HomeMy WebLinkAbout1982-12-13 Info Packet�l
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City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date: December 10, 1982
To: City Council
From: City Manager
Re: Wastewater Treatment Plant
Chuck Schmadeke and Jim Kimm have been developing a list of various
alternatives for the new wastewater treatment plant. This past week we
had a discussion concerning more than 12 alternatives. Since that time
Mr. Kimm has met with DEQ to review changes in standards which might
affect Iowa City. The staff and Mr. Kimm will meet with some members of
the special study committee next week to ensure that all possible alterna-
tives are being considered. In the interim, the City is working to
develop an arrangement with Professor Dague for doing research at the
existing plant which will determine whether or not certain innovative
processes might enable the City to meet the necessary standards using the
trickling filter process.
It appears that there are a number of viable alternatives currently being
considered and that Mr. Kimm will be prepared in January to .assess the
viability of these alternatives and the cost considerations.
bj5/9' ^
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CEDAR RAP
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City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date: December 10, 1982
To: City Council
From: City Manager
Re: Water Service, Fire
Questions were raised about water pressure and fire hydrants at the fire
on December 4, 1982. The City Manager has reviewed these matters with the
Director of Public Works and the Superintendent of the Water Division. It
is clear that the water pressure was. maintained at a more than adequate
level throughout the night and that there were more than enough hydrants
on 10 and 12 -inch lines available for use. At approximately midnight on
December 3, a break in a 12 -inch water main occurred simultaneously with
the fire an Dubuque Street. Both the recording graphs at the Water
Division and the computer printouts indicate that the Water Division was
able to maintain water pressure above 100 pounds within the system
throughout the entire night. In fact the demand from the water main break
was several times in excess of the amount of water being used at the fire.
One of the hydrants used for the fire is located on Iowa Avenue. It is a
four -inch line interconnected to two ten -inch lines. However, the
hydrants on the surrounding streets are connected to 10 and 12 -inch lines.
Because of the single difficult entrance to the private alley in the block
bounded by Iowa, Dubuque, Washington and Clinton, I believe it is
desirable that there be an upgrading of the water line on Iowa Avenue.
Therefore, next spring a new eight or ten -inch line will be installed on
Iowa Avenue extending from Clinton Street to Dubuque Street and
interconnected with two ten -inch lines. Two new hydrants will be placed
along Iowa Avenue in that block. In addition, the larger line will be
extended east on Iowa Avenue to provide an additional hydrant in the block
between Dubuque Street and Linn Street.
There is currently a hydrant at the corner of Washington and Dubuque
Street which is out of order. That hydrant will be repaired in the next
two weeks. However, there is another operating hydrant immediately
adjacent, diagonally across the street, connected to a 12 inch line. The
Fire Department elected to use a third hydrant which is located
approximately 130 feet south.
If you have any questions concerning these matters, please contact me.
bdw/sp
,41ceonuam BY
JORM MICR46LAB
CEDAR RAPIDS DES '401,its
3003
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City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date: December 10, 1982
To: City Council�5'/
From: City Manager
Re: Water Division Pipe Yard on Gilbert Street
In recent weeks the City has received inquiries from two adjacent property
owners (Clark and Maher) relating to the possible purchase of the Water
Division pipe yard on the east side of South Gilbert Street approximately
one-half block south of Burlington Street. As a result of these inquiries
an appraisal has been obtained. The value, including the adjacent alley,
is $164,000.
It is recommended that the City advertise the property for public sale at
the earliest opportunity to the highest bidder for residential use with
CBS rezoning. The Planning and Zoning Commission will consider the
rezoning request in conjunction with a similar request for adjacent
property on December 13. Appropriate documentation will be prepared for
City Council consideration at an early date. The schedule will provide
for receiving bids approximately March 1, 1983.
It is planned that the proceeds from the sale of this property will be
utilized to purchase the existing -transit garage. As that property
originally was purchased with UMTA assistance, the proceeds from the sale
must be included in the new transit garage project. The Water Division
operations will be moved to that location. In addition, some space in
that building will be used for indoor equipment storage by the Highway
Department. Because the new transit garage will be finished after sale of
the Gilbert Street property, the Water Division materials and trucks will
have to be temporarily relocated. The staff presently is investigating
temporary alternatives.
In the UMTA project we have included $100,000 from the proceeds of the
existing transit garage. This is a very nominal sum. The balance of the
proceeds from the sale of the Gilbert Street property should be utilized
for other capital purposes by the Water Division.
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CEDAR RAPIDS • DES MOVIES
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CITY OF IOWA. CITY'
CIVIC CENTER 410 E. WASHINGTON ST. IOWA CITY IOWA 52240 (319) 354.180D
December 10, 1982
TO: City Council
Johnson County Board of Supervisors
FROM: Neal G. Berlin, City Manager
RE: Joint Meeting
A joint meeting of the Iowa City City Council and the Johnson County
Board of Supervisors will be held Tuesday, December 14, 1982, at
3:00 P.M., in the Iowa City Recreation Center, Room B. Clayton
Ringgenberg of the Institute of Public Affairs will meet with the
group to discuss the following items:
1. Purpose of meeting.
2. Common concerns on which we are currently working together.
3. Other common concerns likely in the foreseeable future.
4. Ways in which we can deal with our common concerns -
techniques for identifying and communicating issues, for
problem solving, for reaching common agreement, and for
taking actions.
5. Specific issues to begin the process of dealing with at
this meeting.
The group will adjourn to dinner at Bushnell's Turtle at 6:00 P.M.
cc: Clayton Ringgenberg
Tim Shields
City Clerk
Assistant City Manager
City Attorney
County Attorney
Administrative Assistant, J.C. Board of Supervisors
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CEDAR RAPIDS • DES MOVIES
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CITY OF IOWA CITY
CIVIC CENTER 410 E. WASHNGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319) 356-50OC)
December 8,'1982
Mr. Lew Converse, President
Sycamore Mall Merchants Association
Sycamore Mall
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Dear Mr. Converse:
This is in response to your letter of November 29, 1982,.expressing
concern about paid City advertising for the parking system in the
central business district. At your request, I have reviewed this
matter. In the future the City will not place paid advertising in
the Press -Citizen or other publications. The only exception will be
information about changes in parking facilities; i.e. hours, rates,
location, etc.
If you have other concerns relating to this matter, please contact
me.
Sincerely urs,
Neal G. Berlin '
City Manager
cc: City Council
J. C. Hickman
Rosemary Vitosh
Joe Fowler
Downtown Association
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November 29, 1982
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To Mayor Mary Neuhauser, Members of -the Council and.
City Manager Neil Berlin,
On behalf of the 50 members of The Sycamore Mall
Merchants Association we would like to express our
disappointment in the City's pointed support of
one area of the retail community -- the Downtown
Association and Old Capitol Association newspaper
tab of November 25, 1982- It seems a bit too much
for the City to pay for a.full page ad that suggests
-� the only shopping in Iowa City is downtown.
We understand the City's need to tell the public
about the parking ramps downtown but not to say that
shopping is limited to just one area of town. Other
A retailers are contributing to the economy of Iowa City
'=• and many of these pay for their own snow removal and
maintenance of their parking lots.
We think::it would be in the best interest of the
retail community of Iowa City for the City Council
to promote shopping in every area --not just downtown.
The Retail Committee of the Iowa City Chamber of
Commerce has spent $6,000 this past year to promote
Iowa City as a regional shopping center We hope
'the Council could be more de cr is its efforts.
ew Conv fie, P esidenf
�. camore Mall Merchants Association
owa City, Iowa
/ SUITE A MALL SHOPPING CENTER IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240
300
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EEOr.R RAI'105 DES t401'VCS
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CITY OF IOWA CITY
CIVIC CENTER 410 E. WASHNGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319) 356-5000
December 8, 1982
Honorable Mayor
and Members of Council
Civic Center
410 E. Washington
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Dear Mayor Neuhauser and Members of the Council:
Re: College Hill/South Dodge Street Moratorium
Area
The purpose of this opinion is to furnish the Council with a legal
analysis of the College Hill/South Dodge neighborhood downzoning. This
action will be accomplished by an amendment to the existing Iowa City
Zoning Ordinance which specifically rezones these neighborhoods according
to a legal description which prescribes the boundaries. In addition, an
amendment will be enacted establishing a new zoning classification to be
known as the Residential Neighborhood Conservation Zone (RNC -20) and this
classification will be applied to a large part of the area.
The amendment rezoning these areas is expected to receive your vote
for final passage on December 13, 1982, and the RNC -20 classification will
be enacted on the same date. The Council is aware that an extraordinary
majority will be required for passage of the amendment to the Zoning Code.
The entire moratorium area has been remapped in such a manner as to
provide a mix of four zoning classifications: R2, R3, RNC -20, and R3A.
