City Council

CITY OF POCATELLO, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION DECEMBER 12, 2013 AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Mayor Brian Blad called the City Council ROLL CALL Study Session to order at 9:03 a.m. Council members present were Steve Brown, Craig Cooper, Jim Johnston and Gary Moore. Council member Roger Bray arrived at 9:06 a.m. Council member Eva Johnson Nye was excused. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Johnny Ketner, Jr., Chair Person from JAPANESE SISTER the Japanese Sister Cities Subcommittee CITIES SUBCOMMITTEE was present to discuss the Subcommittee’s goals and projects, as well as Council’s policies and expectations. Mr. Ketner gave an overview of the Subcommittee; the 2013 Adult Exchange Delegate trip to Japan; and the events that take place during the annual delegate exchange. He mentioned the Subcommittee is currently very active with fundraising efforts for the next Youth Exchange Delegate program. Mr. Bray joined the meeting at 9:06 a.m. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Ketner explained Subcommittee members are individuals from various backgrounds such as teachers, etc. Mr. Cooper mentioned he knows of a local restaurant owner and members of Idaho State University also serve on the Subcommittee. Mr. Brown mentioned his daughter participated in a prior exchange trip and it was a wonderful experience for her. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Steve Heib and Mary Rasmussen, Code PROPERTY MAINTENANCE Enforcement Officers and staff liaisons, APPEAL BOARD UPDATE for the Property Maintenance Appeal Board were present to discuss the Board’s goals and projects, as well as Council’s policies and expectations. Ms. Rasmussen announced the Board’s update is actually a non- update. She mentioned City Codes regarding property maintenance are being re-written and the Board will most likely be dissolved. Ms. Rasmussen explained there has not been an appeal for ten (10) years and the Board is not currently active. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Rasmussen explained initially Code Enforcement Officers were not given the authority to work with property owners and everything had to go through the Board. She mentioned some of the requests were simple things such as the property owner will be gone on vacation and CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 2 DECEMBER 12, 2013 needed more time to comply. Officers did not have the authority to allow an extension. Now officers have been given the authority to work with property owners and these cases no longer come before the Board. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Heib feels there are less violations and/or issues regarding property in the City. He has noticed that people are taking more pride in their home and business property. In closing, Ms. Rasmussen stated Code Enforcement Officers often contact local organizations such as Valley Pride to assist property owners that may have special needs or situations. She also mentioned various organizations contact their office when looking for community projects. AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Stacey Satterlee, American Cancer Society SMOKEFREE IDAHO Cancer Action Network, Inc. PRESENTATION representative, was present to give a presentation regarding Smokefree Idaho. Smokefree Idaho is a broad coalition of organizations that are giving presentations throughout the State of Idaho regarding secondhand smoke. Ms. Satterlee stated their organization is looking forward to working on secondhand smoke issues in Pocatello and share what Smokefree Idaho is about. She gave a presentation that outlined tobacco use in the United States and shared information about tobacco related issues. Ms. Satterlee specifically discussed secondhand smoke issues for non-smokers. She also provided information regarding a proposed Smokefree law that their organization feels covers loopholes in the State of Idaho code. Their organization feels the proposed law will save taxpayer funds as it reduces health issues. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Satterlee explained the proposed ordinance would include small businesses, bars, hotels, and nursing homes. She overviewed portions of the proposal encouraging employers to no longer allow smoking in their businesses to protect employees; not allow smoking on the patios at restaurants or bars; no smoking in doorways within a certain amount of feet; and including E-cigarettes to avoid confusion. She clarified the content of the ordinance should be what the citizens would like to do and what is best for the community. Heidi Low, Smokefree Idaho Executive Director, clarified that model language in Ketchum, Idaho’s ordinance does include special events and this can designate any public event such as parades. CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 3 DECEMBER 12, 2013 Mr. Bray noted that comments have been received by the Council from small business owners stating the owner and all employees smoke. The owners are concerned with government getting too involved in deciding what they can do with their business and this might start driving businesses away. Ms. Low stated small businesses that are family owned would not meet the criteria because they are family members and not employees. Council discussion continued regarding the number of bars in Pocatello that allow smoking has decreased and the number of large businesses that now have smoke-free campuses has increased. Applicants may need to be more aware of the environment and different exposures they are likely come in contact with when choosing an employer. It was mentioned that the needs of long-term smokers now living in nursing homes should be considered before moving forward with the proposal. Discussion followed regarding the rights of individuals and the ability to choose whether they want to associate with a business that allows smoking or not. It was said that the rights of one should not override the rights of another and the difficulty of making this type of distinction. In closing, Ms. Low stated they are advocates that are looking toward the health of employees in communities and the high costs of health related issues from secondhand smoke. Mayor Blad announced that individuals who support smoking in public places have asked to come before the Council at a future Study Session to share their perspective regarding secondhand smoke. AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Hannah Sanger, Environmental Division MARTIN LUTHER Manager, and Matthew Lewis, Planning KING, JR. MEMORIAL Manager, were present to give an update DRIVE COMPLETE on plans to improve the livability and STREETS PROJECT safety of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Drive (MLK) corridor by installing improvements that meet the corridor’s needs for efficient access through the area including traffic calming, conflict reduction, storm water treatment, bus access/efficiency, and enlargement of the pedestrian and bicycle zones. The proposed project utilizes complete street strategies to transform MLK into an asset for Idaho State University (ISU) and the community. Ms. Sanger announced that the City was awarded a grant from the Idaho Transportation Department allowing the City to move CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 4 DECEMBER 12, 2013 forward with the MLK project. She gave an overview of the “complete streets” concept. The concept provides streets designed to allow pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers to have safe access to community businesses and homes. Ms. Sanger clarified the proposal is for the MLK area only. She noted that there is not heavy traffic in this area, but there are many pedestrians and multiple bus stops because of ISU. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Lewis explained a proposed bus stop on 9th Avenue is the result of riders being dropped off on MLK and walking across the street to 9th Avenue. He mentioned the current MLK bus stop has the potential to be a hazard for pedestrians and so a new bus stop will be placed on 9th Avenue. Ms. Hanger explained one of the main issues with MLK is people cross the street at various sections of the street. The proposed concept will have designated areas for individuals to cross the street with the use of landscaping to help identify these areas. She stated that ISU has agreed to help maintain the landscaped areas. It was mentioned that there will be more opportunities for comments to be received from the public regarding the concept design. In response to questions from Council, Merril Quayle, Development Engineer, shared his views regarding backing-in parking along 9th Avenue. He was against this concept at first. Since that time, he found this type of parking has worked in other cities. Mr. Quayle added if staff finds this type of parking does not work, the curb and gutter in that area will need to be modified. Ms. Sanger clarified that ISU is paying for landscaping; there are minimal paving costs; and the greatest cost of the project will be pouring concrete. She noted that staff plans to come before the Council at a future date to request that 9th Avenue be designated a one-way street. Ms. Sanger hopes to have a final design by March 2014 and have the project out to bid by fall of 2014 with construction to begin in 2015. She noted that several organizations have been involved with the project and are in agreement with the proposal. Mr. Lewis mentioned City staff started considering this project in 2007. He appreciates everyone at ISU that have contributed toward the design. This is a safety issue and staff is glad the project is finally moving forward with support from the entities involved. CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 5 DECEMBER 12, 2013 Mayor Blad adjourned the meeting at 10:14 a.m. APPROVED: BRIAN C. BLAD, MAYOR ATTEST: RUTH E. WHITWORTH, CMC, CITY CLERK