City Council

FEBRUARY 8 , 2016 The City Council of the City of Idaho Falls met in Special Council Meeting (Council Work Session), Monday, February 8, 2016, at the City Council Chambers in the City Annex Building located at 680 Park Avenue in Idaho Falls, Idaho at 3:00 p.m. There were present: Mayor Rebecca L. Noah Casper Councilmember Barbara Ehardt Councilmember Ed Marohn Councilmember Thomas Hally Councilmember John Radford Councilmember David Smith Councilmember Michelle Ziel-Dingman Also present: Kerry McCullough, Public Information Officer Collette Smith, Intern Dana Briggs, Economic Development Coordinator Jackie Flowers, Idaho Falls Power Director Chris Fredericksen, Public Works Director Robert Wright, Idaho Falls Library Director Hal Peterson, Library Board Chairman Brad Cramer, Community Development Services Director Kerry Beutler, Community Development Services Assistant Director Pam Alexander, Municipal Services Director Mark Hagedorn, Controller Kenny McOmber, Treasurer Chandra Witt, General Services Administrator Heidi Carlson, Purchasing Agent Thane Sparks, Chief Information Officer Randy Fife, City Attorney Kathy Hampton, City Clerk Mayor Casper called the meeting to order at 3:15 p.m. with Council Reports. Councilmember Hally stated cities have been invited by the State to voluntarily participate in the 457 Plan, regarding tax return and deferred compensation fund. He indicated Ben Ysursa is the committee chair. He also stated Representative Janet Trujillo is proposing legislation to change the cap on homeowners property tax. Councilmember Marohn stated, as a public service, on March 17, 2016, the Idaho Humanities will be in Idaho Falls. He indicated Idaho Falls will be a participating city in the upcoming Veteran’s celebration. He reminded the Council that the budget calendar will be forthcoming. Councilmember Smith had no items to report. Councilmember Ehardt stated, with regard to the upcoming strategic planning, she believes the Councilmembers should be considered the most important attendees. Councilmember Ziel-Dingman stated there will be a promotional ceremony for two (2) Idaho Falls Police Department staff on February 11, 2016. Councilmember Radford had no items to report. Mayor Casper invited Director Flowers to review the Idaho Falls Power Board Meeting agenda for the February 18, 2016, meeting. After brief discussion, it was decided the Board Meeting would be reduced from a full day meeting to half day meeting. 1  FEBRUARY 8 , 2016 Mayor Casper invited Director Fredericksen to update the Council on the recent water main line breakage. He indicated the breakage was due to weather-related conditions and the Public Works staff completed all repairs in a timely manner. Reports: Chair, Idaho Falls Public Library (IFPL) Board of Directors: Mayor Casper introduced Hal Peterson, who has been the Library Board Chair for eight (8) years, for the Library presentation. Mr. Peterson stated one of the Citizen Review Committee (CRC) recommendations was to update the website. He was pleased to report the website has been recently updated with several modifications and additional modifications are being considered. He reported the following information and programs: -550,022 people visited the Library -38,204 people attended programs -1.3 million items checked out -322,734 print, electronic, and media items -107,933 children’s materials -13,100 young adult materials -11,416 large print fiction materials -1,532 large print nonfiction materials -153,871 adult materials -33 new all-in-one computers -13,275 e-Books -10,203 Audio Books -Summer Reading program, involving 6603 kids -Winter Reading program, 1091 participants -Book Nerd program (one of the most popular programs) -Book Club in a Box -Blind Date with a Book (in honor of Valentine’s Day) -Vietnam War Series (partnered with the Idaho Humanities Council) -Let’s Talk About It Series (Western Fiction is the 2016 subject) -Storytimes, 19,529 participants -Every Child Ready to Read (workshops for young children and their parents) -Wednesday Night Events @ the Library (includes Game Night and Journal Group) -Computer classes (offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at no additional charge) -Special Celebrations (includes Teen Read Week, Idaho Family Reading Week) -Christmas Story Times (with a special appearance from Santa Claus) -Teen Tech Events -Acting for Kids -Summer Science Club -Makerspaces (formerly known as Crafternoons) -Teen Auction (as teens read during the summer, they earn “Book Bucks’) -Awesome August and Super September (to celebrate the end of summer) -School tours