rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
February 28, 2014
Sullivan’s
Salvos 3/4/14
In this edition:
*Prairie Preview
*Crisis Center Pancake Breakfast
*Health Care Enrollment
*Planning and Zoning Stats
*Lake MacBride Development
*Lake MacBride History
*Did You Know?
*Prairie Preview
The
31st Annual Prairie Preview is Thursday, March 13 at Parkview
Church.
Doors
open at 6:30; at 7:30, Lon Drake and Judy Joyce will speak about small
conservation properties.
For
further info, contact Tammy Richardson at 338-7030 or info@jcht.org.
*Crisis Center Pancake Breakfast
Join
The Crisis Center on Saturday, March 8, from 7:00am to 1:00pm to enjoy
delicious pancakes and good company. We are partnering with Our Redeemer
Lutheran Church again this year for its annual pancake breakfast.
Tickets
are $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for children 10 & under. Tickets will be
sold at the door from 7:00 am to 12:45 pm on March 8. Tickets can also be
purchased in advance at the church, 319-338-5626, or at The Crisis Center,
319-351-2726.
*Health Care Enrollment
We are quickly reaching
the deadline (March 31) for households earning between 138% - 400% federal
poverty ($32,499 -$94,200) to enroll for healthcare subsidies! We need your
help to get the word out!
The Johnson County Healthcare Outreach Coalition is
hosting a Healthcare Enrollment Fair at the Iowa City Public Library on
Wednesday March 12, 5:30 – 8:30. Experts will be on hand to assist individuals
in enrolling for a healthcare plan that is just right for them. Please spread
the word!
*Planning and Zoning Stats
Supervisors
were recently treated to the Annual Report of the Planning and Zoning (P&Z)
Department. I always find these reports to be full of interesting information.
If you would like to take a look for yourself, see: http://www.johnson-county.com/dept_zoning.aspx?id=4839
Here
are a few of the interesting stats, along with my thoughts on the data:
*Johnson
County permitted 72 single-family homes in 2013 (up from 65 in 2012) worth an
average of $362,135 (up from $340,901 in ’12).
The
thing that really jumps out there is the average home price. It makes sense;
lots in the country are large and expensive, and there is great demand. When
folks get one of those lots, they are going to build an expensive home.
*153
acres were rezoned in 2013. About 100 of those acres went from Ag to
Residential; about 28 acres Residential to Ag. While this can be viewed as
concerning, all of the rezoning took place in the designated growth areas. So
the areas designated for farming remain.
*2013
saw 27 farmstead splits, totaling 95 acres – a 31% decrease from 2012.
Farmstead splits allow farms that existed prior to December 2001 to split off
one residential lot. Farmstead splits were negotiated in as a compromise
ordinance, ostensibly to allow a second generation to join in the family
farming operation. However many of the splits are simply sold off. Once every
pre-2001 farm has split off a lot, splits will cease.
*While
this is very difficult to determine, it appears our vacancy rate is at 24.5%.
Vacancy refers to the percentage of platted but unbuilt lots in the county.
There are several problems with this measure. For one, many of these unbuilt
lots are actually unbuildable. They can lack access, or be too small and/or
oddly shaped. In some cases, they are filled by septic systems. In still other
cases, our Sensitive Areas Ordinance protects them from being built upon.
Finally, often people own more than one lot just to protect their privacy. Many
folks own adjoining lots, with no intention of selling. Given all these
variables, there are likely far fewer than 24% of our lots available for sale.
*233
acres were annexed, up from 129 in 2012. This number is controlled by the
cities, not the county, and can vary wildly. Most of the 2013 total is due to
North Liberty annexing the future site of the new high school.
Please
let me know if you have questions regarding these (or any) Planning and Zoning
matters!
*Lake MacBride Development
Johnson
County recently approved a plat for an 8 home subdivision near Lake MacBride.
The staff had recommended approval, and both the P&Z Commission and Board
of Supervisors voted 5-0 for approval.
There
were some concerns from the public about this development. I would like to
address them here.
