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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013.10.02 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES (2) 1 October 02, 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 7:00 P.M. City Hall – Pledge to the Flag Mayor Woodland asked to be excused. Council President Mann acting Mayor welcomed everyone to the meeting. Carson Webb and Boy Scout Troop 817 led the Pledge to the Flag. Brook Spencer said the prayer. Roll Call of Council Members: Attending: Council President Mann, Council Member Benfield, Council Member Busby and Council Member Smith. Council Member Sutherland and Council Member Merrill asked to be excused. Council President Mann asked the boy scouts from troop 817 to introduce themselves. Their leader is Patrick Borne. Public Comment on non-controversial issues: not scheduled on the agenda (limit 3 minutes) - NONE Presentations: Legislative Tour reviewed by Council Member Donna Benfield. It was an awesome opportunity to invite 105 Idaho Legislators in Rexburg. About 50 attended the event to have tours Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of last week. The growth is wonderful; however, it does cause growing pains. These growth issues were discussed with the legislature attendees to help them make better decisions for Rexburg in Boise next year. She said Senator Hill, Idaho State Senate Pro-tem, wrote a complimentary letter of thanks to the Standard Journal Opinion Page. Representative Bedke, President of the House of Representatives, also wrote a letter of thanks received by the Chamber expressing his gratitude for the events, organization and activity level. It cost $50,000 to put on; $40,000 was given in cash with $10,000 in kind donations. Council Member Benfield said the high school, hospital, and general region tours were very impressive to the participants. Council Member 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 October 02, 2013 2 Smith continued to explain the good comments received from the participants about the Rexburg community. They were impressed with BYU-I and the shared resources offered by the University. It is a model which should be shared with other universities around the state. Council President Mann explained one of the legislators is on the state board of education and the model of using facilities of BYUI for as many events as possible is something the state universities need to be doing as well. The model should be taken to the state level. Committee Liaison Assignments for 2013: A. Council Member Christopher Mann: Golf Board · Emergency Services Board · MYAB Council President Mann reported The Golf Board did not meet because of the continued work on a new contract. Emergency Services has a presentation scheduled for tonight present by Fire Chief Corey Child. MYAB did not meet because of spud harvest schedule. B. Council Member Busby: GIS Oversight · Airport Board. Council Member Busby reported his committees have not met. C. Council Member Donna Benfield: Trails of Madison County · IBC · Teton Flood Museum Committee · M.E.P.I. Council Member Benfield reported the Trails Committee met to continue work on new trails. They are working to create grant submissions. D. Council Member Sally Smith: Legacy Flight Museum · Rexburg Arts Council (Romance Theatre & Tabernacle Civic Center, Orchestra) Council Member Smith reported her committees have not met. E. Council Member Jerry Merrill: Beautification Committee · Parks & Recreation · Traffic & Safety · Urban Renewal Agency Council Member Merrill was not present. F. Council Member Bruce Sutherland: Planning & Zoning · School Board · Police Council Member Sutherland was not present. Mayor’s Report: Public Hearings: – NONE Items for Consideration: A. Community Development Block Grant discussion for a Fire Station remodel at 26 North Center Street to an existing city fire station, and requesting the city to act as sponsor for the grant – Rick Miller from the Development Company and Fire Chief Corey Child. Fire Chief Child and Rick Miller from the Development Company reviewed the proposal on the overhead screen. The 2,100 calls per year are actual calls where the personnel leave the fire stations. About 500 of those are fire calls and the remaining are ambulance calls. The Fire Department building in Rexburg was built in 1977 with 80 employees. The Emergency Services Board is recommending a remodel to this building to keep the fire station central to the community. The proposal is to put a second story on the building for about $1,500,000. The extra space is needed for sleeping rooms, employee services, and training space. After going over some of the numbers on the slide, Chief Child stated he is requesting the city to be a sponsor for the state grant funds of $350,000. This is required for supervision only, not a request for funds. Urban Renewal has already pledged with a letter of intent for $784,000 for the ambulance and city portions of the remodel cost. 3 4 Council Member Busby asked for a projection on what threshold of population the city would need to require another fire house. Chief Child responded population is not the only factor; call volume, geography, and land use are factors. Commercial buildings greatly impact these decisions as well. Council Member Benfield asked what size could the building hold after the remodel. Chief Child responded an