and visits, Preschool tours, and Scout tours -Outreach (partnered with Taylorview Junior High’s Foods and Nutrition classes) Mr. Peterson also noted several thousand items were checked out from the Iona and Swan Valley Branches. He stated several improvements to the Library include self-check machines available on every floor, the Broadway entrance with new security gates and seating, drinking fountains on first and second floors with a special water-bottle spout, second floor restrooms, parking lots resurfacing, fishpond 2  FEBRUARY 8 , 2016 expansion, signage, library history describing influential women who started and supported the first libraries in Idaho Falls, and shelf markers in the Teen and Adult Fiction sections. Councilmember Radford, as liaison to the Library, believes libraries are fundamental to a community. Community Development Services submitted the following items: Receipt of Planning and Zoning Commission Recommendations: It was moved by Councilmember Dingman, seconded by Councilmember Marohn, to approve the recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission, February 2, 2016, meeting. Roll call as follows: Aye – Councilmembers Dingman, Radford, Marohn, Smith, Hally, Ehardt. Nay – none. Motion carried. Sign Code Ordinance Modifications: Director Cramer stated the Sign Committee consisted of two (2) Councilmembers and two (2) Planning Commission members with five (5) main goals for the sign code modification project; 1) to align the sign code with the comprehensive plan, 2) adjust the code to become content-neutral, 3) ensure the sign code is equitable, 4) adjust the shopping center sign code, and 5) allowance of signage for master planned developments. He indicated there was also a survey available to the public with 191 respondents. Assistant Director Beutler reviewed the following information: Shopping Center Signs, including monument and free-standing signs: Issue- o Limited to one sign resulting in cluttered, unsightly and less effective signs. Proposed Language- o Second shopping center sign allowed (maximum of two), where there is more than 450- feet of frontage, provided the signs are spaced at least 330-feet from another freestanding sign. o Additional monument signs allowed for shopping centers with pad sites. Pad sites within 75-feet of the right-of-way will be allowed to have monument style signs for those sites. Electronic Message Center Signs: Issues- o Current language creates disparity between similar businesses uses and the allowance of electronic message center signs. o Varied requirements related to timing, size and location. o Concerns over the use of NITS to measure a signs illumination. Proposed Language- o Broaden the use of electronic message center signs to commercial zones within specific commercial corridors, 17th Street, Broadway, Channing Way, Hitt Road, Sunnyside Road, Woodruff Avenue and Yellowstone Highway. o Standardize sign operations. o Change the measurement of illumination from NITS to Foot-candles as recommended by industry professionals. Portable Signs (or temporary signs): Issues- o Portable signs are only allowed in some commercial zones, creating an inequality between similar businesses. o Portable signs are intended to communicate with pedestrians, but currently are restricted out of zones intended to be in close proximity to neighborhoods and with the most likelihood of having pedestrian traffic. o Ambiguity in the language allowing for interpretation making enforcement more difficult. 3  FEBRUARY 8 , 2016 Proposed Language- o Allow portable signs in all commercial zones. o Within neighborhood commercial zones allow portable signs in commercial corridors where the public anticipates this type of signage, 17th Street, Broadway, Woodruff Avenue, Sunnyside Road, Hitt Road and Channing Way. o Clarification was added to the language regarding placement and height to allow for better enforcement. Master Planned Development Signs: Issues- o Currently similar signs are only allowed when associated with a Planned Unit Development (PUD) and are restricted in size according to calculations of the nearest building. o Currently required to obtain a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) issued by the Planning Commission. Proposed Language- o Creation of a new section of the ordinance to address master planned development signs. o Broadens the application to all commercial developments with 25 or more contiguous acres. o Provides for an administrative CUP process. Specific requirements, outlined in the language, must be met in order of the CUP to be issued by the Community Development