City Council

City Council Work Session 4:00 PM Community Center February 19, 2019 ATTENDANCE: Mayor/Council (please check) X Cromley, X Yakawich, X Neese, X Ewalt, X Joy, X Friedel, X Gibbs, X Ronning, X Clark, X Brown, X Mayor Cole CM excused: ADJOURN TIME: 7:53 PM Agenda TOPIC #1 Planning Session Continuation PRESENTER Chris Kukulski, City Administrator NOTES/OUTCOME • Mayor Cole – gave direction and set the tone for the meeting. • Chris Kukulski – updated Council with Staffs’ outline to review. • Mayor Cole – reviews with Council the process. • Frank Ewalt – set the time for 7:00 PM adjournment. • Chris Kukulski – public safety was No. 1 priority from Staff and Council. Separated Fire and Police deliberately to look at these individually. Wants to debate what is safety. FBI stats are uniform across the country. National Citizens’ Survey done locally to gage perception. There is a difference between the 2. If citizens don’t feel safe, the stats don’t matter. • Richard Clark – everyone thinks the Fire Dept. is fine. Complaints and concerns come from burglaries, etc., i.e. police. • Shaun Brown – it is overwhelming – do we throw more bodies at it? Other ways to increase safety? • Chris Kukulski – have been asking the community for definitions of what the issues are. Received a list from the police dept. what the issues are. • Mayor Cole – consensus on this is No. 1 priority. What does the crime picture look like? What are options to attack? Funding mechanisms? • Chris Kukulski – revisits Jan. 26th City Administrator memo. • Mayor Cole – are we on the right track, Chief? • Chief St. John – Property crimes are being driven by drugs. Cannot get people in the jail – significantly impacting public safety. No room. Some crimes we are experiencing would not be happening if people were in jail. • Chris Friedel – concurs with Chief. Explains that warrants / arrests not happening because criminals cannot be incarcerated. 1 • Chris Kukulski – That may be within our control – work with County and make a difference in this area. • Penny Ronning – when is the annual report due? March. • Denise Joy – How does the City / County communicate on needs levels? • Chief – communicate often – try to prioritize who goes into the jail and who doesn’t. There is a committee that is working on a solution, specifically a priority list. If someone is a risk they definitely go in. • Penny Ronning – Leaving a section out of conversation, i.e. legislature as they pass laws that instruct police who must stay in jail a day or two and who doesn’t. Are they talking with others about this. • Chris Kukulski – conversations about paying for public defenders and the local budgets. May be the most complex problems for local governments and other law enforcement agencies. • Mayor Cole – be more specific with priorities list after this meeting. • Chris Kukulski – 2nd item – OBSD. If there are monies put toward downtown, it will be tax based. Will substantially move the needle in the right direction toward public safety – red hot area. That kind of economic investment will help pay the bills and lift the economic situation in the community. LC1182 – draft legislation, not a bill number yet. See millions of dollars tax revenue over 20-30 years, it will make a difference. • Shaun Brown – should successful 2019 legislative session be before OBSD? • Chris Kukulski – there are 16 pages of legislative bills being monitored now, and some of those things will drop off after March. • Shaun Brown – what are we supporting concerning OBSD? Is that going as fast as it is going to go? • Chris Kukulski – Serious policy time will be required if OBSD passes. When the bill is passed, will need Council to speak to legislators, we need everyone in. • Mike Yakawich – when do we get to council goals? • Chris Kukulski – this is not a list of staff goals, this is Council goals. • Mayor Cole – what is Mike wanting to add? • Mike Yakawich – if council is good with these, good. • Penny Ronning – some have time constraints – such as OBSD and legislative session are March. • Chris Kukulski – if not a priority, then shouldn’t be spending time in Helena. • Roy Neese – Where is inner belt loop in goals and other goals? • Chris Kukulski – 11 C is Inner Belt Loop - Didn’t take anything off, but rearranged them. • Mayor Cole – No. 4 • Chris Kukulski – this is ongoing – project re-code – will be on Council’s meeting discussions. • Denise Joy - attending signage committee, a lot of information. • Wyeth Friday, gives an explanation of process – steering committees, drafting of new code is happening. Working with County on new plans - contingent of steering committee are doing presentations and outreach into the community. Will be bringing to the Council. Zoning issues residential hurdle 2 • Chris Kukulski – asked to be sensitive to the elections and starting all over. Prioritizing to get this done. • Chris Kukulski – asked to be sensitive to the elections and starting all over. Prioritizing to get this done. • Denise Joy – enjoys the meetings she has attended and the discussions about sign codes. Detail driven and the