Iowa City commission ends public phase, confirms consultant funding and three-month target for final report

At its last public meeting as an official body, the Iowa City commission confirmed that funds are available to pay a hired consultant and said the consultant’s work is expected to produce a final report in about three months.

The chair opened discussion of closing out “phase 4” and having commissioners who briefed the City Council summarize what happened there. A commissioner who attended the council presentation described it as “short and sweet” and said council members expressed support for releasing a final report and flexibility for the commission to finish the work despite not extending the commission’s official term.

City Manager (speaker 8) told the commission that the consultant timeline discussed by council was “three months-ish” and that the city has the funds to cover consultant costs. The manager added that after Jan. 1 the commission will not be an official city body but members would retain flexibility to meet informally and could use city meeting space if arrangements were made; the manager said the council would decide whether the commission presents its final report at a work session or a formal meeting.

A public commenter, Annie Tucker, urged commissioners to use existing local research and community groups as resources and to look at disaggregated data when documenting disparities. Tucker praised the commissioners’ work: “I’m really happy for you to have time together, just time as the whole body to talk together and percolate on the recommendations,” she said.

The commission invited Franklin Matanji, a University of Iowa researcher who volunteered to help draft the report, to introduce himself. Matanji said he recently completed a PhD and works as an associate research scientist in the university’s psychiatry department; he told commissioners he had not yet signed a contract and therefore could not confirm the exact timeline for his involvement.

Commissioners agreed to schedule standing meetings and to coordinate with the consultant once a contract is finalized so the group can meet the three-month expectation. Staff said they would continue to support commissioners with logistics and with locating outstanding materials mentioned during the meeting, including a university police study that one commissioner said has not yet been made available to the commission.

On a routine vote, the commission approved the Dec. 5 meeting minutes (motion moved by speaker 5 and seconded by speaker 6) and later moved to adjourn. The chair closed the meeting after members offered closing thanks to staff and one another.

Next steps: finalize and sign the consultant contract, begin regular working sessions with the consultant, and prepare to present the completed report to the mayor and City Council when it is ready.