City Council

March 25, 2024, Council Work Session The City Council of the City of Idaho Falls met in the Council Work Session, on Monday, March 25, 2024, 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 Lisa Burtenshaw Councilor John Radford Councilor Michelle Ziel-Dingman Councilor Jim Freeman Councilor Jim Francis Councilor Kirk Larsen Also present: Bill O’Toole, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Joe Price IACP, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Ria Joseph ICAP, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Jeremy Galbraith, Deputy Chief Bryce Johnson, Police Chief Pam Alexander, Municipal Services Director Mark Hagedorn, Finance Manager / Treasurer Richard Stewart, Co-Chair, Impact Fee Advisory Committee Duane Nelson, Fire Chief Michael Kirkham, City Attorney Corrin Wilde, City Clerk Catherine Smith, Economic Develop Administrator Mayor Casper called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. with the following items: Impact Fee Advisory Committee Annual Report: Pam Alexander and Richard Stewart (Co-Chair Impact Fee Advisory Committee) gave Updates regarding the Impact Fee Report. Director Alexander provided an outline of the duties and responsibilities the committee provides. The Committee, as outlined in sections 2-12-3 and 2-12-10, assists the governmental entity in adopting land use assumptions and reviewing the capital improvements plan, including proposed amendments. Their responsibilities include monitoring and evaluating plan implementation, filing annual reports on perceived inequities related to capital improvements and development impact fees, and ensuring compliance with Idaho Code requirements. Additionally, the Committee provides an annual report to the Council on City capital improvement plans, tracks impact fees and enforces affordable housing waivers according to section 10-8-8 C of the City Ordinance. They also offer training for the Development community. Committee members include: Brent Wilson, Chair Richard Stewart, Co-Chair TJ Nottestad, Committee Member Jeff Freiberg, Committee Member Nick Terry, Committee Member Julie Anglesey, Committee Member Pam Alexander, Impact Fee Administrator Jim Francis, Council Member 1  March 25, 2024, Council Work Session Director Alexander indicated that Brent Wilson will be stepping down and Richard Steward will be stepping into the role and are going to be transitioning to that soon. Director Alexander covered a wide range of topics, including improvements to reporting and analysis, strategies for better communication with developers, and methods to enhance the overall effectiveness and transparency of the impact fee process. Committee members examined current practices, proposed new initiatives, and considered potential resources needed to implement changes. They discussed tracking and reporting of impact fees, addressing concerns about fee waivers, exploring training opportunities for the development community, and considering best practices from other municipalities. Need for improved reporting on impact fee balances and projects: Director Alexander emphasized the need for enhanced reporting on impact fee balances and projects. While current quarterly reports provide basic information, the committee recommends more comprehensive fiscal year- end reporting that includes detailed revenue collection, outstanding balances, funded projects, and expenditures across categories. Director Alexander expressed interest in conducting deeper analysis to identify potential abnormalities and understand why certain categories have outstanding balances, including whether impact fee costs might be deterring development. They also want to ensure collected fees align with needed projects in each category and explore the possibility of transferring funds between categories as needs arise. Councilor Francis asked if they observed any specific abnormal findings or if it was simply a matter of ongoing review to ensure everything was normal. Director Alexander is not aware of any specific abnormalities. The most significant discussion in the past year has centered around the impact, which has been a major concern for the advisory committee. Director Alexander says the committee acknowledged that more data is necessary for thorough analysis, given that impact fees only began in June 2022. The discussion emphasized the importance of connecting all reporting back to the approved impact fee study and capital plans, with the overarching goal of improving transparency and ensuring the effective use of impact fees to support growth-related infrastructure needs. Additionally, they want to ensure fees match up with needed projects in each category and determine if any category collects more funds than needed. They discussed the possibility of transferring funds between categories when necessary. Tracking and enforcing impact fee waiver requirements for affordable housing: The committee expressed concerns about enforcing legal requirements for impact fee waivers. They suggested implementing a memorandum of understanding for developers receiving waivers, which would be recorded to ensure the affordable housing component remains if the property is sold. This would help maintain accountability and transparency in the waiver process. Improving communication with developers about the impact fee process: Director Alexander noted confusion among developers about the impact fee process. The Committee recommended creating clear, consistent communication materials to explain options and procedures. This includes providing information on appeal processes, certification of impact fees, and potential refunds. Potential training opportunities for the development community: Director Alexander discussed organizing quarterly training sessions for developers. These would provide space for developers to ask questions, learn about the ordinance, and understand precursor requirements. The goal is to increase familiarity with the impact fee process and reduce conflicts. Director Alexander suggested developing brochures, cards, or flyers that outline the impact fee process, options, and requirements. These materials would be readily available to developers and help ensure consistent information is provided across city departments. 