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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCITY COUNCIL COUNTY COMMISIONERS JOINT WORK MEETING FEBRUARY 18, 2004 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CITY OF REXBURG February 18, 2004 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 Zollinger Portions of the meeting were recorded. Pledge to the Flag Work Session with the Madison County Commissioners and City Council concerning Impact Area the growth. Mayor Larsen reviewed the need to have a joint work meeting with the County Commissioners. He is hopeful that the City and the County can have productive discussions on issues that impact both the County and the City. Some areas of joint concern include the Fire Department with consistent inspections in both jurisdictions, building Inspections, and Community development and growth. County Commissioner Brooke Passey reviewed the cardtrol system that the County uses for dispensing fuel to the vehicles in the City and the County. He asked Sheriff Klinger to review the process. 1 Sheriff Roy Klinger passed out a document concerning the bulk fuel station and the different examples for fuel charges. The City has asked for 135 gas cards for City vehicles and City equipment at a cost of $337.50. There is a cost of $2.50 to produce each card. The County is proposing to add a 3 cent charge to the fuel cost for administrative and maintenance expense for the use of the fuel pumps. He discussed the costs of replacing a fuel pump. Roy indicated that it would be helpful if Richard Horner from the City could help with the cost analysis of the administrative and maintenance expenses to develop the appropriate overhead charge per gallon of fuel that is delivered through the County fuel pumps. The group discussed the administrative costs that are necessary to replace a failed fuel pump. These fuel pumps cost about $3,000 each. Richard Horner indicated that there is a need to have separate accounts for each department in the City. Roy explained that the computer software to break the usage of fuel up by department is not available from the County at this time. The County manually calculates the billings from the itemized fuel usage list. The City will move forward on the request to purchase 135 gas cards from the County. Kurt Hibbert indicated that the City is in the process of implementing new software that will track all requests received by the City as a project. This software will be a tracking and control tool for the City. The City plans to have the first projects on the system on March 18, 2004. Mayor Larsen asked the County Commissioners about the issue of requiring Business Licenses in the Impact Area. Brooke Passey reviewed the current situation and asked if the County wanted to require Business Licenses in the Impact Area. County Commissioner Roger Muir indicated that the County implemented a Home Business License requirement yesterday. The County Building Inspector, Blair Manwaring has requested Business Licenses in the Impact Zone for the County. The group discussed the issues of building inspections and fire inspections from their separate positions. Each jurisdiction has separate fee structures. They discussed the possibility of having the same fee amounts for building permits and fire inspections. The County and the City would have to follow the same level of inspection and inspection standards. If that were the case, the training expenses would have to be included in the fee structure. Brooke Passey indicated that the County has not adopted the International Fire Code, which allows for less cost for buildings constructed in the County. 2 Roger Muir mentioned that it would be advantageous for the County and the City to share a fire inspector that would work the normal shift from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Garth Oakey mentioned that it would be cost effective to have a shared employee to do fire inspections for the County and the City. Mayor Larsen proposed to have the City conduct the building inspections in the Impact Area. Roger Muir indicated that Public Hearings would be required to implement changes to the Impact Area. The group discussed the necessary agreements that would have to be put in place to jointly review the proposals in the Impact Area. The final Public Hearing process would remain at the County level. They discussed the possibility of having a County wide building inspection program. The Commissioners will discuss the possibilities at the next County Commissioners meeting next Monday. Brooke Passey indicated that the Commissioners will make some decisions Monday concerning the County’s ability to proceed with these proposals. The group continued to discuss the possibility of having Impact Fees in the Impact Area of the City. Brooke Passey mentioned that they could not be implemented County wide. County Commissioner Reed Sommer asked if the Impact Fees could be implemented on a County wide basis. Richard Horner mentioned that the County would have to authorize collection of the Impact Fees. The City currently has an Impact Fee for the Fire Department (Ambulance), City Parks, and the City Police. Reed Sommer indicated that the County could discuss the Impact Fee questions Monday at the Commissioners meeting. Rex Erickson discussed the issue of building across the street from the City to avoid Impact Fees. If the County implemented Impact Fees, it would standardize the Impact Fee area with the City. The group discussed the location of the Impact Area for the City of Rexburg. 