Belgrade City Council

CITY OF BELGRADE COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES COUNCIL CHAMBERS April 15, 2024 7: 00 pm This meeting was open to the public and attended in person. Mayor Russell C. Nelson called the meeting to order. Council Members in attendance were Jason Guffey, Mike Meis, Jim Simon, Kristine Menicucci, and Renae Mattimoe. City staff in attendance were City Manager Neil Cardwell, Assistant City Manager Greg Tryon, City Attorney Rick Ramler, City Clerk Camille Gregory, Executive Assistant Dana Jambor, Executive Finance Director Charity VanKirk, Chief of Police Dustin Lensing, Director of Information Technology Ryan Curtis, Municipal Court Judge Chris Gregory, Director of Community Development Jason Karp, Director of Human Resources Becky Wilbert, Director of Parks and Recreation Steve Klotz, Public Works Director Camaree Uljua, Library Director Gale Bacon, Chief Building Official Lucas Sobeck and Senior Staff Engineer Joe Hauck. Others in attendance were Bryan Tate, Dede Frothingham, Mike Devries, Vivian Crouse, and Todd Waller. ACTION: Council Member Menicucci moved to excuse Council Member Doyle. Council Member Simon seconded the motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Nelson called two times for public comment. Carl Anderson, who resides at 22 Glacier Ct. on the MSU campus, came to introduce himself as a candidate running for House District 67. He mentioned that his contact information is online if anyone has any questions. Mayor Nelson called a third time for public comment. There being none, the public forum was closed. CONSENT AGENDA Consider Approval of Council Minute Draft( S): 4- 1- 24. Consider Approval of Financial Guarantees and Improvements Agreements for Jackrabbit Crossing Subdivision Phase 1A. Consider Approval of Financial Guarantees and Improvements Agreements for Yellow Iron Subdivision. Consider Reduction of the Financial Guaranty and Amended Improvements Agreement for Ashton Meadows Phase 1. Page 1 of 6  ACTION: Council Member Menicucci moved to approve the Consent Agenda as submitted. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC HEARING Discuss and Consider Resolution No. 2024- 4 Approving the Annexation of Property and the Annexation Agreement for Jackrabbit Rentals, LLC ( Williams). Director of Community Development Karp explained that the property owner of Jackrabbit Rentals had signed an annexation agreement. Karp described the property as being located where the Williams Construction International Headquarters is located. He stated the road called Companion Way will connect Jackrabbit Crossing to West Post. Karp noted that the property is on well and septic systems. He expects they will stay that way indefinitely, unless they decide to expand or redevelop the property in the future. Mayor Nelson asked if the City had ever annexed property without that property being required to hook into City of Belgrade utilities in the past. Karp confirmed that the City has done this several times before, and that there are still properties in SID 78 that are not hooked into City of Belgrade utilities. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. City Manager Cardwell mentioned that the City is working with two other properties adjacent to Companion Way. One goal is to widen and expand that street as a minor connector between Jackrabbit Crossing and West Post. ACTION: Council Member Meis moved to adopt Resolution No. 2024- 4 approving the annexation of the property and the annexation agreement for Jackrabbit Rentals, LLC. Council Member Simon seconded the motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. DISCUSSION AGENDA Discuss Belgrade School District Bond Presentation. School Superintendent Dede Frothingham stood and gave a brief PowerPoint presentation on the upcoming School District Bond. She advised the Bond would cover two major projects. The first purpose of the Bond is to build Belgrade' s fourth elementary school. This new school would increase capacity in Belgrade' s elementary schools. It would also allow the Belgrade School District to move the fifth- grade students out of the middle school and back into the elementary school. She noted that the fifth- grade students are currently in the middle school due to a lack of space in elementary schools, which also creates crowding in the middle school. Page 2 of 6  The second purpose of the Bond is to remodel the current middle school. This would allow them to better use the space in the middle school and set classrooms up to better reflect current education models. Frothingham then introduced Bryan Tate, who services the district representative for capital projects, to talk about the financial aspects of the Bond. Tate stated that the overall project value is 80. 5 Million. The Belgrade School District already has $ 20 million in reserve from a bond approved in 2019, so the current Bond being voted on this year is for the remaining amount needed for the project ($ 60. 5 million). Mayor Nelson asked why there was a significant difference in cost between this project and the cost of the project in the 2019 school bond. He asked if it was because the school built with the 2019 bond was smaller, or if it was due to increased building costs. Tate confirmed that costs all around have gone up drastically. Mayor Nelson asked when the Belgrade School Board had begun discussions with the public about this project. Frothingham said the Belgrade School Board passed a resolution for the project in December. They have been reaching out to the community since March via open houses, TV, radio, and newspapers. They have also made and posted videos explaining school funding on the school website and social media. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. Discuss and Consider Approval of the Sanitary Lift Station Pump Replacement Project Cost Participation Agreement for Jackrabbit Crossing Subdivision. Director of Community Development Karp explained that this part of the Jackrabbit Crossing Subdivision Phase lA will impact the lift station behind the former Flying J truck stop. As the Jackrabbit Crossing development comes online, the lift station will need to be upgraded. The overall cost of the lift station upgrades is unknown at this time. Mayor Nelson asked if there was enough existing pipe laid behind the lift station to support the development. Public Works Director Uljua stood and confirmed there is enough pipe already laid to support the development. However, as they develop, the lift station must be upgraded. