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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Minutes - November 21, 2018_unbound_unbound_exppdf 1 Mayor Jerry Merrill Council Members: Christopher Mann Jordan Busby Mikel Walker Tisha Flora Brad Wolfe Sally Smith City Staff: Stephen Zollinger – City Attorney Matt Nielson – Finance Officer Keith Davidson – Public Works Director Val Christensen – Community Development Director Scott Johnson – Economic Development Director Deborah Lovejoy – City Clerk 7:00 A.M. City Hall Council Member Busby said the prayer. Council Member Flora led the pledge. Roll Call of Council Members: Attending: Council Member Flora, Council Member Walker, Council Member Busby, Council Member Wolfe, and Mayor Merrill. Council Member Mann and Council President Smith asked to be excused. Public Comment: not scheduled on the agenda (limit 3 minutes); issues may be considered for discussion on a future agenda. Please keep comments on point and respectful. Presentations: 1. Introduce New Employee – Scott Miller Deputy Treasurer/Controller – Finance Dept. Scott Miller introduced himself to City Council. He started working for the city about three weeks ago. He worked for Amet for the past six years and before that in Salt Lake City, Utah for FranklinCovey. Mr. Miller said he has four children and enjoys living in Rexburg and being a part of the city. Committee Liaison Assignments for 2018: A. Council Member Mann: Golf Board · Emergency Services Board · Development Workshop Council Member Mann was unable to attend the meeting. B. Council Member Busby: Airport Board · Traffic & Safety · GIS Oversight Council Member Busby reported the Airport Board met, they are working on some maintenance at the airport. C. Council Member Walker: MYAB · Parks & Recreation · Trails of Madison County Council Member Walker reported the MYAB met last Wednesday, they are working on a “Sticker Shock” campaign that aims to curb underage holiday drinking. The sticker states the following, “Think Twice or Pay the Price! If you provide alcohol to minors, you could face up to $1,000 in fines and up to one year in jail”. 35 North 1st East Rexburg, ID 83440 Phone: 208.359.3020 x 2101 Fax: 208.359.3022 deborahl@rexburg.org www.rexburg.org City Council Minutes November 21, 2018 2 The youth put stickers on over 1,000 bags and assisted another group. They will meet again the first of December. Council Member Walker also reported the Recreation Department has started their winter recreation programs. The Parks Department will meet next week and the Trails of Madison County is still being organized. Council President Smith: Legacy Flight Museum · Beautification Committee · M.E.P.I. Council President Smith was unable to attend the meeting. D. Council Member Flora: School Board · Rexburg Arts Council/ Museum of Rexburg Council Member Flora reported the Rexburg’s Arts Council did not meet. She expressed her concerns about the different calendars on the city’s web-site. She would prefer one calendar for all city events instead of each city department having their own calendar. Mayor Merrill said he agrees with Council Member Flora’s concerns, he said the city is switching to a different web-site provider and hopes there is a way to have one calendar for all city sponsored events. Discussion regarding a calendared event with the wrong date on the Arts Department calendar. Council Member Flora reported the School Board did meet; however, Council Member Mann asked her to attend the Emergency Services Board meeting in his absence and both meetings were held at the same time. She decided to attend the Emergency Services Board meeting; they are working on creative ways to fund the Ambulance District. They currently have two groups of firefighters helping with the fires in California. The two groups are not fighting the fire; they are covering the fire stations so that the California firefighters can go fight the fires. The board discussed their budget and reviewed the profit obtained from going to fight forest fires. They are using some of that profit to try and boost up the Ambulance District fund because they are really behind with funds. E. Council Member Wolfe: Planning & Zoning/Building · Urban Renewal Agency · Police Council Member Wolfe reported Planning and Zoning met last week and the Commission selected Rory Kunz as the Planning and Zoning Chairman. The Urban Renewal Agency did not meet. Council Member Wolfe reported the Police Department met; however he was unable to attend the meeting. He did read the letter received from the City of Gilbert, Arizona expressing their appreciation for the City of Rexburg’s cooperation in an investigation they have been working on. Council Member Wolfe said he was able to attend a morning breakfast meeting with Police Chief Turman and Captain Randy Lewis to express his appreciation for all of the work Captain Lewis has performed over the years. Captain Lewis’s retirement party will be held on November 28th, from 2:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. at City Hall. Staff Reports: Public Works & Engineering: - Keith Davidson Public Works Director Davidson reported on the city’s street projects. At the 2nd East project the paving should