Reconvened at 10:17 a.m.

Bolkcom: We're back... Informal meeting. We're going to go to item 3, that's Business from the Communication Committee regarding the County News/Information-News Advertiser's Discussion. Mike Sullivan's here. He's a member of that Committee and has a brief report following up on our past conversation. Mike?

Ambulance Director Mike Sullivan: This'll be a brief report that does follow up on the last conversation you folks have had from the October 28th memo that you received from the Communications Committee. I wanted to point out that we feel that the publications would fit in to the County's strategic plan to improve communication between the Johnson County citizens and the County government that serves them. We are proposing 2 issues to be published, one in February and one in May of 1999. We feel this would allow the Board to determine if this communication piece is a worthwhile project. The cost for Fiscal Year 99 of a 2 sided page is $756. The total cost would be $1,512. We broke that down to 5 cents per household because we know it'll reach at least 36,199 households. The cost for Fiscal Year 2000 in the presentation or proposal we gave to the Board estimates that the external newsletter would be $5,736. We plan this out for a bi-monthly 2 sided page costing $4,536 for publication. We've also requested $1,200 to be budgeted for an intern and we're not sure if we actually need that intern. But the plan was to utilize that intern for coordinating the departments' information and possibly writing some articles. The Committee itself would be responsible for editing the information that is sent to the Community News for printing. The Community News will do the lay out work for us. Thus, we figured the cost of the intern from the University of Iowa School of Journalism. In these 6 publications we projected an annual cost of 16 cents per household to do this. We also recommend that this project be budgeted in your Central Services Budget as we've talked about before. I wanted to point out some of the members of the Committee. There's a few of us here today. Lisa Dewey, the Director of SEATS. Deborah Conger, the County Recorder, myself, Lora Shramek, from Human Resources, Janet Lyness, Duane Lewis and Gary Yoder, just to name a few.

Bolkcom: Thank you.

Duffy: They were all on the committee?

Sullivan: Yes.

Duffy: Seems like you had a high powered committee.

Sullivan: Good group.

Lacina: I'm going to suggest that in the event that you do this, the $1,200 for the intern, I would suggest be a line item under the HR Department as opposed to 18. There may be some synergies and overlap and some help for Lora as well as our internal newsletter and some things where we can multiply that effect.

Stutsman: The intern, would they work just on this newsletter thing, or would they be available to help with the County newsletter and things?

Sullivan: I think our plan was to use them for this...

Bolkcom: Steve's point... You could have both.

Sullivan: We could both that way if you take it out of that Human Resource line.

Bolkcom: They're both kind of the same focus. Generating articles, working with department head on content.

Stutsman: That's what I thought it might be the carry over is if they could work on both. The editing process is a consensus from the Committee? How does that editing go? When you said what goes in to the Advertiser will be edited from the Committee.

Bolkcom: Mike is currently the editor of the internal newsletter. They'll be probably a couple people playing that role in this publication. As you know there's a member of the Board on this Committee and I assume we'll continue to have a member of the Board oversee the work of this Committee come January as they keep working on it. But the Committee has basically delegated kind of a funnel to a couple people that will review and edit and clean up any writing that people do.

Stutsman: I was getting at who makes the decision about what goes in the Advertiser? Is it one particular person?

Sullivan: The Committee as a whole will discuss and make the decision about what goes in the article itself as far as editing from the English standpoint. I do that with the internal newsletter. We have a couple people on the Committee that would do that stuff as well. The lay-out will be done by the Community News staff. We felt that the intern would also be able to help from the Department of Journalism with an English background to improve our ability to edit it.

Bolkcom: By way of comparison the internal newsletter, the content... we have a computer article, a human resource article, a wellness article. Those kind of discussions took place at the Committee level and I assume it'd be a similar process. I think that's why it's going to be important to have a member of the Board be active on the Committee in implementing the strategic goal.

