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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004.10.20 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CITY OF REXBURG October 20, 2004 Draft 7:30 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 Irma Anderson Financial Officer Richard Horner P&Z Administrator: Kurt Hibbert City Clerk: Blair D. Kay PFC: John Millar City Attorney: Stephen Zollinger Pledge to the Flag Roll Call of Council Members: All Council Members were present exempt Council Member Fullmer who was excused for a meeting in Blackfoot for Emergency Services. Mayor Larsen welcomed the scouts to the meeting. They were working on Citizenship in the Community and Communications. Madison High School students attended to fulfill a class requirement. 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. 1 A. Minutes from the October 06, 2004 meeting B. Approve the City of Rexburg Bills Council Member Pugmire moved to approve the Consent Calendar; Council Member Erickson seconded the motion; all voted aye, none opposed. The motion carried. Public Comment: on issues not scheduled on the agenda (limit 3 minutes) None Michael Speed - a BYU-Idaho Student Body liaison to the City. His job is to help the Mayor find willing student representatives to sit on Citizen Committees for the City. Mayor Larsen mentioned that the City applied for the Kroc Foundation Grant. The grant is for a Community Center named after the Kroc family through the organization of the Salvation Army. New Business: A. PacifiCorp (Utah Power) Franchise Agreement Renewal discussion – Glen Pond presented the Franchise renewal agreement for a Utility for PacifiCorp. Council Member Young asked if there were any complications with the way the last agreement was written. Glen mentioned paragraph 8-6 to allow the City to connect to the Utah Power facilities. Council Member Pugmire asked about paragraph 11 being impacting the Trees City USA designation for Rexburg. Glen mentioned that it is the same as other Cities with Utah Power in Idaho. It should not impact that designation. City Attorney Zollinger asked that the Council make a motion to allow the City Clerk to proceed with a public notification for a 30 day period in the official City newspaper. Council Member Pugmire mentioned that the Council has sufficient time to proceed with the process. Council Member Pugmire moved to instruct the City Clerk to begin the standard notification process attended to a franchise ordinance; Council Member Benfield The motion carried. seconded the motion; all voted aye, none opposed. He asked to this item on the next agenda for the Council. 2 B.Smoke-free Air Act of 2004 discussion – Madison County Health Coalition Spencer Michael presented the prospective ordinance as a proposal. He passed out a packet to the Council for review. The packet contains the proposed Ordinance for a Smoke-free Air Act of 2004. He referred to the recently passed Clean Air Indoor Act in Idaho. The Packet contained general information in Section I that is above and beyond the State Clean Air Act. Section II provides information on the State Clean Madison Air Indoor Act. Section III contains the proposed local Ordinance. The County Health CoalitionCoalition for a Healthy Idaho is joining with the in the writing of this Ordinance. Spencer referenced a survey of over 400 residents of the Community from a survey company in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Ordinance was written because they thought the Community wanted to keep the air clean. The survey asked if smoking should be disallowed in indoor public places in Rexburg, including bars and indoor work places. The results of the survey indicated that 86- 88% of those surveyed recommended having an Ordinance that would help maintain clean air in the Community. The second question about prohibiting smoking in public places had an 88% positive response. The Ordinance would prohibit smoking in all buildings open to the public. One major concern of an Ordinance like this one is private property rights. It is not meant to be a hindrance to any business; however, it is designed to protect people from second hand smoke. Council Member Pugmire thanked the group for their preparation. SpencerMadison County Health indicated that there are 15 members in the Coalition with additional volunteers that helped with the preparation. The Robert Woodson Fund funded the survey that costs about $15,000. Spencer indicated that it was intended to help the Community. He mentioned a gap of protection with the State Ordinance. The work places in a non public place and other public areas were mentioned as not being covered. Council Member Pugmire mentioned Bowling Alleys are not covered in the State Ordinance. He asked to have the proposed Ordinance on the agenda in the near future. Council Member Erickson reviewed the Ordinance requirement for a 20 foot smoke free area for entrances to bars and bowling alleys. He indicated that the State Law was adequate for Rexburg. He wanted to study the Ordinance before making any Spencer recommendation. mentioned that the intent of the proposed Ordinance is to go above and beyond the State Smoke Free Ordinance. Although people go to bars and other places to smoke, a study indicated that workers in those places have nd detrimental health affects after being exposed to 2 hand smoke for five minutes. It nd is even worse after 20 minutes of being exposed to 2 hand smoke. It can be fatal to nd an individual if exposed to 2 hand smoke for 120 minutes. 