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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007.07.18 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Customer Support Services City Council Minutes 12 North Center blairk@rexburg.org Phone: 208.359.3020 x313 Rexburg, ID 83440 www.rexburg.org Fax: 208.359.3022 July 18, 2007 Mayor Shawn Larsen Council Members: Donna Benfield – Council President Farrell Young Christopher Mann Rex Erickson Randy Schwendiman Bart Stevens City Staff: Stephen Zollinger — City Attorney Richard Horner – Finance Officer John Millar — Public Works Director Val Christensen – Building Official Gary Leikness — Planning & Zoning Administrator Blair Kay — City Clerk 6:00 P.M. – Work meeting with Planning and Zoning Laura Hanson and Soren Simonsen are planners working on the Comprehensive Plan and the Development Code Update for the county and city as well as other planning projects. They asked those in attendance to do a SWOT Analysis identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats that will allow for better planning in Rexburg. Strengths: ?? BYU-Idaho Expansion Attractive community –joint efforts of individuals and city government ? Community Events ? ?Great community for retirees Agriculture economy ? ?Outdoor activities Young work force ? ?Small population Growing community—people ? want to move to Rexburg Family oriented community ?? Land prices Yellowstone corridor bring tourists to Rexburg ? “Quality of Life” ? ?Great Schools Quality of People ? ?Great Hospital Safe environment ? ?Good infrastructure Open spaces ? ?Honest Business Owners Family Friendly Weaknesses: Threats: ? Traffic Problems around town ? Environmental Threats—water, etc. ? Rail Roads charge 280% of parody ? Land values have already escalated ? Lack of employment very quickly opportunities—large companies ? Affordable housing see Rexburg as a “remote” area ? ?Not having a good Comprehensive Need a larger airport Plan to develop growth ? Ability to Manage Growth ? No major roads ? Price for starter homes are very ? Lack of proper lighting at intersections high/Affordable housing in ? general Water pumping at high peak demand/keeping up with ? Lack of Retail infrastructure ? Weak on recreational facilities ? No loyalty to shop locally ? No swimming pool ? Lack of roads/truck routes 1 Opportunities: ? Outdoor Recreation activities ? Highway 20 gets tourists to “stop, stay and spend” in Rexburg ? LDS Temple ? INL—Idaho National Lab in Idaho Falls ? Retirees moving to Rexburg paying taxes without using services such as schools, etc. ? University ? Hospital ? New schools ? Can mold community ? Can be proactive and “enact the vision Mr. Simonsen and Ms. Hanson thanked to group for their help. This will allow them to move forward in a positive direction. Community Meetings will be held on August 22, 2007 and August 25, 2007. They will work with available resources to get as much community involvement as possible. The next joint meeting on these projects is scheduled for September 19, 2007 at 6:00P.M. 7:00 P.M. – Pledge to the Flag Mayor Larsen welcomed the scout to the meeting. Roll Call of Council Members: All Council Members present. 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 July 03, 2007 meeting B. Approve the City of Rexburg Bills Council Member Erickson moved to approve the Consent Calendar; Council Member Young seconded the motion. All voted aye, none opposed. The motion carried. Public Comment: on issues not scheduled on the agenda (limit 3 minutes) - NONE Presentations: - NONE Committee Liaison Assignments for 2007: A. Council Member Chris Mann Parks & Recreation· Museum Committee· Romance Theatre Committee Nothing to Report B. Council Member Donna Benfield Beautification Committee· Police Department Council Member Benfield met with Chief Archibald with the Police Department. All is going well. The Beautification Committee has not met for a report. C. Council Member Rex Erickson Airport Board· Planning & Zoning Nothing to Report D. Council Member Randy Schwendiman Golf Board· Traffic & Safety· Emergency Services Board Mayor Larsen reported Judy Hobbs presented a possible development at the golf course by a private developer. The proposal would exchange property inside Teton Lakes for an 18 hole golf course at the expense of the developer. The golf board asked for additional information on this proposal. Nothing was decided at the Golf Board meeting because this is just a possible proposal. 2 E. Council Member Farrell Young Tabernacle Committee· Rexburg Arts Council Nothing to Report F. Council Member Bart Stevens Trails of Madison County· IBC Committee· School Board Nothing to Report G.Mayor Larsen Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board· Legacy Flight Museum Nothing to Report Public Hearings: - NONE New Business: A.Final Plat – Snell-Grove Townhomes Kevin Snell at 3784 East 175 North in Rigby, Idaho, presented the final plat for Snell-Grove Townhomes. He explained the main issue was the proposed entrance off of Main Street. Idaho th Transportation Department (ITD) requested more discussion on the 4 West/Main Street intersection. ITD does not want an additional Main Street entrance. Mr. Snell agreed that if/when th ITD or the city upgrades the 4 West/Main Street intersection to be a safer entrance for the th subdivision, the proposed access to Main Street in the final plat would be closed and the 4 West intersection would be used instead. This has been put in the protective covenants with the home- owners association. Mr. Snell had one question on the trash receptacles being in a closed area. He asked if the trash receptacles need to be completely enclosed. Planning and Zoning Administrator Gary Leikness explained the trash receptacles would need be enclosed with a three sided structure facing away from the public right-of-way. th Council Member Erickson clarified