There are 310 properties in the area and all but 18 will be downzoned from
the present R3A classification.
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Mayor and Council
December 8, 1982
Page 2
Downzoning has been defined as a change from a less restrictive
classification to a more restrictive classification. Thus, a change
from R3A to an RNC -20 classification means that future construction of
multi -family developments will require 1800 square feet minimum lot area
per unit whereas R3A only requires a 1000 square foot minimum. Similarly,
those areas that are being rezoned from R3A to R2 will, in most cases, re-
strict construction to two-family dwellings in the future assuming minimum
lot areas are present.
LEGAL ASPECTS OF DOWNZONING
A city's exercise of its zoning power has a strong presumption of
validity as a proper exercise of the police power. This means that the
burden is on the one who attacks the downzoning to prove that the zoning
measure is unreasonable, arbitrary, capricious or discriminatory. If the
measure is valid on its face and its reasonableness is fairly debatable,
it must be allowed to stand. Anderson v. City of Cedar Rapids, 168 NW 2d
739,742.
Of course, the power to rezone is not unlimited. It must be reasonably
exercised in furtherance of the public safety, health, morals and welfare.
Granger v. Board of Adjustment, 241 Iowa 1356, 44 NW 2d 399. Unfortunately,
no precise test exists for determining exactly whether particular zoning
restrictions pass muster. Each case must be judged on "whether the means
employed in the attempted exercise of the police power have any real, sub-
stantial relation to the public health, comfort, safety, and welfare, in-
cluding the maintenance of property values." Plaza Recreational Center v.
Sioux City, 111 NW 2d 758, 763.
Zoning is not static and cities may rezone territory, subject , however,
to the same limitations which attend original zoning. As the Iowa Supreme
Court stated in Keller v. Council Bluffs, 246 Iowa 202, 207-208, 66 M4 2d 113,
116, "The governing body.of a municipality may amend its ordinances any time
it deems circumstances and conditions warrant such action, and such an amend-
ment is valid if the procedural requirements of the statutes are followed and
it is not unreasonable or capricious nor inconsistent with the spirit and de-
sign of the zoning statute."
The Iowa Supreme Court has recognized that the exercise of police power
such as zoning or rezoning may amount to a "taking" if it deprives the owner
of the substantial use and enjoyment of his property. Phelps v. Board of
Supervisors, 211 MV 2d 274,276 (Iowa 1973). This doctrine has been extended
to refusal to rezone cases. Peterson v. City of.Decorah, 259 NW 2d 553 (1977).
nlCRon LMED BY
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CEDAR RAPIDS • DES MOINES
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Mayor and Council
December 8, 1982
Page 3
Whether or not the exercise of zoning authority is so oppressive that it
constitutes a taking depends on the circumstances of each case. Woodbury
County Soil Conservation District V.
Ortner, 279 NW 2d 276, 278 (Iowa 1979).
Few areas of the law have seemed to be so intractable to legal analysis
as this vexing question of when does regulation of private property by
downzoning cross the boundary of police power and become, in effect, a
taking within the Fifth Amendment for which compensation in the form of
damages is required.
Property owners who attack zoning changes will probably do so by
relying on the due process and takings clauses of the United States and
Iowa Constitutions. See U.S. Const. Amends. V XIV; Iowa Const. art. I,
Secs. 9, 18. SeeWoodbury County Soil Conservation District v. Ortner, supra.
In that case the Iowa Supreme Court outlined certain principles of constitu-
tional adjudication that will be followed in these cases. Essentially,
these are that legislative enactments such as zoning measures will be ac-
corded every presumption of validity and will be found to be unconstitutional
only upon a showing that such measures clearly infringe on constitutional
rights and ally if every reasonable basis for support is negated. A second
principle is that when a taking occurs, compensation must be given in the
form of damages; when police power is exercised to control and regulate
property for the public good, no compensation need be paid. The point at
which police power regulation becomes so oppressive it amounts to a taking
depends on the circumstances of each case. The test is whether the collective
benefits to the public outweigh the specific restraints on the individual.
Factors of importance include the economic impact of the regulation on the
individual and particularly, the extent to which the regulation has inter-
fered with distinct investment backed expectations.
The Iowa zoning cases in which it was claimed that the zoning amounted
to a taking have dealt witb cases in which property owners had made certain
expenditures in connection with the use of the land before imposition of
the znning regulation. In those cases the Iowa Supreme Court has recognized
that a vested property right had been created which cannot be arbitrarily
interfered with or taking without just compensation. See Incorporated Town
of Carter Lake, 241 NW 2d at 902, Board of Supervisors
V.
TePaska. 250 Iowa
1293, 98 NW 2d 827, 829-31; Stoner McCray System v. City of Des Moines, 247
Iowa 1313, 1320-21 78 NW 2d 843, 849-50; Keller v. City of Council Bluffs,
246 Iowa at 212-13, 66 NW 2d at 119. In each of these cases the 'vested right"
was an "investment backed expectation" which would be totally destroyed by
the zoning measure. The theory of vested rights relates only to such rights
as an owner of property may possess not to have his property rezoned after
he has a building permit and has started his construction or improvement.
The rationale of such cases is that he has incurred obligation or liabilities
for the work which he could not escape, and of these costs he would be deprived.
111CROPILMCD 6Y
JORM MICROLAB
CEDAR RAPIDS • OB1401905
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Mayor and Council
December 8, 1982
Page 4
by such a rezoning. See Keller v. City of Council Bluffs, supra.
Thus, those owners in the area who may have purchased property with
the expectation of later development for multi -family housing or who have
owned their respective properties for a period of years with the later
expectation of selling to a developer or converting it themselves to multi-
family housing do not have any vested rights in the property or in present
zoning classification of the property. The mere fact that a particular
property is suitable for multi -family development under the present R3A
classification and is downzoned to R2 or R3 does not give rise to a vested
rights claim.
Another method of attack is to show that downzoning causes a reduction
in the value of the property because it is no longer available for multi-
family development, and, that such a reduction in value is a taking. Even
when proved, a reduction in value of property is not necessarily a taking.
See Penns lvania Coal Co. v. Mahon, 260 U.S. 393, 413, 43 S.Ct. 158, 159
(1922 ("Government could Ifardly go on if to some extent values incident
to property could not be diminished without paying for everysuch change
in the general law.").
The United States Supreme Court has upheld exercises of police power
(zoning) which allegedly resulted in substantially reduced property values.
See Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365, 47 S.Ct. 114
(75%), H_H Teckv. Sebastain, 239 U.S., 394, 36 S.Ct. 143 (8n%). The
U.S. Supreme Court had a further opportunity to deal with the constitutional
issue in Consolidated Rock Products Co. V. Los Angeles, 57 Cal. 2d 515, 370
P. 2d 342'(a California case) in which an appeal from a decision upholding
a zoning ordinance which the California Supreme Court had agreed completely
destroyed the economic value of the property, the takings issue was squarely
presented, but the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the appeal for lack of sub-
stantial federal question. The relevant principles were recently reaffirmed
in 1979 by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Andrus V. Allard, 100 S.Ct.
318, 326-27, 62 L.Ed. 2d 210, 222-24. This case involved a takings challenge
to a Department of the Interior regulation which the Court found had the
effect of barring the sale of eagle parts which had been obtained prior to
the effective date of the authorizing statute. The Court reiterated the
principles which had been announced in prior cases pointing out: "Govern-
ment regulation --by definition --involves the adjustment of rights for the
public good. Often this adjustment curtails some potential economic use or
economic exploitation of private property. To require compensation in all
such circumstances would effectively compel the Government to regulate by
purchase. After noting that the regulations did not require the surrender
of the artifacts or involve a physical invasion or restraint upon them, and
despite which the Court called a "undeniable" fact that the regulations pre-
vented the owners from making the most profitable use of their property, the
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IdICROCILIdCD AY
JORM MIC ROLAB ;
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Mayor and Council
December 8, 1982
Page 5
Court held that the prohibition against sale did not create a taking.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CONSISTENCY
As you know, zoning regulations must be made in accordance with the
comprehensive plan. Section 414.3, Code of Iowa. Courts look to the
existence of a comprehensive plan as competent evidence of the reasonable-
ness of land use regulations. The present comprehensive plan designates
the area as generally residential in 8-16 and 16-24 dwelling units per acre
categories. The updated plan will be amended consistent with RNC -20
density requirements. However, the downzoning appears to be broadly con-
sistent with the present plan's stated Land Use Policies, e.g. to re-evaluate
zoning districts in neighborhoods where identified conflicts exist. The
impetus for those landowners who have sought these changes in all of the
public hearings before the Planning g Zoning Commission and the Council has
been to stop further neighborhood erosion through apartment building develop-
ment. Equally strong has been a concern expressed for neighborhood pre-
servation which is also one of the state goals in -the present plan. The
design of the RNC -20 zoning classification is, in my view, entirely consistent
with these plan policies.