2  March 25, 2024, Council Work Session Consideration of other communities' impact fee models: The idea of looking at other communities' impact fee models was mentioned as a potential way to improve Idaho Falls' system. This could involve researching how other cities structure their impact fees, their communication processes, and their enforcement mechanisms. Exploring City Works software for better impact fee tracking and reporting: The discussion touched on the potential of City Works software to improve impact fee tracking and reporting. While the city is still in the early stages of implementing City Works, there's hope it will provide more robust reporting capabilities. Interest in whether City Works could offer a portal for developers to estimate their impact fees. It was suggested that the city should work closely with City Works to develop impact fee-specific features, as these could be valuable for other municipalities using the software. Concerns about impact fee waivers and maintaining process integrity: The committee expressed concerns about maintaining the integrity of the impact fee waiver process, particularly for affordable housing projects. They discussed the need for better enforcement mechanisms to ensure developers follow through on commitments made when receiving waivers. It was noted that the City Council has put a hold on granting waivers until a revenue source to fund them is identified. The committee emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in the waiver process to maintain public trust and ensure the system's effectiveness. Councilor Radford inquired whether Director Alexander believes there are any budgetary requirements related to additional expertise. Does the committee currently provide sufficient expertise, or is there a need for a broader national pool of knowledge? Pam Alexander did mention the possibility of involving external experts or developers with experience across various jurisdictions to share insights. The committee aims to enhance transparency, fairness, and effectiveness in the city's impact fee system while supporting responsible development. Police Department – International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Administrative and Operational Review, Evaluation, and Audit Report. Mayor Casper stated that the IACP has provided a review of the departments, practices, protocols, structures, etc., and has provided a report. Mayor Casper noted that this report is advisory and is best practices in nature. Nothing is binding other than the expectation that we all want to be the best we can be. Deputy Chief Jeremy Galbreaith provided an introduction. Approximately a year ago, the Idaho Falls Police Department Commission collaborated with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to conduct a comprehensive study. The primary objective of this study was to assess the current state of affairs and to develop a strategic roadmap for the future. The IACP, a leading authority in the policing industry known for policy setting and implementation of best practices, was tasked with examining several key areas. These included staffing levels, organizational structure, and operational efficiencies. The goal was to identify both the strengths of the department and areas requiring improvement. After a thorough analysis involving hundreds of data points and employee interviews, the IACP compiled a comprehensive report. Today, they are here to present the findings of this report, which will serve as a valuable resource for the police community. Ria Joseph, representing the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), presented an overview of their work. A PowerPoint presentation is provided. The team’s extensive law enforcement experience enables them to conduct comprehensive studies using various methods. The report evaluated staffing, highlighted successful operations, identified areas for improvement, and aimed to enhance community trust. The focus is on evaluating the organization’s structure, current staffing, efficiency, and future staffing needs for the next decade. Joe Price 3  March 25, 2024, Council Work Session stated that the report produced 42 recommendations to enhance agency operations. The analysis also found professional best practices that set IFPD at the forefront in these areas: -Department’s commitment to employee wellness both physical and mental. -Department’s commitment to training. Beyond the POST requirements established by the state of Idaho. Mr. Price Noted that highly trained officers provide better service to the community. -Department’s electronic forensic capabilities. Mr. Price stated that they want the community and the city to know that The Idaho Falls Police Department is modern and progressive. It is an organization with a strong commitment to community policing and collaborative problem-solving efforts. Mr. Price presented Slide-7 The Policing Environment. Examining the policing environment is an essential prerequisite to informed judgment regarding policing culture, practice, policy, operations, and resource requirements. The geography, service population, economic conditions, levels, and composition of crime and disorder, workload, and resources in Idaho Falls are salient factors that define and condition the policing requirements, response capacity, and opportunities for innovation. Slide-9 The Policing Environment Recommendations: 1. Establish standard reports with the type and level of data needed from county systems. 