Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013.05.21 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES (Drive-around) 1 May 01, 2013 Mayor Richard Woodland Council Members: Christopher Mann Jordan Busby Donna Benfield Jerry Merrill Bruce Sutherland Sally Smith City Staff: Stephen Zollinger – City Attorney Richard Horner – Finance Officer John Millar – Public Works Director Val Christensen – Community Development Director Scott Johnson – Economic Development Director Blair Kay – City Clerk 9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. City Hall Drive Around Attending: Council President Mann, Council Member Benfield, Council Member Smith, Council Member Sutherland, Council Member Merrill, Council Member Busby, and Mayor Woodland. 8:30 A.M. – City Hall (Economic Development – Scott Johnson) Lori Woodland presented a few slides on the purpose of “Envision Madison.” The goal of this project is to develop grass roots input from the public in order to plan future development scenarios for Rexburg and Madison County. The public will be offered options to choose from in subject matter such as transportation, agriculture, and areas for growth. Strategies will be set to determine the most effective way of implementing the overall vision of “Envision Madison” and the opinions offered by citizens. In so doing, the public will be involved in the expansion and betterment of the community which will impact each person’s future. Lori Woodland reported several important dates pertaining to the implementation of “Envision Madison”: June 18th: Elected Officials, 10:00 AM June 18th: Sugar Junior High School, 7:00 PM June 18th: Archer South Fork Elementary School, 7:00 PM June 19th: BYU-Idaho Taylor Building Overflow, 7:00 PM June 20th: Madison High School Foyer, 7:00 PM More information on “Envision Madison” can be accessed at: http://madisoneconomicpartners.org/pages/envision_welcome.php Council Member Smith moved to approve a $30,000 donation to “Envision Madison”; Council Member Merrill seconded the motion; Discussion: The funding could be spread over time to help with budgeting the donation. The funding could be used for implementation of the “Envision Madison” plan; Mayor Woodland asked for a vote: 35 North 1st East Rexburg, ID 83440 Phone: 208.359.3020 x2313 Fax: 208.359.3022 blairk@rexburg.org www.rexburg.org City Council Meeting (Drive-Around) May 01, 2013 2 Those voting aye Those voting nay Council President Mann None Council Member Benfield Council Member Smith Council Member Sutherland Council Member Merrill Council Member Busby The motion carried. 9:00 A.M. – City Hall Drive Around The City Council and Mayor Woodland accompanied by Public Works Director Millar and Community Development Director Christensen toured the following developments: A. The Towers Apartments Under Ground Garage at 333 West 6th South The Towers Apartments are designed with two levels of underground parking. The first parking level is accessed from the north off 6th South at street level. The second parking level is accessed from the east side of the building off the parking entryway. Completed facility is below on page 3. 3 The Towers Apartments: B. Mesa Falls Apartments street project at 940 South 5th West: This is the first building of a 17 building complex. The City Council toured the first building under construction which will have 24 units. 4 Mesa Falls Apartments: The build out will be 408 units on 20 acres of ground. In the future 20 additional acres will be developed. C. Mountain Lofts Apartments at 555 South 3rd West: City Council and Mayor Woodland reviewed the site which is under construction for two residential buildings with a build-out of 1072 residents. The project has 3 buildings, shown on the site plan as building 1 for female residents, building 2 for male residents, and building 3 as the parking structure. 5 D. Review Neighborhood Infill mapped locations The City Council and Mayor Woodland reviewed the mapped locations that are available for infill as they toured through the city. Some of the locations are in the talking stage for development; others have gone through some processes to begin an infill project with a zone change, etc. The area close to the University has been zoned to allow higher density which allows for the construction of four to five story buildings with underground parking. This allows students to walk to class without using a car to travel to campus. There is a noticeable difference in traffic patterns close to the University with a high percentage of parking stalls going unused during the day next to the BYU-I University Campus. E. North Point Apartments development located on the block between 1st and 2nd South just north of the University outdoor track facility is under construction. It will have a parking garage within the development. City Council and Mayor Woodland toured the five story structure along with Community Director Val Christensen. The underground parking structure will be under construction in the next few weeks. 6 This North Point Apartments development will have over 1,000 students. 7 11:15 A.M. – Smith Park (Greg McInnes) The City Council expressed appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the park’s staff to maintain the city’s parks. Parks Director Greg McInnes has spent countless hours fixing and repairing sprinkler systems and other lawn care equipment. His dedication to the maintenance of the parks has been the reason the city parks have greener grass with fewer weeds and debris. 11:30 A.M. – Madison Memorial Hospital at 450 East Main Street 8 City Council and Mayor Woodland stopped by the new birthing center at the hospital. They have scheduled an open house and ribbon cutting at 2:30 P.M. today for the public to attend. 