ANALYSIS
Based upon the foregoing legal principles, I submit the following
analysis:
RNC -20 --these properties are mostly located in the area
roughly bounded by Johnson Street on the west, Jefferson
Street on the north, Summit Strect on the east, and Bur-
lington Street on the south. These are existing inner-city
neighborhoods that will be stabilized by this zoning which
provides for medium density, multi -family development yet
allows the continuance of existing high-density developments
already in place. The Planning 6 Zoning Commission is of
the opinion that this classification is designed and intended
to prevent an increase in high-density, multi -family residences
in the bulk of the area, will direct high-density growth to
limited areas contiguous to existing high-density uses, will
minimize the creation of non -conforming uses, and will generally
stabilize the College Hill/South Dodge Street neighborhood.
It is my opinion that this zoning change does not amount to a
taking to the extent that it takes away the only reasonable
use of the affected properties. The objectives of the rezoning
are consistent with the present comprehensive plan. The
stabilization of the area to restrict multi -family development,
but yet permit medium density, multi -family development would
appear to be a reasonable and proper exercise of the zoning
power.
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141CROE ILI4ED BY
JORM MICROLAB
CEDAR RAPIDS • DES M01NES
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Mayor and Council
December 8, 1982
Page 6
R3 --mainly both sides of South Dodge Street, the block
east of College Hill Park on North Dodge, and parts of
blocks on College Street between Johnson and Lucas Streets.
This downzoning is substantial. The present R3A classifi-
cation only requires 1000 square feet minimum lot area
per living unit, whereas R3 requires 3000 feet. It thus
appears that future multi -family development on South Dodge
and other areas will be very restricted.
The R3 downzoning is, in the main, consistent with the
single family density existing on a large part of South
Dodge Street except for six lots which contain multi -family
apartment structures. The rezoning as it applies to South
Dodge Street does not appear to amount to a taking to the
extent that the only reasonable use of these properties
would be destroyed. Investment potential and return will
be severely curtailed, however, the objectives of relieving
density and related parking problems will be acheived. These
are substantial public benefits. which should tend to outweigh
any hardship to the owner affected by this downzoning in this
area.
The half block to the south of College Hill Park between
Dodge and Jefferson Streets is also designated for R3 classi-
fication. This is an existing impacted density area consisting
of rooming houses, apartments, and duplexes. The current
density is equivalent to the density permitted in the RNC -20
classification. I believe that the intent expressed in both
Planning E Zoning and Council discussions on this particular
half was to set this area apart as having a number of older
structures which give the appearance of a more open, less
dense neighborhood surrounding the College Hill Park. This
may be fairly debatable as a rationale for the rezoning, but
the.courts generally do not interfere if the measure is fairly
debatable as a reasonable exercise of zoning power.
3. R2 --six properties located on Burlington, College and Woodlawn
are slated for downzoning to R2 classification. Two properties
are located on 1400dlawn and are presently being used consistent
with R2 uses. The remainder of Woodlawn is presently zoned R2
and this would be consistent with the character of the neighbor-
hood to join these properties to the existing zoning. R2 is
the most restrictive of the present downzoning classifications
and does restrict future development to two-family dwellings
assuming minimum lot areas of 3000 square feet per unit can be
met.
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Mayor and Council
December 8, 1982
Page 7
The two properties located on College Street have duplexes
located on them which is consistent with R2 uses. This
confirms the already use and the areas directly to the east
are presently zoned R2.
The remaining two properties designated for the R2 classifi-
cation are located on Burlington Street east of Summit. The
corner lot is presently an older home with six living units
and will become non -conforming since there appear to be 17,000
square feet available and R2 will require 18,000 square feet
for six units. The next property to the east is currently
single family occupancy. The downzoning of these two properties
will also place them within the Summit Street neighborhood
R2 classification and is consistent.
Although the R2 rezoning is the most restrictive, it would
appear that the zoning is reasonable and will not amount to
a taking to the extent that the only reasonable uses of these
properties will be destroyed. The rezoning action appears to
be reasonable either as a recognition of presently existing
use or inclusion within a zoning district that is consistent
with the immediately surrounding zoning.
Rezoning and downzoning existing neighborhoods on the scale attempted
here may, indeed, give rise to litigation. However, as indicated in this
opinion, the City's exercise of its zoning power has a strong presumption of
validity, but it must meet: the test of reasonableness. The courts, in many
cases, have attempted to lay down a definitive rule for the determination of
what is, and what is not, reasonable. In addition, Section 414.3 of the
Iowa Code requires that "such regulation shall be made with reasonable con-
sideration, among other things, as to the character of the area of the district
and the peculiar suitability of such areas for particular purposes...". The
Iowa Supreme Court in F H Uelner Precision T f, D v. City of Dubuque, 190 NW
2d 465, held that rezoning was a proper use of zoning to stabilize residential
neighborhoods and toprevent commercial and industrial inroads. Perhaps the
best definition of reasonableness that I have been able to find is in the'
Illinois case of People ex. rel. Larsen and Co. V. City of Chicago , 197 NE
2d 676, in which the Illinois Supreme Court state
"In considering the validity of a given zoning ordinance, each
case must be decided on its own particular facts, with due
regard to the character of the neighborhood, the classifica=
tion and use of nearby properties, the extent to which property
values are diminished by the particular restriction, the suit-
ability of the subject property for the zoned purposes, and the
gain to the public as compared to the hardship on the property
owner."
MICAKILMED
BY
JORM MICR6LAB
CEDAR RAPIDS • DCS VINES
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Mayor and Council
December 8, 1982
Page 8
There has been considerable input from the property owners in the affected
areas before both the Planning F, Zoning Commission and the City Council
at public hearings and informal sessions. The Planning E Zoning Commission
gave the proposed rezoning very detailed and careful study, after receiving
public input, and have recommended a workable ordinance to the Council. .
The Council has modified the Planning Ir Zoning recommendation in some re-
spects, but again this process was arrived at after several deliberations
by the Council. As far as due process requirements for opportunity to object
or to make known one's views, I believe these have been amply satisfied.
Lengthy staff studies were prepared and presented to both the Planning F,
Zoning Commission and the Council and both bodies appear to have formulated
the proposed zoning changes giving reasonable consideration to the character
of the neighborhoods and their peculiar suitability for particular residential
uses and consistency with the comprehensive plan.
Very truly yours,
Robert W. Jansen
City Attorney
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City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
DATE: December 8, 1982
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Robert W. Jansen, City Attorney U
RE: Vevera v. City
Attached is a copy of the Petition for Declaratory Judgment filed by
Bob Vevera seeking a court declaration as to his status and rights
in order to return to duty with the Iowa City Police Department.
The City Manager and I have requested an executive session in order
to discuss this litigation with you this coming Monday, December 13th.
Attachment
cc: Neal Berlin
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CEDAR RAPIDS DES MOINES
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FaL^F7C• A. lonm,
Plaintiff ) FxVIIY :A. ri7n
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P1nI ai FOR DECIARATatc
CS':r LI I= =1 IMA, ) 7UDQR270 g::z
Defendant )
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Plaintiff states:
1. Plaintiff in a resident of Icwa City, Johnson Catmty, Iowa, and
a fonasr cavher of the Police Darartrent of the Defendant. The Plaintiff
is 49 ,.ears of aqe, having been born on, the 23rd day of My, 1933.
2. Defedant is a mmicipal corporation orTmired and existing m da
the Imm of the State of Io n.
3. Pddls Plaintiff wM a nms, he: of the Ione City Police Dejer•tmont,
he w involved in an altercation with the then Police supervisor, David
Epstein, as a m6 ult of Sfiidu the Defendant instituted dimdrliirry poo-
cmdbxs which culminated in an order filed with the Defendant's Clark on
Ju1v 21, 1975, a cow of which is attached as E&ibit "A" and by this
refstence made a part hereof. Neither Party (Plaintiff or Defedmt)
araroaled from the Order referred to in said Fxhibit "A".
4. Plaintiff has approximately 14 years of service with the lam City
Folies Dapartmm and it is necessary for him to have 15 years of service
in order to be eligible for benafits ,miler the retirement rcogram of ttt.
Defendant.
S. Plaintiff has made coral appllmtion to ret= to the Iona City
Folice Deratt ant and serve as an officer thereon in order to COMrtrlete the
remUred service but is also willing and.fully intends to =tilme service
as a colice officer for the Defendant for at least a r.- ied of eight (8)
years.
• 300
i NIEkOf ILNED Dl'
JORM MICROLAC
LCEDAR kN'IDS •DES PIDCvES
LL
r
C
,- .