be completed today and the truck doing the street striping should be here today. Once the paving and striping of the street is completed that section of 2nd East will be reopened. He said they have shut down the water reservoir project for the winter all of the walls were poured. They will come back in the spring to continue the work on the water reservoir. Public Works Director Davidson reported they are also preparing all of the measurements for the curb and gutter for next year’s Local Improvement District. Mayor Merrill explained the Public Works Department is working on the LID now so they can bid the work out in the spring. Council Member Wolfe indicated he would prefer to have all of the bids worked on during the winter before April. Council Member Busby asked if the other streets needing striping will be worked on after the striping is completed on 2nd East. Public Works Director Davidson said it depends on how much time the striping 3 company has available. The bike lane by World Gym needs to be repainted, when the street was resurfaced the bike lane was removed. Council Member Busby asked if there is a way to identify which street lights belong to the city and which ones belong to the power company. Public Works Director Davidson explained the Police Department monitors which lights are out and reports them to Public Works Administrative Assistant, Brandy Davis. She then reports them to Rocky Mountain Power or calls an electrician to repair the city’s street lights. Discussion regarding the street lights that are out on 1st South and 2nd East. Council Member Busby expressed his concerns with the crosswalks that have the blinking light signals. He said there are some pedestrians that immediately walk through the crosswalk when the signal lights are on without looking both ways for oncoming traffic. Council Member Busby said there are some icy spots left from the last snow fall. He wondered if the Street Department adds sand or gravel to those spots. Public Works Director Davidson explained the Police Department will call to notify them of the icy spots; however, they only sand at intersections. Council Member Flora asked if the LID will be introduced before or after Christmas. Mayor Merrill explained when an LID is introduced; the resident will not have to pay for their assessment until a year later or some cases longer than a year. Public Works Director Davidson said the initial costs of an LID are estimated costs. The actual costs are determined after the bid for the work is received and the work has been completed. Finance Officer Nielson said when the original Local Improvement District letters are sent out there is a reference to the city’s web-site regarding a Q&A about LID’s. The web-page has all of the different ways an LID can be financed. When the final LID bill is sent out the same information regarding how to pay for the LID is included plus a sample of the amount of money their utility bill will be if they decide to include the costs of the LID on their bill. Council Member Walker questioned how far south on the Yellowstone Highway is the city responsible for striping. Public Works Director Davidson said the city is responsible for striping of the road to where the last hotel is located. Mayor’s Report: Mayor Merrill reported he attended the Economic Development Conference in Boise. He attended the conference because he is interested in learning more about economic development. There are several values of attending a conference such as the workshops they offer and connecting with people. He met with a group out of Missoula, Montana called NewFields. The group does a lot of work around the intermountain west. One of their specialties is in Brownfields Development, assessment and remediation. Mayor Merrill said he mentioned the city’s ball field project on the old city dump. The group’s representative said he would stop by next time they drive through Rexburg. There might be a possibility for some brownfield grants. Mayor Merrill reported he attended a conference with City Building Official Stoddard regarding building codes. They specifically discussed energy codes and the reason for changing the codes. The main reason is life safety; however, they also change the codes to be able to help people with utility costs. Mayor Merrill said he has encouraged the city’s building inspectors to be a resource to the builders to help them do things right the first time and not just police them to try to catch them doing things wrong. Mayor Merrill reported on the Burn Fund that was established by Jerry Lee. Mr. Lee collects donations for the Burn Fund. The purpose of the fund is to help people that have lost their homes to a fire. Mr. Lee will deliver the funds to the families that have lost their home to help them pay for hotel costs or food. Mayor Merrill reported on the Regional Economic Development for Eastern Idaho organization. There was a change in leadership, the former Mayor of Ammon; Dana Kirkham has taken over as the CEO of the organization. She held a meeting in Pocatello with some of the 4 mayors and economic development representatives. The focus of the meeting was discussing how to try to bring all of the different economic development components