City Council

APRIL 11, 2016 The City Council of the City of Idaho Falls met in Special Council Meeting (Council Work Session), Monday, April 11, 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 John B. Radford Councilmember Barbara Ehardt Councilmember Thomas Hally Councilmember David M. Smith (by telephone) Councilmember Ed Marohn Councilmember Michelle Ziel-Dingman Also present: Kerry McCullough, Public Information Officer Dana Briggs, Economic Development Coordinator Pamela Alexander, Municipal Services Director Mark Hagedorn, Controller Thane Sparks, Chief Information Officer Joseph Nilsson, Systems Administrator Greg Weitzel, Parks and Recreation Director PJ Holm, Superintendent of Recreation Chris Fredericksen, Public Works Director Kent Fugal, City Engineer Brad Cramer, Community Development Services Director Mark McBride, Police Chief Jackie Flowers, Idaho Falls Power Director Randy Fife, City Attorney Kathy Hampton, City Clerk Mayor Casper called the meeting to order at 3:03 p.m. with the request to accept Planning and Zoning Commission actions. It was moved by Councilmember Marohn, seconded by Councilmember Hally, to accept the Planning and Zoning Commission actions (from April 5, 2016, meeting). Roll call as follows: Aye – Councilmembers Marohn, Dingman, Ehardt, Hally, Radford, Smith. Nay – none. Motion carried. Mayor’s Report: Photo opportunity on April 16, for Friends of the Library in conjunction with Idaho Gives Day. Kerry McCullough is providing information regarding Facebook shares with the daily morning news alerts. Mayor Casper requested all Councilmembers inform Ms. McCullough of any Opinion Editorials that may be published in the Post Register to allow any possible assistance. Ground-breaking on the new Fire Station may cause parking issues for City employees, future discussion will occur. Mayor Casper requested all Councilmembers keep their City calendar up to date for scheduling purposes. Idaho Business Review reported on the expansion of Northwest Cosmetic Laboratories (located in Idaho Falls), Mayor Casper stated Ms. Briggs was very instrumental in this project. 1  APRIL 11, 2016 Mayor Casper invited Councilmember Marohn to provide an update of the Veteran’s Cemetery. Councilmember Marohn stated a proposal has been sent to the State for a proposed veteran’s cemetery located at Fielding Memorial Cemetery or Ammon Cemetery. Council approval would be required if Fielding Memorial is selected as the desired location. Councilmember Marohn indicated the selection process may take approximately 2-3 years to complete. He briefly reviewed future veteran’s events as part of the City being selected to support the anniversary of the Vietnam War. Mayor Casper reviewed calendar items as follows: April 15 and 16, Strategic Planning April 19, Mayor’s Business Day April 23, Earth Day and Worker’s Memorial Proclamation May 3, Budget Watch at the Library, 6:30-8:00 p.m. May 6-16, Clean and Green May 9, Work Session will be shortened due to hosting Ammon City Council for joint meeting May 23, ribbon cutting for Westside Trail (greenbelt) and Mayor’s Bike Ride June 20, Council Meeting rescheduled due to Association of Idaho Cities (AIC) Annual Meeting in Boise on June 22-24 July 4, public safety conversations currently in progress Council Reports: Councilmember Hally indicated the Northwest Association of Parks and Recreation Annual Conference will be held October 17-19 at the Shilo Inn. Councilmember Marohn stated during a recent inspection of the Idaho Falls Fire Department (IFFD) Airport Station by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the department passed all requirements above and beyond expectations. He indicated the FAA has requested the IFFD to offer assistance to other airport fire departments with their training management program. Councilmember Ehardt indicated the snow removal public meeting was well attended. Community input has also been well received. Councilmember Dingman had no items to report. Councilmember Radford stated the Zoo at Tautphaus Park recently opened with a record number of attendees, and he recognized the numerous hours of volunteer service. He indicated the new high school being built by School District 93 will include a library branch. He commented Phase I of signage and wayfinding will be occurring in the near future. Councilmember Smith had no items to report. Mayor Casper introduced Amanda Ely, Executive Director, for the following presentation with general discussion throughout: Targhee Regional Public Transportation Authority (TRPTA): Who We Are:  TRPTA is a government entity under Idaho Code Title 40, Chapter 21 in 1996. TRPTA received its authorization as a grant recipient from the Governor at that time. TRPRA’s purpose as an authority – a political subdivision of the state of Idaho shall provide public transportation services, encourages private transportation programs and coordinate both public and private transportation programs, services and support functions. The board shall be composed of not less than five (5) members. Mayor Casper indicated the City representatives consist of Mike O’Bleness and Councilmember John Radford. How We Operate: 2  APRIL 11, 2016 TRPTA currently provides transportation service in District 6, which includes the cities of Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Driggs, Victor, St. Anthony and surrounding areas. Service types include Fixed Routes (in Idaho Falls only), Paratransit (door-to-door as requested) around the fixed route stops, and Demand Response (curb-to-curb) in Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Driggs, and surrounding areas.  