- 2 -
6. rAmtiOM have &-risen fnan the Defendant crncerninne P1ain1_"s
F=Posal and arrl.imtion to retum to service in the Iowa Cir,', Pol_.m
Celarwmt, includim•
&. Plaintiff's rirtht to return to sax *m.
b.If Plaintiff ret>L-nv to service, will he receive credit for 14 years
Of vreviaa service On his retire'rst and be eligible for retircme&. Sm!_Sts
as if said service had been cmtimnans.
c. whet wtacity (Patzobwn, sergeant, etc.) should Plaintffr are
vn return to serrice. -- ,
d. Idiot zestz ctinua, if any,ht
ceY be i'RAsei u[an Plaintiff's right
UO rem= to aervim.
a. flu tha Defendant waived the right to curtest the Crder mm forty
in Fldnibit -Aa by failing to aMw awxufrm as Mwided by lar.
7. Defudwm has indicatd to Plaintiff that it is ,,,c@rta�„ of the
rights m thian Plaintiff my be entitled omwetniM his I cpm d
to earvite and this tatter is now at isaua and reedy for detaminaticn.
By mum df the foreping, Plaintiff asks that tin Court mt.0 a
Deelaramry judgment setting faith the statins and rights of the Parties,
d'� that Plaintiff is entity to return to
service with the itwa
Citi' Police Dmpar� wt n meting the nomMary Physical and menial M_
wiseaants, and receive credit for his Mevians service fOr mtirwmm
and dfsability P=Posee, and that the Hort enter sudn further @dere m
grant Plaintiff suPPrlaalental relief incident to the dwl=atmy ju kj m.
Iowa City, 1A w52240
-alerficm l 319/338-9222
AMNEYg FOR PIAII71'tIF
I-0ICROFILMED BY
JORM MICR6LAB
CEDAR RAPIDS DES MOINES
-3-
SZ%= OP IOIr'A )
S8.
0== CF .=-";CN I
I, Fdnxt A. Vevera, beim first duly SO= u�m rte oath depose and
state that I have read the fozmoi}rl "etiticn for Declaratory JLd¢rent
and the facts stated dveram are true.
/•e
trf!
Subscribed and z+orn to before re W the said Robert A. Vevera this fL
day of Havenber, 1982. r
e or t a bw=
Iova /
I
MICROFILMED BY
� JORM MICR6L AB ?
CEDAR RAPIDS • DES MOINES '
I �
I
r
LL
-.0
Re
.,,,.E CMD SCkVICC COyAIS5IO.1, IN ,No 5'Ok Tl!L' CITY OP IC':A CITY, LONA
I11 -aE NATTER OF
PDOERT A. VEVEM,
Appellant, '
-5
,
(
ONOE1��� 1
l
CI^.Y Or IONA CITY, IOWA,
cY 'r
a municipal =rporationr NEIL G. )
Ri'
:(
SE:CIN, City fta=q,,, and 1
-o S
D'111£CT e. EVANS, Chief of Police,
�•
r_
necpondents. 1
o
tloarin9 on the appeal of Robert A. vovera was 11did bafors the Tow City
CLV Ll Service Curaission on Tuly 15, 1975. The Civil Service Caemriesien fi-nds
that the,CltY of Iwa City, Iwa, has proved the allegations of the SPecifiu-
tion of &an" by a preponderance of the evidence, and hereby affirms, but
modifies ohm decision of City esru9er 11041 C• Berlin to discharge Robert A.
Vev}ta from the Iow City Polito Department.
Whit eWCoerission cannot in any way condone Hobece A. Vayera'■ actions
of -Nay 19,, 1975, in view of his Years of "twice on the fwa City Polios Depart -
sent tm the eitisetu of foes city, we modify the decision by plaain9 hie an u
leave of absenm without pay unt'll his fifteen (15) yen= of ouNlne a= -
wagletedr 4t which. time he is dischsr9ed from the Iowa City Pollee Department.
It is the uAanimous recommendation of the Civil Service Cogmlssiae that Who
granted his earned -pension benefits. J:
All -Cosmalssionars concur.
;I Lr/ '; v�' 1. ••
CIVIL SERVICE COMISSION Of
x•1.1 •• IV y wY� ,G ID•AA CrTY. IOWA ,r
Chai son
I„
1
11ICRDEILMED BY
JORM MICR6LAB
CEDAR RAPIDS • DES MOINES.
i
Hark J. lhomp_on. rpJtr
1 Am Hubbard '
MI
WLlllnm G. Nueoar ,
{LI..I Ih
'f JUL211375
M3 SIE
r.1.1 cue
REM
J
r -
Police Department Monthly Report
November, 1982
Total citizen generated requests for police service in
November declined substantially from the number of requests
received in October. Some 2643 requests for service were
reported in November and 3173 requests in October. I have
absolutely no idea why the change occurred. Consequently, I
am attributing the decline to the following factors:
1. Weather;
2. A failing economy;
3. Republicans;
4. Democrats;
S. Independents;
6. A winning season for the Iowa Football team;
7. Carver Sports Arena wiring;
8. Thanksgiving vacation;
9. The resurgence of Christmas spirit;
10. Fill in your own reason below.
Increases in reported offenses were noted in the following
categories: burglary; operating a motor vehicle while intoxi-
cated; intoxication; juvenile; mental; attempts to locate;
sudden deaths and miscellaneous. All other categories of
offenses remained constant in number or declined moderately.
Arrests, citations and tickets also declined along with the
number of reported offenses. A total of one hundred sixty-
four arrests were effected; sixteen juvenile petitions
filed; three hundred twenty-nine traffic citations issued;
one hundred thirty automobiles towed and 1839 parking tickets
written. Fifty-eight cases were assigned to the Detective
Division for follow-up investigations.
Recertification training was completed for forty-two officers
on Thanksgiving weekend. The training was held at the Cedar
Rapids Police Academy.
Animal Control activities continued at a slightly slower
pace than in the same period in the previous year. However,
total receipts of the Division were almost equal to thoseof
November, 1981.
Statistical reports are appended.
3009
111CROE MED 01'
JORM MIC ROLA
I ( CEDAR RAPIDS DES MOINES
CITY
ITY OF IOWA � CIOWA CITY, IOWA 52-240
CIVIC CENTER 410 E. WASHNGTON ST. O
November 29, 1982 .
Mr.�0erald Yutkin, Regional Manager
American Television & Communications Corp.
1729 McFerson Avenue
Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501
Dear Mr. Yutkin:
This letter is to emphasize there has been a great deal of interest
expressed in Iowa City regarding the cable service Music TV (MTV)-
An illustration of this interest is a petition with over 1000
signatures that was pmeeting. Hakeye CableVision at the BTC's
September 21, 1982, public
The BTC hopes this letter, and the petition, will encourage ATC to
seriously consider offering MTV to Iowa City as a regular part of the
basic cable service.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We will be looking
forward to your response.
Sincerely,
(o '
W.O. "Bill" Terry`
BTC Chairperson
tp3/15
cc: Neal Berlin
Dale Melling
City Council
Bill Blough
3010
rucRorILMED BY i
CORM MICFOLAB
ceona Rnl-los • DCS MOIYES '
i
I
INA
1
I
`ITY
WA COF10 r5�
CITY T IOWA CITY. IO�`ra _2240 (31 >j'56
CMC CENTER 410 E. WASHNGTON S
November 29, 1982
Mr. Bill Thomison, Division Manager
American Televisiali & Communications Corp.
160 Inverness Drive West
Englewood, Colorado 80712
Dear Mr. Thomison: of the City of
I ns 30, 1982, inquiring whether
The Broadband Tyooucamletter datedCJulys30, (BTC)
Iowa City sent Y 1 a foreign language channel to Iowa City as
ATC was going to supply to be offered
ATC had originally Proposed and whether CNN y other ATC systems.
in Iowa City, a's it, or will be offered in many
You responded by sending a letter to us on August 14, 1982, stating
your complete response would be forthcoming within 30-45 days.
would
It is now November 29, 1982, al have no response. We Best
nd we stil
appreciate your response to. these inquiries at your earliest
possible convenience.
f
Sincerely,
/
W.O. "Bill" Term
BTC Chairperson vvvv
bdw3/3
cc: Neal Berlin
Dale Helling
City Council
Bill Blough
3010
l\
hICROEILMED BY
JORM MICP.6LA13
1 j CEDAR RAPIDS • DES Id018ES
IL
�
Rrr� 1232
IOWA CITY COMMUNITY
SCHOOL DISTRICT
David L. Cronin 509 S. Dubuque Street
Superintendent Iowa City, Iowa 52240
(3191338-3685
7 December 1982
Neal Berlin, City Manager
City of Iowa City
Civic Center
Iowa City, Iowa
Re: Central Junior High School Property
Dear Neal:
At the November 23 meeting of the Board of Education, the question of
establishing a timeline for the disposition of the Central Junior High
property was discussed. Although the Board did not set a deadline for
determining our next step, it was my understanding that everyone was
optimistic that there would be sufficient information on which to form a
decision in the near future. This was based on the understanding that the
City Council would have received the report of the Housing Commission and
would have additional opportunities to discuss the matter in early December.
