HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes_City Council Work Meeting_11152022 CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING
IONA CITY HALL
NOVEMBER 15,2022 6:00 P.M.
PRESENT: Mayor Dan Gubler, Council President Rob Geray, Council Member Michael
Thompson, Council Member Peter Wadsworth, Council Member Evan Mann, City Attorney
Andrew Rawlings, Public Works Director Zech Prouse and City Clerk/Treasurer Keri West.
ABSENT: None.
•VISITORS: James West,Jason Cooper, Timalee Geisler,Heather Marley and Bill Koester.
ITEMS OF BUSINESS:
Review Park Improvement Survey and Discuss Improvement Project; Timalee Geisler,
Eastern Idaho Public Health — Timalee Geisler with Eastern Idaho Public Health (EIPH)
introduced herself and distributed paper copies of the survey results to Mayor Gubler and all
Council Members. She continued and stated she has been working with the Mayor's Youth
Advisory Council (MYAC) to encourage the community participation in the Park Improvement
Survey for the City of Iona. Ms. Geisler stated they received 20 total responses from the survey.
Council Member Mann asked how the survey was distributed. Clerk West stated the survey was
posted on the City Facebook page and website, along with the newsletters that are mailed out
with the monthly water bill. Ms. Geisler stated the purpose of the survey was to gather
information from the public on the type of improvements they would like to see in the City parks
and how the City should use the $1,200 (per park) they will receive from EIPH. Ms. Geisler
stated funds must be used on items that are non-permanent, such as benches, shade sales, picnic
tables, etc. She continued and encouraged the City to utilize the funds for ages 0-100 and are
wheelchair accessible to allow everyone the opportunity to enjoy the park. Council Members
reviewed and discussed the survey results. Ms. Geisler explained the process to receive the
funds. Mayor Gubler stated he has discussed this with Director Prouse and they both agreed that
benches at the Iona Park and Pioneer Park would be the best use for the funds. Council President
Geray mentioned the possibility of custom benches with the City's logo for the parks. Mayor
Gubler stated Director Prouse has found a more cost effective option that would allow the
purchase of more benches. He continued and stated Director Prouse will communicate with Ms.
Geisler directly to get the benches ordered.
Discussion of Road Cross Section Designs — Mayor Gubler stated the Planning & Zoning
Commission (P&Z) reviewed the proposed designs at their meeting last week and had some
questions for the City Council. He continued and stated the main question they had was where
the water would go if the City implemented a curb and gutter standard rather than drainage
swales. Mayor Gubler stated the main objectives of going to a curb and gutter design are to
increase the total width of the asphalt on the road and to eliminate the problems associated with
drainage swales. He continued and stated there are nearby subdivisions in Bonneville County
that have wider roads with curb and gutter that look fantastic and don't have the drainage issues
many of our neighborhoods experience. Mayor Gubler also reiterated his desire to have wider
roads to allow easier access for vehicles to drive when other vehicles are parked on the side of
the road. He continued and stated he has been working with Director Prouse and the City
Engineer to come up with a design that allows curb and gutter and infiltrators along the roadway
for water drainage. He continued and stated the developers will have two options which include
IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING—NOVEMBER 15, 2022
an infiltrator system or an evaporation pond. Mayor Gubler stated the developers will be required
to provide percolation tests and will need to meet state standards for the system they choose.
