City Council Agendas & Minutes

MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MEETING FRUIT HEIGHTS CITY 910 South Mountain Road October 2, 2012 REGULAR MEETING The regular meeting of the Fruit Heights City Council was called to order by Mayor Todd Stevenson at 7:00 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Eileen Moss and Todd Stevenson gave a prayer for the opening ceremony. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Council Members Diane Anderson, Don Carroll, Craig Hill and Eileen Moss and Mayor Todd Stevenson. Council Member Bette Hubrich was excused. STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Brandon Green, City Engineer Brandon Jones, City Planner Jeff Oyler and Recording Secretary Susan Cranford VISITORS: Dean Wade, Sheri Hamilton, Darren Stuart, J.R. Oldham, Flint McCloud, Boston Green, Colby Melville, Zachary Matthews, Mike Hatch, Julie Gardiner, Eli Knowlton, Connie Knowlton, Ben McKee, Teresa Houston, Erma Kibler, Nathan Skomard, Monica Skomard, Lowell Hall, Steve Robinson and Elizabeth Robins Agenda Item: 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MEETING – September 18, 2012 Council Member Don Carroll made a motion to approve the minutes of September 18, 2012, with corrections. Council Member Eileen Moss seconded the motion and it passed unanimously by those in attendance. 3. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS No special presentations were made. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Discuss/Approve/Deny Awarding Bid for Main Street Sidewalk Project 07:11 City Engineer Brandon Jones stated on September 27 bids were opened for the Main Street Sidewalk Project. Four bids were received. City Engineer Jones recommends awarding the bid to Leon Poulsen Construction based on their experience and their low bid of $42,425. 1 Fruit Heights City Council Meeting October 2, 2012 Council Member Eileen Moss made a motion to accept the bid from Leon Poulsen Construction for $42,425 for the Main Street Sidewalk Project. Council Member Craig Hill seconded the motion and it passed unanimously by those in attendance. B. Discuss/Approve/Deny Street Lighting and Street Crossing Needs 11:05 City Manager Brandon Green stated thieves have removed the copper wiring from the light standard at the pedestrian overpass and it will cost the city approximately $10,000 to replace it. A report has been filed with the Davis County Sheriff’s Office. Preventative measures will be taken when the wire is replaced to ensure it does not happen again. City Manager Green reported a light standard on Laurelwood Drive has bad wiring and needs to be replaced. The cost to replace the wiring will be approximately $7,000 because it is necessary to bore across the street to the transformer. City Manager Green is considering the possibility of installing crossing lights at the intersection of Laurelwood and Edgehill Drive for the children walking to and from Burton Elementary School. Flashing lights on the two existing poles with a push button activation system would cost approximately $6,500. City Manager Green stated he will inquire if Kaysville will participate in co-funding for the crossing lights at the corner of Fruit Heights and Kaysville. Council Member Eileen Moss made a motion to table this matter until the next City Council meeting. Council Member Don Carroll seconded the motion and it passed unanimously by those in attendance. 5. OLD BUSINESS A. Discussion/Update on the Country Road Land Drain Project 23:20 City Manager Brandon Green stated that originally the bid for the Country Road Land Drain Project was scheduled to be opened today, but staff decided to wait a week to give the contractors more time to prepare their bids. Staff has changed the project so that there will be an eight inch line on both sides of Country Road. City Engineer Brandon Jones stated the bids will be opened October 11 and awarded on October 16. Resident Dean Wade stated he is building a home on Country Road and sat on the City Council years ago when the subdivision along Country Road was accepted by the city. He stated the original developer of the subdivision used Great Basin Engineering and installed a concrete pipeline that is four feet long in sections to allow water in and out. His builder found a significant amount of underground water. 2 Fruit Heights City Council Meeting October 2, 2012 Mr. Wade has polled the people residing on Country Road and all but two have had water in their basements at one time or another. He encouraged the city to take care of the water problem as quickly as possible. Council Member Don Carroll stated it will be an expensive proposition for the homeowners to tie into the new land drain system. The dilemma the city faces is whether all residents of Fruit Heights bear the financial responsibility of the land drain on Country Road. Also, the city does not normally maintain land drain systems. Mr. Wade stated he believes the line was originally installed at the request of the city and has been maintained by the city for over 30 years. He stated he believes the residents of the city bear the problems of the city. The residents on Country Road realize they will have to bear the expense of tying into the system. Council Member Carroll stated he encourages the residents to ask questions of each other to see what they are willing to take on financially and find out where the city stands regarding the storm sewer enterprise fund. The fund does not have extra money to make any improvements in the city. City Manager Brandon Green stated any expenses for this project will come from the General Fund. City Engineer Jones stated the bids will be opened October 11 and the City Council will then decide whether to move forward with the project or formulate some other option. B. Discussion/Update on Nicholls Park Trail 50:38 Resident Curtis Tanner of Curtis Tanner and Associates stated he was hired by the city to do some design work for the Nicholls Park Trail along Baer Creek. He presented a conceptual plan to the council. The proposed trail goes from Highway 89 to Main Street along the hollow that is north of Nicholls Park on city-owned property. A seven-member Trails Committee has been formed from residents of Fruit Heights. The trail concept is to provide pedestrian use and a home course for the Davis High School Cross Country team. Improvements will include trailheads and parking. The trail will have an eight- or six-foot wide soft surface, available for emergency or maintenance vehicles only. The trail will be built in three phases. City Manager Brandon Green stated Ivory Homes is providing most of the funding for the trail and resident Christine Gailey has contributed land to the city for the trail. Mayor Todd Stevenson stated this will be an ongoing project and the city may look for further funding sources from the community. The trail will be a great addition to the city. 3 Fruit Heights City Council Meeting October 2, 2012 C. Discussion/Update on Recycling Project 1:12:18 City Manager Brandon Green stated residents were asked a question in their