3 Mayor Larsen reviewed the locations for the proposed Greenways Project for the “Trails of Madison County Committee”. Sugar City has a grant with a requirement for matching funds for the requestor. The County and the City of Rexburg could help by participating in the grant with matching “in kind” funds to help Sugar City receive the grant. Kurt Hibbert mentioned that the funding from the grant has been moved back to 2005. There are required easements that need to be acquired for the Greenways Project. The Mayor and City Council from Sugar City are reviewing the grant at this time. Mayor Larsen mentioned that it is still important for the City and the County to lend support for the Greenways Project. There is a need to have joint Planning meetings with the County, City of Rexburg, and Sugar City Planners on issues of joint concern. Garth Oakey indicated that there was a need to share information on Recreational Facilities that are planned in the City of Rexburg, Sugar City and the County. Brooke Passey discussed the need to have self funded recreational facilities. Paul Pugmire asked about discussing Design Standards for buildings, which would include the maximum size for the building for the three jurisdictions; including the City of Rexburg, Madison County and Sugar City. The joint meeting concluded with the next joint meeting with the City of Rexburg, th Madison County, and Sugar City being planned for the 17 of March, 2004. The City Council for Rexburg moved from the Planning Table to the Dais (Stand) where they conduct City Council meetings. 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 February 04, 2004 meeting b.Approve the City of Rexburg bills Donna Benfield moved to approve the Consent Calendar; Farrell Young seconded the The motion carried. motion; all vote aye, none opposed. Non Controversial Items Added to the Agenda : Public Hearings: None 4 Mayor Larsen welcomed the scouts and students to the meeting. New Business: ndst Plans for the proposed Rexburg Children’s Museum at 2 East and 1 South request to lease old pump house property for a Historic Interactive Museum - Stephen George Mayor Larsen declared a conflict because he serves on the Board for the Children’s Museum. Stephen George passed out a brochure on Children’s Museums from Houston Texas. It is an example of the type of information they are seeking for this proposal. They are looking at a proposal that would cost over a million dollars when completed. Stephen is a Professor on the University for the past year. He reviewed other museums in the Country as examples of ideas that could be incorporated in the Rexburg Children’s Museum. The hope is that this proposal will be able to provide children in the Valley with a place to go for a family educational experience. At the same time this proposal will serve to keep and preserve the old pump house. Farrell Young asked if the building was big enough for the project. Stephen indicated that they plan to add a 5,000 square foot addition as funding becomes available. Rex Erickson asked how much ground was on the lot. Stephen mentioned that there is room for the 5,000 square foot addition plus some parking for the museum. There is room for about 18 parking stalls. They may need to get help from the City on additional parking. Stephen George introduced Ronda Seaman, a member of the Committee to the City Council. He reviewed a slide presentation with the City Council on the overhead screen that showed the property and the old pump house. Mayor Larsen reviewed the LDR1 Zoning requirements. There were some questions on the Zoning and if the museum would be allowed in that Zone. Rex Erickson discussed the 501 tax letter for a non profit organization. The Children’s C3 Museum organization is incorporated with bylaws. Donna Benfield reviewed parking issues with school buses parking at that location when they bring children to see the museum. Garth Oakey asked about insurance costs for this proposal. Rex Erickson reviewed the request for a $1.00 per year lease of the property from the City of Rexburg to the Children’s Museum. If the City owns the facility, any additions for the pump house would be owned by the City of Rexburg. 