Zoning: The
land is already zoned Residential, and has been for years. It is also within
the county’s designated Growth Area. This is where growth is supposed to occur.
It is only ¾ mile from the City of Solon, and over 100 houses are already
within half a mile.
Water quality:
The land that will be developed is currently row cropped, and farmed using
“conventional” practices. Currently, a great deal of topsoil (and much Nitrogen
and Phosphorus) flows directly into the lake. Because Johnson County has a
strict Storm Water Management Ordinance, the quality of the water running into
the lake will be greatly improved, while the quantity of water will be greatly
reduced. This will actually improve the lake’s water quality. I didn’t make
this up… experts with years of experience in water quality agree. Science is on
our side here.
Animals: The
US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources both
reviewed the application, and neither saw any threat to wildlife. I didn’t make
this up… experts with years of experience in wildlife agree. Science is on our
side here.
Wells and
septic systems: Both the wells and septic systems have been reviewed, and both
comply with Johnson County’s standards. Because the developer will be using
shared wells and septic systems, both will have management agreements that
include testing and monitoring. This gives residents and their neighbors a MUCH
higher level of protection than one gets from individual systems. I didn’t make
this up… experts with years of experience in water quality and sanitation
agree. Science is on our side here.
I
sincerely believe that most of the trepidation that was voiced was from people
who harbored legitimate concerns. I appreciate their willingness to bring these
issues to our attention. I have no doubt that this development will be better
because of their actions.
Unfortunately, there are also a few NIMBYs whose complaints about
this development simply do not hold water (pun intended). These folks got their
piece of the pie, but do not want any others to follow. They claim to oppose
things on environmental grounds, even though their environmental qualifications
are less than nil. They often suck in folks with well-intentioned environmental
concerns who have not learned all the facts.
It is sad, but we frequently face this type of opposition. We set
very strict rules for development. When developers meet those standards, they
deserve to be able to build.
So
take what you read in the letters to the editor with a grain of salt. If
someone wants to challenge the way we do planning and zoning, I’d LOVE to
challenge that guy to a debate! Name the time and place. We’ll record it for
posterity.
There is much more to the story than you might see on Facebook. Please
do your homework. As always, feel free to contact me with questions regarding
issues of growth and development in Johnson County.
*Lake MacBride History
Since
I mentioned Lake MacBride, I thought it might be worthwhile to share a bit of
its history.
In
the 1930s, an effort to establish the wooded valleys of Mill and Jordan Creeks
as a state park was initiated by the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce (back when they
used to work with government) and J.N. "Ding" Darling, a noted Iowa
Conservationist. To raise funds to purchase additional land for the park, lots
were sold in the area. (Now the Cottage Reserve area.)
The
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed a number of facilities at Lake
MacBride in the 1930's including the beautiful stone shelter and beach
building.
In
June 1937 the park opened to the public. The name for the park was selected
from hundreds of contest entries. Thomas MacBride had a distinguished 40-year
career as professor of botany and President of the University of Iowa. He has
been called the "father" of conservation in Iowa. In 1895 he
addressed the members of the Iowa Academy of Science on the need to establish a
statewide system of "country" or "rural" parks.
In 1955, the lake
was enlarged. A portion of the park borders Coralville Lake, one of Iowa's
largest artificial lakes, constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
*DID YOU KNOW?
The lake itself in Lake MacBride State Park covers over 812 acres.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"Sullivan’s
Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a
brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages
come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the
whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.
If you do NOT
want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type
"unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know
anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail
me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always,
feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to
serving you!
---Rod
February 21, 2014
Sullivan’s
Salvos 2/25/14
In this edition:
*Congratulations Kevin Kinney!
*Congratulations Joe Lalla!
*Iowa City Charter Review Ideas
*School Weather Cancellations
*Bowl For Kids Sake
*Shelter House Used Book Sale
*Did You Know?
*Congratulations Kevin Kinney!
Congratulations
to Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Kevin Kinney on being named the
2013 Iowa Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.
Kevin
has spent 28 remarkable years with the Sheriff’s Office, including some very
high-profile cases. Kevin was the Detective who cracked the human trafficking
ring, broke up the big heroin ring, and arrested murderer Roger Bentley.
