Ames City Council will open up a discussion on the zoning ordinance clarifying the parking arrangements following the recent adoption of the vacation lodging ordinance.

There was a discrepancy in parking standards during the review of the rental code and vacation lodging ordinance, specifically stacked parking by a single-family home, according to the Council Action.

The clarification would provide parking requirements in the rental code and the zoning ordinance of the Ames municipal code, where all the regulations, city laws and codes can be found. The Council will discuss the proposed clarification and the options provided.

The Council will have options to approve on the first reading of the zoning ordinance, approve alternative language for the proposed ordinance or request for additional information and postpone the recommendation.

Additionally, the Council will discuss the second passage of the ordinance, which will regulate massage establishments. 

The ordinance would require managers of the businesses to be Iowa residents, designated in writing, given the responsibility to provide information and be compliant. The practitioners cannot provide massage services between midnight and 5 a.m. and are required to provide photo identification and licenses in plain sight, according to the drafted ordinance. 

This was discussed in November, in which the Council unanimously voted to approve the first passage of the ordinance. 

In addition to this, Ames must have a compliance review for Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in providing government services and is conducted by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) every five years. 

A resource, the Title VI Compliance Site Review Tool, was created and discussed with a representative of the DOT Civil Rights Team and must be submitted for approval. 

The Standard DOT Assurances, which would make Ames obligated to ensure its contractors will comply with Title VI, must be signed by the city. This is required by the DOT every five years or if there is a change in the Office of the Mayor. 

In order to do so, the Council must have a discussion of whether the tool and the Standard DOT Assurances should be approved as well as approve the appointment of Assistant City Manager Deb Schildroth as Title VI coordinator. The alternative for this decision is to disapprove the Title VI documents or the appointment of the Title VI coordinator. 

The Council’s meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the City Hall Chambers.