The Senate had its bi-annual meeting with the Ames City Council to discuss transportation, housing, parking and student involvement in the climate action plan and the community.

In regard to transportation, the organizations focused primarily on issues involving CyRide.

Anna Hackbarth, a senior majoring in electrical engineering and a College of Engineering senator, raised concerns she has heard from international students regarding the frequency of CyRides on the weekends.

“The College of Engineering recently had a dean’s forum where we spoke with students of all different backgrounds, and one concern of our international students was the fact that CyRide was not as prevalent on the weekends, and they feel like there is a lack of routes going to Duff [Avenue] and east Ames,” Hackbarth said.

Mayor John Haila said the cost of adding a CyRide route nears $133,000, making funding extra CyRide routes a difficult task.

The Senate also raised questions about the accessibility of the orange and blue routes with the upcoming addition of Cytown.

According to Haila, the orange route is the most used public transportation, and they plan on keeping that route in the same area and easily accessible.

“Orange route is the most heavily trafficked, or used, route in the state of Iowa for public transport, even in Des Moines,” Haila said. “It’s got to stay in that same parking area because of the amount of traffic– residents would be very upset in Campustown.”

Ward 2 Rep. Tim Gartin also addressed the bike trail system in Ames, saying that they invested around $1.5 million into the trails.

“I’m very proud of the bike trail system we have in Ames,” Gartin said. “We spent approximately about a million and a half dollars a year on this. That’s comparable to what the city of Des Moines spends.”

Regarding housing, the groups focused on affordable housing, apartment safety and size regulations for large vehicles on residential roads.

The senate raised questions regarding the work done by the City Council to make apartments and housing more affordable for students.

Gartin discussed the lack of additions in the apartment market that have made rent prices increase.

“I’d like to focus more on apartments, which I think has more relevance to students,” Gartin said. “Five or six years ago, we had this meeting. We heard in-stereo concerns from students about double-digit increases in rent.”

Gartin said the city has not seen a new large multi-family apartment complex built for several years.

“I would anticipate that as the population of Ames continues to grow, the market will eventually see some greater supply, but I think it is in a nice place right now,” Gartin said. “The occupancy rates are at a healthier level.”

At-large Rep. Amber Corrieri also addressed affordable housing in Ames.

“The city is currently moving forward with some affordable housing in west Ames,” Corrieri said. “We have a development that we’ve been working on for a while, the Baker Subdivision, that will include both single-family and multi-family affordable housing for people at the 60% area of the median income limit, as well as some mixed market housing.”

The City Council is also looking at regulations for the size of large vehicles, including RVs and buses, and where they can be kept in Ames. The discussion focused on parking and violations in Ames, including their ordinances for certain weekends and towing in Ames.

The City Council has put ordinances into place raising parking violation fees or the likelihood of towing on prevalent weekends in Ames, such as Welcome Weekend or game day.

“We really don’t want to tow cars; we don’t want to collect big fines if we can avoid it,” Haila said. “It’s just more or less for the public safety and convenience and making sure everyone can enjoy their time celebrating.”

The senate and council members also discussed student involvement in Ames and how facilities, such as the new indoor pool, will benefit students.

“Students are residents,” said Ward 1 Rep. Gloria Betcher. “Unfortunately, when I ask students if they are residents, they usually say no.”

The council members encouraged students to get involved in the Ames community and utilize resources provided by the city.

Haila and Betcher also discussed that outside of resources available to Ames residents for recreation, there are also resources available for sustainability and recycling in Ames.

City Council and Student Government listed resources, including a can redemption center in west Ames, the annual Rummage RAMpage event and the resource recovery plant.

The council also addressed Ames’ long-term plan to address sustainability and climate issues.

“We are trying to determine what the next steps will be for us,” Betcher said. “We have taken recommendations from our consultants, and they have come up with what they are calling The Six Big Moves that Ames would have to make to reach that zero [emissions goal] by 2050.”

Senate Proceedings

Following the meeting with the Ames City Council, the Senate then met as a separate legislative body to vote on a series of bills impacting students.

The senate voted to allocate $1,387 to fund Cyclone Support, a website intended to consolidate student resources. The bill passed with a vote of 25-0.

Cyclone Support is a collaborative effort between Student Government, the Iowa State Daily and Student Affairs. The money provided for this project will help pay for a hosting fee and student workers. They are hoping that this website will be running by June 1.

“I will say that this is the culmination of the effort, not just on [Health and Wellness Committee] Director [Charlotte] Everist and myself, but all of our partners in this,” said Max Kueller, a senior majoring in software engineering and a College of Engineering senator. “So, the Iowa State Daily and Student Wellness–we have all come together to create something that I would say is really great.”

The senate also passed a bill granting funding for the Western Team for the one student competing in their national competition. They requested $315.25 to help pay for travel expenses to Lexington, Kentucky. This bill also passed unanimously with a vote of 25-0.

“We had a member of our club make it for nationals in Lexington, Kentucky, for ranch riding, and she will be competing in May,” said Emily Joenks, a senior majoring in agricultural and life sciences education as well as the treasurer for Western Club. “We’re requesting funding for transportation and for her $125 registration fee.”

The senate also saw a bill from SHOP Food Pantry requesting $156.59 to fund SHOP meal kits, which would be available to students free of charge when visiting SHOP. This bill passed with a vote of 25-0.

Next week

Next week, the senate is set to address:

• A bill requesting funding for the Puerto Rican Student Association to host a culture night.
• A bill requesting funding for the Men’s Rugby Club to travel to their final four competition April 15.
• A bill to renew its contract with the Lectures Committee after the bill has been amended due to a discrepancy. The Lecture Committee brings speakers to Iowa State to enhance the student learning experience, according to senate documents.

The Senate will also see a variety of bills looking to address the structure and internal proceedings of Student Government, including:

• A bill on whether or not to adopt their ASSET priorities for 2024-2025 allocations.
• A bill looking to edit the bylaws to reflect current compensation for their chief officers.
• A bill seeking to create proceedings for floor-based elections.
• A bill to adjust their Green Initiatives bylaws and requirements to match those on their website.
• A bill addressing Student Government’s bylaws to govern their committees and improve their operations.
• A bill looking to formalize their Student Government fee request process.