recent utility bill inquiring if they were interested in having the City of Fruit Heights implement a curbside recycling program. He received 142 responses with ninety-two residents stating they want the city to implement a curbside recycling program. City Manager Green stated if the city implemented a recycling program, he recommends an opt-out period for current residents and new residents will be required to be enrolled in the program. Council Member Eileen Moss stated that her biggest issue with the program is not allowing residents to change their mind about participating in the recycling program as their circumstances change. As people age and have different needs, they may no longer want to have the added expense of participating in the recycling program. Council Member Don Carroll stated he would like to have a standardize enrollment system so that it can be managed by the city with the least impact on the staff. Council Member Moss stated it is not necessary to have the city manage a recycling program. There is a vendor that is willing to provide curbside recycling as a private contractor and he will allow residents to opt in and out of the program. Steve Robinson of Robinson Waste stated he contracts with nine cities and four of them do curbside recycling. The waste rate is probably the biggest benefit to the city. The monthly fees will go from around $10 a month to $4 a month because of the volume of participation the city manager is suggesting. The optimum involvement needs to be between 70 to 90 percent of the residents participating. The volume of weight of recyclable goods goes up over time even when the number of participants remain the same. Resident Teresa Houston stated she enjoys the green recycling program the city started. She stated she is concerned with the carbon footprint of another recycling program. She remarked that 80 percent of the waste is burned at the landfill. She suggested a central receptacle for recyclable goods would be better and is voluntary to residents. Mayor Todd Stevenson stated residents who chose not to participate in the recycling program will still benefit from the program because recycling lengthens the life of the landfill. He reported that a low participation rate in the city creates a bigger carbon footprint. Steve Robinson stated the recycling is taken to 30th South in Salt Lake City to Rocky Mountain Recycling and will be picked up every other week in Fruit Heights. 4 Fruit Heights City Council Meeting October 2, 2012 Resident Elizabeth Robins stated she lives alone and is opposed to a plan that requires her to have three trash containers. She would not fill up one container and feels it is an unnecessary expense for her. She suggested the city only require programs that most of the people in the city can use effectively and keep the costs economical. She suggested the city publish a list of places where recyclables can be dropped off. Council Member Diane Anderson left the meeting at this point. Resident Mike Hatch stated he appreciates the opportunity to opt-out of a recycling program. He stated he is embarrassed that Fruit Heights does not have a recycling program. He feels it is morally obligatory for the city to be stewards of the environment and strongly supports a city recycling program. Resident Julie Gardner stated she is very pleased to have the green recycling program in the city. She feels the truck that picks up her green recycling would not be any different from another vehicle picking up her recyclable goods. She recycles and feels it would be a benefit to all residents. She recommends an opt-out option for residents because some people can’t afford it or don’t want it. Bountiful used to have a drop-off site but she didn’t use it very often when she lived there. Resident Sherri Hamilton stated she has far more recycling than regular waste. She stated the city should support a recycling program. Mayor Todd Stevenson stated that he would like to have all City Council members present before a vote is taken on this matter. Council Member Craig Hill made a motion to move forward and continue to get more information so a decision can be made in two weeks rather than table this. Council Member Don Carroll seconded the motion Council Member Hill stated he is sensitive to those who might find this program beyond their financial means and will consider the opt-out option very carefully. Council Member Carroll stated it is important for the council members to canvass people in their respective areas. He stated a vocal minority tends to show up at the City Council meetings and the council may not be getting the voice of the community at large. He would like to talk to more residents. Council Member Hill withdrew his motion. Mayor Stevenson stated he will put this item on the next agenda and the council may chose to hold a public hearing at that time. If the council chooses not to do anything with this matter, the council could always revisit discussion of a recycling program at a 5 later date. Fruit Heights City Council Meeting October 2, 2012 Council Member Moss stated she recycles at her home but she struggles with the issues of cost and whether it should be a mandatory program. 6. DEPARTMENT AND CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 1:15:11 A. City Engineer’s Report No report was made. B. City Planner’s Report No report was made. C. City Manager’s Report City Manager Brandon Green reported he will be including a new Davis County Justice Court report in the agenda packets every month. The report will show how many cases Davis County is trying for Fruit Heights. He stated he has been collecting campaign signs that have been illegally placed in locations around the city. He has been picking up many signs and has them at City Hall. He is in the process of trying to update the political sign ordinance. He will provide the Council Members with the city’s policy on personal use of computers. D. City Council Members’ Reports Council Member Eileen Moss reported training for Area Coordinators and Assistant Coordinators on ICS 700 will be held October 25. Education Specialist on the Citizen Corps Committee, Fran Caughlan, has scheduled CPR training for October 20 from 2 to 4:00 PM. Kaysville will hold an Emergency Preparedness Fair next year. The state has scheduled a Shake Out on April 17, 2013. E. Mayor’s Report Mayor Todd Stevenson announced that Friday, October 5, at 3 o’clock a ribbon cutting will be held for the Orchard Farms Development on Nicholls Road. 7. CLOSED MEETING A closed meeting was not held. 8. ADJOURNMENT 6 Council Member Craig Hill made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Council Member Don Carroll. The meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM. Fruit Heights City Council Meeting October 2, 2012 I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true, accurate and complete record of the Fruit Heights City Council meeting held October 2, 2012. /s/ Susan R. Cranford ___________________________ Susan R. Cranford Recording Secretary Date Approved by City Council: __October 16, 2012_____ 7