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HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes_City Council Work Meeting_03212023 CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING IONA CITY HALL MARCH 21,2023 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 and City Clerk/Treasurer Keri West. ABSENT: Public Works Director Zech Prouse. VISITORS: James West, Greg McBride, Allen Eldridge and Brent Purcell. ITEMS OF BUSINESS: Discussion of Iona Variety Show, Jose Loera — Jose Loera approached the Council and thanked them for allowing his group to use the City Building for the Iona Variety Show in February. He continued and stated he felt it was a success. Mr. Loera expressed appreciation to the office staff for their help and communication during the process. He continued and stated they feel the success was due to three components: participation in the show; the dinner fundraiser; and constructive feedback. He elaborated on these elements and stated they were able to pay off all expenses for the show with the fundraiser and have a small surplus to go towards the next show. Mr. Loera continued and stated he received feedback from performers that are interested in participating in future shows because of the small time commitment required for this type of performance. Council President Geray asked if there are any immediate plans to do another show. Mr. Loera stated they are planning to do another show next February with a possibility of one prior to that, but no formal plans have been made. Council President Geray asked Clerk West her perspective on whether these shows should continue in the City Building. Clerk West stated she attended the show and would highly recommend the City promoting and assisting this type of event to take place. She continued and stated she received a lot of positive feedback at the event and afterwards by residents who really enjoyed the evening with their families. Council Member Mann agreed and stated the gym was full at both performances. He continued and stated he was worried about the sound, but thought it turned out well. Mr. Loera then stated there are issues with echoes in the gym and requested the City help with that if their budget allows. Council Member Mann asked what their net income goal was for the fundraiser. Mr. Loera stated their goal was to break even and they were able to meet and exceed that goal by a small amount. The Council all agreed this event is good for the community and permitted Mr. Loera to work directly with Clerk West in the future without requiring further approval from the Council. Discussion Building Permit Fees and Processes —Council President Geray stated he requested to have this discussion regarding the process and the reasoning behind the permit fees. He continued and stated he has come to the realization that the fees are necessary and are not out of control, but wants to make sure the City is doing everything possible to encourage residents to obtain permits. He continued and stated residents also need to be educated on the downside and danger of not doing these home projects the right way and ensuring the City is making it as affordable as possible to encourage this process. Council President Geray continued and stated he does not expect the inspectors to work for free and understands the time, effort and money they have dedicated to their certification and experience in their fields. He stated working on his IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING—MARCH 21, 2023 basement has been an eye opening experience on the cost, but also the importance of doing things correctly to ensure health and safety. Building Official Allen Eldridge stated he wants the Council to know that the inspectors work hard to be available to the residents of Iona and answer their permit questions. He continued and stated the permit process requires a team effort to take place constantly between the inspectors and Clerk West, along with the rest of the office staff. Official Eldridge stated for every 1 project that gets a permit there are approximately 4 projects that do not. He continued and stated this can be a safety issue for the residents and they take a lot of pride in their jobs and keeping the residents safe. Council President Geray recommended the Council educate and encourage their neighbors of the importance of taking the proper steps to have their projects permitted. Council Member Mann recommended the City have a type of "Q&A" section on the City's website to answer common questions regarding home improvement projects. Official Eldridge stated he agreed that would be a good idea and also to specify which permits are required. Clerk West explained the process involved for permits from the first contact until the final approval. She continued and stated the office staff works hard to educate residents on this process and the benefits of obtaining the permit. Clerk West then continued and stated as for the fees, Greg McBride and Brent Purcell have both stated the other cities they do inspections for pay them more per inspection than the City of Iona. She has discussed this with them and stated the proposed Resolution that will be discussed later includes a per-inspection raise for new construction,but not projects on existing structures such as basement finishes, etc. Discussion of Amendment to Iona City Code § 11-11-6: Accessory Buildings; pertaining to the addition of setback requirements for Accessory Buildings, from all existing