City Council

December 18, 2017 – New Council Orientation A Special Meeting (New Council Orientation), was held on Monday, December 18, 2017, in the Council Chambers in the City Annex Building located at 680 Park Avenue in Idaho Falls, Idaho at 8:00 a.m. There were present: Mayor Rebecca L. Noah Casper Councilmember Ed Marohn Councilmember John Radford Councilmember Thomas Hally Councilmember-Elect Jim Freeman Councilmember-Elect Shelly Smede Councilmember-Elect Jim Francis Kami Morrison, Executive Assistant to the Mayor Jackie Flowers, Idaho Falls Power Director Randy Fife, City Attorney Pamela Alexander, Municipal Services Director Joseph Nilsson, Information Technology Administrator Randy Tew, Human Resources Director Craig Davis, Airport Director Chris Fredericksen, Public Works Director Brad Cramer, Community Development Services Director Greg Weitzel, Parks and Recreation Director Robert Wright, Library Diretor Dave Hanneman, Fire Chief Bryce Johnson, Police Chief Kerry Hammon, Public Information Officer Kathy Hampton, City Clerk Mayor Casper noted due to the orientation being held for incoming Councilmembers, there was no roll call as there was no quorum of the current Councilmembers. The following items were discussed: 2018 Calendaring: Mayor Casper distributed a master calendar schedule and reviewed posting requirements of: Regular Council Meetings (which are set by Ordinance); Special Council Meetings, including Work Sessions which currently have been held on the Monday prior to the Regular Council Meeting; and, Executive Sessions. Following brief discussion, there was consensus to continue with Work Sessions as previously scheduled. It was noted the January 22 Work Session conflicts with the Water Summit in Boise. There was consensus to move the Work Session to Friday, January 19. Mayor Casper also briefly reviewed Idaho Falls Power (IFP) Board meetings as well as departmental commission/committee/board meetings. Other City entities include the Chamber of Commerce, Regional Economic Development Eastern Idaho (REDI), Idaho Falls Auditorium District (IFAD), Idaho Innovation Center (IIC), and the Idaho Falls Redevelopment Agency (IFRdA). City meetings will also include budget work sessions in July and August. Future meetings may need to include strategic planning. Director Flowers briefly reviewed outside boards and entities related to IFP. Following brief discussion, there was consensus to hold IFP Board meetings on the second Thursday of each month from 1:00-5:00 p.m., the beginning time of each meeting will be adjusted relative to estimated time of agenda items. The American Public Power Association (APPA) webinar schedule was also briefly discussed. Basics: Ms. Morrison indicated there is preference for Councilmembers to meet with the Mayor on a monthly basis. She requested Councilmembers inform the Mayor’s Office when they may be out of town or absent from scheduled events. Ms. Morrison briefly reviewed: travel process, including submission of any receipts; City community requests for elected officials; proclamations; the Citizens Concerns process; and, name badges/name plates and business cards. 1  December 18, 2017 – New Council Orientation Information Technology (IT), PCards, etc: Mr. Nilsson stated all Councilmembers will be receiving new IPads with appropriate training in the near future. Director Alexander reviewed the City-issued Procurement Card (PCard) issued through Wells Fargo for travel purposes, and the City Travel Policy. Helpful Legal Insights: Mr. Fife stated the Legal Staff will offer legal advice, including risk management. Legal staff will also support the entity (the City) but they do not get involved in the politics of the City. Prosecution for misdemeanor services are also provided by the Legal Staff. Mr. Fife reminded the Councilmembers to maintain transparency and use necessary caution regarding emails, text messages, and other electronic communication. He reviewed the Open Meetings Law and the Open Records Law, stating the Legal Staff is always available as a resource. Introduction: Strategic Planning/Priority-Based Budgeting (PBB): Director Alexander reviewed Priority Based Budgeting Overview –  Development of community-oriented and governance results  Program inventory  Score to basic program attributes and community-oriented results (1-4)  Position, operating and revenue budget allocation to programs  Peer review  Quartile assignment based on scoring  Review results and discussion Community-Oriented Results (External) –  Safe and secure community  Access to a variety of life-long learning opportunities  Livable community  Reliable public infrastructure and transportation  Economic growth and vibrancy  Well-planned growth and development  Environmental sustainability Good Governance (Internal) –  Supports decision-making with timely and accurate short-term and long-range analysis  Attracts, develops and retains a high-quality, engaged and productive workforce  Fosters innovative and sound fiscal management and enables trust and transparency  Protect, manages, optimizes and invests in its human, financial, physical and technology resources  Assures regulatory and policy compliance to minimize and mitigate risk  Provides responsive and accessible leadership, focused on community priorities