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Home My Public Portal AboutMinutes_City Council Meeting_02192019 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING IONA COMMUNITY CENTER FEBRUARY 19,2019—7:00 P.M. PRESENT: Mayor Dan Gubler, Council President Rob Geray, Council Member Michael Thompson, Council Member Kathy McNamara, Council Member Peter Wadsworth, City Attorney Andrew Rawlings, Public Works Director Zech Prouse, Chief of Police Karl Bowcutt, Treasurer Amy Sullivan and City Clerk Keri West. ABSENT: None. VISITORS: Nick Belmont, Arlene Riding, Ryan Stucki, Gerald Stucki, Blair T. Simmons, Betty McKinley, Dave Noel, Ted Hendricks. Mayor Gubler welcomed everyone and led with the Pledge of Allegiance. A roll call was taken to open the meeting. CONSENT AGENDA: City Council Work Meeting and City Council Meeting Minutes of January 15, 2019 were reviewed. Council reviewed the finance reports for the period ending January 31, 2019 (34% of the fiscal year elapsed). The City had $669,118.84 in the bank and routine bills had been paid, "Exhibit A". Mayor Gubler entertained a motion. Council President Geray made a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. Council Member Wadsworth seconded the motion. All in favor, motion carried. ITEMS OF BUSINESS: Public Hearing- Albert Davidson Variance Application, located at 3237 N. Olsen Street — Mayor Gubler introduced this item and advised the Council to look through the documentation provided relating to this application in the packet. Clerk West stated this application was recommended for approval by the Planning & Zoning Commission on the grounds of safety for the homeowners and the distance of existing setbacks for neighboring properties. Clerk West also informed the Council that notices had been sent out to all neighbors within 300 feet and she had not received any phone calls or written correspondence for or against the application. Director Prouse urged the Council to read the definition of "variance" in the City Code and consider whether this situation applies. Attorney Rawlings summarized the section in the City Code on variances suggests the Council considers whether the variance is contrary to the public interest and if allowing the variance would result in unnecessary hardships because of the physical characteristics of the site. Mayor Gubler stated he doesn't believe either of those situations are applicable in granting this variance. All City Council members agreed. Mayor Gubler entertained a motion. Council Member Wadsworth made a motion to accept the application to approve the variance request for Albert Davidson located at 3237 N. Olsen Street in Iona. Motion seconded my Council Member Thompson. Attorney Rawlings clarified the Council needs to make this decision in writing and suggested they add that to the motion. All deny. Motion does not carry. 1 Council President Geray said in the application it states the applicant needs to provide proof that the hardship was not created by the owner or previous owner by their own actions. Council President Geray continued saying the hardship in this situation is the ice and snow build up on the front stairs due to the way the home was designed. Clerk West informed the Council the applicant and his father built the house in 1982. Council President Geray reiterated the hardship was caused by the applicant when the home was built. Attorney Rawlings agreed the applicant may have created the hardship, however that is not relevant for the City Council to consider when approving or denying the variance. Council President Geray clarified whether the City Council would be in compliance with the City Code if they approve the variance, even though the applicant created their own hardship. Attorney Rawlings agreed they would be in compliance. Mayor Gubler stated the Council should consider the public interest and whether granting the variance creates a community hardship. Mayor Gubler entertained a motion. Council Member Wadsworth made a motion to prepare to approve the variance application for Albert Davidson located at 3237 N. Olsen Street in Iona subject to a decision in writing. Motion seconded by Council Member Thompson. All in favor, motion carries. Discussion of Equivalent Dwelling Unit Redetermination for Churches, Schools and Businesses — Clerk West stated she has been working with Ted Hendrix of ECIPDA regarding the amount