Another part of the Board's discussion on November 23 was to ask the
administration to develop contingency plans for the continued use of the
Central property for school district purposes in the event the title issue is
not soon resolved. We are currently preparing these contingency plans and
anticipate bringing them to the Board for their consideration shortly after
January 1, 1983.
It would be helpful to learn of the City Council's decision regarding their
interest in the property as soon as possible. In my opinion, it would serve
f the community's best interest to reach a decision before plans for
alternative uses are advanced to the Board.
Sincerely yours,
4L4 1 , a4u4v
David L. Cronin
3014
14]CRO(IL14ED BY
JORM MICR( L4B 1
CEDAR RAPIDS DES MOVIES
I
I
J
F
E Norman Bailey
919 Talwrn Ct.
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
sisMUMUK
354-0478
Neal Berlin
City tanager
Civic Center
410 East Washington St,
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Dear Neal:
prl+r•. r, 1982
December 8, 1982
You asked me to indicate the position of the Greater Iowa City
Apartment Association regarding the water billing issue. I feel
that it can be summarized as follows.
We are concerned about the water collection policies as they apply to
rental units that have individual water meters where the tenant has
agreed in their lease to be responsible for the water bill and where
they have signed an agreement for water service with the City. With
respect to these units we believe:
1. That the concept of user responsibility should apply rather than
property owner responsibility,
2. That the present practice of placing liens on either the rental
property or its owner's residence to collect payment for the
tenant's water bill is illegal, unduly harsh and unfair.
3. That refusing to provide water service to a new tenant until the
prior tenant's water bill is said by the owner is unduly harsh,
unfair and unnecessary,
4. That the City's position of not pursuing former tenants for
unpaid water bills is ill advised,
5. That the argument advanced by the City staff to the effect that,
if property owners were not held responsible for tenant water
bills, bad debt losses would be at unacceptable levels is not
accurate, and more importantly, not the issue,
6. Finally, that greater responsiveness of those supervising the water
policies would be desirable.
We understand your interest in running an efficient water bill collec-
tion department and we are certainly willing to support that objective
subject, of course, to the sort of concerns expressed above,
Sincerely,
Yorman Bailey
MICROFILwm BY
JORM MIC ROLAa
CEDAR RAPIDS DES MOINES
J
301,-.),
r
L
IOWA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
The future of Wastewater Treatment...
Your chance to comment
PUBLIC HEARING.- December 13
A dilemma in sewage treatment
During the past ten years cities have
come to rely on the Federal Construction
Grants Program to solve their sewage
treatment problems. While many new*-
treatment plants have been built in Iowa
with money from this program, it has
fallen far short of fulfilling our
wastewater treatment needs.
Approximately 600 communities still need
to upgrade or improve treatment facili-
ties to meet requirements of the Clean
Water Act.
The expectation of receiving federal
assistance has led some cities to allow
existing treatment systems to
deteriorate while waiting for a grant to
construct new facilities. Recent decli-
nes in Environmental Protection Agency
grants and the uncertainty of any
federal help after 1985 makes the like-
lihood of deral assistance
While finan-
cial communities appear ear
help is decreasing, federal regula-
tions still require all cities to meet
final discharge permit limits by 1988.
What can be done to
solve this dilemma?
In light of these circumstances; DEQ and
a group of concerned individuals, have
developed a new municipal compliance
policy. The policy, adopted by the
Environmental Quality Commission in
October, will form a partnership between
the state and local governments. it
emphasizes the local responsibility for
e�
providing proper sewage treatment faci-
lities just as it is a local respon-
sibility to provide other public
services such as drinking water. The
policy also stresses OEQ's desire to
help communities fulfill that respon-
sibility by minimizing entanglements
with the regulations.
What role will cities play?
To implement this policy the department
has proposed rules that would require
municipalities to develop a plan of
action to,improve and maintain their
sewage treatment facilities. The plan
would commit a city to a logical sche-
dule of treatment plant improvements con-
sistent with its financial situation.
The plans are not intended to be
detailed engineering documents, but
rather, simple management tools that
communities can use to guide their
efforts at improving wastewater
treatment.
What role will the state play?.
The department will provide cities with
assistance to solve treatment problems.
We will encourage creative solutions to
problems, rehabilitation of existing
facilities. and phased construction based
on available funding. We have already
begun a review of state standards
eliminate any unnecessaryrequirements.
wICRUILMID Py
JORM MICROLAB
CEDAR RAPIDS - DES MOINES
continued on next peie
3013
1
J
,
Where will the money come from?
We have stressed that sewage treatment
is a local responsibility and therefore
should be financed at the local level of
government. Faced with a reduction in
federal grants to 5Y; in 1884, and the
possibility of an early end to.the
grants program, some communities have
already begun to devise ways to achieve
compliance on their own. Other com-
munities however, may have difficulty
completing the job without some form of
help. The department is working with
interested citizens to evaluate the
possibility of a state financial
assistance program to help these com-
munities. To develop adequate proposals
for a state program, efforts are being
made to complete the following major
tasks:
1. Identify remaining treatment needs
and the extent to which they will be
satisfied by the existing grants
program.
2. Evaluate the financial capacity of
communities to fund the remaining
needs.
3. Develop alternative forms of state
assistance.
t
Iowa Department Of Environmental Quality
Henry A. Wallace Building
900 East Grand
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
r 1 Ty r E "!
i�i'6 r Ty,
Your chance to comment
The Environmental Quality Commission
will hold a public hearing on December
13, 1982, at 9:00 a.m., in the Auditorium
of the Henry A. Wallace Building., in
Des Moines. The hearing is to receive
comments on the proposed rules that
will require municipalities to prepare a
plan of action for solving their sewage
treatment problems. These are the only
rules necessary to implement the program.
Existing rules allow the Department to
carry out its role including permit
compliance schedules and variances
from state standards without further
rule-making. Copies of the proposed
rules may be obtained by calling the
Records Center, IDEQ at 515/281-8895.
41ICRorILNED By
JORMMIC R�L46
CEDAR RAPID$ •DES !401NES
3613
J
I%
r
Outlook in Low -Cost Housing
Is Oloomy.as Programs Expiry
b By BMW Guwenra'
Aaraq.By tr w.u. a,.asr Jovi,w. ,.
N
01 SINCE les? hasthe natloa beenwtUnut a federal pm
ggrraamm to build gbllc heualnQ for.the lw atlluent. N Bch
6,IMtil now. The eight-year-old Section 8 program,
t,e.lnwmdcd housing for 1.6 MOM terrtUtes;
recently ex
Ineaau, Ha
t�f'hemwill
Is ro I
the need U
there The d
has hoped t
DO! ape!
MOA NtJhIDER o! new twists are being used to make the
econo tlra of new rental hm!'lag work. In. Oklahoma. the:
11dsa County Home Finance Authority has useinnovative,rest -
thwrghcohmverslal, method to bring down .
.__� . me .-.,rot amrtmenta.. -
o new proaracn .. _ __ — i6me the agency did Was Sell 4
hotutsg construction hsan't suddenly come to a halt.
IN I apartment units already in the works before Sec- ' nue bods In October. The proceeds were invested In grtIfIc2te3 of
atlon In October wW be built ts the deposit issued by a lender Insured by the Federal Savings and Lom 't
ending nest Sepptt 30, but that's e . insurance Carp. Th lender used the money from the ceeUEcam to ..
m Ns LtQ o0P Section g' units built Uma I devrete rs atoapartmanwtaP rkraects ta '1
g I)olheam, President o! the ins
itr wastheUte FSLIC insurance that gave the bonds`to low-income I a triple-A -
�ng Coalitim, says of the abort- , bonds and the tate an th the1� were interest 5.16b%a. Thentte� TM Saan n
inoon man eon �: 7� tertelega-year loan to the developer was 10.25%' about Duce or ba
gg
vouchers. It's terrible t
of Swann 8 ehouang, : goe.� TWdn.bod below
other d ei such rate � New tk-
sto�pg.
For every, etdsUnt
i lout lour eligible, renter households. team, have followed In Its footsteps. - _-_
_.�. Ind. h ddd.In. lndoa m LT.nela i,allon. of the Dain: Bosworth Iuc.:tnvestment boll
ers, Seca a G
partly an the
torelect Pete
month.
