Council of the Municipality of Murrysville

Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, November 18, 2015 Council of the Municipality of Murrysville held a Regular Voting Meeting on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Present at the meeting were Council members Joan Kearns, William Vance, Jeff Kepler, Josh Lorenz, and Regis Synan. Councilmen David Perry and Loren Kase were absent. Also present were Mayor Robert Brooks, Chief Administrator James R. Morrison, Solicitor George Kotjarapoglus, Municipal Planner Allen Cohen and Public Works & Parks Director Bob Bell. MAYOR BROOKS WELCOMES THE HONORABLE ROBERT (BOB) SCOTT Mayor Brooks brought forward Judge Robert Scott, who will be retiring at the end of the year, and gave a history of Judge Scott’s service, beginning in 1964 as a Justice of the Peace, Magistrate from 1970 to 2000, then as a Senior Magistrate traveling to other counties. Judge Scott explained the difference between the two positions and the changes in procedures that have occurred during that time period. He explained that he will end his career by working in Homewood, where he will have an opportunity to address problems that others don’t pay attention to. Judge Scott said he was honored to be selected to participate in the Jerry Sandusky preliminary hearing and believes it was because he was the longest sitting Judge in Pennsylvania. Mayor Brooks asked Ruth Hill to comment on her years with Judge Scott, beginning when his office was initially opened. She said it was a very interesting job and she enjoyed working with Judge Scott. Judge Conway then spoke about how proud he was to follow Judge Scott on the bench and how much he learned from him. He said he believes the mandatory retirement age should be increased because the courts are losing a wealth of wisdom & experience by requiring judges to retire when they still want to work. Mayor Brooks then invited Judge Scott’s family to join him. His daughter said she was very proud of her father and his distinguished career. His wife said that he is a man of great integrity and compassion and cares very much for the public. Mayor Brooks then presented Judge Scott with a certificate of appreciation thanking him for his many years of service. REGULAR VOTING MEETING AGENDA UNISTED AMENDMENTS: Under Council Action Items – Executive Session – Add Item 19C – Real Estate Issue. Mr. Kepler moved to approve the agenda as amended. Mr. Lorenz seconded. All present voted aye. Motion approved. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS: A. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE B. INVESTMENTS AND TRANSFERS C. OCTOBER 7, 2015 MEETING MINUTES TO BE APPROVED Mr. Synan moved to approve the Consent Calendar items. Mr. Vance seconded. All present voted aye. Motion approved. COMMUNITY INPUT: None. car 12/2/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, November 18, 2015 WORKSHOP ITEMS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: 10A. DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED UPDATES TO THE TRANSPORTATION CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLAN AND TRAFFIC IMPACT FEE PER CHAPTER V-A OF THE PENNSYLVANIA MUNICIPALITIES CODE. Municipal Planner Allen Cohen explained that the discussion centers around the third and final phase of the process, which included the land use assumptions report and the roadway sufficiency analysis. The final phase includes the Capital Improvements Plan for projects that can be utilized with the traffic impact fee and the actual proposed recommended traffic impact fee. He said the process has gone through the Traffic Impact Advisory Committee, which required meetings and recommendations of all the phases of the plan, as well as a public hearing. The next phase will be preparing and adopting an ordinance reflecting a new traffic impact fee and capital plan. He said it’s important to keep this an active process annually by the Traffic Advisory Committee as far as reviewing and updating the projects as far as costs and how the fees are being utilized, as well as integrating the whole process into the Municipality’s Capital Improvements Plan. Mike Mudry of Traffic Planning Design reminded Council that he previously provided a map of the impact fee district, which encompasses approximately 6.94 square miles. When parcels within the district are developed, developers are assessed a traffic impact fee that relates, accordingly, to how much development is generated. He explained that there are 3 types of projects mentioned in the MPC: those with existing capacity deficiencies (there are already problems at the intersections), capacity deficiencies caused by natural growth of the surrounding area; and capacity problems caused by actual development within the impact fee district. He said impact fees cannot be used on projects related to the first two types of deficiencies; the third category – the development-driven capacity problems over the next 20 years – can have funds allocated accordingly after looking at the intersections and scheduling some type of project. He reviewed the list of 10 projects and what improvements can or cannot be accomplished, as well as which ones can utilize traffic impact fees. He showed a rendering of a round-about at Old William Penn and Tarr Hollow, which would have no turning lanes or traffic signal, but are more