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HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes_City Council Work Meeting_03162021 CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING IONA CITY HALL MARCH 16,2021 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Mayor Dan Gubler, Council President Rob Geray, Council Member Michael Thompson, Council Member Peter Wadsworth, Council Member Kathy McNamara, City Attorney Andrew Rawlings, Public Works Director Zech Prouse (via teleconference) and City Clerk/Treasurer Keri West. ABSENT: None. VISITORS: Chris Williams and Kevin Casper. ITEMS OF BUSINESS: Discussion of City Building Rentals — Mayor Gubler stated the City has received numerous requests for City Building rentals for private events. He asked the Council their thoughts on reopening the City Building for rentals. Council Member Wadsworth stated he supports opening the building for rentals, but is also hesitant because he believes the City employees are too valuable to put at risk. He suggested waiting one additional month to monitor the COVID-19 cases in our area. Clerk West asked if this applied to organizations that have traditionally used the City Building for their meetings and activities. Council President Geray stated he does not recommend canceling any events or meetings that have already taken place in the building, but would suggest not allowing new rentals. All Council Members agreed. Discussion of"Ball Circle" in Freedom Field Estates —Director Prouse stated there was theft in the undeveloped portion of Freedom Field Estates involving street signs and lights. When Bonneville County Road & Bridge came to replace the missing signs, they informed Director Prouse that "Ball Circle" is used on both the East and West cul-de-sacs of the road. They informed him this is a safety hazard and recommended changing the name of one of the attached cul-de-sacs to avoid confusion. Director Prouse stated he wanted to bring this to the Council's attention and inform them of the option to change the name of one end of the cul-de-sac. Director Prouse continued and stated it would be a lengthy process to change the name of the road since building permits have already been issued and does not believe it is a necessity at this time. He also stated this is a situation to keep in mind for future developments. Lieutenant Casper stated one of the issues with having two cul-de-sacs with the same name is that electronic devices can get confused with navigation. He continued and stated this can present a problem for law enforcement and emergency vehicles. Mayor Gubler agreed and recommended changing one cul-de-sac to "Ball Court" and keeping the other as "Ball Circle". Clerk West agreed and stated she will start the process to change the West side of the cul-de-sac to "Ball Court", as no Certificates of Occupancy have been issued for those homes at this time. Discussion of Memorial Bench in Iona City Park — Director Prouse stated he has received a call from a relative of Tom Shurtliff, requesting to install a granite memorial bench for him at Iona City Park. Director Prouse continued and stated the family is also requesting help with the placement of the bench and any monetary contribution from the City for the cost of materials for 1 the base. Director Prouse informed the Council that Tom Shurtliff was very well known in this valley as a horseman and a contributing member of this community for many years. Council President Geray suggested having the bench at Pioneer Park. Director Prouse stated he can suggest that to the family, but recognized their desire to have it at the Iona City Park. Council President Geray asked the Council to consider how they view memorials being placed in the park, considering the number of requests that have already been brought to the City and the amount that can be presumed at a later time. He continued and expressed his desire to keep the decisions consistent. Council Member Wadsworth stated he thinks a bench on the walking path is a good idea and feels it is important to honor the past. Mayor Gubler agreed and asked Director Prouse where the family would like the bench to be placed. Director Prouse said they requested it to be close to the North Shelter. All Council Members agreed to allowing the bench be placed in Iona City Park and having the City in charge of placement and installation, but the family will need to purchase all materials. Discussion of Iona City Code § 9-4-5(C): Storage of Vehicles on Public Streets — Deputy Chris Williams with Bonneville County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) stated he has requested the Council discuss the plowing hours during the winter months. He continued and explained this section of the City Code currently states that vehicles must be removed from the streets from 6:00am — noon from Thanksgiving until Easter. Director Prouse stated he would prefer to not allow any on-street parking during these months to allow them better accessibility of all roads for plowing, regardless of the time in which it snows. Council Member Thompson stated the City of Ammon and the City of Idaho Falls both declare a snow event and require all vehicles to be removed from streets prior to snow storms. Mayor Gubler stated our City does not have the manpower to put up signs and notify residents before each snow event. Director Prouse agreed and suggested changing the time to 6:00am — 6:00pm. Council President Geray asked Director Prouse what the earliest time he begins plowing is. Director Prouse confirmed he sometimes begins at 4:00am, depending on the snowfall. Mayor Gubler suggested possibly dictating a snow event to restrict on street parking, rather than a time of day. Attorney Rawlings stated if that was used, the Code would need to define a snow event by inches of snow at a certain location. Council President Geray stated he feels that could be difficult to enforce and suggested sticking to timeframes. Director Prouse agreed. Council Member Wadsworth suggested 5:00am — 5:00pm. Director Prouse approved this timeframe. All Council Members and Mayor Gubler agreed. Discussion of Iona City Code § 9-4-10: Impounding Fees — Deputy Williams stated this section of the City Code currently states that a person that has had their vehicle impounded must first pay $15 to the City Office, prior to retrieving their vehicle from the impound lot and paying any additional fees. Clerk West stated this has never occurred while she has worked for the City. Lieutenant Kevin Casper with BCSO stated there is a section in the Idaho State Code that addresses impounding cars, which is easier for law enforcement agencies to follow and enforce. Mayor Gubler stated if BCSO would be the entity in charge of impounding vehicles, he does not feel it is appropriate for the City to charge an additional $15 fee. Council Members all agreed to remove the $15 fee. Mayor Gubler advised Attorney Rawlings to draft an amendment of this section for the Council to approve at next month's meeting. Attorney Rawlings agreed. Discussion of Iona City Code § 9-4-23: Penalties, pertaining to Public Parking violations — Deputy Williams stated he would like this section cleaned up to be better understood by the general public. He expressed his concern that this section is confusing and difficult to follow. 2 Attorney Rawlings stated he will contact Deputy Williams to discuss this and get his suggestions on how to amend it appropriately. Council Members agreed with this course of action. General Water System Discussion—Mayor Gubler stated he was notified by the Army Corp of Engineers (ACoE) that there is now a one month comment period before the grant process is complete. He continued and stated if no comments are received, work on the water project can resume in April. Mayor Gubler then added that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had made a couple of errors earlier in the process that were discovered by ACoE. He continued and stated the BLM is now working with the ACoE to correct those errors. Mayor Gubler stated in relation to the water project,he has spoken with the owners of the private road that leads to the new water tank. He continued and stated he discussed with them the option of having them quitclaim deed the road to the City. This would enable the City to have it paved and maintain it for future use. He continued and stated he has not heard back from them with their decision. Meeting Adjourned: 6:45 p.m. COUNCIL APPROVED: April 20, 2021 Dan Gubler, Mayor ATTEST: ('(J , t eri West, City Clerk/Treasurer 3