Director Alexander briefly reviewed Governance Results and the Center for Priority Based Budgeting Portal. Next steps –  Development of 2017/18 budget to include: o Review, refine, modify programs o Review, refine and reallocate position and non-position costs based on adopted 2017/18 budget  Refinement of PBB tool using 2017/18 data for 2018/19 budget (October-December) o Refine community-oriented and governance results Introduction to Department Leadership Teams/Mission: Director Alexander introduced Kathy Hampton, City Clerk; Mark Hagedorn, Controller; Kenny McOmber, Treasurer; Joseph Nilsson, Chief Information Technology Officer; and, Chandra Witt, General Services Administrator. She briefly reviewed the Municipal Services Department goals. Mr. Fife introduced Michael Kirkham, Assistant City Attorney; Kim Lewis, Administrative Assistant; Cindy Campbell and Jeff Thomason, Prosecuting Attorneys; Carol Jensen and Mercedes Rivas, Administrative Assistants. 2  December 18, 2017 – New Council Orientation Director Tew introduced Eileen Horne, Human Resources (HR) Analyst. He stated the HR Department oversees employment, employee relations, compensation, benefits, performance management, training, and labor relations activities. Additional staff includes Mindy Moore, HR Analyst; and, Kelly Call and Carla Farris, part-time HR Assistants. He briefly reviewed the Personnel Policy, stating any changes to the policy requires Council approval. Director Davis introduced Jayme Verish, Operations Manager. He reviewed the Airport Mission and Management Overview; Management Responsibilities; Operations Overview; Organizational Chart (16 full-time employees and 3 seasonal part-time employees); Enterprise Fund Budget Highlights (expenses, revenues, Capital Improvement Grants, and Airport reserves); Air Service Development; and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulatory compliance. Director Flowers introduced Bear Prairie, Assistant General Manager; Wid Ritchie, Energy Products and Services Manager; Mark Reed, Generation Superintendent; Jace Yancey, Operations Technology Manager; Randy Westergard, Transmission and Distribution Superintendent; Richard Malloy, Engineering and Compliance Manager; and recognized Colleen Wright, Administrative Assistant. She stated the IFP budget is approximately $58m-$72m annually and any revenue is collected from the utility rates. Approximately $36m is allocated to the General Fund through Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT). Director Flowers briefly reviewed the Strategic Plan, which was recently adopted by the Council. Director Fredericksen introduced Jordan Rechenmacher, Sanitation Superintendent; Chris Canfield, Assistant Public Works Director; Kent Fugal, City Engineer; Brian Cardon, Street Superintendent; David Smith, Wastewater Superintendent; David Richards, Water Superintendent; Derek Bates, Geographic Information System (GIS); and, Janet Kopplow, Administrative Assistant. Director Fredericksen stated the Public Works Department has 118 employees with an approximate $47m budget. He commended the Public Works Department. Director Cramer stated the Community Development Services Department (CDSD) has two (2) official divisions: 1) planning and 2) building. He introduced Kerry Beutler, Assistant Planning Director and stated additional planning staff includes two (2) long-range and two (2) short-range planners. He also introduced Cherise Frei, Senior Code Enforcement Officer; Lisa Farris, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Administrator/Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator; and, Reggie Fuller, the Building Official. Director Cramer believes the City has the best Building Division in the State. He stated CDSD recently invested in new a software system (TRAKit) which has assisted with online abilities for contractors. Director Cramer stated his position also includes duties with Bonneville Metropolitan Planning Organization (BMPO) and IFRdA, which occupies approximately 20-25% of his time. He stated two main projects for future approval includes Area of Impact (AOI) and the Zoning Ordinance. Director Weitzel introduced David Pennock, Zoo Superintendent; Tim Reinke, Manager of Golf Operations; Brent Martin, Parks and Cemetery Superintendent; Ronnie Campbell, Assistant Parks and Cemetery Superintendent; PJ Holm, Recreation Superintendent; Lisa Jones, Administrative Assistant; Tracy Sessions and Genene Eddins, Clerks. He stated the Parks and Recreation (P&R) Department has approximately 70 full-time employees with approximately 350 employees overall. He commended the five (5) divisions of the P&R Department. Director Wright stated the Library is managed by the Idaho Falls Public Library Board. Money is allocated from the City, the Library District, and the tax levy. He briefly reviewed the programs offered at the Library. He indicated Library Board positions are appointed for a five-year term of service. Chief Hanneman introduced Dave Coffey, Operations and Administrations Deputy Chief; Scott Grimmett, Fire Marshal; Eric Day, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division Chief; and, Kerry Hammon, Public Information Officer (PIO). There is currently another Deputy Chief on deployment. Chief Hanneman stated the Idaho Falls