Iowa City Council candidates address financial issues at forum

Posted on Oct 21, 2009 by Gregg Hennigan.

With the economy continuing to sputter along, Iowa City Council candidates addressed financial issues at a forum Wednesday night.

The six candidates running in the Nov. 3 election offered their views on budget cuts and a controversial fee proposed for natural gas and electric customers, among other topics.

Four people are running for two at-large seats: Dan Tallon, Jeff Shipley, Susan Mims and Terry Dickens.

Mark McCallum and three-term incumbent Connie Champion are running for one seat in District B, which covers the city’s east side.

The proposed 2 percent fee on gas and electric customers is a hot-button issue right now. Although it’s scheduled to be voted on before the new council is seated, several audience-submitted questions at the forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, dealt with the matter.

Shipley and Tallon expressed outright opposition to the fee, saying it would hurt low-income people the most.

“This isn’t just bad policy, it’s unnecessary,” said Shipley, 21, a University of Iowa student who has suggested privatizing parking ramps and seeking voluntary funding as ways to generate revenue.

“I think public safety should be paid for in the budget first,” said Tallon, 20, also a UI student.

McCallum, 49, a real estate agent, said city departments, minus fire and police, should face 1 to 3 percent budget cuts. If, after that, a franchise fee is needed to pay for fire and police personnel, he’d support it.

“I think right now we’ve got the cart before the horse,” he said.

Mims and Dickens said they’d like to revisit the fee in a year if, as expected, it is approved.

“The budget will come back (from the economic downturn), and I think at that time we should look at reducing that fee,” said Dickens, 54, co-owner of Herteen & Stocker Jewelers.

Champion is for the fee, noting most of the money will be used to hire nine new firefighters and six police officers.

“I don’t see where in the city we can cut out 15 employees, and that’s what we’d have to do” without the fee, said Champion, 69, co-owner of Catherine’s clothing store.

On broader budget issues, Mims wants the city to develop a strategic plan to help guide budget decisions.

“Not having been on the council and not having worked for the city, I can’t sit here and tell you tonight what departments would be most vulnerable,” said Mims, 52, a financial planner with Heartland Investment Associates,