[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6206364,"mediaKeyId","3763379-0e00c886fd860f9850a16cc62dbd661b","parentId",3763379,"title","Meeting votes: minutes approved; meeting adjourned","audioSeconds",5289,"startMs",51000,"endMs",5340000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3763379-0e00c886fd860f9850a16cc62dbd661b&start=51&end=5340","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3763379-0e00c886fd860f9850a16cc62dbd661b/thumbnail_51000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6206364/Iowa-City/Johnson-County/Iowa/Meeting-votes-minutes-approved-meeting-adjourned","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6206364-6782983dcd56508dbebd54a6f70f9cb7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770908460&Signature=OIEhpfNajHVPBbSAv60KTfO06oixrgjOuvyKHfn~mJqGhLMswzhVkCEz3pJfQmZFjWO19FcbOyZDy1NvThjKA4NLk84B1Q2gzBW-6tjnACApaBZiIZS3x4ZJG5dC76LPgDkyY9~VLKVas8darUCfkl2gviVXk1y5o3WKhrJE5Xagfwp1HQdDwFTEFOvJCuYj5ZsFnDybCO2D9Jy73u0DIBpXLvt0P3dM2vaOQgCgI2PT2dXuwdZb-kP9u3iyHpH9FkZyt-xGVJDwcFBG9bfeYKoQdHxRimHbUYXZEb4Pdf7iuBQWSjbgRH8bEBwIxoPaxkRFmThqRHwo9hzrsgjfew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Iowa City","date","2025-06-06T00:00:00Z","article","The commission took two recorded procedural votes during the meeting:

• Approval of minutes (May 5): Commissioner Harrelson moved to approve the minutes; Commissioner Anderson seconded. The chair called the question and the motion passed (recorded as “Aye” in the minutes). The meeting packet shows no roll‑call tally of individual votes beyond the affirmative response recorded.

• Motion to adjourn: A commissioner moved to adjourn; Commissioner Shadi seconded. The chair called for the question and members responded “Aye”; the motion carried and the meeting adjourned.

No ordinances, resolutions, appointments or contractual awards were adopted during this session, and the body did not take any binding votes on policy items; several agenda items were informational or set for future action and staff will return in August with compiled prioritization scores for the climate actions plan.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Iowa City Climate Action Commission Meeting of June 2, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The commission approved the May 5 meeting minutes and later voted to adjourn. No other formal ordinances, contracts or resolutions were adopted at this session.","taxTitle","Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa","taxId",4187,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6206369,"Commission continues scoring of climate action items; staff flag solar partnership, net‑zero housing and municipal electrification",1247,4069000,5316000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3763379-0e00c886fd860f9850a16cc62dbd661b&start=4069&end=5316","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3763379-0e00c886fd860f9850a16cc62dbd661b/thumbnail_4069000.jpg","/articles/6206369/Iowa-City/Johnson-County/Iowa/Commission-continues-scoring-of-climate-action-items-staff-flag-solar-partnership-netzero-housing-and-municipal-electrification","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6206369-4d7b47f85141938942a7e43aa41965cd/orig.mp4?Expires=1770908460&Signature=SK3pcawwMq1Hxtabn~91bQgoQJDIdFNptkoKTeZ7nAQts6~548PGv8b6wsgKPEMmfKD3rWJoOBYPzb6zYKpy5Z9Teui5EDk~oqIauTetgJjNyNpzuPc20fOJxdmfIWrKn7BhEhhEaxysl9D0bEY5uZCsrm46A~9mgmIdS9zXs~mxJiIfLGDASnVTVUS4~DvbpV7rMnoZinuG53HPfbkd99pHWBk21-GqmAV8a-7fQhSnWYnRzbTDAJ~zRGXLrBpbN-3nZxLrwjFYKvS7xxK~C~ccn8TWY0Bg2PmIoCKuZ5jl6WEDYaYWZpgowYAJYpakiRfhJL4HNHiTY1vQfw2klw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Staff led the commission through the remaining items in the city’s Accelerating Iowa City’s Climate Actions Plan, asking commissioners to score and prioritize policy and project actions focused on buildings and municipal projects.

For building codes, staff described two related policy tracks: BCP‑1 (advocate for state adoption of advanced energy codes) and BCP‑2 (local adoption of aggressive energy codes). Staff noted that while municipalities in Iowa can technically adopt higher standards, recent state-level preemption of locally adopted building rules has made some cities reluctant, prompting staff to prioritize incentives as an alternative pathway. Commissioners were told the city has included energy‑code advocacy in its legislative priorities and staff requested commissioners assign a priority ranking to guide future work.

