1. Are you for or against the "One University Place" development project? Let me begin by saying that I believe St. Andrew has been a wonderful neighbor to our community and none of us like to see wonderful neighbors leave, so if the church decides stay I will be pleased.
If they do decide to move I do support the One University Place Project. This Smart Growth development with Leed Certification will provide a community center for our city and support a walkable, liveable community impression. The resizing of the two units, minimal impact on the ravines and the exit only on to Melrose have helped to alleviate many prior concerns of citizens. Traffic congestion will be reduced and safety will be improved at the Sunset and Melrose intersection.
The diversity of housing being offered by the development and the limited, but appropriate commercial establishments will enhance the attractiveness of our community and continue to make University Heights a sought after place to live. Most importantly our community will control the development of the St. Andrew property.
I am confident the new residents , the community center and the commercial establishments will all provide the spark to help our community members enjoy and appreciate these additions to our community.
2. What kind of development is appropriate at the St. Andrew church site?
We all know that the current development has evolved from a much different design than the original plans, as issues and concerns have been raised and addressed. I attended one of the original informational meetings several years ago without any idea of what was being proposed.
I also attended meetings as the comprehensive plan for our city was being developed. Environmental issues, appropriate setbacks and offsets, building materials, density, streetscaping , use of the topography and possible locations of any new developments within our city were among the items of concerns as the comprehensive plan evolved.
From those meetings and others my thinking on the proposed development began to evolve just as each of yours has. I have come to the conclusion that One University Place is an appropriate development for this site, based on all the considerations I have just mentioned.
When the comprehensive plan was rewritten, there was a strong expression for a need of a sense of community. It was felt a common gathering place was needed to foster that sense. I believe the community center can help provide that, which is why I have been a strong advocate for a center with any development we do.
I think the concept of the most appropriate development is still evolving in many of our minds as we obtain more information, but I am confident that we will continue to work towards the most optimum development for all of the current and new residents.3. Are you in favor of TIF financing for development at the St. Andrew church site?
I am generally opposed to TIF financing for most projects but do believe that each one needs to be looked at individually. I regard a TIF as an investment, with the necessary risks and rewards being evaluated as you would any investment. The basic principles of this specific TIF proposal, with no upfront payout to the developer and rebate payments, makes this TIF look more favorable than the ones being discussed in the local news in Coralville and Iowa City and minimizes the risks for our community.
I believe a detailed study of our long term City finances, which all of the candidates will discuss after the break, needs to be done before we make any TIF decision. Once this study of City finances is completed we will be better able to tell if we need to make a TIF like investment for our community’s long term fiscal stability. I think the study, which will take several months and will evaluate both historical data and most importantly future revenue and expense projections, will give us a pretty definitive answer on how we should proceed with or without a TIF.
4. Are you in favor of the City using the PUD process, development agreement, TIF and/or other means as a way to prevent ownership of the church property by a tax-exempt entity?
From my perspective this question has a very logical and straightforward answer. I do not think there should be a TIF agreement with Mr. Maxwell without a provision to forbid him from selling to a non tax paying entity. Our City Attorney, Steve Ballard has stated the TIF, PUD and developer’s agreement should all be tied together before we vote.
Since I have time left I want to begin addressing the next question about the financial condition of University Heights. I have concerns about our city’s financial condition but believe an indepth study of historical data and a look at what we might expect in the future must be done. To date, most of the studies have looked at the past data, then used that data to say the future will be similar and therefore we as a community will be okay. From my many years of experience putting together large budgets, I recognize how unreliable this type of backward looking analysis can be. I recently talked to the county assessor’s office and they told me that there was a 10% across the county property valuation increase in 2001 and 03, a 15 % across the county property valuation increase in 2005 and another 5% in 07 to catch up with the rapid increases in home values. There were no across the county increases in 09 or 11 as property values have stagnated and they see little improvement in the near future.
We have heard Iowa City officials say that their budgets are being impacted by reduced tax revenues in ways that they have not seen in decades. I called their finance director and he said they are very concerned about expanding their tax base. Iowa City and other communities are looking forward and not relying only on historical data to determine these impacts. We must do the same. If the Church says no to moving there is no space in the town for us to get a future Birkdale and/or Grandview.
Financially, we are probably okay for a couple of years as we still have local option sales tax and there are still some Grandview properties coming on board. I will talk more about this question in the next segment.
5. How do you view the financial condition of University Heights and how would you monitor and make adjustments in the future, if necessary? Do you think city services and city infrastructure are adequate in University Heights?
As a town we probably still have a year or two of financial cushion with additional Grandview revenues and Local Option Sales Tax money. However we need to immediately begin better management of our City finances. We cannot tolerate going two years without a monthly financial report, we must identify where the most effective cuts can be made and start doing that now, and we must effectively track those cuts to insure they stay in place. We need individuals on the City Council with solid financial backgrounds to understand the in-depth study of the budget and then to manage and track that budget. I believe the candidates who want to move University Heights forward have the most experience and expertise to do that.
I think our public safety is outstanding. We are fortunate to have a number of other services, such as trash removal, library, leaf pickup and the annual cleanup day. I am also excited about the types of potential services which could be offered in the community center in the future.
A major concern for me in current extra services offered is that increased charges from Iowa City for such things as the Library, Animal Shelter or the Senior Center will begin to force us to relook at the ability to continue to offer these services. I understand we have recently received a bill for the first time from Iowa City for the Animal Shelter and we can probably expect one for the Senior Center. If the church does not move there will need to be some tough decisions made about what services to retain. This will require a dialogue with citizens so that council members get sufficient input on the most desired services.
City infrastructure is aging with some items being over 50 years in existence. Past councils have done a good job of managing infrastructure. However, I think we will begin to see increased costs in this area. A five year plan for Capital Spending is badly needed as we begin to see a more rapid deterioration of our streets. It is important that we try to anticipate future problems and not be surprised by them. The five year plan would be a priority for council action in the next year. 6. What are your favorite things about University Heights?
I love to walk and being able to walk around these neighborhoods and stop and chat with many familiar faces adds a lot to the quality of life in University Heights.
I appreciate the spirit of Independence I see in many of the University Heights residents. We are the little town that can do it. I think we all can agree that we want our city to remain independent.
I certainly would encourage us to look at the Neighborhood Watch program. But I am most excited about what could occur with the proposed community center. We have so many talented residents in University Heights and I am confident that many of you would be able to offer programs of interest to other residents if we are able to provide an accessible gathering place. Yoga or exercise programs, card groups on a weekly basis, youth organizations, and just general socializing are a few of the many types of programs that community volunteers could offer. As I walk around and talk to my fellow citizens I find the potential of a community center to be a big desire for many of our residents. The proposed community center would allow us to offer this sense of community that is recommended in the comprehensive plan.
Finally, this is a safe and secure community with a lot of great residents who care about each other. I love that I can wake up in the morning and see that I have forgotten to close my garage door and yet be confident that nothing will be missing.