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Menicucci moved to approve the lift station cost participation agreement for Jackrabbit Crossing Subdivision in the amount of$ 74, 625. 00. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. Page 3 of 6 Discuss and Consider Approval of the Sanitary Lift Station Pump Replacement Project Cost Participation Agreement for Yellow Iron Subdivision. Director of Community Development Karp explained that this item is part of the Yellow Iron Subdivision, specifically for upgrades to the same lift station behind the Flying J that was just discussed in the Jackrabbit Crossing Subdivision discussion item. City Manager Cardwell explained that this item would approve funds that will be held in an account earmarked for future improvements to the lift station. Ultimately, the funds would not be used until the lift station reaches its limit and further improvements are necessary. No formal engineering or design plans for those future improvements have been made. Public Works Director Uljua explained that a study was done for this lift station in 2006 that looked at the expected service area. In the case of Yellow Iron, they looked at what the actual development would add to flow and compared it to what the study projected for flow. The development paid the difference between actual flow and projected flow of the project, based on a gallons- per- minute flow rate. Director Uljua noted Jackrabbit Crossing Phase 1 A was not included in the original study, so there is no base flow to look at for that project. However, the development did agree to pay a contribution based on their actual expected flow from the development. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Mattimoe moved to approve the lift station cost participation agreement for Yellow Iron Subdivision in the amount of$ 16, 823. 00. Council Member Guffey seconded the motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. Discuss and Consider Final Plat Approval for the Jackrabbit Crossing Subdivision Phase 1A. Director of Community Development Karp explained that with the improvements and lift station agreements being approved in the Consent Agenda and the Discussion Agenda, all that was left was to grant the final plat approval. Karp noted that Jackrabbit Crossing had already bonded for all the proposed improvements, which the City is required to allow under state law. The developers are also working with MDT on the intersections of Jackrabbit. They have met all the requirements, so the staff recommendation is to grant final plat approval to Jackrabbit Crossing Phase 1 A. Todd Waller from Venture West Development, the Applicant, thanked city staff for their help in meeting deadlines and overcoming obstacles. He also mentioned that some crucial infrastructure is now in place to help facilitate future growth in Belgrade. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. Page 4 of 6  ACTION: Council Member Meis moved to grant final approval of the Jackrabbit Crossing Subdivision Phase 1A subject to the submittal of all required signed agreements, payments, and original letters of credit to the City of Belgrade. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. Discuss and Consider Final Plat Approval for the Yellow Iron Subdivision. Director of Community Development Karp stated that Yellow Iron is immediately adjacent to Jackrabbit Crossing. With the improvements and lift station agreements approved in the Consent Agenda and Discussion Agenda, and all the requirements having been met by the developer, the staff recommendation is that Yellow Iron be granted final plat approval. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to grant final plat approval of the Yellow Iron Subdivision subject to the submittal of all required signed agreements, payments, and original letters of credit to the City of Belgrade. Council Member Menicucci seconded the motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. Discuss City Master Plan - Quarterly Update Presentation Assistant City Manager Tryon stood and gave a brief PowerPoint presentation on the City' s Master Plan. He noted this presentation was a part of the promise to offer quarterly updates on the Plan. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. REPORTS Mayor Nelson had nothing to report City Attorney Ramler had nothing to report. City Manager Cardwell noted that much development is happening in Belgrade right now. He also noted an uptick in public comments. Cardwell also briefly mentioned the Dry Creek and Spooner Road Project that the Public Works Director and engineering staff have been working on with the consultants at Sanderson Stewart. He proposed a change order that would expand the scope of that project to include two roundabouts and a widening of Cruiser between the intersection at Cruiser and Jackrabbit, Dry Creek, and Spooner. FOR YOUR INFORMATION Council Member Guffey gave thanks to Public Works for filling various potholes around the city. Page 5 of 6  Council Member Meis reminded everyone of the community clean- up day on April 20, 2024, starting at 9 am. Council Member Simon announced that the Central Valley Fire Department will interview the four finalists for the new fire chief on April 16, 2024, from 9 am to Noon. Council Member Menicucci mentioned that she had been getting a lot of emails about traffic and speeding in the neighborhoods. She asked if there was any way to discuss what could be done to better control traffic and speeding. Cardwell mentioned having a workshop prior to a meeting to discuss some options that can be brought to discussion. Council Member Mattimoe explained that the Parks Board discussed replacing some of the splash park' s features. Mayor Nelson asked the public for help locating a black Dodge truck with major front- end damage. The truck is suspected of driving off the road and hitting another car. ADJOURN: Council Member Simon moved to adjourn the t 8: 11 pm Attest., I 611 ussell C. Nelson, Mayor J i r l „ r1 Camille Gregory, City Cler rte}