City Council

September 12, 2022 County/City Coordination Conference The City Council of the City of Idaho Falls met in Special Meeting – County/City Coordination Conference, Monday, September 12, 2022, in the Bonneville County Elections Office located at 497 N. Capital in Idaho Falls at 1:00 p.m. Call to Order and (Silent) 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 Zoom) Councilor Lisa Burtenshaw Also present: Roger Christensen, Bonneville County Commissioner Byron Reed, Bonneville County Commissioner Jon Walker, Bonneville County Commissioner Lance Bates, County Public Works Director Brad Cramer, City Community Development Services Director Bear Prairie, Idaho Falls Power Director Bryce Johnson, Police Chief Sam Hulse, Bonneville County Sheriff Chris Fredericksen, City Public Works Director Randy Fife, City Attorney Kathy Hampton, City Clerk The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. with the following items: City/County Growth Issues, Opportunities, Challenges and Concerns: Commissioner Christensen reviewed key clarifying questions for the Area of Impact (AOI): AOI: County – Is the county willing to expand the AOI? Commissioner Christensen stated the county would be willing to renegotiate the AOI, questioning if there should be a mutual agreement with the city to agree to comprehensive (comp) planning outside the AOI; would the city agree to annex outside the AOI only upon a mutual agreement of county and city; and would the city be willing to resize the AOI targeting only area that are reasonably expected to be annexed or have city services provided to them. Mayor Casper believes the model of other cities may need to be explored. Commissioner Christensen believes the city has a very thorough comp plan although he believes the county may not have been involved in the communication early enough. Councilor Freeman suggested a working group with the county and the city Planning Commissions. Councilor Burtenshaw believes the comp plan should look similar outside the AOI. It was noted there is no county individual sitting on the city commission and visa versa due to the difficulty of the position. Commissioner Christensen stated the AOI boundaries were from approximately 20 years ago when growth was not anticipated. Mayor Casper questioned the process for resizing the boundary map as she indicated the county commission would not agree to the city’s proposed map. Commissioner Christensen believes the map should be shaped based on proposed areas that are reasonably expected to grow as the landscape has changed. He also believes this should be reviewed by the two Planning Commissions as there are currently different individuals on the Planning Commissions. Mayor Casper clarified other entity’s services are not being excluded. 1  September 12, 2022 County/City Coordination Conference Colocation of Fiber Optic Equipment, Access, Continuity of Service, etc.: **These topics were then discussed due to those in attendance. Commissioner Christensen provided a history of the 10-year rack space agreement stating the county had one pair of fiber and therefore, the county became a customer. He indicated, due to the recent LEB (Law Enforcement Building) agreement, the rack space for the city will need to be decided. He questioned an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to solve this issue. He indicated IFF (Idaho Falls Fiber) wants the county to be on their own ring, and he requested Commissioner Walker to be involved in these meetings. Council President Dingman indicated there has been discussion to ensure there are no interruptions to the fiber service to the county. Mayor Casper agreed. Director Prairie explained the fiber services would run parallel to ensure there is no interruption of services. He briefly reviewed the level of services required. Per Mayor Casper, Director Prairie believes the access for IFF staff has been resolved. Law Enforcement Radio System: Commissioner Christensen believes the radios are not a 911 function although the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) has purchased the radios, however, he also believes a funding formula needs to be looked at due to the services provided. He presented an analysis from 2008-2031 of revenues versus expenses for the operational costs of 911 surcharge (3%), noting projections are higher than anticipated. He believes the 911 surcharge fee may need to be increased, or the radios needs to be cost-shared. Sheriff Hulse stated the county is responsible for a five- county system with eight tower sites for emergency communication. He also stated there is no current technology that replaces the radio system. Chief Johnson explained the State radio system maintains the State infrastructure. Sheriff Hulse noted the county opted out of the State system due to reliability issues. Brief comments followed regarding increasing the 911 surcharge fee. It was indicated this fee must be approved the State. City/County Growth Issues, Opportunities, Challenges and Concerns: Commissioner Christensen reviewed additional key clarifying questions for the Area of Impact (AOI): Extension of services: City – Would the city be willing to extend sewer and water into the AOI? Commissioner Christensen stated, if so, the county has questioned if the county will be able to utilize those utilities for development to standards agreed upon in the AOI agreement, and, if this answer is yes, what limits does the city plan to put on the ability of the county to utilize those utilities. Councilor Burtenshaw believes the impact fees need to be collected in the AOI in order to extend services. Commissioner Christensen does not believe the county can adopt impact fees. Council President Dingman noted extensions and annexations are different. Mayor Casper believes the city council may need to have a larger discussion regarding a pilot project for services outside the city. Road annexation: City – What is the city’s policy for road annexation; County – What will be the process for the city to acquire right of way (ROW)?; County – If the city fails to acquire the ROW for road expansion to what extent is the county willing to negotiate on behalf of the city; County – Is the county willing to use eminent domain, and if so, under what conditions. Commissioner Christensen stated the county would consider eminent domain on a case- by-case basis depending on the joint project. The county questioned if the city is willing to annex at least the half road section as part of all new annexations that front county roads; and the county also questioned if the city is willing to recognize that their exterior subdivisions have impact on county arterial roads and share cost in improving those roads as needed. Commissioner Christensen prefers the county be involved in the developer meetings. He believes there needs to be better communication with P&Z and road and bridge to prevent contention. AOI Agreement: City/County – Are the city and county in agreement that the terms of the existing AOI are in effect? City/County – Should the answers to the questions above be considered as part of the AOI agreement? Should any 2  September 12, 2022 County/City Coordination Conference new or revised understandings be formally adopted, and if so, how? Commissioner Christensen stated this is adopted by ordinance, noting the current AOI agreement was adopted February 13, 2001. Councilor Burtenshaw believes the agreement addressed impact fees. Commissioner Christensen believes several things in this agreement were overlooked, noting the growth issues were not anticipated. Determine Future Coordination Meeting Scheduling and Suggested Topics: Councilor Radford believes future discussion should include the connectivity of roads/pathways and the opportunity for grants. General comments followed including, indigent cremations; recycling services; the county landfill (the Master Plan is planned for 100 years) and the Hatch Pit (will be included on a future agenda), including a tour of the landfill facilities; and additional AOI issues being included on a future agenda. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m. s/ Kathy Hampton s/ Rebecca L. Noah Casper Kathy Hampton, City Clerk Rebecca L. Noah Casper, Mayor 3