On municipal projects, staff described BPP‑1: pursuing a solar and/or battery storage partnership with MidAmerican Energy (and noted Eastern Iowa Light and Power as an alternate utility partner). The commission discussed that MidAmerican previously proposed a roughly five‑acre solar array near the waterworks park; that project was not installed in Iowa City and a similar capacity was placed in Hills. Commissioners asked about benefits and who would capture them; staff clarified that siting near the municipal water or wastewater plants has the advantage of colocating generation near high municipal electrical loads and could improve municipal energy profiles; commissioners suggested the water‑related load concentration and resilience benefits be highlighted in further discussions.

BPP‑2 would pursue a net‑zero public housing initiative. Staff said net‑zero is easier on new construction and noted existing partnerships (e.g., with Habitat for Humanity and local housing trusts) and incentive tools such as HERS incentive grants; several projects had recently applied for HERS ratings, staff said. Commissioners discussed whether the housing authority and the city should return to constructing city‑owned public housing to better achieve net‑zero outcomes, and staff noted a potential pathway is setting aside climate dollars for municipal net‑zero projects.

BPP‑3 covered municipal building efficiency and electrification; staff described ongoing LED retrofits, quarterly coordination with MidAmerican Energy on city projects, the public works building being cited by the U.S. Green Building Council as a high‑performing example and interest in adding EV charging at parks. Commissioners asked for clear, measurable municipal metrics — for example, municipal greenhouse gas inventory updates and metrics tied to energy savings — and staff said the city completes municipal greenhouse‑gas inventories and will use them to track progress.

BPP‑4 asked commissioners to consider advocating for state legislative changes to enable subscription‑based community solar. Staff reported two bills had been introduced in the legislature (one in each chamber) but did not reach a floor vote this session and suggested the commission might keep community solar on the legislative priorities list.

Staff said commissioners should return scoring sheets and that staff will compile scores and bring a prioritized list back in August; the commission will select one or two top items and attempt to attach measurable objectives in a later session.","Commission continued prioritization scoring for the city’s accelerating climate actions plan, discussing state energy codes, a potential solar/battery partnership, net‑zero public housing, municipal building electrification and community solar legislation.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6206374,"EPA mobile monitoring detected toluene at low levels; EPA found facility in compliance, city staff say",358,3698000,4056000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3763379-0e00c886fd860f9850a16cc62dbd661b&start=3698&end=4056","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3763379-0e00c886fd860f9850a16cc62dbd661b/thumbnail_3698000.jpg","/articles/6206374/Iowa-City/Johnson-County/Iowa/EPA-mobile-monitoring-detected-toluene-at-low-levels-EPA-found-facility-in-compliance-city-staff-say","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6206374-f164d54953cfd5b07b2d6b825226e9c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770908460&Signature=NUk4B5FtPS1N6Y7YAqYbosubeSRqBgcJ8CbWAtuAQJgt90cG1GegPNNCGZGNmxWdFwUrr3OwSCXKAUFQhVIy~F7aCMxI7dNxgG-D0qXHUhIFOMWyq979vdW3-asukUsALPr395VyNv2gYKqbX6UBirNXtNm~ZKa8q9QT7wD2Jmtu0BzcuR4x-2-rdiXvvbxb~rQ1FQZIWV5h5tRjbj3iVNrT~rZp-9-P0Japys34oi8J4TfJiIXh4Hb66D8D7aIY-mOZmcT5WLeJS07RRWGQhx18erBaKRIsdRBkXYOj24jGSrmf90zXE~KskorK6nw9JEuIK423F2V03MQ74xLF0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff updated the commission on air‑quality testing conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources after residents reported recurring odors in a neighborhood. Staff said the agencies deployed mobile sensors, drove sampling routes that included residential streets and a variety of times and did not preannounce the sampling schedule to avoid altering conditions.

According to the memo and the staff presentation, the EPA’s mobile sampling detected measurable levels of toluene — a volatile organic compound that can smell similar to acetone. Staff said EPA performed an unannounced follow‑up visit to the facility the sampling suggested as an emission source, reviewed documents and operations, and reported that the facility was operating within regulatory compliance. The staff presenter said the EPA did not recommend further enforcement action based on the sampling and follow‑up.

Staff emphasized the detection level reported in the memo was low in context and noted the difference between episodic detectable odors and concentrations that would require regulatory action. Staff also told commissioners that, in practical terms, a driver refueling a gasoline vehicle on a hot day will be exposed to higher concentrations of certain hydrocarbons than the levels detected in the EPA sampling, as a way to provide perspective on relative concentrations.

