City Council

CITY OF POCATELLO, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION MARCH 13, 2014 AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Mayor Brian Blad called the City Council ROLL CALL Study Session to order at 9:02 a.m. Council members present were Steve Brown, Craig Cooper, Jim Johnston and Eva Johnson Nye. Council members Gary Moore and Michael L. Orr were excused. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Kari Giesbrecht, Chair Person; Carol CHILD CARE Grimes, Secretary; and Judy Boren, Idaho ADVISORY COMMITTEE Stars Program/ICCP representative; from UPDATE the Child Care Advisory Committee were present to discuss the Committee’s goals and projects, as well as Council’s policies and expectations. Ms. Giesbrecht stated the Committee sent out surveys to providers to find out what training was needed. As a result, the Committee now provides training to daycare providers so they can keep up-to-date on their certifications/licensing. Ms. Giesbrecht reviewed the trainings they have given noting an average of 30 to 40 providers attend each session. The Committee would like the City Code to be modified so providers are required to have well stocked first aid supplies and match the staff to child ratios as outlined in State Code. The Committee would also like the Council to consider having one code for home providers and one code for facilities. She reported there are 19 centers and 41 in-home providers that are currently licensed in the city. Ms. Boren distributed a flyer to Council outlining what the Idaho Stars program is about. She explained incentives are given to providers for attending the trainings. Ms. Grimes clarified there are still classes at Idaho State University for early childhood certifications. She added an individual may earn an Associate degree in this field and certification is available for individuals who want to have teaching credentials for preschool through 3rd grade. Mr. Johnston stated there are many home day cares and child care centers in the city with an estimated 250 to 300 people working in this field. He is impressed with the Committee’s determination to help child care workers become certified while protecting children. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Stephanie Heaton, Chair Person; Roger CDBG ADVISORY Frey, Vice Chair Person; and Melanie COMMITTEE UPDATE Gygli, Neighborhood and Community Services Division Manager; representing the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Advisory Committee CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 2 MARCH 13, 2014 were present to discuss the Committee’s goals and projects, as well as Council’s policies and expectations. Ms. Heaton reviewed the meeting schedule of the Committee and the mission of the Committee. She explained the Committee is responsible for reviewing the CDBG programs which include the following: all HUD required reporting, program accomplishments for both the City and its sub-recipients, project oversight, consistency reviews for local agencies seeking other HUD funding, oversight of the City’s award system for CDBG funding allocations and fair housing education. It was noted that activities/accomplishments for Fair Housing education included articles in the Mayor’s newsletter, staying current on discrimination laws, disabilities, source of income protections, and occupancy standards. Housing rehabilitation projects were also reviewed. AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Rita Haggardt, Pocatello Neighborhood NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Watch President; Pat Larson, Secretary PROGRAM UPDATE Treasurer; and Larry Larson, Board member; were present to give the Council an update on the Neighborhood Watch organization in Pocatello. Ms. Haggardt explained Pocatello is broken down into 10 Neighborhood Watch zones and each zone was reviewed. She noted the organization is in its 20th year of being in existence and volunteers have a close relationship with Idaho State University representatives and the Police Department. Ms. Haggardt reviewed various training their volunteers have received to prepare them for emergency situations. She estimated the time donated by volunteers would equal approximately $122,000.00 in annual wages and feels they are an asset to the City. Mrs. Larson explained the main goal for Neighborhood Watch is to be eyes and ears for the Police Department and Mr. Larson distributed information regarding the organization to the Council. Ms. Haggardt encouraged citizens to know their neighbors and watch out for each other. In closing, she stated most calls their organization receives are to report activities taking place on property that does not seem legitimate. Mayor Blad and the Council thanked the Board for their work in the community. CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 3 MARCH 13, 2014 AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Andy Holmes, Fire Captain; Tom Sanford, 2012 INTERNATIONAL Assistant Chief; and Lynn Transtrum, BUILDING AND FIRE Building Official; were present to give CODES-ORDINANCE an update on proposed additions/ UPDATE modifications to Title 15, Buildings and Construction, regarding the adoption of the 2012 International Fire Code; the adoption of updated NFPA standards code references; and other revisions with relation to this Title. Upon approval of said additions/modifications, a proposed Ordinance will be placed on a future City Council agenda for adoption. Mr. Holmes stated changes to the 2012 International Fire Code are mostly modifications and clarifications that are extra precautions for fire fighters. He noted some of the City codes were redundant and these are being eliminated. Mr. Holmes explained the code needs to be updated to current standards. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Transtrum stated International Residential Building Codes require installation of an inside sprinkler system in multiple housing residential buildings. However, the State of Idaho established the Idaho State Advisory Council to discuss amending some of the codes. As a result, the State amended the sprinkler requirement section out of the code in 2009 and it is not required at this time. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Holmes clarified he is not aware of cities in Idaho that do not adopt the code, but knows the State has adopted it with amendments. He added the International Fire Code has been adopted in 42 states so it is quite well known. Mr. Holmes did not feel cities have the ability to choose if a code requirement is applicable to their area because fire departments must enforce codes as directed by the Fire Marshall. Mr. Sanford stated the proposed code changes are for the safety of citizens and fire fighters. He noted the changes are also cost effective. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Transtrum reviewed sections of the building code regarding fire sprinkler systems in older buildings. He encouraged adopting the International Code because it is almost exactly the same as the State Code. In closing, Mr. Transtrum reported he has spoken to contractors in the area regarding the proposed changes. CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 4 MARCH 13, 2014 AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: Rich Diehl, Deputy City Attorney; and PROPOSED CHANGES Mary Rasmussen, Code Enforcement Officer; TO ABATEMENT were present to review proposed changes ORDINANCE to Pocatello Municipal Code §§ 8.12, 8.16 and 8.24 (Inoperatiave vehicle, Nuisances, and Property Maintenance) sections. Upon approval of said changes, a proposed Ordinance will be placed on a future City Council agenda for adoption. Mr. Diehl reviewed the proposed changes and noted the Property Maintenance Appeal Board is not currently being utilized and suggested eliminating the Board. He explained if a person has a property maintenance code issue and would like to appeal a decision they may come before the City Council. In response to a question from Council, Ms. Rasmussen clarified the appeal process is part of the information given when individuals are cited. Mr. Diehl clarified proposed changes to the abatement language are the result of trying to be more proactive. By changing the violation from a misdemeanor offense to an infraction, staff would have more flexibility to work with individuals before it becomes a misdemeanor. Ms. Rasmussen explained in general, staff would like to streamline the process and make the process more efficient. She explained a misdemeanor citation puts violators directly into the court system and it is difficult to go through the long process. Ms. Rasmussen noted the cities of Twin Falls and Idaho Falls have the type of code staff would like to see adopted in Pocatello. If property owners do not take care of the problem, the City will respond and the property owner will be financially responsible. Ms. Rasmussen stated this process has proven to be effective and helps keep the property owner out of the court system. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Rasmussen explained contacting out of state property owners is not as much an issue now as it has been in the past. However, it does take a long time to get a response and this can be intermittent. Ms. Rasmussen mentioned when attending training conferences she finds that Pocatello is one of few cities that have not adopted this type of code. She feels efforts to get property owners to be more proactive will encourage owners keep their property maintained. Staff provides resource information and tries to put violators in touch with organizations that may help bring the property into compliance. CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 5 MARCH 13, 2014 Mr. Johnston stated it sounds like the proposed ordinance is a positive step to help the community look better. Mayor Blad reminded the Council funds have been budgeted for the abatement program and staff would like to move forward with an ordinance to enact the program. Mr. Diehl clarified staff will come before Council at a later date to review proposed amendments to the ordinance as discussed. AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: Hannah Sanger, Science and Environment PORTNEUF RIVER Division Manager, presented information MASTER PLAN regarding a grant process through Section GRANT 22 of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) which provides planning assistance for communities. By utilizing the grant process, the City of Pocatello could hire a consulting firm to work with the community to create a Master Plan for the Portneuf River. Ms. Sanger reviewed a recent visit from USACE in the community to discuss the Portneuf River levee. She noted one of the things that came from the visit was the request from citizens to have a Master Plan for the river. USACE has programs to help with this and Ms. Sanger shared other projects that have been done through Master Plans that are USACE projects. Discussion regarding a Master Plan concept followed and development of a vision for the Portneuf River. It was noted that it is difficult to get down to the river and still maintain flood control. Water quality, accessibility, restoration, which includes short term actions and medium/long-term actions were reviewed. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Hanger explained the concept is a vision program to develop a Master Plan for the river in Pocatello by applying for section 22 funding. She clarified the program itself will provide funding to create the Master Plan. Ms. Sanger noted there is a 50% local match (can be in-kind) and she anticipates this to cost approximately $150,000.00. Public meetings will be held to bring the community together and brainstorm ideas. It was the Council consensus for staff to move forward with the process to apply for the grant. Ms. Sanger stated a letter for Mayor’s signature to apply for the grant will be on the March 20, 2014 agenda for Council’s consideration. CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 6 MARCH 13, 2014 Randy Ghezzi, Street Operations Superintendent, clarified the Section 22 Grant is separate from the SWIF and the City is still moving forward under the SWIF program. Mayor Blad adjourned the meeting at 10:30 a.m. APPROVED: BRIAN C. BLAD, MAYOR ATTEST: RUTH E. WHITWORTH, CMC, CITY CLERK  CITY OF POCATELLO, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL MEETING – SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS MARCH 13, 2014 Mayor Brian Blad called the City Council meeting to review Service Level Reports to order at 10:42 a.m. Council members present were Steve Brown, Craig Cooper, Jim Johnston and Eva Nye. Council members Gary Moore and Michael L. Orr were excused. -INTRODUCTION David Swindell, Chief Financial Officer, overviewed the schedule for the reports that would be presented in the meeting and provided information on the departments listed under Neighborhood Quality and Effective Administration. -PLANNING AND Lonnie Crowell, Planning and Development DEVELOPMENT Services Director, Matthew Lewis, Planning SERVICES REPORT Services Division Manager; Merril Quayle, Development Engineer; and Melanie Gygli, Neighborhood and Community Services Manager; presented the Service Level Report for the Planning and Development Services Department. Mr. Crowell reviewed the services his department provides noting staff is very professional in their demeanor and services provided to the community. He gave an overview of the Department’s Mission Statement and staff organizational chart. In response to questions from Mr. Brown, Mr. Swindell shared his feelings regarding the organizational format to have a Development Engineer in the Planning Department. He noted for larger cities this is beneficial. However, in smaller cities it is more difficult to have an engineer in the Planning Department and feels some of the supervision and oversight to separate these functions is lost. Mr. Crowell stated he has worked in cities where having a Development Engineer has been done in either the Planning or Engineering Department. Mr. Crowell explained Mr. Quayle does a great job, but it is unclear if this is the most effective way to use his expertise. He mentioned great projects have been accomplished with Mr. Quayle’s help. However, he is not sure if it is practical for day to day needs. Mr. Crowell reviewed activities for the department noting they are actively involved in the community and a list of 70 groups Planning staff interacted with in 2013 was provided. He feels restoration of the Chief Theatre sign was one of many major accomplishments in 2013. Other accomplishments Mr. Crowell noted were: 1) WinCo Development; 2) new Pocatello Regional Transit building; and 3) South Valley Connector. He mentioned CITY COUNCIL MEETING 2 SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -NEIGHBORHOOD QUALITY & EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION MARCH 13, 2014 three of the top five concerns stressed in a 2011 Citizen survey were connected to Planning and Development Services functions. Mr. Swindell added the 2011 Citizen Survey shows there are concerns in the community regarding the rate of growth, job opportunities and retail availability. Mr. Crowell stated over the past 5 years investments in the City have increased and per capita income in Bannock County has increased by 12.2%. He outlined that their department is very unique in that they include a Development Engineering Services Division, an Airport Division and an unfunded Economic Development Division in addition to a typical Planning Division and Neighborhood Housing (CDBG) Division. Mr. Crowell shared issues and concerns for the department which included: city infrastructure especially at the airport; need of a survey vehicle; uncertain funding from HUD; establishment of an Economic Development Budget; Urban Renewal and TIF funding being the only opportunity to provide infrastructure and other economic development incentives; staff training; comprehensive plan development; land use ordinance updates; software updates; and travel expenses for City business. Mayor Blad noted development at the airport and other economic development needs may require extended travel in order to attend special meetings. -NEIGHBORHOOD Melanie Gygli, Neighborhood and Community AND COMMUNITY Services Manager, presented the Service Level SERVICES REPORT Report for the Neighborhood and Community Services Division. She stated the Division is given two opportunities to determine how Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds will be used. Ms. Gygli feels CDBG funds are used very effectively and provide essential services for low to moderate income populations of the City. The definition of program years was reviewed and a breakdown of funding was discussed. It was noted that Program income is hard to predict and this income can vary depending on the sale of homes in the program. Mr. Swindell reviewed how the income fluctuates pending the sales of homes in the program. He added that the deferred portion of the home sale is almost impossible to predict. CITY COUNCIL MEETING 3 SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -NEIGHBORHOOD QUALITY & EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION MARCH 13, 2014 Ms. Gygli stressed the