2 17 16 City Council Proceedings Official_SpecialCITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
SPECIAL SESSION
OFFICIAL
Council met in special session at 6:30 p.m. on February 17, 2016 in the Historic
Federal Building.
Present: Mayor Buol, Council Members Connors, Del Toro, Jones, Lynch, Resnick,
Rios; City Manager Michael Van Milligen
Mayor Buol read the call and stated this is a special session of the City Council called
for the purpose of discussing various City departmental Fiscal Year 2017 budgets.
PUBLIC HEARING
Upon motion the rules were suspended allowing anyone present to address the City
Council on the following item.
1. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY 2017 (Program Year 2016)
Annual Action Plan: Motion by Connors to receive and file the documents and conduct
the public hearing. Seconded by Lynch. Motion carried 7-0. Housing Assistance
Specialist Erica Haugen provided a slide presentation on the activities and budget of the
Community Block Grant Annual Action Plan. Ms. Haugen responded to questions from
the City Council related to marketing public awareness of the program, and
comparisons to other cities. Following the presentation, Joe Noll, President of the
Downtown Neighborhood Association and former member of the Safe Community Task
Force, expressed his thoughts on the perception of crime downtown, improvements the
city has made, landlord responsibilities and property maintenance and the City's rental
inspection process.
Upon motion the rules were reinstated limiting discussion to the City Council.
FISCAL YEAR 2017 DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET REVIEW
Fiscal Year 2017 City departmental budgets were presented by staff from the
following departments:
Housing & Community Development Department: Alvin Nash, Housing and
Community Development Director; Erica Haugen, Housing Assistance Specialist; Kim
Glaser, Lead Paint Assistant; and Ermina Soler, Circles Coach.
Parking Division: Tim Horsfield, Parking System Supervisor.
Transit Division: Candace Eudaley-Loebach, Transit Manager.
Economic Development Department: Maurice Jones, Economic Development
Director.
The City Council had discussion with the representative of each department following
their respective presentations.
Following the Housing and Community Development budget presentation, first-time
homebuyer Diana Robison, Circles Volunteer Joe Gonzales, and Circles Graduate Nia
Gleason provided testimonials; Washington Neighborhood leader Janice Cradieth
thanked the Housing staff.
Following the Transit Division budget presentation, Loras College Student Body
Representative Nick Utter spoke in support of the Night Rider Bus Route and what the
colleges/universities are doing to help fund it. Vice Chair of the Transit Advisory Board
R.R.S. Stewart spoke in support of the Night Rider Route and the requested budget
improvement packages. DuRide Director Greg Orwoll provide history and successes of
the DuRide program and thanked Council.
Following the Economic Development Department budget presentation, Arts and
Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission Member Kay Kluseman spoke in support of the
City's arts programs. Dean Boles, expressed his concerns about poverty in Dubuque.
Rick Dickinson, Executive Director of the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation,
addressed Mr. Boles' concerns and spoke of the relationship GDDC has with each
department that presented. David Schmitz, Dubuque Museum of Art Director, spoke in
support of the Economic Development Department and the impact of the arts on social
capital.
There being no further business, upon motion the City Council adjourned at 9:36 p.m.
/s/Kevin S. Firnstahl, CMC, City Clerk
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