He
is not one to brag, but Kevin Kinney deserves this award. He is a true hero of
our community. Besides his detective work, Kinney has served several years on
the Clear Creek Amana School Board, and farms on the side.
In
addition to this award, Kevin has announced his attention to run for the Iowa
Senate in District 39, which includes western and southern Johnson County,
Washington County, and Keokuk County. Send him a check – he’s a great guy!
*Congratulations Joe Lalla!
Congratulations
to Captain Joe Lalla on his retirement from the Johnson County Sheriff’s
Office.
I
can honestly say that Joe is one of my very favorite people in County
government. Joe is funny, smart, hard working, and a straight shooter. He has
done GREAT work at the Sheriff’s Office, and he will be missed.
Congratulations,
Joe! Thanks for everything!
*Iowa City Charter Review Ideas
As
I mentioned in an earlier edition of Salvos, I applied to serve on the Iowa
City Charter Review Commission. This Commission makes recommendations on the
structure and function of Iowa City’s municipal government.
Just
as I suspected, I was not selected to serve. I will admit, I was surprised that
I was one of only 8 of the 26 applicants that received ZERO votes! I thought
I’d get one, maybe two votes. It is interesting; I got almost 42,000 votes in
both 2008 and 2012, yet I got ZERO here. Apparently the seven Iowa City
Councilors were not part of my 42,000!
In all sincerity, I think I had a lot to offer this Commission. I
spend more time “in the weeds” of the structure and function of local
governments than almost anyone I know. I live this stuff.
But this Council has always been extremely biased toward
reassuring the powerful interests in town, and they are not about to appoint a
commission that intends upon making any substantive changes.
Despite not getting the Commission nod, I still have several
changes I’d like to see. Here are a few of the major items:
1. Iowa City should maintain the size
of the Council at seven. Maintain a balance between At-Large councilors and
councilors representing Wards. (There should be either three or four Wards; no
more, no less.) A directly elected Mayor shall serve in one of the At-Large
seats.
Rationale: A Council smaller than
seven lacks representation; larger becomes unwieldy. A mix of At-Large and Ward
representation balances geographic diversity with the ability to elect the best
people regardless of where they live. While the Mayor holds no particular power
relative to other councilors, she/he is the face of the city, and should be
chosen by the people.
2. Only
Ward residents get to vote for candidates running to represent those Wards.
Rationale:
Voting in Iowa City has always been too confusing.
3. Eliminate
the Council Primary; instead, institute instant run off voting (IRV).
Rationale: How many times have we
seen a non-serious candidate gather enough signatures, thus forcing an
expensive primary? In addition, with IRV voters could exercise both their heads
and their hearts while voting. Often two similar candidates split the vote,
handing the election to a candidate that most voters wanted to finish last. IRV
allows your vote to be recorded in exactly such a way.
4. Put all
city offices on the general election ballots with governor and president. Stagger it so that the Mayor, an At-Large seat, and 2 Ward
seats are elected in Presidential years. Then elect 2 At-Large seats and a Ward
seat each Gubernatorial year.
Rationale: Turnout in municipal
elections is AWFUL. Turnout in Statewide elections is much better. If we want
people to vote, this is the way. It would also decrease costs.
5. The Iowa
City definition of "qualified"
electors flies in the face of Iowa’s Election Day voter registration law. This
must be changed to include all eligible voters.
Rationale:
I believe this is illegal, and should be challenged in court by the ACLU. It
would be easier and nicer if Iowa City simply fixed it.
6. Allow
for citizens to petition for elections in which they could hold votes of no
confidence in the City Manager, City Attorney and Chief of Police.
Rationale:
These positions have a tremendous impact on our civil rights, yet we have
virtually zero say in their employment. Right now, to fire a Police Chief, you
would need to elect 4 councilors who would vote to fire the City Manager unless
he decides to fire the Police Chief. It ain’t gonna happen. So why not allow
the public to weigh in? Even if the results were non-binding, the public should
be able to weigh in.
