Belgrade City Council

CITY OF BELGRADE COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES COUNCIL CHAMBERS November 18th, 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 via Zoom, Jim Simon, Kristine Menicucci, Erin Bell, and Renae Mattimoe. City staff in attendance were City Manager Neil Cardwell, Assistant City Manager Greg Tryon, Rick Ramler( for City Attorney Kyla Murray), City Clerk Camille Gregory, Executive Assistant Dana Jambor, Executive Finance Director Charity VanKirk, Chief of Police Dustin Lensing, Municipal Court Judge Chris Gregory, Director of Community Development Jason Karp, Chief Building Official Lucas Sobeck, Director of Human Resources Becky Wilbert, Director of Economic Development Katharine King, City Engineer Joe Hauck, Director of Parks and Recreation Steve Klotz, Public Works Director Camaree Uljua, Director of Operations James Percival, and Senior Planner Brad Stein Fire Chief Jay Wittwer. Others in attendance were Kevin Cook and Scott Bell. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There being none, the public forum was closed. CONSENT AGENDA Consider Approval of 2025 Payroll/ Holiday Calendar Consider Approval of Council Minute Draft ( S) 9. 30. 24, 10. 21. 24, & 11. 4. 24. 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 Ordinance No. 2024- 06 A Zoning Text Amendment for City of Belgrade Pervious Impervious Requirements of the Commercial Corridor and Industrial Zoning Districts to Include Definitions ( second reading/ adoption) Senior Planner Stein explained that the " pervious amount" is the amount of open area that allows water to pass through it. Under the City Code, these areas are currently required to be grassed and landscaped areas. Page 1 of 7  Stein noted that the Belgrade City/ County Planning Board held a workshop to discuss amendment options to the Code. During the workshop, some individuals expressed that some landscaping requirements had been lacking, and some Planning Board members shared those feelings. Stein mentioned that the City of Belgrade hasn' t had a chance to see what the current landscaping code will look like in this area, because a lot of the developments coming online are pre- existing projects being built under the old code. Council Member Guffey asked why this change was happening so quickly, before the current landscape code' s impact could be seen. Stein explained that he didn't have an exact answer for that question, only that his department was asked to come up with alternatives to the current code. ACTION: Council Member Mattimoe moved to open the public forum. Council Member Bell seconded the Motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. Mayor Nelson called for public comment. Kevin Cook, residing in Bozeman, advised he is developing in the West Post Subdivision. He stated he believes a relaxation of the current requirements would greatly help with how much land costs and he thanked City staff for presenting this amendment. Mayor Nelson called two more times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to close the public forum. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the Motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to approve Ordinance No. 2024- 06 amending Sections 10. 2. 03, 10. 8.3 of the City Zoning Code of the City of Belgrade to allow for a reduction of pervious area within the Commercial Corridor Zoning District( CC), Industrial Zoning District (I) through the use of xeriscape landscape incentives and the addition of definitions. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the motion. Discuss and Consider Ordinance No. 2024- 7 A Zone Map Amendment of Parcel 2 of COS 2919 changing the zoning from AD- B Airport District to R Rural Residential District Director of Community Development Karp explained that this property is located outside of city limits but inside the City Zoning District. When Planning updated the Zoning Map, they thought the airport owned this property. However, they later found that the property got caught up in a land swap between the airport and other property owners. The intent was to rearrange the properties so that the airport got the properties more critical to airport operations. Karp noted the Planning Board reviewed the Zone Map Amendment and unanimously voted in favor. The Amendment will change the property in question to residential zoning, so a county Page 2 of 7 minor subdivision can be created. However, there has not been any public comment on the Amendment. Council Member Guffy asked if there was still a rule barring the construction of any building in the flight pattern zone. Karp confirmed that the rule had not changed, but the area included in the Amendment would be outside the flight pattern zones. Kevin Cook, residing in Bozeman, stated he was involved in the land swap with the airport nine years ago. He explained that he believed it was a mix-up in zoning and confirmed that the airport has the land it needs to be safely operational. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to open the public forum. Council Member Mattimoe Seconded the Motion. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to close the public forum. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the Motion. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. ACTION: Council Member Mattimoe moved to approve Ordinance No. 2024- 7 to change the zoning of the subject parcel from AD- B Airport District to R Rural Residential District as recommended by Planning Staff and the Belgrade City- County Planning Board. Council Member Simon seconded the Motion. Council Member Simon stated he had attended the Planning Board meeting where this issue was presented. He agreed this was a matter of oversight and believed the Amendment makes sense. Mayor Nelson called for a vote. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. DISCUSSION AGENDA Discuss and Consider Ordinance No. 2024- 8 Animal Licensing Update City Manager Cardwell touched on the key points that would be updated in Ordinance 2024- 8. He stated the Ordinance would be amending the current registration requirement, changing it from a mandatory requirement people register their animals to a voluntary registration. He noted the Ordinance would also revise the kennel licensing requirement while adding animal care and treatment requirements. He noted the update to the Ordinance will have the appropriate definitions for the changes. Mayor Nelson clarified that this would remove the limit of two ( 2) dogs per lot. Cardwell confirmed that the limit to how many dogs are allowed per lot was removed. He also mentioned that different types of animal classifications are listed in the Ordinance. Council Member Meis asked Cardwell to clarify the rules involving a commercial kennel license. Cardwell recited an excerpt from Belgrade City Code, stating... Page 3 of 7  A commercial kennel is a commercial establishment or place where more than two dogs over the age of 6 months are kept for breeding, sale, training, boarding or any other commercial purposes." The City' s interpretation is that if a homeowner' s dog had a surprise litter and the homeowner wanted to sell them instead of giving them away, they could. However, if they are intentionally breeding a dog for business purposes, the dog owner would need to get a business license. That license would restrict them from conducting that business in a residential area. Mayor Nelson asked Police Chief Lensing if there had been many complaints of dog bites or barking. Chief Lensing answered that they do get some complaints of dogs barking. However, it's generally just one dog on a property, not a homeowner with several. He noted the ordinance is mostly to gain control over nuisance pet owners. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Simon moved to adopt Ordinance 2024- 8, amending the animal code to allow for voluntary animal registration, striking the requirement for dog licenses, revising kennel license requirements, adding animal care and treatment requirements, and to set a date for a Public Hearing for second reading on December 2nd, 2024. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the Motion. There was a brief discussion about removing the limit on how many dogs a homeowner can have. Mayor Nelson called for a vote. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. Discuss and Consider 2025 Meeting Calendars City Clerk Gregory presented the 2025 Meeting Calendar to the Council, pointing out the days that will have multiple meetings or more than one event happening in a single day. She noted they would be rescheduling the April 7th Council Meeting to April 1st. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Mattimoe moved to adopt the Meeting Calendar as presented. Council Member Menicucci seconded the Motion. Mayor Nelson called for a vote. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. Discuss and Consider Annual Board and Committee Appointments for 2025 Page 4 of 7  City Clerk Gregory brought forth the list of boards and committees on which each council member sits. Mayor Nelson went through the individual boards and committees, asking each member if they wished to continue sitting on those boards or if they wanted switch. All members elected to stay on their respective boards. The designated board assignments are as follows: Deputy Mayor: Mike Meis City/County Planning Board: Mike Meis Planning Coordinating Committee ( PCC): Mike Meis Library Board: Jason Guffey Gallatin Local Water Quality District Board: Kris Menicucci Belgrade Regional Park Board: Renae Mattimoe Central Valley Fire District Board: Jim Simon City/ County Health Board: Russell Nelson Disaster Emergency Services Committee: Simon and Guffey Senior Center Board: Erin Bell Urban Transportation District Board: Mike Meis Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. ACTION: Council Member Menicucci moved to adopt the annual board and committee appointments for 2025 as presented. Council Member Mattimoe seconded the Motion. Mayor Nelson called for a vote. All voted aye, Motion carried unanimously. Discuss Update and Process for BSD - COB Land Exchange City Manager Cardwell explained that the voters overwhelmingly approved the Land Exchange measure on the ballot. The vote meant the City can move forward with the exchange of land between the City and the School District. Cardwell noted that the City and School District are in the beginning phases of the legal side of that exchange. An outside law firm will draw up a deed, protecting the Quaw Elementary from being demolished. There will also be provisions stating that the land involved in the exchange can Page 5 of 7  only be sold back to the parties involved. However, Cardwell noted the City could include a caveat in the language that stated something along the lines of, " Unless approved by the voters," if they wished. Cardwell also pointed out that the actual exchange of land and physical move of City facilities would not be immediate. He estimated it could take anywhere between 18 and 24 months for the City and School District to completely swap facilities. He noted this is a complicated process, so no one will be moving offices anytime soon. Cardwell advised that the City will want a full assessment of the buildings prior to the move. However, Cardwell estimates that the City will gain almost four times its current space after the exchange. Mayor Nelson called three times for public comment. There was none. REPORTS Mayor Nelson reported he had the opportunity to go to the hundred- year tribute of the National League of Cities and got to hear a lot of great speakers from all corners of the city government and celebrated the League Rick Ramler, sitting in for City Attorney Murray, had nothing to report. City Manager Cardwell had nothing to report. FOR YOUR INFORMATION Council Member Guffey had nothing to report. Council Member Simon attended the Fire Board meeting, where there were some promotions and a pinning ceremony. They also discussed the issue of traffic control in front of the fire station, including possible solutions to the issue. Council Member Mies sat in the Economic Summit, which he said went well with a lot of good discussion. He also thanked volunteers for helping decorate the downtown area. Meis also mentioned that the Flip the Switch event will be at the Senior Center this Sunday, November 24`h, 2024, at 6 p.m. Council Member Menicucci asked Cardwell if there were any plans to help the Senior Center since the Mill Levy failed. Cardwell answered that staff will gather data to bring to the Senior Center Advisory Board. He warned that with the failure of the Levy, some hard decisions may have to be made regarding services the Senior Center provides. Those decisions could include cuts to services or institution of more fees for service. Page 6 of 7  Council Member Bell reported she had lunch at the Senior Center and got to talk with a woman whose second- grade teacher was Martha Heck. She also reported that the Senior Center will have its Thanksgiving dinner on Friday, November 22nd Council Member Mattimoe reported that the open house for the Parks Master Plan was well attended. She was surprised to see just how many parks there are in the district. ADJOURN Council Member Simon moved to adjourn. Mattimoe seconded the Motion. Mayor Nelson called for a vote. All voted aye, motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8: 16 pm. 7 Russell C. Nelson, Mayor Attest: imi4Ar ' ' '( . ' Camille Gregory, Cit iCleri fr. J • n r f i 9 1;,' S k' b Page 7of7