Jason Cooper from the P&Z introduced himself and stated he is a civil engineer and has designed
roads and infiltrators throughout his career. He continued and stated he is concerned about the
ongoing maintenance of the infiltration system and the damage that can be caused if a
maintenance plan is not in place. Mr. Cooper stated as for the drawings, they have a design
requirement for infiltrators to be based on a "10 year storm event". He continued and stated he
strongly recommends changing that to a "25 year storm event". Mayor Gubler stated the intent
right now is not to pass something that cannot be changed or enhanced later. He continued and
stated the intention now is to get the roadway cross section design adopted into the City Code
before another developer approaches the City with a new development. Director Prouse stated
the "10 year storm event" was a recommendation from the City Engineer. He continued and
stated the City Code also allows for hydrologic design for curb and gutter for public ways with
accepted engineering principles and subdivision directives. James West, P&Z Chairman, stated
the concern of the P&Z is that if the details are not included when this amendment is passed,
they will not be addressed later. He continued and stated it seems like a quick fix for a potential
problem that is being overlooked. Council Member Wadsworth agreed and asked why they
would pass an amendment without considering all the details up front. He continued and stated if
the City allows developers to include an infiltrator system, the City needs to have a maintenance
plan in place with the costs associated accounted for. Director Prouse stated the City can contract
with companies to clean out the infiltrators,just as the City would have to pay for the cost of a
drainage swale reclamation project in the future. Mayor Gubler stated he likes the idea of an
evaporation pond. He continued and stated it would be lined with a substance to not allow the
water to go back into the soil and disturb the water table. Instead, the water would evaporate into
the air. Director Prouse stated the evaporation ponds would have annual maintenance such as
mowing, mosquito treatment, etc. Council Member Wadsworth noted that either way the
developer chooses to go, there will be a cost to the City associated with it. Director Prouse
reiterated the main goal is to increase the width of the asphalt while still addressing the drainage
issues. Mayor Gubler agreed and asked Mr. Cooper his opinion on the best option for the City.
Mr. Cooper stated the infiltrator system or the retention pond are the easiest options to address
drainage. Council Member Mann asked how often the City would need to have the infiltrators
cleaned out. Mr. Cooper recommended 3-5 years, but it would depend on various factors.
Council President Geray stated he thinks it would be appropriate to have an annual inspection to
determine when a clean out is necessary. Mr. Cooper agreed. He continued and stated he
understands the Council's desire to widen the roads to address the on-street parking issues and
allow easier access for emergency vehicles. However, the P&Z wanted to bring attention to the
concerns associated with infiltrator systems to include them in the conversation as a whole and
address them before they become problems. Mayor Gubler appreciated that and asked if the
Council has addressed the P&Z's concerns. Mr. West stated the concerns have been addressed,
but still doesn't see in the amendment where a retention pond is an option. Mayor Gubler stated
he prefers the infiltrator option over the retention pond. Mr. West stated from the City's
perspective he agrees that an infiltrator system is the better option. However, from a resident's
perspective,he believes a retention pond is a good option,which requires developers to designate
green space in a neighborhood. Mayor Gubler stated the City can also add to the Code that a
developer is required to dedicate a green space area in each subdivision. Mr. West agreed and
stated that needs to be a discussion for a future amendment. Council President Geray also agreed
2
IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING—NOVEMBER 15, 2022
and stated it is not unreasonable to have a green space requirement with the size dependent on
the development size in its entirety. Mayor Gubler stated that will need to be part of a future
discussion. Council Member Wadsworth stated if that is something the Council wants to do, we
should include that in this discussion and get the amendment done all at once. Council President
Geray stated the road cross section is the biggest concern right now and he feels it should be
addressed now and the green space requirement can be revisited as it does not directly relate to
the current discussion.
Mr. West stated he understands this current amendment only pertains to new developments but
asked if existing residents are able to extend their asphalt and add an infiltrator to their home.
Mayor Gubler stated that would be a separate discussion. Director Prouse stated the City does
have a standard design for a rock trench, which is a standard infiltrator design,but it has not been
adopted for that specific situation. Mayor Gubler stated when the City begins doing roadway
replacements,this new standard is what will be followed. As for individual homeowners,that is a
separate discussion that will be addressed in the near future.
Mr. Cooper stated he appreciates the Council addressing the P&Z's concerns. He continued and
stated the only other item he would suggest changing is that a percolation test needs to be
required for every infiltrator system and not on a case-by-case basis. Director Prouse agreed.
Council President Geray asked if the Council wants to change the storm event to a 25 year, rather
than a 10 year as currently stated in the proposed amendment. Mayor Gubler asked Mr. Cooper
his opinion. Mr. Cooper stated it depends on what the City and City Engineer are comfortable
with, but the 25 year storm event requirement would be a factor of safety for the City. Director
Prouse expressed concern that a developer may feel that is unreasonable. Mayor Gubler stated he
is not concerned with that. Council President Geray agreed and noted only two changes that will
need to be included in the motion for the amendment.
