City Council

CITY OF POCATELLO, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 13, 2022 AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Mayor Brian Blad called the City Council Work Session ROLL CALL to order at 9:00 a.m. Council members present were Roger Bray, Rick Cheatum, Linda Leeuwrik, Josh Mansfield, Claudia Ortega and Chris Stevens. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Representatives from the Housing Alliance and Community HOUSING ALLIANCE Partnerships (HACP)were present to discuss the Committee’s goals AND COMMUNITY and projects as well as Council’s policies and expectations. PARTNERSHIPS UPDATE Sara Van Cleve, Housing Alliance and Community Partnerships Executive Director, gave an overview of the HACP board’s accomplishments for the past year. She stated that she joined HACP in October 2021 and has worked in the housing services industry for 22 years in the Bremerton and Seattle, Washington areas. Ms. Van Cleve reported that HACP has been finalizing the plan to a “move to work” status from HUD, allowing the HACP to spend less time on administrative duties and more time working with clients. The HACP has purchased a car wash property on 5th Avenue which will become a skills and development center. By working with ISU, United Way and other agencies, resources will be made available, such as classes and a computer lab, to support clients to get back to work. Ms. Van Cleve stated that the housing voucher program has 708 housing vouchers available through HUD and that the program is underutilized, with only 567 vouchers being used. She added that many renters are being displaced when landlords sell their rental units. It is estimated that an additional 221 units over the next 2 years may alleviate the housing shortage in the area. Ms. Van Cleve suggested that instituting a “landlord registration” in the city may lead to property improvements, fair housing and increased participation in the rental voucher program. Council discussed the following topics: possible solutions to improve rundown properties; review of City ordinances pertaining to business registrations and housing ordinances; assistance program guidelines; and historic building requirements. Ms. Van Cleve reminded the Council that the Homeless Coalition has worked cooperatively with the City and other agencies to find solutions to homelessness in the community. Mayor Blad announced that staff members would explore topics as suggested by Council members and that the items would be placed on an agenda at a future Council meeting. AGENDA ITEM NO 3: Members of the Pocatello Fire Union were present to give Council FIRE UNION an update of their activities for the past quarter. QUARTERLY UPDATE Andy Moldenhauer, Union President, and Jordan Van Every, President-Elect, gave an overview of the Firefighters Local 187 activities which included the following:  A new Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached with the City in 2021.  A “48/96” schedule was adopted. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 2 JANUARY 13, 2022  Fundraising efforts such as Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) “Fill the Boot” events were displaced due to COVID regulations. Members are looking for creative ways to safely raise needed funds.  “Coats for Kids” provided 100 coats and 150 pairs of gloves to area children in need. Donations were received from the local union, ICCU and Portneuf Auxiliary.  Union members made numerous donations during the holiday season to families in need, Idaho Foodbank and Aid For Friends.  Union members are raising funds to participate in the “Seattle Stairclimb” event. Council members thanked the union representatives for their involvement in the community and encouraged their continued efforts. AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Members of the Pocatello Police Union were present to give POLICE UNION Council an update of their activities for the past quarter. QUARTERLY UPDATE Val Wadsworth, Police Union representative, gave an overview of the Police Union activities which included the following:  Union members made numerous donations during the holiday season to the Senior Center and Idaho Foodbank. The “Give the Cops A Bird” fundraiser raised approximately $12,000 and provided 200 turkeys to the food bank.  Donations to the Secret Santa project provided Christmas gifts and supplies to 17 area families and sponsorship of an additional child in need. Mr. Wadsworth reported that COVID-related challenges remain, including current officer absences and staffing vacancies. He added that there are currently four officers in field training with openings for eight or nine more officers. Filling vacancies is a time consuming effort and remains a continuous effort. Mr. Wadsworth reported that retired Detective Gordon passed away and will be greatly missed by the community. A new K-9 officer, Thor, is currently in training to replace K-9 officer Bart, who passed away. He added that the Union continues to encourage the use of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for officers. AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Pocatello Airport staff and representatives from T-O Engineers POCATELLO AIRPORT were in attendance to present an overview of the Airport Master MASTER PLAN UPDATE Plan update process and receive feedback from the Council Alan Evans, Airport Director, Kristy Heinz, Management Assistant/Security Coordinator and Dave Mitchell, representing T-O Engineers, gave an overview of the Airport Master Plan process. Mr. Evans stated that the process began in January 2021 and included a kickoff meeting for public involvement and input from technical advisory and community advisory committees. Mr. Mitchell stated that the purpose of an Airport Master Plan is to develop a strategic plan for the next 20 years at an airport. It is a comprehensive study of current and future needs, including a development plan for the next 5, 10 and 20 years. Mr. Mitchell stated that commercial service airports are required by the FAA to update their Master Plan every 7 to 10 years. The most recent update was completed in 2012. Mr. Mitchell gave an overview of the approximate 18-month process used to develop the Master Plan. The elements used for development are: inventory; forecast; facility requirements; environmental issues; alternatives; airport layout plan; and implementation plan. The Technical Advisory Committee of on-airport stakeholders includes representatives from the following: CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 3 JANUARY 13, 2022 Air Traffic Control Tower; Bureau of Land Management (BLM); City of Pocatello Planning and Development Services; Fixed Base Operator (AVCenter); Idaho State University; GA Pilot Community; and SkyWest Airlines. The Community Advisory Committee comprised of off-airport stakeholders includes representatives from the following: Bannock County; Bannock County Development Agency; City of Chubbuck; City of Pocatello (Council Liaison); Chamber of Commerce; Idaho Transportation Department – Division of Aeronautics; Power County; Power County Development Agency; and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Input from participating entities is gathered and included in the Master Plan. Mr. Mitchell explained