the City is currently billing the churches, schools and businesses for water. Clerk West stated currently the City is not charging enough to these establishments based on the User Rate Comparison chart created by the EPA. The school is currently being charged $600/month and according to their occupancy, they should be charged $900/month. The churches are being billed $160/month and should be billed $225/month, according to the number of congregations in each building. Ted Hendrix distributed charts to the Council regarding the current number of water hook-ups and Equivalent Dwelling Units on the City water system, as well as the User Rate Comparison chart created by the EPA and the United Stated Geological Society, as mentioned by Clerk West. This discussion continued and merged with the following agenda item. Discussion of Bond Repayment Schedule—Mr. Hendrix stated the City of Iona is billing on the cost of the system and not on use of the system because the City is not metered. This means each resident is charged the same amount regardless of how much water they actually use. Mr. Hendrix continued and stated when the City approved the bond to build the water tank, they agreed to repay the bond by raising the water rate. He stated the loan amount with DEQ is $3,900,000, with a fixed interest rate of 2.75% and a 30 year term. The annual payment amount on the loan is $192,600. According to Mr. Hendrix, considering the current and future operations and maintenance costs, savings reserve required by DEQ as collateral, and 15% reserve on capital, each resident would need to pay $50.11/month to cover the debt. Mr. Hendrix continued and stated if the Council will increase the billed amount for the school, churches and businesses to align with the User Rate Comparison chart, each resident would need to pay $48.27. Mr. Hendrix stated the residents approved an increase up to $19/month when they passed the bond in 2017. Mr. Hendrix also advised the Council to change some of the current practices with water billing. For example, when a resident leaves their home for the winter and wants their water shut off, they will need to continue paying for their service. This is necessary because the City does not charge based on usage, it is based on the cost of the system itself. Mr. Hendrix encouraged 2 the City Council to adopt the numbers he has presented in collaboration with the City employees. Mayor Gubler stated if the City can show documentation on why the churches and school water bill would increase, he does not see a problem with raising their rate to better align with the chart provided by Mr. Hendrix. Mr. Hendrix stated when we look at the ERU Chart, we are very close to the average usage of that type of establishment. Director Prouse stated the school approaches 1,000,000 gallons of water during some months of the year. Mr. Hendrix reiterated that amount is close to what the chart shows to charge. Mayor Gubler stated he thinks we will have a savings on the tank project, which would free up some of the money in the loan. He suggested using that money for the water right the City has purchased and will need to make another payment on next year. By doing that, the City could use the money in savings as the savings reserve required by DEQ as collateral and not have to raise the water rate as much. Council President Geray stated the Council would need to do more math to determine if it is cost effective to include the future water right payment on the loan at 2.75% interest. Mayor Gubler stated he thinks the Council needs to wait until the tank bids before they raise the water rate to avoid raising it more than once, or raising it too much. Council Member Wadsworth stated he is hesitant to wait too long to raise the rates and then require more of an increase because of lack of revenue to cover the expenses already incurred. Council President Geray reminded the Council that the City has an ordinance that outlines what the water rates are. He also stated he is hesitant to use the ERU chart provided by the EPA for nationwide usage rates because it does not factor in irrigation and he does not believe it is an accurate chart for our city. Council President Geray continued and stated he believes there needs to be a more accurate way to bill that is more proportional to the way the water actually gets used. Mr. Hendrix stated the City has chosen not to