Fleet: o Idaho Falls – 12 total (four (4) fixed route, eight (8) demand response/paratransit) buses o Rexburg – five (5) demand response buses o Driggs – two (2) demand response buses  TRPTA currently receives majority of funding through two (2) federal grants: o Small Urban 5307 Grant, populations under 200,000 o Rural Grant 5311, used in rural areas of District 6 How We Are Funded:  TRATA receives funding from the following sources: o City of Idaho Falls - $110,000 o Bonneville County - $40,000 o City of Ucon - $1,500 o City of Ammon - $1,000  Total local government match = $152,000 annually o Department of Health and Welfare-Medicaid ~$470,000/yr o Small Urban 5307 ~$600,000/yr o Rural 5311 ~$300,000/yr o Bus Wrap revenue ~$3,000/yr o Lease revenue ~$18,000/yr Ms. Ely reviewed a timeline of past events beginning with City Council request for change in January 2012-13. Our Future:  Move toward coordination with public and private providers  Fixed route between Idaho Falls and Rexburg  Additional fixed routes in Idaho Falls and two (2) fixed routes within Rexburg  Enhance employee benefits  Dedicate funding for fleet replacement  Rebrand  Transition to dispatching technology Municipal Services presented the following items: Hydro Electric Insurance Policy Proposal: Director Alexander indicated Council will be required to approve the annual Hydro Electric Insurance Policy. Mr. Hagedorn briefly reviewed updated changes to the Moreton and Company policy, including minimal increases for property and structural coverage and inclusion of terrorism coverage. Mr. Hagedorn recommended including terrorism coverage on a tier-level with future evaluation. After brief discussion, it was decided this item will be placed on the April 14, 2016, Council Meeting Consent Agenda for Council approval. City Bandwidth Use Presentation: Mr. Sparks stated the current uses of bandwidth include in-coming and out-going communication, City-wide Virtual Private Network (VPN), public safety (Fire, Police, mobile dispatching), City-wide email, website, streaming of Council Meetings, applications, System Maintenance, and remote devices. The City also shares connection and equal costs with Bonneville County. Mr. Nilsson reviewed current use of bandwidth with outside service companies. Mr. Sparks requested an increase in bandwidth to allow technology forecasts of additional 3  APRIL 11, 2016 streaming video, remote applications, outside consulting firms needing access to internal resources (Cayenata, CRW-TRAKiT), Priority Based Budgeting platform, additional cloud services, and disaster backup. Brief discussion followed regarding the shared cost with Bonneville County. Recommendation to increase the bandwidth and continual shared cost with Bonneville County will be presented for Council approval in the near future. Parks and Recreation presented the following item: Special Event Permit Policy & Procedure and Fee Update: Director Weitzel stated the Special Event Permit and related Ordinance was approved by Council in December, 2015, but no fee had been established. He indicated Mr. Holm has researched other comparable cities to determine an appropriate fee for this permit. Mr. Holm reviewed the special events application process including the timeframe for departmental reviews, proposed policy and procedures as recommended from the Special Events Committee, and proposed fees. He stated all fees collected will be distributed accordingly to the appropriate departments. Facility rental fees, which would not include actual costs of services, could be waived for non-profit organizations only. General discussion followed regarding waiver requirements as well as concessionaire fees collected. It was decided the proposed fee for the Special Event Permit will be placed on the April 14, 2016, Council Meeting Regular Agenda for Council approval. Public Works presented the following item: Traffic Signal Removal Study: Director Fredericksen stated the Idaho Falls Traffic Signal Removal Study was federally funded through the Bonneville Metropolitan Planning Organization (BMPO). Phase I of the study has been completed, Phase II will include public involvement. He then turned to Mr. Fugal for Phase I presentation. Mr. Fugal stated the Traffic Signal Timing Project conducted in 2009 recommended the City remove some traffic signals that may not meet signal warrants. Twelve intersections were selected for the study with Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) sharing the study cost. Intersections included:  17th Street and June Avenue  17th Street and Jennie Lee Drive  17th Street and Ponderosa Drive  17th Street and St. Clair Road  Holmes Avenue and 12th Street  Holmes Avenue and 9th Street  Holmes Avenue and 7th Street  Holmes Avenue and Elva Street  Broadway Street and Lindsay Boulevard (ITD Jurisdiction)  Broadway Street and Shoup Avenue (ITD Jurisdiction)  Yellowstone Avenue and A Street (ITD Jurisdiction)  Yellowstone Avenue