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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988.08.03 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES~.--~ _ MINUTES OF SPECIAL BUDGET MEETING August 3, 1988 1 State of Idaho) County of Madison( ss. City of Rexburg) A special budget meeting of the City Council of the City of Rexburg, Madison County, Idaho, held August 3, 1988 at 7:00 p.m., at the City Hall. Present were the following: Mayor: John C. Porter Councilmembers: Nile Boyle Glen Pond Darlene Blackburn Bruce Sutherland Bruce Casper Nile Fullmer Absent: Rose Bagley, City Clerk Also Present: Mary Smith City Attorney Richard Horner Treasurer Commissioners, Madison County Fire District: Ken Anderson Milton Westwood In the excused absence of Rose Bagley the Mayor asked Mary Smith to take the minutes. The Fire Department budget was discussed item by item, also the building of a class room. Also, insurance and sick leave. The Mayor suggested a study of retirement benefits and payment of the same be made. the matter of unused sick leave bonus was also discussed. Striping the streets was discussed. The meeting adjourned for Council Meeting. After reconvening, various budget items were discussed and some changes made. On motion duly made, seconded and carried, the meeting adjourned. I ._~ r MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING August 3, 1988 State of Idaho) County of Madison( ss. City of Rexburg) A meeting of the City Council of the City of Rexburg, Madison county, Idaho, held August 3, 1988, at 7:30 p.m., at the City Hall. Present were the following: Mayor: John C Porter Councilmembers: Nile Boyle Glen Pond Darlene Blackburn Bruce Sutherland Bruce Casper Nile Fullmer Absent: Rose Bagley, City Clerk Also Present: Mary Smith, City Attorney Richard Horner, Treasurer Commissioners, Madison County Fire District: Ken Anderson Milton Westwood A motion was made by Darlene Blackburn and seconded by Bruce Sutherland to approve the minutes of the regular meeting held July 20, 1988. All Aye. In the excused absence of Rose Bagley the Mayor ask Mary Smith to take the minutes. RE: STREET REPAIR BUDGET The Mayor reported that the following streets should be included in the street repair budget: 350 South Part of Cornell Street intersection North 3rd East that it is necessary to put in a larger water line and the street would have to be torn up, repaired and seal coated; that Farrell had received an estimate of .65 a square yard. The Mayor said some of the streets needed patching and it should be done. RE: SECOND EAST PROJECT DISCUSSED The Mayor reported on the 2nd East Project: That he had been trying to get property for the water impound reservoir, to hold back water from runoff; that the property was expensive and he had concluded that if the storm drain was enlarged the runoff could be dumped in at the top and carried down to the Tri County Implement corner to dump into the large drain which would take care of it; that he had discussed it with the engineers and they had approved the project and the City wouldn't have to buy any additional. property. RE: SMALL AIRPLANE NOISE CONTROL A number of people who were interested in the control of the small airplane noise attended the meeting. Various statements and suggestions were made and discussed, also the noise made by four wheelers and motorcycles. `. ~_ - ~ • ~• • •T TRANSPORTATION L)~t~Hrc i lvi~iv DISTRICT 6 P.O. BOX 97 R/GBY, ID 83442-0097 208/745-7781 July 12, 19$8 ,, i` ~~ .® ;, City of Rexburg 26 North Center Rexburg, ID $3440 Dear Mayor Porter: Main Street, from west of Center Street to 1st East in Rexburg is rated number seven on the 1988 list of non-intersection related high accident locations in the State. Last year this location was rated number 17. As you can see, this situation is becoming more urgent and the resulting economic loss is growing. A detailed study of accidents from January 1985 to May 198$ show the following factors are impacting this location. 1. A total of 49 accidents were reported during this period. Of this total, 38 of these or 77$, are parking and/or rear end related. Stopping in traffic, backing, leaving, parking, avoid parking, vehicles, failure to yield, & following too close, are the most frequently observed vehicle maneuvers. 2. Of the 98 drivers involved in this accident study, 73 were Madison County residents, and the remaining were state residents. 3. The annual economic loss resulting from these accidents is 517,639. This ranks 19th in the State for similar locations. Fortunately, because of low operating speeds, the injury rate is only about average for this type roadway. In view of the evidence, we are recommending the removal of angle parking on Main Street in Rexburg. We are confident this action would reduce future accidents and improve safety. This would be an ideal time to consider removal of angle parking, because of the resurfacing project which is scheduled in the next few weeks. This seal coat will cover all existing pavement markings. Another advantage to parallel parking would be utilizing the recovered roadway width to provide for a two-way left turn lane, two thru lanes, and parallel parking lanes, the entire length of Main Street. This would provide refuge for left turning traffic and also expedite thru traffic. AHo 1890• ENTENNIAL_~_199Q I am certain we are all interested the list of high accident locations the above recommendation and inform Sincerely, ~v LEROY YER, .E. District Engineer WLM:mpw in removing this location from in the State. Please consider us of your action. tti~'1 INSURANCE 8e REAL ESTATE AGENCY CITY OF REXBURG MEDICAL INSURANCE: POINTS TO CONSIDER The first decision to be made is whether or not the City of Rexburg is prepared to make a long-term commitment to the broadening of medical benefits for the City employees. This year is a rare year when the medical insurance offered costs less than the same insurance did last year. If the City of Rexburg decides to add the optional coverages this year, it must also be prepared to offer the coverage long term, and it will become more expensive each year similar to the medical insurance rates. Once a benefit is established, it is very difficult to take away from an employee. Current additional costs for dental annually are 516,368. The decision of which company to place your insurance with should be made with the idea of a long-term agreement in mind. It is a question of which company will provide the most consistent rates and best claim service in the long run It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict what the future rate structure will be. Rates will