2. Conduct yearly analysis and agency leaders should consider this analysis against staffing needs and personnel allocations. 3. Develop a culture of data-driven decisions / intelligence-led policing at all levels. 4. Create a fully functioning crime analysis program by professional best practices. Mr. Price highlighted population growth trends: 10% between 2010 and 2020, with an estimated 10-12% increase by 2030. The department's accreditation ensures adherence to specific policies and procedures. Efforts to reflect the community's population have been diligent. Nationally, female officers constitute 12-13%, while Idaho Falls lags at 8-9%. Female officers excel in de-escalation. Mayor Casper questioned female officer retention; Mr. Price agreed with the need for aggressive recruitment. Female officers who were interviewed found a supportive, family-oriented atmosphere. Mr. Price pointed out that the relationships built within an agency are key to its success and your agency's emphasis on wellness certainly builds that. Mr. O’Toole presented Slide-8 The Policing Environment. Mr. O’Toole compares crime rates in the Idaho region using the index crime rate, which provided a clearer picture of crime issues in the community than aggregate numbers of homicides or robberies. The focus was on improving data collection and analysis for the police department. Representatives compared crime rates using an index method and noted challenges in obtaining accurate, timely data from the county-run computer-aided dispatch system. Updating to standardized reporting from the outdated CAD system, and designating staff to generate reports, could help address these issues. The conversation also touched on implementing smaller geographic reporting areas and launching a public crime database to increase transparency. Strategic crime analysis capabilities were highlighted as important for positioning the department for future success through intelligence-led policing approaches. Overall, enhancing data insights and analytical resources were emphasized as ways to better serve the community. Organizational Structure: The department’s organizational structure includes three bureaus: • Patrol Bureau • Investigations and Special Operations Bureau • Professional and Logistics Bureau Recommendations for Department Enhancement: • Consider adding the following positions: • Deputy Chief (Administration) • Civilian Budget Specialist/Accountant • Additional Officer for Code Enforcement Unit • Full-Time Intelligence Analyst • Civilian Evidence Technician. 4  March 25, 2024, Council Work Session The department's forensic analysis capabilities were praised but it was noted they may be overproviding free services, so a market-rate fee structure for outside agencies was recommended. Modernizing technology and improving data sharing between public safety departments were also discussed. Proposed Organization: Mr. Price listed some proposed organizations within the departments. He recommended moving Animal Control to patrol and explore contracting with human society or other agencies to manage the animal shelter. Recommendation to move School Resources Officer (SRO) from investigations into the patrol Bureau, transfer the Gange investigation responsibility to Special Investigations to join with narcotics. Transfer background investigations into support services and consider civilianizing background investigators. Transfer the communication center, records, property, and evidence out of the investigation section and into support services. Move Internal affairs under the Office of the Chief, administrative section. Mr. Price presented the findings from his analysis of police officer workload and staffing levels. He examined time usage data and found that on average, officers spend 34% of their time on administrative tasks and 30-50% on non-emergency calls. This leaves limited time for proactive policing and community engagement. Mr. Price recommended strategies to reduce obligated call time, such as revising the department's false alarm policies and enabling online or phone reporting for certain low-priority calls. He emphasized the importance of intelligence-led policing and community engagement initiatives to increase public safety. Specific recommendations included designating a dedicated traffic unit with a supervisor, conducting a survey to improve officer work-life balance, providing call data to aid scheduling, standardizing case management policies, and ensuring investigators receive sufficient training and resources. The overall goal of Mr. Price's analysis and recommendations is to optimize police resources and better serve the community through improved efficiency and community-focused policing strategies. Patrol Scheduling • Latest research on the operational effectiveness and health impacts of various scheduling models. • Analyzed IFPD patrol coverage patterns relative to the community-initiated calls for service. Reasons why a department may choose to implement or maintain a particular work schedule. -workforce survey satisfaction results -formal agreements with labor organizations -Work-life balance considerations Ultimately it is the chief executive who