Minutes

North Liberty City Council

November 30, 2009

Work Session

Call to order. At 6:00 p.m., Mayor Pro-tem Kuhl called the special session of the North Liberty City Council to order.  Council members present:  Chipman, Donahue, Kuhl, Wozniak; absent: Hoffman and Mayor Salm.

Others present:  Ryan Heiar, City Administrator; Dee Crowner, Librarian; Doug Neale, David Hoeksema; Corinne Lemmage; Brian Wayson; Jennie Garner; and other interested parties.

Introductions. The attendees introduced themselves.

Approval of the Agenda. Chipman moved, Donahue seconded to approve the agenda.  All ayes;  absent – Hoffman. Motion carried.

Proposed Library Expansion and Fundraising Project Discussion.

Crowner provided a tour of the Library.  The discussion involved Joint Purchasing from the State of Iowa; City of Literature designation; Great Places designation; and Vision Iowa for libraries.

Heiar presented the history of the process. Council has reviewed TIF availability, requested reduced scope, and asked for additional information/direction.

Council discussed the revised plan.  Crowner presented the case book for the project.  Hoeksema presented the tentative timeline.  He expects that the fundraising component will take approximately one year.

Heiar provided information about Vision Iowa. Hoeksema anticipates 20-25% in Vision Iowa funds, making Vision Iowa the lead donor on the project

Hoeksema advised Council on the presentation of the case with a revised project scale and better sense of optimism regarding the economy, fundraising is more in line with the preliminary meetings.

Chipman asked if the project will be done in phases. Crowner answered that the new construction will go first with the renovations in the old section after the new part is completed.

Kuhl read an email from Chris Hoffman regarding the project.  He is favor of the expansion, but wants to make sure that it comes in the correct order of facility expansions.  Since the project is to be funded with TIF, there will be no burden on the city tax rolls.

Wozniak asked about the pledging process and when it becomes stale.  Wozniak asked about the plan for construction of a new city hall. Heiar reported it is expected to be constructed in 2013 with design in 2012.  With leasing options, the construction can be delayed a bit.  Wozniak suggested beginning the process with having some flexibility after we know when the design for City Hall will be moving forward.  Wozniak stated that the City Hall process needs to be defined and ready to go before the Library goes forward.  Heiar reported that with City Hall requiring a referendum, it is difficult to guarantee the timing of the project.  Council discussed the timing of the library expansion project.

Kuhl stated that during the election, voters listed the priorities as Highway 965; Police and Fire Department improvements, City Hall improvements and then the Library expansion. No reason why this can’t go forward, if City Hall is started. Kuhl expressed concerns about staff number increase.

Wozniak would like to have some flexibility in the schedule including a couple of more seasons built into the schedule. He suggested allowing for additional time in the schedule, but it can move forward faster if the process goes that direction.

Hoeksema suggested a proposed timeline that includes other city projects. Donors are likely to ask for information about other city needs during the donation discussion.

Chipman stated that eighteen months is more viable. She would like to see more money raised before the project begins.  She would like to see other city projects included, but doesn’t want to confuse the fundraising process.  An educational program regarding TIF funding versus property tax funding is necessary for the success of all projects.  She suggested that giving funds here could affect the referendum outcome for city hall.

Wozniak stated he doesn’t have problem with moving forward with fundraising, but requested building a bit more time in the back end of the schedule.

Donahue asked what is the expectation from fundraising end to beginning construction.  Hoeksema reported that the timing varies in each community and varies based on the community’s comfort level. Citizens would like to see construction as soon as possible, but understand the responsibility to gather the funds first. Hoeksema appreciates the longer timeline with the ability to accelerate the project.

Donahue asked with the facility study all projects were projected to be funded with general obligation (tax levy) dollars.  With the use of TIF funds on the Library project, the City Hall and Library projects are actually two different problems now.  It is essential to move ahead with 965.  Donahue asked that if knowing what our potential revenue is going to be, can the library expansion be moved forward.  Heiar stated that yes it can be moved forward. The design of the expansion is currently programmed in FY 2011 as a part of the capital improvements plan.  Donahue would like to go to 18 month time period with a specific percentage of fundraising funds raised before design begins.

Wozniak stated that with knowing this, we need a really well designed plan for all the city projects including direction and plan to ensure a reasonable amount of success in fundraising.

Kuhl asked if there was a consensus of the council.  Council would like to see the fundraising be over an eighteen month period.  The contract with Renaissance Group will be presented at the second meeting in December.  A report on fundraising progress will be provided in June 2010 with subsequent reports at a minimum of every six months.  If the State of Iowa revised TIF rules, this project will be revisited. Information about other city projects will be included in the case book and during fundraising sessions.

Adjourn. At 7:25 p.m., Donahue moved, Wozniak seconded to adjourn. All ayes; absent – Hoffman. Meeting adjourned.