The Ames City Council has a special meeting this Monday. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm.  The agenda includes two items:

• Item 1 -- Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO). The city's electric utility participates in an electric power transmission group. This increases the reliability of the power and also reduces costs (power at times can be purchased for less than the city's cost of generation). This item evaluates the joining of the MISO transmission group. Council action is anticipated on this item.
  
• Item 2 -- Review of Interstate Power & Light (IPL) Franchise Fact Sheet.  IPL is giving a presentation to council to sell the benefits of giving eminent domain power to IPL and the benefits of a franchise agreement.

  At the June 9th council meeting the city staff asked for direction from city council regarding several issues being negotiated with Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) franchise agreement (see staff report). From those issues, I have received several questions regarding the city of Ames giving the IPL Company the ability to condemn property for IPL's use (the right of eminent domain) in the city of Ames (see June 23rd comments). The council passed a motion on the 9th indicating to staff that bestowing eminent domain power to IPL was acceptable. The motion passed  on 4 to 2 vote.

  I did not vote in favor of the motion to give IPL eminent domain. I feel that the taking of someone's property against their will is an extreme measure. The tool of eminent domain should not be used by an entity that is not directly accountable to the citizens of Ames. The Council is accountable to the people through the voting booth (and your emails and phone calls).

  There is no expected action for the approval of the franchise ordinance Monday. A vote will likely happen at a later meeting.

This council meeting's agenda is relatively light this Tuesday. The Meeting starts at 7:00 pm.  The agenda includes:

• Item 40 -- Gas Franchise Ordinance with IPL (eminent domain).  At the June 9th council meeting the city staff asked for direction from city council regarding several issues being negotiated with Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) franchise agreement (see staff report) . Of those issues, I have received several questions regarding the city of Ames giving the IPL Company the ability to condemn property for IPL's use (the right of eminent domain) in the city of Ames. The council passed a motion on the 9th indicating to staff that bestowing eminent domain power to IPL was acceptable. The motion passed  on 4 to 2 vote.
  
  I did not vote in favor of the motion to give IPL eminent domain. I feel that the taking of someone's property against their will is an extreme measure. The tool of eminent domain should not be used by an entity that is not directly accountable to the citizens of Ames. The Council is accountable to the people through the voting booth (and your emails and phone calls). Corporations are not. The ordinance to be voted on first reading this Tuesday does bestow eminent domain power to IPL.
  
  I have been asked the following questions by constituents:
  

  
  Q - Can the agreement be put to a vote of the citizens of Ames.
  A - Yes. The council can have the franchise agreement voted on by the citizens of Ames. If the council does not move to a referendum, the citizens may initiate a referendum by a petition of signatures totaling 10% of the last municipal election turnout (about 500 signatures, check with county auditor for exact number).
  
  Q - Who pays for the election.
  A - By Iowa code, IPL would pay for the election.
  
  Q - When can signatures start to be collected.
  A - Signatures can start being collected now.
  
  Q - When are the petitions due?
  A - It is a bit unclear exactly when they are due. The best information I have at this point is that it would be best to have them turned in by the final reading of the franchise ordinance (the third reading). Barring the council suspending the rules, the likely  earliest third reading date would be July 28th.
  
  The section 364.2 of Iowa code deals with city franchises. Please refer to the Iowa code for authoritative answers to your questions.
  

• Item 44 -- Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Application. The report reflects the prioirties set by council for the spending of the $544,000 of federal stimulus money.
  

At the end of last nights council meeting a noteworthy action was taken in relation to the direction of growth in Ames.

In the matter of Story County Land LC v. City of Ames, I moved and voted for a motion to direct city staff to engage in negotiations that may lead to a settlement.

For as long as I have been following Ames local government, which is about 20 years, developers have expressed interest in northerly growth and growth adjacent to Ada Hayden. For that time period the city has also maintained a policy of targeted growth to the south/southwest and west/northwest. This policy was based on sound economic reasoning that, by targeting growth in particular areas, the city's infrastructure investments would be most efficiently used, thus saving the city and tax payers' money. The main infrastructure components are roads, sewer, and public safety costs.

State law gives cities significant control over the subdivision of land within two miles of the city limits. For example, the city could prevent the division of an 80 acre parcel into 40 lots, two acres in size, within two miles of the city limits. This law is the main tool the city has used to manage development within two miles of the city.

Free Summer CyRide is here! Please take advantage.