12:00 P.M. – Seasons Medical Center at 37 South 2nd East (Richie Webb) City Council and Mayor Woodland were given a tour of the new Seasons Medical Center on South 2nd East by Richie Webb. The new Medical Offices complex will open at full occupancy later in June, 2013. The tenants will move from the building to the east of this new facility. The building being vacated by the doctors will be remodeled into office space. 12:30 P.M. – Municipal Golf Course at 28 Airport Road (Miniature Golf & Fence proposal) Duffy McFarland indicated the removal of trees along West Main Street have opened up the view of the Municipal Golf Course. They plan to relocate two large pine trees from the course to the first tee box to redirect the direction of the first tee box so golfers will hit their golf balls away from West Main Street. He recommended a chain link fence to separate the golf course and canal from West Main Street. 12:45 P.M. – Legacy Flight Museum (Tracker aircraft) at 293 Airport Road 1:00 P.M. – Lunch with Department Heads (Maximum 10 minutes each) to review major changes in the next 2-3 years for capital budget items, personnel, and department programs with City Council. Most departments were expecting minimal changes to capital requests from prior years; however, the Madison Fire Department expressed a need for some capital additions in the future. 9 Each Department Head spent a few minutes reviewing their department goals and proposing upcoming projects to help their departments meet the public’s services. The Madison Fire Department would like to add additional floor space (2nd story) to the fire department building on Center Street for training purposes. They train over 80 staff including (full time and paid call employees) on firefighting procedures. They are planning for a regional firefighting Training Tower in the future when funding is available. 2:30 P.M. Madison Memorial Hospital Ribbon Cutting at 450 East Main Street The tour included reviewing the hospital’s birthing addition earlier in the day. 3:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Brief Budget Session – Richard Horner Finance Officer Horner briefly reviewed the budgeting schedule for the upcoming budget meetings. Department Heads will start their budget review meetings May 13-17, 2013. Break: 7:00 P.M. City Hall – Pledge to the Flag Mayor Woodland welcomed everyone to the meeting. Roll Call of Council Members: Attending: Council President Mann, Council Member Benfield, Council Member Smith, Council Member Sutherland, Council Member Merrill, Council Member Busby, and Mayor Woodland. Evan Hansen from Boy Scout Troop 406 led the Pledge to the Flag. Dana Selk said the Prayer. Public Comment on non-controversial issues: not scheduled on the agenda (limit 3 minutes) – NONE Presentations: – NONE Committee Liaison Assignments for 2013: A. Council Member Christopher Mann: Golf Board · Emergency Services Board · MYAB 10 Council President Mann reported Emergency Services did not meet; however, Richard Horner and Christopher Mann did meet with the Emergency Services Board and discussed reconciliation of funding between the city, county, and fire district. A special audit will be performed in order to record how city and fire department funds are being allocated among those three entities. May 08 MYAB the Park to Park event will be held on this date where participants walk from Smith Park to Porter Park and join in a City clean-up. B. Council Member Jordan Busby: GIS Oversight · Airport Board Council Member Busby reported the Airport Board canceled their meeting. GIS is working on updated mapping for matters such as utilities. C. Council Member Donna Benfield: Trails of Madison County · IBC · Teton Flood Museum Committee · M.E.P.I. Council Member Benfield reported Trails of Madison County did meet to discuss new locations for bike trails including Poleline Road, Eagle Park, and Barney Dairy Road. The committee is also working on a possible hike up the Red Butte as part of the Centennial. D. Council Member Sally Smith: Legacy Flight Museum · Rexburg Arts Council (Romance Theatre & Tabernacle Civic Center, Orchestra) Council Member Smith reported the City Council met at the Legacy Flight Museum for a city tour today. Request: Bill Eckersell and Jerry Glenn are seeking approval for a monument at the Tabernacle. The Monument would be donated by the Upper Snake River Valley Chapter of the “Sons of the Utah Pioneers” (Bill Eckersell) and the Upper Valley Chapter of the “Historical Society” (Jerry Glenn) Roger Harris reported to the City Council the monument is similar to a monument in St. Anthony by the river where a tank is located. They want to put it between the north monument and the driveway. He did not have a picture of the proposed monument. The monument will be paid with funds from the Upper Snake River Valley Chapter of the “Sons of the Utah Pioneers” (Bill Eckersell) and the Upper Valley Chapter of the “Historical Society” (Jerry Glenn). Lighting of the monument may be the responsibility of the City if power lines need to be extended in order to provide means for lighting. Roger Harris proposed a possible solution to the parking issues at the Tabernacle. The public is concerned with an adjacent property posting signage restricting parking. The public is afraid they might get towed. He proposed diagonal parking on 1st North between Center Street and 1st West. E. Council Member Jerry Merrill: Beautification Committee · Parks & Recreation · Traffic & Safety · Urban Renewal Agency Council Member Merrill reported on the Beautifications Committees efforts to try to improve the look of the Hwy 20 interchanges. Parks are greening up and the Teton Dam Marathon race is coming up with registrations on the Rexburg web site: www.rexburg.org. Registration is up by about 20% this year. Another race is in the works, which will take place the morning of the 4th of July. A new truck will be the prize for anyone who beats the world record for the mile. Rexburg Rapids is coming on line at the end of May. Winter pool expenses were down from last year. Traffic and Safety is reviewing some street issues including striping Main Street. F. Council Member Bruce Sutherland: Planning & Zoning · School Board · Police Council Member Sutherland reported Planning and Zoning met with an item on tonight’s agenda. 