7. Petitions
should be able to address issues of state and federal law.
Rationale:
There is no compelling reason NOT to allow the public to speak its’ mind.
Requirements are already high (25% of the turnout of the last election, or
2,500 minimum). If enough eligible electors sign a petition, their issue should
be heard. Iowa City may not be able to do much about the issue, but at least
the City has not muted the voices of its’ citizens.
8. Increase
Council pay to at least $25,000 per year.
Rationale:
Under the current system, only two groups of people can really afford to serve
and serve well – wealthy folks and/or retired folks. By paying better, we could
attract a more diverse set of candidates. This would also allow some workers to
go part time and focus more energy on Council business. Councilors who really
objected to that level of compensation could always donate the pay to the
library, parks, or another worthy cause.
Those
are my thoughts for Iowa City. I promise to share them with the Commission and
the Council. What are your thoughts?
*School Weather Cancellations
I’m
sure parents throughout Johnson County are frustrated by the number of late
starts and cancelled days this school year. I understand this frustration, but
I hope you will cut our Superintendents some slack.
Deciding
to cancel school is a very inexact science. If Superintendents wait too late,
parents cannot adjust their plans. If Superintendents act too soon, they run
the risk of unnecessarily delaying/cancelling.
Trust
me, Superintendents do not relish this part of their jobs. They want your kids
to be safe. Please cut them some slack.
*Bowl For Kids Sake
We are once again Bowling For Kids’ Sake to raise money for Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County.
BBBS
is a great organization that helps hundreds of children across Johnson County.
Please consider making a pledge to this very worthy organization.
You
can donate online by visiting the BBBS website at: http://bbbsjc.kintera.org/
or, just come out and join us at 1:15 on Sunday, March 2nd at
Colonial Lanes.
*Shelter House Used Book Sale
Saturday,
March 1st 10:30 am - 4:30 pm. (Early Birds can arrive at 10:00 am
for a $10 entrance fee.) Also Sunday, March 2nd Noon - 4:00 pm. Both
days are held at Iowa City Marketplace (formerly Sycamore Mall) in the old Ben
Franklin Store.
There
are still plenty of opportunities to donate, sponsor, and volunteer. For more
info see: http://www.shelterhouseiowa.org/events/upcomingevents/tabid/59/vw/3/itemid/55/d/20140302/2014-Annual-Shelter-House-Used-Book-Sale.aspx.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Most of Iowa’s 99 counties now have at least minimal zoning. One
exception is Washington County, which adopted zoning in 2010 and rescinded it
in 2013.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"Sullivan’s
Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief
update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages
come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the
whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise
mentioned.
If you do NOT
want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type
"unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know
anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail
me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always,
feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to
serving you!
---Rod
February 14, 2014
Sullivan’s
Salvos 2/18/14
In this edition:
*City Fed Chili Supper
*Arc Chili Supper
*Voting In Schools, Part 2
*County Budget
*Legislative Forums
*Did You Know?
*City Fed Chili Supper
The
Iowa City Federation of Labor is holding its annual Chili Supper and awards on
Thursday, February 20 at 6 pm at the new City Fed office, 940 S Gilbert Court
in Iowa City.
I
love the City Fed Chili Supper. I only wish it was still opposite the Chamber
of Commerce banquet. Then elected officials would really have to follow the
lead of the old labor song, pick an event, and answer the question “Which Side
Are You On?”
Please
bring a side dish to share. Questions: Call Joe Marron at 319-400-6391.
*Arc Chili Supper
In
case you did not get your chili fix with the Labor folks, The ARC of Southeast
Iowa Chili Supper is Friday, February 21 from 5-7pm at River Community Church
in Iowa City.
*Voting In Schools, Part 2
I
am thrilled by the amount of feedback I received on the topic of voting in our
schools. EVERY person who responded agreed that the schools should remain as
polling places.
So
what do we do now? Even though there is no official proposal in front of the
ICCSD Board, we must not wait until a bad proposal is on the table. We MUST
write them and let them know how we feel!
