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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003.04.16 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CITY OF REXBURG April 16, 2003 7:30 P.M. STATE OF IDAHO ) County of Madison ) SS. City of Rexburg ) Present were the following: Mayor: Mayor Bruce Sutherland Council Members: Glen Pond Shawn Larsen Marsha Bjornn Paul Pugmire Donna Benfield Nyle Fullmer – Excused P&Z Administrator: Kurt Hibbert City Clerk: Blair D. Kay PFC: John Millar City Attorney: Stephen Zollinger Pledge to the Flag Mayor Sutherland welcomed the Scouts to the meeting. 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 the April 02, 2003 meeting b. Approve City of Rexburg bills Shawn Larsen moved to approve the Consent Calendar without any changes; Paul Pugmire seconded The motion carried. the motion; all voted aye, none opposed. Non Controversial Items Added to the Agenda: Main Street Urban Renewal Street lighting Project – Glen Pond indicated that the Urban Renewal Committee met Tuesday and worked on the calendar and procedures. They plan to 1 provide additional information to the Council in the next 30 days. They are working on the legal requirements to form a Downtown Renewal District. Street Lights : Glen Pond indicated that it would be timely to review the street lights on Main Street while the Main Street curb and gutter are being replaced. Some of the concrete bases for the street lights are cracked. John Millar will work with the State on the street lights issues. Public Hearing: 7:35 p.m. Amend City Ordinance 760 – Recalculate Lineal Foot Fees for water and sewer connections (Include acreage in the formula when calculating Front Foot Fees) – City Staff John Millar – Reviewed the proposal to add acreage charges to front foot fees in Ordinance 760. The acreage calculation would begin 250 feet behind the property line. The current $10.00 front foot fee for water and sewer main line would be increased to $12.00. The acreage fee would be calculated at $500 per acre for water and $500 per acre for sewer. Public Testimony was requested : None given Public Testimony was closed . Paul Pugmire – Requested the origin of the 20% increase in the front foot fee. John indicated that average costs for construction for water and sewer lines have risen about 20%. Discussion on the application of this new increase in the fees. Properties that were recently annexed would not be affected until after October 31, 2004. Stephen Zollinger – Indicated that fees can be set by resolution. Shawn Larsen moved to amend Ordinance 760 by resolution to include the 20% increase in front foot fees and the inclusion of the acreage charge of $500 per acre for water main line and $500 per acre for waste water (sewer) main line; Marsha Bjornn seconded the motion; The motion carried. all voted aye, none opposed. New Business: CFONTS (Community Fiber Optics Network Transport System) Bruce Eckman/Gaylen Jensen Gaylen Jensen – 980 Westwood Drive - Provided a hand out to the Council and introduced CFONTS, (Community Fiber Optic Network Transport Systems). They are working on the premise that CFONTS will become a non-profit Company. Their desire is to provide Fiber Optics in the Community for public use. Gaylen indicated that it would make sense to allow public ownership of the Fiber Optics system in the Community for all to use. This would eliminate duplicate Fiber Optics lines within the City. They are working 2 towards public grant funding for the project. The Company is requesting a Community effort to put conduit in the streets during street reconstruction for future use. Paul Pugmire – Inquired about the plan for administering this non-profit Company. Gaylen mentioned the possibility of a Public Utility District. Paul indicated that the idea and concept are good. He recommended thinking through all of the details that are involved with administering public moneys. Shawn Larsen – Are other Communities running a non-profit Fiber Optics Company? Gaylen gave examples of Communities in Utah that are running non-profit companies. One is called UTOPIA. All Companies are encouraged to use the existing infrastructure for a fee. This allows the Companies to have access to customers. The costs for the service will be decreased by having more customers on the service. The more Companies or users on the service, the more valuable it will becomes. Mayor Sutherland – A non-profit network may be inviting to large customer like BYU-Idaho. Paul Pugmire – Recommended conducting the public meetings in an open meeting law format. Discussion on joining this effort with the School District’s fiber optics network. Mayor Sutherland – Indicated that our society is moving toward high speed communications. He referred to the new Spori building on Campus that is under construction. There are new bundles of wires being installed for communications in the building. The Mayor indicated that the City would support this effort in any way possible. Glen Pond – Recommended that they contact Madison Economic Development for support. Shawn Larsen – Commented on the reconstruction of Main Street and the possibility of installing Fiber Optics conduit during this reconstruction. nd Mayor Sutherland indicated that the City is currently installing conduit for this purpose from 2 nd West to 2 East. The City of Rexburg would like to have the conduit all the way to the nd railroad tracks on 2 East. Without State participation or other funding like a block grant, it would be extremely expensive at this time. Service Standards for Impact Fees – Richard Horner indicated that the Advisory Committee for Impact Fees is just getting started. They are planning to meet once a week to bring a recommendation to City Council. Service Standards will include Police, Fire and Parks per thousand residents. 