City Council

April 5, 2022 County/City Quarterly Coordination Conference The City Council of the City of Idaho Falls met in Special Meeting – County/City Quarterly Coordination Conference, Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in the Council Chambers in the City Annex Building located at 680 Park Avenue in Idaho Falls at 3:00 p.m. Call to Order and Roll Call There were present: Mayor Rebecca L. Noah Casper Council President Michelle Ziel-Dingman Councilor John Radford Councilor Thomas Hally Councilor Jim Freeman Councilor Jim Francis (via WebEx) Councilor Lisa Burtenshaw Also present: Roger Christensen, Bonneville County Commissioner (via WebEx) Byron Reed, Bonneville County Commissioner Jon Walker, Bonneville County Commissioner Connie Chadwick, Regional Development Alliance (RDA) Brad Cramer, Community Development Services Director (via WebEx) PJ Holm, Parks and Recreation (P&R) Director (via WebEx) Rick Cloutier, Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) Director (via WebEx) Dave Lent, Senator Chris Fredericksen, Public Works Director Joseph Nilsson, Chief Information Technology Officer Randy Fife, City Attorney Kathy Hampton, City Clerk Mayor Casper called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m. with the following items: Dispatch and Emergency Operations Center (EOC): Councilor Francis stated a consultant, On the Ground, has been hired for the 911 working group to determine equitable funding. He indicated the formula is not as simple as counting the calls as there is also a pattern of calls. He also indicated the consultant is on track as this requires budget involvement with both entities, and the contract needs to be in place by October 1, 2022. Councilor Francis stated there is a multi-agency advisory board that will work on a formula with the Idaho Falls Police Department (IFPD) regarding paying rent for space at the Law Enforcement Building (LEB). This will then be presented to the county and the council. Commissioner Reed believes the committee has worked well to find the needed answers. Per Mayor Casper, Commissioner Reed is unsure of a phased-in approach for funding. He believes the goal is to take all funding on board the first year. Councilor Francis agreed. Magistrate Court Funding—last year: Mayor Casper believes this coming year is the last budget year for the city to transfer $90,000 to the county. Commissioner Christensen stated a law passed in 2019 that required the State to take funding. He indicated this funding allocation was 20% each year, and 2023 will be 0% from the city and final funding from the State. He also 1  April 5, 2022 County/City Quarterly Coordination Conference stated beginning in 2024 the distribution of the Liquor Fund will be 51% to the county and 49% to the city. He indicated House Bill (HB) H643 negotiated these amounts. Eastern Idaho Regional Wastewater Association (EIRWWA) Progress: Commissioner Christensen stated in approximately 2000 there was a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with several cities and counties for the EIRWWA. He indicated there was a proposal to the City of Idaho Falls to become part of EIRWWA, in which the city chose not to have a wastewater provider outside of the area. Commissioner Christensen stated this item will be included on the May ballot to make EIRWWA a district so all property owners over five (5) acres would have to petition to get into the district. He indicated most individuals opted in although there was concern with lift stations and capacities. He noted the city chose not to opt in due to Sandy Downs and the Sand Creek Golf Course. Implementation of H735aaS (House Bill re: Public Defense and County Indigent Fund): Commissioner Christensen stated this is a combination of public defense with the State taking over for three (3) years during transition. He noted this was supported by the Association of Idaho Cities (AIC). He indicated for the next two (2) years the State will pay the county the amount of money that was levied in 2019 for public defense, noting the county will have to eliminate this levy. He also indicated this will provide proposed tax relief in the amount of $33M State-wide. He explained this money will be taken out of reserves, and in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 $20M will come off the top of revenue sharing. It is anticipated the growth will come back in 2027. Commissioner Christensen stated the Indigent fund will go away although this will be required to be taken out of the levy as well. He indicated this is good, as the county will not have to deal with the fund anymore, although this will affect the future 3% base. He noted the majority of indigent cases happen inside populated areas. Councilor Radford questioned employees of the county going to public defense. Commissioner Christensen explained the grants from the State, stating during the two-year transition these individuals will be employed by the county with money from 2019. He indicated wage increases were not addressed so the levy can continue for two (2) years. He also indicated there is a study committee to determine the status of the employees for any transition. Mayor Casper stated AIC indicated cities use less than 1% of public defense, the remaining is IFPD enforcing State law. She believes a compromise