HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes_City Council Work Meeting_11162021 CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING
IONA CITY HALL
NOVEMBER 16,2021 6:00 P.M.
PRESENT: Council President Rob Geray, Council Member Peter Wadsworth, Council Member
Michael Thompson, Council Member Kathy McNamara, City Attorney Andrew Rawlings,
Public Works Director Zech Prouse and City Clerk/Treasurer Keri West.
ABSENT: Mayor Dan Gubler.
VISITORS: James West, Sarah Long, Jeff Long, Maurice Theriault, Evan Mann and Chris
Williams.
ITEMS OF BUSINESS:
Discussion with Snake River Animal Shelter—Council Member Wadsworth stated he was told
that a representative from the Snake River Animal Shelter would be present at tonight's meeting.
However, there was no one in the chambers to represent the Snake River Animal Shelter. Clerk
West stated the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter did issue a check in the amount of $1,600 for
impound fees they collected on behalf of the City during FY2021. Council Member Wadsworth
stated he appreciates that, but the amount they are charging the City for impounding dogs is still
astronomical. Council Member Thompson asked how much the City had been charged. Clerk
West stated she didn't have the exact numbers accessible at that moment, but believed it to be
approximately $5,000. Council Member Wadsworth stated Snake River Animal Shelter had
quoted him $40/dog, a total of$280 for the 7 dogs that were impounded from the City of Iona
last year. Clerk West also stated the City of Ammon has switched shelters and is no longer using
the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter, which is another reason our costs have increased. Council
Member Wadsworth stated he has heard many complaints from patrons regarding the impound
fee they are charged by the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter, which is necessary to lessen the amount
the City of Iona is responsible for paying. He continued and stated he would like to contract with
a different animal shelter that will charge less for impounding dogs picked up in the City.
Council Member Thompson agreed with looking into other shelters to compare costs. Council
Member Wadsworth asked Deputy Williams how it would affect our contract with Bonneville
County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) if the City wanted to switch animal shelters that would serve as
our impound provider. Deputy Williams stated it would not affect the contract,just like it did not
affect the City of Ammon's contract with them when they left the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter.
Clerk West stated the City's contract with BCSO does not specify which animal shelter is used.
BCSO will just need to know if the City changes so they know where to take the dogs they
pickup from Iona.
Discussion of City Christmas Event — Office Assistant Rylea Farrens stated Von White, who
had offered to do free carriage rides around the City Building for the Christmas event, recently
passed away. She continued and stated that was the only part of the event that has already been
advertised. She continued and stated Director Prouse is still planning on putting lights up on the
City Building, but she is now wondering what the City Council would like to happen with this
event. Assistant Farrens continued and stated she has called other carriage or wagon companies
to see if someone else would be available and has received no response. Council Member
IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING—NOVEMBER 16, 2021
McNamara stated the couple that has offered to come to the event as Santa& Mrs. Clause is still
interested. She continued and stated they will need to sit down for the duration of the event.
Assistant Farrens stated the options would be to either cancel the event or just make the event
much smaller with Santa & Mrs. Clause, hot chocolate and lighting the building. She continued
and suggested incorporating the canned food drive for people to earn a visit with Santa. Council
Member Wadsworth suggested having the canned food drive sign state, "In Memory of Von
White." All Council Members agreed to this idea and to continue with the event as planned.
Clerk West voiced her concern with having so many large events and the lack of volunteers
willing to help. She continued and encouraged the Council to help with these events or help find
volunteers. Assistant Farrens stated this event has been difficult to plan because it wasn't
suggested until September. At that time she was already in the middle of planning the Halloween
Carnival and the Veterans Day event. She continued and stated going forward she should have
time to find volunteers, but this year it has been difficult on short notice. Council President
Geray asked if the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council (MYAC) is planning to be involved in this
event. Assistant Farrens stated they are in charge of the Angel Tree and the food drive. She
continued and stated she will begin planning the event to be held on December 4tn
Discussion of Bike Lane on Dayton Street — Clerk West stated Iona Elementary is really over
capacity this year. This has created a lot of traffic and long lines during the morning drop off and
afternoon pick up times. Because of this, more and more parents are using Dayton Street, which
is across the street to the north of the elementary school, to drop off and pick up their kids. They
are parking in bike lanes and creating a dangerous situation for kids that are forced to walk in the
middle of the road. She continued and stated there has been a lot of complaints and discussions
on Facebook regarding this situation. Jeff Long stood and approached the Council to discuss his
safety concerns and possible solutions to this problem. Mr. Long stated he does not like the bike
lane on Dayton Street. He continued and stated the new bike lane on Denning Avenue connects
to sidewalks on both sides, but the one on Dayton Street ends after one block and does not
connect to a sidewalk. Mr. Long continued and stated painting a line on the side of the road and
calling it a bike lane creates a false sense of security. He then stated his opinion that installing
sidewalks would be the best solution to increase safety. He did state that he understands this
would be expensive and may not be the most economical. Mr. Long also suggested allowing
parents to park on the other side of the road and only having a bike lane on one side of Dayton
Street. He then continued and stated by eliminating Dayton Street as an option for parents, it
pushes the traffic and creates a bigger problem on Iona Road, which also has a bike lane.
