City Council

CITY OF POCATELLO, IDAHO JOINT CITIES/BANNOCK COUNTY/ SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 25/ IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY MEETING FEBRUARY 25, 2020 AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: The Joint Cities/Bannock County/School District/ISU meeting was ROLL CALL called to order at 2:01 p.m. by City of Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad. Council members Heidi Adamson, Roger Bray, Rick Cheatum, Linda Leeuwrik and Claudia Ortega were present. Council member Chris Stevens arrived at 2:05 p.m. The meeting was held in the Council Chambers at Pocatello City Hall. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: School District No. 25 representatives gave an update regarding the SCHOOL DISTRICT upcoming school plant facilities levy renewal on the March 10, 2020 NO. 25 UDPATE ballot. Representatives clarified there is a need for the levy to pass and encouraged attendees to support and educate voters about the levy. It was mentioned that an Outdoor Facilities Long-Range Planning Committee has been organized. Individuals that serve on the Committee were discussed. The Committee looks at the facility needs and recommends action to the Board. Legislation – tracking bills that are of great importance included: 1) dates of elections and limiting the months available to school districts for elections; and 2) Career ladder will include veteran teachers. Pocatello High School Phase 2. Bids were received for Pocatello High School Phase 2 and the Board should receive a recommendation this week. The lowest bid came in at an affordable amount and plans are being made to start Phase 2 in June 2020. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Bannock County representatives gave an update regarding the Bannock BANNOCK COUNTY County Wellness Complex. Staff met with multiple Rodeo UPDATE representatives regarding use of the complex. The Rodeo clubs/teams will be given a price break when using the Event Center to encourage more use. It was mentioned Bannock County staff considers the events to be a partnership and would like support from local government agencies. Discussion regarding options for concerts, concessions, etc. and having volunteer ushers at events instead of paying for these positions followed. The groups that come can work the concessions and earn funds for their group. Staff feels this will keep money in the community and be an economic benefit to the community. Alternate ways to generate funds to support the Wellness complex were shared. It was mentioned Bannock County is growing and future plans for growth were shared. Early voting for the March 10, 2020 election is up significantly from 2016. This election is a presidential primary and school levy. Budgeting concerns and unfunded mandates by the State of Idaho that must be carried out at the County level were discussed. The jail overage in Bannock County is a result of additional prisoners being housed there. Providing space at the jail is costing the County money each day. Other costs for the County and concerns regarding code enforcement issues were reviewed. Property Assessments for the upcoming year were discussed. A brief overview of tax assessments that were done in 2019 followed. It was noted the State of Idaho required County staff to update properties at market value. Each parcel will eventually be brought to market value. JOINT CITIES/COUNTY/ SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 25/ISU MEETING 2 FEBRUARY 25, 2020 AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: An Idaho State University representative gave an update on IDAHO STATE strengthening partners in the community for students. UNIVERSITY UPDATE AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: City of Chubbuck Representatives mentioned there are a lot of building CITY OF CHUBBUCK projects happening in their community. It was noted they would like UPDATE to have more discussions regarding property tax issues. The proposed freeze on property taxes, with the exception of schools, shows there is a problem. Residential property owners carry a large portion of the tax load and it would benefit these individuals if a way to correct the tax burden could be found. It was suggested that the County and Pocatello/Chubbuck cities have the same building codes. Chubbuck representatives feel fast growth is coming and officials may want to look at modify the codes to make things easier. AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: City of Pocatello representatives gave a brief overview of pending CITY OF POCATELLO legislation. They anticipate the proposed Bill to freeze property taxes UPDATE will have a negative impact on all cities and counties in Idaho. concerns with proposed changes in Sales Tax revenue was shared. It was noted a plan that will keep all cities basically neutral over a 5-year period is an option. The 2020 Census is coming in March and attendees were asked to spread the word to others and encourage individuals to complete the Census request so there is an accurate count. An update on 2020 Census activities and grant funds that have been received were reviewed. Pocatello held a Town Hall meeting on February 18, 2020. Citizens in attendance shared their local concerns and asked for help from government agencies to decrease property taxes. Senior Building Ad-Hoc Committee update was given. The Committee is still looking at area facilities to determine what might provide the best location for a Senior Activity Center. AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: Mayor Blad adjourned the meeting at 3:37 p.m. ADJOURN APPROVED: BRIAN C. BLAD, MAYOR PREPARED BY AND ATTEST: RUTH NEWSOM, CITY CLERK