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HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes_City Council Work Meeting_02272024 CITY OF IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING IONA CITY HALL FEBRUARY 27,2024 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Mayor Daniel Gubler, Council President Robert Geray, Council Member Michael Thompson, Council Member Evan Mann, Council Member Rylea Farrens, City Attorney Andrew Rawlings, Public Works Director Zech Prouse and City Clerk/Treasurer Keri West. ABSENT: VISITORS: Diana Estrada, Kip Davies, Brooke Allen, Daniel Parrish, Kirsti Cook, James West and Susan Gardner. ITEMS OF BUSINESS: General Fiber Project Discussion with Direct Communications — Brooke Allen with Direct Communications (DC) approached the Council and gave the monthly update for the fiber project. He stated the project is moving along quicker than expected, so they have now brought in a sub- contractor to help with the splicing. He also stated existing customers are currently being switched over to the new plans which have higher speeds at a lower cost. Mr. Allen stated from 2018-2023 the average home went from using approximately 270 GB of data per month to approximately 641 GB of data per month. He also discussed the speed averages across the country and explained their service in Iona will be twice the speed of the national average. Mr. Allen also stated he has heard from the construction crews how great the residents of Iona have been to work with. Council President Geray asked if DC's take rate is meeting expectations. Mr. Allen stated it is exceeding expectations. Director Prouse stated there is still an abundance of cable being stored at his shop and asked if that is expected to be removed this year. Mr. Allen confirmed it will be used this year as they begin turning up each customer. Mayor Gubler stated the City will soon begin the road project on Free, Denning and Scoresby Avenues. He asked about the fiber that has already been pulled to those homes. Director Prouse stated most of the fiber is located 3 feet below the ground, so there should not be any concern with the road project. Discussion of Multi-Tier County Tax and Annexation Approach — Council President Geray stated he requested this discussion topic be added to the agenda and asked Attorney Rawlings if he has any feedback regarding options for a multi-tier tax for county residents not residing in a city. Attorney Rawlings stated he has been researching other states to see if a tiered approach has been utilized. He continued and stated he found one state that charges the same rate for county and city residents, but offered a rebate to those residents that live within a city and are also charged city taxes. Attorney Rawlings stated that is the closest example he has found that allowed city residents an option to pay less for county taxes than non-city residents. He continued and stated mostly what he has found is the same as here, where everyone pays the same county taxes and those residents that live in a city also pay the city taxes. He stated it is typically categorized as urban vs rural, where the urban pays higher taxes because it comes with more benefits. Council President Geray asked a theoretical question regarding a sink hole in the road in county neighborhoods and city neighborhoods and who would be responsible to pay for repairs. Attorney Rawlings confirmed the county would pay for repairs in a county neighborhood and the city would pay for repairs in a city neighborhood. Council President Geray explained the disproportionate benefits this gives county residents because this example illustrates that city IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING - FEBRUARY 27, 2024 residents, who are required to pay the same county tax as county residents, are also paying to fix the sink hole in county neighborhoods. He continued and stated they need to find a way to shrink the gap between the taxes that county residents and city residents are required to pay, especially those in county neighborhoods so close to cities. Council President Geray stated the county should be allowed to have a higher levy rate or greater multiplier for county residents that live outside of municipalities,because those residents are receiving more county services. Council President Geray asked what the next step would be to push this discussion forward. Clerk West stated she has already emailed the Policy Analyst with Association of Idaho Cities (AIC) regarding this idea, but she has not heard back from him. Council Member Thompson suggested reaching out to Austin Black with Bonneville County. He also stated he has reached out to Representative Josh Wheeler to discuss this proposal. Council President Geray stated the City needs to get AIC and the legislatures involved in this discussion. Council Member Thompson stated Representative Wheeler is working on getting a Town Hall set up at the end of March, after they are out of session. Council Member Farrens stated if the City would like to send AIC a proposal for the next legislative session,the deadline is June. Discussion of Central Mailboxes in New Subdivisions — Clerk West stated the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) discussed this at their last meeting and asked the City Council to discuss central mailboxes for all new subdivisions. She continued and stated P&Z requested that the central mailboxes in subdivisions have a turnout from the road so the residents that drive to the mailboxes do not stop on the road. Clerk West stated the P&Z explained the hazards this can cause to other drivers and pedestrians. She continued and stated the post office is now requiring that new subdivisions have the neighborhood mailboxes, rather than individual mailboxes. The request is to get those mailboxes off the main street and accessible by a small turnout from the road. Director Prouse stated this is something that can be required in the development agreement with each new subdivision. Attorney Rawlings stated they can also amend the City Code to have a general statement requiring a road pull out for neighborhood mailboxes. Clerk West stated it does make it easier for her to communicate