Unfortunately, there does not seem to be an easy way to e-mail the
whole Board from their website. But the e-mail addresses can be determined from
the site - http://www.iowacityschools.org/pages/ICCSD/board/The_ICCSD_Board_of_Education_W/School_Board_Members
Please
write them! This issue is critical to our democracy!
*County Budget
The
public hearing for the FY15 Johnson County budget is Tuesday, February 25th at
6pm in the Boardroom at the County Administration Building.
This
has been an interesting budget year… we find ourselves looking to the future,
waiting for the other shoe to drop. The Iowa Legislature has hamstrung local
governments to such a degree that it is not a matter of “if”, but “when”.
In
the meantime, we are scrambling to get projects completed before we lose the
ability to do them at all. Repairs to the jail, a rebuilt Mehaffey Bridge and
Mehaffey Bridge Road, finishing 520th Street, and a new building to
replace the fire damaged Secondary Roads Building are a few of the highlights.
The
Conservation Board is using almost $1.5 million of the $20 million approved by
voters in 2008. There are very few new positions authorized, and all union
employees are in the final year of 6 separate three-year contracts. Cuts to
social services – while threatened – were not realized.
Johnson
County maintains a very strong Aa2 bond rating, and is projected to end the
year with a healthy fund balance. Tax rates in Johnson County rank right in the
middle among Iowa’s counties. All this despite the fact that TIFs in the County
make almost a BILLION dollars off limits to County taxation.
Meanwhile,
the budget process itself is very interesting. The budget is actually a series
of hundreds of smaller decisions. Some are 5-0 votes; others are 3-2. Every
Supervisor has things they want to fund that are not funded; every Supervisor
has things they would prefer not to fund that get in. Hundreds of decisions –
you win some, you lose some. The bottom line is, each Supervisor has had ample
opportunity for input.
A few years ago, two Supervisors abruptly voted against the budget
without warning. Had one more Sup done so, the budget would have failed to
pass, and the budget would have reverted to the previous year’s totals. This
would have truly been a disaster! It would have ended up costing us millions
over several years just to undo the damage.
Ever
since then, we make a point of discussing it. Several times each budget season,
we say aloud, “Is there anything in here that would cause any of you to vote
against the budget?” If the answer is yes, we will attempt to negotiate on that
point to arrive at a 5-0 vote.
I
liken it to playing pickup basketball where you call your own fouls. There is
always that guy who calls a foul every time he misses a shot. He drives you
crazy, but the rules are “respect the call”. If you get to the point where you
cannot “respect the call”, the game ends.
So,
there are compromises in this budget I dislike. But I am trying to “respect the
call”. There are also areas (such as maintaining the level of human services
funding) where I got what I wanted. You win some, you lose some.
That is how the sausage is made. Want to learn more? Attend the
public hearing on the 25th, visit our website at
www.johnson-county.com, or give me a call. It is your budget; I urge you to
take an interest.
*Legislative Forums
Now
that the Iowa Legislature is in session, Legislative forums are held the final
Saturday of each month. The League of Women Voters holds its longstanding
series at 9 am on those Saturdays. The Chamber of Commerce holds theirs at 8 am
those same days.
I
have two major gripes with the existing system. First, some background. Johnson
County is represented by three Senators – Democrats Bob Dvorsky and Joe
Bolkcom, and Republican Sandy Greiner. Johnson County is represented by 5
members of the House of Representatives – Democrats Mary Mascher, Vicki
Lensing, Dave Jacoby, and Sally Stutsman, and Republican Bobby Kauffman.
All
typically attend the Chamber event. Then Senator Greiner and Representative
Kauffman leave Johnson County. They refuse to attend the League events. So
their Johnson County constituents never get an opportunity to speak with them,
unless they happen to be Chamber members.
First,
I cannot believe how rude the GOP folks are toward the League and its’ members.
I think the League should make a much bigger deal out of the disrespectful way
they are treated. The League should be especially interested in spreading the
word to women who live in Washington, Keokuk, and Cedar Counties. Women in
those counties should be aware of the low regard in which female organizations
are held by these two elected officials.
