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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004.06.09 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CITY OF REXBURG Draft June 09, 2004 (Continued) 6:30 P.M. STATE OF IDAHO ) : ss. County of Madison ) Present were the following: Mayor: Mayor Shawn Larsen Council Members: Paul Pugmire Donna Benfield Nyle Fullmer Rex Erickson G. Farrell Young Garth R. Oakey Financial Officer Richard Horner P&Z Administrator: Kurt Hibbert City Clerk: Blair D. Kay PFC: John Millar - City Attorney: Stephen ZollingerExcused Meeting Continuation from 7:00 A.M., June 09, 2004 (Portions of the meeting were recorded) 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 June 02, 2004 meeting Council Member Benfield moved to approve the Consent Calendar; Council Member The motion carried. Young seconded the motion; all voted aye, none opposed. 1 New Business: (Continued from the 7:00 a.m. meeting) Review the Summary Budget for 2005 for the CITY OF REXBURG: Richard Horner reviewed the budget with the Council. He reviewed the Department Budgets and gave some information on the short falls with some budgets. The Street Department has a need for more budget money for street maintenance. Mayor Larsen reviewed the Quick Wins for his Administration since January. 1) THE VISION: The Community will be informed and involved. st a) News letter with the utility billings by October 31, 2004. b) Automated billing system that can have payments made on the internet. c) New City Web site (Rexburg.Org) d) Establish a Mayors Youth Advisory Board e) Citizen’s Committee Academy f) Implement a new organizational structure g) Install new permitting software Mayor Larsen expressed that each one of these Vision items have been accomplished. th The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board will be participating in the meeting on the 16 of th June through the 18 of June with the Association of Idaho Cities. There will be 10 youth representatives for the Rexburg area attending the meetings. Four of those ten will be from the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board. The School District will sponsor 7 of those representatives. The Citizen’s Committee Academy is a training process for the City Committee members. There is a packet available that explains the rules and procedures for holding a public meeting for a City Committee. Kurt Hibbert explained the capability of the new permitting software that handles building permits for the City. Kurt is an administrator for the new Community Development Center at 19 East Main Street in Rexburg. 2) THE VISION: Insure that Rexburg has excellent Police, Fire, and Emergency Services. a) Conduct City Department reviews b) Define funding for a ladder truck 3)WORK: Rexburg will be a great place to work. a) Establish a comprehensive effort on a development strategy to create a climate that welcomes potential employers to the City of Rexburg. b) Work more effectively with MEDCO – (Economic Development arm of the City) 1) Completion of the Rexburg Business Park 2) Look for an addition site for a Business Park c) Community Block Grant for the expansion of the City’s water system for a new 2 well and storage tank. d) Partner with the Technical College to have a satellite location in the City. e) Implement a Community fiber network. f) Produce a quality sunbird video. (Recruit more tourism for Rexburg) 4)PLAY: Rexburg will be a great place to play. a) Rexburg will offer a variety multi-use recreational activities and facilities for all residents. b) Decide how to proceed on the swimming pool issue. c) Increase frequency of Arts and Talent performances at the Tabernacle. These activities are located on the web site: Rexburg.Org. d) Design a new 9 hole golf course at the Teton Lakes Golf Course. e) Establish the Teton Dam Marathon (197 runners participated). f) Spring recreation publication. g) Support a Rexburg Children’s Museum. h) Discuss a beginning of school celebration. (Proposed street dance in August) i) Develop Evergreen Subdivision City Park.) (Kiwanis would like to adopt the Park to help the City with donations to develop the Park.) j) Welcome to Rexburg Sign at the Evergreen City Park. k) Strip bike paths on City Streets. l) Submit a proposal for Federal funding of the Louisiana Pacific property for ball fields and the trail system along the Teton River. (Congressman Simpson’s Office) m ) Bike Path from Rexburg to Sugar City. n) Establish a master plan for walking pathways and greenways. (Trails of Madison County Committee) o) Great “Spud” race (race will be held August 03, 2004) p) Install flowers in hanging baskets on Main Street. The Mayor mentioned some other quick wins for the City of Rexburg. COMMUNITY ID, EVENTS, HOSTS: 1) Beatify the alleys and make them customer friendly. 