Services Director. Director Cramer stated current signage will not be affected, although any changes to existing signs or new development will be required to comply with the ordinance. He indicated, through the survey, the downtown business owners were not in favor of the Electronic Message Center Sign. Discussion followed regarding the definition of downtown. Director Cramer stated the public hearing for this ordinance will be held at the February 11, 2016, Council Meeting. After further discussion, it was decided Director Cramer will coordinate with Mr. Fife to review the definition of the downtown area for future work session discussion. Council Training and Discussion: Mayor Casper announced the position of Controller has been offered to and accepted by Mark Hagedorn, who has been serving as Interim Controller for the past several months. City Purchasing Procedures: Director Alexander stated the Purchasing Department is a centralized department that purchases all goods and services for the City, assists with checks and balances as well as control and audits, and strictly follows the State of Idaho Statutes. She reviewed the following information with general discussion: Purchases less than $25,000.00 can be purchased from any vendor Purchases between $25,000.00 and $50,000.00 are required to obtain three (3) quotes Purchases in excess of $50,000.00 must follow the competitive sealed bid process Director Alexander stated the City is allowed to piggyback off State of Idaho contracts for certain items. She indicated the Purchasing Division does not get involved with the preparation and openings of construction projects as the Public Works Department oversees those bids. 4  FEBRUARY 8 , 2016 City Financial Reporting and Council Fiduciary Responsibilities: Director Alexander stated examples of the variety of financial transactions include State of Idaho Statutes for Municipal Corporation, City Code for finances, City Council responsibilities including approval of expenditures, Mayor and Treasurer’s Office responsibilities, Controller’s Office responsibilities, resolutions, and change orders. She briefly explained the process of the monthly Treasurer’s Report, the weekly Expenditure Report, and the monthly Expenditure Report. Director Alexander indicated future goals and recommendations include: improved process for expenditure review prior to payments, monthly financial summary reports, and regular formal financial presentations. Mr. Sparks reviewed the timeline of the new software system, Cayenta, and stated the financial module is scheduled for the later part of the year. Media Relations: Ms. McCullough stated she is directly supervised by the Mayor but is shared by all departments for announcements and press releases which are distributed to more than 600 contacts. Her internal duties include Office of the Mayor emails and memos, assists Human Resources with the Employee Newsletter, and Intranet (pending implementation of a new website). External duties include emails, website pages, Social Media (Facebook and Twitter), utility bill inserts, Text Wire alerts, Code Red alerts, and marketing. She also maintains a working relationship with local media groups including print, radio, and television. Ms. McCullough indicated the media will directly contact the Council and offered some basic guidelines for media interaction as follows: When talking to media- o Take your time o Think before answering o Say if you don’t know o Stick to the facts and topic o Say if you can’t answer and explain why o Talk only about your area of expertise o Assume that everything is “on the record” and recorded o Maintain eye contact with reporter o Be firm, fair and honest Don’t do when talking to media- o Lie, guess or speculate o Get upset or angry o Use acronyms or jargon o Talk about protected information o Talk about information outside of expertise o Be negative o Play favorites with reporters o Say “no comment” o Introduce new issues or subjects Ms. McCullough briefly described social media protocol and reminded the Council any social media posts are subject to public record requests. General discussion followed. Per previous Work Session discussion, Mayor Casper presented options and costs associated with broadcasting Work Sessions. After brief discussion the Council agreed to proceed with the broadcasting of Work Sessions at the lowest cost possible. 5  FEBRUARY 8 , 2016 There being no further business, it was moved by Councilmember Marohn, seconded by Councilmember Radford, to adjourn the meeting at 6:10 p.m., which motion passed following a unanimous vote. CITY CLERK MAYOR 6