3 nd Council Member Erickson mentioned that people that who are sensitive to 2 hand smoke would not be working in those places where smoking is allowed. He was concerned with adding restrictions to a business without taking a closer look at the Ordinance. Council Member Benfield asked if the 20 foot radius is covered in the State Ordinance. Different businesses are covered with different requirements in the State Spencer Ordinance. mentioned that the 20 foot radius is the same for entrances to business in the proposed Ordinance. Spencer Michael indicated that the enforcement of the Ordinance is provided in the State Ordinance. Mayor Larsen was appreciative of the group and he thanked them for bringing this issue before the Council. Council Member Anderson asked why Rexburg was chosen. Rexburg, Twin Falls, and Moscow are trying to move this Ordinance forward. The Rexburg Coalition was organized after hearing of Twin Falls’ efforts to pass a Smoke Free Ordinance. Mayor Larsen asked the Council if they wanted this item to move forward on a future agenda. Council Member Pugmire asked the Staff to review the Ordinance and put it in the City Ordinance form. He was concerned with the Bowling Alley language. Mayor Larsen indicated that it would be on the agenda November 03, 2004. C. “Roundabouts” intersection presentation by http://www.roundaboutsusa.com (Owner - Bill Baranowski, P.E.) Bill Baranowski presented an overhead presentation with several examples of roundabouts. Many of the roundabout examples were in the Provo and Orem, Utah areas. They can be used to buffer Commercial areas from other areas. Roundabouts work well for older drivers. Roundabouts reduce traffic speeds and maintenance costs for an intersection. Large trucks can move around a two lane roundabout. They make angle parking work better for the traffic. The smallest roundabout he will design is 110 feet in diameter. Bill indicated that a fire engine could pass a car in a roundabout. The pedestrians can find refuge in an island in the middle of the street just before a car would enter a roundabout. A roundabout can be designed to slow traffic coming in to the roundabout by a one lane entry and the exit can change to two lanes to speed up the traffic. A roundabout can replace a street light and save some long term costs. Accidents are less severe at a roundabout because the traffic is moving slower and they are at oblique angles when the cars come in contact with each other. A pedestrian has an 85% chance of dying if he is hit at an intersection with a street light. A study indicated that his chance of dying at a roundabout 4 intersection goes down to 15%, due to the reduced speed of the vehicle. A head on accident or a T-bone accident is not possible at a roundabout intersection because of the angle of the traffic when entering and leaving the roundabout. Bill Baranowski passed out a conceptual drawing of a roundabout at the intersection ndth of 2 West and 4 South. Sidewalks for roundabouts are designed to be 8 to 10 feet wide. He showed examples of different sizes for roundabouts from 110 feet to 155 feet in diameter. Bill reviewed examples of roundabouts through a street corridor. He gave an example in Avon, Colorado where a commute time was reduced from 15 minutes to about 1 and ½ minutes after installing roundabouts in the City. Another example was to remove the median breaks and replace them with roundabouts. This caused a reduction in traffic accidents by 33%. The public is usually against roundabouts at a ratio of 1 ½ to 4; however, after the roundabouts are installed and the public is educated with good education and visualizations, the ratio changes to 4 to 1 in favor of the roundabouts. They are simple to use with the traffic yielding to the circulating traffic. Once a driver is in the roundabout, he has the right of way. They are safer with fewer and less severe accidents, less delay, traffic calming, and improved aesthetics. Council Member Pugmire asked about where roundabouts should be installed. Bill indicated that they could be used anywhere in the City where traffic is not working very well. They cost about $40,000 more than a standard four way stop intersection. They usually cost about the same as a traffic signal. They cost about $150,000 to $200,000 to take care of drainage issues and/or center islands. Council Member Benfield asked about farm to market traffic coming through the roundabout. Bill mentioned that they would go slower and could have the possibility of making a u-turn in the roundabout. Council Member Young asked to have the roundabouts on a future agenda. D.Review Supervisors Handbook Richard Horner reviewed the responsibilities of a supervisor in the City as contained in the Employee Handbook. The Handbook covers procedures for hiring employees, supervision of employees, employee evaluations, employee injuries, and conflicts of interest, etc. Richard asked to have it on the next agenda. Council Member Young asked about the number of supervisors in the City. Richard indicated that there were about 25 supervisors or 30% of the employees. Paul Pugmire thanked Richard and expressed his approval of the Employee Handbook. 5 Mayor Larsen thanked Richard for the recent Supervisory training and his work on the Supervisory Handbook. Public Hearings: None Old Business: A.COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2020 – Discuss the proposed text – Staff Kurt Hibbert reviewed the progress on the text and its inclusion into a future Comprehensive Plan Ordinance and other City Ordinances like the Zoning Ordinance. He will present the Comprehensive Plan text at the next meeting on November 03, 2004. (Redevelopment Area Concept discussion) B. – Planning and Zoning’s recommendation to handle “Overlay” proposals on the zoning level and the redevelopment proposals on the Ordinance level. – Staff Project Redevelopment Zone or (ProZone) was reviewed by Kurt. He changed the language to allow the developer to present a possible Redevelopment solution to an area for a ProZone Development. This developer proposal would have to go through the review and approval process by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council. It is up to the governing bodies to approve the proposal in a public hearing process. The ProZone Redevelopment Area definition is a document that will be a guide for a developer to follow to put together a ProZone Application. If approved, the ProZone proposal would be added to the City’s Zoning Ordinance. Council Member Erickson asked if the City would take the lead on an area or wait for a developer to present a ProZone proposal. He referred to the past discussions on nd the South 2 East area. Planning and Zoning would accept proposals from a developer or citizens of an area. The public hearing process would be a vehicle to allow change in a depressed area of the City. Devin Hughes presented a proposal for a ProZone Application to be applied to College Avenue. He would have 12 to 14 homes for housing for single students. The street would contain a roundabout. He wants College Avenue to be the nicest looking pedestrian friendly street in the City. The parking would be in the rear of the homes with green areas in front where Street dances could be held for University students. Council Member Pugmire asked to defer this discussion until it could be placed on the agenda. 