additional 20 employees might be possible at Station 1. The building is out of compliance with square footage requirements for sleeping quarters. Moral of the staff on this issue remains positive, even with the less than ideal conditions. Council Member Busby stated he appreciated all the effort the fire department puts into the community. The cost includes furnishings. Rick Miller reviewed the block grant proposal. The last two fire stations in the area to receive block grant funding were in Archer and Sugar City. The county does not qualify as a sponsor; however, the City of Rexburg does qualify as a sponsor. He asked the City Council to support and sponsor the project. Council Member Busby asked if the Madison County Commissioners and the Madison Fire District Commissioners are in favor of the project, Mr. Miller said they are in favor. Council President Mann asked what the likelihood of receiving the block grant would be. Mr. Miller explained Economic Development has a higher priority; however, Community Block Grants can still apply for up to $350,000. The proposal has a strong match as recommended by the state. If the grant is not approved; the request would be delayed a year. 5 Finance Officer Horner said the application was strongly supported by Urban Renewal. Fire Chief Child said the word public buildings are going to be added to their charter to allow their support. Council Member Smith moved to approve the request to have the City of Rexburg sponsor the Fire Station remodel at 26 North Center Street with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG); Council Member Busby seconded the motion; Council President Mann asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council President Mann None Council Member Benfield Council Member Smith Council Member Busby The motion carried. A public hearing will be needed to apply for the Community Development Block Grant. Next May of 2014 would be the target date for grant approval. Staff Reports: A. Public Works: – John Millar 1. SpeedConnect, LLC (Cell Tower Agreement) City Engineer Keith Davidson asked for approval of the new Cell Tower Agreement. The revenue is $1,500 per month for five years with 10 connects in other areas of the city. Council Member Busby moved to approve the cell tower agreement with SpeedConnect, LLC and authorizing the Mayor to sign the contract; Council Member Benfield seconded the motion; Council President Mann asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council President Mann None Council Member Benfield Council Member Smith Council Member Busby The motion carried. 2. Pedestrian Street Lights on College Avenue are underway. It is an eight week job. 3. Drinking water assessment from the Department of Environmental Quality (state fee (SDWA)) for $10,988.00 was discussed for the municipality of Rexburg. 6 Council Member Busby asked about a $4,000 charge for manhole surveying. Keith Davidson said the city surveyed manholes from KMART to Sugar City because it is reaching capacity and needed to know slopes which let them know more accurately how much capacity is remaining. 4. The current sewer line capacity survey for north Rexburg costs $4,000. 5. Curb, Gutter and Sidewalk construction on Yale Avenue is under construction. The storm drain line will be connected next year. 6. The snow equipment is ready to be used. There is some quick attachment equipment being installed. B. Finance Department – Richard Horner 1. 2014 Budget in Brief Finance Officer Horner reviewed the 2014 Budget in brief summary report. It will be emailed out with the utility billings. The summary report is available at City Hall. Copy of “Expenditures and Revenues- City Wide” from 2014 Budget in Brief Report. EXPENDITURES & REVENUES - CITYWIDE The accounts of the City are organized into funds. A fund is a group of related accounts used to control money that has been earmarked by the City Council or by State law for specific activities or objectives. About 82 percent of the City’s revenue is dedicated for a specific use. That means, for example, that the city may not raise water bills to pay for Recreation Programs. This also means that, of the City’s $51 million budget, most of the flexibility in spending occurs only with the City’s $9.1 million General Fund budget. EXPENSES Public Works The Public Works Departments account for 65.6 percent ($33.5 million, most of which is for capital projects) of the City’s total budget. This budget funds 38 full-time positions. The main tasks of Public Works include: offering safe transportation to residents by maintaining streets and pathways; offering high-quality drinking water to residents and visitors by managing the water and sewer systems in the city; collecting and disposing of garbage and recycling. Public Works includes the Sanitation, Water, Wastewater, Streets, Shop, and Engineering Departments. Administrative Departments The Administrative Departments account for 5.5 percent ($2.8 million) of the City’s total budget. This budget funds 22 full-time positions. The administrative departments include: Mayor & Council (the Council is part-time), Customer Service, Financial Management, Technology Coordination Services, Economic Development, Legal, Geographic Information Systems and Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board. Community Development The Community Development Department accounts for about 2.1 percent ($1.0 