City Council

CITY OF POCATELLO, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION FEBRUARY 13, 2020 AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Mayor Brian Blad called the City Council Work Session to order ROLL CALL at 9:07 a.m. Council members present were Heidi Adamson, Roger Bray, Rick Cheatum, Linda Leeuwrik, Claudia Ortega and Chris Stevens. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Michele Poletti, Pocatello Chair Person; Alan Evans, Pocatello POCATELLO REGIONAL Regional Airport Manager and staff liaison; and Kristy Heinz, AIRPORT COMMISSION Airport Management Assistant; Regional Airport Commission UPDATE representatives, were present to discuss the Commission’s goals and projects, as well as Council’s policies and expectations. Ms. Poletti thanked the Council for their support of the Commission. She also acknowledged the hard work and professionalism of Mr. Evans and Ms. Heinz. Mr. Evans gave a brief update of activities at the airport and a few statistics. He noted the airport is has reached 80% of its capacity for service and this is an accomplishment. Mr. Evans reported 86,000 passengers were served in 2019. He noted the State of Idaho conducted an impact study of multiple airports in Idaho. The study shows Pocatello Airport’s impact to the area is approximately 980 jobs/$43Million in earnings. The study also shows a total of $178.4 Million total economic impact for the area. Mr. Evans reported the Annual FAA inspection was completed in January 2020 and everything went very well. There are many improvements taking place at the airport and fiber optics will be available soon. Other scheduled projects were reviewed. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Evans gave an overview of a passenger demand study analysis which included who is using the airport, what their top destinations are, etc. He explained 44 zip codes are in the catchment area. Of these zip codes - 55% divert to Salt Lake City, 11% divert to Boise and 10% divert to Idaho Falls. Pocatello maintains 24%. Staff is continually working to promote the Pocatello airport. Other options for flights and service were discussed. Air fare comparisons were shared. It was mentioned that Pocatello is still a good bargain when all costs and time are taken into consideration. Increased advertising efforts and ideas were shared. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Heinz gave an overview of the history related to obtaining service to Denver. She noted requesting service to Denver from this area will be very competitive. The Pocatello Airport does not have multiple mainline carriers. Skywest is the current mainline carrier that can assist with the flight to Denver. General discussion regarding alternate carriers for the airport was held. Council encouraged staff to research other options for an additional mainline carrier to serve the airport. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Scott Smith, Chair Person; Chad Carr, Board member; and POCATELLO Melanie Gygli, Interim Executive Director; representing the DEVELOPMENT Pocatello Development Authority (PDA), were present to AUTHORITY UPDATE discuss the PDA’s goals and projects, as well as Council’s policies and expectations. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 2 FEBRUARY 13, 2020 Mr. Smith gave a brief review of Urban Renewal Projects in Pocatello. He noted the purpose of the PDA is to undertake urban renewal projects in areas designated by the City of Pocatello. North Yellowstone Urban Renewal Area – this area closed within 10 years. As a result, $1.5 Million was returned the community through the property tax rolls. This is a perfect example of how TIFs work for the community. New Northgate Urban Renewal Area – waiting for development to occur. May see tax increment come in 2021 or 2022. The area was funded by the developers who assumed all of the financial risk. If successful, the increment will start coming in. If not successful, there will not be a negative impact for the community. The Siphon Road interchange was the “first domino” to the success of the district. North Portneuf Urban Renewal Area - the (Hoku) property has been sold for approximately $1.25 Millon to Portneuf Capital for redevelopment of the site. PDA will need to decide what to do with the area now that the property has been closed. Pocatello Regional Airport Urban Renewal Area – progress is being made. Companies in the district were reviewed. Naval Ordinance District – this has been open 15 years so it only has 5 years left before it reaches the 20-year limit. Multiple companies located in the district were reviewed. Mr. Smith gave a brief overview of support provided by City staff and how they assist with PDA functions. He noted that this support has allowed them to utilize City staff without cost to the PDA. Going forward, Mr. Smith explained they have budgeted to pay for City staff wages related to assisting with PDA functions. Mr. Bray shared his concerns regarding the Northgate District and taxation guidelines. He noted that pending legislation is a concern and there may not be funds available to meet the District’s needs. He feels the PDA did not represent the City as a whole when the Northgate District was discussed. Mr. Smith reviewed the role PDA plays in regard to urban renewal district determination. He explained they do not create the district. They make a recommendation only and it is up to the City Council to make decisions whether or not to create the district. Mayor Blad mentioned the Northgate District was set up to protect the City and he feels it is more financially secure than other districts set up in the past. The Northgate District was recommended to Council in the same format as previous Districts. Council debate regarding PDA functions as a whole was held. General discussion related to PDA goals and projects followed. In closing, Mayor Blad and the Council thanked Ms. Gygli for her 30-plus years of service to the City. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 3 FEBRUARY 13, 2020 AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Andy Moldenhauer and Adam Davis, representing the Pocatello FIRE UNION UPDATE Fire Union, were present to give an update of the Union’s activities for the past quarter. Mr. Moldenhauer reported the Union has been very busy since their last report to the Council. Fundraising events include: Fill the Boot for MDA ($12,000.00); Annual October pink t-shirt fundraiser ($3,000.00) donated to breast cancer awareness; and joint efforts with Police Union for turkey donations and diaper drive were shared. Operation Warm event – gave coats to students in School District No. 25. The Seattle Stair Climb fundraiser is coming up in the spring. Other fund raising events were reviewed. Pending legislation that would help resolve disputes regarding fact finding issues was reviewed. Mr. Moldenhauer shared the pending legislation includes provisions to assist a group that are at an impasse. He noted the Union supports the proposed legislation. Ms. Leeuwrik thanked the Union for supporting the City’s first diaper drive. The unions worked with other City Departments to donate diapers to the Southeast Idaho District Health Department. Mayor Blad called a recess at 10:27 a.m. Mayor Blad reconvened the meeting at 10:35 a.m. AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: John Regetz, Bannock Development Corporation (BDC) BDC QUARTERLY UPDATE Executive Director, was present to give Council an update of BDC’s activities and achievements. Mr. Regetz gave an overview of BDC functions. Frigitek (Lion Chase) Cold Storage – create 40 jobs supporting regional food and agricultural processing, produce handling and processing services. Project has revolved since beginning 2 years ago. Unit Train Development – supports regional food and agricultural processing and manufacturing. Lowers cost and delivery time for area industries and farmers, enables export to expand production. Intermodal/Transload Development – warehousing and rail freight infrastructure. General discussion regarding transportation upgrades and use of current and future railroad lines followed. Other leading prospects were reviewed such as: battery manufacturer, power equipment manufactures and steel fabricators. Housing Study Team update was given. Monitoring FBI for housing schedule and development of a Housing Website to assist with housing needs was reviewed. YourFIT update was given. Schedule for 2020 school events was reviewed. STEM Demonstration from the Idaho National Laboratories will be given to students. Discussion regarding the programs followed. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 4 FEBRUARY 13, 2020 AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: Ron Knapp, Interim Animal Control Director; Josh Heinz, TNR GRANT Animal Shelter Manager; and Jennifer Adkins, Best Friends UPDATE Society; were available to give an update on a proposed Trap/ Neuter/Release Program (TNR) grant that was discussed at the September 12, 2019 Work Session. Legal Department staff has reviewed the grant documents and staff will be available to answer Council’s questions regarding the grant. Staff is also seeking direction from the Council whether to apply/accept the TNR grant. Mr. Knapp gave a brief history of the TNR grant application and costs. The number of cats euthanized in 2018 and 2019 were shared. Mr. Knapp noted that efforts have been made to limit this number. Ms. Adkins shared she helps coordinate effective Community Cat Programs such as “Best Friends Save Them All” and is the community cat outreach specialist. She mentioned Pocatello Animal Shelter staff are very committed to animal welfare in the community. Basics of the community cat program was given. It was noted that 60% of animals euthanized in animal shelters are cats. How different programs work to decrease these numbers was discussed and the success in other cities was shared. It was mentioned that almost every city that has participated in the program has seen a reduction in their cat population. Best Friends Animals Society is a nonprofit corporation based in Kanab, Utah, whose mission is “No More Homeless Pets.” They work to help save lives by working with Network partners and providing financial assistance for specific projects. The proposed Memorandum of Understanding outlines the following: a) identifies “community cats” are defined as free roaming cats, whether owned or not, regardless of temperament which are relinquished to the City of Pocatello, captured through human live trapping efforts, and/or currently acquired in the field by animal control officers and other staff: b) financial assistance amount and term; and c) responsibilities. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Knapp anticipates the need of one full-time position to run the program. The position would need to be dedicated to run the program and not have the responsibilities fall to other animal shelter staff. Educating the public about the program would also need to be done. Clarification of the minimum number of cats captured to qualify for funding and how this will affect the funding followed. Lifesaving efforts for the cats trapped will be looked at for the City of Pocatello and not the minimum requirement only. If Council approves the program a Memorandum of Understanding with Best Friends Animal Society will come before the Council for consideration at a future Council meeting. Mayor Blad was excused at this time and turned the Chair of the meeting over to Council President Adamson. (12:05) Council President Adamson announced the TNR program will be discussed in more depth at the February 20th Work Session Clarification meeting. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 5 FEBRUARY 13, 2020 AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: Roger Schei, Police Chief; Cliff Kelley, Police Captain; and Tom POLICE DEPARTMENT Kirkman, City Fleet Management representative; were available VEHICLE LEASE to discuss the proposed lease purchase of ten (10) fully-equipped PROPOSAL vehicles through Bancorp. Staff is seeking Council guidance to lease the vehicles from Bancorp as a sole source provider. Mr. Schei gave a brief overview of the proposal and goals of the department to add vehicles to the Police fleet. Mr. Kelley gave an overview of the Police Department’s 5-year plan to achieve a car per officer. He feels this is in keeping with the Mission and Values of the City of Pocatello most notably through promoting a high quality of life by ensuring that Pocatello Police Officers will have their Patrol vehicles at their home at the ready to respond, on their off-duty hours. Mr. Kelley explained this also promotes the deterrence of crime and the feeling of safety within diverse neighborhoods. Events where Police officers could not respond timely due to lack of a vehicle was reviewed. Mayor Blad returned the meeting at this time. (12:22) Council President Adamson turned the Chair of the meeting back to Mayor Blad. Staff is seeking a lease purchase with Bancorp and yearly payment of $144,300.00. Mr. Kelley explained this amount falls within the department’s annual budgeted amount of $250,000.00 for vehicles and will continue to maintain the fleet as necessary. Staff is also seeking Bancorp as a sole source as Bancorp provides a turnkey service which means they will up-fit the vehicles with all of the necessary equipment and deliver them ready to use. General discussion regarding the proposed lease continued. Mayor Blad announced that further discussion will be held during the February 20th Work Session Clarification meeting. Mayor Blad announced that Agenda Item No. 10 would be heard at this time. AGENDA ITEM NO. 10: Randy Dixon, Relight the Night (RTN) representative; Stephanie RELIGHT THE NIGHT Palagi, Old Town Pocatello, Inc. Executive Director; Krystal –BUSTER BROWN Chanda, A&E Engineering, Inc.; and Merril Quayle, City SIGN PROJECT Development Engineer; gave an update regarding a refurbished Historic Buster Brown Sign project for the Old Town Pocatello area. RTN representatives are requesting the following regarding the sign project: 1) City accept the parcel of property from RTN-Old Town Pocatello; 2) Waive the fees for splitting of the parcel and deed work; 3) Allow RTN to place the sign on the parcel at no expense to the City; and 4) City accept the sign upon completion of the project. Mr. Quayle clarified Relight the Night is a Committee of Old Town Pocatello, Inc. and gave quick history of neon signage projects in Pocatello. Mr. Dixon thanked the Mayor and Planning staff for the assistance RTN has received to make their sign projects successful. He noted the section they chose to place the sign is not in a City easement as first thought. The RTN Committee will maintain the sign. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 6 FEBRUARY 13, 2020 The proposed sign location is within 80-feet of the original store location. Sign is roughly 30-square feet and is two sided. The sign would be oriented at a 45-degree angle on West Center Street. The sign would come on at dusk and turn-off at midnight. The average time throughout the year that the sign would be on per day would be 4 hours. A small plaque explaining the history of the Historic Buster Brown sign will be displayed. On February 5, 2020, the Historical Preservation Committee approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for this location. As a result, a sign permit is not necessary. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Dixon explained digital timers are on all the neon signs they have installed. He mentioned the City has received special recognition for the neon sign placements that have been done. Estimated fees were reviewed. Costs for monthly electric use was estimated at less than $40.00. Idaho Heritage Trust funds may also be available to help restore the sign. Staff is requesting the proposal come before the Council for consideration on March 5, 2020. Mayor Blad shared his concerns with waiving fees and encouraged representatives to look at other options for funding the proposed sign. Mayor Blad called a recess at 1:14 p.m. Council President Adamson reconvened the meeting at 2:04 p.m. AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: Roger Schei, Police Chief; Zachary Bartchi, Police Corporal; and 2020 COPS HIRING John Walker, Police Lieutenant; were present to discuss the PROGRAM GRANT availability of a 2020 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grant. The grant objective is to increase the capacity of law enforcement agencies to implement community policing strategies that strengthen partnerships for safer communities. Staff is seeking Council guidance to pursue the grant. Mr. Schei gave an overview of the request outlining the department’s need for increased officers. He has discussed the grant with Fort Hall Law Enforcement staff and feels the program will benefit both agencies. Mr. Bartschi gave a brief history of the Police Department’s education and prevention task force. He noted there is an increase in gangs, drugs, human trafficking and violent crime in the area. Police staff hope to combat these problems by partnering with the Fort Hall Law Enforcement, Southeast Idaho Behavioral Crisis Center and the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office. Mr. Bartschi is a Resource Officer and has seen increased activity of the presence of gangs in Pocatello. The proposed grant is part of the 2020 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) Grant. All state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies that have primary law enforcement authority are eligible to apply. The application deadline is March 11, 2020. The length of award for funding is three years (36 months) for each position awarded. The City would need to retain any CHP-funded officer positions for at least 12 months immediately after the 36 months of federal funding has ended for each position. The only allowable costs under CHP are the approved full-time, entry-level salaries and fringe benefits of newly hired or rehired sworn career law enforcement officers hired or rehired on or after the award start date. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 7 FEBRUARY 13, 2020 Police staff are requesting to add five (5) new officers to the department. This would allow for a specialty team to be created. This team would be known as the Education and Prevention Task Force. The team would have an overarching goal of community education while also combating gang activity, human trafficking, drugs and violent crime. The Southeast Idaho Behavioral Crisis Center will assist this team by receiving members of the community that are in mental health crisis. Mayor Blad joined the meeting at 2:17 p.m. at which time Council President Adamson turned the chair of the meeting over the Mayor Blad. Council discussion regarding the request followed. It was noted that if approved, officers would be hired in October 2020. Health care costs have been included in the estimated costs. Mr. Schei reported January 2020 had 75 more calls for service than in January 2019. He noted that 17 detectives handled the large volume of calls and staff is currently very stretched. The services being provided have been re-evaluated and some services reduced because of the lack of officers. It was noted that domestic violence and mental health service calls take a significant amount of time to complete the process. Mr. Bray suggested adding 20% to the final total to include health care costs and also the vehicle per officer program. Council discussion continued regarding placement of the positions and educational outreach in the community. It was mentioned the request will come to Council at a later date for permission to apply, accept and make commitments for the future. Entering into a partnership with Fort Hall Law Enforcement is critical to receive the grant. Mayor Blad announced that further discussion will be held during the February 20th Work Session Clarification meeting. Staff was encouraged to keep working toward preparation of the grant. Police staff will notify the Mayor’s Office when they meet with Fort Hall Business Council members to discuss the program. Staff mentioned they would like Mayor Blad to attend the meeting if possible. AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: John Banks, Parks and Recreation Director; and Brett Hewatt, ROSS PARK AQUATIC Parks Supervisor; were present to provide an overview of the COMPLEX – POOL AND current status of large area pool heaters and main building water HEATERS PROPOSAL heaters at the Ross Park Aquatics Complex (RPAC). Staff is recommending the re-purposing of available pool resurfacing resources to address the pool heater and main building water heater needs. Council consideration and direction regarding the proposed repairs is being sought. The pool and main building heater needs have quickly risen to a much higher level of priority than resurfacing of the remaining pool areas due to condition and age. Mr. Banks gave a history/breakdown of the following pool heater needs. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 8 FEBRUARY 13, 2020 - Lazy River pool heater developed a major leak toward the end of the 2019 season. Parks Department staff was able to make what was thought to be a repair to the heater at that time. Unfortunately, the repair proved to be temporary. The heater leaking issues resumed and worsened following the 2019 season and the heater is no longer operational. In October 2019, the heater was inspected by a specialist and has been deemed non-repairable due to age and condition. - Zero Depth/Splash pool heater is currently operational. However, it has been displaying long- term symptoms of internal leaks and coil issues. Due to similar types of issues and age of equipment, staff fears that the Zero Depth/Splash pool heater is also on the verge of becoming non-operational. - Main/Lap pool heater has developed significant internal leaks in various locations during November 2019 and has now also become non-operational as of late November. - Activity Pool heater is operation and now the best working condition of the four large pool area heaters. However, it is also showing signs of its age. Costs to replace the heaters was reviewed. It was noted that Council gave permission for Parks and Recreation to resurface the pool areas in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget. Staff is asking the funds be used for the now critical heater repair/replacement. Staff will ask for Council to consider budgeting for pool resurfacing costs in Fiscal Year 2021 budget. Replacement of Large Area Pool Heaters (4) approximately $84,000.00. Main Building Water Heaters (2) approximately $25,000.00. In closing, Mr. Banks explained the heater project meets Idaho Code for a semi-formal bidding process. AGENDA ITEM NO. 11: There being no further business, Mayor Blad adjourned the ADJOURN meeting at 3:02 p.m. APPROVED: BRIAN C. BLAD, MAYOR ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: RUTH NEWSOM, CITY CLERK