City Council

Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes January 13 2010 Page 1 City of TaylorsviIle Work Session Minutes Wednesday January 13 2010 Council Chambers 2600 West Taylorsville Blvd Room No 140 Taylorsville Utah 84118 Attendance Mayor Russ Wall Council Members City Staff Chairman Bud Catlin John Inch Morgan City Administrator Vice Chairman Morris Pratt John Brems City Attorney Council Member Dama Barbour Cheryl Peacock Cottle City Recorder Council Member Larry Johnson Mark McGrath Community Development Director Council Member Jerry Rechtenbach Del Craig Chief of Police John Taylor City Engineer Marsha Thomas Judge Jamie Brooks Court Administrator Penny Knight Business License Clerk Excused Council Coordinator Jessica Springer Others John GidneyJeremy Eveland Jennifer Ha Wayne Harper Mary Ann Davis Brian Berlin Carol Berlin Paul Sellers Marty Woodruff Chris Despain David Despain 18 03 02 Chairman Bud Catlin called the Work Session to order at 6 02 p m and welcomed those in attendance City Recorder Cheryl Peacock Cottle conducted a Roll Call wherein all Council Members were present Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes January 13 2010 Page 2 1 Discussion Regarding Court Issues Jamie Brooks Judge Marsha Thomas 18 04 00 Judge Marsha Thomas introduced herself to the new Council Members and reviewed her professional background She then presented a report on the Domestic Violence Court Program 18 06 03 Judge Thomas described how claims are processed in the Taylorsville Court 18 11 31 Judge Thomas addressed questions from the Council Court Administrator Jamie Brooks gave clarification on court filing data that was previously provided 18 16 06 Judge Thomas addressed Chairman Catlin s concerns regarding costs of the Domestic Violence Program and reviewed the benefits of consolidating domestic violence cases 18 17 32 Judge Thomas described best practices for administering the Domestic Violence Court Program 18 19 28 Judge Thomas discussed issues surrounding non compliance by defendants She described differences between cases processed through the criminal court and those handled in the domestic violence court 18 23 26 Judge Thomas gave explanation regarding plea and abeyances and described different types of sanctions She discussed scenarios surrounding the failure of defendants to appear 18 26 1 0 Judge Thomas reviewed requirements for defendants to participate in the Domestic Violence Program 18 29 57 Mayor Wall gave clarification on costs to the City for treatment that may be provided for defendants 18 31 13 Upon request Judge Thomas listed members of the Taylorsville Domestic Violence Administrative Team 18 31 46 Judge Thomas addressed questions regarding fines and how they are set 18 34 9 Council Member Pratt inquired about the Uniform Bail Schedule and Judge Thomas gave additional clarification 18 35 40 Council Member Catlin expressed doubts regarding the effectiveness ofthe domestic violence program and cited its inability to reduce recidivism rates Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes January 13 2010 Page 3 18 38 15 Council Member Johnson stated concerns on the length time that cases are drawn out 18 41 01 Judge Thomas answered questions regarding defendants who violate the terms of plea and abeyance 18 42 24 Judge Thomas confirmed that the Taylorsville Domestic Violence Court does not currently qualify as a Problem Solving Court 44 18 24 Judge Thomas affirmed that she does not perform any more judicial reviews for cases in the domestic violence program than are done in the criminal court 18 45 49 Council Member Rechtenbach cited the need to receive straight answers He said the Council must consider the information provided and then find ways to make the court more cost efficient 18 48 30 Mayor Wall cited value to the court programs but noted that some programs are not affordable 18 51 31 Judge Thomas rendered her informed opinion that putting domestic violence cases back in with criminal cases would not save costs 18 52 26 Court Administrator Jamie Brooks introduced two of the new City Prosecutors to the City Council Jeremy Eveland and Jennifer Ha The new prosecutors agreed to provide contact information to the Council Coordinator for distribution to the Council 2 Discussion Regarding UDOT Flex Lanes Council Member Rechtenbach John Taylor City Engineer 18 55 03 Council Member Rechtenbach referenced recent open houses regarding the proposed UDOT Flex Lanes project He stated that residents are not in favor ofthe Flex Lanes and noted that these projects are not City projects but rather State projects 18 56 37 Council Member Rechtenbach recognized Representative Wayne Harper who has been instrumental in finding funding for State projects in Taylorsville 18 57 28 Representative Harper described background on funding for road projects in Salt Lake County He reviewed road projects in recent years and described projects planned within Taylorsville Representative Harper listed priorities for projects as taken from the East West Transit Study He cited allocations for the two intersections at 4700 South and 5400 South on Bangerter Highway and the flex lanes on 5400 South Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes January 13 2010 Page 4 19 03 31 Representative Harper addressed