million) of the City’s total budget. This budget funds 6 full-time positions. Community Development services all planning, zoning, building permits, and inspections. Two positions were eliminated in 2012. Parks, Recreation, Golf and Arts Operations The Parks, Recreation, Golf and Arts Departments account for 6.9 percent ($3.5 million) of the City’s total budget. This budget funds 5 full-time Positions and includes some budget for construction of facilities. REVENUES Property tax is a major source of revenue for the City, but is only 24 percent of your property tax bill. For more information on property taxes, please see the section on the back page titled “Property Tax Break down and Comparisons.” Fund Balance Carryovers include 2.6 million in sewer bond proceeds that will be spent this year, and 4.8 million in water and sewer capital reserve funds that will all be spent on new water wells, 7 water line extensions, sewer treatment plant improvements, and sewer line extensions. These funds are invested safely until used. State Shared Revenue is money that comes from the State of Idaho as a share of sales tax, gas tax, and liquor tax. The City’s share is calculated on a different formula for each type of tax, using population, property valuations, and other factors. Fund Transfers/Subsidies are the transfers from one fund to another. For example, the Wastewater Capital Reserve Fund will transfer money to a particular construction fund to do a sewer project. Police, Fire, and Ambulance The Police, Fire and Ambulance Departments make up 20 percent ($10.2 million) of the City’s total budget. This budget funds full-time positions of 38 Police officers and staff, and 17 Fire and Ambulance personnel. Madison County Ambulance District and the Madison County Fire Protection District share in the funding of the Fire and Ambulance services, which provides some of the most efficient and effective funding of these services in the State of Idaho. C. Building Department – Val Christensen 1. Building Permit Report Community Development Director Christensen was not present. City Clerk Blair Kay handed out the report to City Council members. Discussion: D. Economic Development – Scott Johnson 1. Economic Development Report Economic Development Director Scott Johnson presented general business items. 1. The Business Competition event is coming up in November which will soon be regional. 2. A Rexburg based Prosthetics Company is growing. Kyle Kinghorn (Citius Composites, LLC, based in Rexburg, ID, is a manufacturing company offering a full line of services including design, analysis, prototyping and production of products made from advanced materials. Citius provides their products and services to various markets, including aftermarket sporting goods and consumer products. We take the time to understand our customer’s needs, then work to create a custom solution for that need. We pride ourselves on creating the right product at the right cost, all while doing it when it’s promised.) They are an advanced materials manufacturer located on 12th West. Mr. Kinhorn is connected to other local businesses. 3. Kyle Rawson has a Rexburg Company funded on Kickstarter going national with “Syphon Soundwrap” (The Soundwrap can change the way the world experiences action sports through music; and, the way the world experiences music through action sports; We've tested our prototypes with dozens of riders and athletes in all kinds of sports. Whether you're a snowboarder looking to put the Soundwrap in your 8 beanie, a motorcyclist looking to put it in your helmet, a cyclist, a runner, or whatever...The Syphon Soundwrap can change the way you experience action sports through music and change the way you experience music through action sports; The Soundwrap uses ultra thin and comfortable, high quality, patent-protected materials to provide high clarity, amazing sound; The Soundwrap is about 1/10 of an inch thin (3mm). In testing, one of the most common responses we received was "I forgot that it was even there!"; The sound quality is superb. Even riding a motorcycle with a straight pipe at 80mph, you'll be able to hear your music clearly over the noise of the engine. Wrap Around Sound for Your Head - This thin, soft, flexible sound system is so thin that you can't even feel that it's there. The Soundwrap is versatile and fits just about anywhere. If you're wearing something on your head and want to listen to music..it'll work!) 4. Another Rexburg business is Appible selling DigitalSkins™ (Appible’s new line of officially licensed wallpapers and themes – dubbed Digital Skins™ – connects brands and fans with many ways to personalize their own smartphones, computers, and gaming consoles. With 60+ brand partnerships and counting, Digital Skins are proving popular with brands and fans alike) It is for iPads, iPhones, and coverings for other business applications. They just landed a deal with Mossy Oak and Real Tree Camouflage. 5. Avantguard located in Ogden, Utah has a new Rexburg Branch – they are moving into a new building on Grand Loop off Trejo Street in December. (AvantGuard is an industry leader in providing third party alarm monitoring services for dealers in the security industry. Our central station monitoring facilities are UL listed, fully redundant, and geographically separated. Need to move accounts to AvantGuard? Our experienced staff is able to convert your existing account data base to our UL Listed Central Stations). 