almost certainly continue in an upward spiral, the question is how fast will the rates increase? No company can guarantee future rates, as a number of factors determine that, such as claims utilization for the group and social factors, such as AIDS. Each company will adjust their rates in order to guarantee solvency and continued operation of the company, as well as the ability to pay claims. Upper Valley Alliance will not give a long-term rate guarantee, nor will First Farwest. Each company will react to claims experience as each group is reviewed. Bonneville School District, for example received a 127% rate increase through First Farwest for this year (i. e. this year`s rate was 2.27 times last years' rate). We are local businessmen and are not "experts" from out of town. We have worked hard to build our reputation for service and quality of products sold. We have demonstrated for a number of years that we are capable of handling the property and casualty insurance needs of the City of Rexburg. We have a local office and staff to handle the needs of the city employees. We would not recommend health insurance coverage to the City of Rexburg that we did not feel personally comfortable with. The Upper Valley Alliances' performance since inception of the plan two years ago has demonstrated the ability to respond to the needs of the community and operate in a fiscally sound method. 117 West Main Street • Rexburg, Idaho 83440 • Telephone 356-4411 ~~ There do seem to be some discrepancies in the figuring of the Dental and Vision rates that we are unable to rectify. To provide some comparisons, we offer the following: Sinale Double Family Employers Dental Trust 512.50 539.40 539.40 (Dental only) Blue Shield Dental 12.00 24.50 36.80 Vision 4.20 7.80 11.40 16.20 32.30 48.20 AdvanceDent plus Vision 18.66 49.89 49.89 Upper Valley Alliance Dental 11.00 22.00 33.00 Western Vision Services 5.?5 12.65 12.65 16.75 24.65 45.65 First FarWest Dental + Vision 11.94 17.05 20.25 It appears that there may be a rating error. The Dental and Vision rates were quoted as being with New York Life, but we have been unable to verify the quoted rates with any broker dealing with Dental and Vision Insurance. First FarWest does not consider city councilmen to be full- time employees of the city, and will not provide coverage for them and their families. We had received proposals from First FarWest in April, but did not formally propose the plan to the City Council because pf this, and also because we felt the Upper Valley Alliance plan to be better for the City Employees as well as the community itself. The Upper Valley Alliance has indicated that they will meet the family rate offered by First FarWest ( i. e. 5236.95 as opposed to 5240.00 quoted) for their package, not including the vision, but have great reservations about the ethics and propriety of the situation. Archibald Agency functions as Independent Agents and would like to handle the health insurance for the City of Rexburg. We already represent the City of Rexburg with their property and casualty insurance, and would like the opportunity to represent you with your health insurance as well. We fully recommend the Upper Valley Alliance program and feel that the City of Rexburg should accept their proposal. The choice of companies and agents is entirely up to the City of Rexburg. Should you decide to accept the proposal from a different company, Archibald Agency will act as your agent. We have contracts with First FarWest, Blue Shield, Blue Gross, Travelers and a number of other companies. ~~ RE: NOISE ORDINANCE The Mayor said the City did not have a noise ordinance nor the equipment to measure noise decibels, that he thought the people involved should try to get together on some plan--regulating time and days. It was also discussed that some of the noise was coming from the freeway. The Mayor suggested there was afield located further west and if that could be used or any other place, the City would grade it. He stated the City owned about 15 acres just west of the cement plant and that location might be used. He suggested the various locations be investigated. The Mayor stated they all seemed to agree that something should be done; that it might take a week or two to find another place and in the meantime those flying the model planes should try to regulate the use and noise to when it would be the least objectionable. RE: GRAFFITI ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS The matter of graffiti on buildings located to the southwest was discussed. The Mayor said the City would contact the property owners. Sander Larsen said he was sure many of the citizens would be glad to help out in cleaning it up. Bruce Sutherland said he understood the property was involved in bankruptcy and the bankruptcy court said if the City would clean it up it would pay the bill. the Mayor said he would try to get some volunteer help. The Mayor stated the cement block plant property to the north was in just as bad shape and something should be done with it. RE: STEINER DITCH DISCUSSED The Steiner ditch was discussed. The Mayor said he had asked Bob Lee to give him an estimate of the cost to put in a pump and sprinklers to irrigate the Steiner property, and also the size of pump and sprinklers necessary for the project; that as soon as he received the information he would contact Mr. Steiner and a committee form that area. The Mayor stated Mr. Steiner owned the ditch and the City could not take out the ditch without providing another means of irrigation. RE: PARKING LOT ON NORTH SIDE OF MAIN STREET DISCUSSED The Mayor said he had received a letter form the school regarding the parking lot on the north side of Main Street; that it was difficult for them to keep it cleaned. The matter was discussed. The Mayor said the City sweeps the playground by the high school and the school thinks it should be done once a month. The Council agreed. RE: TRAFFIC MARKINGS Traffic markings on West 4th South, 200 West to 400 West were discussed. The Mayor stated the City could use its own equipment and labor to do the corners. Moved by Nile Boyle, seconded and carried the the bills be paid. RE: DUST RETARDANT FOR UNPAVED STREETS DISCUSSED Mayor Porter said he had contacted the Forest Service as to where dust retardant could be purchased for some of the City's unpaved streets. Discussed. RE: LANDFILL AREA USED FOR MODEL AIRPLANES Glen Pond stated the landfill area might be used for the model planes. Other locations and jogging locations were discussed. On motion made, seconded and carried, meeting adjourned. ~.~--- ---- ---------------------- ,% ~ '~ ~ Joh C Porter, Mayor