together. For example, there are many economic development organizations and they all do different things to promote economic development. Ms. Kirkham is trying to organize each organization’s efforts and have REDI be the coordinator. She is also trying to figure out how REDI can help from a regional perspective to promote Eastern Idaho as a good place for businesses. Mayor Merrill said he believes she is on the right track and the city funds used to support REDI is money well spent. He encouraged the City Council Members to attend the next REDI meeting with him. Mayor Merrill reported on the City’s IT Steering Committee. The committee meets once a month to discuss the IT items that are working and those that are not working out. They also discuss current projects the IT Department is working on. Mayor Merrill commended IT Director Todd Smith for his efforts in keeping the city IT items organized and job well done. Public Hearings: Items for Consideration: A. Salary Study 2018 – Terri Hill & Matt Nielson Human Resources Director Hill thanked Mayor and City Council for all of their time and efforts working on the 2018 Salary Study. She also thanked the Research and Business Development Center for their work on the Salary Study. HR Director Hill reviewed the Scope of the Salary Study. She pointed out the broad scope that was used in this salary study such as: similar cities and the competition cities. HR Director Hill reviewed the Methodology of the study. She pointed out that the MIT Required Living Wage Study (2017) was used. She also reviewed the Criteria, Data Sources and Final Recommendation of the Salary Study. 5 6 7 Council Member Busby questioned when the positions were compared were they fundamentally the same and were the certifications compared. HR Director Hill stated it’s difficult to compare each position fundamentally the same. There were some positions more difficult to compare than others. The city’s Cultural Arts Director position is a unique position to Rexburg and to find a comparable is more difficult to find. They had to go out further from the market to compare the data. Council Member Busby questioned when the positions were compared if certain qualifications, certifications and degrees for each position were also compared. When there is a considerable amount of increase in salary, the city will need to consider those qualifications. HR Director Hill said some of the city’s job descriptions will need to be refined. Council Member Busby used the Police Department as an example; sometimes there are certifications that are earned which are as valuable as some degrees. Finance Officer Nielson explained the cost to approve the Salary Study Recommendations. The cost financially over the next year would cost the city $266,166. He said a budget adjustment is needed to move the fund from the Benefits Fund to the Wages Fund. Council Member Wolfe asked if there is another city fund that half of costs could be taken from. Finance Officer Nielson said there are funds available in the Contingency Fund and there is about $160,000 in the General Fund; however, not all of the positions are funded out of the General Fund. Council Member Wolfe expressed his concern with using most of the funds that were budgeted for the health/dental increases because there could be increases in the future. Finance Officer 8 Nielson explained if the funds are taken from the Contingency Fund then those funds will not be available for future projects. Council Member Flora expressed her appreciation for the Finance Department’s help with the Salary Study. It has been difficult for the City Council to make this decision because they feel responsible for the tax payer’s money. They also recognize the needed balance of moral for the city’s employees. She expressed her appreciation for all of the city employees. Council Member Flora moved to approve the adoption of 2018 Salary Study by the Rexburg Business and Development Center with help from the City’s Finance Department and Human Resources Department and the Budget Adjustment of $232.450. from the Benefits Fund to the Wages Fund; Council Member Wolfe seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Walker Council Member Busby Council Member Wolfe The motion carried Finance Officer Nielson reported on the investment side of the budget the city has about 25 million dollars in cash and investments. There is six million dollars that are considered next day cash in the Local Government Investment Pool and Collateralized Account with Zions. He said the Finance Department will be watching the city’s cash levels and at the end of the year, if there is over three million dollars in reserves. They will look to move a few million dollars into the managed accounts with Moreton and Zions. The city doesn’t really need that much money in cash reserve because it only gains slightly. The LGIP has been over 2% lately because the interest rates are going up quickly. He said normally there is a higher yield in the managed accounts. Finance Officer Nielson mentioned the Burn Out Fund is managed through the Employee Trust Fund. In the last two years the fund has brought in $4,100. and we have disbursed about $1,600. There is a reserve of about $2,500. Mr. Lee