questions from the Council He confirmed that the flex project is a test project He cited other states that have been happy with the reversible lanes 19 07 02 Council Member Johnson expressed concerns about the short distance of the projects 19 08 15 Representative Harper emphasized that it would take a legislative bill in order to alter any of the three projects 19 09 19 Council Member Barbour cited the many concerns expressed to her by constituents and the impact that the flex lanes project may have on Taylorsville businesses and on safety She noted specific concerns with safety at the Harvey Heights subdivision 19 11 21 Representative Harper agreed with Council Member Barbour and described issues with east west traffic 19 13 1 0 Issues regarding a potential signal at Harvey Heights were discussed 19 13 56 Council Member Rechtenbach stated that additional lanes are shown to reduce congestion and enhance safety He cited Taylorsville s responsibility to effectively manage the traffic that comes through the City 19 15 53 City Engineer John Taylor addressed safety issues with left hand turns on 5400 South He said that one halfof the time left hand turns will actually be safer with the flex lanes He noted that substantial safety problems currently exist on 5400 South and said that the flex lanes do not add to those problems Mr Taylor noted that the proposed improvements are designed to benefit future traffic as well as mitigate current problems 19 17 34 Representative Harper gave an update on the status ofthe Mountain View Corridor and said that it should be complete in 3 y to 4 years 19 21 55 Council Member Johnson expressed concern over the impact of the flex lanes on businesses along 5400 South 19 23 18 Representative Harper described proposed transportation projects and reviewed a priority list He stated that the flex lanes are one part of a solution that will make a difference He said there is a distinct potential for completing road projects further west of Bangerter on 5400 South and predicted that these will positively impact Taylorsville traffic 19 29 00 Mayor Wall said that the flex lanes will actually open up access for businesses He said that if the flex project is not done the process for improvements going west will be halted Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes January 13 2010 Page 5 19 27 49 Council Member Johnson expressed his major concerns regarding the impact ofthe flex lanes on businesses 19 30 46 Mr Taylor confirmed that moving traffic is safer than stopped traffic He said that this project is innovative and is an option preferable to the taking ofbusinesses and property 19 31 34 Council Member Barbour asked for clarification on the possibility of the 5400 South Project moving further west 19 31 57 Representative Harper said that ifhe is successful in running the bill that he is currently working on and it is passed the projects further west will be able to get underway He stated that the earliest the proj ect would start would be the summer of 20 11 19 33 47 Mayor Wall stated that UDOT has indicated that a signal at Harvey Heights is not likely 19 35 01 Representative Harper gave explanation on requirements and presented a time frame for the big picture 19 36 34 Council Member Barbour expressed hope that UDOT would take the concerns of citizens near 5400 South into consideration 19 37 52 Council Member Rechtenbach asked that UDOT ensure ingress and egress for the entire 5400 Corridor He said that it is important that the Council not be short sighted 19 40 01 Council Member Rechtenbach referenced a Town Meeting scheduled for January 22 2010 which will be hosted by Representative Harper 19 42 22 Council Member Johnson said that the problem will not be solved until bottlenecks further west are addressed 19 43 04 Mr Taylor confirmed that he would stay abreast of the issue and keep the Council updated 3 Discussion Regarding the Proposed Good Landlord Program Mark McGrath 19 43 44 Community Development Director Mark McGrath noted that a lot of previous discussion has been held regarding the Good Landlord Program He cited his intent to bring the ordinance back to the council for consideration at the January 20 2010 Council Meeting Taylorsvi1le City Council Work Session Minutes January 13 2010 Page 6 19 44 42 Mr McGrath discussed projected staffing needs and predicted that another half time employee will be needed to facilitate the extra licenses 19 45 52 Council Member Pratt suggested that additional staffing may be required in other departments 19 46 39 Mr McGrath discussed the Good Landlord Training Class He recommended relying on the Apartment Association to teach the class and then monitoring its effectiveness 19 48 31 Council Member Barbour stated that she took the Good Landlord Training Class years ago and cited the benefits of the class She said that the cost of the class is 59 and would be well spent 9 49 29 Council Member Johnson suggested finding a volunteer to teach the class Mr McGrath noted that the class would have to be an all day class and be taught at least once a month possibly more 19 51 47 Mr McGrath reviewed ideas for coordinating with other agencies departments 19 53 51 Council Member Pratt inquired about any avenue for pulling the business licenses of non conforming landlords who do not