occurred. Fairgrounds/Sandy Downs Planning: Mayor Casper believes these facilities are creating collaboration. Commissioner Reed stated the fairgrounds continue to grow. He provided a brief update on the buildings and the Jr. Posse. He also stated this building was designed to be used year-round and rent of the buildings has helped pay for upgrades to the fairgrounds. Commissioner Reed indicated the Road and Bridge Department is looking for a sand and salt shed in this area to prevent long distance hauling. He also indicated they are looking at a spot on the fairgrounds or on Sandy Downs, if the city would desire, as they believe the city could benefit from a shed as well. He noted the county would participate in cost sharing. Mayor Casper stated this would need to be discussed with Public Works and P&R liaisons. Commissioner Reed is hopeful for construction of a shed this summer. He explained the location per the provided slide. Brief discussion followed including a paid campground facility, the adjacent utilities, the BMX track, the Tautphaus Park Master Plan, and moving soccer fields from the soccer complex per the IDA overlay zone. IDA Air Service Development and Planning: Council President Dingman stated 2019 was a record year for enplanements, 2021 was 25% higher than 2019, and there were 3.5M pounds of cargo, which was 29% higher than 2019. She believes IDA provides a large economic benefit and impact to the community via individual and business perspective. She noted there are 14 non-stop destinations, and she announced additional upcoming direct flights. Council President Dingman stated construction 2  April 5, 2022 County/City Quarterly Coordination Conference at IDA is almost completed with more construction to occur, noting 2024 construction will include a new air traffic control tower. She also stated parking issues are being discussed with the IDA board. Councilor Hally stated car rental revenue was $1.2M for January and February, which is one (1) of the highest rates in the nation. Mayor Casper stated a percentage of car rentals is being allocated to parking improvements. Council President Dingman noted the restaurant services in IDA have also expanded. Councilor Freeman stated the Jackson Airport runway will be closed for approximately 80 days noting all flights will be diverted to Idaho Falls and Bozeman. Brief comments followed including the effects of Coronavirus (COVID-19), and the City Council becoming the official IDA Board. Mayor Casper also noted Greater Idaho Falls Transit (GIFT) will be coming in June. Review and Discussion: 2022 Legislative Session and 2023 Session Goals: HB635, regarding annexation, was discussed mainly for the Boise area. Mayor Casper believes this discussion also included a racetrack in Northern Idaho, and a pending lawsuit with Star/Middleton will be resolved. She is unsure of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), and H529 (eliminating motor vehicle registration stickers – Commissioner Walker believes this is important to pay attention to as it could cause issues with law enforcement). Mayor Casper stated this item will be discussed again in the future. Briefing and Discussion: Future Plans for Bonneville County Technology Center (BCTC): Mayor Casper stated the goal is to stand up a community-wide workforce training center. She provided a history of a jointly owned asset between Bonneville County, Idaho Falls, and the RDA which began in 1993. She indicated the county put up the land at 101 Technology Drive with some funding, the city contributed money including utilities, and RDA funded the center as part of a secured grant match of federal funding from the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Ms. Chadwick explained the revolving loan fund, stating EDA had several stipulations on the funds, which made it difficult to lend to qualified businesses. She also explained that through the process, RDA become more conservative for lending, therefore, the fund began to increase, which is still available. Mayor Casper stated the length of the committed time was 20 years, and regular reporting was submitted to EDA, although by 2013 enough turnover occurred that the institutional knowledge was lost. She noted she traveled with Dana Kirkham, who was on the board at the time, to obtain additional information. This information was brought toward Dana Briggs, the city’s former Economic Development Coordinator, who helped pieced the history together. Mayor Casper stated the EDA has officially de-federalized the loan, although the asset (the county-owned building) must still be managed. She indicated there has been a mutual decision that there is a need for this facility. Commissioner Reed stated the committee met to determine a need to support a workforce facility. The committee found overwhelmingly that the need was great as it is difficult to obtain specialized skilled individuals which would support the facility, although, they could not commit any funding to stand up the facility. It then transformed to College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) to stand up. Senator Lent expressed his appreciation to all those who serve the community. He stated through his previous experiences he lived through many transitions. He believes Eastern Idaho is at the beginning to build out the capacity that the