3 Parking Ordinance to restrict parking on residential streets adjacent to the University John Millar – Reviewed Staff recommendations to the Council on solutions that may solve the parking concerns of residents. John discussed the three options presented to the Council by the Staff. Residential Permits 1) - The issuance of permits to the residents within the areas of concern is what many communities have chosen, but the permit issuance has become somewhat problematic in many instances. In some of the areas of concern in Rexburg, there are far more residents that could qualify for permits than there are spaces. Staff is concerned that the permit method might result in less movement of vehicles during the summer months than is currently seen, since the permitted vehicle would be a resident, and might leave the vehicle for days at a time. Another concern was determining the breakdown of areas within which the permit would be valid. (i.e. would there be different areas East of campus than South of campus?) Many areas that have gone with this approach have set the fee at a high figure in order to discourage on street parking, staff is uncertain whether this would accomplish the desired goal. Meters 2) - The obvious advantage to meters is that they would have the potential of assisting in the funding of themselves, and would increase the movement of traffic in the areas of concern. The down side to meters is the setup costs, and the ongoing maintenance. The concern about whether it accomplishes the desired goal remains with the meters, as the desired goal is not necessarily clear to staff. Time Limitation Parking 3) - This is the method that is already widely used around the City, and accomplishes many of the same tasks as metering, except that the cash flow is limited to ticketing rather than use. This method is the easiest to implement, and again depending on the desired goals, is likely to accomplish the movement of vehicles on a regular basis in and around campus. Marsha Bjornn – Reviewed the situation with regards to the parking problems around Brigham Young University. John Millar - Mentioned that existing residents want parking on the street too. He asked the Council for some direction on the parking problem. What is the goal Staff should pursue to help control parking problems? Paul Pugmire – Reviewed the need to soften the wording of the recommendations. He recommended using wording like “increase the likelihood” instead of “guarantee”. There is already an Ordinance that prohibits a vehicle from being left for over 48 hours. Paul indicated that neighborhoods would resist the two hour parking concept. Harvard Avenue is not signed properly on the East side of the street. There is no parking on the East side of 4 Harvard Ave. He recommended that the City provide permits at no cost to cars registered to the address or designated neighborhoods. Donna Benfield – Commented on a meeting she attended at the University on Parking. They discussed residential parking permits. The people at the meeting did indicate that parking would be bumped from the University area near College Avenue down to the business district. Stephen Zollinger – If the City limits parking on streets to registered vehicles in the area, apartment owners may have complaints with that policy. Discussion on the parking policies that Bozeman, Montana has used to limit parking on City streets. Donna Benfield – Recommended that the Staff take the 3 proposals to the Traffic Safety Committee for a review and recommendation that can be brought back to the City Council. ndst Shawn Larsen – Mentioned that metering on 2 South to 1 East would allow turn over and traffic nd flow. He indicated that it may make sense to meter 2 South. nd Discussion on metering the parking on 2 South near the University. Paul Pugmire – Mentioned that there is adequate parking on Campus for the students. Discussion on having a combination of solutions to correct the parking problem by using all three proposals. Continued discussion on the congested parking in residential areas near the University. Parking for rental properties near the Campus was discussed. Mayor Sutherland – Commented on the area around the Campus and the desire of the City to maintain a beautiful appearance around the Campus similar to the Campus property. Resolution 2000-03 – Discuss water & sewer connections outside City limits John Millar – Reviewed the locations adjacent to the City that can not use the services of the City because they have not been annexed. It is a concern for waste water containment and protecting the City’s water supply. Stephen Zollinger – Commented on the use of enterprise funds to provide services to locations outside of the City. Paul Pugmire – Reviewed the reasons for the Resolution passed in 2000. The main reason was to require the City services to remain in the City. Paul would be amenable to changing the Resolution. 5 Mayor Sutherland – Commented on the situation of providing services to residents that have not been annexed. Discussion on the State Statute being modified to stipulate that those accepting City services also agree to be annexed. There is statutory language established to bill for services outside the . Implied Consent City limits. The modification of the State Statute is retroactive is given by residents who accept City services under the modified State Statute. Street designation map (Idaho Department of Transportation) John Millar – Reviewed a functional transportation map on the overhead screen. John asked the Council to provide any recommendations to the plan. After review of the map the Council instructed John to send the current road map to the State. Shawn Larsen moved to approve the Street Designation Map; Paul Pugmire seconded the motion; The motion carried. all vote aye, none opposed. Requested Annexation of Parcels Kurt Hibbert – Mentioned that this map and the associated discussion does not represent an annexation plan. Kurt Hibbert – Review a map that shows the properties requesting annexation by the owners. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that these parcels be sent to Public Hearing. There were some parcels in the immediate area of these annexation requests that are not requesting annexation. They would create islands inside the City. Kurt reviewed each parcel on the overhead screen. Kurt will contact property owners of parcels inside the areas that have requested annexation. The Council recommended Kurt contact the Island parcel owners about their being considered for annexation because they are surrounded by properties that are requesting annexation. The Public Hearing process is where residents can express their concerns either for or against the annexation proposal. Kurt will prepare an annexation plan with a proposed annexation map to present to the City Council for approval. Western Carriage Service – Weddings, Proms, Reunions, Special Occasions (Heath/Jared Edwards) nd Jared Edwards – 58 North 2 West, Sugar City – Reviewed the routes and the use of city streets to get from one area to another with a Western Carriage pulled by horses. The service would be used for special events like weddings, parties, festivals, or special events. Stephen Zollinger – They will need a business license and the Carriage service will be required to clean up after themselves. Slow moving vehicle signs and lighting will be required. 6 The Council indicated that the service would be required to follow the City Ordinances and State Statutes. The Council was favorable to the request. Old Business: Tabernacle Sign – Martel Grover – Reviewed examples of signs that they are proposing for the Tabernacle. Martel reviewed the Dot Matrix Sign as one of the preferred signs. The sign would be placed in the 2004 budget with Council approval. The Tabernacle Committee would like to have an illuminated sign that fits the decor of the building and the sign can be viewed from down the street. The sign could be used for Community event advertising. Discussion on the new sound system that is currently under bid for purchase. The doors have been re-keyed. The benches are not going to be padded to maintain the original decor. The windows will have circulation fans installed for the summer to help keep the building cool in the Summer. The Council discussed the maintenance costs that would be required with a sign. The maintenance contract on the LED sign is very minimal. $109.00 per month and the lettering on the sign can be changed from a remote computer with a phone line. The Tabernacle Committee recommended making the sign more visible. The LED sign has two lines with 7 inch characters or one line of 14 inch characters. Shawn Larsen – Reviewed the rate structure for renting the building. Discussion on providing a layered fee structure for the sound system. This would encourage more use of the building by keeping the fees down when limited sound system use is needed. Some groups do not need the same level of performance from a sound system as others. The range of sound system performance could go from a microphone system to a more complex system that an Orchestra or Band would require. Paul Pugmire – Indicated that the rate structure for the sound system is a work in progress. Donna Benfield – Indicated that it did not make a lot of sense to have a $25,000 sign to advertise the building and a $5,000 sound system inside the building for the events. “Do we have the cart before the horse”? Glen Pond moved to approve the LED sign for $25,000; Marsha Bjornn seconded the motion; Those voting aye Those voting nay Glen Pond Paul Pugmire Marsha Bjornn Donna Benfield Shawn Larsen The motion was denied. 7 The Council discussed prioritizing the expenditures on the Tabernacle between a new sign and fixing the stage or some other improvement. They remanded the discussion back to the Tabernacle Committee to prioritize the capital improvement list including one recommended sign. The Civic Club Glen Pond – is planning to re-do the floors in the Tabernacle. Glen asked for some support of the Club’s recipe book from the Council members. th Terry Richards – Reviewed his proposal to have an event (party) in a tent on the 13 of September, 2003. The event will be fenced with hired security at 1 security person to every 50 attendees. New students are invited to come to the event to get to know the sponsoring businesses. The event is planned to be held in the old Erickson Parking Lot nd on the East side of 2 West. They plan on giving $3,000 to $4,000 worth of door prizes. The tent will be provided by Diamond Rental. The fee to the event is $2.00 per student with a University ID card. The event will start at 8:00 p.m. and end at 11:45 p.m. with the music being lowered at 11:00 p.m. to minimize any sound outside the tent. No cars will be allowed at the event. The Council was favorable to the request. Complaints can cause the event to be curtailed. The applicant will require a Parade Permit. Update on Projects: Committee Reports: Mayors Business: Fire District Pumper Truck – Spence Larsen = Ken Andersen – Fire District representative – Reviewed the recent joining of the City Fire District with Madison County. The new joint Fire District conserves man power and equipment. It is under the direction of the Emergency Services Board. The 1992 Agreement was reviewed. Ken reviewed the equipment that is jointly held by the City and the County. He request that the Council entertain a recommendation to purchase a pumper truck for the replacement on a 20 year old pumper truck. Glen Pond – Is the pumper worn out? Ken Andersen - reviewed the reasons for requesting a new pumper truck. Ken commented that “time takes it’s toll” on the pumper water tanks and that it was getting expensive to maintain. The pumper water tanks have a 20 year life. The current tanks are made of carbon steal. The new tanks are made from stainless steal or polly material to last longer. The old pumper truck could be sold for $30,000 to $50,000. A new one would cost about $260,000. It takes about a year to build one after the bidding process. The bidding process takes 4 to 6 months. The Council recommended that the Fire Department follow the Capital Budget Plan as established by the City and County agreement. 8 Paul Pugmire – Commented on the wealth of experience Ken brings to the City of Rexburg and Madison County. Paul indicated that an arial ladder truck is needed by the City. Paul does support this request. Spence Larsen – Reviewed a $70,000 grant for education on prevention. It is a joint agreement with the BLM. The Fire Department would like to purchase a vehicle (4 door pickup) in 2005 to pull the education trailer. Shawn Larsen moved to go into executive session; Marsha seconded the motion; all voted aye, The motion carried. none opposed. Executive Session – Litigation settlement Executive Session ended Adjourned ____________________________________ Bruce Sutherland, Mayor _____________________________________ Blair D. Kay, City Clerk 9