General Discussion of Fiber Internet Project—Mayor Gubler stated he has already signed the
contract and it has been sent to Direct Communications. He continued and stated we have not
received their signed copy back yet but are expecting to receive it this week. Attorney Rawlings
stated he did receive an updated Schedule 2.7 which includes the lowest advertised monthly rates
for customers. He continued and stated Direct Communications also wants to confirm the due
dates as November 30th for the initial design attachment and December 30th for the initial
construction submission. Attorney Rawlings stated Direct Communications is intending to work
directly with Director Prouse on the construction submission. Mayor Gubler stated he would like
to sit down and have a pre-construction meeting and regular meetings throughout the project.
Director Prouse agreed and stated it is stipulated in the contract. Council President Geray asked
if Direct Communications agreed to the May 1, 2023 start date the City included in the most
recent version of the contract. Attorney Rawlings stated he has not received any additional
comments on the contract the City submitted to them.
Council Member Wadsworth asked if Fybercom has started work in Iona. Director Prouse
confirmed they are in the City and are currently working on 50th East. Council President Geray
stated some residents will have two options for fiber internet providers. Mayor Gubler agreed
and said the City is contracting with Direct Communications and will get the desired product.
Discussion of Bonneville County Area of Impact Agreement— Mayor Gubler stated the City
3
IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING—NOVEMBER 15, 2022
Council will be meeting with the Bonneville County Planning & Zoning Commission in
December. Clerk West stated the meeting is scheduled to take place on December 7th at 7:15pm
at the Bonneville County Elections Office on Capital Avenue. Mayor Gubler stated this
discussion is to determine if the City Council has anything we would like to accomplish other
than an updated signed agreement with Bonneville County. Mayor Gubler stated the City has
grown into the Impact Area as designated on the current Area of Impact Agreement. He
continued and stated the map is one of the topics that needs to be discussed. Mayor Gubler also
stated the minimum lot size in the agreement does not match current City Code and needs to be
discussed. Council Member Thompson asked if the impact area can extend to Highway 26.
Mayor Gubler stated in the past Bonneville County allowed the impact area to extend 1 mile past
the current City limits. He continued and stated that was to ensure the City had the infrastructure
for utilities for new developments in the area of impact. Mayor Gubler discussed the potential
plans for Iona Bonneville Sewer District to have their own plant, rather than to continue
depending on the City of Idaho Falls. Council President Geray stated there has been a desire in
the past to have the Iona Cemetery included in the City of Iona's area of impact. It is currently
part of the City of Ammon's area of impact. Mayor Gubler stated Bonneville County will not
agree to overlapping areas of impact between municipalities. Council President Geray stated he
feels it is worth a discussion with the City of Ammon to adjust their area of impact line to allow
the Iona Cemetery in the City of Iona's area of impact. He continued and stated there may be
other areas the City of Ammon would desire that the City of Iona could concede. Council
President Geray stated that decision should be made between the City of Iona and the City of
Ammon, not Bonneville County. Attorney Rawlings agreed and said the state statute confirms
that if an area overlaps two cities' areas of impact, those cities should ultimately decide where
the line is drawn and if they cannot come to an agreement then the decision goes to the county.
Council President Geray agreed and suggested a conversation with the City of Ammon needs to
take place regarding this decision. He continued and stated Bonneville County has not updated
any of their Area of Impact Agreements since 2001, so the City of Ammon should be going
through this same process also. Mayor Gubler stated he will talk to Mayor Coletti in Ammon.
Chairman West stated the P&Z recommended to the City Council that the area of impact
includes the Iona Cemetery on the south side of 15t Street. He stated there could be a straight line
on the south side of the cemetery that extends east and west. Council President Geray expressed
hesitation to ask for that much property from the City of Ammon when the main objective is to
get the cemetery into our area of impact. He continued and stated moving that line to 15t Street
with a notch south to include the cemetery would also capture the schools on 15t Street. Attorney
Rawlings read the factors to consider when determining an area of impact as stated in the state
statute. Clerk West stated she requested a map from the City Engineer that illustrates the 1 mile
boundary from the current City limits,but has not received it yet. She also said this discussion is
on the Regular Meeting agenda so the Council can continue the discussion at the next meeting.
Meeting Adjourned: 6:58 p.m.
COUNCIL APPROVED: December 20, 2022
Dan ubler, Mayor
ATTEST: j6./C/(
Keri West, City Clerk/Treasurer
4