City Council to Meet on June 4, 2021

Included in each City Council information packet is a memo from the City Administrator offering a summary and context of items appearing on the agenda. We will begin publishing these memos here in our news feed to make them more accessible. You can sign up to be notified of news items, agendas and more by email.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health and safety concerns require City of North Liberty public meetings to be held electronically, so as to limit the spread of the virus. The public is invited to submit questions and comments in advance of the meeting for consideration submitting them to the City Clerk Tracey Mulcahey via email at [email protected].

This meeting may be accessed live by the public on the internet at northlibertyiowa.org/live.


Meeting Note

Tuesday’s meeting will be held virtually via Zoom and live streamed at Watch Meetings Live as well as available on the website. The City Council and participants will log into the meeting in order to conduct business while the public will be able to watch the debate and decisions being made.

Consent Agenda

The following items are on the consent agenda and included in the packet:

  • City Council Minutes (05/25/21)
  • Claims
  • Liquor License Renewals for Mosley’s and Casey’s #2479
  • Pay Application #4, Aquatic Center HVAC, Apex Construction, $73,336.63
  • Acceptance of Completion of Aquatic Center HVAC Project

Board and Commission Appointments

The Mayor is recommending appointments as follows:

Planning Commission – Patrick Staber and Dave Willer

Parks and Recreation Commission – Craig Sundell, Amy Chen and Kevin Stibal

Library Board – Laura Hefley

Communications Advisory Board – D. Ryan Bevins

Cemetery Board – Tom Woodruff and Erika Wade

Tree and Stormwater Board – Doris Vaske

Staff will continue to advertise for additional vacancies and to satisfy gender balance requirements.

Annexation

Quarter Moon Farms, Inc. is requesting annexation of 76.97 acres – west side of North Jones Boulevard north of West Penn Street as extended northerly to 240th Street – into the city. The total acreage is 82.49 acres due to the inclusion of county roadways adjacent to the annexation area. This is a critical annexation as it fills in a large gap in the municipal boundary and would allow for the extension of North Jones Boulevard.  For some context, if this property owner was unwilling to annex into the city, there would need to be a voluntary annexation of 385 acres of adjacent property in order to annex this property into the city.  This is based on the state’s 80% voluntary/20% involuntary annexation requirement. This annexation is consistent with the annexation agreements between Tiffin and Coralville. City water service and sanitary sewer service are immediately available to the site. All other typical city services will be provided upon annexation, including street maintenance (already managed by the City), police, fire, refuse pickup, building inspections and enforcement, and others. All required notifications have been made and no objections to the annexation have been received.  Staff recommends approval of the annexation.

Pool Heater Project

Bids for the pool heater project were accepted June 1. The estimated project budget is $475k. The project is expected to start in late August to minimize conflict with the operation of the outdoor pool.   Five bids were received. The low bid was from Tricon General Construction in the amount of $406,000. While it exceeds the engineer’s estimate of $375,000, it is within the $475,000 that was budgeted for this project. Staff recommends accepting the bid from Tricon and authorizing execution of the contract.

Dubuque Street, Phase 1 Project

The City has reached an agreement for the purchase of real property interests with several property owners who will be affected by the Dubuque Street Phase One public improvement project. All the acquisitions, summarized in the chart, are for the values previously approved by City Council for the various parcel. Staff recommends approval.

Property Owner Easement Type Amount
Robert O’Rear Trust Public Easement $7,500
Bertha S. Olin Revocable Trust Temporary Construction Easement $650

2021A Borrowing

Staff has been working with the City’s financial advisor and bond counsel to prepare for selling just over $7 million in bonds to cover the costs of projects that have been or will be completed in the near future. The chart to the left identifies the projects and amounts. A public hearing will be held authorizing the sale of the bonds.  Staff recommends approval of the resolution, which authorizes moving ahead with the next steps of issuance.

2021A Bond Sale – Summary of Projects
Project Amount Type
Ranshaw Way, Phase 2 $900,000 GO/TIF
St. Andrews Drive $1,400,000 GO/TIF
Subtotal $2,300,000
Pumper Truck $465,000 GO
Aquatic Center Boiler Project $200,000 GO
Storm Water Projects $91,000 GO
St. Andrews Drive $1,400,000 GO
Police Station $2,600,000 GO
Subtotal $4,756,000
Total $7,056,000

Water Rate Ordinance Amendment, 2nd Reading

The packet includes the latest revenue and expense projections for the City’s sewer and water utilities. From a revenue perspective, sewer is spot on from what was projected during the February budget discussions and a 0% increase remains the recommendation. Water sales are trending slightly lower than anticipated. It was projected that in FY21 the City would sell approximately 402 million gallons of water; however, the latest projections indicate sales closer to 389 million gallons, resulting in a $90K reduction in projected revenues. A 2% water rate increase was included in the budget model and, despite the slower sales, that remains the recommendation for FY 22.

Physician’s Building Rezoning Request, 2nd Reading

Physicians Building Group, LLC is requesting a zoning map amendment to O/RP to allow 33.48 acres – west side of South Kansas Avenue approximately .23 miles north of the West Forevergreen Road – to be developed as medical offices with the potential for a hospital. The applicant has indicated that they are seeking approval of the rezoning before formally acquiring the property. No plans have been generated at this point; however, staff is confident that the City’s development regulations will ensure a high-quality campus.  Approximately 10 people attended the April 8, 2021 good neighbor meeting where no objections were expressed. Specific questions about the development were not able to be answered because plans have not been generated.  Staff committed to sharing future plans with area property owners once received. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the request at its May 4, 2021 meeting. At the meeting it was stated by a Planning Commission member that this is an ideal location for the proposed use.  It is staff’s opinion that the request is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the proposed zoning would be compatible with the area.  Therefore, staff recommends approval of the rezoning.

Solomon Holdings LLC Rezoning Request, 2nd Reading

Solomon Holdings, LLC is requesting a zoning map amendment to C-2A PAD allowing 2.46acres – west side of Community Drive approximately 240 feet south of West Penn Street – to be developed with a four-story, 60-unit residential building and a one-story office/retail building. The development proposes to remove an overflow parking area and expand into the southern part of the Tin Roost property. The PAD is being requested to allow the flexibility of having a multiple-unit dwellings, which is not allowed within the underlying C-2A District alone.  Also, flexibility is being requested to allow a four story building (48’ 8” from grade to the top of the parapet).  A small number of people attended the March 10, 2021 good neighbor meeting where no objections were expressed.  To date, staff has received one letter in favor of the request and one letter opposed. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the request at its May 4, 2021 meeting. At the meeting staff indicated its support for the request due to the property’s proximately to two major roads (West Penn Street and Ranshaw Way) and the Liberty Centre Pond.  Staff also discussed the need to modernize the City’s antiquated off-street parking standards. It is staff’s opinion that the request is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the proposed zoning would be compatible with the area.  Staff recommends approval of the zoning map amendment request.

Hate Crime Ordinance Discussion

Discussion of a request from the Johnson County Interfaith Coalition to consider the adoption of a hate crime ordinance, similar to the ordinance adopted by Iowa City in 2019. That ordinance includes a provision for mandatory incarceration upon a conviction, which implicates certain due process requirements for defendants. A memorandum from the City Attorney is included in the packet which describes those requirements.

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