City Council Regular Meeting

CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 7:00 PM 1. CALL TO ORDER – Welcome/Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Chadwick called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. INVOCATION – Dylan Austin, LifeSpring Church Dylan Austin of the Worship and Creative Arts Ministry at LifeSpring Christian Church provided the invocation. 3. ROLL CALL Elected officials present: Council President David Hershey, Council Member Kevan Wheelock, Mayor Trevor Chadwick, Council Member Jennifer Salmonsen, and Council Member Kevin Nielsen. Staff present: City Attorney Chris Yorgason, Assistant City Engineer Tim Clark, City Planner & Zoning Administrator Shawn Nickel; Assistant City Planner & Zoning Administrator Ryan Field, Deputy City Clerk Barbara Conly, Public Information Officer Dana Partridge, Star Police Chief Zach Hessing, Star Fire Chief Greg Timinsky. 4. PRESENTATIONS A. Domestic Violence Proclamation - Women's & Children's Alliance / Faces of Hope Mayor Chadwick acknowledged community partners Women’s and Children’s Alliance and Faces of Hope as he read a proclamation giving statistics on domestic violence. He encouraged neighbors to look out for one another, and to seek help as needed. Chadwick read aloud the proclamation declaring the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the City of Star. B. Star Police Monthly Report - Chief Hessing Star Police Chief Zach Hessing presented the monthly police report for August 2023. Hessing noted that he appreciated the proclamation for domestic violence, since those are some of the most volatile types of calls that police respond to For 2023, he said the year-to-date figure is 173 crimes per thousand, with 21.5 crimes per month. The City of Star is at 14.9 crimes per thousand, which Hessing said is lower than last year, but the police continue to strive for even lower. For the month of August, there were five person crimes (three domestic violence), ten property crimes, and eleven society crimes. Hessing noted three-hundred and fifty-two calls for service in August and two-thousand and five proactive policing instances. Hessing broke down the various call types: domestic violence responded to were seven, with three being actual. Crisis / mental health was at fourteen calls. Hessing stated that welfare checks jumped a bit from the prior month, from twelve up to twenty-four. BC Page 1 of 5  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 7:00 PM C. Mid/Star Fire Department Report - Chief Timinsky Star Fire Chief Greg Timinsky explained that he will start providing monthly reports for the City Council meetings going forward. For this first report, he said he brought the annual YTD statistics from January 1 through August 31 so Council and citizens could see a baseline. Timinsky explained that grassland fires, cooking fires, other grass fires (yard fires) were at twenty-seven, outside illegal burns at nine and other fires at twenty-seven for the year so far. Timinsky said hazardous conditions such as reports of gas leaks, oil spills, etc. totaled thirty-four, with service calls such as non-code animal rescues, lockouts, smoke detectors, etc. at one hundred and seventy-two. Chief Timinisky explained false alarms, and also said he felt the average turnout time is a bit skewed and they will work to break it out going forward. He explained that when a station responds one or the other one is dispatched – probably in a forty-five to fifty second range. For the incident count per month, Timinsky stated the slowest month was February and busiest so far was June 2023. He said that next month, Fire will include a statistic for total acres burned. Council Member Wheelock mentioned seeing the ladder truck in use in town now. Mayor Chadwick noted the evening news reported recently on garage fires that occurred due to batteries. Chief Timinsky explained that everyone tends to store various flammables in garages and that gas, car malfunction, and batteries (especially lithium-ion batteries) are common causes of garage fires. Timinsky said that Fire has discussed pursuing adding to the code a heat detector for garages to improve the warning time to homeowners. Council Member Wheelock asked if that would come with a carbon monoxide detector added to the space. Chief Timinsky replied that one could always add that separately, but that these are heat detection only. He said one concern is over potential malfunction of carbon monoxide detectors when warming up cars. Council Member Salmonsen asked for clarification on ambulance response vs. Fire Department response and how that works given that there is an ambulance shelter in Star. Chief Timinsky clarified that there are approximately fourteen or fifteen ambulances operating in Ada County, so frequently Fire is called upon to go do the initial check since an ambulance may be on its way from Eagle, Meridian, or Boise. He said a new ambulance will be located in Meridian. Council Member Nielsen thanked Chief Timinsky for his report and insights. Nielsen asked, along with heat sensor in garage, what is the cost impact to having a sprinkler system required in garages and whether that is something that should be looked at. Chief Timinsky explained that ladder trucks can hook to a hydrant and can put a lot of water in a hurry. Timinsky said that sprinklers are required when hydrants are not available. He further explained that the water tenders are not always available. For a three-person fire engine, outside city limits a water supply is always asked for. In discussing cost, Timinsky mentioned that residential fire sprinklers will cost maybe a dollar and twenty-five cents to two dollars a square foot, which is very close to the cost of putting a granite countertop in a home. Council Member Wheelock replied that the topic was for another time, but wondered if Council had thought of requiring putting sprinklers in the new horizontal apartments that are being built. BC Page 2 of 5  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 7:00 PM 5. CONSENT AGENDA (ACTION ITEM) A. Approval of Claims  Council Member Salmonsen moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Council Member Hershey seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey-aye; Wheelock-aye; Salmonsen-aye; Nielsen-aye. Motion carried. 