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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Packet - 10/5/2026 THE CITY COUNCIL OF WATERLOO, IOWA WORK SESSION TO BE HELD AT Harold E. Getty Council Chambers Monday, October 5, 2026 4:50 PM RULES FOR WORK SESSION PUBLIC COMMENT Iowa Code Chapter 21 gives the public the right to attend council meetings, but it does not require cities to allow public participation except during public hearings.The city council shall not receive any public comment during a work session. Roll Call. Agenda, as proposed or amended. Approval of Minutes of the September 21, 2026, Council Work Session meeting as proposed or amended. Update from the Waterloo Public Library. 4:50 p.m. Submitted by: Robbin Degeratu, Library Director ADJOURNMENT Kelley Felchle City Clerk Page 1 of 17 Page 1 of 4 September 21, 2026 COUNCIL WORK SESSION Harold E. Getty Council Chambers Pre-Meeting Items Roll Call. Members present: Mayor Dave Boesen in the chair. Roll Call: Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Morrow, Ms. Creighton-Smith, Ms. Berry, Mr. Salamanca, Mr. Martin and Mr. Simon. Agenda, as proposed or amended. Simon/Martin that the agenda as proposed be approved. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes of the September 8, 2026, Council Work Session, as proposed or amended. Simon/Martin that the minutes of the September 8, 2026, Work Session, as proposed, be approved. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Work Session Items An ordinance amending the Planning, Programming, and Zoning Commission. Mayor Boesen shared that the purpose of the amendment is to eliminate voting liaison positions from the Planning and Zoning Commissions, and to reduce the number of members. He explained that the liaison positions are brought in by Human Rights, Community Development and the Waterloo Schools, and are not vetted by the mayor's office nor approved by the city council. He said if the commission wants to keep the liaisons, his recommendation would be that they are not voting members. Noel Anderson, Community Planning and Development Director, shared that this is what the majority of cities are doing and that it could work well for us. Ms. Creighton-Smith questioned if this proposed amendment has been shared with the three liaison members and that she does not understand the rationale for changing it. Noel Anderson commented that he had not yet shared this with them because he wanted to find out if this is the direction council would like to move forward with. He explained that Community Development and Human Rights also sit on the Technical Review Committee, so they are informed of all the actions on the Planning Commission, and still have input on those actions. They just would not have a person sitting on the Planning Commission. Mayor Boesen commented that the liaisons would remain on the board until the end of December 2026. Page 2 of 17 Page 2 of 4 Ms. Creighton-Smith questioned why the sudden change. Mr. Boesen explained that when this comes before council for a vote, any questions can be addressed at that time. Mr. Salamanca questioned why the commission has voting liaisons. Noel Anderson explained that the structure is a hold over to when some of the city's boards and commissions were independent, then under Mayor Rooff they were brought under the council's purview and are now recommending bodies to the council. Mr. Schmitt questioned if the liaisons were more apt to not attend the meetings. Noel Anderson commented that he was not sure. Ms. Berry questioned if the reason for the change is that there are too many commission members. Mayor Boesen shared the number of members that similar-sized cities have on their planning commission and said that the intent is to have a manageable-sized board where we are not going to experience issues having a quorum. Ms. Berry questioned if the liaison members bring a vast amount of experience. Noel Anderson explained that with the application process through the mayor's office, the intent is to have boards with a wide spectrum of different experience. Presentation from the Iowa Human Rights Commission and an ordinance amending the Human Rights Commission. Mayor Boesen provided an overview of the new law signed by Governor Reynolds and how we need to amend our ordinance. Missy Gearhart, Assistant Human Resource Director, introduced the Director of the State Civil Rights Office. Kristin Stiffler, Iowa Office of Civil Rights, 62 Park Avenue, Des Moines, provided an overview of the operations of the department. She shared that her team consists of 27 full-time employees and processes over 2300 complaints a year. They are nationally known for their legal expertise and the amount of work they do. Numerous attorneys work in their office, including the former assistant attorney general. She shared that they are a neutral, impartial and fact-driven agency. Their job is to look at the facts in a neutral capacity to determine if the facts meet the legal requirements required by law. They should also be known for the work their mediation team is able to accomplish. She explained how files are transferred to the state to help local jurisdictions balance their workload. Mayor Boesen asked her to speak about community education and outreach services provided by her office. Page 3 of 17 Page 3 of 4 Kristin Stiffler explained that part of their mission is their investigative portion, which is about 80 percent of their office, with the other 20 percent being education. She shared that the education outreach coordinator will be visiting Waterloo next month, to provide educational opportunities for the citizens to learn about the civil rights process and how to file a complaint with their office. Mr. Morrow questioned how long it takes for a case to be docketed within their office. Kristin Stiffler explained that federal docketing for EEOC complaints is 10-days to acknowledge receipt, for HUD it is less than 30-days, and the state requirement is 20-days. Ms. Creighton-Smith asked if this work session was also to discuss the proposed ordinance change. Creighton-Smith/Berry to take no action on the proposed amendments to the Human Rights ordinance. Roll