Fire Department (IFFD) contracts fire services with Bonneville County and provides EMS to Bonneville County and a large portion to Jefferson and Bingham Counties. Special teams include regional hazmat, search and rescue, swift water, and, airport rescue. Chief Hanneman stated the IFFD serves through nine (9) locations (two (2) of which are currently unoccupied), including four (4) stations, and one (1) fire district station. Ambulance service is also provided in the Swan Valley area through an agreement with Bonneville County. The IFFD has 130 employees, many of which 3  December 18, 2017 – New Council Orientation are cross-trained to provide EMS services. Budget = approximately $20m, 62% of General Fund and 38% Enterprise Fund. The IFFD receives approximately 14,000 calls on an annual basis of which 82% are for EMS. Chief Johnson introduced Royce Clements, Patrol Captain (including K-9 Unit and Citizens Watch Patrol); Bill Squires, Captain of Special Investigations (including School Resource Officer, DARE, Airport Operations, special events, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, snow removal, and Records Division); Steve Hunt, Captain of Logistics and Professional Standards (facilities logistics, Animal Control operations for Idaho Falls and Bonneville County); and, Andi Anderson, Dispatch. He stated the Idaho Falls Police Department (IFPD) is relatively young with approximately 40 personnel who have been hired in the previous four (4) years. He reviewed the new mission vision and core values exercise. Chief Johnson indicated the IFPD will be working on three (3) main items: request of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to be recognized as a union, a new law enforcement facility, and IFPD staffing. Mayor Casper expressed her appreciation to all Department Directors. Liaison Discussions/Training: Mayor Casper reviewed the Liaison Model-  Idaho Falls a complex City o 11 different departments with wide variety of services, also includes outside entities which require Council attendance  Increased level of difficulty for elected officials o Generalists with minimal time and minimal money  Congressional/Legislative model; Specialization o Formerly a committee system proved unsatisfactory; liaison model is no decision-making, one to facilitate communication  Benefits of the liaison model o Development of beneficial expertise, vetting/hawk/problem spotter, meeting organizing principle  Risks of the liaison model o One is not enough, triggering a public meeting, capture/advocacy, disinterest  How to receive a briefing o Challenge the Director, ask the questions to achieve your understanding Council Service Insights: Councilmember Hally believes the most powerful tool is the Council, which relates to knowledge and the diversity of the City. He also believes communication, including communication with the Mayor, is important. Councilmember Marohn believes the role of an elected official can be fulfilling. He believes education and knowledge is important relative to voting on items. He also believes the Council needs to be transparent and address the people. Councilmember Marohn stated one of main responsibilities of the Council is the annual budget. This includes needs, importance, and revenue stream review whether related to the General Fund or the Enterprise Fund. He believes any decision should be made for the good of the people, not a partisanship, and believes abstaining only passes the buck. For example, if a decision is made against the budget, it should be articulated why and to educate the remaining Councilmembers. Councilmember Marohn stated there is a formal process for agenda items although items can be added by the Councilmembers. He believes any complaint should be addressed immediately. Councilmember Radford believes the power comes from the citizens and the Council needs to be responsible stewards of any decision as feedback from citizens is important. He also recommended to be consistent and predictable for directors as well as be open, be aware of early information bias, and don't make any commitment until all sides are heard. Media Training: Ms. Hammon introduced Holly Cook as the IFPD PIO. The role of the City PIO over the course of years was briefly discussed. Ms. Hammon stated all public information has been approved by a director and/or the Mayor prior to release. She reviewed additional staff who has been trained for assistance as needed. Additional services provided the PIO include: ribbon cuttings, assistance with website management, text alerts, marketing, program messages, and 4  December 18, 2017 – New Council Orientation department events. Ms. Hammon stated the Mayor will inform the Council of emergencies as needed. Ms. Hammon reviewed the media policy. She requested Council contact her for awareness of any editorial and also for any possible assistance. She strongly recommended work policy/information not be discussed on personal social media pages, any City concerns/issues should be referred to the appropriate City page(s). Mr. Fife also recommended caution with personal social media page(s) as all social media is considered a public record. There being no further business, the meeting concluded at 12:17 p.m. s/ Kathy Hampton s/ Rebecca L. Noah Casper CITY CLERK MAYOR 5