NY NEW PROGRAM likely will feature a shallow" sub
to coStruction Started but far short" of a
A=p-a'—y-thee,:=d.iffere,ncetoUte federal government, as In Sectiong,to
between market rent and 2574 of renters'
ninme indiedthe Statir 40 n years. pFo¢SSreeeecctimmos erodty seetns to have been
federal undoing- er�nTttent�hav committed API. aspe�ndingoat 1� $9
bUUm in tomtng decades. and the annual onUay for Sectio 9 each
risen to S5.5 b on, That works out to aWXSO a sloth for each
family housed in a newly built Section S apartment, according to a
report by the president's COMMLleio on Houslag,
Meanwhile, developers end cities am se g for ways.to fl.
W a artments and make them affordable to people of
would pan a mu; mac
k Sudan o! Camgeen ,
utrrolieesspleEd= that �ct 1 �tl' NWI 8 "aa rd
bases that
of go,h�g candidates.. Such s Sena-
m1a, were voted Into office lart
Treasury Department frowns on UMTS of tt>rau vuCe r, •- t .
federal guarantee to back a state obllgatlou. or the preaeat the
Treasury and the Federal Home Loan Sank Board d1Sa6Re on the
question. ppunOtAld Maw
en�inaduding some l we n�ometecanbiI asla8 art
ve a city pig garage• The rents will be kept wl the mar-
ket
arket rate, thanks to. a federal Urban development actio grant
iH 'GRANT MONEY Is being used to make dP the dlHer
ence between the proJect's costs and the prev rent
j L leeveelj f As
-afterrents
r se a Ye the rent lev�elnestska be until
enouO to'7zpport the cost of the buUding.' For the plan to work,
the tenants'. ab111ty to paymust rise tester than Urelprolect Sop"•
lag costs. .
. Another city, San Francisco, requires developers of new coma
merclal projects to contribute an amount of money toward the city's
subsidized housing progtarn. The rationale is that new development
stimulates the local holydnt; market by drawing more workers wfio
. -- - _I... , u e .Thomlare. the city reasons: developers .
nance new ren r - -
modest means. That's no small. task.De
Robert of the National Carporetio for Housing Partner be built
acted S
ships, a con�ondlY chartered developer, saps that one of his acted a
firm's new ashlngtm, A.C., PMecta has some subald L fi.
Ing, but Its rents still are among Le highest 1II the gree
"Unless there's a reduction In Interest�n leamndP de rmentanat
Jtest to ll°A but to 7'A%, we're only bang Mr. Edson
housing for the upperincome market; 'says Tracy.
of the leased houslnB assocI ti an adds• "No one we could [ltM Is
huildine for the mod erate•Income market'
JORM MICR4DLA6
se efforts. It appears that. little
de of modest means unless -a I
Eds= "The fact is you people livee In it."
houslnq will.
rgrmt is. en,
new hosing,
3olq
t
19
MTI B
L
Remanufacturing of transit vehicles to country. This year transit agencies in San
C an ingl
IPh�ade
extract extra lila out of them is not same• N fv Jersey and phis have aIIC
thing new to the U.S. transit industry. si ned, or are about to sign, contracts for
9
New Orleans Public Service, Inc.
has kept its fleet of more than IDo buses each. And the num•
firms capable
instancelt
(NOPSI), lot ring
in
35 e bar of
in , large uorders on a quick
1years
through regular923-24
re. e• of handling, such
operation for 60ars
turnaround, assembly line basis has in -
building.
building.
But it was something new in 1978
from ono to at least four.
fr the has been spurted
when NOPSI—fn need of new buses
last --hired Blitz Bus 8 Truck in Chicago
Much growth
by federal funding. The Urban Mass
to rebuild more than 10 per cent of its ex-
Transportation
ronas itsfirst bus rehabilitation grant eP
fisting aged fleet. Instead of being
scrapped, all vital pans on the buses
11979 to the Southeastern Michigan
and
Authority
)have
were replaced or repaired to bring them
Transportation 80 per grants
80 peron
original equipment specifications so
live to seven years
similar
been coming from BVehlsinlce. with in -
thatto
that at least another
of reliable service could be squeezed out
creasing frequency
Counting both buses rebuilt by outside
of the old buses. Blitz, then the nation's
bus remanufacturer, rebuilt 43
contractors and those rehabilitated by
UMTA fli•
only major
buses, ail 1964 and 1965
et
ciaors ns restmateoclose trs o 1,500 federallyelves,
Corp. C) New Look models, antav-
of 553,678 each. NOPSI had
bus n carried out
bs have b further growth
erage cost
them all back on the street by April,
in tile last three
appears likely. U.S. transit agencies will
1979.
According to NOPSI maintenance otli-
sign contracts for outside rehabilitation o
than buse theebuildand of this
cials, the Project was a success. The re-
live per
note rby
y ar according1,000lo onwho
built buses are currently going
farther between road calls than the
watOca este I Is r P d to hythe exact
cent
new GMC advanced design buses
in
lace bus rehabililatlon will take in the
Pst
(ADRs) NOPSI put in service later
They say the rebuilds should be
is
dit still r
. fire sitforoI tar c hnical
1979.
serviceable at least through 1985.
Frank J.ICIhek
and research services for the American
In retrospect, it can be seen that
NOPSI's contract with Blitz marked the
notes,
Public Transit At ortl stion at have done it,
it
beginning of something new and impor-
havetdone it only once cfar,"
tant for the U.S. transit Industry. That
$2.3 million contract set the pattern for
It could tax adienurn out t used, used by hard!
P
what has grown into a more Than 540 mil'
business that is having strong
temporary
pressed transit operators requiring a
equipment but
lion a year
impacts on bus manufacturers, bus oper•
quick infusion of reliable
lgh prices. long de
aloes and bus riders Throughout the court•
lliveryu schedules els and othe
perating problems
try.
project did not
associated with the new ADBs introduced
NOPSI's rehabilitation
represent new technology. Blitz, NOPSI
byUMCcou and d ixible. to be a major shift in
and others in the transit industry had
been repairing and rebuilding individual
American transit Industry practice, in
rebuilding at eight, 10 or 12 yeas
in the in*
buses for years. What was new was that which
an eds will me ard p
the aver germnsit bus will be
firm ture
lo carrysolut theesimultaneous m
cosmetic rehabili•
dus ryand
re
at sbefo
bet 17 or ing
expectedyual9'Iry
servkeive
chanical, structural and a
tatlon of a substantial portion of its buses, y ad and replaced.
bringing them all up to uniform. nearly scrape
ecifications. as an after. h e subjt is
tightly intertwined with
new, warrantynative to buying new ew buses. (The pattern
bus ebuilding
bus menulacturing. In theory, it
was almost set by Chicago's Regional
U.q. transit bus we
in 1977. The RTA extpexpected user`
least
Transit Athonty
set Blitzu25 Old GMC)buses or partial
al once to extend
ife from 12 years 17 years. tment
lding t $3700t01he RTA had not the
erlalge annual noel oronow replace
from more then 4,000
rebut
wanted rebuilt later gave trouble and the buses would dfop
l 3.000,
buses had to be sent back to Blitz for fur•
to
19than
study or rabuilding, done for
the, work at additional cosh)
UMTA by ATE Management and Service
by Co.. advocated a more limited and tem-
Since then. lpattern establishedrepeated
NOPSI and BIItz tz has been repeeatby
role for the industry. "in gen•
s around the
ora
P N
dozens of transit agent:
JORM MICROLA13
DECEMBER `1982
3015
III
J
r
era].
rehabilitating older buses should be
used as a supplement to new bus pur-
chases rather than as a substitute ... To
prevent any negative Impacts on the new
bus manufacturing business, there should
be a limit on the age and number of bus.
es which can be rehabilitated," the study
said.
The report recommended Increasing
new bus purchases to 4,000 a year while
keeping rehabilitations to 1,000 a year,
primarily to expand the national fleet to
handle Increasing ridership.
With the average age of the nation's
transit fleet at nine years, the report con.
cluded, "Insufficient purchases of new ve-
hicles, or excessive rebuilds in lieu of
new vehicles, while conceivably providing
a short -tens benefit, would ultimately de-
stroy the capabilities of the transit indus-
try to respond effectively to the ridership
demands of. the next decade."
But that report was wrihen In the last
year of the Carter Administration when
federal transit aid was still relatively plen-
tiful and the bus Industry's major chal.
lenge was keeping up with rising rider-
ship. Since then the transit funding pic.
ture in Washington and in many localities
has changed.for.the worse. Fares are up
and ridership is hurting. Today the main
challenge Is to keep things running de-
spite shrinking resources and that has
cast bus rebuilding In a new tight.
Dan Morrill, president of Midwest Bus
Rebuilders in Owosso. Mich., founded In
July, 1980, said, "As long as resources
are tight and they have to make every
dollar count, I think transit agencies will
use bus rebuilding because it is less
costly to produce a passenger -seal -mile
on a remanufactured bus than on a new
one."
