City Council Meetings

CITY OF GREEN RIVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS JANUARY 19, 2016 The Governing Body of the City of Green River met in special workshop session at 6:30 pm and council session at 7:00 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers. Mayor Rust called the meeting to order. The following Council Members were present: Mark Peterson, Ted Barney, Allan Wilson, and Gary Killpack. The following were present representing the City: Acting City Administrator Chief Steffen, Director of Public Works Mark Westenskow, Director of Finance Chris Meats, Director of Community Development Laura Profazier, Interim Fire Chief Mike Liberty, and Parks and Recreation Director Brad Raney. Dog Chipping Program by Animal Control Division Animal Control Officer Kim Wilkins said the Animal Control Division would like to propose a program to microchip cats and dogs. They would like to purchase a Nano chip which is half the size of a grain of rice. It comes preloaded in a syringe and will go under the animal skin. One box of 10 is $39.99. They would like to take $200 out of the Restricted Donations line item to pay for the first batch of 50. They would charge $20 per animal and with the funds they receive they would buy more chips when needed. Council Member Peterson said it is a great idea and he would support it. Mrs. Wilkins said she has spoken with the two veterinarians in Green River and they both support any program that would get the animals back to their owners. Council Member Killpack asked if council needed to do a resolution to use the funds. Chief Steffen said the funds are in the Restricted Funds account within the Animal Control Division so it can be done in house. Mr. Meats said it would have to be done by resolution. Council Member Wilson said it is a great idea but wanted to clarify the cost is $20 per animal and the schedule of fees will have to be updated. Mayor Rust agreed that it was a great idea. Proposed Amendment to the Burning Prohibited within City Limits Ordinance Chief Steffen said this ordinance is not on the agenda for tonight’s council meeting so there is plenty of time to make updates before it is brought before council again. Mr. Pineda said he added Subsection F: Open burning shall not be permitted between the hours of 2 am and 6 am and he added section H: Recreational fires must utilize a screen or spark arrestor and it must be in place while burning. He also changed the language on the requirement of a fire extinguisher. Council Member Wilson said he made the changes that he requested so he is happy. Mr. Pineda said he looked at other ordinances in Wyoming and some required screens and some did not but the time limit was unique to the city. Proposed Disorderly Conduct Ordinance Mr. Pineda said there have not been any changes made to the last draft. In Section (A) 4 where it addresses peeping tom issues there are some already covered under another ordinance so he would like to delete the language that is redundant. City Council Workshop & Council Proceedings January 19, 2016 Page 1 of 7 He said most of the discussion has been on the loitering section of the ordinance. He raised the issue of violence/fighting not being covered under city ordinance. The county has the ability to cover this issue but ours did not, so he would like to put that in the ordinance. Council Member Barney said he is concerned with the verbiage in A: 4. He said anyone sitting relaxing at a park on a bench would be considered in violation of the ordinance. Mr. Pineda said the ordinance states; without lawful business, which means if you are sitting on a bench at a park and you are not causing any issues you would be left alone. Mayor Rust clarified the ordinance would have to include without lawful business. Mr. Pineda said yes; it would say without lawful business. If a vagrant was hanging out in an establishment not purchasing anything or engaging in lawful business they could be removed from the location. It is not intended for someone who is enjoying the park. Council Member Peterson said he agrees with Council Member Barney. The transients do not seem to be an issue so he doesn’t understand why they need to change the ordinance. Chief Steffen said typically they are compliant but if they did not comply the officers would not have any right to remove them. The PD spends a lot of time dealing with transients during summer from calls from the public and business owners. Perhaps the ordinance can be worded better. If they remain on private property they can be removed but if they go on to public property they cannot do anything. This ordinance would help the PD Officers take care of issues when dealing with these situations. Council Member Killpack said he agrees with the Police Officers and the Attorney. The transients have been an issue within the city limits and it needs to be dealt with. Council Member Wilson said he agrees with Council Member Killpack. He is happy