Sullivan: Correct. I think another thing that's important to bring out now with that is with the first 2 publications our suggestion is that we attach some type of survey to the citizens. At least I feel, and the Committee feels as well, that we could certainly get some input from the county citizens about what type of information they want us to provide for them in future issues. That'll help steer us in the right direction as well about content and what type of things we want to put in it. That's basically how we approach the internal newsletter with County employees.

Stutsman: I think that's good and a good process. The other thing and I haven't been attending these Communications meetings. I would hope to in the future. Can anybody contribute ideas on information to put in there? And I hope that we would have a process to solicit ideas from people outside the Committee if they might have some good suggestions about some stories or things to include.

Sullivan: I believe so. We have no barriers to that.

Lacina: We're going to generate a product which is going to be information for the public and the survey, those types of things. Then one mechanism we're going to use to get it out to the public would be publishing. But I'm going to encourage us to also to sit down and have a condensed version that quarterly we go out to the radio stations and take some time and do a broadcast saying we do have citizen surveys available. Here are some major points of what we're looking for in the next quarter. Also to use radio. A lot of people in drive time could hear it and be aware of key issues that we're looking at.

Bolkcom: Since our last discussion I've had one inquiry from a local radio station about working with us and if we considered doing radio.

Sullivan: That'd be wonderful.

Bolkcom: I think we're open to that as another forum. In terms of the cost of this I guess we focused on print so that people would have something in their hand they could clip it. For example one of the things we want to have is the web address and maybe a list of phone numbers. Somebody could actually clip it out and have it on their fridge. That format would be maybe a little better one for all the information we want to try and get out. But certainly to have a regular radio opportunity for County government would be wonderful.

Lacina: Because there are a couple holes within the County where we don't have the readership. The paper from Linn County overlaps the northern parts so those people won't receive the publication. But radio is just one more vehicle to alert them to some of the key issues.

Bolkcom: In those areas, I think it was Swisher and Shueyville, where we didn't have coverage from this. We're going to work with Linn County folks to have this inserted in the publication that would come down from the Linn County area.

Lacina: That's built into this cost?

Bolkcom: That's a good question.

Jordahl: It was certainly part of the discussion last time that that was possible to do. I don't what the answer to the cost question is.

Bolkcom: We can ask that right now. Scott Swenson with the News Advertiser. Do you have a...

News Advertiser Representative Scott Swenson: I hadn't planned on that but it would be a minimal cost to do that.

Bolkcom: OK. Thank you.

Jordahl: The newsletter, it mentioned the web address ought also simply be on the web. This should be one of these you'd be able to click on.

Bolkcom: This content could be up on the web. Any other questions or comments for Mike? We'd like to put this on Thursday as just a resolution. Clearly to basically do 2 publications between now and July. The other for 2000 would have to be put forward for the 2000 budget for the Board to consider it at that point. This is a recommendation.

Stutsman: Will you remind us that is being considered for Central Services.

Pillard: I'm also on this Committee too.

Stutsman: Oh.

Bolkcom: That's right.

Lacina: Is this appropriate through Central Services, or should it be...

Stutsman: Under HR?

Lacina: ...totally under HR realizing she isn't going to take that additional workload but funnel the funds through them.

Bolkcom: Deana?

Pillard: I don't think Lora felt comfortable with that. She prefers, since it is a County publication, she preferred it be...

Lacina: Under 18?

Pillard: ...under 18.

Lacina: What about the intern? She's not here.

Pillard: She's not here to answer that. She's gone.

Lacina: That might be a question we just ask her.

Bolkcom: I think that's a good idea, Steve.

Pillard: I believe that was her concern. She didn't necessarily want this within the budget. She thought it was more of a County type project as opposed to a (inaudible).

Lacina: Before Thursday let's see if she feels that intern would be a wise line item under hers. If not, let's go with 18 on all of it then if that would be acceptable.

Stutsman: The intern is being considered for the following year. The year 2000. We can discuss that...