and B Street (ITD Jurisdiction) Mr. Fugal reviewed the warrants as contained in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), as well as the evaluation process preliminary screening. The four (4) warrants used in the study included eight-hour vehicular volume, four-hour vehicular volume, pedestrian volume, and intersection near a railroad grade crossing. He indicated four (4) intersections did not meet any warrants and will be candidates for the next stage. Those intersections consisted of: 17th Street and June Avenue, 17th Street and Ponderosa Drive, Broadway Street and Lindsay Boulevard, and Broadway Street and Shoup Avenue. Next steps in the study will include field delay study, detailed traffic analysis, cost evaluation, public outreach, and signal removal. Mr. Fugal indicated these next steps will be occurring in the upcoming months. 4  APRIL 11, 2016 Community Development Services presented the following items: Sidewalk Alcohol Consumption Policy Discussion: Mayor Casper indicated there has been consistent interest from the Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation (IFDDC) for a proposed ordinance regarding sidewalk alcohol consumption. Director Cramer stated there have been communications with the IFDDC, the Idaho Falls Police Department, the Legal Department, Community Development Services, and Councilmembers with specific requirements, a possible approval process, and any other concerns. This ordinance would allow patrons of establishments without restaurant services to consume alcohol on downtown public sidewalks with required restrictions including barriers and/or enclosures and established hours. Chief McBride indicated majority of establishments outside of the downtown area have patios or parking lots which currently allows outside alcohol consumption. He stated the current ordinance was based on officer and public safety from previous altercations. After brief discussion, it was decided staff should proceed with the ordinance. Annexations Update: Director Cramer stated due to annexation concerns from previous Councilmembers/administration, his staff has been evaluating locations of parcels currently receiving City services, which are not annexed, indicating there are approximately 300 specified parcels. He reviewed parcels receiving City services which also have an agreement to become annexed once contiguous to City, as well as locations which have unimproved frontage. He indicated annexation includes a residential or commercial fee which, according to policy, can be waived if the City is initiating the annexation. He reviewed comparison of power rates, stating there is no requirement for an annexed customer to change their power services. Director Flowers briefly reviewed the Rocky Mountain Power buyout practice and stated motivation to annex customers should be separate from the power concerns. Director Cramer stated the Council will be required to decide which annexation fees to waive, including improvement of infrastructure, and should be prepared for citizen disapproval. After brief discussion it was decided to proceed with the annexation process to those parcels which currently have infrastructure. There being no further business, it was moved by Councilmember Marohn, seconded by Councilmember Dingman, to move into Executive Session at 6:30 p.m. which has been called pursuant to the provisions of Idaho Code Section 74-206(1)(f) To communicate with legal counsel for the public agency to discuss the legal ramifications of and legal options for pending litigation, or controversies not yet being litigated but imminently likely to be litigated; and Idaho Code Section 74-206(1)(j) To consider labor contract matters authorized under Idaho Code section 74- 206(1)(a) and (b), and Idaho Code Section 74-206A(1)(a) Considering a labor contract offer or to formulate a counteroffer, and not reconvene into Work Session. Roll call as follows: Aye – Councilmembers Ehardt, Marohn, Hally, Radford, Smith, Dingman. Nay – none. Motion carried. The City Council of the City of Idaho Falls met in Special Council Meeting (Executive Session), Monday, April 11, 2016, at the City Annex Conference Room located at 680 Park Avenue in Idaho Falls, Idaho at 6:38 p.m., pursuant to the provisions of Idaho Code Section 74-206(1)(f) To communicate with legal counsel for the public agency to discuss the legal ramifications of and legal options for pending litigation, or controversies not yet being litigated but imminently likely to be litigated; and Idaho Code Section 74-206(1)(j) To consider labor contract matters authorized under Idaho Code section 74-206(1)(a) and (b), and Idaho Code Section 74-206A(1)(a) Considering a labor contract offer or to formulate a counteroffer. There were present: Mayor Rebecca L. Noah Casper Councilmember Thomas Hally Councilmember David M. Smith (by telephone) Councilmember Michelle Ziel-Dingman 5  APRIL 11, 2016 Councilmember Barbara Ehardt Councilmember Ed Marohn Councilmember John B. Radford Also present: Jackie Flowers, Idaho Falls Power Director Dave Hanneman, Fire Chief Randy Fife, City Attorney There being no further business, it was moved by Councilmember Marohn, seconded by Councilmember Hally, to adjourn at 7:57 p.m. which motion passed followed a unanimous vote. CITY CLERK MAYOR 6