meter, so there is not a more accurate way to determine usage and subsequent rates. Council President Geray reiterated his concern for using this chart and charging the churches and gas station so much more than the residents when he believes they use less water. Mayor Gubler stated the numbers on the chart are used in situations like the City of Iona that do not meter and do not have a more accurate way to measure usage. Council President Geray said again that he does not believe the numbers on the chart reflect accurate usage in the City of Iona. Council President Geray wanted to confirm if we had water data on the churches, as well as several homes in the City since the City had previously installed several meters in various locations to be able to collect this sort of data. Director Prouse confirmed we had data. Council President Geray stated his desire to use the data we have collected to establish a more accurate way to bill the residential and commercial buildings in the City. Mr. Hendrix assured the Council if the City looks at the data for the churches and the school it would be close to the ERUs as represented on the chart. He continued by saying these charts are used by funding and regulatory agencies when they do not have enough actual usage data to develop a more accurate way to measure. Director Prouse stated the church on Denning Avenue average usage is 460,580 gallons of water per month and the average resident usage is approximately 50,000 gallons per month. Council President Geray stated his opinion to change the ordinance and not have actual rates listed. He believes the ordinance should specify ERUs per building type, rather than rate per ERU. Mr. Hendrix stated he agreed with this suggestion and added this chart is defensible in court. Treasurer Sullivan stated if the City Code relating to water bills is going to be changed, she asked for the Council to also consider requiring the water bills to remain in a landlord's name 3 when they have a renter. She continued and said most of the accounts in default are renter accounts that have left town. Mayor Gubler said he has no problem adding that to the City Code and all Council Members agreed. Approval of New Business License- Silver Star Meats — Gerald Stucki with Silver Star Meats approached the City Council and expressed his desire to open the business of processing meat and later sell retail. Mr. Stucki stated they are working on getting USDA approved and state licensed to sell retail. Director Prouse questioned if the business will have slaughtering on site. Mr. Stucki denied saying they have a slaughter unit that will bring the meat to the shop. Mayor Gubler entertained a motion. Council Member Thompson made a motion to approve the business license for Silver Star Meats at 3636 N. Main Street in Iona. Motion seconded by Council Member McNamara. All in favor. Motion carried. Iona Historical Museum—Arlene Riding approached the City Council as a representative of the Iona Historical Museum. Mrs. Riding informed the Council the goals being worked on by volunteers for the museum to increase attendance. She continued saying they are doing renovations on the building now and are planning on holding a big event over Memorial Day weekend to re-open the museum. Mrs. Riding asked for help from the City Council in advertising the existence of the museum. Mayor Gubler suggested taking pictures of the museum and adding it to the newsletter and the website. Mrs. Riding urged the City Council to be involved with the museum financially and/or physically to keep the history of the City alive. Mrs. Riding also said the building was purchased by an individual and the museum is required to make monthly payments to this individual to pay back the loan. She continued and suggested the City take ownership and pride in the building. Mayor Gubler stated the City has already had extensive conversations regarding ownership of the building and it was concluded that the numbers did not work for the City to purchase the building. Mayor Gubler also stated the City has helped with expenses for the building and used to budget $1,000 every year for the museum. This year, the City discussed the museum and decided to eliminate the yearly donation. Mayor Gubler continued by saying at this point, the museum would need to come to the City Council for specific requests as they arise and ask for a donation. Proposed