Bolkcom: We've got time. Jonathan?

Jordahl: I think it's a real concern on Lora's part that this might sort of wander over into being her responsibility. It would be seen as a judgment of this Board that it belonged in the Human Resources Department. It would become her responsibility over time. I think we need to try and avoid that for her.

Lacina: That's why I think we should ask her and if she feels that it's not then go to 18.

Jordahl: Deana seems to have suggested that she's already weighed in on that.

Lacina: If you don't want to ask her...

Jordahl: Ask her (inaudible)...

Bolkcom: We can touch base with her on it.

Stutsman: I think that discussion is for budget discussion. So we can certainly...

Lacina: What resolution will we be passing?

Bolkcom: I think we're looking for a resolution to basically look at... I'm not even sure it's a resolution, a motion indicating support the Committee's work to continue to move forward on a February and May edition, 2 pages. Give them the direction from the Board that they need.

Lacina: You've got the other components for dissemination as far as web and radio then to pursue.

Bolkcom: Very good. Mike, thanks.

Sullivan: Thanks.

Bolkcom: Committee members thanks for coming in. Thank you Board.

Stutsman: You were doing so well and we took a break. Sorry.

Bolkcom: We'll get back in stride here. We're going to start talking about sales tax at 11:00. We have members of the Board that have meetings shortly after noon.

Bolkcom: We're down to item 4, business from Jim McGinley, Director of Johnson County Emergency Management and Brady Robbins, Disaster Mitigation Team Member. Good morning. Thanks for being here. Item A is discussion regarding resolution for appointment to be the Johnson County Representative with FEMA and the State of Iowa for Mitigation Grant to assist Johnson County residents in relocating out of the Isaac Walton area flood plain. Jim?

Disaster Services Director Jim McGinley: The first thing I'd like to do is I'd like to fill you in as to where we are. We've got the application pretty much complete at this point. It is due to be in by the 21st and we don't see any problem with getting that in.

Bolkcom: All right.

McGinley: We would like to have an appointment, myself, to answer for the County with this particular operation. We're looking also for an authorization for the application to be signed. That would be by you, Joe, and then the commitment for the share that the County would be responsible for providing. The State has agreed to pay 10% of the 25. We would be responsible for the other 15. When Brady came in this morning he told me that there's a very, very strong possibility that DED would pick up the entire 25%. I look at it and say boy, if that's the case, then we had originally agreed that we would go with 4 homeowners to get them relocated out if we had the 25%. There have been some others who are starting to look at the possibility of getting out. If that's the case, we can do an amendment to our original application to add in additional people to move them out. I would also like to see us recognizing that once a home is removed from that area the area may not be filled in and the only way that anybody could possibly build in that area would be if the built one foot above the hundred year flood plain. I would like to see us add in going to the owners of the property who are now renting and make an offer to them to take over that property and allow DED to pick up the 25% so it wouldn't cost the County to do anything to do this. It would allow us to get the majority of those folks out of there. If we didn't get the full money from DED, which is a possibility but not a very strong possibility, I'm looking at other organizations who could come in and help with the destruction of the homes that were not going to be moved. I'm talking about... I've got 93 organizations that applied in 1993 for flood relief. I think that many of those would be agreeable to come in and give a hand so we could get an hourly rate for each of their people by hour that they would put in to make up the 15% that we'd have to put up. I don't really think we have a problem with the 15% at this point. If we were able to get a lot of those folks out of there, you might want to consider, in the future, of putting that land under the Conservation Department and operate it as another park.

Bolkcom: So if the ground's leased... There's a bunch of ground down there that I believe one property owner owns and leases...

McGinley: There's 2 instances of that, Joe.

Bolkcom: How do we work with that? You've got the renter in the house. They own the house, right?

McGinley: Yes.

Bolkcom: It's kind of a crazy set up. They own the house. They rent the ground.

