Government Notes: Iowa City businesses seek more collaboration in city decisions

Greater Iowa City Inc., the recently merged Johnson County economic development organization, is looking to foster collaboration and communication between the business community and Iowa City.

In a letter recently submitted to the Iowa City Council, feedback from the merger process made clear that business leaders are invested in the community and want their concerns to be represented in city decision-making.

  Buy Photo

The letter is signed by the organization’s president and chief executive officer, Nancy Bird, and its senior advocacy director, Mackenzie DeRoo.

They proposed that Iowa City invigorate the council’s Economic Development Committee to be more proactive. That would include more structured meetings, allowing a regular update from Greater Iowa City, and stronger communication between the council and the business community to pursue projects and anticipate problems, according to the letter.

The letter suggested Rachel Kilburg Varley, the city’s economic development coordinator, work from their office — in the MERGE coworking space — on a regular basis and work with Greater Iowa City Inc. on small business forums uniting council members and business leaders on local issues.

“Our goal is to create a more collaborative relationship between the city and business community, effectively communicate a business perspective to councilors, proactively pursue strategic economic development and increase predictability so business owners can focus on their employees, products and services rather than changing compliance requirements,” the letter states.

The Greater Iowa City officials committed to convening business leaders and invited further discussion on how to “create more effective systems to meet these goals.”

Job fair set for Cedar Rapids summer jobs

  Buy Photo

Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation staff are beginning to hire summer workers, with jobs available as lifeguards and in parks and golf courses and in youth and adult sports.

A Seasonal Job Fair will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Ellis Clubhouse and Event Center, 1401 Zika Ave. NW, for those interested in summer work. Also, people can see summer openings at CityofCR.com/jobs under the “seasonal openings” tab.

“I definitely encourage anyone that they want to work for an accredited, best-in-class department, come work for the City of Five Seasons, Cedar Rapids — the best organization,” Parks and Recreation Director Hashim Taylor said.

In 2021, the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department earned accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies and the National Recreation and Park Association.

Teague again elected Iowa City mayor

  Buy Photo

  Buy Photo

Bruce Teague was again elected mayor and council member Mazahir Salih was elected as mayor pro tem by the Iowa City Council at its first meeting of the year last Tuesday.

Both votes were unanimous. Their terms will continue until the first city council meeting in January 2026.

In Iowa City, the mayor and mayor pro tem are determined by the city council members.

Teague was first elected to council in a special election in 2018 and was elected mayor by the council in 2020 and again in 2022.

Salih was elected to the council in November 2017 and was elected as mayor pro tem in 2020, serving through 2021, when she left the council. She was again elected in November 2023, filling the remainder of council member’s Janice Weiner’s term after Weiner was elected to the Iowa Senate.

Linn Sustainability and Resiliency Committee members appointed

The Linn County Board of Supervisors last week appointed 10 members to the county Sustainability and Resiliency Committee.

Appointees are Emmanuel Billay, Grant Nordby, Jo Ann Beer, John Peloquin, Joshua Henik, Laura Barr, Rafaela (Rachel) Cadena, Tim Keegan, Tina Lenton and John Zakrasek.

The appointments will expire Dec. 31, 2025.

Zakrasek, of Cedar Rapids, told the supervisors he was concerned the sustainability director role was not being filled after Tamara Marcus, the previous director, resigned from the role.

Supervisor Louie Zumbach has suggested collaboration between Linn County and Cedar Rapids, which employs a sustainability manager, to scale back the county’s sustainability function.

“There’s little evidence of cooperation between Linn County and Cedar Rapids,” plus Cedar Rapids — Iowa’s second-largest city — holds little interest in rural residents and businesses, Zakrasek said.

Supervisor Ben Rogers told The Gazette the sustainability director’s position is in the proposed fiscal 2025 budget.

The county is waiting to start the hiring process until there is a full understanding of the county’s financial picture — particularly concerning impacts of the state’s reduced valuation growth cap and the U.S. Marshals Service potentially ending its contract with the jail to house federal inmates, he said.

Hiring for other county positions is on hold until then as well, Rogers said.

Iowa City to have free ‘repair’ event

IC Repair will be hosting its next repair event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 20 at the East Side Recycling Center, 2401 Scott Blvd. SE in Iowa City.

People with broken or worn items can bring them in and have them repaired for free, assuming the needed materials are on hand.

Lamps, clothing, toys, chair, and small appliances were some of the most common items fixed at last year’s events. Those interested can register online.

The volunteers, who have a wide range of skills, focus on teaching guests how to make their own repairs with the hope of instilling more confidence and curiosity in repair culture.

“Part of our goals is to shift people’s mindset to be more about repair and less about automatically throwing something away,” Jennifer New, one of the co-organizers, said in a statement.

IC Repair is organized by Transition Iowa City and co-sponsored by Iowa City ReStore, LENA Project, the city of Iowa City and the University of Iowa Office of Sustainability and the Environment.

Recycling for electronic cords, cellphones and batteries also will be available at this event at no cost for residents of Johnson County, Kalona, and Riverside.

The January repair event is the first of four the group will host in 2024, with others scheduled the third weekends in April, July and October.

Updates regarding specific repair experts and demonstrations will be posted on the IC Repair Facebook page: facebook.com/icrepaircafe. Questions can be sent to icrepaircafe@gmail.com.

Jones Park Lodge event promotes friendship

The Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation Department invites adults ages 55 and older to gather with friends, meet new ones and have coffee at the Jones Park Lodge, 2901 Fruitland Blvd. SW, from 1 to 3 p.m. Fridays from Jan. 19 through April 12.

Activities — including crossword puzzles, card games, board games and jigsaw puzzles — will be available on a drop-in basis for $5 per visit.

Jones Lodge is accessed via Fruitland Boulevard, not the park road through Jones Park. For more information, visit the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department’s website, CRREC.org, or call (319) 286-5566.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. Gazette reporters Marissa Payne and Grace King contribute.