Committee of the Whole Meeting

Committee of the Whole Cedar Falls Council Chambers October 18, 2021 The Committee of the Whole met at City Hall at 5:00 p.m. on October 18, 2021, with the following Committee persons in attendance: Mayor Robert Green and Councilmembers Frank Darrah, Susan deBuhr, Kelly Dunn, Simon Harding, Daryl Kruse, Mark Miller and Dave Sires. Staff members from all City Departments and members of the community attended in person and teleconferenced in. Mayor Green called the meeting to order and introduced the first item on the agenda, Racial Equity Task Force Presentation. Mayor Green introduced City Council member Frank Darrah, Chair of the Task Force. Councilmember Darrah provided brief introductions for Task Force members and thanked them, City staff, and Iowa State University facilitators for their participation; he then introduced presenter Lisa Sesterhenn. Ms. Sesterhenn presented an overview of the Task Force’s Charge from the Mayor after the release of the 24/7 Wall Street article, timeline and processes, initial discussions and identifications, Cedar Falls demographics, and initial recommendations to Council for goal-setting consideration. Ms. Sesterhenn introduced Task Force member Paul Lee. Mr. Lee expanded upon the Task Force’s main recommendations: establish a Cedar Falls equity committee; develop a Cedar Falls equity vision and plan; invest in organizational capacity and infrastructure; be a partner for transformative change; create public engagement opportunities that are welcoming and inclusive; host and collaborate in public education about equity. He provided a brief explanation of the three subcommittees: Education, Housing, and Policing. Ms. Sesterhenn presented the Education subcommittee’s focus and initial recommendations for both the school district and the City. She presented the Housing subcommittee’s focus and initial recommendations for the City. Mr. Lee presented the Policing subcommittee’s focus and initial recommendations for the police department and the City. Mr. Lee outlined the Task Force’s requests of the Mayor and City Council for the meeting on November 1, 2021: receive and file the Task Force’s report and recommendations; review and include these recommendations for FY2023 goal-setting; and meet with the Task Force after completion of goal-setting to review recommendations included in the FY2023 budget and work plan. Mr. Lee Mayor Green opened for questions from the Council. Councilmember Harding asked if the Task Force had specific recommendations on starting an Equity Committee, of whom it would be comprised, how many members, and if it would be overseen by a new City staff member; and if the Task Force would continue or if the Equity Committee would be the continuation. Mr. Lee responded the Task Force briefly spoke about structure, including citizens of Cedar Falls and possibly other cities, and it should be staff- supported but not by a member of the Human Resources staff; he stated the Equity Committee would be the evolution of the Task Force. Mayor Green noted that several Human Rights Commission (HRC) members were part of the Task Force and asked if there had been discussion about how to avoid duplication of work and roles; Mr. Lee stated the Equity Committee would have clearly defined and separate work/roles from the HRC. Councilmember Sires asked what the Task Force would change regarding City staff involvement. Task Force Member Lee stated the committee should represent all citizens of Cedar Falls; it would need to be determined if a councilmember is required on it. Councilmember Miller recommended the work of the Task Force continue. Mayor Green stated the report and recommendations will be part of the November 1, 2021 City Council meeting to be received and filed for consideration at goal-setting. Mayor Green introduced the second item on the agenda, Downtown Public Parking. Mayor Green introduced City Clerk Jacque Danielsen. Ms. Danielsen presented a slideshow timeline summary and update of the 2018/2019 downtown parking study and recommendations implemented by the City including: recommended parking management plan – hiring a parking supervisor dedicated to daily operations, creation of Parking Technical Committee, partnership with existing private lots for additional public spaces, addition of new on-street parking, addition of College Hill parking study and coordination of implementation of new technology, new payment technology for metered time and permits, change to lot specific permits instead of universal, and revision of enforcement hours; implementation plan – immediate action items, mid-term action items including steps taken during the pandemic and continuation of Parking Technical Committee meetings, and long/term ongoing plan, with some items currently being discussed as part of the Downtown Zoning Code. Ms. Danielsen stated there are no recommendations at this time. Mayor Green opened for questions from the Council. Councilmember Miller asked how the City can build a ramp without funding from paid parking; he stated the City should look into the ramp options and that the ramp will still require walking to downtown locations. Councilmember Harding stated the Cedar River Project and other project are