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Home My Public Portal AboutMIN-CC-2017-03-31MOAB CITY COUNCIL MINUTES SPECIAL JOINT CITY/COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 31, 2017 Special Workshop Meeting & Attendance: The Moab City Council held a Special Joint City/County Council Meeting on the above date in the Council Chambers at the Moab City Center, located at 217 East Center Street, Moab, Utah. A recording of the meeting is archived at http://www.utah.gov/pnnn/index.html. Meeting Called to Order: County Council Chair Jaylyn Hawks called the meeting to order at 11:35 AM. Ten members of the public and media were present. In attendance were City Councilmembers Heila Ershadi, Tawny Knuteson-Boyd, Kyle Bailey and Kalen Jones. Also in attendance were City Manager David Everitt, City Recorder/Assistant City Manager Rachel Stenta, Community Services Director Amy Weiser, and Film Commission Director Bega Metzner. Grand County Councilmembers Mary McGann, Jaylyn Hawks, Chris Baird, Curtis Wells, Evan Clapper, and Greg Halliday were also in attendance, as well as Grand County Community Development Director Zacharia Levine, Grand County Council Administrator Ruth Dillon, and Grand County Clerk Diana Carroll. Ershadi departed at 12:50 PM. Knuteson-Boyd departed at 1:12 PM. The start of the workshop consisted of a discussion of the Film Commission budget. Councilmember Baird suggested a discussion was appropriate since the County and the City share funding for the Film Commission. Councilmember Bailey asked whether San Juan County would also be involved in funding the Commission, and Metzner replied that they would be. Metzner gave a brief summary of recent and upcoming activity regarding the Film Commission's work. Discussion ensued about whether the Film Commission could be funded more significantly by the Transient Room Tax (TRT). Councilmember Jones felt there may be an opportunity to use TRT funds to advertise for an industry -specific purpose such as the film and advertising industries rather than promoting tourism. City Manager Everitt outlined a number of jointly -funded items that could be discussed between the Councils. County Council Administrator Dillon requested clarification about the increased budget to fund a part-time employee. The Workshop continued with a presentation by Grand County Community Development Director Zacharia Levine, who gave an update on the affordable housing initiative and jointly funding an economic study to support assured housing. Councilmember Halliday asked about the number of homes lost from the housing market due to conversion to business use, and Levine, along with City Community Services Director Amy Weiser stated they felt the number was low. Councilmember Wells stated he felt it was an important step to complete a study to support assured housing. Councilmember Jones stated he was interested in the prospect of a jointly funded economic study to support assured housing. Councilmember Bailey asked about whether other communities in Utah were pursuing the concept of changing the impact fees for developers to fund assured housing. Levine stated that there were several in Utah, and over 700 nationwide. Discussion ensued regarding legalities surrounding the prospect. Councilmember Wells brought up his concern that increasing impact fees should not de-incentivize small businesses interested in modest developments. Page 1 of 3 March 31, 2017 Councilmember Hawks asked about the next step. Levine explained he had drafted a Request for Proposals (RFP), and Councilmember Baird proposed that the funding for the study be shared, if not the actual study. City Manager Everitt stated a simple interlocal agreement would be sufficient to move forward. Councilmember Jones suggested a 50-50 split in the expense. Baird agreed to 50-50 but stated his concern about the $100,000 proposed cost for the study. Levine stated he may be able pare the scope to about $25,000. Wells restated his concern about de-incentivizing development with higher development fees and restrictive codes. Hawks suggested a timeline to move the project forward. The workshop continued with an update on the creation of a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA). Councilmember Baird discussed lands near the proposed Utah State University (USU) campus. Levine outlined the process involved. He explained an agency needs to be created, and next a project area boundary is established, and a budget and plan are then established. An incremental tax is instituted to fund projects, and could be tied to bonds. Baird recommended involving the school district and other taxing entities to determine actual contributions. November 1 is a deadline for approving the project area plan so that the previous year's tax rate is recognized to determine the tax base. Wells spoke about the attractiveness of the incubator program and about the benefits of USU in general. Jones mentioned his concern about assurances that the investment would indeed result in the promised developments. Baird mentioned the timeline of actual construction for the proposed campus. Dillon asked what the next step would be and Baird suggested that an offshoot of the USU advisory board is to put a committee together to suggest that next the agency needs to be established, and the boundary needs to be established as a political subdivision. The next step will be for Steve Hawks (USU-Moab Dean) to call a meeting with the bonding authority, and to decide which entities will participate. McGann asked if a joint effort or separate effort is recommended. Levine stated his advice has been to do it separately. Jones asked for clarification about revenues and Baird explained that the funding mechanism is no longer specifically tied to property tax revenues but could also incorporate sales tax. Jones suggested that the committee could recommend the best entity to oversee the CRA agency. The final topic of the meeting was an update on the economic development initiative. Wells gave an update. He discussed poverty rates, cost of living, employment rates, and the main employers being government entities. He pointed out Senate Bill 267, which is grants a small business tax credit for rural investment. Wells would like to raise Grand County's place on the list, but indicated it is a challenge because Grand County receives revenues from tourism. He pointed out half of Utah's counties have a designated staff to address economic development. He recommends a County -wide point man for economic development. He asked if prior failures were a result of the position or the person. He recapped recent efforts to establish a joint position and Wells, along with McGann, have surveyed local government structures to see where it fits best. Wells went on to explain an upcoming salary survey the County will conduct. He wants to move forward to form a joint committee with the City to initiate this economic development role together. McGann pointed out that the Chamber of Commerce and USU are still on board, and now it is time for the City Council to work on creating a committee to recommend a position or agency. Wells listed concerns regarding oversight, structure, and logistics. Jones volunteered to serve but suggested staff would be good; Everitt stated Amy Weiser, Community Services Director, would likely help. Wells stated the Page 2 of 3 March 31, 2017 whole point was to create tax revenues and have growth opportunities to invest in. Baird pointed out basic concerns for economic development include affordable housing, higher education, and interfacing private sector efforts with government efforts. Chairperson Hawks requested input from the Councils regarding future agenda items, and Councilmember Bailey suggested Recreation should be an upcoming shared topic to discuss. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 1:21 PM. APPROVED: ATTEST: David L. Sakrison, Mayor Rachel E. Stenta, City Recorder Page 3 of 3 March 31, 2017