Commissioners asked whether the sampling had been compared to European exposure limits; staff said they had not done that comparison but could look into it. Staff said the EPA cited Center for Disease Control materials about toluene health effects in its report. Staff reiterated the purpose of the update was transparency and to inform the commission; no formal action or policy decision was requested of the commission in this agenda item.","City staff briefed the commission on EPA mobile sampling after resident odor complaints. The EPA identified detectable toluene, conducted an unannounced facility visit and found operations within compliance; no enforcement action was reported.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6206378,"Consultant outlines yearlong update to Iowa City comprehensive plan; public workshops running June 2–July 8",3466,194000,3660000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3763379-0e00c886fd860f9850a16cc62dbd661b&start=194&end=3660","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3763379-0e00c886fd860f9850a16cc62dbd661b/thumbnail_194000.jpg","/articles/6206378/Iowa-City/Johnson-County/Iowa/Consultant-outlines-yearlong-update-to-Iowa-City-comprehensive-plan-public-workshops-running-June-2July-8","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6206378-bcdbf87cceb4ee80ba605a3f59c74ca4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770908460&Signature=DcxR-rUNXQS7g-E8uukcKa5xcMYnaXKFv6b64CbjB8WqNxe3OLdy5IcasZYkWHLt-eB0EkOTFZog5cj2hu5Sy0--tRpsErF32fvSd2aqPOr5RZuY2O0gJsPA-rLmLbYiTO7htwi-uzBl-h5NycRm4nJKfqnZnH5upC4-Pi3WSw3IL7EA0CaPpSF8rejCWiO5AuZTNfDtoWXq~Xj-lqAVjW2jidK9iP1dJCyixPg~3O0E6ZTBhgOFZmIiy6V9ZsGKaJPQTfZ7opTxvl57oPH1-YQJF2A6sOb2wbzDNpfZxL-xZCkN3r-23iEbKQwoeZiBKM5GSpzOvCXdTpgsoAuPjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Christopher Shires, principal with Confluence, told the commission that Confluence and partner WSP have been hired by the city to update Iowa City’s comprehensive plan and expect a year‑long process that will extend into next May. He said public engagement is underway and that the project team has scheduled a series of public visioning workshops running June 2 through July 8 and additional outreach including a mapping survey and a statistically valid mailed survey conducted by ETC.

Shires said the plan update will follow five phases: analysis (complete), public engagement (underway), formulation of big ideas, drafting and then finalization for adoption by the planning commission and city council. He described the comprehensive plan as a nonbinding long‑range guidance document that typically has a roughly 10‑year shelf life and is used to help prioritize capital improvements, land‑use direction and other city investments.

In a summary of preliminary analysis, Shires said Iowa City has seen steady population growth and presented a mid‑range scenario that projects about 20,000 additional residents in roughly 25 years. Based on those assumptions and typical vacancy rates, the consultants estimated roughly 364 new housing units would be needed per year on average to meet projected demand — “about a new unit a day,” he said. Shires cautioned the estimate is one of several scenarios and depends on many factors.

Shires described Iowa City’s demographic profile as younger than the statewide average and highly educated: “about 96–97%” of adults have a high‑school diploma and “about 61%” have an advanced degree, he said. He also noted a wide income distribution driven in part by students and seniors. Employment data presented showed health care and social assistance and educational services among the largest employment sectors; the consultants estimated roughly 56,000 jobs in the city, about 38,000 people commuting in each workday, about 18,000 residents who both live and work in the city and roughly 14,000 who commute out.

Shires and staff reviewed housing‑type categories the plan will analyze — single‑family detached; single‑family attached or “missing middle” housing; and multifamily — and said early analysis suggests Iowa City may need more attached and multifamily product to serve growth and affordability needs. Several commissioners noted the city remains below the housing starts needed to meet demand and asked staff for recent building‑permit and residential development data; Anne Russet, senior planner, said the city recently published a 2024 residential development analysis and offered to share it with commissioners.

Commissioners and attendees raised a range of issues for the plan to consider, including preservation and proactive management of natural areas and tree canopy, climate resiliency, electrification and local energy generation, inclusive design and accessibility, walkability and “15‑minute city” concepts, and the need to align the plan with regional housing studies and neighboring jurisdictions. Shires said the team is drawing on multiple data sources (federal data and purchased datasets where required), will make background data and calculation spreadsheets available to the city, and intends the plan to be flexible so it can adapt to changes in state policy and funding tools.

Shires closed by pointing commissioners to the project website (linked in meeting materials), the mapping and standard surveys on the site, and the upcoming engagement events. He invited commissioners to send follow‑up questions and said two Confluence planners, Emily Rizvik and Corinne Sidebottom, will attend many engagement events.","Christopher Shires of Confluence summarized scope, schedule and early analysis for Iowa City’s comprehensive-plan update, highlighting projected population growth, housing demand and multiple public engagement opportunities this summer.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Meeting votes: minutes approved; meeting adjourned

Commission continues scoring of climate action items; staff flag solar partnership, net‑zero housing and municipal electrification

EPA mobile monitoring detected toluene at low levels; EPA found facility in compliance, city staff say

Consultant outlines yearlong update to Iowa City comprehensive plan; public workshops running June 2–July 8