This council meeting's agenda is relatively light this Tuesday. The Meeting starts at 7:00 pm.  The agenda includes:

• Item 34 --  Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. Ames has $544,000 of federal stimulus money to spend for Energy Efficiency and Conservation. Several of you have emailed me suggestions for these funds (thank you). The council will now work to narrow the possibilities down to one or two programs.
  
• Item 38 -- Gas Franchise Ordinance. Twenty-five years ago the voters of Ames approved a franchise agreement with Interstate Power and Light (then Iowa Electric Light and Power) to operate a natural gas utility within the City of Ames. That agreement is up for renewal. The City staff has been in negotiations with IPL for the last 3 months. City staff is asking Council for direction on some sticking points in the negotiations. Note the state legislature now allows for franchise fees and now does not require a referendum for approval (one may be initiated by petition).
  

I just returned from a week at Destination ImagiNation Global Finals in Knoxville TN. The Meeker Elementary DI team competed at the finals competition last week, placing 21st out of 49. The team did well and a good time was had by all. I went along as a team manager.

Free Summer CyRide is here! Please take advantage.

The council meeting this Tuesday starts at 7:00 pm.  The agenda includes:

• Item 20 -- 13th Street & Grand Avenue Property Acquisition. At the council retreat (May 16th) councilman Mahayni moved to reconsider a motion regarding 13th and Grand (to purchase the northeast corner lot).  I did not support the purchase of this lot because we do not currently have need of it. The city has no plans to use the lot. The city is currently moving ahead with the improved computerized signaling at the location (see Oct 14th 2008 comments). I have an additional concern that the proposed funding for the purchase of the lot is from Community Development Block Grand (CDBG) funds. The intent of the CDBG funds is to benefit the low and moderate income. If the intent is to purchase this property for future road improvements then the funds should come from designated road funds or the general fund.
  
• Item 22 -- Resolution approving/motion denying engineering services related to bridge repairs at Squaw Creek Shared-Use Path (photos). The bridge for the shared use path on Squaw Creek has been closed as of Feb 12th, 2009 because of ice damage. The bridge is in the current Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) to be replaced 2011/12 when Grand Ave is extended. The federal funding for this project has not been secured at this time. The current estimate to repair is $60,000. To get a firmer estimate, $10,000 of engineering time will need to be expended. This bridge is part of the city's transportation system and needs to be repaired.
  
• Item 24 -- Grand Aspen Subdivision, 3rd Addition (A and B-C). Due to changes in the timing of development the developers agreement for this location needs to be modified. My leanings on this item will be effected by the timing of the completion of the missing 4 lane section on Southwest 16th St and the completion of the missing bike path segment.
  

Please consider attending the "Renewable Energy in Neighborhoods Open House" in City Hall Council Chambers at 6:00 pm Monday, May 18th, 2009. The current zoning code does not allow energy generation in residential areas. This open house presents possible zoning code changes to allow home energy production from solar and/or wind. Hopefully the council will be able to resolve this soon. There are several Ames residences that would like to install solar.

Free Summer CyRide is almost here!

The council meeting this Tuesday starts at 7:00 pm.  The agenda includes:

 
The council meeting this Tuesday starts at 7:00 pm.  The agenda includes:

• Item 22 -- Presentation of Industrial Park concept .  The proposed Ames City industrial park is east of the regional commercial area on 13th street. Staff is presenting 4 options:
  • The City pays for the cost of the infrastructure, while a developer purchases the land and sells it to a company at some pre-determined price.
  • The City pays for the cost of the infrastructure, while a group of interested developers purchase the necessary land and sell it to a company based on a determined price.
  • The City pays for the cost of infrastructure, while the company pays for the cost of the land directly to the existing property owners.
  • The City pays for the purchase of necessary land and for the infrastructure cost associated with the development of the park.

  There is a proposed 3 phase build out for a total of 355 acres. The total project cost estimat is 14 million dollars. Please review the report and let me know what you think. Should the city go forward? How much should the city pay for? Should the city pay for Infrastructure (water, sewer, etc)? Should the city pay for Infrastructure and land?

• Item 27 -- Alternative Energy (27a, 27b).  The group of small utilities (IAMWind) is having a hard time finding financing for the wind energy project in this economic environment. The city of Ames is a member of this group. The city staff is asking the council to distribute RFP (request for proposal) for renewable energy to other groups.
• Item 29 --  Review of Urban Revitalization commercial criteria. A property tax abatement criteria for commercial areas was established in 1999.  This particular abatement program has never been used. The city staff is recommending an updating of the criteria. Should the city have tax abatement programs for commercial development?