structures, Allen Eldridge — Official Eldridge stated the current City Code has established property line setbacks for accessory buildings, but not from the main structure. He continued and stated for fire safety he would recommend a minimum of 10 feet, but other municipalities have a requirement of 12 feet. Official Eldridge stated that there are a lot of sheds and small shops being installed that do not require a permit because they are less than the 200 square foot requirement, but they do still need to meet setback requirements. He continued and stated he would like to have a setback requirement in the Code that disallows those structures to be closer than 10-12 feet to the main structure. Clerk West stated this is a discussion item and if the Council decides to move forward it will be an action item on next month's agenda. Council President Geray stated if the 12 foot setback is a standard for the area, that is what he would recommend. All Council Members agreed. Discussion of Potential/Prospect of Annexations — Mayor Gubler explained this is just a discussion about the prospect of future annexations. He continued and stated in the past the City attempted a Category B Annexation of the Green Valley and Nu'R subdivisions that did not go through. Mayor Gubler stated he is strongly encouraging the education piece of the annexation to come first, meaning holding a public meeting with those residents to educate them on the process prior to beginning. He continued and stated he thinks the City should send letters to the residents of the Nu'R Subdivision and invite them to a meeting to discuss the prospect of annexation. Council President Geray clarified the Nu'R Subdivision is the 22 homes located on the east side of Crowley Road(45th East), that borders the City of Iona limits. Clerk West stated she understands this may not be an urgent matter for the City, but she has received various phone calls from the HOA President of Green Valley and other residents inquiring about the potential of their neighborhood being annexed into the City. Council Member 2 IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING—MARCH 21, 2023 Thompson stated he has talked with individuals from Green Valley also and has been told about a petition that has been signed by those that are interested in being annexed into the City. He continued and stated that neighborhood has their own Facebook page and it has been discussed a lot this winter with the snow plow frustrations. Council Member Thompson stated with the levy rate differences between Bonneville County and the City of Iona, he believes most of those residents would see an increase of approximately $300/year if they were annexed into the City of Iona. Council Member Mann agreed and stated he has also talked to many close friends in Green Valley that have expressed interest in being annexed into the City of Iona. Council President Geray stated the biggest hurdle is creating contiguity and that is where the Nu'R Subdivision comes into play. Council Member Thompson asked if Green Valley residents would still need to approve annexation, once they become contiguous. Mayor Gubler stated the City can do a Category B Annexation, which does not require majority approval. He then stated that to make Green Valley contiguous, only one house from the Nu'R Subdivision needs to be annexed. Clerk West stated it would be difficult from the administrative perspective to only seek annexation of one or two houses, rather than a whole street or subdivision. She continued and stated that creates holes throughout the City of unincorporated lots. Council President Geray agreed and stated the ideal is to have a full subdivision annex, but Category B Annexations are difficult and can become very aggressive and complicated. Mayor Gubler stated this is why he is recommending an open meeting with the residents prior to any formal action taking place. Council Member Thompson asked Attorney Rawlings how he recommends the City moves forward. Attorney Rawlings stated he would like to research more information on annexation procedures and various options the City can take regarding annexation. He continued and stated he will present that information at the next meeting. Council President Geray & Council Member Thompson agreed this is necessary, prior to contacting or meeting with any residents. Council President Geray then asked Attorney Rawlings if there is anything the City can offer as part of a negotiation for annexation. Attorney Rawlings stated the City cannot offer any kind of reduced property tax for annexation. Mayor Gubler asked Council Member Mann, relating to annexations and Bonneville County, what happened at the last Bonneville County Planning & Zoning Meeting regarding the Badger Creek subdivision. Council Member Mann stated there was a lot of opposition and the P&Z Commission denied the re-zone. James West, a Bonneville County Planning and Zoning Commission member, clarified and stated they denied the re-zone application but did approve the preliminary plat. Mr. West also stated there will be another re-zone hearing at tomorrow's P&Z Meeting for Bonneville County for a small piece of undeveloped land in the Red Rock Subdivision. Mayor Gubler instructed Attorney Rawlings to draft a letter regarding this application. He also requested Council Member Mann to attend the meeting as a representative of the City. Meeting Adjourned: 6:56 p.m. COUNCIL APPROVED: April 18, 2023 Dan ubler, Mayor ATTEST: eri West, City Clerk/Treasurer 3