HomeMy Public PortalAbout2019.06.28 Special Council Minutes MINUTES
McCall City Council
Special Meeting
McCall City Hall-- Legion Hall
June 28,2018
Call to Order and Roll Call
Work Session
Budget Work Session
Adjournment
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Mayor Aymon called the special meeting of the McCall City Council to order at 9:00 a.m.
Mayor Aymon, Council Member Holmes, Council Member Nielsen, and Council Member
Sowers all answered roll call. Council Member Giles was absent.
City staff members present were Anette Spickard, City Manager; BessieJo Wagner, City Clerk;
Erin Greaves, Communications Manager; Linda Stokes, City Treasurer; Michelle Groenevelt,
Community Development Director; Kurt Wolf, Parks and Recreation Director; Eddie Heider,
Parks Superintendent; Eric McCormick, Golf Course Superintendent; Meg Lojek, Library
Director; Traci Malvich, Human Resources Manager; Nathan Stewart, Public Works Director
Also, in attendance were Terri Lindenberg and Steven Hackler, Treasure Valley Transit; Amber
Kostoff, MCPAWS
WORK SESSION: SIDEWALK MAINTENANCE
AB 19-132 Sidewalk and Streetscape Maintenance Program Options and Direction to Staff
City Manager Anette Spickard gave an overview of the presentation materials. Staff has researched
and identified several options for the Council to consider for new approaches to managing
sidewalk and streetscape maintenance. The current McCall City Code requires fronting property
owners and businesses to maintain their sidewalk and manage snow removal without placing the
snow in the Right of Way. Staff presented the options available to Council to determine whether
Council would like to embark on a more specific service delivery approach vs. relying solely on a
code enforcement approach or something in between. After Council has identified a preferred
approach and funding preference, staff can develop the appropriate code language, procedures,
educational outreach, staffing and budget to implement.
In summary, the options are:
A. — Status Quo: continue hybrid of code enforcement and informal city maintenance.
B. —Enforcement Only: stop informal city maintenance and enforce current code.
C. — Work with affected property owners/ businesses to establish Business Improvement
District.
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June 28, 2019 Special Meeting
D. —Create an"Opt In"program for Parks Department to provide maintenance service for
a fee. Those that do not opt in are required to provide their own maintenance and are still
subject to code enforcement.
E. —Sidewalk maintenance becomes a City service funded by tax dollars except for certain
items that remain responsibility of property owner.
Staff and the Council had a lengthy discussion about the options including routes, service and
maintenance issues, and selling points. Council Member Holmes is leaning towards D with a
strong encouragement to opt in. She is concerned that less people are wanting to walk due to the
issue of businesses not clearing their sidewalks promptly and would like to see consistency. City
Manager Spickard proposed a survey to see if there would be an interest to opt in for the service.
Council Member Nielsen would like to look at Urban Renewal as a funding source. Community
& Economic Development (CED) Director Michelle Groenevelt clarified the funds earned in the
Urban Renewal District can only be spent within that district.
Council Member Sowers may want to look at an opt out program and reward those who have done
a great job of clearing their snow. He suggested to look at what needs done for the immediate
coming year and qualification for opting out. Communication Manager Erin Greaves commented
the survey of businesses would be a good way to start and the results might be surprising.
Mayor Aymon agreed the businesses need to be surveyed. She also thinks the City should maintain
sidewalks just like the City maintains the streets. Communication Manager Greaves suggested the
Council hold a one on one work session with the business owners to hear directly from them.
Council Member Sowers would like to know how other mountain towns handle this issue and if
the service is contracted out for the service. Public Works Director Nathan Stewart commented it
would be more costly to contract out for the service versus doing it in house.
Staff briefly touched on the budget and timeline in meeting with property/business owners to
formulate a plan for the coming winter season. Mayor Aymon is a believer in user fees, and in this
case, include the fees in property taxes as sidewalks are there for public use.
Council Member Sowers suggested not plowing the Golf Course and instead remove snow in the
downtown area. A discussion ensued on the value of plowing the Golf Course and the logistics of
what that would mean.
City Manager Spickard summarized to pursue option D and a possible BID process. There was a
brief discussion about fees.
WORK SESSION: BUDGET
Public Comment
Mayor Aymon called for public comment at 10:24 a.m.
Hearing no comments, Mayor Aymon closed the comment period at 10:24 a.m.
Local Option Tax
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City Clerk BessieJo Wagner presented the FY20 Local Option Tax (LOT) funding and
distributions. The changes made at the June 13, 2019 Council meeting were reviewed.
Council Member Sowers left the meeting at 10:28 a.m.