Changes to Iona City Code Title 4, Chapter 4- Wine Business Regulations — Mayor Gubler stated this item was discussed last month as the fee for the Wine Business License was significantly higher than other licenses in the City. Council President Geray questioned whether an analysis was done to come up with a more accurate fee. Attorney Rawlings stated he has discussed this with Clerk West and they have confirmed $100 is a more accurate amount to cover the administrative costs to process the permit. Mayor Gubler questioned whether we should be having a Public Hearing to change this because it is an ordinance. Attorney Rawlings confirmed a Public Hearing is not required because it is a reduction in the fee and Public Hearings are not required for all ordinance changes. Mayor Gubler entertained a motion. Council President Geray made a motion to approve an ordinance of the City of Iona, Idaho; amending Section 4-4-1 of the Iona City Code; amending certain definitions; amending Section 4-4-3 of the Iona City Code; lowering the fee for Wine Licenses in the City; providing for severability; and establishing an effective date. Council President Geray also moved to dispense with the rule of reading the proposed ordinance in full 4 ng type, rather than rate per ERU. Mr. Hendrix stated he agreed with this suggestion and added this chart is defensible in court. Treasurer Sullivan stated if the City Code relating to water bills is going to be changed, she asked for the Council to also consider requiring the water bills to remain in a landlord's name 3 and on three separate occasions. Motion seconded by Council Member Thompson. Approval of the amended ordinance was taken by a roll call vote: Council Member Wadsworth: Yes Council President Geray: Yes Council Member Thompson: Yes Council Member McNamara: Yes Renewal of Law Enforcement and Animal Control Agreement—Chief Bowcutt informed the Council this contract is the same as in previous years, but the amount required is increased slightly. Regarding animal control, Mayor Gubler stated this agreement only contains information pertaining to Bonneville County coming into the City of Iona to pick up animals. This contract has nothing to do with the shelter itself. Council President Geray questioned why the amount of the contract has gone up when the City has hired an additional 1.5 Police Officers. Chief Bowcutt stated this contract includes special services, such as detectives, and patrol. He stated the fee increase is due to inflation. Council President Geray stated his concern that this contract went into effect October 1, 2018, and we are not receiving it until February 2019. Council President Geray also stated his desire to have the contract amended in the future to reflect the services Bonneville County actually provides the City of Iona. Mayor Gubler entertained a motion. Council President Geray made a motion to approve the Law Enforcement and Animal Control Agreement letter dated January 4, 2019, for the amount of $23,701 to be paid in 4 quarterly payments. Motion seconded by Council Member Wadsworth. Approval of the agreement was approved by a roll call vote: Council Member Wadsworth: Yes Council President Geray: Yes Council Member Thompson: Yes Council Member McNamara: Yes Mayor Gubler directed Attorney Rawlings to draft a letter to Bonneville County requiring them to get future agreements submitted to the City of Iona prior to the end of the fiscal year, to be adequately represented on the budget. Discussion of DN Tanks Request for AWWA D110 Type III Tank, Nicholas Belmont — Mr. Belmont approached the City Council and requested they allow DN Tanks to bid a D110 Type III Tank for the City's water project. Mr. Belmont stated the Type III Tank has been used in Shelley and Sugar City. He continued saying the main differences between the Type I and the Type III Tank is in the core wall construction. Mr. Belmont stated DN Tanks has constructed 2,000 of the Type III tanks over the last 60 years. Director Prouse asked what the estimated cost is per gallon for construction for a Type III Tank. Mr. Belmont stated he has not calculated that, but estimates it to be considerably less than a Type I Tank. Mr. Belmont also stated this project does not need the additional features of the Type I Tank for this project. Mayor Gubler inquired as to which features Mr. Belmont is referring. Mr. Belmont stated the