6. “Madison County Rural Planning Organization” is a new Rural Planning Organization working to coordinate and bring together other entities in Madison County including Sugar City, Rexburg, Madison County, ITD and BYU-Idaho. This is the first of its kind in Idaho. This entity will not make decisions; it’s for communication and tie-in opportunities. Elected officials will still have final choice. They are discussing transportation plans with Madison County, local cities and ITD. 7. The BYU-I Natural Gas project was completed including a cogeneration plant. Some extra natural gas was made available for Rexburg with the project. With the increase in Natural Gas opportunity, medium industrial companies will have ability to operate in the city. 8. Water mitigation is starting to look very positive for converting surface water into well water/aquifer use for the city while maintaining enough surface water for industrial and business use. 9. Broadband discussions are moving forward with interest from local providers. Andrew Michael Cohill, Ph.D. from “Design Nine” reviewed his scope of work on the Broadband Feasibility Study on the overhead screen. Region: Existing Fiber Legend Private Fiber Routes* CenturyLink Fairpoint IRON Silver Star Communications Syringa Zayo * Not all routes include all providers, but on some routes (e.g. up Route 20), some providers share strands on a single fiber cable. 9 Rexburg, Idaho: Proposed Fiber Legend Proposed Fiber CityFiber Health Facilities Fire and Rescue Schools Police Stations Government Facilities Study Areas 10 Rexburg, Idaho: Potential Wireless Links Project Summary “Project Total” estimates in this report include estimates of the costs in the categories described below. All of these activities and efforts are generally required to produce a working network. As noted in the previous section, some firms may provide cost estimates of only include two categories: Outside Plant Construction Materials and Outside Plant Construction Labor. And also as previously noted, even two estimates of just direct construction costs (materials and labor) may vary widely if one estimate includes drops and one estimate does not. ITEM/PROJECT Project Summary table shows the estimated costs for each area or wireless link. It also includes the estimated costs for shelter/cabinet and network equipment for each area or wireless link. CONTINGENCIES Contingency category is included and calculated as a percentage of the construction subtotal estimated cost (e.g. 10% of subtotal cost) to provide flexibility in managing the overall budget. Equipment costs can and do change between the time an estimate is made and construction commences. Labor costs can vary depending upon the time of year the work starts, the state of the local economy, and the state of the national economy. Rexburg Cost Estimate # ITEM/PROJECT Total 1 Downtown Rexburg $248,194.04 2 Rexburg Colocation Facility & Core Network Equipment $194,685.00 3 Residential Area Fiber Extension $1,110,331.36 4 Residential Area Shelter & Equipment $145,110.00 5 Business Park Fiber Extension $203,993.25 6 Business Park Shelter & Equipment $58,322.50 7 Hospital Area Fiber Extension $38,794.50 8 Hospital Shelter and Equipment $52,247.50 9 Construction Subtotal $2,051,678.15 10 Contingencies $205,167.82 11 Engineering, Project Management, Network Integration, Testing $410,335.63 12 Permitting Fees and Costs $102,583.91 13 Other Costs Subtotal $718,087.35 14 Project Total $2,769,765.50 11 Wireless Cost Estimate # ITEM/PROJECT Total 1 Sugar City to Teton, ID Wireless Link $162,650.00 2 Teton to Newdale, ID Wireless Link $88,075.00 3 Construction Subtotal $250,725.00 4 Contingencies $25,072.50 5 Engineering, Project Management, Network Integration, Testing $50,145.00 6 Permitting Fees and Costs $12,536.25 7 Other Costs Subtotal $87,753.75 8 Project Total $338,478.75 Council Member Busby asked how the City of Rexburg could get access to existing broadband services using the Hwy 20 Corridor. Economic Director Scott Johnson explained it depended on the players. The study is being paid by a four county grant to assist local providers. Discussion: Local providers do not have business models for Rexburg because of the small size of Rexburg in the larger markets. A shared broadband network with all providers would be less costly. 12 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 13 D. Second Reading: Those items which have been first read: – NONE E. Third Reading: Those items which have been second read: – NONE Consent Calendar: The consent calendar includes items which require formal City Council action, however they are typically routine or not of great controversy. Individual City Council members may ask if any specific item should 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 September 18, 2013 meetings B. Approve the City of Rexburg Bills Council Member Benfield moved to approve the Consent Calendar and pay the bills; Council Member Busby seconded the motion; Council President Mann asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council President Mann None Council Member Benfield Council Member Smith Council Member Busby The motion carried. Adjourned at 8:28 P.M. APPROVED: _______________________________ Council President Mann, Acting Mayor Attest: _______________________________ Blair D. Kay, City Clerk