that draft and final documents will be presented to Council for approval prior to forwarding to the FAA for final approval. He encouraged Council attendance at the public meetings. Ms. Heinz clarified that the projects identified in the Master Plan do not commit the City to individual projects; however, projects must be included in the FAA-approved Master Plan in order to be considered for FAA approval in the future. In response to a question from Council, Mr. Mitchell stated that T-O Engineers did not prepare the 2012 Airport Master Plan but has reviewed that plan. He added that other than COVID, there were no unexpected activities in the plan. He added that the Pocatello Airport has a unique position with abundant surrounding land for expansion and development. Council members discussed the following topics: flight availability and demand; airline carriers; airport marketing; competing airport markets; and economic development for airport land development. In response to questions from Council, Mr. Mitchell stated that some smaller airports, such as those in Lewiston and Coeur d’Alene, do not have commercial air service. Operational costs at those airports are supported through revenue and County allocations. He added that selected airports charge for parking as a revenue source. AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: Neighborhood and Community Services staff members were in COMMUNITY attendance to present the first draft of the Community DEVELOPMENT Development Block Grant 5-year Consolidated Plan, which covers BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) Program Years 2022 through 2026. Staff reviewed preliminary PROGRAM YEAR needs, the proposed Program Year 2022 Annual Action Plan, and 2022-2026 FIVE-YEAR the proposed 5-year funding plan. Following the Work Session and CONSOLIDATED PLAN a public comment period, the final plan will be presented to Council at the February 3, 2022 Regular Council meeting to request approval for submission to HUD by the February 15, 2022 deadline. Christine Howe, CDBG Program Coordinator, gave on overview of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and objectives. The primary objective of CDBG is the development of viable urban communities, principally for low to moderate income persons through decent housing, suitable living environment and expanded economic opportunity. She explained that each CDBG- funded activity must meet one of three national objectives: 1) must benefit low and moderate income individuals; 2) aids in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight; or 3) addresses an urgent need that poses a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community which occurred within the last 18 months and for which other funding is not available. Ms. Howe explained that the core principles of the CDBG Program are to benefit low and moderate income persons and communities, engage community participation and leverage resources through partnership and strategic and targeted investment. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 4 JANUARY 13, 2022 Council discussion included the following topics: landlord education; fair housing training; and potential partnerships with community agencies to leverage additional funding. Ms. Howe gave an overview of the 5-year summary of programs and projects and addressed the immediate needs that will be addressed during Program Year 2022, which begins April 1, 2022. She stated that a public hearing will be held, and the CDBG 5-year Consolidated Plan will be presented to Council at the February 3, 2022 Regular City Council meeting. AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: Planning and Development Services staff members were in POCATELLO DOWNTOWN attendance to give a presentation regarding the Pocatello DEVELOPMENT PLAN Downtown Development Plan and receive feedback from the Council. Jim Anglesey, Long Range Planner, gave an overview of the Pocatello Downtown Development Plan. He stated that the Plan is the result of years of work and collaboration between Historic Downtown Pocatello, Utah State University and the City of Pocatello. Stakeholders, community and business leaders, elected officials and members of the public with an interest in Downtown success were also involved. Mr. Anglesey explained that the Downtown Development Plan provides the City and community an ambitious vision for the future of Downtown Pocatello. It provides a foundational framework for downtown success and goals with strategies to implement the vision. He added that the Plan can be utilized by business and property owners, investors, developers and various community organizations to determine priorities to accomplish goals of the vision within Downtown and surrounding areas. Mr. Anglesey stated that the Development Plan is based upon Pocatello’s greatest assets, which include nature; historic/civic; and knowledge. He explained that successful downtown development resides in the connection of these assets. Mr. Anglesey gave an overview of the official downtown areas and identified the following districts: Historic Downtown; Portneuf District; Downtown East District; Warehouse District; and Bengal District. He identified unique qualities and potential projects for each district. Downtown development occurs in a knowledge economy when a community’s greatest assets are identified, reinforced, linked together and intensified within close proximity to the downtown core. The Development Plan supports the foundational premise, effectively linking Pocatello’s greatest assets. In response to questions from Council, Brent McLane, Planning and Development Services Director, stated that the Development Plan will be a tool to guide development within the downtown area with the help of community representatives and businesses. He added that implementation of standards identified in the Plan will be instrumental in the accomplishment of projects. Mayor Blad turned the meeting over to Council President Cheatum to chair at this time. Mayor Blad was excused from the meeting at 11:30 a.m. In response to questions from Council, Stephanie Palagi, Historic Downtown Pocatello Executive Director, stated that various projects were identified and prioritized in order to seize opportunities as they present themselves. She added that the purpose of the Development Plan is to give a “big picture” of development and improvements. Ms. Palagi emphasized that the Downtown Development Plan can be instrumental in enhancements throughout the city, not just Downtown. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 5 JANUARY 13, 2022 Council members discussed the following topics: development of a strong communication plan for community engagement; involvement of community agencies; areas of historic significance; diversity elements; and a timeline for completion of the draft plan. Council members thanked the presenters and those who have been instrumental in the Pocatello Downtown Development Plan and shared their support of receiving further updates. AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: There being no further business, Council President Cheatum ADJOURN adjourned the meeting at 12:12 p.m. APPROVED: BRIAN C. BLAD, MAYOR ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: KONNI R. KENDELL, CITY CLERK