the plan to delay the subdivision’s access through 4 West onto Main Street until the intersection is upgraded. ITD pushed not to have access onto Main th Street. When the city and ITD come together to make a safer exit from 4 West, the Main Street th exit will be closed and moved to 4 West. Mr. Snell explained there will be three accesses into the stth subdivision through 1 South, 4 West, and Main Street with the current proposal. Mr. Snell st explained the easement at 1 South needs to be transferred to the homeowners association showing st the access is permanent on 1 South. Planning and Zoning Administrator Leikness explained to the City Council that ITD has been involved in this plat all the way through the review process. th Mayor Larsen would like to see ITD help with the 4 West intersection due to increased traffic in the area. Council Member Stevens moved to approve the final plat for Snell-Grove Town homes with st conditions of approval that the city attorney review restrictive CCR’s for access to 1 South (if/when th ITD or the city upgrades the 4 West/Main Street intersection to be a safer entrance for the subdivision, the proposed th access to Main Street in the final plat would be closed and the 4 West intersection would be used instead). Council Member Erickson seconded the motion. All voted aye, none opposed. The motion carried. Mayor Larsen said this would be a good infill project for the city. B.Final Plat – Walker Addition, Division 3 nd Winston Dyer of the Dyer Group at 310 North 2 East authorized representative for JRW and Associates, presented the proposal on the overhead screen. The subdivision site is off the south side of the Teton River due to a land donation to the City of Rexburg. Winston explained the easements for city services. There are 6 inch water lines running to the property line of the subdivision. It is 3 consistent with the Comprehensive Planning. The Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended the development for approval. Mayor Larsen explained the city received a grant for a pathway on the city property adjacent to the subdivision. The donated land against the south side of the Teton River land is about 8 acres. Mr. Dyer indicated the property is developing as medical businesses. Public Works Director Millar said the bridge across the canal will be installed this fall for access to Barney Dairy Road. nd Council Member Mann asked how much traffic this would create onto 2 East. Mr. Dyer said it nd will not create enough traffic to require a light on 2 East at this time. Council Member Stevens moved to approve final plat for Walker Addition, Division 3. Council Member Erickson seconded the motion; all voted aye, none opposed. The motion carried. C.Review Contingency item for Dispatch – Richard Horner Finance Officer Richard Horner explained the reason for the additional unbudgeted expense for dispatch. Due to changes in the law, 911 money can no longer be used to pay for personnel. In order for the city to meet their commitment for the use of these services, a contingency expense item needs to be approved. The total allocation will be $120,000 by the end of the year; however, there is only $75,000 currently in the city budget. Council Member Young asked where the 911 monies previously used for dispatch are going. Mayor Larsen said it is going into a fund that will be used for communications. They are hoping to use the money for new equipment, etc. A joint city/county committee has been formed to make recommendations on how to spend the money going into this fund. The funds will be allocated equally between all users. Council Member Young asked if other entities will pay the same amount as the city. The cost is split 50/50 between the county and the city. Finance Officer Horner said the City Council will need to approve the additional expense of $45,000 out of the contingency fund. Mayor Larsen explained additional 911 calls have caused the additional expense. He would like to see the Emergency Services Board help pay the expense. County 911 tax dollars are spent by the 911 Dispatch Center. Finance Officer Horner was concerned with the city being taxed with a double tax to pay the additional expense. Finance Officer Richard Horner said there is $83,600 left in contingency before this expense. This would leave a contingency fund balance of $38,600. Council Member Erickson moved to pay the additional expense of $45,000 out of the contingency fund. Council Member Young seconded the motion. All voted aye, none opposed. The motion carried. Mayor Larsen said this additional cost will need to be added to next year’s budget. D.Adopt tentative 2008 Budget – Richard Horner Finance Officer Richard Horner reviewed the proposed 2008 Budget with the City Council. A few items have been added since the budget was last reviewed by the City Council. $45,000 expense for 911 dispatch has been added. The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board (MYAB) has a budget line added for their fund raising events. The total operating fund budget should be around $20 million dollars. To make the budget balance, a contingent property tax of $82,600 has been added. Final rd property tax numbers should be received before the budget is 3 read and adopted on September th 05, 2007. Other changes included splitting the street repair fund and the street new construction fund into separate line items to keep track of them separately. These budgets will depend a lot on grants. 