6. ACTION ITEMS: A. Idaho Humane Society Agreement FY23/24 - Approve / Authorize the Signature of the Mayor to enter into an Agreement for Animal Control Services (ACTION ITEM) Council Salmonsen thanked Mayor Chadwick for pursuing information on the subject. Council Member Nielsen asked for City Attorney Yorgason to provide clarification on clause wording for the Idaho Humane Society agreement with respect to written verification that a vendor/contractor is not owned or operated by the government of China or Israel. Yorgason advised the wording of the clause referenced is actually a newer state law. Council discussion ensued on the law, and Yorgason stated that he did not have any statutory concerns.  Council Member Hershey moved to approve the Idaho Humane Society Agreement FY23/24 and to approve/authorize the Mayor to sign and enter into an Agreement for Animal Control Services. Council Member Nielsen seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Salmonsen – aye; Nielsen – aye. Motion carried. Council Member Wheelock inquired if Star Veterinary would still be used after hours; Mayor Chadwick stated that he has a separate meeting about this, and that the matter of after hours was still being worked out. B. 946 S Main Demolition Agreement - Approval / Authorize the demolishing of 946 S Main Street (ACTION ITEM) Mayor Chadwick advised City Council that the City had put this project out to bid for someone to potentially purchase the unit and take it out, but that no one submitted any requests so now the already-authorized Plan B of considering demolition would need to be considered. Chadwick explained that the price to demolish would be $16,337.00 and that it would need to take place near the end of October. He clarified that the tool shed could be taken out by City staff.  Council Member Wheelock moved to approve the 946 South Main demolition agreement. Council Member Hershey seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Salmonsen – aye; Nielsen – aye. Motion carried. C. Pavilion Park Bathroom - Approve / Authorize the purchase of Pavilion Park Bathroom Facilities utilizing Park Impact Fees (ACTION ITEM) Mayor Chadwick noted that City Engineer Ryan Morgan was at a flood plain meeting, and that Assistant City Engineer Tim Clark was present this evening to explain the proposed Pavilion Park bathroom. Clark BC Page 3 of 5  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 7:00 PM showed a slide depicting a sample design of a prefabricated bathroom building. Clark noted that the building will likely be built mostly at a facility in Nampa and said that local consideration carried an appeal. Clark detailed the split face block exterior with faux cedar shake roof, and asked Council to weigh in on exterior color options. He explained the quote was $130,000.00 and then to run utilities, water, and pad, $160,000.00, so in total the project would come out under $200,000.00. Council discussion ensued on Sourcewell, the various color options, and potential location. Mayor Chadwick explained that the location would be near the dog park and new splash pad, with a bit of work to be done on sidewalks for connectivity. Council Member Nielsen asked how this project fit in with existing City design standards. City Planner Nickel noted that the ordinance does not require this type of facility to confirm design standards, as it is not for commercial use. Mayor Chadwick noted that the project under consideration was consistent with similar buildings at Hunters Creek and Blake Parks. Chadwick noted the building would be heated, so would help people who were over at the dog park walking in the winter months. Nickel asked about potential coating along the bottom of the structure; Clark said that it could be included for another couple thousand dollars. Council Member Salmonsen inquired about two vs. four stalls given the future potential for a pickleball court. Council discussion with Engineering and Planning staff ensued on the viability of relocating the smaller structure to another area in the City if it ever became logical in the future. Staff was instructed to follow up on the topic of ability to re-locate the structure.  Council Member Nielsen moved to approve and authorize the purchase of the Pavilion Park bathroom facilities using Park Impact Fees for an amount not to exceed two hundred thousand dollars and to direct Staff and Contractors to make color selections and material selections so that the facility is consistent with what is currently installed at Blake Park and Hunter’s Creek Park. Council Member Salmonsen seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Salmonsen – aye; Nielsen – aye. Motion carried. BC Page 4 of 5  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 7:00 PM D. Pathway Master Plan Consultant Recommendation for Selection - Approve / Authorize Staff to enter into Negotiations with Kimley Horn as recommended by the Star Transportation and Pathways Committee (ACTION ITEM) Mayor Chadwick noted that Assistant Tim Clark would speak on the subject, and that Council Member Salmonsen and City Planner Nickel were also present to answer questions. Clark explained that the City put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) a few weeks ago, and received three statements of qualifications. He said the Transportation Committee had reviewed the qualifications and recommended the City Council to select Kimley Horn because they have useful tools for interacting with the public. Salmonsen added that the same consultant was used for the South of the River Plan, Logan Simpson, who is part of the Kimley Horn team. Salmonsen said that she reviewed all three, and that Kimley Horn scored the highest.  Council Member Nielsen moved to approve Kimley Horn as the Pathway Master Plan Consultant as recommended by the Star Transportation and Pathways Committee. Council Member Hershey seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Nielsen – aye; Salmonsen -aye; Wheelock – aye; Hershey – aye. Motion carried. E. Advertisements for Bids: Floating Feather to Star Middle School Pathway - Approval of the Advertisements for Bids (ACTION ITEM) Mayor Chadwick noted that Tim Clark has been working hard on this project, and explained length that the pathway will run.  Council Member Salmonsen moved to approve the advertisement for bids for the Floating Feather to Star Middle School Pathway. Council Member Wheelock seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock -aye; Salmonsen – aye; Nielsen – aye. Motion carried. 7. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Chadwick adjourned the Star City Council meeting at 8:07 p.m. _/s/_________________________ ATTEST: __/s/________________________ Trevor A Chadwick, Mayor Jacob M Qualls, City Clerk - Treasurer BC Page 5 of 5