11 Mayor’s Report: Mayor Woodland asked for new applicants to apply for the Planning and Zoning Committee to fill some vacancies. Discussion on the Building Department providing an update at each City Council meeting. Public Hearings: – NONE Items for Consideration: A. Rezone – Approximately 278 North 2nd West – Light Industrial (LI) to Medium Density Residential 2 (MDR2) On April 18, 2013 Planning and Zoning recommended to City Council approval of the rezone request. Mayor Woodland asked City Attorney Zollinger to present the proposal. City Attorney Zollinger reviewed the proposal on the overhead screen. Included in the proposal is to abandon a Railroad Crossing. The property to the west is zoned MDR2. Planning and Zoning unanimously recommended approval of the zone change proposal. Mrs. Terri Hepworth at 275 North 2nd West was concerned with the change due to a possible increase in traffic on North 2nd West. Included with the proposal is to move the sand shed out of this property over to the west by other city holdings. City Attorney Zollinger reviewed the railroad right-of-way locations on the overhead screen. It is unclear which railroad company owns the right-of-way. The goal is to have this land converted into a city park in the future. It could be part of an addition to the bike path. Future railroad discussions will follow this proposal. Discussion: Council Member Sutherland moved to approve the rezone at approximately 278 North 2nd West from Light Industrial (LI) to Medium Density Residential 2 (MDR2); Council Member Merrill seconded the motion; Discussion: Council President Mann asked why the city would not keep all of the land for future development. City Attorney Zollinger said it would be a high priced piece of property to turn into grass. The railroad may like to be part of this proposal to eliminate a future railroad crossing. A development to the west is requesting to straighten the canal along the north property line. This proposal would help with the movement of the canal to the north. Council 12 Member Busby asked what the city gains by moving the sand shed. Public Works Director Millar explained the sand is moved for mixing; so getting the sand shed close to the other city facilities would avoid moving the sand. City Attorney Zollinger explained how the city came into possession of the property. If the property is rezoned and sold, it would increase the value of the land to move the sand sheds and help improve the park system. Public Works Director Millar explained to help build a new road to the west property would be more costly than the value. Mayor Woodland asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Benfield Council Member Smith Council Member Sutherland Council President Mann Council Member Merrill Council Member Busby The motion carried. Staff Reports: Public Works: – John Millar Public Works Director Millar reviewed city projects. 1. The treatment plant project is on schedule. 2. 5th West is moving forward. The gas line problem has been resolved. 3. New street lights are lit on 2nd East. Finance Department: – Richard Horner 1. Financial Management Policy – Deferred Building Department: – Val Christensen 1. Madison Memorial short stay – Carriage Cove 2. Advante Guard is building their new building over by Trejo. 3. Many new plans are coming in at this time. New home construction is picking up. Spaces for affordable lots are filling up quickly. 4. One big project is the replacement of the heating plant at the University. There is no dollar amount on this project as of yet. Council President Mann reviewed some of the developments City Council toured today. Council Member Benfield said it was a very good day and she congratulated the Department Heads. Calendared Bills and Tabled Items: A. “LAND USE ACTION” – BILLS RECOMMENDED/APPROVED IN A LAND USE PUBLIC HEARING PROCEDURE: – NONE B. BILL Introduction: – NONE C. First Reading: Those items which are being introduced for first reading: – NONE D. Second Reading: Those items which have been first read: – NONE E. Third Reading: Those items which have been second read: 1. BILL 1102 Salary adjustment in 2014 for Mayor and City Council Mayor Woodland introduced the Bill for a third reading. Discussion: 13 Council Member Merrill reiterated that these positions are open to anyone who wishes to run for election; therefore, the salary needs to be commensurate with the time it takes to do the job. Council Member Merrill moved to consider BILL 1102 third read for salary adjustments in 2014 for the Mayor and City Council; Council Member Sutherland seconded the motion; Mayor Woodland asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council President Mann Council Member Benfield Council Member Smith Council Member Sutherland Council Member Merrill Council Member Busby The motion carried. Consent Calendar: The consent calendar includes items which require formal City Council action, however they are typically routine or not of great controversy. Individual Council members may ask that any specific item be removed from the consent calendar for discussion in greater detail. Explanatory information is included in the City Council’s agenda packet regarding these items. A. Minutes from April 17, 2013 meeting B. Approve the City of Rexburg Bills Discussion: Council President Mann moved to approve the Consent Calendar and pay the bills; Council Member Sutherland seconded the motion; Mayor Woodland asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council President Mann None Council Member Benfield Council Member Smith Council Member Sutherland Council Member Merrill Council Member Busby The motion carried. Adjourned: 8:00 P.M. APPROVED: _____________________________ Richard S. Woodland, Mayor Attest: ________________________________ Blair D. Kay, City Clerk