City Council to Meet on Dec. 14, 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.

This meeting will be held in person and may be accessed live by the public in person or on the internet. 

This meeting may be accessed live by the public in person or on the internet at at northlibertyiowa.org/live, on Facebook at facebook.com/northliberty or on YouTube at youtube.com/ northliberty. Meetings are rebroadcast on cable and available on-demand on northlibertyiowa.org/meetings.

Meeting Note

Tuesday’s meeting will be held in person as well as live streamed at Watch Meetings Live.

Consent Agenda

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

• City Council Minutes (11/23/21)
• Claims
• Changer Order #1, Aquatic Center Pool WaterHeater Replacement, Tricon General Contractor, $2,789.02
• Pay Application #3, Aquatic Center Pool Water Heater Replacement, Tricon General Construction, $44,596.36
• Pay Application #3, Centennial Park Loop Drive Project, All American Concrete, Inc., $100,206.00
• Pay Application #1, Forevergreen Road Trail Improvements, TK Concrete, Inc., $94,772.00
• Change Order #7, Ranshaw Way Phase 5 Improvements, Peterson Contractors, Inc., ($19,449.67)
• Pay Application #8 Ranshaw Way Phase 5 Improvements, Peterson Contractors, Inc., $467,211.31
• Change Order #5, Ranshaw House Renovation Phase 2, Wolfe Contracting, Inc., ($552.00)
• Liquor License Renewals
  • Johncy’s
  • Red’s Alehouse
  • The Leaderboard
  • The Depot

Reprecincting Ordinance, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Readings

With the 2020 census data finally released and the state redistricting plan approved, the City is required to review and, if necessary, amend its voting precincts. Today, the City is made up of six precincts. With the gain in population it has been determined that at least seven precincts will be needed to comply with the law; however, the Auditor’s office and City staff are recommending establishing eight precincts to accommodate the anticipated growth of North Liberty. Below are the standards cities must meet when reprecincting:

• Precinct population cannot exceed 3,500;
• If there are areas in the city where substantial growth is anticipated in the next ten years, precincts with populations smaller than the 3,500-maximum allowed by law may be established;
• A precinct must lie within one legislative district;
• A precinct must be composed of contiguous territory;
• Precincts boundaries must follow census block boundaries
• A precinct must consider voter convenience and electoral efficiency
  • The convenience of voters means the precinct boundaries are easy to describe and identify and provide voters with relatively direct routes of travel to polling places. Electoral efficiency means reducing election costs by only creating as many precincts as necessary.
• A precinct must include annexed territory
  • Territory annexed after January 1, 2020, must be included when drawing precincts, using the annexed territory population certified by the city.

Given the delay with the release of the census data and subsequent delay of redistricting approval at the state level, the City does not have much time to adopt an ordinance.  Cities have 60-days from the time the Governor signs the redistricting bill into law, which happened on November 4. As a result, the City Council is required to adopt an ordinance prior to January 3, 2022. Staff is recommending approval of the included ordinance and accompanying map that articulates the creation of eight districts in North Liberty. Further, staff recommends waiving the three separate readings at three separate meetings to ensure this legislation is finalized prior to the January 3, 2022 deadline.

Bowman Property LLC Rezoning, 2nd Reading

Bowman, LLC is requesting a zoning map amendment to accommodate several residential districts and one commercial district, allowing 109.43 acres – northeast corner of W. Forevergreen Road and S. Kansas Avenue – to be developed with a variety of housing types and an unspecified commercial use. Staff encouraged the applicant to include all the property in the request to facilitate a comprehensive planning approach to development. At first glance, there appears to be a large area dedicated to multi-family residential; however, the majority of that area is planned for single-family attached

(townhome) style. This concept incorporates the planned collector streets Alexander Way and Remley Street. Approximately five people attended the September 23, 2021 good neighbor meeting. Some concerns were expressed (attached to the background material), and subsequently, the application was modified to lower density single-family residential and a landscape buffer adjacent to the Seelman homestead as well as lower residential density surrounding the Rarick homestead. Notably, the Comprehensive Plan Future Land Map depicts the S. Kansas Avenue frontage as Commercial with Residential (i.e., residential above commercial); however, it is staff’s opinion that this style of development would not be appropriate adjacent to the aforementioned homesteads. The higher density/intensity development would be closer to W. Forevergreen Road. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the request at its November 10, 2021 special meeting. Staff also recommends approval. At the 11/23/2021 meeting, the Council voted to amend the portion of request west of the retention pond to RM-8 Multi-Unit Residence District. The rezoning ordinance has been updated to reflect that change.