Director Prouse stated the bike lane striping and signs are intended to direct the motorists to obey
the law and create a safe place for cycling and pedestrians to travel. He continued and stated one
option the City is looking into is having a secondary drop off lane on Iona Road, parallel to the
bus drop off lane and the school's parking lot. Director Prouse stated he believes this will be the
best option for motorists and pedestrians. He continued and stated the City will need to
coordinate with District#93 to see if this is even an option. Director Prouse also stated he agrees
that sidewalks are needed in old town Iona, but that type of project would need to be completed
as a whole to be the most cost effective. A project of that scope would need to be planned and
budgeted for far in advance. Council Member Wadsworth stated the cost of a project that size is
difficult with the limited budget the City has and the ongoing maintenance required throughout
the City.
Sarah Long stated she has been using Dayton Street as a drop off and is now using the parking
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IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING—NOVEMBER 16, 2021
by the tennis courts as suggested by Deputy Williams. However, she feels this just pushed the
problem one block away and is now requiring kids to walk in the middle of the road with no bike
lane and parents to back up out of the parking spots near the tennis courts. Director Prouse stated
there is a responsibility to drive cautiously when operating a motor vehicle. Mrs. Long agreed,
but added her daughter has to travel 5 blocks with no bike path to get home from the elementary
school. Council President Geray stated this is a dilution scenario. He explained that safety is
never a guarantee when using a bike lane, but they are diluting the problem by allowing space for
people to spread out away from the congestion and traffic at the elementary school. Mr. Long
stated he appreciates hearing from the Council and the long-term solutions already being
considered by the City.
Discussion and Approval of New City Limit Signs — Director Prouse suggested a new design
for the City Limit signs with the new City logo and updated population. Council Member
Thompson suggested adjustments to font size. All Council Members agreed and approved the
design provided by Director Prouse.
Discussion and Approval of Records Management Licensing Upgrade — Clerk West stated
the City currently uses a software company called Laserfiche for records management. She
continued and stated this is the program people use to access all of the City Council Minutes and
the City Code through the City website. Clerk West stated the company is changing its licensing
structure, which requires the City to move over to this new platform. She continued and stated
the City can either keep the same price and features, or upgrade for approximately $1,100/year
and receive a lot more features with our program. She specified the main feature this would
include would be a "Forms Portal". This would enable people to fill out applications and forms
on the website and send them directly to the City. Currently, patrons and customers are required
to print the forms, fill them out and either email them or bring them into the City Office. Council
Member Wadsworth asked if the City receives enough applications and forms throughout the
year to justify $1,100/year. Clerk West and Director Prouse agreed between water applications,
building permits, etc., the cost increase is justified and would reduce the amount of time it takes
to process these applications. Council Member Thompson asked if this could also be used by the
Sports & Recreation Department for registration information. Clerk West confirmed the top
upgrade would have unlimited applications for the Forms Portal. Council President Geray stated
it sounds beneficial for everyone and has no concerns. Council Member Wadsworth suggested
having a local company bid a similar program to see if it is less expensive. Clerk West stated she
is not opposed to saving money, but there are already a lot of records on the current program that
would take a lot of time to move to a different program. She also continued and stated this
program includes the public portal for patrons to view documents live from the website. Council
all approved to upgrade the records management system to include the unlimited Forms Portal
with Laserfiche.
General Water System Discussion — Director Prouse stated there have been leaks associated
with the new water tank. He continued and stated it is not uncommon for this type of structure
and is repairable. He continued and stated there have already been divers in the tank to
investigate and do initial repairs. Director Prouse continued and stated the tank is currently
draining for further repairs. He continued and stated the City will not sign off on it until the tank
passes a 48 hour non-leakage test and meets all the required standards. Council President Geray
asked if there have been any change orders submitted that the City is expected to pay. Director
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IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING—NOVEMBER 16, 2021
Prouse stated that would not be acceptable as the City is not at fault. Director Prouse also stated
the electrical and mechanical components are nearing completion and the well has been verified
that it is pumping as designed.
Council President Geray stated regarding the hand pumped well in front of the City Building,
Mayor Gubler has expressed a desire to possibly enhance that well for emergency preparedness.
One idea could include an electric motor to increase the capacity. Director Prouse stated this
option would mean gutting the entire casing, dropping a submersible pump inside and adding a
power source. Council President Geray then asked if all of the wells have backup emergency
power. Director Prouse said there is emergency power on all of the wells, except the old tank
site. Director Prouse said this was discussed as an item to add to the water bond if funds were
available, but the funds for the project have been used for the new tank. He continued and stated
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds could be used for this, but the ARPA funds are also
being considered for other expenses. Clerk West stated the ARPA funds can be used for water,
fiber and some infrastructure expenses.
Attorney Rawlings stated an update regarding the mitigation situation where the City of Iona has
been leasing water from the City of Pocatello. He continued and stated that bill is due tomorrow,
so he has worked directly with Clerk West to get that agreement signed and paid on time. Clerk
West stated it was approximately $100 more than the previous year. Director Prouse encouraged
Attorney Rawlings to reach out to the City of Pocatello for a reassessment since the City of Iona
has purchased additional water rights.
Clerk West stated regarding the water project, she will need to re-open the Fiscal Year 2022
budget to accurately capture the revenues and expenditures for the water project. She continued
and stated she was told the project would be completed in the last fiscal year, so there are no
revenues or expenditures for the water project captured in the current budget. Council President
Geray encouraged Clerk West to make a double payment on the bond once the first payment is
due. He continued and stated his desire is to eliminate that debt as soon as possible. He continued
and suggested having this discussion again when Mayor Gubler is present. Clerk West stated she
would include that in the budget amendment in December to discuss.
Meeting Adjourned: 6:51 p.m.
COUNCIL APPROVED: December 21, 2021 -�
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Rob Geray ounci ident
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Keri West, City Clerk/Treasurer
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