While
Representative Kauffman’s father also chose to purposefully snub the League of
Women Voters, not ALL Republicans have always done so. Former GOP Senator David
Miller was a regular attendee when he represented southern Johnson County.
I
rarely agreed with Senator Miller on anything, but he will always have my
respect for showing up and addressing his constituents. He was far too right
wing for my tastes, but he was a stand up guy.
I
sincerely hope Senator Greiner and Representative Kauffman will put an end to
this childishness.
My
second gripe is with the Chamber events. These forums are only open to Chamber
members. Why? Why should our elected officials do private sessions with a
private membership organization? Why do this for the Chamber and not other
local groups? Why doesn’t Rotary get a members-only meeting? Or Farm Bureau? Or
Labor unions? What has this group done to merit special access that the rest of
the public lacks? Should elected officials really hold regular meetings with
only those who can pay for the privilege?
In
the interest of full disclosure, I am no fan of the direction the local Chamber
has taken. They have the exact same agenda as the Koch Brothers, and the
Chamber is hurting – yes, HURTING – the people in this community who need help.
The Chamber’s actions have turned me into a vocal Chamber critic, and I’ve been
pretty clear about that. But this has nothing to do with the fact that the
local Chamber hates the poor. This is about unequal access to government.
I
think our elected officials should demand that the Chamber open their forums to
the public. If not, our elected officials should not participate. Period. These
sessions should be public. The people deserve nothing less.
*DID YOU KNOW?
The Iowa City Federation of Labor (City Fed) is the local chapter of the
AFL-CIO.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"Sullivan’s
Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief
update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages
come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the
whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise
mentioned.
If you do NOT
want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type
"unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know
anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail
me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always,
feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to
serving you!
---Rod
February 7, 2014
Sullivan’s
Salvos 2/11/14
In this edition:
*Congrats CCA!
*Swisher Mayor
*Inclusionary Zoning
*Voting in Schools
*Bowl For Kids’ Sake
*Did You Know?
*Congrats CCA!
Congratulations
to Clear Creek Amana on passing a $48 million dollar bond issue. The City of
Tiffin is booming, and having a new elementary school there makes a lot of
sense.
Meanwhile,
a tip of the cap to all the folks (past and present) who have helped to manage
this fast-growing school district! You have done a remarkable job of handling
all these challenges! Be proud, CCA!
*Swisher Mayor
In
other electoral news, Chris Taylor was elected to the vacant Mayor’s position
in Swisher.
I
do not know Mr. Taylor, but I have some friends who think very highly of him. I
do know that he will need help!
There
is much discord in Swisher right now, and one person cannot fix it. Here is to
hoping that the people of Swisher step up to the challenge, get involved, and
smooth things out.
*Inclusionary Zoning and Johnson County
You
have heard me speak at length about inclusionary zoning. Inclusionary zoning is
an ordinance requiring that a set percentage of new housing be affordable.
No municipality in Johnson County currently has inclusionary
zoning, though it has been discussed for over 25 years. During that time frame,
most of the affordable housing clustered in 4-5 pockets throughout the metro
area. Meanwhile, new developments avoided building any affordable housing at
all.
Now we are in a housing crisis. The people who work here simply
cannot afford to live here. Those that have located affordable housing find
themselves all in the same couple neighborhoods.
The cities can go a long ways toward fixing this problem by simply
adopting inclusionary zoning. That will require that new affordable housing be
added to the market, and spread it wherever development takes place.
There is no cost to the cities; developers simply earn a bit less
on each development. Why cities cannot simply do this is beyond me.
While inclusionary zoning is very important for our cities, it is
not a good fit for Johnson County. “What’s that?” you say? How can it be good
for the cities but not the county?
This sounds like a cop out if you stop listening right there. But
the situation can easily be explained.
The
county Land Use Plan calls for the protection of agricultural land first and
foremost, followed by the protection of sensitive areas. Residential growth is
extremely limited and directed. Commercial and industrial development is even
more limited, and must specifically serve the surrounding area.
