By Naomi Hofferber
The Iowa City City Council on Tuesday brought under first consideration a resolution that would allow abandoned bicycles in the city to be donated to the homeless and low-income youth in the community. The consideration passed, 7-0.
Currently, city code allows for impounded bicycles to be sold in public auction or donated to a nonprofit organization after 90 days. The new resolution would be a part of the Iowa City police community-outreach program.
The consideration has been on the council’s agenda for the last three meetings — it was postponed at the Jan. 18 and Feb. 7 meetings.
“This is an item that’s been on your agenda a couple of times — we wanted to make sure we had all our ducks in a row,” said Simon Andrew, the assistant to the city manager. “It allows us to hold back a small number of bicycles for this outreach program the Police Department would like to do.”
The outreach program also includes an initiative to have officers ride with low-income youth in the annual RAGBRAI event.
Typically, the abandoned bicycles are donated to the Iowa City Bike Library. This resolution would still allow for bike donation to the library, something Mayor Jim Throgmorton said the library was concerned about.
The Iowa City Bike Library was founded in 2004; it has bicycles that can be checked out. The library primarily relies on donated bicycles and offers checkout periods for up to six months.
Under council’s resolution, bicycles would also be refurbished before being donated to low-income youth and the homeless; the city would donate the parts, and labor would be donated to refurbish them in a collaboration Throgmorton called a “great cooperation.”
“We’ll be buying the lights and helmets and things of that nature, and they’ll be donating the labor to refurbish them,” Andrew said.
“Great idea, great project, great work, great collaboration,” City Councilor Rockne Cole said.