McGinley: We've got several things. We have homeowners who own the house but are renting the property on a 99 year lease and there are homeowners who have purchased the property from the landlord. So we've got several types that can be moved out.

Bolkcom: The goal is to get people out. It's not to raise their houses up one foot above the hundred year flood plain. OK.

McGinley: The goal is to give them the opportunity to move out, rather than us force them. But some other things, and it sounds a little bit like a threat, but FEMA is now proposing, and probably will come up with, some new rules covering flood damaged homes. What they're saying is, if your home has been damaged twice in the flood and it equates out to roughly what the value of your home is, that you will no longer have flood insurance available to you. In fact for the County, they're saying that it would necessary for the County to insure buildings and bridges up to 80% for flood damage or the County would not be able for flood assistance.

Bolkcom: Questions from the Board on this resolution?

Lacina: I support having Jim be the contact person authorizing the Chair to sign the grant. One question I do have and you may have addressed it and I missed it. There will be some residual value in the homes. For example during the flood, or in some cases in the past the Amish community has been interested in lumber and would go in and recycle that. Can we recover any residual value in those properties toward our 15%?

Disaster Mitigation Team Member Brady Robbins: Yes you can. In the event that 15% or 25% from DED doesn't come through and the County's left with a 15% commitment, yes, you could apply that as an in kind match. I guess I want to call that an in kind. You could sell that and then use the proceeds from that to apply towards the 15%. Also if the 15% commitment from the County, and I'll provide Jim with an administrative plan, there's the option to have a cost share where the potential homeowners provide say 10%. Jim could provide 5% in in kind labor. That might be a possible option too. I understand the County doesn't want to put a lot of money forward in to seeing this happen.

Lacina: I'm not interested in really making money off of this. But if we can recycle the lumber instead of hauling it to the landfill (inaudible). Some of those houses that will not be the case where they've been flood damaged and there's dry rot and that. But if a couple of structures do have some pretty solid lumber and components in them.

Bolkcom: Other questions about the grant or the resolution?

Stutsman: One question I had... when you talk about these houses that are on this lease land, are there provisions to prevent that landowner from allowing somebody to build again on that?

McGinley: Yes. We've got the ability to twist arms here. They cannot fill in the land. Without filling in the land, they cannot build on it unless and there is a possible they could build if they built the house up high enough to be one foot above the Hundred Year Flood Plain.

Robbins: If I can clarify on that too a little bit, some of the homes in that area sit in what's designated as the flood plain Then there's also a smaller designation which is the flood way. The homes that we are targeting in this application sit in the flood way. Through FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program, that land is already deed restricted or prevented from future developments. I could see Jim's issue being a concern if we were to purchase 4 of the homes that sit in the flood plain. But for these 4 homes there would never be future development down there again.

Bolkcom: OK. Other questions?

Duffy: Jim, we what rank 3rd in amount of money that's refunded through FEMA that...

McGinley: The State of Iowa just recently, within the last month, has published information for all the counties throughout the state and it turns out that Johnson County received the 3rd highest quantity of dollars, actual dollars that have poured in to State to County government, not to individual homes. County government is in excess of $7,000,000. In addition to that since we've run DACS, Disaster Application Centers, 3 times already they calculated that the additional funds that would've come into Johnson County to service these organizations and other things that they've done. They've looked at the fact that we would be in excess of $18,000,000 in the last 9 years. But it also tells you something else. It says we're very flood prone and we have other disasters that could hit us. If we can get some of these folks out of there, we're going to be much better off.

Lacina: Part of it is the fact that we've had some wind storms and flood damage as opposed to Linn County that really didn't have that wind storm last damage. But the other component is you've been creative enough to go to the State and seek out grants and programs like this for the future to get us out future problems in the same areas.

Bolkcom: Item B.

Duffy: I think you've done a good job on this and we almost came in 2nd. Polk County was first I believe and then 2nd and 3rd...

McGinley: Polk County was first. Ames was 2nd.

Duffy: That's pretty good.