code is really complicated. Planning to plug into work sessions to educate the council. • Wyeth Friday – have heard the Council’s concerns about casinos. Site planning, landscaping and signage are right there in it. • Roy Neese – combining some of the zoning codes. Will be a big concern with neighbors. • Mayor Cole – who has been attending the committee meetings to get educated? • Denise Joy – some of the task forces have identified where they can affect the changes. • Penny Ronning – has been attending some – info is pretty thick. Relying on staff to bring the info to Council. • Chris Kukulski – think about Council time what they can dedicate to in prioritizing items. • Mayor Cole – how long will the recode take and how will it be broken up. • Wyeth Friday - try to vet with Council several parts and pieces and then get in larger finalization portions, i.e. sign code – landscape. • Mayor Cole – may be wanting recode brought to work session updates monthly items. • Richard Clark – budgeting work sessions will happen soon. • Chris Kukulski – April, May and June. • Chief Rash – partners with police and tries to help complement each other. 911 center is under the fire department – that’s where it starts and ends. Has increased calls. Long Range Master plan over past 1.5 years. Be proactive rather than reactive. Not okay – maintaining, but can’t keep going like this. Annexations cause the fire department to grow, along with City. Will lay out the road map at the work session on the 18th. Don’t lose sight of the fire department’s needs. • Mayor Cole – cost of services on the list from planning? Impact fees for spreading the services for fire and police. • Chris Kukulski – that is identified under administrative issues. • Wyeth Friday – looking at what the all inclusive impacts what a while of road costs the City – PW, transit, public safety, etc. identifying who can help prepare the analysis. Will be available in 2019. • Shaun Brown – Adoption of fire long range master plan under No. 1. • Chris Kukulski – adoption includes implementation. If not willing to implement, then don’t adopt. That will be the time-consuming issue. Taxes and fees will be a large part of the discussion. • Penny Ronning – think of both police and fire when thinking of public safety. Public takes advantage that fire will always be there. • Rash – 2018 hired a consultant to do facilities study, but was delayed – it will now be brought to the Council for direction. 3 • Chris Kukulski – improve public safety – police and fire as no. 1. Happy with the list? • Roy Neese – water problems. Needs to be moved way up the list – No. 8 needs to be moved up. Needs it to be moved faster. • David Mumford – agrees and appreciates support, is moving as quickly as it can at this point. Needs financing and a rates and fees schedule will be coming to Council. Have funding in place for land acquisition and design. Will be in place in 5 years. Reviewing existing water plant improvements in the meantime. Funding limits also affect the timeline. Bond funded. Consultant giving rate studies. Could review funding acceleration. • Chris Kukulski – is growth paying its fair share? • David Mumford – system development fees – what percentage is determined, that’s part of the rate study. $30 million for reservoir and $40 million for treatment plant. • Mayor Cole – development of it? Reservoir and then treatment plant? • David Mumford – reservoir first and then treatment plant would begin construction toward end of reservoir construction. • Frank Ewalt – needs to be moved up. 70% sure existing treatment plant will last until west end facility is built, which means 30% chance it will fail. • David Mumford - 4 times a month plant goes off line – takes 2 to 5 hours to get back online. Certain areas of town are questionable for water service. Struggling with keeping up – creating reservoirs, but all going to an old plant. Long term issue. Pumping from lowest point to the highest point. • Chris Friedel – one day without water will be a big problem. Needs to be a priority and not set aside. Over the public information officer. • Roy Neese – higher than OBSD. • Denise Joy – would like to see conservation side as a community. Grass watering. Does not agree no. 2 on priority. • David Mumford – reservoir could be expedited, but the treatment plant will take as much time to build as it needs. • Penny Ronning – Police, Fire and airport and PW are all working at the same time, no matter where it is placed on the list. • Chris Kukulski – absolutely, but wherever it is on the list, will guide Council discussions and policy priorities. No. 6 – improved communication. No. 7 – parks and trails – what do you want staff to bring to Council to prioritize? • Michael Whitaker – gave updates on Centennial Park and Coulson Park Master plans. Coulson will receive monies from the oil spill. • Mayor Cole – 7C and 7D important conversations for funding – • Chris Freidel – Can parks and PW work together on park in reservoir area. • Roy Neese – multi-use complex for Castle Rock park – where is it? Clevenger Park needs to added to list