unnecessary features include the cast in place core wall and the vertically compressed walls. Council President Geray stated the cost of a Type I Tank is significantly higher than a Type III Tank. He then asked if that is because the Type I Tank is a better tank than the Type III. Mr. Belmont stated a tank this size is all based on the schedule and costs more because of the cast in place process. He also stated the Type I Tank has better seismic performance. Engineer Dave Noel stated the D110 Tank was the standard for a long time. He continued by saying both the D110 and the D 115 are intended to give the same quality of tank with two significantly different construction methods. That is why 5 ffective date. Council President Geray also moved to dispense with the rule of reading the proposed ordinance in full 4 ng type, rather than rate per ERU. Mr. Hendrix stated he agreed with this suggestion and added this chart is defensible in court. Treasurer Sullivan stated if the City Code relating to water bills is going to be changed, she asked for the Council to also consider requiring the water bills to remain in a landlord's name 3 there are now two standards, rather than just one. Mayor Gubler advised the City Council to take the information home regarding the different types of tanks and be prepared to discuss that when they open the bidding for the tank. STAFF REPORTS: Chief Bowcutt reported there has been a problem with the way the County has processed the Police Department tickets. The City has received many phone calls stating the County has lost tickets from Iona. He is in the process of getting this issue fixed, which will increase the police revenue. Director Prouse stated he has talked with BMPO regarding the design of the intersection of Rushton and Olsen. BMPO recommends stopping the east bound traffic on Rushton and allow north and southbound traffic to continue as through traffic on Olsen and not install a 4-way stop at Olsen and Steele. They also suggested doing a traffic study 1 year after the project is complete to reevaluate the situation. Director Prouse also stated if we do anything other than their recommendation it opens the City up to liability. Clerk West stated the first Iona Days Committee Meeting will be held on Thursday, February 21st at 6:00 p.m. She also stated she has received 40 responses from the Iona Days survey and the top events are the community dinner and the parade. Clerk West also asked if the Council would approve of her doing collections herself, rather than contracting with Bonneville Collections. She informed the Council that many accounts have been delinquent for years and Bonneville Collections has never been able to collect on them and they are still showing in our system. Mayor Gubler stated he has no problem allowing Clerk West to keep collections in house. Attorney Rawlings stated he can assist with any required paperwork such as judgements. Treasurer Sullivan asked if the Council agrees to start charging the snowbirds when they are out of the City during the winter as discussed in the earlier conversation. The Council agreed. SUGGESTED AGENDA ITEMS: No items mentioned. Meeting Adjourned at 9:27 p.m. COUNCIL APPROVED: March 12th, 2019 Dan Gubler, Mayor ATTEST: /(4,,s 6ae- Keri West, City Clerk 6 ed in Shelley and Sugar City. He continued saying the main differences between the Type I and the Type III Tank is in the core wall construction. Mr. Belmont stated DN Tanks has constructed 2,000 of the Type III tanks over the last 60 years. Director Prouse asked what the estimated cost is per gallon for construction for a Type III Tank. Mr. Belmont stated he has not calculated that, but estimates it to be considerably less than a Type I Tank. Mr. Belmont also stated this project does not need the additional features of the Type I Tank for this project. Mayor Gubler inquired as to which features Mr. Belmont is referring. Mr. Belmont stated the unnecessary features include the cast in place core wall and the vertically compressed walls. Council President Geray stated the cost of a Type I Tank is significantly higher than a Type III Tank. He then asked if that is because the Type I Tank is a better tank than the Type III. Mr. Belmont stated a tank this size is all based on the schedule and costs more because of the cast in place process. He also stated the Type I Tank has better seismic performance. Engineer Dave