with the ordinance as it has been written. Mayor Rust said he agrees with the last two Council members as well. This isn’t intended for people who are passing through. It has nothing to do with the public using parks. Chief Steffen clarified the majority of council would like the Disorderly Conduct Ordinance Section A: 4 on peeping tom removed since it is covered under another ordinance. Council Member Barney said he is okay with the ordinance being put on the agenda for the next council meeting but he is concerned with the language. Chief Steffen said he would research it more and see if they could change the wording. Council Member Barney said he would appreciate the wording being changed. Mayor Rust said both ordinances will be on the next council agenda. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Council Member Wilson moved to approve the agenda. Council Member Peterson seconded. Motion carried. (5-0) PRESENTATIONS Mayor Rust presented Khris Karpati with a plaque and a t-shirt to honor him for his years of service in the Marine Corps. CITIZEN REQUESTS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS Resident Kay Danielson thanked the Mayor for coming to the senior center and she extended an invitation to the council to come by as well. She said a lot of the seniors citizens go to all of the City Council Workshop & Council Proceedings January 19, 2016 Page 2 of 7 different high school events and they do enjoy them. She loves to see the community events that go on here in Green River. Representatives John Freeman and Stan Blake said they will be attending the legislature and welcome any emails or phone calls from anyone who have questions or concerns. The legislature will be hard this year but they will do their best to help cities and counties. PUBLIC HEARINGS Rezone Property from R-1 (Single Family Residential) to R-2 (Single Family Residential) Mayor Rust opened the hearing at 7:23 pm. Mrs. Profazier said the main difference between an R-1 and R-2 zone is if you are doing a standard subdivision the lots could be small. However in this case all of the lots in the proposed subdivision exceed the R-1 lot size requirements. The other benefit is more options for side setbacks. Currently, the R-1 requires a 10 foot side setback for the structure and in the R-2 you can have up to 7.5 feet to the side of the property line. The same is for the rear; the R-1 is 20 feet in the rear setback and R-2 you can go up to 15 feet. It doesn’t mean all of the homes will be set like this it just gives the option. Homes that are adjacent to the property are zoned R-2 or R-3 so they will not be impacting any of them. Council Member Peterson thanked Ms. Profazier for the work she does and he also thanked Mr. Dolinar for doing something with the property. There were no other comments or concerns presented. The Mayor closed the hearing at 7:26 pm. ORDINANCES Rezoning Property from R-1 (Single Family Residential) to R-2 (Single Family Residential) 1st Reading: An ordinance amending the Official Zoning Map of the City of Green River, Sweetwater County, State of Wyoming from R-1 (Single Family Residential) to R-2 (Single Family Residential), a 6.950 acre tract of land located along Upland Way, as hereby described within this ordinance. Council Member Barney moved to approve on first reading an ordinance amending the Official Zoning Map of the City of Green River, Sweetwater County, State of Wyoming from R-1 (Single Family Residential) to R-2 (Single Family Residential), a 6.950 acre tract of land located along Upland Way, as hereby described within this ordinance. Council Member Peterson seconded. Council Member Killpack said the Planning and Zoning Committee has reviewed this thoroughly and have approved the change. Motion carried. (5-0) RESOLUTIONS The Placement of a Trustee on the Board of the Wyoming Governmental Investment Fund R16-01: A resolution by the City of Green River authorizing the placement of a Trustee on the Board of the Wyoming Government Investment Fund Council Member Wilson moved to approve the resolution authorizing the placement of Chris Meats as a Trustee on the Board of the Wyoming Government Investment Fund. Council Member Peterson seconded. Motion carried. (5-0) Child Development Center’s Maintenance Expenditures City Council Workshop & Council Proceedings January 19, 2016 Page 3 of 7 R16-02: A resolution of the governing body of the City of Green River, Wyoming, to approve an increase in the Capital Projects Fund for the Quarterly Maintenance Fee for the Child Development Center in Green River, Wyoming, in the amount of $100,000 Council Member Killpack moved to approve the resolution to approve an increase in the Capital Projects Fund for the Quarterly Maintenance Fee for the Child Development Center in Green River, Wyoming, in the amount of $100,000. Council Member Wilson seconded. Council Member Killpack clarified $32,000 per quarter divided by $2 million will go for approximately