to redevelop. • Michael Whitaker – lots of talk about finishing Castle Rock Park. Met with a group of individuals 6 months ago about Clevenger Park. • Kevin Ploehn – In design phase – demolition plan start process in Sept. design phase will go out to bid in November, December. $55 million project. Doable, 4  funding sources lined up. $35 million bond. Passenger facility charge will be increased from $3 to $4.50. Reduced footprint, changing clear story – put in skylight, took out fluff to make it look good. Can add onto the concourse in the future. Will have 8 gates and can be expanded to 12 without a lot of additional construction. Portland airport similar to the renovation. • Mike Yakawich – MET Transit doing okay? • Kevin Ploehn – will be acquiring 6 new busses - running at break even on the budget. • Mayor Cole – South Billings Rec. Center update? • Michael Whitaker – moving full speed ahead as best it can. Can’t get everything wanted for $30 million. Some fundraising needed to get up to $50 million so can have ice and swimming. Sending a survey to entire county, randomly. • Chris Kukulski – will need to talk about the boundaries – county residents will use the facility. • Wyeth Friday - If district has funding ability with ½ of the funding, that’s significant. • Roy Neese – ongoing operations are a concern – like Oasis had to bond. This should be the same way. Should not cause taxpayers to support. • Mayor Cole – important philosophical question. • Michael Whitaker – make sure get as close to a facility that will over most of the operating costs. • Wyeth Friday – depends on what is determined is needed for the facility. Recess: 6:10 pm Reconvened: 6: 20 pm • Chris Kukulski – No. 11. • Wyeth Friday - $120 million – Lockwood / Billings Bypass – there are many funding sources involved on this. • Chris Kukulski – inner belt loop has all of the gas tax monies. Lockwood has its own water district. We treat Lockwood’s sewer. • Richard Clark – Lockwood interchange shouldn’t be on the list. • Chris Kukulski – anyone that touches water and sewer – should be annexed into the City. • David Mumford – annexation discussions with past council’s indicated it would be too much to bring them up to standards – Council stated didn’t want Lockwood. • Roy Neese – feds are going to build whether we want it or not. • Mayor Cole – struggling in what those mean for now. Are we doing things according to planning policies? • Wyeth Friday – Mary street is moving forward. No plans to annex Lockwood. Addressing zoning in project recode. TED is looking at development. Not focused on rezoning in the Heights now. Inner Belt Loop – recommendation to do a study on land use impacts along the corridor and is moving forward. • David Mumford – none of this is a priority, still saving for the projects. • Roy Neese – close to $2.9 million in gas tax funds. What is the study for? 5  • Wyeth Friday – yes, land use and access. • Roy Neese – planned development no hodge-podge – unplanned community – avoid this. • Wyeth Friday – can look at something in October 2020. • Roy Neese – will be behind the 8 ball on this – how to avoid no planned development? Don’t want another Main Street. • Wyeth Friday - bypass is several years away. Want to look at with the County and further reviewed. Brent Cromley left at 6:45 pm. • Wyeth Friday – need to coordinate with County. • Mayor Cole : keep a list of items to discuss with schools and county at meeting. Barrett Road / Medicine Crow, Bypass and Jail • Frank Ewalt – Medicine Crow / Barrett Road needs to move up in priority. School has been open for 3 years. Should be completed by summer. • Roy Neese – this fits to the public safety issue and can be placed under No. 1, public safety. • David Mumford – no projects are currently slated for 2019 in CIP for Barret, could not be completed by summer. • Frank Ewalt – no signs that there is a school crosswalks. • Wyeth Friday – there have been discussions with school and will continue. • David Mumford – somethings can be done as minor improvements – can’t get done in this construction season. SID and gas tax is the only funding that can be used for projects. • Shaun Brown – own line item – to look like we are making an effort. • Mayor Cole – shouldn’t be taking responsibility if it is the County’s. Concerning the Molt Road / Hwy 3 connector – have heard the concerns of the Rimrock Task Force. • Richard Clark – How do we find funds to buy right of way? • David Mumford – do not have a design. – had a study a long time ago, would need to do a design. • Wyeth Friday – in the long term transportation study, Molt Road / Hwy 3 Connector is listed, but is not a priority. • David Mumford – explains the use of the study with preferred option. Developers can’t just build out there without considering right of way. • Wyeth Friday – proposed studies would keep us from getting out of the development of the connector. Council could decide to move • Roy Neese – questioned the process. • Mayor Cole – educating the public about these proposed roads is needed. Affecting Ironwood residents, etc. • Chris Kukulski – explains the rest of the lists – Administrative Issues / City County Issues. • Penny Ronning – Energy Conservation Commission – resolution is low hanging fruit. 