creating a more dense area and similar cities have ramps; he asked what the options are, what funding is available. City Administrator Ron Gaines stated the City could create a parking facility committee; he stated the ramp will not be successful without a paid parking system. Councilmember Harding asked if this needs to be discussed at Goal-Setting or if it is a referral for the future. Mr. Gaines recommended a meeting between the City and stakeholders to put a plan together to present to Council and look at items for CIP. Mayor Green stated funding options need to be considered. Councilmember Dunn asked if the paid parking equipment was still functional; Ms. Danielsen stated yes, the City has it and it does work, but by re- implementation time it may need to be upgraded. Councilmember Harding stated he doesn’t believe the city needs a ramp right now, but it may in the future; the City needs to plan responsibly. Councilmember Kruse stated the City should use the study data to identify a location for the ramp; he expressed concern over the walking distance to downtown locations and stated another ramp might be needed later; he asked if a formal study was needed and stated the parking ramp has an effect on downtown zoning code. Councilmember Miller stated a consultant already provided recommendations, and from Ms. Danielsen’s presentation the City has done a lot of work regarding parking; he stated Council should direct staff to create a timeline for building, get it in the CIP, and find a way to fund it. Councilmember Miller motioned staff to provide materials for Goal-Setting for a parking ramp and paid parking with a timeline and potential funding; Councilmember Harding seconded. Mayor Green opened for public discussion. Eashaan Vajpeyi, 3831 Convair Lane, representing Brian Sires (College Hill) and Ben Stroh (Downtown), has concerns with the parking app and asked how many businesses were approached to partner for shared parking, what incentives were offered, and what concerns did they share. Darin Beck, 339 Golden Lane, stated stakeholders in downtown are the ones who see the problems with parking; he stated parking needs to be expanded if we want people to come; he supported the parking ramp; he disagreed with the proposed minimum parking requirement per bedroom for the Vision Downtown Development. Jim Benda, 1816 Valley High Drive, stated he supports the parking ramp and new infrastructure; he does not support shared parking. Mayor closed public discussion and opened for Council discussion with a motion on the floor. Councilmember Kruse requested a Committee of the Whole meeting or Work Session(s) prior to Goal-Setting. Councilmember Harding recommended these occur after the upcoming election and after Goal-Setting. Mr. Gaines stated Goal-Setting produces a planning document for items to be brought forward and implemented over the next couple of years; Mayor Green stated it will provide consensus on devoting staff and time to a topic. Councilmember Miller asked if it is reasonable for staff to have a rough estimate and timeline by Goal-Setting; Mr. Gaines responded yes. Mayor called for a vote on the motion; motion carried unanimously. Mayor Green introduced the third item on the agenda, Planning and Zoning Commission Interviews. He introduced the first applicant, Oksana Grybovych Haftermann. Dr. Grybovych Haftermann gave a brief introduction: she is a long-time citizen of Cedar Falls, originally from Ukraine; she is the current Associate Dean at the College of Education at UNI and is a tenured faculty member in the department of Health Recreation and Community Services with a research and teaching background. Mayor Green opened for questions from Council. Councilmember Darrah asked what motivated her to apply for this commission; Dr. Grybovych Haftermann stated she loves this community, and she wants to see it a better place and put her skills to use. Mayor Green asked if she experience with planning and zoning issues specifically; Dr. Grybovych Haftermann responded yes, she has worked with several communities both riverfront and land-locked. Mayor Green introduced the second applicant, Kristin Moser. Dr. Moser gave a brief introduction: she is a long-time Cedar Falls resident and was a UNI undergrad; she works at UNI as the Assistant to the President for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning; she applied to give back to the community and contribute in meaningful ways to this committee. Mayor opened for questions from Council; no questions. Mayor Green introduced the third applicant, Hannah Peterson. Ms. Peterson gave a brief introduction: she is a Cedar Falls resident; she is currently Vice President of College Hill Partnership and lives in the College Hill district; she works for AgencyBloc, a local software company in downtown; she wants to be on the board to learn more about and serve the community, and to be a part of growing the community. Mayor Green opened for Council questions; no questions. Mayor Green stated at the November 1st, 2021, these three nominations and one re-appointment will come before Council for approval. There being no further discussion, Mayor Green adjourned the meeting at 6:45 p.m. Minutes by Katie Terhune, Administrative Assistant