City Council

CITY OF POCATELLO, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Council President Craig Cooper called the City Council Study ROLL CALL Session to order at 9:00 a.m. Council members present were Steve Brown, Jim Johnston, Gary Moore and Michael L. Orr. Council member Eva Johnson Nye arrived at 9:03 a.m. Mayor Blad arrived at 9:28 a.m. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Doug Milder, Chair Person; and Alan Green, Interim Parks and PARKS AND RECREATION Recreation Director; representing the Parks and Recreation ADVISORY BOARD UPDATE Board were present to discuss the Board’s goals and projects, as well as Council’s policies and expectations. Mr. Milder stated he is the new Chair Person for the Board and acknowledged Pete Black for his many years of service on the Board. He reviewed the dates and times the Board meets and general topics they consider. Council member Nye joined the meeting at 9:03 a.m. Mr. Milder gave an overview of new restrooms being proposed for the City’s Golf Courses. He reported construction of the new Zoo entrance is scheduled to begin summer of 2015 and the new NeighborWorks Pavilion at Caldwell Park is under construction. The Board feels the pavilion will be a great asset for the park. Mr. Green noted the Board’s activity reports are available for Council review and he will send the reports by email to the Mayor’s Office to be forwarded to the Council for review. Mr. Green mentioned the Movie in the Parks endeavor did not happen this summer. He explained the business owner had issues with video equipment and may attempt to move forward with the idea again next year. The Edson Fichter bathroom project is almost complete and landscaping of the area is underway. Mr. Green noted the Swim team may purchase a dome for the Ross Park pool so they can utilize it more. Mr. Milder thanked the Mayor and Council for their continued support of the Board. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Milder feels the best thing the Board has accomplished is an excellent park system while still meeting budget constraints. He thanked Mr. Green for his involvement as Interim Parks and Recreation Director and his assistance in developing the Ross Park Master Plan. Discussion regarding the future of greenway trails in the community followed. It was mentioned there would need to be a cooperative movement and development of partnerships to utilize the resources available to build further trails. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Joyce Stroschein, Interim Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer, was FISCAL YEAR 2014 present to discuss proposed “September” amendments to the SEPTEMBER BUDGET current Fiscal Year 2014 budget. AMENDMENTS Ms. Stroschein reviewed the September amendments and fund amounts by department. They included: Finance Department; Fire Department; Street Operations; Airport; Chief Theatre/Pocatello Arts Council; Ambulance fund for Whiskey Fire and ASPR Grant; Federal Highway Aid; Capital Fund Sale of Transit Shop; and Federal Economic Development Grant.  2 CITY STUDY SESSION SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 In response to questions from Council, Ms. Stroschein explained when a person leaves City employment the vacation and compensation hours are viewed as expenditures. She mentioned when employees are Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) retirement age eligible, their sick leave hours are also taken into account. She noted there is not a contract for non-union employees outlining this as a benefit. However, it has been a long-standing City Policy. Mayor Blad joined the meeting at 9:28 a.m. at which time Council President Cooper turned the chair of the meeting over to Mayor Blad. Mr. Orr clarified state and school district employees have similar policies and also have PERSI benefits. These types of payouts are not common in the private sector. He feels the City cannot budget for these expenses because you do not know when it may come due. Mr. Orr is concerned many employees may leave at the same time. Ms. Stroschein reviewed the employee scenarios with Mr. Orr and explained the bank of hours is part of the compensation package for City employees. She clarified that department heads ask their staff if they are planning to retire during the fiscal Year so they are able to budget appropriately. AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Lonnie Crowell, Planning and Development Services Director; POCATELLO REGIONAL Dave Foster, Associate Planner; and David Allen, Airport AIRPORT DESIGN Manager; were present to discuss proposed design guidelines for GUIDELINES the non-aviation airport influence area development at the Pocatello Regional Airport. Mr. Crowell reviewed proposed changes to the Master Plan for the Airport. He explained developers and business owners have asked about updates to the airport requirements for economic development. Mr. Foster reviewed the following Airport Influence Area Sub-Zones and Development Guidelines: I) Administration; II) Sub-zone Designations and Uses; III) Restrictions; IV) General Development Guidelines; V) Specific Development Guidelines; VI) Building Design; VII) Variances; VIII) Construction Activities; IX) Application/Review Process; and X) Changes to Approved Guidelines and Sub-Zones. He explained structure non-aviation areas are located outside the critical zones and all areas still have FAA regulations to meet. Mr. Foster noted the plan is for the City to implement guidelines that will help with economic development as a marketing tool for potential tenants at the airport. Suggestions have been developed as well as diagrams of what are permissible. He mentioned the Airport Commission has reviewed the proposal and recommended approval. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Foster explained the proposed guidelines outline how the City wants the property developed. He noted the Plan will be used for marketing and FAA review to show that development meets the standards and building codes that have been set by the Council. AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: At 9:53 a.m. Mayor Blad and Council members Brown, Cooper, WORKING LUNCH Johnston, Moore, Nye and Orr left the Council Chambers and participated in a working lunch in the Paradice Conference Room. Discussion centered on economic development, Council involvement with City advisory boards and general City topics. No formal action was taken.  3 CITY STUDY SESSION SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 Mayor Blad adjourned the meeting at 12:20 p.m. APPROVED: BRIAN C. BLAD, MAYOR ATTEST: RUTH E. WHITWORTH, CMC, CITY CLERK