December Payables

With no second Council meeting scheduled for December, staff is seeking permission from Council to pay bills that may occur a late fee before the January 11 meeting.  Staff recommends approval of a resolution authorizing the payment of certain bills in the month of December.

Urban Renewal Plan Amendment

This agenda item consists of several action items, including a public hearing on an amendment to the urban renewal plan, a resolution approving the urban renewal plan amendment, and a resolution setting the date for a public hearing for an urban renewal loan agreement. The amended plan includes the Jones Boulevard extension project and the construction of a new city hall on the civic campus. The resolution setting a public hearing, slated for January 11, will allow the Council to consider a resolution authorizing the City to borrow money in the future for the City Hall project. Staff recommends approval of the resolutions.

General Obligation Loan Agreement

The resolution on the agenda approves a general obligation loan agreement so that money borrowed with the 2021A series can be used for the Pool Heater project instead of the Fire Truck purchase. In this case, the purchase of the fire truck was made with cash on hand instead of the bond proceeds, leaving approximately $95k of bond proceeds that need to be reallocated. This reallocation will allow staff to make internal cash transfers so that all fund accounts are made whole.

Dubuque Street, Phase 1

Three bids were received for the Dubuque Street, Phase 1 Project. Included in the packet is a letter from Shive Hattery explaining that the apparent low bidder, when the bids were open, was Portzen Construction; however, there was a mathematical error in their bid. After recalculating each bid, it has been determined that the low bid was submitted by All American Concrete in the amount of $2,341,680. All American Concrete has successfully completed various projects in North Liberty, including the Front Street roundabouts. Shive Hattery and staff recommend approval of the contract to All American Concrete.

Fire Department Equipment Sale

The East Orchard Mesa, Colorado Fire Department has made an offer to purchase the 2006 Alexis Ford F550 Brush Truck in the amount of $48,000, the full asking price. The included agreement requires 10% ($4,800) down with the balance to be paid on June 1, 2022. The new grass truck is expected to be delivered May 5, 2022. Staff recommends approval of the agreement and sale of the 2006 fire truck.

Commercial Drive Project

Included in the packet is a preliminary route and site location for a proposed public improvement project which contemplates the extension of Commercial Drive to connect with West Zeller Street. The proposed improvement will allow additional access to the post office and nearby businesses and improve public convenience and traffic flow. The proposed project involves the acquisition of a portion of a single parcel of vacant residential land. The City is required to establish an amount for just compensation, informed by a professional appraisal, for any interests in real estate which will be subject to acquisition by eminent domain. The City has secured an appraisal of the real estate interests which will be impacted by the Commercial Drive Extension project, and this resolution establishes that appraised value as just compensation for the acquisition. Staff recommends approval.

Employee Handbook Update – Holidays

Staff is recommending a change to the “Holidays” provision of the Employee Handbook, deleting Good Friday as a recognized holiday and replacing it with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. If approved, this change will take effect for the 2022 calendar year.

Police Officer Union Contract

The North Liberty Police Officer’s Union has ratified the enclosed four-year contract that includes annual pay raises of 2.5%, 2.75%, 3% and 3% respectively. The contract also includes a one-time wage scale adjust of 2.5% in FY23. Staff recommends approval of the agreement.

Domestic Violence Intervention Program Capital Campaign Contribution

At the previous Council meeting the City Council agreed to contribute $25,000 to the DVIP’s capital campaign for a new facility. An agreement between the City and DVIP is included in the packet and recommended for approval. The leadership at DVIP is very grateful and excited about North Liberty’s commitment and noted that this is the first significant gift of their campaign. It should be noted that the City will have an opportunity for a naming sponsorship with this contribution.

National Opioid Settlement

The City has the opportunity to participate in several proposed nationwide settlement agreements with manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids, for their role in creating the opioid epidemic. Under these agreements, a sizable pool of money is made available to states and their political subdivisions over a period of time, with the caveat that those funds are to be applied toward specific uses relating to opioid remediation, such as treatment, recovery and prevention programs. The deadline to opt in is January 2, 2022. Staff recommends that Council approve a resolution opting in to the various settlements.