Morrill, who was assistant general
manager at SEMTA when that agency
began rebuilding buses, said, "I think
many transit authorities looked at bus re-
habilitation as a stopgap at first, a way to
gel buses on the street quickly. But now I
think many of them are beginning to look
at remanufacturing as a permanent part
of their cao:tal program:' He predicted
the annual number of outside rebuilds will
continue growing until it levels off some-
where between 1,000 and 2,000 per
year.
In response to the growing Interest in
bus rehabilitation, UMTA is developing a
handbook to help transit agencies In de.
ciding when to rebuild (the trend seems
to be toward earlier rebuilding) and what
level of rehabilitation is most cost effec.
tive (the trend Is toward more thorough
rebuilding to add at least six years more
life). One federal concern Is that some
L --
agencies may use rebuilding, like new
bus purchases, as a substitute for good
preventative maintenance. Cihak at
APTA said, "It can be a way of capitaliz-
ing maintenance and it's been abused in
a few places."
In addition, at the request of Congress,
UMTA Is putting together data on the rel-
ative cost effectiveness of bus rehabilita-
tion compared to new bus purchases.
Bath projects, using technical help from
Battelle Columbus Laboratories and ATE,
are to be completed by early 1983.
Whatever the findings, many in the
transit Industry are already believers.
"Our experience has been very positive,"
said Conrad Malleh, director of the De-
troit Department of Transportation
(DDOT), which has had 120 rebuilt buses
on the street for almost two years.
"Rehab doesn't pay off in every case,
but it pays off so well so often that I don't
think any transit authority can afford to ig-
nore it;" he said.
"You can do a bumper -to -bumper,
fires -to -roof rehab, I mean put a bus in
really tiptop shape so it will last another
five to 10 years, for $85,000. That means
you'can completely rehab two buses for
less than the ($150,000) cost of one new
A0S.
"The new bus manufacturers will tell
you that rehab is not worth the cost, but I
think the general managers would dis.
agree;" he said.
Andrew G. Schiavone, vice president
and general manager of service transit
for the New York City Transit Authority
(NYCTA), said his agency started doing
extensive rehabilitation work three years
ago and has completed about 1,000 bus-
es so far using local funds. Most of the
work has been done at two NYCTA
shops set aside for the purpose, but
about 51.8 million has been spent on out-
side work.
He said most of the rebuilds should
give an additional live to seven years of
service, even under New York's harsh
conditions. "I think bus rebuilding will be.
come a regular thing for us. It may not be
as extensive as ]I Is now, but It will al-
ways be around," he said.
David Sylvia, director of procurement
for the Greater Cleveland Regional Tran-
sit Authority (GCRTA), which is sending
100 of Its old buses out for remanufactur-
ing this year, said, "This Is our Initial bus
rehab project. Depending on Its success,
we will probably work out some combina.
tion of new purchases and rebuilding in
the future."
George Heinle, general manager of NJ
Transit bus operations In New Jersey,
said the stale transit agency is rehabilitat.
ing 525 buses, nearly hall at a special in.
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Ouse slop set up for the purpose and
he rest through outside rebuilders.
NIMCO Bus, a Newark firm in the rebuild -
Ing business since 1979, recently started
on an order for up to 210 buses for NJ
Transit, at $50,445 per bus.
Heinle, an engineer, said. "In opera-
tional terms, an old bus can be made as
good as it was when it was new, but it
can't be made into a new bus. Given my
druthers, I'd like to give the public a new
bus, but I believe rehab has a significant
future in the bus industry because I don't
see the funding available to provide all
new buses in the future."
While it is generally recognized that
routine bus rebuilding can be cost effec-
tive (Greyhound, Trailways and London
Transport have been doing it for years),
its two major periods of popularity in the
U.S. transit industry have been spurred
by other factors.
During World War II gas rationing
boosted transit ridership sharply while
new bus production stopped as the no-
tion's assembly lines were turned over to
wartime production, which included buses
apportioned by the federal government.
To keep their fleets running, many transit .
maintenance departments set up exten-
sive rebuilding programs. In addition,
Blitz, now the nation's largest bus rebuild -
or and generally credited with originating
the "remanufacturing" concept for buses,
got its start in large-scale rehabilitation
during the war.
However, after the war, as civilian bus
production resumed and ridership started
its long postwar slide, the rebuilding pro-
grams were gradually abandoned. Car-
mont Blitz, who took over from his father
as president of Blitz in 1949, said the
company's rebuilding business shifted
with Greyhound and Trailways becoming
its major customers.
Interest in rebuilding among transit op-
erators was not rovived until the late
1970s, just after GMC and Rxible intro.
duced their new ADBs. With aging fleets
mostly left over from the 1960s and in.
creased ridership due to the rise in gaso-
line prices after 1973, many transit opera-
tors found themselves in desperate need
of new equipment. But the new ADBs
were expensive and. when ordered, often
took a year or more to be delivered, com-
pared to the 90 -day turnaround time of.
lered by Blitz and other nebuilders.
In addition, the ADRs. built to UMTA's
specifications, were turning out to be
troublesome. Heavier, more complex and
with fewer seats and more bugs than the
New Look buses they were intended to
replace. the first ADBs proved costly to
operate and hard to keep on the street
(See MT, July, 1982). For many opera.
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tors,
rebuilding their tried, true and famil-
iar GMC New Looks was a way to avoid
or reduce their ADB headaches. Rebuild -
Ing also fit in with the Earterging "back to
basics" movement in the industry, which
says that people use transit because it is
cheap, convenient and on time, not be-
cause transit vehicles are shiny, modem
and have tinted windows.
In Detroit, Mallett said multiple prob-
lems with 307 new ADRs delivered by
GMC in 1980 sparked much of his de-
partment's Interest in rebuilt buses. "Our
experience with the new buses has not
been happy. We haven't bought any naw
buses since." Of the fifth of his fleet that
was rebuilt in 1980 and 1981, Malleft
said, "We get a higher percentage of our
rehab buses out in the rooming than we
do of the new RTSs." "And," he added,
"I've never seen a passenger pass up a
rehab bus to wail for one of our RTSs."
All the rebuilders cite the operational
advantages of the New Look buses over
the new ADRs as major virtues of their
product. Ben Baker, general manager of
NIMCO's Bus Division In Newark, said
one of the significant virtues of bus re-
building is better fuel economy. "The old-
er buses are lighter and you get up to 40
per cent better mileage than with the
ADBs," he said. "And maintenance costs
are less because the older buses are
simpler, so they're more reliable, and the
parts are cheaper too."
But, Baker and other rebuilders point
out the appeal of rebuilding does not rest
only on the deficiencies of the ADBs.
Capital costs are lower and the relative
advantage of rebuilding has grown since
1978 for two reasons.
First, experience is showing that a well
rebuilt bus will last even longer than ex-
pected. NOPSi calculated It would come
out well if the buses it rebuilt lasted five
additional years. Now, with nearly four
years of experience behind them. NOPSI
maintenance officials say the rebuilds
look like they will easily last seven years.
Second, as more outside rebuilders
such as NIMCO. Midwest and Pacific Bus
Rebuilders,.lnc. (PacBus) In San Ramon,
Calif., have entered the industry, prices
have fallen. Where quotes of $70,000 and
more for a complete rebuild were not un-
common In the late 1970s when Blitz had
the field mostly to Itself, recent competi-
tive bids by the Established rebuilders for
large orders have been closer to $50,000
per bus. Over the same period the price
of a new ADB hes continued to climb,
from roughly $100,000 in 1978 to more
than $150,000 today.
L
Morrill at Midwest attributes the lower
prices to both the still competition among
rebuilders, some of whom are opening
additional plants around the country to
compete for work more effectively, and to
greater sophistication in specification wrii-
Ing by transit authorities.
Writing specifications for remanufactur-
ing is quite different from writing them for
new buses because, while remanufactur-
ing is an assembly line technique suscep-
rible to economies of uniformity and
quantity, the condition of each old bus
varies.
Baker at NIMCO said, "take the wind-
shield frame panel. It's $1,400 for the
part and 70 man-hours to install. Not ev-
ery bus needs it, but some buses have to
have it. You can't send them out the door
without a new one." NIMCO is finishing a
250 -bus order for the Southeastern
Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(SEPTA) in Philadelphia and Baker said
he believes the specifications were too
rigid. By leaving little leeway In the speci-
fications, SEPTA officials hoped to get a
uniform price and product. But Baker said
more flexibility might have produced bet-
ter buses at a lower price. "We had to do
work on some buses that wasn't needed
while other buses needed work that
wasn't called for under the contract," he
said.