participate in the Good Landlord program Mr McGrath gave clarification and said that code enforcement will be monitoring all businesses whether they participate in the program or not 19 55 51 Mayor Wall stated that business licenses for landlords will be treated as a conditional use and licenses can be pulled for code enforcement violations 19 56 47 Mr McGrath addressed efforts to ensure compliance with the fire and building code He cited the use of self check lists and explained that inspections would be conducted based on complaints only 19 58 40 Mr McGrath addressed pre He stated that existing existing or grandfathered tenants tenants would not be required to obtain a criminal background check 19 42 59 Discussion was held regarding the requirements for criminal background checks 20 01 29 Council Member Johnson cited a need for consistency 20 02 40 Mr McGrath reviewed the timeline for compliance in obtaining business licenses Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes January 13 2010 Page 7 20 04 03 Council Member Rechtenbach suggested issuing licenses according to Council Districts Mr McGrath agreed that this was a good idea 20 04 40 Mr McGrath said that Finance Director Scott Harrington has anticipated a projected revenue increase of approximately 50 000 60 000 He noted that the revenue for business license fees other than rental units will remain nearly the same 20 06 20 Mr McGrath confirmed that the ordinance will be in effect as soon as it is passed 20 07 20 City Administrator John Inch Morgan gave additional clarification on projected revenue 20 08 22 Mayor Wall noted that evictions will be handled through the criminal courts and will not result in costs to the T aylorsville Court City Attorney John Brems referenced small changes that will be made in the new version of the ordinance Mr Brems confirmed that issues vith the Apartment Association have been resolved 20 09 38 Council Member Pratt suggested that Items V and W be combined Mr McGrath agreed to consider that suggestion 20 10 11 Council Member Pratt inquired about fee schedules and Mr McGrath gave clarifications on fees for a single family residence 20 17 24 Council Member Barbour confirmed that landlords are required to go through the training program every two years 20 19 27 Mr McGrath discussed incentives for landlord participation in the program 20 19 53 Council Member stated that he was told by Paul Smith that landlords do not have to be a member of the Apartment Association in order to take the class 20 41 20 Council Member Johnson said that he would like to submit some comments and suggestions on the ordinance Mr McGrath asked that Council Member Johnson s input be submitted to him 4 Discussion of Current City Council Committee Advisors Chairman Catlin 20 21 46 Chairman Catlin reviewed the new assignments for Committee Advisors Council Member assignments are as follows Taylorsville City Council Work Session Minutes January 13 2010 Page 8 Budget Committee Morris Pratt Economic Development Committee Jerry Rechtenbach Healthy Taylorsville Committee Bud Catlin Historic Preservation Committee Morris Pratt Leisure Activities Parks Recreation LARP Dama Barbour Ordinance Review Committee Larry Johnson Public Safety Committee Bud Catlin Arts Council Bud Catlin Association of Municipal Councils AMe Larry Johnson Youth Council Jerry Rechtenbach ChamberWest Board Dama Barbour Sanitation Board Jerry Rechtenbach 5 Other Matters 20 25 23 Council Member Pratt inquired about cities who are participating in the Unified Police Department UPD and any related fees that may be charged to residents Mayor Wall confirmed that cities have options for funding He gave clarification on the difference between the Unified Police Department and a Unified Police District He noted that no cities have opted into the District 20 28 14 Discussion was held regarding fees and Mayor Wall gave explanation on Taylorsville s involvement He stated that he would never be in favor of charging fees to citizens 20 35 07 City Administrator John Inch Morgan noted that he has recently sent out the tentative Mid Year budget He stated that it will be available on the City website by tomorrow morning January 2 2010 and that a hard copy is available for review in the Recorder s Office Mr Morgan relayed that a public hearing will be held next week to receive public comment on the mid year budget He gave additional explanation on the format of the budget 20 38 44 Issues with the sound system in the Council Chambers were discussed Mr Morgan relayed that a vendor has recently performed an evaluation and determined that operators need to be educated on monitoring the master controls 6 Adjournment 40 20 11 Council Member Morris Pratt MOVED to adjourn the City Council Work Session Council Member Jerry Rechtenbach SECONDED the motion Chairman Catlin called for discussion There being none he called for a vote The vote was as follows Rechtenbach yes Johnson yes Pratt yes Barbour yes and Catlin yes All City Council members voted in favor and the motion passed unanimously The meeting was adjourned at 8 40 p m Taylorsvi1le City Council Work Session Minutes January 13 2010 Page 9 7 i 1 J 1 W L Zf JJ Ci JeA Cheryl peac ottle City Recorder Minutes approved CC 02 03 10 lvlinutes Prepared by Cheryl Peacock Cottle City Recorder