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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Minutes - July 01, 2020 Mayor Jerry Merrill Council Members: Christopher Mann Jordan Busby Mikel Walker Tisha Flora Brad Wolfe Bryanna Johnson City Staff: Stephen Zollinger – City Attorney Matt Nielson – Finance Officer Keith Davidson – Public Works Director Alan Parkinson – Planning & Zoning Administrator Scott Johnson – Economic Development Director Deborah Lovejoy – City Clerk 6:30 P.M. City Hall Council Member Flora said the prayer. Council President Busby led the pledge. Roll Call of Council Members: Attending: Council Member Flora, Council Member Johnson, Council Member Mann, Council Member Walker, Council Member Wolfe, Council President Busby and Mayor Merrill. 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. Mayor Merrill mentioned there has been an increase of Covid-19 cases in Idaho and other states. The state of Arizona is seeking assistance from medical personnel in other states because of the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in their state. The city is hosting the Fourth of July Parade and rodeo. The city’s main goal is to avoid the increase of Covid-19 cases by following social distancing guidelines and wearing face masks. Currently, City Council doesn’t plan to pass a city ordinance requiring citizens to wear a face mask. He is asking the citizens of Rexburg to be conscientious of their own health and the health of others by wearing a face mask. There were zero cases of Covid-19 in the last nine days; however, within the last 48 hours there has been six new cases reported in Rexburg. He said out of those six new cases none of the people have required hospitalization. Lynn Hall expressed his gratitude to City Council and Mayor for their consideration regarding precautions put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19. He is grateful the Fourth of July will be celebrated in Rexburg. Mayor Merrill mentioned the wearing of face masks has become a political issue. He believes masks should be worn when needed and not based on which political party one affiliates with. We shouldn’t be passing judgement on people who wear and don’t wear a face mask. He said common sense should be used when and where to use a face mask to contribute to the wellbeing of the community. Introduction of New Employees: Noah Lewis – Police: Oath of Office – City Attorney Stephen Zollinger Mayor Merrill asked City Attorney Zollinger to administer the Oath of Office to Noah Lewis. City Attorney Zollinger administered the Oath of Office to Noah Lewis. OATH OF OFFICE I, Noah Lewis, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution and Laws of the State of Idaho, that I will endeavor to enforce these laws to the best of my abilities, and that I will faithfully discharge all of the duties assigned or requested of me in my capacity as a reserve law enforcement officer for the City of Rexburg.    _________________ Noah Lewis    Subscribed and sworn to before me this 1st day of July, 2020.    _____________________ Stephen Zollinger Rexburg City Attorney Mayor Merrill asked Rexburg Police Officer Noah Lewis to introduce himself. Noah Lewis said he was born and raised in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He graduated from Hillcrest High School in the year 2015. He decided to serve in law enforcement because several of his family members were serving in law enforcement. He served with Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for two years before coming to work for the city. He introduced his wife and daughter. Staff Reports: Community Development: - Bret Stoddard Building Official Stoddard reviewed the Building Valuation Report for the month of June. / / Building Official Stoddard mentioned he created a report using the valuation reports from January 1st through June 30th 2019 and then using the same dates to create a report for this year. When comparing the valuation amounts of both reports, the 2020 report has a valuation amount exceeding the 2019 report by about thirteen million dollars. He explained the six month reports he created are a small amount of time to indicate any type of trends. A five year report would detect the different types of building trends. Mayor Merrill asked how the last five years compare to the current year. Building Official Stoddard replied he has not created a five year comparison report. He prefers to create that type of report at the end of the year. Finance: - Matt Nielson Review Utility Rate Increases and Set Public Hearing for August 5, 2020 Finance Officer Nielson reviewed the Consumer Price (CPI), Municipal Cost (MCI) and Construction Cost (CCI) Indexes graph. / Finance Officer Nielson reviewed the water calculated cost per thousand gallons/equivalent meters graph. He noted the anticipated Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) loan debt the city will have in the next year or two when the loan is finalized. / Finance Officer Nielson reviewed the causes in rate increases in water. The 7.84% increase noted under Other Fixed Costs is due in part to pay back, principle and interest on the DEQ loan. / / Finance Officer Nielson reviewed the garbage rate increases and mentioned city staff is working on a survey to send to residents regarding the recycling program. The city is considering the removal of the program and would prefer