Cedar Rapids Gazette: The Iowa City Council today will consider hiring a retail recruitment firm with an eye on filling vacancies around the city with new businesses. “It’s our hope that we’ll land retailers that will come into Iowa City and be new for all of us,” said Wendy Ford, the city’s economic development coordinator. If the resolution is approved, the city would award a $45,000 contract to the Birmingham, Ala.-based Retail Strategies.