SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 2, 2023
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/8/23
In this edition:
*August Leases
*Iowa City Zoning Changes
*Reynolds Breaking the Law
*Conflict of Interest
*Did You Know?
*August Leases
The August leases have begun, and people are pouring into our community. There are now lots of drivers, bikers, and pedestrians who are not completely certain where they are headed.
Please allow a little more time and a little more space. The newbies will figure things out in due time!
*Iowa City Zoning Changes
The Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission is about to consider some changes to the zoning code. This concerns me. The proposals are couched as possibly increasing affordable housing. I happen to believe affordable housing is important, but I do not think these code changes will help. They might even hurt. Below is my letter to the Iowa City staff, P&Z, and Council:
Dear Iowa City Planning Staff, Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission, and Iowa City Council:
My name is Rod Sullivan, and I am a 39-year resident of Iowa City. Nineteen months ago my family and I moved from the Court Hill neighborhood to the Northside neighborhood. I am writing to you today regarding the proposed changes to the Iowa City Zoning Code.
Please allow me to begin by stating that I am very glad we have a City Council that is committed to increasing the amount of affordable housing available in this community. That has not been the case for the majority of my time in this city, and I truly do appreciate the current status.
The proposed changes to the Zoning Code come to you with some commentary about affordable housing; this change “might” result in more affordable housing; this change “could” lead to more affordable housing. I want to challenge those assumptions.
Let’s begin by looking at some raw numbers. The Iowa City Housing Authority has a waiting list of almost 3,000 households. There are undoubtedly a few hundred households who do not even bother to apply. Let’s call this number 3,300 units.
Iowa City grows by about half a percent each year. That amounts to about 400 people. Assuming 2.5 people per household, that is another 160 units that need to be added each year just to keep up with demand. Added to the 3,300 units above, we are at 3,460 units needed.
I have heard numerous realtors claim that Johnson County is short “hundreds” of units. Let’s call that 500. Half of Johnson County’s population is in Iowa City, so let’s add 250 units to our number above. We are now at 3,710 units of housing needed, with 3,500 or more of that need for affordable housing. And remember, we need a few hundred more units every year just to keep up. We will not affect the current supply and demand imbalance with these changes.
The proposed changes to the Zoning Code will not create 3,500 affordable housing units. They simply will not. So we need to be very careful when we hear that these changes “could” or “might” make an impact. The odds are good that they will make virtually no impact at all.
If I may make an analogy: I could stand to lose a few pounds. I could go up and down my stairs an extra two times per day. I would burn a few more calories. It “could” or “might” make an impact on my weight. On the other hand, I could instead focus on things that are proven to help one lose weight. I would like to see Iowa City focus on the proven methods of creating and maintaining affordable housing.
What are the proven methods of creating and maintaining affordable housing? There are two – carrots and sticks. You can pay people to create affordable housing, you can require people to create affordable housing, or you can do both. I would urge you to do both.
Meanwhile, please do not consider these proposed Zoning changes as even a partial solution to our affordable housing crisis. They are not that, and they should not be sold as such.
Sincerely,
Rod Sullivan
*Reynolds Breaking the Law
Just a reminder – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds continues to break the law with impunity, every single day. What laws? Laws regarding public information. Laws regarding appointments to various Boards and Commissions. Laws regarding how certain funds can be spent. The list goes on and on.
Why does she do it? Because outside of Todd Dorman and Laura Belin, the people of Iowa continue to let her get away with it. It is shameful. We should be calling this out, and calling on it to end. Let’s file some lawsuits. Yes, she has a stacked Iowa Supreme Court that cares neither about Iowa’s laws nor Iowa’s people. But we can at least make some noise. We must.
*Conflict of Interest
Johnson County follows many “good government” laws and policies. One of these is conflict of interest.
A conflict of interest is present when a member of a governing entity could stand to benefit financially from her vote. This seems pretty clear cut, but trust me, various levels of government get it wrong all the time.
The biggest problem is that it is incumbent upon the board member to self-report. We have an Assistant County Attorney at every meeting, but if she or he is unaware of the potential conflict, there is nothing they can do.
There are penalties in Iowa law for failure to disclose a conflict. I am not aware of anyone in Johnson County ever falling subject to this, but I do believe there are a couple instances that have gone unreported.
I like to give an example from early in my career as a Supervisor, because it illustrates just how seriously this issue is taken by the County Attorney’s Office.
My sister and her family were living in a house in Sutliff. The Board of Supervisors was going to vote on a rezoning next door. I informed County Attorney J. Patrick White of the situation, thinking there was no conflict, but that I would err on the side of caution.
Pat advised me to abstain. I was a bit surprised, and so I asked why. Pat explained that what happens next door can affect the value of my sister’s property. And I could someday end up in possession of that property. So I should abstain.
In reality, a lot would have had to happen for me to get my hands on her property. It was very unrealistic. But it WAS within the realm of possibilities. So I took Pat’s advice and abstained.
Sometimes there is a 180-degree problem with conflict of interest laws. On some occasions, local governments have members who want to use abstention as a free pass. There is a dispute before them, and they don’t want to make anyone mad. (In other words, they don’t want to lose any votes.) It is actually against the law to misuse the conflict of interest law. Members of boards have an obligation to vote if they are present and no conflict exists. This is another rule that is rarely invoked.
All in all, I am very supportive of the strict interpretation of these rules. I am proud of the fact that Johnson County takes this matter seriously, and I hope you are, too!
*DID YOU KNOW? Conflict of Interest policies also apply to members of Boards and Commissions.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 4:07 PM
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