2) Submit an ITD Beautification proposal. 3) Start a Downtown Revitalization Plan. 4) Provide a Welcome to Rexburg Sign on West Main Street. 5) Remodel the Facade on the Community Development Building. 6) Increase the Christmas Lighting project. 7) Have hanging flower pots on Main Street. 8) Have banners on the poles on Main Street. 9) Create a revolving loan fund for business to improve their facades. 10) Establish a City of Rexburg band. (New City logo and brand) 11) Establish Rexburg Pride Days 12) Public Art Displays at City Hall (Nathan Fullmer has a display for patriotism displayed at City Hall. It is the first display for this program.) 13) South Rexburg Arterial project. 14) Pass a 1% public art ordinance. 3 15) Establish a Downtown Plaza with a ring of nation’s flags display. 16) Improve landscaping on the City exits and entry ways into the City. 17) Support the Smithsonian exhibit at the University. Mayor Larsen indicated that the Council came up with the quick wins and the City Departments were given the assignment to execute them. Mayor Larsen mentioned that he participated in a ground breaking ceremony for a new motel called AmericInn with 60 rooms. It is located at the South interchange for Rexburg. MEDCO worked with the property owners to bring this new business to the City. The City is working with MEDCO to bring in more jobs to the Community. Mayor Larsen thanked the Police Department, Emergency Services, and Staff for supporting the Marathon with teams and helping with traffic and the safety of the runners. It was a great event. Council Member Benfield and Council Member Oakey ran in the race. Council Member Benfield mentioned that the race was very well organized. Jack Bowman was responsible for organizing the course and keeping everyone on task. Mayor Larsen mentioned that the third Rexburg Pride Days will be held on June 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The cleanup work will be on the Evergreen City Park. The Kiwanis Club and other residents to include the Evergreen Subdivision residents will be involved in the effort. He mentioned the Grand Opening of the Smith Park walking path was held with a ribbon cutting at 5:00 p.m. today. Sense of Place Craig Rindlisbacher reviewed some ideas for developing a theme for Rexburg. He showed a Power Point Presentation with photos from other Cities showing their unique themes. Community Identity as a Foundation for Action ?Establish the City of Rexburg brand and slogan ?Establish Rexburg Pride Days ?College Avenue – Pedestrian Street ?Public Art ?South Rexburg Gateway ?Downtown Plaza integrated with the Rexburg Tabernacle ?Ring of Nation Flags ?Improve city entrances and exits ?Support Smithsonian Exhibit A Sense of Place ?Not about a specific proposal or a site. ?What does the public long for in the way of the Place of downtown? ?What is the vision among the policy advocates? ?A few examples – not to be replicated, but to use as discussion points. Characteristics that define community identity 4 ?Culture ?Values ?History ?Place ?Scale ?Uses ?Connections Tom HudsonLarry Comer Craig introduced and to the Council. Tom is a Strategic Planner for Community Economic Development based in Moscow, Idaho. Larry has a history of working with Tom on Downtown Revitalization projects. Larry is from the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho area. They are highly focused on Community based Downtown revitalization projects. They focus on a Community orientation process and Economic Development process. Tom indicated that you can not do Downtown revitalization projects without being exceptionally well grounded in who you are to begin with as a Community. It is about your Community, not some other Community. Tom mentioned the gateways for Rexburg, which included pocket parks, large open expanses, the Tabernacle, and City Hall. These locations are uniquely you. Find the primary characteristics that are unique to the City and exploit them in the theme for Rexburg. This process is not a one, two, or five year program. The City should plan for the long term (20 years) for the City. Tom mentioned that Moscow, Idaho has a sense of Community that is vibrant and alive with activity. The City of Moscow draws people into the City from surrounding Cities and Communities. The Boise area was mentioned including their farmers market and the green belt along the Boise River. Craig asked the Council what characteristics define the nature and uniqueness of Rexburg. Council Member Pugmire mentioned that the University (Ricks College up to 2000 and BYU- Idaho after that date) has been a mainstay for the Community and is a Community identifier. Craig