fifteen years. The costs will go up but that is a long time. Mayor Rust clarified the city is not appropriating any new money. This money is from the 6th Penny Funds that were voted on. Motion carried. (5-0) Early Retirement Program Funding R16-03: A resolution of the governing body of the City of Green River, Wyoming, to approve an increase in the Capital Projects Fund for the 2016 Early Retirement Program in the amount of $54,000. Council Member Wilson moved to approve the resolution to approve an increase in the Capital Projects Fund for the 2016 Early Retirement Program in the amount of $54,000. Council Member Killpack seconded. Council Member Wilson asked where the funds will come from. Mr. Meats said it comes from the Parks Development Program Fund. Two of the retirees were from the Parks Department and the positions have been vacant until recently so there were funds available from that. Council Member Wilson asked if the positions will ever be filled. Mr. Meats said the Parks, Facilities and Project Manager Position was recently filled but the Parks Crew Leader has not been filled. It is being discussed on whether the position will be filled. Council Member Wilson said so staff will not be coming back to council asking for funds to cover this. Mr. Meats said no. There was approximately $60,000 health insurance benefits budgeted but not utilized so there should not be any issues. Motion carried. (5-0) Accepting Final Plat of Eagle Rock Addition R16-04: A resolution approving and accepting the Final Plat of the Eagle Rock Addition, a re-subdivision of lot 12, college Park Business Center, as a subdivision in the City of Green River, Sweetwater County, Wyoming, submitted by Eagle Rock, Inc., covering a 1.51834 acre, Township 18 north, Range 107 west of the Sixth principal meridian, Green River, Sweetwater County, Wyoming. Council Member Peterson moved to approve the resolution accepting the Final Plat of the Eagle Rock Addition, a re-subdivision of lot 12, College Park Business Center, a two lot commercial subdivision filed by Eagle Rock, Inc. Council Member Wilson seconded. Council Member Killpack said he is in favor of this and he knows the current owners will not have a problem but he is concerned with the property having only one access way. If one owner sells their portion can that stop the other owner from accessing their business. City Council Workshop & Council Proceedings January 19, 2016 Page 4 of 7 Mrs. Profazier said by doing it as a subdivision plat that access easement is recorded on the plat itself so it runs with the land for ever until the plat is vacated by both property owners. Council Member Killpack asked if they could have access on to the property from Upland Way. Mrs. Profaizer said not likely because of the classification of Upland. The access points are restricted. She said there was a resident that came to the Planning and Zoning meeting to express his concern on the traffic in the area. Staff explained the commercial subdivision was there prior to the residential area being developed. Originally the whole area was going to be first commercial and then the outside ring was going to be multifamily which would have had more traffic impact than now. They have not received any other concerns. Council Member Killpack said the Planning and Zoning Committee had some discussion on changing the speed limit to 30 miles per hour on Upland. Motion carried. (5-0) Four Subdivision Variances for the Proposed Deer Trail Subdivision R16-05: A resolution of the governing body of the City of Green River, Wyoming, to approve four subdivision variances from the Code of City Ordinances, Appendix C, Section 8, Filed by Triple A & W, LLC (property owner), for the proposed Deer Trail Subdivision, all pertaining to street design within the proposed subdivision. Council Member Killpack moved to approve the resolution to approve four subdivision variances, as requested, for the Deer Trail Subdivision, a proposed 17 lot residential subdivision within the City of Green River, Wyoming. Council Member Peterson seconded. Mr. Westenskow said Fallview Drive is currently a 50 foot wide right-of-way and standards are 60 feet but for the circle it is not a compelling reason to extend the right-of-way. For the bulb of the circle it is required to be a 60 foot radius and in this situation the applicant has done research and a fire engine can turn around in it so it can be set at 55 foot. The upper bench loop road center line has to be 100 feet and they are proposing 75 feet. The variances would allow the owner the full use of the property for development. Motion carried. (5-0) COUNCIL ACTION ITEMS Renewal of the Lease Agreement with the Joint Communications Board for the dispatch Center Council Member Wilson moved to approve the lease agreement with the Rock Springs, Green River, Sweetwater County Combined Communications Joint Powers Board for the Dispatch Center, and authorize the Mayor to sign the lease