call vote: Ayes: Three. Nays: Four (Schmitt, Morrow, Salamanca, and Simon). Motion failed. Mr. Salamanca questioned what other cities the state is working with in this type of manner. Kristin Stiffler provided an overview of the cities the state works with and those that can work directly with the federal government. Mayor Boesen clarified that the change to the commission is strictly a 2-year term with a six- year total and that there is no change to the current Human Rights Commission panel. Mr. Schmitt commented on his understanding of the issue and questioned whether, if we did not have a director, there would be the potential of having more cases resolved. Kristin Stiffler commented that the presence of a director is not something she could not really speak to. She shared that cities have the opportunity to get a faster resolution to their cases by engaging her office to assist with investigations. Based on the most updated data, the oldest case they had open with Waterloo was from 2011, and their files show that there were numerous aging files that did not allow justice to be served. Mr. Simon questioned if there was anything that we could do with a director that we could not do without a director, and if the case load that Waterloo presents is something that her office could handle successfully. Kristin Stiffler explained that they received an additional appropriation knowing that they would be dealing with an increase in the number of files that would be transferred. She shared that from March to June 30 of this year, they received over 85 files from local commissions; 13 requests were from Waterloo. She further shared that they are able to close out files quickly and always prioritize the oldest first to ensure justice is being served. Ms. Creighton-Smith asked if the bulk of the people chose to keep their cases in Waterloo and not be transferred to the state. Kristin Stiffler confirmed. ADJOURNMENT Page 4 of 17 Page 4 of 4 Simon/Salamanca that the council adjourn at 5:12 p.m. Voice vote-Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. ___________________________ Kelley Felchle City Clerk Page 5 of 17 2 0 2 6 ANNUAL REPORT Page 6 of 17 BY THE NUMBERS Physical Checkouts 160,881 Website Visits 186,108 Wi-Fi Use 23,386 Digital Checkouts 73,281 New Library Cards 3,588 In-Person Visits 164,549 Visitors/Day450 Computer Sessions 23,068 TOTAL LIBRARY CARD HOLDERS 49,380 Page 7 of 17 Program Attendance 18,820 Programs & Events Offered 647 35 Tech Upskilling Classes COMMUNITY IMPACT Community Events6 1294 Connections Made Page 8 of 17 Library Service Questions Answered 48,835 Notarizations 627 308 Public Meeting Room Reservations Reference Questions Answered 9,411 Adventure Passes Claimed 177 SERVICES THAT MATTER Traveling Tales Site Visits 200 Page 9 of 17 Completed strategic planning and established four three-year focus areas: community outreach & partnerships, funding stability, operations & infrastructure, and community awareness. Awarded a $50,000 Black Hawk County Gaming Association grant to support the purchase of new self-checkout machines, a new automated sorter, and new security gates for the Library. FY26 HIGHLIGHTS Cedar Valley Youth Reads was attended by hundreds of fifth graders who joined the Library at the West High School Auditorium to hear from author Kelly Yang about her middle grade series Front Desk. Achieved full WCAG accessibility compliance across the Library's digital presence (website, social media, digitized local history content) before the original April 24, 2026, deadline. Updated Express Book Collection to Trending Titles, featuring popular, classic, and screen-adapted books. Checkout period extended from 1 to 3 weeks based on patron feedback. Updated public Wifi to support Wifi 6 offering a potential speed increase of nearly 200% compared to our old hardware; it is more secure, faster, and more reliable. Page 10 of 17 LIBRARY LEADERSHIP MISSION A happy, connected, and empowered community. VISION We spark curiosity, enrich lives, and build community by ensuring resources, recreation, and expertise are accessible to everyone. CORE VALUES Access: We offer resources, services, and expertise in a safe, accessible place where everyone feels welcome. Community: We serve as a hub of engagement, education, and fun, where people gather, connect, and explore. Empowerment: We enable people to enrich their lives and strengthen their communities. Innovation: We embrace creativity and develop new approaches to meet community needs and shape a brighter future for everyone. Teamwork: We work together to build a stronger, more vibrant community. BOARD LEADERSHIP Cindy Wells, President Lynn LaGrone, Vice President Emily Hanson, Secretary John Berry Bailey Moore LIBRARY DIRECTOR Robbin Degeratu Page 11 of 17 Library Annual Report Presented by: Robbin Degeratu, Director October 5, 2026 Page 12 of 17 FY26 Annual Report Page 13 of 17 Tracking FY26 Library Usage ●In-person visits up 11% (16,573) from FY25 ●36,690 Waterloo residents had a library card as of June 30, 2026 (55% of the City’s population) ●Electronic borrowing (e-books, e-audiobooks, etc.) increased 5% over the year prior ●Physical borrowing dropped slightly (-2%) but has stabilized compared to years prior ●Attendance at programs was high, with an average of 29 attendees ●Reservable spaces were used by City Council, community groups, service organizations, labor unions, task forces, and more Page 14 of 17 Estimated dollars the public saved by using the Library in FY26 Physical Materials: $9,652,966 Electronic Resources: $847,473 Onsite Programs & Events: $233,185 Other Services: $499,573 $11.2 million Page 15 of 17 Market Research Survey Conducted in September 2026 1,310 Iowans Responded ●81% indicated that staffing and books/materials should be the top priorities for the library’s budget ●83% believe library budgets should be funded by city government –and just 5% disagreed ●Among current hours of operation, respondents were most likely to visit on Saturdays, followed by Sundays, then weekdays Page 16 of 17 Time for Questions & Discussion Robbin Degeratu, Director 319-291-4496 rdegeratu@waterloopubliclibrary.org waterloopubliclibrary.org Page 17 of 17