benefits of sidewalk projects completed in the community. She reported the program’s housing rehab and infill average is excellent and they leveraged over $1 million in private, federal, state and other funding used in conjunction with CDBG-funded projects. It was noted that homes in Pocatello are some of the oldest structures in the state and these programs help to keep neighborhoods alive by refurbishing homes and keeping them up to date on repairs. -UTILITY Cindy Robbins, Utility Billing Director, BILLING SERVICES presented the Utility Billing Department REPORT Service Level Report. She noted they provide billing and collection service for the Water Department, Water Pollution Control Department and Sanitation Department. Ms. Robbins stated their mission is to perform an accurate reading of all water meters in the City and to ensure the Customer Service needs of City utility customers are being met. Mr. Swindell emphasized staff tries to read water meters every 30 days for continuity purposes. He reviewed the Measures of Inputs and Outputs for the Department noting annual expenses are mostly for labor and mailing costs. Ms. Robbins reviewed the Measures of Outputs for Meter Reading staff noting approximately 216,000 meters were read by three (3) employees in 2013; 5,316 water services were handled for non-payment; and 8,000 radio read meters were maintained by digging/removing overgrown grass on meter lids and checking for leaks. Mr. Swindell reviewed the automated transaction payment options that are available for Utility Billing customers. Ms. Robbins reviewed the measures of efficiency for customer service costs per account. She reported approximately 3,264 payment arrangements and follow-up contacts were completed in 2013. Ms. Robbins is requesting an additional customer representative for their office to help handle the volume of account activity. Ms. Robbins stated it takes 6 to 9 months to train a customer service representative for the first phase and 9 months to 2 years to learn the second phase (Senior Customer Service Rep). She explained having employees complete this process is difficult due to a high turnover rate in her CITY COUNCIL MEETING 4 SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -NEIGHBORHOOD QUALITY & EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION MARCH 13, 2014 department. Ms. Robbins reported she has 3 new service representatives that have been employed approximately one year. The work their department is responsible for must be done daily and it is a critical position. She mentioned the number of water meters needing to be read has also increased. Mr. Swindell explained the number of positions in the Utility Billing Department has not changed since 2004 and staff plans to request an additional position for Fiscal Year 2015. He added that high turnover with a small staff has more impact on the department. Ms. Nye mentioned sometimes Utility Billing staff is the only contact citizens have with the City and it is important that a good customer service representative is in place to provide assistance. Ms. Robbins explained she has tried to utilize temporary staffing agencies to fill the staffing vacancies and it cost almost $10,000.00 to hire temporary workers. Unfortunately, the temporary workers are usually looking for full-time work and soon after their training they quit. Ms. Robbins feels they need someone who is vested in the City and will remain in the position. She would also like to replace more of the older water meters that are no longer serviceable and feels most of the labor could be done in-house to save on costs. It was mentioned that older water meters that are no longer serviceable need to be replaced. The replacement costs of water meters were reviewed and it was noted that older meters tend to run slow. There is the potential of a $200,000.00 to $400,000.00 loss in revenue because of the slow meters. -MAYOR/COUNCIL Ruth Whitworth, City Clerk, presented the DEPARTMENT Mayor/Council Department Service Level Report. REPORT She reviewed the Mission Statement set by the Council and feels the Mayor’s office is the “Communication Hub” between citizens, elected officials, other agencies and City departments. Mr. Swindell overviewed the Measures of Inputs for the Department. Ms. Whitworth reviewed the Measures of Output noting that 612 letters and 283 News Releases were processed and filed electronically. Because most correspondence is being managed CITY COUNCIL MEETING 5 SERVICE LEVEL REPORTS -NEIGHBORHOOD QUALITY & EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION MARCH 13, 2014 through email, the City has saved money by reducing postage costs. She reviewed multiple Project/Programs Mayor’s staff were involved with in 2013 which included three groundbreaking events (Animal Shelter, South Valley Road and Transit Facility). She also noted that a high volume of citizen contacts were met with a quick turnaround and Council agenda packets are now available on the City’s website for media, citizens and staff reference. Mr. Brown stated he appreciated the City’s General Election information being placed on the website for easy access. Ms. Whitworth feels the City has greater transparency by providing election financial reports and agenda packet information on the City’s website. She has noticed media representatives utilizing the data on their Smart phones during Council meetings. Mr. Swindell mentioned changes in State Legislation and property tax for cities is always a concern and he will help monitor the issues. Mayor Blad mentioned the professionalism and teamwork provided by the Mayor’s Office benefits the Council and citizens. Mayor Blad adjourned the meeting at 12:23 p.m. APPROVED: BRIAN C. BLAD, MAYOR ATTEST: RUTH E. WHITWORTH, CMC, CITY CLERK