agreement. Council Member Peterson seconded. Council Member Killpack asked if the one-third portion the city gives to the Communication Center for their services could be reduced since the city provides the building and land. Mr. West said the consideration was as long as the primary use was for a Dispatch Center and there is also an obligation to maintain it in good condition so they fulfill maintenance obligations as well. Chief Steffen said currently Rock Springs pays 43%, the city pays 32%, and the county pays 25%. There has been some discussion by the board to break the amounts to 1/3 each but some do not agree since the city does not have the call volume that Rock Springs does. Council Member Killpack asked if the lease is approved tonight will that make it where the city can’t decide to change it later. City Council Workshop & Council Proceedings January 19, 2016 Page 5 of 7 Mayor Rust said it is a good question for the automatic renewal of the lease. If it’s approved does it preclude the city from negotiating something different next year since it automatically renews. Mr. West said no it does not because there are provisions for termination. Council Member Peterson said the dispatch center has created a job aspect for the city as well so it is a benefit to the city to keep it here. Motion carried. (5-0) MOU with the City of Rock Springs for their Replacement Water Main Council Member Barney moved to authorize the Mayor to sign the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Green River and the City of Rock Springs defining the rights and obligations of each city relative to the City of Rock Springs replacement water main through the City of Green River. Council Member Killpack seconded. Council Member Killpack asked if the east end of town tie in to the water line, is in the plans. Mr. Westenskow said we will be able to reuse the existing 20 inch waterline to the east end and they will cross it at one point so it will not disturb existing services to the east end parks irrigation and the UPRR east end water services. Council Member Wilson asked if the north side lift station has any service to the east end or does it stop at the Hitching Post Restaurant. Mr. Westenskow said sewer continues east and turns south to the lift station. Council Member Wilson asked if they were going to loop the line in. Mr. Westenskow said they will loop it further back at North 5th East to cut distance and allow better flow. Mayor Rust asked Mr. West if he has reviewed the MOU. Mr. West said yes. Motion carried. (5-0) CONSENT AGENDA Council Member Wilson moved to approve the following consent agenda items. Council Member Killpack seconded. Motion carried. (5-0)  Contract with Frost Lion Ice Plus, in the amount of $800, to create ice features for the Crystal Classic Winter Festival  2016 MOU with the Overland Stage Stampede Rodeo Committee  Contract with Rock on Ice, in the amount of $2,600, for ice features to be carved for the Crystal Classic Winter Festival  Horse Corral Lease with Katie Coudrain for corral #51  Agreement with Memorial Hospital Foundation, in the amount of $750, for the sponsorship of the Red Tie Gala, pending approval by legal counsel  Acceptance by the City Clerk of Public Officials Disclosure Forms  Minutes for January 5, 2016 Council  Payment of Bills: Prepaid Invoices = $263,131.58 Outstanding Invoices = $437,164.10 Payroll Expenditures = $412,061.72 Pre-authorization Payments = $1,065,000.00 CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT Chief Steffen had nothing to report. City Council Workshop & Council Proceedings January 19, 2016 Page 6 of 7 CITY ATTORNEY’S REPORT Mr. West had nothing to report. MAYOR AND COUNCIL REPORTS Mayor Rust had nothing to report. Council Member Wilson said the owner of Kid & Company said she was very pleased with the Public Works Department because a citizen fell down outside her building due to the ice and snowy conditions on the street so they called Public Works, workers came in 15 minutes and put sand and ice melt down. Council Member Peterson asked if the council has to formally request for the snow to be removed on Flaming Gorge Way after a storm. Mr. Westenskow said they do focus on the travel ways first but the storms have been one right after another so it is harder to keep up. He will speak with the Streets Department and see when they can schedule it to be cleaned up. Council Member Barney said he hasn’t heard anything on the industrial complex for about a year. He would like to see what options the city has to diversify the economy. Council Member Killpack said the events of this past weekend were great and it brought a lot of people here. ADJOURNMENT Council Member Wilson moved to adjourn at 8:03 pm. Council Member Killpack seconded. Motion carried. (5-0) ____________________________ Pete Rust, Mayor ATTEST: ______________________ Chris Meats, City Clerk City Council Workshop & Council Proceedings January 19, 2016 Page 7 of 7