to collect input from city residents before a decision is finalized. He said if the recycling program was no longer in operation there would be a 2% reduction in rates. When the decision to continue or discontinue the recycling program is made there will be a rate change. Council President Busby asked if there is a contract with the recycling company. Finance Officer Nielson replied yes there is a month to month contract with Western Recycling. / Finance Officer Nielson reviewed the wastewater treatment costs per 1000 gallons. City staff will begin meeting with Sugar City and the City of Teton regarding the costs to replace the gravity line on the North West corner of the city. Council President Busby expressed concerns about both cities having sufficient funds to pay for their share of the costs of the line. Finance Officer Nielson explained during the negotiation process with both cities, and if it is legal to do so, the city could issue a loan to either Sugar City or Teton for their share of the expense of the line. He said both Sugar City and Teton would pay back the loan through the wastewater rates charged to them by Rexburg. / Finance Officer Nielson reviewed the wastewater expenses per category. / Finance Officer Nielson reviewed the utility bill samples. / Council Member Mann asked if a comparison report during the months of March through April for single family residential and apartment complex usage of water was created. He believes the water usage increased in single family residential housing because school classes were not in session causing the children to be in their homes longer during those months. The apartment complexes would also have experienced less water usage because most of the students returned to their state of residence. Finance Officer Nielson said a comparison report was created for the months of April to May because the summer water usage had not begun. He took the average water use from the three prior years to compare to this year’s usage. After comparing the water usage he determined a credit amount to issue to apartment complexes and for-profit businesses. Finance Officer Nielson said the cumulative credit amount of the wastewater credit was about $100,000. Council President Busby moved to approve to set a Public Hearing on August 5th, 2020 for the proposed Utility Rate Increases; Council Member Johnson seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried Review Amended Budget for Fiscal Year 2020 and Set Public Hearing for August 5, 2020. Finance Officer Nielson reviewed the Amended Budget for Fiscal Year 2020. / / Council Member Wolfe moved to approve to set a Public Hearing on August 5th, 2020 for the proposed Amended Budget for Fiscal Year 2020; Council Member Flora seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried Public Works: - Keith Davidson Baseball Quad Electrical Field Lighting Installation Bid Acceptance Public Works Director Davidson reviewed the bids for the Baseball Quad Electrical Field Lighting Installation. He said there was discussion at one of the Parks Committee meetings about postponing the building of the restroom facilities for the baseball quad. He said he was informed by Rick Miller with The Development Company about applying for a block grant in the amount of $225,000. If the city receives the grant, it would cover the cost of the restroom facilities. / Council President Busby asked if Arco Electric offered value engineering with their bid such as using aluminum wiring vs copper wiring. Public Works Director said city staff will continue to work with Arco Electric to determine cost savings. Council Member Johnson said another item discussed in the Parks Committee meeting was city staff would continue to seek donations from the baseball community for the baseball quad expenses. The additional funds received would be placed back into the Park Impact Fund. Finance Officer Nielson said the additional funds received would lower the funds transfer from the Park Impact account. Council Member Flora explained the Park Impact Fees are collected from new construction and the funds in the Park Impact account can solely be used for new parks. There is a possibility with community donations, business donations and grants, the baseball quad can be completed as planned. Council Member Johnson asked if the restroom facility will be open to the public. Mayor Merrill indicated the plan is to have the baseball fields open to the public for daily use. The other two fields will be exclusive use; however, he believes all of the fields will be heavily used. Council Member Mann explained the importance of setting aside funds for the baseball quad project. He understands most of the time it’s difficult to estimate the cost of certain projects. This project seemed to expand in cost and items such as the lights were purchased before a City Council decision was made to cover the installation cost. Council Member Walker moved to approve the low bid of $348,050 from Arco Electric for the Baseball Quad Electrical Field Lighting Installation; Discussion: Council Member Wolfe indicated the funds collected from donations and grants will be placed in the Park Impact 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 Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried 7th North Signal Bid Acceptance Public Works Director Davidson reviewed the bids received for the 7th