City Council Meetings

CITY OF GREEN RIVER CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS APRIL 19, 2016 The Governing Body of the City of Green River met in regular session at 7 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers. Mayor Pete Rust called the meeting to order. The following Council Members were present: Gary Killpack, Mark Peterson, Ted Barney, Allan Wilson, Brett Stokes, and Lisa Maes. The following were present representing the City: City Administrator Reed Clevenger, Director of Public Works Mark Westenskow, Director of Finance Chris Meats, Director of Community Development Laura Profaizer, Chief of Police Chris Steffen, Interim Fire Chief Mike Liberty, Parks and Recreation Director Brad Raney, and City Attorney Galen West. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Council Member Wilson moved to approve the agenda. Council Member Peterson seconded. Motion carried. (7-0) PROCLAMATIONS Prudential Spirit of Community Recognition Day Proclamation Sexual Assault Awareness Month Proclamation PRESENTATIONS Director Beth Witman gave a brief update on SW-WRAP. BOARD AND COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS Appointment to the Historical Preservation Commission Council Member Barney moved to confirm Mayor Rust’s appointment of Ruth Lauritzen to the Historical Preservation Commission for a three-year term beginning on May 1, 2016 and ending April 30, 2019. Council Member Peterson seconded. Motion carried. (7-0) CONSENT AGENDA Council Member Maes said she will abstain from voting on the consent agenda. Council Member Killpack moved to approve the following consent agenda items. Council Member Wilson seconded. Motion carried (6-1-0) with Council Member Maes abstaining. • Concession Stand Agreements with Imelda Perez for Evers Park in the amount of $1,000, and Ranae Johnson for Stratton Myers Park in the amount of $200 and Veterans Park in the amount of $200 • Issuance of an open container permit to Flaming Gorge Harley Davidson for their Spring Open House on Saturday, April 23, 2016, from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm, in the barricaded area in front of the dealership • Minutes for: April 5, 2016 Council and April 12, 2016 Workshop • Payment of Bills: Prepaid Invoices = $233,370.02 Outstanding Invoices = $404,869.26 Payroll Expenditures = $295,955.84 Pre-authorization Payments = $1,065,000.00 CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT Mr. Clevenger said there will be a budget workshop on Thursday, April 21, 2016 for community service request. He continues to go over the budget and he will send out an email with recommendations by the end of the day tomorrow. The next budget workshop will be April 28, 2016, at 6:30 pm, for the General Fund. Mr. Westenskow said staff has looked in to an alternate site for the transfer station because of public comments and concerns they have received. The transfer station has been in the works City Council Proceedings April 19, 2016 Page 1 of 4 since 2009 and is currently permitted. The alternate site that was presented last week at the workshop does have many advantages and disadvantages. DEQ has criteria that have to be followed when placing a transfer station: • Zoned as Industrial • Out of the 100 year floodplain • 1000 feet from schools, hospital, and residential areas • 1000 feet from any public park or area • 300 feet from river or stream • 1000 feet from a pond or lake • Not located in wetlands Council Member Peterson said he would like to see it placed on top of the hill at the landfill. Mr. Westenskow said if it is placed at the top of the hill, it would have to be permitted and there are no utilities. Extending the utilities to the top of the hill would be very expensive. Council Member Peterson suggested going forward with the open air facility and not bringing utilities since they really would not need them. Mr. Westenskow said it would lack some of the operational benefits and the long term flexibility that the other sites offer. Mayor Rust said there are test wells up there at the landfill and they could let us know how much it would be to drill to water and use it. Mr. Westenskow said he would have to look into how productive a well would be. Mayor Rust said there is the possibility of wind generation there since it would be a small amount of electricity that would be needed. Mr. Westenskow said it would be hard to have future growth and if we use open containers then that would bind us to only using them. Council Member Stokes asked what it has cost the city to permit the current site since 2009. Mr. Westenskow said roughly $100,000 to 120,000. Council Member Stokes said the greenbelt was put in there for a reason and the citizens will not enjoy having it there. The horse corrals are bad enough. Is there a possibility that we could lose our grant funding if we don’t move forward. He feels the city needs to stick to what we have. Mr. Westenskow said DEQ is fine with us prolonging the project if there is a better place with more benefits but they want to see us moving forward. Council Member Killpack said he has received phone calls and people’s views are 50/50 on what they want. He asked if we would have to move the scale house down to the new site and if so won’t it be costly. Mr. Westenskow said either way the existing scale house will be moved so it doesn’t