Sorry this is a little late. It took a little bit to recover from Easter weekend. The council meeting this Tuesday starts at 7:00 pm.  The agenda includes:
Regular Meeting of Ames City Council

• Item 28 -- Resolution approving 2009 Neighborhood Sculpture acquisitions. The designation of location for public art. This year there will be sculptures added to South Campus Area Neighborhood, The Old Town Neighborhood, and the Sommerset Neighborhood.
• Item 32 -- Property Maintenance Code. Item 32a covers how the city might help people who may not be able to afford to maintain their property. Item 32b is a city staff report suggesting six options in regards to a residential property maintenance code. I am leaning in favor of option VI. Option VI  is "Revise the Rental Housing Code to incorporate the recommendations of the Rental Housing Advisory Committee related to interior issues, and establish a citizen committee to work with city staff to recommend minimum exterior property maintenance standards for both owner-occupied and rental residential units."
• Item 33 -- Update on Power Plant coal supply options. This reports outlines the coal delivery options/costs the city of Ames electric utility. These options include a delivery location near Nevada. Speculation is that several other entities are also interested in having coal delivered from the Nevada location (like the ethanol plant).
• Item 37 -- Resolution providing for issuance of $6,995,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds. Last meeting the council "refinanced" several of our outstanding bonds. This resulted in a cost savings of over $400,000 for the city.
• Item 42 -- First passage of ordinance increasing electric utility rate by 5% and increasing power factor adjustment from 85% to 90% effective July 1, 2009.  The utility needs to update equipment to meet added demand and environmental requirements. This action also includes a rate change for power factor adjustment. This will mainly effect the city's industrial customers. Poor power factors for the utility's larger customers lead to added capacity requirements for the entire system. This action should reduce the need for additional generating capacity. 

The council meeting this Tuesday starts at 7:00 pm.  The agenda includes:

Regular Meeting of Ames City Council

• Item 9 -- Resolution approving Agreement with Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) for Stimulus Program project: Skunk River Trail - South River Valley Park to Carr Pool.   Some of the stimulus money being used on the city's shovel ready Skunk River Trail project.
• Item 29 -- Hearing on General Obligation Refunding Loan Agreement. If there is a silver lining to the current economic problems it is low interest rates. The city is taking advantage of the low interest rate to refinance some of its debt - saving the city (tax payers) money. 
• Item 30 -- Iowa Main Street application. The Main Street Cultural District (MSCD) is applying for the Iowa Main Street program. This program would allow the MSCD and the city to receive on-site training and technical assistance from the state by outside experts. The Iowa Main Street program has been very successful in other communities and certainly is desirable to have here.
• Item 31 -- Downtown Facade Grant for 101 Main Street. The city has a grant program for frontage improvements in the downtown area. This application is for a high profile entrance to downtown (Duff Ave and Main Street). The image below is the current location.
  

  This is a computer rendering of proposed facade improvement. This is a worthwhile improvement to a downtown entrance.
  

• Item 35 -- Presentation of options for implementing 2009/2010 water rate increase (summary).  Due to growth in water consumption, Ames' current water treatment plant will need to be updated and expanded. This staff report recommends a $0.0018 increase per cubic foot (see full report) as one in a series of increases to address the expense of the update and expansion.

There is no council meeting this week. Instead I encourage you to check out the proposed Ames Public Library expansion. The Ames Public Library web page has links for information and places for you to give feedback.

There is also a series of meetings scheduled for public information and input on the expansion project.

Tuesday, March 17:

• 7:00pm at Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue
  Farwell T. Brown Auditorium

Wednesday, March 18:

• 10:00am at Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue
  Farwell T. Brown Auditorium
• 2:00pm at Northcrest Community, 1801 20th Street
  Green Room
• 7:00pm at Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue
  Community Room

You can view the presentation that council received last Tuesday and you can see the bottom line costs for all the presented options. I expect this to be a long process with many more public meetings and opportunities for input. However I would be glad to hear from you on what you think (simply reply to this email). What do you think of the building size, location, and cost? Would you support a bond issue for a expanded or new library?

Jim Popken
City Council At Large