has donated most of the funds in the trust. The employees make the decision of how the funds are administered because the city is only in a fiduciary capacity. Finance Officer Nielson said Council Member Flora mentioned the calendar issues with the current web-site. The city is going to a new web-site program provider called Muni-Code. The Muni Code calendar was viewed on the overhead screen. Council Member Busby expressed his appreciation for all of the city employees. There will be lean times ahead and there may be a time where the Cost of Living cannot be approved. When these situations come, it doesn’t mean the City Council doesn’t appreciate the employees. Calendared Bills and Tabled Items: A. “LAND USE ACTION” – Bills Recommended/Approved in a Land Use Public Hearing Procedure (Recommend Suspension of the Rules): B. Second Reading: Those items which have been first read: None C. Third Reading: Those items which have been second read: 1. Ordinance No. 1199 – Rezone Steiner Ave City Block 6 to High Density Residential 1 (HDR1) – change zoning from Medium Density Residential 1 (MDR1), Medium Density Residential 2 (MDR2), and High Density Residential 1 (HDR1) to High Density Residential 1 (HDR1) ORDINANCE NO. 1199 Rezone Steiner Ave City Block 6 to High Density Residential 1 (HDR1) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING AND CHANGING THE ZONING MAP OF THE CITY OF REXBURG, IDAHO, AND PROVIDING THAT THE ZONED DESIGNATION OF THAT 9 CERTAIN PROPERTY HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED, SITUATED IN REXBURG, MADISON COUNTY, IDAHO, BE CHANGED AS HEREINAFTER DESIGNATED; AND PROVIDING WHEN THIS ORDINANCE SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE. Council Member Busby moved to third read Ordinance No. 1199 the Rezone at approximately Steiner Ave City Block 6 from Medium Density Residential 1 (MDR1), Medium Density Residential 2 (MDR2), and High Density Residential 1 (HDR1) to High Density Residential 1 (HDR1); Council Member Walker seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Walker Council Member Busby Council Member Wolfe The motion carried 2. Ordinance No. 1204 - Rezone Block 4 of Parker Addition (Cornell Ave) and Lot 2 and 3 of Princeton Court Subdivision to High Density Residential 2 (HDR2) – change zoning from Medium Density Residential 1 (MDR1) and Low Density Residential 2 (LDR2) to High Density Residential 2 (HDR2) ORDINANCE NO. 1204 Rezone Block 4 of Parker Addition and Lot 2 and 3 of Princeton Court Subdivision to High Density Residential 2 (HDR2) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING AND CHANGING THE ZONING MAP OF THE CITY OF REXBURG, IDAHO, AND PROVIDING THAT THE ZONED DESIGNATION OF THAT CERTAIN PROPERTY HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED, SITUATED IN REXBURG, MADISON COUNTY, IDAHO, BE CHANGED AS HEREINAFTER DESIGNATED; AND PROVIDING WHEN THIS ORDINANCE SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE. Council Member Wolfe moved to third read Ordinance No. 1204 the Rezone at approximately Block 4 of Parker Addition (Cornell Ave) and Lot 2 and 3 of Princeton Court Subdivision from Medium Density Residential 1 (MDR1) and Low Density Residential 2 (LDR2) to High Density Residential 2 (HDR2); Council Member Flora seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Walker Council Member Busby Council Member Wolfe The motion carried Mayor’s Business: Mayor Merrill asked City Council if they all plan to attend the City Council Meetings in December. Council Member Busby and Council Member Wolfe said they will not be able to attend the meeting on December 19th. Council Member Wolfe said he will also not be able to attend the January 2nd meeting. 10 Mayor Merrill mentioned he received a text message from Mark Kohler. Mr. Kohler is an attorney and accountant with an office above the Family Crisis Center. Mr. Kohler is also the son in law of Roger and Gwen Harris. He does consulting work around the country. He also does Podcast on how to start and organize a new business for free to local residents. Mr. Kohler mentioned in the text that the Family Crisis Center is thirty meals short for families needing Thanksgiving dinner. Mayor Merrill asked if anyone is able and willing to help with the shortage of these meals, they can take their donations to the Family Crisis Center or the office above the crisis center. Council Member Busby reminded everyone of the City’s Christmas Party on December 12th at 6:00 P.M. at the Legacy Flight Museum. He also mentioned the Kurt Bestor Concert on December 20th at the Madison High School. The concert is going to be excellent and 80% of ticket cost goes back to the Fine Arts student’s account the ticket was purchased from. 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 November 7, 2018 meeting B. Approve the City of Rexburg Bills Council Member Walker moved to approve the Consent Calendar containing the minutes and city bills; Council Member Busby seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Walker Council Member Busby Council Member Wolfe The motion carried Adjournment 8:08 P.M. APPROVED: ________________________________ Jerry Merrill, Mayor Attest: _____________________________ Marianna Gonzalez, Deputy City Clerk