Bolkcom: Bob?

Welsh: Joe, I couldn't tell from what Jim said whether the application has been expanded beyond the 4 homes. I know at first you were talking about the 4 homes. Then there was consideration about...

McGinley: They have not been expanded. But since we could be getting DED funds I would suggest very strongly that we amend the application immediately to consider who's down there as having the opportunity if they desire to do it to move out.

Bolkcom: Everybody OK with that?

Jordahl: Yes.

Lacina: No.

Stutsman: No.

Lacina: 2 things. One I think we need to walk before we run. But the other thing in reference to the flood way as opposed to the flood plain, up on Stewart Road I think we should target all flood ways first before we take one area and say the flood way and flood plain. Let's get the most critical homes that are subject to damage. Which we've fairly well done up on Stewart Road, we've elevated those.

Bolkcom: Right. Everybody's moved their elevation up.

Lacina: But let's check with our flood maps and deal with the worst first.

Bolkcom: Worst first. Everybody OK with worst first.

Stutsman: Yes. Yes.

Jordahl: Worst first is OK. But I think we need to go beyond even what we're talking about here and talk about restrictions in the Zoning Ordinance against building in the flood plain at all.

Stutsman: The only concern I have is if we're all assuming we're getting this grant. If we don't get this grant what kind of dollars are we talking about from the County?

McGinley: I think I can tell you the grant is ours if we want it. Any resolutions that you pass, if you decide that you don't want it, just set the resolution aside.

Bolkcom: OK. Jim, keep an eye on this for us.

Lacina: Good work.

Bolkcom: Item b... Discussion resolution to authorize an application for FEMA and State of Iowa Mitigation Grant. We need sounds like a redundant item, is it?

McGinley: It is kind of redundant. But there are 3 different forms that we must fill out indicating that each one of these are covered here. The last one is you make a commitment for 25%. The one prior to that is that you authorize the application. The one prior to that is that you would pick myself or somebody else to be your representative.

Bolkcom: All right.

Jordahl: I'm still a little unclear what the answer was to this worst first question because if we say worst first for Stewart Road, we're saying other flood plain areas or other flood way areas. Does that then mean that the Board has agreed that we should look not only at these 4 homes in the flood way, but also at any other homes in the flood way in Johnson County? Is that what we said?

Bolkcom: I think that's what we're saying.

Jordahl: OK. Thank you.

Bolkcom: I think most of the people in Stewart Road aren't going anywhere because they've spent substantial money to raise their homes up off the Hundred Year Flood Plain.

Stutsman: I agree with Steve. I think that's what we need to address first and then go from there.

Lacina: There maybe some isolated... For example, up off of Ely Road in the reservoir area there's a house...

Stutsman: There's a lot of parking lots in Coralville.

Lacina: Well, there's another one. We've got some homes in flood areas we need to address county wide.

Bolkcom: Good. Is that clear now? Item C, we have another resolution to authorize the commitment to set up a local match for FEMA and State of Iowa Mitigation Grant. That's just a resolution setting up a match?

McGinley: Yes.

Lacina: One other thing we should point out, we're not forcing this on anybody. This is a volunteer program for those that wish. We're not going in and forcing people out of their homes for (inaudible).

Robbins: That's correct. Any time the County's uncomfortable the County has the option to withdrawal and step out too.

Bolkcom: All right, good. That's good to know. Any other business? Brady, thanks for being here. Jim, thanks for being here. I appreciate your work on this. Keep us updated.

Bolkcom: I want to jump to item 6 and do business from Director of SEATS because I think it's only going to take about a minute. It's a building lease agreement discussion. In the packet, Lisa summarized the situation. Lisa Dewey is here, Director of SEATS. Good morning.

SEATS Director Lisa Dewey: Good morning. Actually this will take 2 seconds. This is just a lease to extend our, actually it's a new lease for us to stay in the same building for 3 years. The master plan for that building after 3 years is they plan to tear it down. We will have to be moving after that. But it increases the lease amount by 3%. That's the only change to that lease.