5 Stephen Zollinger indicated that a nominal annual contract would be required between the Children’s Museum and the City of Rexburg. Donna Benfield asked about the buildings current use. John Millar indicated that there are Christmas decorations and a backhoe in the building that will be relocated to a new building in 2004. Mayor Larsen asked at what point the City would need to support this proposal. Stephen George would like a commitment from the City of Rexburg before they seek donations. Mayor Larsen asked Legal Counsel to prepare a draft contract. Farrell Young moved to have a contract prepared between the Children’s Museum and the City of Rexburg; Garth Oakey seconded the motion; all voted aye, none opposed. The motion carried. Steve Oakey concurred with the proposal to have a contract with the City of Rexburg and the Children’s Museum. Implementation of a Knox Box or rapid entry system within the City of Rexburg (Chris Huskinson – Fire Inspector) Ordinance 918 Mayor Larsen invited Chris Huskinson to present the Ordinance 918. Farrell Young asked if it would be available for residential locations. He asked if it was a safe place to store the keys for a building. One key can open several different lock boxes. Chris indicated that the Fire Department would have control of those keys and they would be secured as is the medications that are audited and accounted for on the ambulances. Rex Erickson asked about some buildings that have several different doors with different locks to separate larger buildings. He asked if additional keys to other parts of a building could be located in the same lock box. Chris mentioned that it takes about 30 keys to fill a box. Chris said the keys would need to be labeled if they are placed in the lock box. Rex Erickson was supportive of the proposal. Donna Benfield indicated that it was a good idea for emergency personnel to have access to the building keys when the owner or manager is unable to get to the location in a timely manner when there is an emergency. 6 Paul Pugmire moved to consider the Ordinance 918 for lock boxes as first read; Donna Benfield seconded the motion; Discussion: Those voting ayeThose voting nay Paul Pugmire None Donna Benfield Nyle Fullmer Rex Erickson G. Farrell Young Garth R. Oakey The voting was unanimous. The first reading of Ordinance 918 was approved by the City Council. Note: It is not mandatory to have a lock box in buildings that are not equipped with a sprinkler system or a fire alarm that is connected to the Fire Department. Chris indicated that he has had both positive and negative feedback on the proposal due to some misconceptions on when it is required. Most businesses think it is a good idea. Chief of Police Lynn Archibald was recognized for being present in the meeting. Old Business: Update on Projects: John MillarSouth Arterial Road announced the scheduled Public Hearing on the by the th Idaho State Department of Transportation. It will be at the Court House on the 24 of February. The consulting engineering firm will be in charge of the hearing from 4:00 p.m. thnd 7 South between 2 East and to 6:30 p.m. This is the second phase of the process. nd 2 West will be paved this year by the University. The South Arterial project is short on funding. The City will have the responsibility to come up with the grants and additional funding. The City of Rexburg’s only option to secure outside funding with a 10% contribution from the City. The City has contributed about $150,000 towards the project up to this point. The City has contacted Rebecca Crane concerning land acquisition for the South Arterial Project. John Millar reviewed snow removal issues with the Council. He talked about three areas that impact snow removal for City crews. He mentioned driveways, sidewalks, and timing. Chemicals and sanding are used by the City to help control ice and snow. In Idaho Falls they mix salt and sand at a rate of 3 parts sand to 1 part salt. He indicated that it would take an additional 2000 cubic yards of sand and additional chemical for $7,500. There would be additional wear on the sander body. The sander would need to be replaced in two to three years. John reviewed the costs for Idaho Falls for snow removal. They have plowed driveways twice this year for a cost of $350,000. 7 Rexburg has plowed all of the streets 12 times. The City currently uses three road graders for a normal snow fall with hired crews and equipment. The cost is from $10,000 to $12,000 for each plowing occurrence. At the present time the City’s hired work is about $1,100 per snow storm and it takes 14 hours to do one plowing. John estimated a crew of 6 loaders/backhoes or combinations thereof for a cost of $170,000 for ten plowings to do the sidewalks and driveways. It would be more cost effective for the City to plow sidewalks and driveways when requested for a fee. The other option would be to use a local contract for a local area for each snow fall or by the month. This option would be a no cost option for the City. The other option would be to get additional capacity to clear heavy slop when the snow melts. The City probable has 3,000 to 4,000 driveways