must determine the work schedule that best addresses the operational needs of the agency and the impact on the work-life balance of the employees. Patrol Scheduling Recommendations • IFPD staff should analyze sick leave usage to determine if a lack of weekends off has led to potential sick leave abuse. • Increase minimum staffing level between 0900-2100 hours. • IFPD command should work with department members to develop and implement a schedule that best creates an effective work-life balance for IFPD patrol officers. The IFPD Investigations and Special Operations Bureau is commanded by a captain and has one lieutenant and two sergeants as supervisors. Idaho Falls Police Department compared to benchmark Cities. Benchmark Cities (Avg) 236 officers, 132 of them are assigned to patrol 30 officers are assigned to Investigations. Idaho Falls Police Department has 99 officers 65 assigned to patrol and 15 assigned to Investigations excluding School Resource Officer (SRO) positions. Investigations and Special Operations Workload Recommendations: • Establish a specific written policy outlining how cases are assigned and the criteria to be used in case assignments. 5  March 25, 2024, Council Work Session • Modify how cases in the Investigative Section are assigned to ensure a more equal distribution of workload. • IFPD should implement the use of solvability factors and consider initiating the responsibility for completing a solvability factors checklist to patrol, and this process be incorporated into the RMS and preliminary investigations protocols. • Add, a full-time position for forensic analysis and crime scene investigations. • Move the SRO section to the Patrol Bureau given the similarity of functions. • Reassign the gang investigation responsibility from Patrol to Special Investigations. • IFPD should consider joining a regional or multi-city SWAT team that meets NTOA standards for Tier 1 or Tier 2. The Idaho Falls and Bonneville County Emergency Dispatch Center is a joint venture between the City of Idaho Falls and Bonneville County. The infrastructure and technology are supplied by the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office. The Communications Center staff handles incoming 911 calls and non-emergency calls for all of Bonneville County. Dispatch personnel also handle all emergency communications traffic and radio dispatch for police, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) first responders in Bonneville County. The Emergency Communications Center has a regional governing board that oversees its operations. Bonneville County provides IT support and is the keeper of 911 Center computer-generated data. Emergency Communications Recommendations: • Increase the staffing levels for ECOs (4 additional) and supervisors (1 additional). • Continue to track and analyze overtime usage in the ECC. • Analyze attrition causes. • Ensure Communications Center staff are receiving recognition for their work. • Increase online and/or telephonic reporting of certain CFS incidents. Many factors must be considered to determine future workload needs. -Projected community growth: including the type of growth: residential, commercial, retail, mixed-use, etc. -Other factors: such as economic trends and impacts, new crime problems (e.g., terrorism), and societal challenges that are difficult to anticipate, such as a pandemic. Determining future workload: identify current geographic areas that mirror a future development such as a new town center compared to an existing town center, or a new single-family development compared to a future single-family development. -To do this, it is necessary to analyze existing community-initiated workload at very specific geo-locations, something that is not possible with the current beat/zone configuration in Idaho Falls. Data from several sources were evaluated to develop an accurate picture of expected growth in Idaho Falls and analyze how the expected growth will impact future IFPD workload. Future Needs Recommendations: • IFPD should evaluate the neighborhood boundaries found in the Imagine IF document as future patrol beats. • IFPD should monitor future workloads for all aspects of the department, and make requests for additional personnel, as those demands increase and as data supports the increase in workload. • IFPD should explore training several officers in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). Mayor Casper expressed gratitude to the speakers for familiarizing themselves with the department and understanding the city. She emphasized that this valuable information would be utilized effectively. Councilor Freeman also appreciated the speakers’ positive feedback about the department. While acknowledging the need for some improvements, Councilor Freeman believes that overall, the department is performing well. Mayor and Council: Calendars, Announcements, Events, Reports, Updates, Concerns, Questions, and Discussion: Mayor Casper Discussed bills HB 741 relating to education funding, and HB 710 relating to library practices and considers allowing private citizens to sue librarians, which is seen as a bad practice. Bill HB 743 provides tax 6  March 25, 2024, Council Work Session credits for private schools that were just introduced today. Mayor Casper introduced Bill 1293 the purpose of the bill is to clarify, simplify, and reformat Idaho's annexation statutes. She expressed concern about a bill impacting annexation thresholds. She noted the legislature hopes to adjourn this week but may go longer. She advised listening to specific bills is of interest. Mayor Casper Shared the police department held an open house today