Bolkcom: What's the current lease amount?

Dewey: 945. It goes up to 983, I think.

Lacina: What's your recommendation to us?

Dewey: To go with it. It gives us 3 years to find a new home.

Bolkcom: Questions?

Jordahl: Are we doing anything with decoration in there to change the rather somber...

Stutsman: What I would like to ask about is it says a 3% increase each consecutive year?

Dewey: Each year, which is pretty standard.

Stutsman: I don't quite understand why we have any kind of increase each year. I think it should just be...

Bolkcom: Let's negotiate.

Dewey: We could negotiate next year. My recommendation is go with this year because I have no place set to go.

Stutsman: I guess I would like to negotiate that.

Dewey: To negotiate next year.

Stutsman: Do we have any other lease agreements that build in a 3% increase every year?

Lacina: One thing we need to look at is the base cost.

Stutsman: Pardon me?

Lacina: One thing we need to look at is the base cost per foot.

Dewey: For the move.

Lacina: Say we move out of there... If we're in there cheap and space is 10 to 12 dollars a square foot, it maybe that this is a good buy in the long run. We can take a look.

Bolkcom: Sally?

Stutsman: My answer is who else could they get to move in there for 2 years?

Dewey: I don't know that they have anybody planned. I don't know that it would be a real issue. It might move their demolition plan up 2 years. I honestly don't know. The space needs hadn't addressed our area yet at all...

Stutsman: Not at all.

Dewey: ...because they didn't know we were up for lease. This gives me some time actually to look for another place and develop that move. That was the reason I recommend that we go with it. It gives me 3 years to find a new place. At 980 and then the 3% it's not that expensive. I don't know what the space costs are elsewhere. But I didn't find their cost that (inaudible).

Lacina: When we located down there it's expensive. That's one of the reasons we went to this site.

Dewey: It's close to where the vehicles are at this time.

Bolkcom: It's a good location.

Duffy: What is the cost per square foot now? 9 something?

Dewey: I have no idea.

Duffy: We looked at a lot of buildings. Actually it was a pretty good deal at the time.

Dewey: It's convenient. I find it very convenient to the location of the City Transit which is where we locate our vehicles. For right now, until we find what we're going to do with the vehicles and our office space, that's worth a few cents.

Bolkcom: Great. Thank you, Lisa.

Lacina: Thursday we'll take action?

Bolkcom: On for Thursday.

Stutsman: I don't know how the rest of the Board feels about it. But I guess we didn't include this 3% increase with our contract with the City so...

Dewey: Actually there are other things with the contract with City that will need to be discussed at some point in time (inaudible). So maybe we could address it at that time.

Stutsman: Do you want to do it for just one year? Or do you want to do it...

Dewey: We could do it for one year.

Stutsman: I'm comfortable for one year.

Duffy: (Inaudible), Sally.

Bolkcom: One year.

Duffy: I would support that too.

Lacina: The only dilemma you'll have is if at the end of one year they say fine we are moving the demolition up. You're out. That's why it's probably prudent to look at the price per square foot for the total contract. But again it'll be your decision as to what you want to do.

Stutsman: Could you get that information by Thursday?

Dewey: Price per square foot?

Stutsman: And 3% versus just keeping at a flat rate.

Jordahl: But it also gives a year for the Space Needs Committee to investigate the situation and see if they have a recommendation that might influence the subsequent contract negotiations too.

Stutsman: That's true too. If we do find space and SEATS is included in that do we want to be tied down to a 3 year lease?

Bolkcom: It's probably going to take us 3 years to get it together.

Stutsman: I'm optimistic. You're probably right. I hold out hope that we can move faster.

Jordahl: Sally's closer to the process.

Dewey: (inaudible) information before Thursday.

Bolkcom: Thank you, Lisa.

(Continued in Part 4)