matter. We will have the cost at either site. Council Member Killpack said he would like to see it on top of the hill but since that won’t work he would rather it stay at the current site. Council Member Maes said when she thinks of the beauty of the greenbelt, she would hate to see another dirty and smelly building there. She is in favor of it staying at the original site. Council Member Barney said he likes the new site. He is the closest resident there and he is not concerned with it being there and causing a problem. Astle Avenue has always had heavy traffic City Council Proceedings April 19, 2016 Page 2 of 4 so that is not an issue. Where the scale house is now does not have any space to grow and doesn’t offer any future expansion. Council Member Peterson said it would be best at the top of the hill. You can use a small generator to use a compactor if needed. He asked what the estimated cost to have it on the hill would be. Mr. Westenskow said it would depend on ownership of the land. Council Member Peterson said he would like to see the numbers on having it on the hill. Council Member Wilson said he likes the hill but he knows that is not the best option. As far as the water well, the city has a contract agreement with the Joint Powers Water Board to not get water from anywhere else, so that is not an option. He does not like the open air pits because they are nasty and not clean. Based on the calls he has received, he will be going with where the current site is now. Mayor Rust said the current site that the scale house is on is best. He doesn’t think being zoned as heavy industrial is correct since it is in a floodplain. Ms. Profaizer said it is zoned as light industrial and it is not in a floodplain. Mayor Rust said the historical use is there and he does not agree with the zoning. If it has to be 1000 feet away from a park; how does that work with the greenbelt there? If you are coming from Rock Springs on the east side and you look at the asphalt pile you would be able to see it very well. Mr. Westenskow said it would have to be screened. Mayor Rust said it would be better at the original site. Staff has asked for direction and now they have it with the majority wanting to keep it where it is. Council Member Peterson asked for a show of hands. Consensus: Council Members Stokes, Killpack, Maes, Wilson, and Mayor Rust voting to keep it at the current site; Council Member Peterson voting to have it at the top of the hill; and Council Member Barney voting to move it to the alternate site. Mr. Westenskow thanked council for their direction and he will move forward with the current site. Mayor Rust said if they receive strong opinions from citizens on a different direction they may consider it. Council Member Killpack said he doesn’t think they have time on their side so they do not have a choice. Mr. Westenskow said there are timelines but there are availabilities to propose different time lines. Council Member Maes said the city’s goal is to enhance the river corridor so if we are looking at putting the transfer station right by the river it is not keeping that in mind. Council Member Stokes said he doesn’t not think they can make a decision at a meeting and direct staff to move forward and then change the decision later. They have discussed the issue and need to move forward. Mayor Rust said they did receive a letter that has been signed by seventeen residents indicating they are not in favor of moving the transfer station to the alternate site. CITY ATTORNEY’S REPORT City Council Proceedings April 19, 2016 Page 3 of 4 Mr. West had nothing to report. MAYOR AND COUNCIL REPORTS Council Member Wilson said he would like to have the reports showing the program based budget so he can look at every program and make a decision if it worth keeping it. Mr. Meats said not all programs have a revenue component to it and not all programs have the ability to derive a revenue component for a subsidy rate. These reports were supposed to be reviewed by the Finance Committee prior to going to council so there can be a general idea from there. He said it is large report with a large amount of data but he will provide it to council. Council Member Wilson said he would like to see the report so he can look at it ahead of time. It is going to be a tough year and he wants to look at every option before layoffs. Council Member Barney said the horse corrals are not unsightly; they have been a part of the city for many years. Council Member Killpack said he has received an email from a citizen voicing her concerns with the deer in the city. Mayor Rust said it does not matter what the city does the deer will always be here. Council Members Peterson, Maes and Stokes had nothing to report. Mayor Rust said he has Wyoming Association of Municipalities request for appointment of a voting delegate for the WAM Conference in Cody, Wyoming. The Mayor offered to be the voting delegate. Council agreed. He said Earth Day is Friday, April 22, 2016 at the Expedition Island. The Green River Invitational Track Meet is at Lincoln Middle School on Friday. ADJOURNMENT Council Member Wilson moved to adjourn at 8:05 pm. Council Member Stokes seconded. Motion carried. (7-0) ____________________________________ Pete Rust, Mayor ATTEST: ________________________ Chris Meats, City Clerk City Council Proceedings April 19, 2016 Page 4 of 4