that would cost about 10.00 per month on average for each driveway. Paul Pugmire asked John how much it would cost to clean the driveways that were filled by the City’s snow removal program. Donna Benfield asked John to review the costs compared to Idaho Falls. Garth Oakey asked if the City could charge per request. Discussion on how to charge residents for a snow removal if the driveway was cleared by the City. Paul Pugmire asked about the market demand. West Main residents were not requesting snow removal for a fee. Garth Oakey reviewed the possibilities of liability with snow on the sidewalks. He reviewed the problems senior citizens have with the snow on the sidewalks. Garth recommended spending more effort on sidewalks similar to other City ventures like the Christmas trees lighting project. Discussion on other options to explore. One option would be to turn the service over to private contractors. John Millar reviewed the practice in Idaho Falls of plowing the snow to the center of the road instead of on the sidewalks. He called it short plowing by stacking the snow into the curb. The two main problems with this approach are mailboxes and the loss of street width. This type of snow plowing on a 40 foot street would be a problem due to the loss of parking. The second option would be to plow the snow to the center and haul the snow off the street. This practice would cost about $500 per block. th Mayor Larsen asked John to plow snow to the center of Main Street from 5 West to the Golf Course or to the end of Sunset Circle. 8 nd John Millar reviewed the problems when plowing 2 East. The snow removal crews are nd in heavy traffic on 2 East now, so it is a difficult area to plow. Garth Oakey indicated the he would prepare a proposal for snow removal in the City that the City Council can review. John Millar indicated that there are 30 miles of sidewalks adjacent to the curb on both sides of the streets in the City. It would take two bobcats with rotaries to clear the sidewalks. The bobcats cost $30,000 each for a total investment of $60,000. Each plowing of the sidewalks would cost about $9,500. The Street budget is $500,000 per year. Snow removal costs come from the same budget as other street maintenance and repair projects. Rex Erickson asked if the City could budget more money for snow removal. He asked if the City had extra money for that purpose. The City would have to give up some other budget item (i.e. police or fire protection). Rex asked if it would be worth it to spend more money on snow removal. Discussion on the need to explore the issue for additional funding for snow removal on sidewalks. Paul Pugmire indicated that it was a policy decision. Rex Erickson recommended solving the issue of snow removal for the City. Mayor Larsen mentioned that he does get complaints on snow removal; however, he was complimented for plowing the pathways at the nature park and the seminary building pathway. Committee Reports: Donna Benfield reviewed the Traffic Safety Committees minutes from the last meeting. The Committee has asked that the City make the no parking signs permanent. These are no parking signs for 1 ½ hours in the morning on Cornell Avenue, Harvard Avenue, and rdndrd one block on 3 South between 2 East and 3 East. nd Nyle Fullmer asked about any plans to include 2 East in the same no parking sign program for streets around the University. Donna indicated that the Committee randomly picked those three streets to add temporary no parking signs as a test. They receive neighborhood input on the decision. nd Rex Erickson indicated that 2 East is the street that needs no parking on the sides of the street. 9 Garth Oakey referred to Pocatello as an example of giving permits to property owners to allow them to park in front of their homes. nd Nyle Fullmer indicated that it was only a problem on 2 East between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. nd Mayor Larsen agreed that the parking has been a problem on 2 East by the Central High School. Stephen Zollinger reviewed the reasons that those three streets were picked. They were picked because they are narrow streets when cars are parked on the edge of the street. nd Donna Benfield asked if 2 East was an emergency route out of town. Nyle Fullmer indicated that between 7:45 a.m. and 8:10 a.m. it is an experience to get out of your driveway due to traffic concerns. Donna Benfield moved to make the temporary 1 ½ hour no parking signs (9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.) a permanent solution on Cornell Avenue, Harvard Avenue, and one block on rdndrd 3 South between 2 East and 3 East. Paul Pugmire seconded the motion; all voted aye, The motion carried. none opposed. John Millar mentioned that medians and turning lanes are in the future plans for nd 2 East. Discussion on the Chairman for the Airport Board. Garth Oakey reported on the Museum Board. He reviewed the problems with the Building concerning water leaks. The water