asked if there were ways to connect the University with the City by way of Center Street and College Avenue. He referred to the Community Center on the north end of Center Street and the University on the south end of the same street. The Council discussed who the users of the downtown area are now and who does the Council Member Benfield City want the downtown users to be in the future. and Richard Horner reviewed the progress on a fund raising activity to purchase a statue of a pioneer family to be placed in the Downtown area. The Committee has raised $16,000 towards the $60,000 cost of the statue. Tom Hudson referred to the members of the meeting as stewards for Community Development. He discussed the lack of open space and walking paths for young families that are in the Community. Where is the RV Parking for tourists and signage to show them where the downtown area is located? Are we market driven? What is Rexburg’s story? How do we treat people? What is it about the Downtown area that is special? Craig indicated that Tom will return to Rexburg once a month for the next six months to help answer these questions and to help with an implementation plan. Craig indicated that it is important to finish this process before the redevelopment plan for Rexburg is 5 finalized. Tom gave an example of a businessman that wants to develop a downtown building; however, he is not sure what the vision is for the Downtown area. The developer does not know what to tell the architect to use as a theme for the building. They want to be on the team for the redevelopment; however they do not know how to proceed. Tom asked, “What kind of answer do we give?” “We can’t give a cookie cutter kind of answer.” The City has people that are ready to reinvest in the downtown area and they are looking for direction. Tom indicated that once the vision is put in place, it becomes very powerful. Notice of Election – Establish $4,000,000 Bond Election details A.Notice of Election – Establish $4,000,000 Bond Election details The notice of election will need to be published five weeks in a row on the same day of the week. The publications will begin June 12, 2004. B.Bill 924 – Approve an Ordinance for the Bond Election August 03, 2004 The Council briefly discussed the issues of presenting the information on the Bond Election for an outdoor swimming pool to the public. Council Member Erickson moved to approve Bill 924 for a bond election to be held on rd August the 03 for the establishment of a $4,000,000 bond for the purchase and construction of an outdoor pool and associated facilities; Council Member Oakey seconded the motion; Discussion: Council Member Fullmer reiterated his concerns on the proposed location of the pool and the operational costs for a swimming pool. He was concerned with drawing enough people to the facility to pay for the operational costs of $250,000. He hoped that it would show a profit. Council Member Erickson mentioned that the City could not guarantee that the facility would show a profit. He reiterated the comment from Richard Horner in a previous meeting that the City could support a $150,000 operational cost for the pool if necessary. It would be the cost of having a swimming pool facility in the City. Council Member Fullmer mentioned that a smaller pool would allow for a smaller subsidy by the City. Mayor Larsen commented that the studies indicated that a larger pool facility would draw in more customers to minimize the expenses to the City. Council Member Erickson mentioned that more people will come to the facility by adding more amenities. Mayor Larsen reiterated the facts of the bond election. The bond election only asks for the amount to be bonded, not the location. He mentioned that the Council has already approved the location to be in Porter Park. The expenses for the election will be for the election and to provide information on the election to the public. Question was called: Those voting aye: Those voting nay: Paul Pugmire None 6 Donna Benfield Nyle Fullmer Rex Erickson G. Farrell Young Garth R. Oakey The motion to hold a bond election per Ordinance 924 carried. The Council discussed the bonding election and the resolution required to hire a bonding attorney. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF REXBURG, MADISON COUNTY, IDAHO, APPROVING AN AGREEMENT FOR BOND COUNSEL SERVICES, AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CITY CLERK TO EXECUTE THE SAME; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE: Council Member Pugmire moved to approve Resolution 2004-12; Council Member Erickson seconded the motion; Discussion: Those voting aye: Those voting nay: Paul Pugmire None Donna Benfield Nyle Fullmer Rex Erickson G. Farrell Young Garth R. Oakey Adjournment 7