4 Council Member Schwendiman asked for clarification on items delayed in the budget for Emergency Services. It is a negotiated amount that should be in the budget. Finance Officer Horner explained the money was in the budget for Emergency Services. Council Member Mann said a new park maintenance employee was added to the budget. Finance Officer Horner said a new Planning and Zoning Planner was budgeted to help with reviewing building plans in the Impact Area for the county. Planning and Zoning Administrator Leikness is also looking for someone to help with the Parks Master Plan. He would like the Parks Master Plan completed by April or May of next year. As the city grows, additional staff is needed. Mayor Larsen asked if the University could have interns help with the Parks Master Plan. This is an option, but they will need someone who can work a lot of hours. This new position will be a replacement position for the current planning assistant. Council Member Erickson asked if the new full time planner position was needed at this time. Planning and Zoning Administrator Leikness said the Planning Department was flexible and could do whatever the City Council recommended. Council Member Stevens asked about the fund balance carry over from 2007 to 2008. The carry over money is available for expenses; however, the monies do not have to be spent if the work load is not needed. Finance Officer Horner said about $200,000 will be spent out of the carry over monies each year. Council Member Erickson would like to see the carry over budget calculated based on projected expenses; leaving the remaining carry over monies budgeted in a contingency account for that particular city department. Mayor Larsen recommended using a work study position to work on the Parks Master Plan; thus deferring the full time position to 2009. Council Member Mann wanted to ensure the developers would have a timely review of proposed projects. Council Member Benfield would like to budget the new position as the work load called for the position. Council Member Erickson discussed the air conditioning in the City Council room. The system needs to be repaired. Council Member Schwendiman moved to adopt the tentative 2008 Budget with the discussed changes concerning the Planning and Zoning Budget. The budgeted $58,000 for a new planner will be postponed until a later date and $20,000 will be budgeted for student interns to work on the Parks Master Plan. Council Member Erickson seconded the motion. All voted aye, none opposed. The motion carried. Mayor Larsen asked if the Storm Water Study had been budgeted. It was not budgeted. Mayor Larsen reviewed the requests for federal monies; about $150,000 has been put in the federal budget process for a storm water study. nd Council Member Erickson asked Public Works Director Millar if the storm water line in 2 West nd would be upgraded with the up-coming road reconstruction on 2 West. Catch basins coming into nd 2 West are being modified to help with the storm water problem. E.Set date for Public Hearing to increase Utility Fees – Staff Finance Officer Horner reviewed the proposed utility fee increases. The public hearing date was moved from August 1, 2007 to August 15, 2007 to allow for additional changes to the industrial waste water fee. 5 Staff Reports: F.Public Works report on Projects: John Millar ? Police Department air conditioner is finished and working well. ? Millhollow Road project is 99% completed. The intersection island will be completed by the Street Department this year if approved by the neighbors. ? th 7 North by Horkley’s is scheduled to be repaved by the City’s pavement zipper machine July 30, 2007 to August 1, 2007. ? Sunrise Street will go out to bid next week. ? The alley sewer project is complete. ? nd 2 West awarded to HK Contractors to start next Monday. 1200 feet of sewer line will be replaced. ? The Wastewater treatment Plant is 60% complete. ? LID 35 is moving ahead efficiently with replacing curb, gutter and sidewalk. ? The Pioneer Road intersection is being widened. ? South Arterial moving along with a few changes. This will include a jogging path. ? th 7 South ($500,000 to $1,000,000) reconstruction planned for next year. ? Sod will be put by the Smith Park restrooms. ? An on site shower at the Splash Park is being planned. ? Tennis Courts at the High School will have water installed for a green strip. All projects are coming in on budget. G.Financial Officer Report: Richard Horner 1.Monthly Budget summaries Finance Officer Horner reviewed the 2007 Budget as of June 30, 2007. The 2007 Budget period is 75% complete as of June 30, 2007. The city is running under budget for 2007. Sanitation is at 94% due to increased tipping fees at the county. The budget will be amended since utility fees increased to cover this additional expense. Council Member Erickson moved to accept the Monthly Budget summaries report; Council Member Schwendiman seconded the motion; all voted aye, none opposed. The motion carried. Calendared Bills and Tabled Items: A. BILL Introductions: BILL 992 – Annual Appropriations Budget for 2008 1. st BILL 992 will be up for first read next meeting on August 01, 2007. B. First Reading: Those items which are being introduced for first reading. - NONE C. Second Reading: Those items which have been first read.- NONE D. Third Reading: Those items which have been second read. - NONE Tabled Items: Those items which have been the subject of an affirmative vote to a motion to table: - NONE Old Business: - NONE Mayor’s Report: August 1, 2007: City Council Meeting at 7:00A.M. Council Member Stevens will be gone. August 15, 2007: City Council Meeting at 7:00P.M. Council Member Mann will be gone. August 20, 2007: Ribbon cutting for new Tennis Court August 22, 2007: Planning Workshop August 25, 2007: Planning Workshop Council Member Erickson moved to go into executive session pursuant to State Statute 67-2345 for legal council; Council Member Schwendiman seconded the motion. Roll call vote: 6 Those voting aye Those voting nay Chris Mann None Farrell Young Donna Benfield Rex Erickson Bart Stevens Randy Schwendiman The motion carried. Executive Session Executive Session ended. Adjournment ____________________________ Mayor Shawn Larsen Attest: _________________________ Blair D. Kay, City Clerk 7