has leaked into the building and damaged some artifacts. Garth asked about the liable issues for the City. He asked if the items are owned by the City. Apparently, the water came through the foundation. John Millar will talk to Mr. Arnold tomorrow about the water leak. Stephen Zollinger indicated that it depends on the agreement or documentation accompanying the artifact when it is taken into the Historical Society. The Historical Society is responsible for most of the property owner’s artifacts. Gifted artifact verses loaned artifacts were discussed. Donna Benfield asked the Council about the planning of City streets verse safety of City streets. She asked if the charge of the Traffic Safety Committee was to be proactive with safety by anticipating future growth concerns on City streets. Mayor Larsen indicated that planning issues come from City Staff. The mechanics of road and street planning verses managing street safety were discussed. 10 Garth Oakey reviewed a proposed marathon from the Teton Dam to Rexburg under the direction of the Parks and Recreation Department. It will be called the Teton Dam Marathon. Mayor Larsen talked about a planned relay for some participants in the Marathon. This is a project that takes a lot of planning. The planning needs to begin immediately. The th event is scheduled for June 05, which is on a Saturday. th Mayor Larsen asked the Council about having a Citizens Academy on March 17 for a review of City Committee’s responsibilities and procedures. Discussion on having a separate meeting for the Citizens Academy. Mayor Larsen indicated that he has started the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee with its first meeting tonight. The students are excited to be a part of the Committee. They th will be presented to the Council on March 17. Garth Oakey asked if handicapped youth could be a part of the Committee. Farrell Young indicated that Committees for the City need to incorporate standardized rules of conduct and scheduling. The Council reviewed the proposed agendas in March. rd March 03 , the Council will hold a work meeting at 6:00 p.m. to discuss parking issues. The reason is to have discussions on the Ordinance 911 for booting cars which has had a stnd 1 reading on December 03, 2003. The planned 2 reading of the Ordinance on December 17, 2003 was postponed until this work meeting could be scheduled. th March 17 , a work meeting at 6:30 p.m. is planned for the County Commissioners and the Sugar City Council and Mayor. st March 31 , a work meeting for Citizens Academy which includes all City Committees and individuals who would like to serve on City Committees. This Thursday at noon is a planned meeting with for the Downtown Vision Committee. Garth Oakey and Paul Pugmire will not be able to attend. Tabled requests: None 11 Mayors Business: = Mayor Larsen passed out a draft organizational chart for City Departments. He mentioned some departments on the chart: 1)Mayors Youth Council 2)GIS/IT Department 3)Customer Support Services Department 4)Community Development Department (Tools for Learning building) 5)Oversight Committees filled by City Council Members Each Department will be assigned to an oversight Committee. The existing City Committees were reviewed by the City Council. There are some County/City Boards. City Council Committee assignments were reviewed. Nyle Fullmer moved to go into Executive Session for a litigation report; Donna Benfield Seconded the motion; Those voting ayeThose voting nay Paul Pugmire None Donna Benfield Nyle Fullmer Rex Erickson G. Farrell Young Garth R. Oakey The motion carried. Executive Session for a litigation report. Executive Session ended. Mayor Larsen asked Nyle to represent the City in an annexation hearing in Boise on Friday of this week. It is a Legislative Committee Hearing. Paul Pugmire and Mayor Shawn Larsen will attend a Conference in Washington D.C. in March. Paul’s employer is willing to pay for some of the expense for Paul’s City trips that are in the same area as his assignments from his employer. There are four trips involved with Paul’s assignments on the National League of Cities Committee. He is a Vice Chairman for one of the 7 standing Committees on the national level. There are 150 to 200 members in these Committees. 12 Rex Erickson indicated that national meetings are valuable to the City. Mayor Larsen is a member of the Small Cities Steering Committee. The Personnel Committee has reviewed the travel policy recently and will provide copies for the Council in the near future. Donna Benfield mentioned that meetings on the State level have been valuable to attend. Mayor Larsen mentioned that the activities of the Oversight Committees are getting under way for several City Departments. The Police Department is the first City Department to receive a review by an Oversight Committee. Adjourned ______________________________ Shawn Larsen, Mayor __________________________________ Blair D. Kay, City Clerk 13