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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