As a result, he and other rebuilders say
the recent trend in specification writing Is
to draw up a core list of work to be done
on every bus at a set price and then re-
quire the rebuilder to submit Individual
prices for each item on a second list of
optional items to be done only if needed.
Baker said 80 to 85 per cont of the work
needed for a complete rehabilitation
should be done on all buses, Including
robuilding or replacing such items as
brakes, suspension, steering, heating, air
conditioning, engines, transmissions, up•
holstery, window frames and lower body
panels. Other Items should be done only
If needed, such as replacing bulkheads.
differential housings, air beams, root pan-
eling and windshield frame panels, he
said.
Managing contracts specified this way
requires close on-site monitoring by the
transit agency, which must have knowl-
edgeable Inspectors who can give the re -
builder prompt decisions on what optional
work they want carried out, said Baker.
Besides learning how to write effective
rebuilding specifications, transit agencies
are also learning the Importance of
screening bidders to be sure they are
qualified to do the work.
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CCl1Prl NA111B • (1C`. '10C1CS
"Prequalification is very important if
you want good work," said Heinle. When
NJ Transit sought bidders on a 105 -bus
order earlier this year, he said, "We
looked at financial wherewithal to see if
they could front end all the materials and
meet schedules and at what kind of pro-
duction facilities and engineering backup
they had to make certain they could meet
the specs. We wanted to be sure some
guy couldn't do it in his garage or out of
his hal by subcontracting everything out.
We wanted to see a decent work record."
After that screening, two fines bid for the
order, NIMCO and Blitz.
The established bus rebuilders—Blitz,
NIMCO, Midwest and PacBus—all favor
prequalification and believe UMTA should
support its use by transit agencies. Re-
quiring performance bonds has not prov-
en very effective for many transit agen-
cies, they said.
J. Bass Dyer, president of PacBus,
said inexperienced and poorly qualified
bidders "are one of our Industry's biggest
problems. Either they can't estimate
costs property and then go broke and
can't honor their warranty or they do a
poor job. Competition will drive them out
eventually, but meanwhile everybody
gets hurt and it could give rebuilding a
bad name."
Midwest's Morrill, while admitting that
stiff screening requirements would have
kept him from getting Into the business
three years ago, said, "There Is more
than enough competition now among
qualified fines to ensure good prices with-
out risking poor work."
Besides competing against each other
for work, rebuilding firms also face com-
petition from transit maintenance depart-
ments which believe they can do the job
cheaper. Transit operators in a number of
cities, including New York, Atlanta, MI.
ami, MiWaukoe, Columbus, Ohio and
Kansas City, do all or most of their re-
building In their own shops. Most cite
cost as the main reason.
However, the UMTA 1980 study noted
that transit operators tend to significantly
underestimate indirect costs. In addition,
specifications for In-house programs tend
to be less formal and the work performed
less extensive than for outside contracts.
Morrill, a former transit manager, said,
"Remember, in-house you're Inspecting
your own work and there are no warran.
ties like you get when you go to a good
outside rebuilder."
Another factor is that rebuilding more
than a few buses at a time requires a
major commitment of skilled workers and
shop facilities. "It's not a question of not
having good maintenance people," said
Morrill. "It's that you have to divert them
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from day-to-day maintenance so it gener.
ally creates more problems than it
solves..'
In part, for these reasons, while outside
rebuilders have a good record of com-
pleting large projects on schedule, in.
house rehabilitation programs have often
run into delays. Despite hiring.two dozen
extra mechanics and selling up a sepa-
rate shop, NJ Transit has taken more
than 18 months to complete 50 buses,
well behind Its original schedule of 70
buses per year.
In some cases, transit agencies seek-
ing to send buses outside have been pre-
vented from doing so by union concerns
about lost work. Paul Hampton, director
of maintenance at St. Louis's BI -state De-
velopment Agency, said BI -state was all
set to send out 100 buses, a tenth of Its
fleet, to be rebuilt in 1979, but could not
persuade the Amalgamated Transit
Union, which represents Its shop work-
ers, to sign o9 on a 13(c) labor protection
agreement required for an UMTA grant.
"We went out and bought 171 new buses
from GM of Canada instead," he said.
In New York, one local UMTA official
said close vigilance by the city's transit
union is erre reason the NYCTA keeps
most of Its work in -hoose.
In general, however, given the ad-
vanced aged of tfle nation's transit fleet
and the continuing problems with the new
ADBs, lucre is more than enough mainte-
nance work available in most U.S. titles
and most rebuilders and transit authori-
ties report only mirror resistance from
unions concerning outside rebuilding.
Blitz said, "We haven't had a problem
with 13(c). Where we've had objections.
we have been able to demonstrate that
the work we do Isn't the same and doesn't
conflict with what they do Internally.
Meanwhile, Blitz is already planning for
the future. "I think GMC's RTS IIs may
be good rehab candidates after eight to
10 years," he said. "The first of those will
be coming up soon."O
ld
301.6
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CEDAR RAPIDS •DES 1-0OIAESNow
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1>-
MEAL POLICY STA' IIIENT - STAFF,'VOLUNTEERS e GUESTS
STAFF - THOSE EMPLOYED PERSONS
THEY SHALL BE SCHEDULED TO EAT BY DIRECTOR
TO ASSURE THE BEST DELIVERY OF SERVICE,
INSOFAR AS POSSIBLE, STAFF SHOULD EAT AFTER
PARTICIPANTS.
VOLUNTEERS - THOSE WHO HELP WITH THE PROGRAM
THIS INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:
DRIVERS OF HOME DELIVERED MEALS
THOSE ASSISTING WITH A GIVEN FUNCTION AT A
CONGREGATE SETTING
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPREVISORS AND
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
SERVICE PROVIDERS WHO ARE REQUESTED TO BE
PRESENT FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE.
GUESTS - THOSE WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS, WHO
ARE NOT STAFF OR VOLUNTEERS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED
BY AN ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT.
WITH PARTICIPANTS AS HOSTS A GUEST MIGHT INCLUDE
THOSE WHO ATTEND A SPECIAL FUNCTION AT THE SENIOR
CE14TER AND EAT AS A PART OF A GROUP, OR AN INDIVIDUAL
WHO IS AT THE CENTER FOR A GIVEN PURPOSE OTHER THAN
EATING,
STUDENTS WHO ARE VISITING AS A PART OF THEIR
ACADEMIC ACTIVITY WOULD BE CONSIDERED GUESTS
IF THEIR VISIT IS APPROVED AHEAD OF TIME BY THE
DIRECTOR, AS A GENERAL RULE, THE NUMBER OF SUCH
GUESTS WILL BE LIMITED AND THE STUDENTS MUST USE
THE OCCASION TO EAT WITH PARTICIPANTS ON A FRIENDLY
BASIS RATHER THAN WITH ONE ANOTHER. i
STAFF - CONSIDERED A PART OF COMPENSATION
VOLUNTEERS - A VOLUNTARY DONATION
GUESTS - $2.50
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CORM MIC ROLAB`
1 j CEDAR RAPIDS - DCS 4101YES
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THINGS TO DISCUSS
December 14, 1982
Johnson County Board - Iowa City City Council Meeting
1. Purpose of meeting.
2. Common concerns on whicl, we are currently working together.
3. Other common concerns likely in the forseeable future.
f
4. [Jays in which we can deal with our common concerns - techniques for
identifying and communicating issues, for problem solving, for reaching
common agreement, and for taking actions.
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5. Specific issues to begin the process of dealing with at this meeting.
I41CROFILI.IED 0
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CEDAR RAPIDS • DES MOVIES
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EXECUTIVE SESSION
DECEMBER 13, 1982
EXECUTIVE SESSION: December 13, 1982, 6:30 P.M. in the Conference Room at
the Civic Center. Mayor Mary Neuhauser presiding.
COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Balmer, Dickson, Erdahl, Lynch, McDonald, Neuhauser,
Perret. Absent: None.
STAHMEMBERS PRESENT: Berlin, Stolfus, Helling, Jansen
TAPE-RECORDED: Reel H27, Side 1, 1760-2230.
Moved by Perret, seconded by McDonald, to adjourn to closed session under
Section 28A.5(b) to discuss strategy with cousel in matters that are present-
ly in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would
be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body
in that litigation, and under ccction 20.11(3) to discuss as a publid employ-
er, strategy regarding collective bargaining with City employee organizations;
as such discussion is exempted from the provisions of Chapter 28A according
to Chapter 20.17(3). Affirmative roll call vote unanimous, 6/0, Dickson out
of the room. The Mayor declared the motion carried. Dickson returned, 6:31 PM.
Moved by Erdahl, seconded by Perret, to adjourn, 7:05 P.M. The Mayor declared
the motion carried, 7/0.
wICROFILMED By
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CEDAR RAPIDS • DE.; IADI YES
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