with developers if requirements are in the Subdivision Ordinance of the City Code, rather than waiting until the development agreement to add requirements. Council President Geray agreed. Attorney Rawlings stated he will draft an amendment that captures this requirement. He asked if the City also wants to require the central mailboxes in new subdivisions, since the post office is already requiring them. All Council Members agreed to have Attorney Rawlings draft an amendment to the Subdivision Ordinance that requires all new subdivisions to install neighborhood mailboxes with a pull out from the road for accessibility. Staff Reports—Clerk West reported the Republican Caucus will take place this Saturday, March 2nd at the Iona City Building for Precincts 41 and 42. Mayor Gubler explained there will be no Primary Election this year due to a new filing rule, so only a Caucus will be held instead. Clerk West also reported the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council (MYAC) will be doing a fundraiser in April with the Shelley and Ammon MYAC groups. She continued and stated it will be a softball tournament that will be held in Shelley, but she does not have the exact date or details yet. Clerk West encouraged all Council Members to attend to support the MYAC groups. She continued and stated in recent years they have had 4 MYAC members attend the annual AIC Conference in June,but this year they are planning on at least 10 members attending. Clerk West stated most of the youth have obtained sponsorships to help pay for their registration, but there are still costs 2 IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING -FEBRUARY 27, 2024 associated with traveling to and from the conference. Clerk West then reported basketball season for the City league finished in February. Council Member Farrens stated she received a lot of complaints about the basketball season. Clerk West stated she has not received any complaints in the office and asked if the complaints have been shared with Recreation Director Shane Oliverson. Council Member Farrens stated she has recommended complaints be submitted in writing, but she has not received any. Council Member Mann stated he also identified a lot of inefficiencies with building scheduling and other aspects of the basketball season since he coached teams and had children work for the recreation department. Clerk West stated there are a lot of conflicts that arise regarding working with the school district, scheduling software, and other variables that come into play when running a recreational league. Clerk West also explained the school district changed the way they charge the City for building space from a flat fee to an hourly rate. She continued and stated the way the gyms were scheduled this year saved the City $2,500. Council Member Thompson stated this was Director Oliverson's first year, so the City needs to understand it was a learning experience. Council Member Mann stated he will talk directly to Director Oliverson about his concerns. Clerk West stated spring flag football registration will take place in March, with games beginning in April at the City Park. She also stated summer sport registration will take place in April. Director Prouse stated the hydrovac trailer the City purchased will be delivered this Thursday. He continued and stated they will start potholing operations next week. He also stated the fuel tank should be delivered by the end of next week. Council Member Thompson asked if the build has begun for the new truck that was purchased last year. Director Prouse stated they have started building it and it should be here in July. Director Prouse stated he has not received any updates on the Child Pedestrian Safety Grant that was submitted. Mayor Gubler stated if the City receives that grant the plan is to do as much of the project as the money allows and then apply again for the remaining funds to complete the project. Mayor Gubler stated there has not been as much snowfall as expected, so they are going to try and get the survey done soon for the new park on 49th North. Mayor Gubler also stated Sheriff Hulse attended a Stand Up for Idaho event, which discussed fentanyl and other drugs threatening our communities. He continued and stated he is planning to invite Sheriff Hulse to hold an event in Iona to educate our residents on this topic. Mayor Gubler also discussed other emergencies that could take place. Council Member Farrens asked if the City Building has a generator. Director Prouse stated there is a generator in the boiler room, but it is only to run the boiler. Mayor Gubler stated they have discussed possibly next year the City will put in additional hand pumps for residents to access water in an emergency. He also stated the potential to deliver water to vulnerable residents during an emergency. Council Member Mann stated he received an email from a resident explaining his concern with parking along Hansen Avenue, on the south side of the City Park. He had a conversation with the resident, and they discussed state statues regarding parking distance from stop signs, etc. He said there is concern for pedestrians crossing the street if drivers cannot see around parked vehicles. Director Prouse stated he will address this issue and remove the parking spaces within 20 feet of the stop sign. Council Member Farrens asked about parking for the proposed bike park on the hill. Mayor Gubler stated the plan is to have a parking lot so that visitors are not parked on the street. 3 IONA CITY COUNCIL WORK MEETING - FEBRUARY 27, 2024 Council Member Farrens then reported she is finalizing the new Veterans Monument for the City Building. She continued and stated it should be completed around Iona Days in July. Council Member Farrens also stated she would like to add to a future agenda the discussion of impact fees on a state level. She continued and stated she would like to discuss it with the City Council with the possibility of taking it to AIC. Clerk West stated she would add it to next month's agenda. Deputy Davies stated nothing to report. Meeting Adjourned: 6:53 p.m. COUNCIL APPROVED: March 26, 2024 Daniel Gubler, Mayor ATTEST: /MA K ri West, City Clerk/Treasurer 4