage stated a design concept will come forward in approximately six months. He stated they will review the impact of the roundabout options at the 6th Street intersection and bring back a design concept. There being no further discussion, Daryl Kruse moved for adjournment. Simon Harding seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously. Mayor Green adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Minutes by Lisa Roeding, Controller/City Treasurer