6 • Chris Kukulski – resolution is, but staff time will be considerable. • Penny Ronning – can it be strategically worked in since board appointments are generally done 2 times a year. • Mayor Cole – fill vacancies throughout the year. • Chris Kukulski – Kevin working on possible full time judge, need to discuss new city hall, Main Street, marijuana will create increase in Police department. • Mike Yakawich – Council made an initiative regarding City Hall and will support. USS Billings – needs $15,000 from Council contingency. Thanked various staff for their staff time with this. In August is the commissioning and wants all of Council to save their travel budgets to go to the commissioning. • Denise Joy - $15,000 from this budget year? • Shaun Brown – can be handled as an initiative. • Mike Yakawich – important to me. • Mayor Cole – ranking moving items around. • Denise Joy – OBSD very high on the list – only items that has potential to bring in revenue. • Roy Neese – recommends moving west end water to no. 2. • David Mumford – have to look at funding acceleration to cut 1 year off the overall construction time. • Mayor Cole and Penny Ronning – do not think prioritizing over OBSD is good now. OBSD is a priority because of the legislation. • Chris Kukulski – rating is not going to prevent staff from meeting a Council priority. • Mayor Cole – move to No. 2? Show of hands - 4 to 4, fails. • Mike Yakawich – move to 3 or 4. Majority agreed. • Frank Ewalt – move Barrett Rd./Medicine Crow to No. 1 under public safety. • Shaun Brown – if added to No. 1, will get lost. • Chris Kukulski – needs a bigger picture of what all is involved. • Shaun Brown – need to make this safer. • Chris Friedel – Barrett Road is the issue – need to work with County, School, and City need to work on together. • Kevin Iffland – had a lengthy discussion about sidewalks, etc. to make this better. PW worked on creating trails to school to avoid Barrett Road. • Chris Kukulski – will work at the same pace as others on the list. • Mayor Cole – under No. 1 public safety – as item C. • Richard Clark – take Public Information Officer (PIO) off the list. • Penny Ronning – disagreed. Not communicating with the public creates problems. When the public has an understanding, they are willing to support. • Richard Clark – Council’s job to communicate with the people. • Denise Joy – Billings Gazette has an editorial staff – we don’t have staff to respond and our message doesn’t get to public. • Roy Neese – we do need one – but there are a lot of priorities. What can be done with staffing now? • Chris Kukulski – consulted with Karla Stanton, HR Director, to determine a ball park cost – would not propose in this budget year – but maybe next one. He had 7  resisted the position for 13 years prior to coming to Billings. Understands now that getting a clear, consistent message out to the public is invaluable. Not sure one position could do it. How could staff move forward with communication. Knows of organizations that use PIOs and they are very helpful. It is important – would not propose in this FY, but maybe next FY this could be revisited. • Mayor Cole – instead of hiring someone, staff could investigate and possibly hire a PIO – study costs, funding possibilities, job description, what are other cities doing? Take a step in that direction. • Chris Kukulski – wouldn’t suggest hiring before doing these steps. • Chris Friedel – move to No. 12. Not a high priority. • Richard Clark – website needs work. • Mike Yakawich – city hall is still on the initiative list. • Chris Kukulski – want to get initiatives and priorities onto one list – if there are more items added to the list later in the year, Council needs to place in priorities list. • Reg Gibbs – should combine current initiatives list into priorities list. • Chris Kukulski – they are on this list now. • Roy Neese – wait to see what happens to OBSD at legislature. • Kevin Iffland – 2nd judge will be brought to Council in March. • Mike Yakawich – Need feasibility study for city hall. • Kevin Iffland – facilities manager looking at numbers, needs, etc. When do you want a feasibility study? • Mike Yakawich – maybe 6 months. Wants City Hall to be kept on priorities, but willing to wait until legislature outcome on OBSD. • Chris Kukulski – City hall will be placed next to the last item, but before PIO. TOPIC #2 Council Discussion PRESENTER NOTES/OUTCOME • Mike Yakawich – Would like to revisit the priorities in a similar environment in 6 months to review progress and updating list. Will be making an initiative to use $15,000 Council contingency for USS Billings. • Penny Ronning – thanks Gavin Woltjer for amazing interview. Amazing things happening at Library. TOPIC #3 Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda PRESENTER NOTES/OUTCOME 8 • Dennis Ulvestad, 3040 – supports prioritizing contingency funds for USS Billings. Supports position on list for public safety and OBSD. 9