We
aren’t looking to do much housing, period. Rural housing only takes place in a
couple of cases. One is farms, which are allowed to “split” off one lot for
development, ostensibly to allow a child to return to the farm.
Another case where development is allowed is certain areas that
are already zoned. Purchasing development rights in those cases would be
incredibly cost prohibitive.
The final situation where development is allowed are the
designated “growth areas”. This exists to funnel development into a small area,
leaving the rest of the county to farms and natural areas.
So again, the county does not do much housing, period. Affordable
housing in the rural areas is the worst possible plan.
Affordable
housing does not work when it is isolated out in the county, away from public
transportation. (See Regency Mobile Home Park for an example.)
Affordable housing does not work when there is no public water
supply. (See Regency Mobile Home Park for an example.)
Affordable
housing does not work when there is no public sewer system. (See Regency Mobile
Home Park for an example.)
Affordable housing does not work when it is isolated out in the
county, away from fire and police protection. (See Regency Mobile Home Park for
an example.)
Those
four factors are critical to any successful affordable housing project. If you
lack any one of these things, affordable housing will not be successful. All
four factors are missing in rural Johnson County.
Johnson County does this zoning thing pretty darn well. If you do
not believe me, ask the experts at the UI Department of Urban and Regional
Planning. Johnson County is closer to the “best practices” in land use planning
than any county in Iowa.
Johnson County could have spent the last 25 encouraging rural
housing development. We have not done so, thereby leading to tremendous housing
growth where we want it – in Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin,
Solon, etc.
Johnson
County could have spent the last 25 encouraging rural commercial development.
We have not done so, thereby leading to tremendous commercial growth where we
want it – in Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin, Solon, etc.
Johnson County could have spent the last 25 encouraging rural
industrial development. We have not done so, thereby leading to solid
industrial growth where we want it – in Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty,
Tiffin, Solon, etc.
I’m
incredibly proud of the way we do land use planning in Johnson County. I stand
by it, and I stake my reputation on it. I will gladly discuss it with anyone at
any time.
Inclusionary
zoning? Yes, absolutely – in our cities. That is what makes sense.
*Voting in Schools
There
is a move afoot by some administrators in the ICCSD to prevent the Auditor’s
Office from using schools as polling places.
This
proposal makes me so angry I could scream! I hope the ICCSD Board does not buy
into this line of thinking. More importantly, I hope our Legislators step in
and prevent overzealous school administrators from unnecessarily harming our
democracy!
Why
is this so bad? Let me count the ways!
1.
This
is fear mongering, plain and simple. There are ZERO cases of voters harming
children at school on Election Day. Period. Pretending that this is a threat is
misleading at best. One could even argue that the increased number of adults
present makes the children safer!
2.
Administrators
do not own these buildings. The public does. How DARE a principal (who is just
putting in his 3 years until he can move to a newer building) tell a 50-year
resident of the neighborhood that it is not her building? Her kids went there.
Her taxes paid for it. It belongs to her!
3.
Taking
away school buildings will make elections more costly, and make voting more
difficult. Do we really want those outcomes?
4.
Election
Day is a PRICELESS educational opportunity! How can we expect to educate the next
generation of citizens unless we teach them what citizenship means?
I sincerely hope the ICCSD will do some sort of resolution
instructing their administrators to cooperate with the Auditor’s Office. If you
feel the same way, contact ICCSD Board members!
*Bowl For Kids’ Sake
We
are once again Bowling For Kids’ Sake to raise money for Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Johnson County.
BBBS
is a great organization that helps hundreds of children across Johnson County.
Please consider making a pledge to this very worthy organization.
You
can donate online by visiting the BBBS website at: http://bbbsjc.kintera.org/
or, just come out and join us at 1:15 on Sunday, March 2nd at
Colonial Lanes.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Inclusionary zoning is mandated by law for every city in New Jersey, and
has been since 1985.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"Sullivan’s
Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief
update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages
come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the
whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise
mentioned.
If you do NOT
want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type
"unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know
anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail
me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always,
feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to
serving you!
---Rod
|