between 8 and 10:00 am for their new Idaho Falls Police Complex and around 100 people attended tours. Mayor Casper gave an update regarding the United States Congress having to decide as to whether or not it was going to fund 6 different mega departments or risk government shutdown for those departments and all of the agencies within them. She said some of them included the U.S Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security including the TSA. She said they did pass the bill and TSA will continue to be funded but Airport Director Turner did say that the bills that were passed will have some budgetary impacts, the appropriation budget for this year has some impacts on the law enforcement budgets and some other small changes that add up to a significant amount of money. Director Turner will go more into that at our next board meeting. Mayor Casper recently attended a Nuclear Summit in Brussels, Belgium. She represented the United States in an energy community alliance. She shared a press release with Council members, explaining that the US formed a global partnership in October 2022 with an organization called GMF in Europe. GMF operates at the national level, while the Energy Community Alliance (ECA) focuses on individual states. GMF Europe covers all nations with cities hosting nuclear facilities. Additionally, Canada’s organization, CANAC, mirrors the US approach but involves only one country. Together, these three organizations established a global partnership. The Nuclear Energy Summit is the first-ever gathering of nations that want to move forward with nuclear energy. Mayor Casper noted that this will continue even when she is no longer mayor so if you have an interest in this you can visit the website listed on the flyer. She hopes there is interest in continuing to be part of this. Council President Burtenshaw indicated airport project updates will be covered in an upcoming airport board report. She said there has been a lot of communication with our state delegates, staff, and a very insightful discussion with the FAA on funding so there will be things to report in our next Airport board meeting. Councilor Freeman reported that TSA is doing pre-checks on April 22nd – 26th it is $78. Also stated golf courses have reopened for the season. Councilor Dingman reported that the golf courses opened on Friday. The Rec Center gym floor is all ripped out and they will begin painting the interior walls later this week. The Zoo is set to open on April 17th and FunLand is set to open on May 25th. There will be more information as we get closer to those dates. Councilor Radford added that the Zoo will also have a cleanup day on schedule for April 13th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm bring your supplies such as tools. Councilor Radford had no items to report. Councilor Francis informed that Highland Park will switch from alley to street-side trash pickup. Additionally, there will be a wastewater plan open house on April 3rd from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Tonight at 7:00 pm, Sister Cities is hosting a library tour, and the Council is invited to attend. Furthermore, a youth delegation will visit Idaho Falls on July 26th, staying for approximately 10 days. For consideration, they have requested a Sister Cities Proclamation Day. Mayor Casper informed Council members that Sister Cites has expressed interest in expanding the Sister Cites program to include additional cities and is wondering if we should open the door to some of these requests. 7  March 25, 2024, Council Work Session Councilor Francis expressed a great deal of admiration for the Sister Cities program and the outreach they have done in the community and says they did talk about the idea of connecting to another city for economic reasons and that committee is working out the way the ordinance was intended to do. Mayor Casper thanked Councilor Francis for his leadership and vision on this. Councilor Larsen had no items to report. Councilor Freeman noted an upcoming community conversation with the police department will take place at Emerson High School at 6:00 pm tomorrow. Executive Session: It was moved by Councilor Francis, seconded by Councilor Burtenshaw to move into an Executive Session being called to the provisions of Idaho Code Section 74-206(1)(j) to consider labor contract matters authorized under Idaho Code Section 74-206(1)(a) and (b), Idaho Code. The Executive Session will be held in the City Annex Conference Room. The Council will not reconvene in an open session after the executive sessions. The motion was carried by the following vote: Aye – Councilors Larsen, Francis, Radford, Dingman, Burtenshaw, Freeman. Nay – None The City Council of the City of Idaho Falls met in Executive Session, on Monday, March 25, 2024, in the City Annex Conference Room in the City Annex Building located at 680 Park Avenue in Idaho Falls, Idaho at 6:15 p.m. There were present: Mayor Rebecca L. Noah Casper Council President Lisa Burtenshaw Councilor John Radford Councilor Michelle Ziel-Dingman Councilor Jim Freeman Councilor Jim Francis Councilor Kirk Larsen Also present: Darrin Jones, Human Resources Director Heather Wade, Human Resources Manager Mark Hagedorn, Finance Manager / Treasurer Duane Nelson, Fire Chief Michael Kirkham, City Attorney The Executive Session was called pursuant to the provisions of Idaho Code Section 74-206(1)(j) to consider labor contract matters authorized under section 74-206A (1)(a) and (b), Idaho Code. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:55 PM s/Corrin Wilde s/Rebecca L. Noah Casper Corrin Wilde, City Clerk Rebecca L. Noah Casper, Mayor 8