North Signal. / Council President Busby asked if there are other funding sources for this project. Public Works Director Davidson replied yes there are other funding sources. The project is developer driven and the developer is paying a proportionate share. As the area is developed the developers will continue to pay for their proportionate share of the light signal. There was also a commerce grant awarded to the city for this project. Council Member Flora moved to approve the low bid of $382,750 from Wheeler Electric for the 7th North Traffic Light Signal; Council President Busby seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried Moody & Yellowstone Reconstruction Bid Acceptance Public Works Director Davidson reviewed the bids received for the Moody and Yellowstone Road Reconstruction. This project will be primarily funded through Urban Renewal. Council President Busby asked when the construction work for these projects will begin. Public Works Director Davidson replied the projects will begin as soon as the bids are awarded. The only project that may experience some delays in the 7th North signal light because the light poles are more difficult to deliver. / Council President Busby moved to approve the low bid of $874,769 from HK Contractors for the Moody and Yellowstone Road Reconstruction; Council Member Walker seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried 3rd South Waterline Replacement Public Works Director Davidson reviewed the bids received of the 3rd South Waterline Replacement project. The waterline is being replaced because there have been several line breaks. / Council Member Wolfe moved to approve the low bid of $167,862.50 from Edstrom Construction for the 3rd South Waterline Replacement; Council Member Mann seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried Grant Administration Contract Acceptance - Block Grant for Barney Dairy Wastewater Lift Station – Rick Miller The Development Company Public Works Director Davidson explained the professional service contract for the Barney Dairy Wastewater Lift Station improvement project. The contract is between the city and East-Central Idaho Planning and Development Association, Inc. The total cost of the contract is $50,000. He said he is recommending the professional service contract be handled by East-Central Idaho Planning and Development Association, Inc. Council President Busby moved to approve the Grant Administration Contract for the Block Grant for the Barney Dairy Wastewater Lift Station; Council Member Johnson seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried Right of Way Excavation Permit Requirement Changes Public Works Director Davidson reviewed the changes to the right of way excavation permit requirements. / / / / Council President Busby asked if the city engineers inspect the road to make sure the street cut was properly repaired. He has seen where a dip in the road is left where the street was cut. Public Works Director Davidson explained the city engineers inspect the street cut to make sure it was properly repaired before refunding the $900 deposit. The city engineers will monitor the trench settling which causes the dip in the road. Council President Busby moved to approve the changes to the Right of Way Excavation Permit Requirements; Council Member Flora seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried City Attorney Zollinger explained an exigent circumstance has risen. The city received notice of a federal grant. The city is eligible to apply for the grant. The submission date for the grant is July 13th. There is a consultant the city has been working with on a request for proposal. The closing date for the request for proposal isn’t until July 14th. City staff is recommending to City Council to authorize emergency expenditures using one of the consultants that will be replying to the city’s request for proposal. The consultant would be limited to the sole purpose of applying for the federal grant. The request for proposal and the federal grant are unrelated. The reason the matter is exigent is because there isn’t sufficient time to processes a request for proposal before the July 13th grant application deadline. Council President Busby asked about the cost the contractor will charge the city for their professional services to administer the grant. City Attorney Zollinger said the exact cost is not known at this time; however, city staff has worked with this contractor before and is aware of their fee structure. Council Member Wolfe asked for the grant amount. City Attorney Zollinger said the grant amount is up to one million dollars and if the city is awarded the grant, the funds will be used to install broad band to under serviced areas. Finance Officer Nielson said Madison County will also be applying for the grant. Council Member Mann questioned the short notice to apply for the grant. Public Works Director Davidson said the federal grant funds need to be spent by December causing a shorter application period. Council Member Walker moved to approve the expense to retain a consultant to apply for the federal grant due to exigent circumstances; Discussion: Council President Busby asked for the date of when the grant would be awarded. Public Works Director Davidson replied by the first of August; Council Member Johnson seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried Public Works