There was some discussion on the merits of funding the snowmobilers. Public Works Director
Nathan Stewart gave clarification on the purpose of the Thompson Street project and why LOT
funds are needed and what will be accomplished with these funds. A sidewalk and bike lane are
included as part of the project and staff is trying to piggyback the sidewalk/bike lane project with
the work of powerline burial along that street to utilize franchise fees. Council Member Nielsen
suggested looking at a different location to accommodate for the sidewalks.
Council Member Nielsen moved to approve FY20 Local Option Tax funding and
distributions. Council Member Holmes seconded the motion. In a roll call vote Council
Member Nielsen, Council Member Holmes, and Mayor Aymon all voted aye and the motion
carried.
Treasure Valley Transit
Terri Lindenberg and Steven Hackler of Treasure Valley Transit (TVT) presented their FY20
budget request. Ms. Lindenberg explained the reasons behind why they had a need for 5 new buses.
She shared information about grant funding, ridership issues, and advertising. Mr. Hackler stated
the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new buses will be on July 10 at the future TVT office location
on Park Street and he is hoping for a large representation of the community to attend. In response
to the question of how to increase ridership, he shared that he is looking at innovative ways to get
the word out through traditional advertising, social media, and phone app technology.
Council Member Sowers returned to the meeting at 10:50 a.m.
Ms. Lindenberg and Mr. Hackler answered questions about additional services over Winter
Carnival, the use of sandwich boards during the ice festival (staff clarified there are signage
opportunity for public information), increase opportunity for increased ridership on weekends and
special events, and later hours on the weekends. Council Member Nielsen feels transportation is
second only to housing in importance. Ms. Lindenberg feels that when the transit center opens, it
will add the awareness and increase ridership. Communication Manager Erin Greaves suggested
the City logo be incorporated onto the new buses. Council Member Nielsen would like to see more
frequent trips down the main corridor as an express line. Ms. Lindenberg stated she would look at
funding and run numbers to see if it is possible.
MCPAWS
Amber Kostoff of MCPAWS presented their FY20 budget request and Q1 FY19 Activity Report.
She answered questions about the different jurisdictions paying for the use of the shelter, tracking
where animals are from, volunteer hours, the stray program, and other County funding. She went
over the thrift store numbers,personnel and salaries, funding, and building repair and maintenance
needs. There was a brief discussion about LOT funding and the stray program.
DRAFT BUDGET DISCUSSION
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Review of Personnel Costs Comparisons
Human Resources Manager Traci Malvich presented the personnel cost comparisons. III-A is only
going give a 2.6% medical increase, 5% dental, and 15% vision increases. She is still waiting for
the salary survey data but confident the 2% Market/ 3% Merit increases will be sufficient. There
have been requests for additional staff; however, those requests were not reflected in the current
draft budget. She briefly went over the benefits changes.
Property Tax Allocation
City Treasurer Linda Stokes presented the property tax allocation explaining the decrease in
expected revenue due to less commercial growth. The Growth and Annexation will be $95,028.
She had removed the foregone amount from this draft per Council instruction and gave a
comparison of a 3% increase of $181,340 to a no tax increase. She discussed levy rates and
explained the budget balance, went over the fund balance, and answered questions.
Overview of the draft budget and City Council Deliberation
City Manager Anette Spickard and City Treasure Stokes went through the draft budget explaining
interfund transfers, fund balance calculations, and general fund subsidies. There was significant
discussion regarding the Golf Course, including a past fund subsidy balance and how to bring it to
zero. Staff explained the difference between the City golf course in comparison to other golf
courses that make it more difficult to operate and, in the past, the Golf Course was subsidized by
more Local Option Tax (LOT) dollars until a previous Council directed less LOT monies to go to
the Golf Course and more general fund be used. Staff has been looking for better ways to increase
revenue to help the Golf Course to be self-sufficient. Council Member Sowers would like to see a
comparison of other like communities with a public golf course and would like to know how more
revenue be generated. City Manager Spickard discussed an option creating a policy of reserving
funds for housing and answered questions. Staff explained how the excess fund balance accrues
and is used. The Council consensus was to take a percentage of the excess fund balance to use as
a policy for local housing and directed staff to draft a policy to bring back for future discussion
and add in the 3% increase. Economic drivers for the golf course and local housing was discussed.
FY20 Budget Development Next Steps
Council Work Session Set Tentative Budget on July 26, 9:00 a.m. to be determined
FY20 Budget Public Hearing on August 08, 05:30 p.m.
FY20 Foregone Public Hearing on August 08, 05:30 p.m. if needed
FY20 Budget Adoption on August 08
ADJOURNMENT
Without further business, Mayor Aymon adjourned the meeting at 1:29 p.m.
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