rest of the State has. He indicated he has been working on this for two (2) years and is seeing many national trends. He believes there’s the opportunity to have the workforce development center and to have the capacity to build high schools and specialized skills. Senator Lent commended Ms. Kirkham and Ms. Briggs. He wants employable jobs that could support families. He indicated 35-40% of individuals graduate from college, and college has been used as a threshold. He believes this is important, the timing is right, there is access to funds, and this is a benefit to those who live here. Commissioner Reed explained the history of the building. He believes this fulfills the original purpose of the grant and the original intent. He stated the county has agreed to transfer the building to CEI and per discussion with CEI President Rick Aman, President Aman believes the building will be perfect. He indicated the RDA money will help put the building in useful condition, and the city would have to agree to the transfer. Mayor Casper stated the expectation is to draft an agreement signed by all three (3) parties for approval of the building for CEI. The goal for this agreement is prior to October 1 3  April 5, 2022 County/City Quarterly Coordination Conference before the current leases expire. Mayor Casper stated a group of individuals meet quarterly regarding site projects noting the workforce needed in the next five (5) years will amount to 1,500-2,300 laborers each year. Per Councilor Freeman, Ms. Chadwick believes private sectors may be more willing to assist with funding as they realize the workforce has a high turnover. She noted any tuition would be paid by the employer. Commissioner Reed believes the industry leaders were concerned with start-up funding, which CEI can provide. Councilor Burtenshaw questioned the location not being near CEI. Commissioner Reed indicated President Aman is happy with the location and it would not present a problem. Ms. Chadwick described the building premise. Comments followed regarding specific trainings, the model of training, the curriculum provided by employers, and knowledge of the workforce. Commissioner Christensen indicated this was a vision by former Commissioner Cliff Long several years ago, he believes this fits that vision and he agrees this will help fill the need. Mayor Casper stated an agreement will be forthcoming. Senator Lent believes, while not urgent, this agreement is important. Discussion: Area of Impact (AOI) Policy and Planning: Mayor Casper distributed clarifying questions regarding the AOI. She stated AOI conversations occurred around 2018, noting nothing new was adopted, therefore, the entities are working with a 20+ year old agreement. She believes there is a different growth conversation than 2018. Commissioner Walker believes there is a need to discuss expansion. Councilor Burtenshaw believes, per Director Fredericksen and Director Cramer, expansion is needed on the northern section of town. She indicated decisions have been made that affect the current AOI. Commissioner Reed stated the county recognizes the need for expansion, he would like to see this occur in the next couple of years. He personally is willing and anxious to consider the greatest need to expand. Commissioner Christensen agrees, although, he believes statutorily this needs to start with the Planning Commissions. He believes in order to expedite more meetings should occur with the city and county planning commissions. He also believes this got hung up on policies that were not understood. Mayor Casper agrees with the formal process. Councilor Francis stated he is very reluctant to put this back to either staff. He believes it is asking too much of city staff to re- write. He also believes this is up to the elected officials. Brief discussion followed regarding the previous discussions/policies and what may have or may not have occurred. Commissioner Walker believes the previous problems are related to communication. He also believes progress with the elected officials continues as the elected officials should be doing the right thing for the citizens. Councilor Burtenshaw recognizes the county may have their own questions regarding the policy. She agrees with Councilor Francis, and she believes it would be more useful to know the city policies and the county policies. Commissioner Christensen agreed. Councilor Radford believes extension of services is a key issue. He also believes if services are extended, the conversation would need to start over. Councilor Burtenshaw believes road annexation/right-of-way needs to be discussed. Council President Dingman agrees with Councilor Radford as well as agreeing with Commissioner Walker regarding the communication issues, noting many elected officials have changed over the course of time. Councilor Freeman stated he is not totally against extension of services, and he believes this is the main issue. Following brief discussion, Mayor Casper outlined next steps including prioritizing items, working with staff, and follow-up discussion at the next joint meeting. Brief discussion followed regarding a future meeting and future agenda items. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:09 p.m. s/ Kathy Hampton s/ Rebecca L. Noah Casper Kathy Hampton, City Clerk Rebecca L. Noah Casper, Mayor 4