Director Davidson reported Depatco will be starting the work for LID 49. There will be some street closure with the different streets being reconstructed in the city. Public Hearings 7:00 PM: Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Approval; Ordinance No 1232 Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Appropriation Ordinance and First Read – Matt Nielson ORDINANCE NO. 1232 FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET APPROPRIATION AN ORDINANCE ENTITLED THE ANNUAL APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF REXBURG, IDAHO, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR OCTOBER 1, 2020, TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2021, AND APPROPRIATING TO THE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS, OFFICES AND FUNDS OF THE SAID CITY GOVERNMENT FROM THE REVENUE DERIVED FROM TAXES LEVIED FOR SAID FISCAL YEAR, AND ALL OTHER SOURCES, SUCH SUMS AS MAY BE NECESSARY OR DEEMED NECESSARY BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES AND LIABILITIES OF SAID CITY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2021; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF ORDINANCE. Mayor Merrill opened the Public Hearing Public Testimony in favor of the proposal (5-minute limit): Public Testimony in neutral to proposal (5-minute limit): Public Testimony opposed to the proposal (5-minute limit): Mayor Merrill closed the Public Hearing for deliberations. Council Member Johnson moved to approve Ordinance No. 1232 Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Appropriation Ordinance and consider first read; Council Member Flora seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried Items for Consideration: NONE Mayor’s Report: Mayor Merrill reported he and Economic Development Director Johnson attended the virtual Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship hosted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. He mentioned city staff is working with Rick Miller – Project Manager and Developer for The Development Company to build an education and entrepreneurship center. Some of the items discussed during the Mayors Conference had to do with building the center and the different resources that are available for entrepreneurship. Mayor Merrill asked BYU-Idaho University Public Affairs Director, Brett Sampson to give an update on the university’s plans regarding the fall semester’s campus classes. Mr. Sampson reported BYU-Idaho Administrators are discussing and planning the options of returning back to campus classes. The administration is monitoring the number of Covid-19 cases before giving a final decision regarding on campus classes. They prefer not to have to send all of the students back to their state of residence. Some online classes will continue and so will remote classes on Zoom. There are plans in place to reduce the number of students in each class room to allow for social distancing measures. He said machines have been purchased to keep classroom surfaces sanitized to avoid the spread of Covid-19. All students will be required to wear a face mask or face shield when on campus. Calendared Bills and Tabled Items: Second Reading: Those items which have been first read: NONE Third Reading: Those items which have been second read: NONE Mayor’s Business: Mayor Merrill asked City Council to ratify the appointment of Aaron Richards to the Planning & Zoning Commission. Mr. Richards will replace Bruce Sutherland. Mr. Sutherland has served two terms on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mayor Merrill expressed his appreciation for the many years of public service Bruce Sutheralnd has completed. Mr. Sutherland has serviced as Mayor, Council Member, Planning and Zoning Commissioner and as a member of other city committees. Council Member Mann moved to approve to ratify the appointment of Aaron Richards to the Planning and Zoning Commission; Council Member Wolfe seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President 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. Minutes from June 17, 2020 Meeting Approve the City of Rexburg Bills Council Member Johnson moved to approve the Consent Calendar containing the minutes, city bills and the 2020 Fireworks Stand Permits; Council Member Flora seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried Executive Session – Roll Call Vote for Motion to Enter into Executive Session per Idaho State Statute 74-206(1)(j) To consider labor contract matters authorized under section 74-206(1)(a) and (b) To consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, or public school student. Council President Busby moved to go into Executive Session per Idaho State Statute 74-206(1) (j) To consider labor contract matters authorized under section 74-206(1) (a) and (b) To consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, or public school student; Council Member Wolfe seconded the motion; Mayor Merrill asked for a roll call vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Council Member Flora None Council Member Johnson Council Member Mann Council Member Walker Council Member Wolfe Council President Busby The motion carried Executive session began 7:52 P.M. Executive session ended 8:02 P.M. Adjournment 8:03 P.M. APPROVED: ________________________________ Jerry Merrill, Mayor Attest: _____________________________ Marianna Gonzalez, Deputy City Clerk