Committee of the Whole Meeting

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE City Hall – Council Chambers June 3, 2019 The Committee of the Whole met in the Council Chambers at 5:45 p.m. on June 3, 2019, with the following Committee persons in attendance: Mayor Jim Brown, Tom Blanford, Frank Darrah, Susan deBuhr, Rob Green, Daryl Kruse, Mark Miller, and David Wieland. Staff members attended from all City Departments. Tom Nelson with the Waterloo Courier, Cary Darrah, Will Frost, Eric Johnson, and Lisa Skubal from Grow Cedar Valley and Debra Iehl also attended as well as members of the community. Mayor Brown called the meeting to order and introduced the first item on the agenda, Utilities Board of Trustee Interview – Debra Iehl. Ms. Iehl gave a brief history of herself, stating she has benefited from the community and wants to give back. A brief discussion was held. The Mayor introduced the second item on the agenda Grow Cedar Valley Update. Eric Johnson Chairman of the Board, stated they are happy with the partnership with the City of Cedar Falls and the staff is easy to work with on projects. He introduced Lisa Skubal. Ms. Skubal reviewed the external marketing campaign and recent development. She stated in October they expanded the Midwest initiative and they currently have almost 1500 companies being called upon. She stated Shane Graham Economic Development Coordinator with the City is working with her and attending the Select USA Investment Summit in June. Ms. Skubal introduced Will Frost the new Director of Talent Development. Mr. Frost stated they continue to work with local collaborations and partnerships for inclusion and diversity events. He stated there were over 370 participants at the Economic Inclusion Conference in October. Mr. Frost stated they continue to work on college student engagement and other partnerships in the area. Cary Darrah President stated our top priorities are business retention/expansion and talent in the workforce. She also thanked Eric Johnson for his time serving on the Board and thanked the City for their partnership. Mayor Brown moved to the third item on the agenda Monument Mailboxes. Stephanie Sheetz Director of Community Development stated the monument mail boxes have been restricted since June 2008. She reviewed the different type of mail boxes, and the standards from the U.S. Postal System when installing them at the curb. Ms. Sheetz reviewed the concerns with the monument mailboxes, including safety in the ROW, increased maintenance cost and additional cost to taxpayers during road reconstruction. She stated the City will reimburse $75 for a mail box they may damage while snow plowing. She stated the road reconstruction cost might increase by 30% due to a street having monument mailboxes on it. Ms. Sheetz stated the staff recommendation is to continue with the current ordinance that prohibits monument mailboxes and similar obstructions that create safety concerns in the public right of way. She also confirmed that Cedar Falls Utilities agrees with this recommendation. Mayor Brown opened it for discussion. Ms. Sheetz confirmed the City will reimbursement a maximum of $75 for a mailbox damaged by City personnel. She stated current residents with monument mailboxes may make minor repairs, but if it is replaced in its entirety they would not be allowed to construct a monument mail box. Mark Ripplinger Director of Municipal Operations and Programs confirmed they have hit mail boxes during snow removal and after review at Risk Management Committee the reimbursement has been $75, even for monument mailboxes. Jeff Olson Director of Public Safety Services/Police Chief stated if a personal vehicle damages monument mailboxes that would be between the insurance company and home owner, but this would not affect the City. Chase Schrage Principal Engineer stated an excavation permit by the homeowner would be required for a monument mailbox, if it were allowed. Michael Dewall, Postmaster at Cedar Falls, stated they are doing more Central Box Units (CBU) in new developments. He stated the U.S. Post Office prefers the breakaway post style of mailbox. He also explained there are benefits to the cluster mailboxes; less parking problems and less snow removal in front the cluster mail boxes. Mayor Brown opened it for public comment. Hans Isakson 3110 Pendleton Drive stated he currently has a monument which needs significant repair or replacement. He explained his neighborhood has monument mailboxes and would like to have it look the same. He would like to see a change with limiting the liability of the City, but built to the U.S. Post Office standards. Tom Blanford motioned to amend the city ordinance to allow repair/replacement to existing monument mailboxes. Daryl Kruse seconded the motion. Mayor Brown opened it up for council discussion. A question was raised about trees in the ROW, Mr. Schrage stated during road reconstruction the area by the monument mail boxes would have to be hand poured and this usually isn’t the case for a tree in the ROW since it may have a setback of 4-5 feet. Motion failed 3-4. (Aye – Blanford, Kruse, and Miller; Nay – Darrah, deBuhr, Green, and Wieland) Mayor Brown introduced the final item on the agenda, bills and payroll. David Wieland moved to approve the bills as presented, Rob Green seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. There being no further discussion, Mayor Brown adjourned the meeting at 6:35 p.m. Minutes by Lisa Roeding, Controller/City Treasurer