Noel stated the D110 Tank was the standard for a long time. He continued by saying both the D110 and the D 115 are intended to give the same quality of tank with two significantly different construction methods. That is why 5 ffective date. Council President Geray also moved to dispense with the rule of reading the proposed ordinance in full 4 ng type, rather than rate per ERU. Mr. Hendrix stated he agreed with this suggestion and added this chart is defensible in court. Treasurer Sullivan stated if the City Code relating to water bills is going to be changed, she asked for the Council to also consider requiring the water bills to remain in a landlord's name 3 City of Iona Check Register - Iona Check Issue Dates: 2/1/2019 - 2/28/2019 Page: 1 Mar 05, 2019 04:21 PM Report Criteria: Report type: Summary GL Period Check Issue Date Check Number Payee Description GL Account Amount 02/19 02/06/2019 16528 02/19 02/06/2019 16529 02/19 02/06/2019 16530 02/19 02/06/2019 16531 02/19 02/11/2019 16532 02/19 02/12/2019 16544 02/19 02/12/2019 16545 02/19 02/13/2019 16546 02/19 02/13/2019 16547 02/19 02/13/2019 16548 02/19 02/13/2019 16549 02/19 02/13/2019 16550 02/19 02/13/2019 16551 02/19 02/13/2019 16552 02/19 02/13/2019 16553 02/19 02/13/2019 16554 02/19 02/13/2019 16555 02/19 02/13/2019 16556 02/19 02/25/2019 16557 02/19 02/25/2019 16558 02/19 02/25/2019 16559 02/19 02/25/2019 16560 02/19 02/25/2019 16561 02/19 02/25/2019 16562 02/19 02/25/2019 16563 02/19 02/25/2019 16564 02/19 02/25/2019 16565 02/19 02/25/2019 16566 02/19 02/25/2019 16567 02/19 02/25/2019 16568 02/19 02/25/2019 16569 02/19 02/25/2019 16570 02/19 02/25/2019 16571 02/19 02/26/2019 16581 Grand Totals: Summary by General Ledger Account Number INTERMOUNTAIN GAS CO. METROQUIP, INC. WESTERN SYSTEMS, INC. VERIZON WIRELESS ALLEN ELDRIDGE Void Check GREG MCBRIDE CINTAS FIRST AID & SAFETY INTERSTATE BILLING SERVICE, INC. IONA BONNEVILLE SEWER DISTRICT IONA FOOD MART NAPA AUTO PARTS NETBACK,LLC NORCO, INC. PC PLUS PSI ENVIRONMENTAL SCREEN GRAPHICS, INC. UNIFORMS 2 GEAR ALLEN ELDRIDGE GREG MCBRIDE AMBER VEST PHOTOGRAPHY ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION BLACKFOOT CABLE ONE CHEMSEARCH CITY OF IDAHO FALLS TREASURER OFFICE ERIKS NORTH AMERICA, INC. FALLS PLUMBING SUPPLY, INC. HOLDEN KIDWELL HAHN & CRAPO P.L.L.C. HOME DEPOT CREDIT SERVICES POST REGISTER ROCKY MTN. POWER WEX BANK Tolice4 3 32.53 POWERS CANDY CO. INC. GL Account Debit Credit Proof 01-1050 .00 .00 .00 10-2010 .00 15,007.93- 15,007.93- 10-41-50 554.29 .00 554.29 10-41-55 55.20 .00 55.20 10-41-60 1,258.08 .00 1,258.08 10-41-75 1,177.23 .00 1,177.23 10-46-80 4,561.19 .00 4,561.19 10-46-90 849.06 .00 849.06 10-47-10 4,499.10 .00 4,499.10 10-47-20 1,265.11 .00 1,265.11 10-47-90 517.80 .00 517.80 Natural gas Snow Plow edge cut blades Collar assembly, pole, base, and Cell phones Building inspections Propane Impact driver Office PC's backup Lube-Matic Plain applicator Office IT Services Dumpster-Trees Public Works -logo printed on cloth Police equipment Building inspections Mechanical Inspections City Council member photo Membership Telephones Internet Boiler water treatment program Dispatch Services 1st payment Cover plate Shop stock City Attorney Fees Snow removal maint. supplies P.H.-Davidson A Street Lights - A Pow.r Public Works -Ds' .9 539, /1-. Easter Candy 514710 104710 104710 514710 104720 Mechanical Inspections 104720 First Aid Kits refilled 104710 Dump truck repair part 104710 Splash Park sewer fees cir Sanger 104710 61d9 . 104710 104710 104150 104710 104150 104710 514710 104690 104720 104720 104150 104150 514150 514150 514710 104680 104710 104710 514160 104710 104155 104175 104710 104790 801.50 718.38 1,161.94 457.67 200.00 .00 V 120.00 63.92 227.48 307.50 5.44 13.49 75.00 11.48 303.39 236.22 85.00 301.55 600.00 320.00 100.00 15.00 218.85 142.31 204.17 4,561.19 45.56 22.72 1,592.50 358.12 55.20 2,469.88 872.27 517.80 17,185.53 M = Manual Check, V = Void Check City of Iona Check Register - Iona Page: 2 Check Issue Dates: 2/1/2019 - 2/28/2019 Mar 05, 2019 04:17PM GL Account Debit Credit Proof Grand Totals: 10-49-60 270.87 .00 270.87 51-2010 .00 2,177.60- 2,177.60- 51-41-50 156.83 .00 156.83 51-41-60 334.42 .00 334.42 51-41-75 1,292.65 .00 1,292.65 51-47-10 393.70 .00 393.70 17,185.53 17,185.53- .00 Dated: ‘c-7547, 3//, Lot 7 R-J;.,.. .� 1//7 Report Criteria: Report type: Summary M = Manual Check, V = Void Check