6 Devin Hughes would be in favor of the proposed ProZone Area for the City. His intent is to get City Staff and public input on the development of the College Avenue. Mayor Larsen asked if the Planning Commission was aware of the ProZone concept. Kurt indicated that this ProZone discussion came out of the Planning Commission. Mayor Larsen asked to have the ProZone document on the agenda on November 03, 2004. Kurt mentioned that the SIC codes for the three Commercial Zones would be updated to be more specific in the City’s updated Zoning Ordinance. Council Member Erickson would like to look at the ProZone by the first of 2005. Kurt Hibbert mentioned that the Zoning Ordinance does not address design standards and fencing. He mentioned the need for additional fencing guidelines as and example that needs to be brought into the new Zoning Ordinance. Council Member Pugmire mentioned that our Zones are too broad and too few. He recommended moving forward with completing the changes to the Zoning Ordinance. nd Mayor Larsen asked Kurt to have the Zoning Ordinance prepared for the 2 meeting in November. Mayor Larsen mentioned that other Cities spend thousands and thousands of dollars for a consultant to produce a Zoning Ordinance. Mayor Larsen and Council Member Pugmire thanked Kurt for all of his good work on the Comprehensive Plan and the proposed Zoning Ordinance. City Council Report: A. Council Member Young – Nothing B. Council Member Benfield – Nothing (Waiting for Committee minutes) C. Council Member Erickson – Nothing D. Council Member Pugmire – The Golf Board met with Kevin Atkinson on the new 9 hole golf course. He presented four drafts with pluses and minuses. He mentioned that the cost will be about 1.2 to 1.4 million dollars. The current cash flow will only support 1 million dollars for the new 9 hole golf course. There is a Budget shortfall to cover the desired proposal. The new 9 holes will be designed as a links type golf course. There is a fence being installed on the highway on the west side of the golf course for a $1.00 per foot. E. Council Member Fullmer – Excused F. Council Member Anderson – The Museum Committee positions are being filled with new members including the Chair. Marsha Bjornn was asked to be the new Chair of the Museum Committee. Linda Kusch was asked to be the new secretary. They are working on the By-laws. Council Member Anderson missed the Parks and Recreation Committee meeting. 7 John Millar mentioned that the lighting at the Tabernacle is being bid in the next 10 days. Report on Projects: Mayors Report: Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board Appointments: Mayor Larsen A.announced the new members. Tabitha Webster is the new advisor. Returning Board Members The names of the "": Jason Andrus, Shelly Lucas, Brandon Bradshaw, Tracey Stephenson, and Clarisa Blacker. New Board Members The "": Ryan Madsen, Vanesa Cannon, Issac Madsen, Jacob Thatcher, Shaundell Thomas, Karlie Stark, and Stoddard Davenport. Council Member Pugmire moved to ratify the candidates; Council Member The motion carried. Benfield seconded the motion; all voted aye, none opposed. Street Impact Fees B. Richard Horner reviewed a Street Impact Fee proposal to have a study done to understand the feasibility of having a Street Impact Fee. It would impact the new developments to help cover road system expansion on the new development. The study will assess the impact of new developments on the City Streets on a trip per day analysis. Mayor Larsen asked to have it on the next agenda. The Impact Fees for streets if approved would go towards paying the fee study. Council Member Pugmire agreed and indicated that it was unfinished business for the Impact Fees for Parks, Police, and Fire. Council Member Young asked if other Companies would be invited to provide requests for proposals. Richard indicated that he was comfortable with using the same Company that provided the Parks, Police, and Fire Impact Fee Study. Mayor Larsen asked to have this item on the next agenda. Mayor Larsen mentioned that Bill Hamlin is being transitioned into Zoning Code enforcement with an emphasis on education. Kurt mentioned that it is allowing the City to be an advocate with the neighborhood. He presented a document to the Council that would be used as a strategic plan for this enforcement effort. John Millar presented a proposed update to sewer Ordinance 800 for the next Council Meeting. It covers minimum allowances for discharge into the sewer system. 8 Projects: John Millar reviewed the following projects: 1) North Hill Road to be paved Monday. th 2) 7 South to be paved next week. 3) Airport apron is under the testing phase with paving this week. 4) Scada project is 90% complete. 5) Sanitation building is 90% complete. 6) Bike path on the LP property is under construction. 7) Business Park road is in the design phase. Council Member Erickson asked about lights on the Smith Park walking path. It is a budget item for next year if the Council makes it a priority. 8) Revitalization of Porter Park including a parking lot will be presented at the next Council meeting. Tabled requests: Adjournment 9