efficient. He discussed the intersection of Old William Penn/Sardis/Vincent Hall Road and the problems with that area, as well as concerns about the Logan Ferry Road/Sardis Road intersection. Mr. Morrison asked Mr. Mudry to explain why the 10 intersections were selected, the effort that went into identifying the intersections, and why preliminary designs were done for those areas. He said that they took into consideration the impact fee district, which the Comprehensive Plan indicated was a potential future growth area, and looked at the key intersections around those areas. Mr. Morrison said if Murrysville grows through the comprehensive planning effort, the 10 intersections will become choke points and are now identified at this point to begin a planning effort to adjust those areas. Mr. Mudry explained the traffic impact fee and how it is calculated – it is based on the number of trips expected for a certain land use and is calculated according to the ITT Trip Generation Manual. The applicant pays the fee when the building permit is issued and the money is put into an account for future use to fund the projects that are identified as part of the planning effort. car 12/2/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, November 18, 2015 Mayor Brooks asked if there were any projects on the short range timetable. Mr. Mudry said some money has already been collected and the Impact Fee committee would like to focus on the Sardis/Old William Penn/Vincent Hall Road project first and that has been listed for 2017. Additional projects will then be assigned years for completion based on the MPC timetable. Councilman Vance noted that Attorney Sittig had stated at a prior meeting that Murrysville had a very aggressive impact fee and he asked how it compared with other similar communities. Mr. Mudry noted the fees charged in Peters Twp. and Cranberry, both of which are higher than Murrysville’s, and said he believes Murrysville is on the lower end in fees as compared to other Municipalities around Pittsburgh that charge the fee. Councilman Lorenz asked how much money was currently in the fund; Mr. Morrison said it’s around $1,000,000. Mr. Lorenz then asked the estimated cost of the Sardis/OWP/Vincent Hall project and was told it was $1.6 million. Mr. Mudry explained that’s not just the construction cost, but includes engineering, administrative costs, right-of-way acquisition, legal fees, etc. Councilman Synan said if the Sardis/OWP/Vincent Hall project is estimated to cost $1.6 million and there is $1 mil. in impact fee money available, the Municipality will have to come up with an additional $600,000 to do the project. Mr. Mudry said there are loans that can be taken out, or a bond issue, and then the Municipality can bank future impact fees to pay it back. Mr. Cohen noted that, in the initial study presented to the Impact Fee committee, it was recommended that the impact fee be increased to $1,335 based upon what would be needed to fund the projects. The committee did not accept that recommendation and the current report reflects keeping the fee as it now is in order to avoid discouraging business development. Councilman Kepler said he doesn’t frequent some of the intersections noted in the report so it would be hard for him to judge priorities; however, for him, the Logan Ferry/Sardis area is high priority. Mr. Morrison said that, in the near future, the Logan Ferry bridge needs to be addressed and it might be worthwhile to look at that project first and see how it impacts the Sardis/OWP/Vincent Hall intersection versus moving forward with that intersection first. Council President Joan Kearns said her main concern is that what is projected will drastically change the appearance of the town and, for that reason, she thinks Council needs to be very thoughtful on the whole process. She said if people don’t want to wait in traffic, they need to find another way to go home. She asked if downtown should be bulldozed and Old William Penn destroyed from one end to the other, or should people be encouraged to be more thoughtful and creative in how they go home. She cannot support destroying the Old William Penn corridor and before any new development is approved, Council must be cognizant of what it will do to the corridor. She also said it will be interesting to see what businesses will have to leave or will be impacted by the projected plan. Mr. Cohen said the Traffic Impact Committee made a recommendation to adopt the plan as presented with the fee of $1,195 per P.M. trip with the projects as recommended, with the Sardis/OWP/Vincent Hall area being car 12/2/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, November 18, 2015 number one. Council needs to consider the recommendations and adopt an ordinance that refers to this study and other studies previously reviewed by Council. Prior to adopting the ordinance Council needs to pass resolutions on the fee and the list of projects so they can be referenced correctly in this phase of the report. A draft ordinance will be brought to Council during a future workshop for further discussion. COUNCIL ACTION ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: 13A. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE NO. 929-15, PERTAINING TO PRIVATE FIRE HYDRANTS. Mr. Synan moved to approve Ordinance No. 929-15, regulating the inspection, testing, maintenance, correction and repair of private fire hydrants located on private property in the Municipality of Murrysville. Mr. Kepler seconded. Denise Podowski, 1424 Lyons Chase Circle, said her husband has a business associate that has the qualifications to do hydrant testing and asked if the price for inspection is arranged between the contractor and the person or group (condo association) hiring the contractor. Mr. Morrison confirmed that is so. Upon a roll call vote: Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Vance – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Synan - yes. Motion approved. 13B. CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE ORDINANCE NO. 939-15, AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING A GRANT OF STORMWATER EASEMENT FROM BRIAN W. AND BEVERLY B. BLACK. Mr. Synan moved to approve the advertisement of Ordinance No. 939-15. Mr. Kepler seconded. Mr. Morrison explained that there has been a major storm water problem in Simmons Circle, which has caused icing conditions, and the pipe is filled with debris. The Public Works department wants to undertake the replacement of the line and wants to memorialize the way the line runs through private property owned by Mr. and Mrs. Black. The Blacks are in agreement and have already signed off on the documents. Tonight’s action is to advertise the Ordinance to accept the easement. Upon a roll call vote: Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Vance – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Synan - yes. Motion approved. 13C. CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE FOR BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS. Mr. Lorenz moved to advertise for the interviews as outlined in the staff briefing. Mr. Vance seconded. car 12/2/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, November 18, 2015 Council was in agreement that there is no need to interview candidates re-applying for appointments. It was agreed to conduct interviews at 6:15 prior to the first two Council meetings in December. Upon a roll call vote: Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Vance – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Synan - yes. Motion approved. 13D. CONSIDER AWARD OF ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES CONTRACT TO HOFFMAN KENNELS FOR YEAR 2016. Mr. Synan moved to approve the contract, with addendums. Mr. Kepler seconded. Upon a roll call vote: Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Vance – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Synan - yes. Motion approved. ENGINEERING: 15A. CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE ORDINANCE NO. 937-15, AN ORDINANCE FOR REVISIONS TO THE TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDINANCE. Mr. Synan moved to advertise Ordinance No. 937-15, an Ordinance amending the Murrysville Code, Chapter 210-26, Schedule I: Speed Limits, Chapter 210-35, Schedule X: Stop Intersections, and Chapter 210-37, Schedule XII, Weight Limits, for Trillium Drive and Blue Sage Court in the Serenity Pointe development. Mr. Kepler seconded. Upon a roll call vote: Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Vance – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Synan - yes. Motion approved. 15B. CONSIDER A BOND REDUCTION FOR THE BARRINGTON HEIGHTS DEVELOPMENT. Mr. Kepler moved to reduce the amount of the performance bond being held for the completion of the required improvements to the Barrington Heights development by the amount of $19,375.40. Mr. Synan seconded. Upon a roll call vote: Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Vance – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Synan - yes. Motion approved. PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS: 16A. CONSIDER APPROVAL FOR THE PURCHASE OF A USED DIESEL ENGINE BUCKET TRUCK. Mr. Synan moved to award the bid for a used 4x4 diesel engine bucket truck to Nueco Altec in the amount of $67,000, subject to inspection by Municipal staff. Mr. Lorenz seconded. Public Works Director Bob Bell explained the need for a bucket truck and the search to find a used truck. A truck was finally located in Birmingham, Alabama and the company will drive the truck to Frederick, Maryland for car 12/2/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, November 18, 2015 inspection by Bill Paiano and Rory Hogan of the Public Works department. Mr. Bell said it’s a very versatile vehicle, has everything staff wanted on it, and will be of use for multiple work projects. Upon a roll call vote: Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Vance – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Synan - yes. Motion approved. OLD BUSINESS: None. NEW BUSINESS: EXECUTIVE SESSION: Council adjourned to an Executive Session to discuss a Personnel Issue and Volunteer of the Year at 8:30 p.m. and reconvened at 8:55 p.m. There was no action coming out of the Executive Session. ACTION ITEMS: None. ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Lorenz moved to adjourn. Mr. Synan seconded. All present voted aye. The Council Meeting concluded at 8:56 p.m. The Regular Voting Meeting was broadcast on local government Channel 19. A true copy of the Council meeting DVD is available for the public to purchase from the Municipality of Murrysville and is in the Murrysville Public Library for review. car 12/2/15