HomeMy Public PortalAboutCouncil Minutes 2000 06/08MINUTES
McCall City Council
Regular Meeting
Thursday, June 8, 2000
Table of Contents
Call To Order and Roll Call
Business
Executive Session
Public Comment
Consent Agenda
Business
Reports
Adjournment
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CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Council President Eimers called the regular meeting of the McCall City Council to
order at 7:03pm. Mr. Eimers, Mr. Colton, Mr. Venable, and Ms. Arp answered
roll call. City staff members present were Attorney Dave Bieter, City Manager
Robert Strope, and City Clerk Cathleen Koch.
Mr. Eimers amended the agenda to begin with AB 00-58 and then go into
Executive Session.
BUSINESS
AB 00-58 Resolution 00-10 GEM Community Endorsement — McCall
Improvement Committee Status
Curt Spalding, Co -Chair of the McCall Improvement Committee, addressed the
Council Members about the committee becoming the GEM Action Committee
and a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation. Mr. Spalding explained that the organization
would have the ability to accept stocks, money and real estate, which the City
cannot accept. They would also be more eligible for grants and donations.
Ms. Arp asked how the organization would be affiliated with the City, what would
make them accountable, who would be legally responsible, and who would have
control of the funds. Mr. Spalding stated that the bylaws and articles would spell
out the relationship between the nonprofit organization and the City. The
organization does not intend to take over grant administration that the City
already handles.
Mr. Strope stressed that the Resolution to be adopted would require the City
Planner to be a permanent member of the group to keep the status with the City.
Ms. Arp stated that she would like to see the bylaws and articles before moving
forward.
Mr. Bieter explained to the Council Members that the organization will need to be
set up as a separate entity. The people involved cannot represent the
organization and the City.
Mr. Colton moved to adopt Resolution 00-10 and authorize the Mayor to
sign. Mr. Eimers seconded the motion. Three Council Members voted aye
and one abstained. The motion carried.
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Mr. Colton moved to support in concept the 501(c)3 corporation status of
the McCall Improvement Committee and instruct the City Manager and City
Attorney to draw up the bylaws. All Council Members voted aye. The
motion carried.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. Colton moved to go into Executive Session per Idaho Code 67-2345(1t)
to consider pending litigation at 7:20pm. Mr. Eimers seconded the motion.
All Council Members voted aye. The motion carried.
Mr. Eimers moved to come out of Executive Session at 7:48pm. Ms. Arp
seconded the motion. All Council Members voted aye. The motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no comments.
CONSENT AGENDA
Mr. Colton moved to approve the consent agenda. Ms. Arp seconded the
motion. All Council Members voted aye. The motion carried.
BUSINESS
AB 00-59 Request to Purchase City Property — 508 E. Lenora Street
Mr. Strope explained that City staff had recommended not selling the lot at this
time. There are potential uses for the property. The Council Members asked
why staff brought an item to Council that they were not recommending. Mr.
Strope stated that it was for informational purposes. The Council Members
agreed that the property should not be sold.
AB 00-60 City Manager Performance
Mr. Eimers and Mr. Muller sent their comments in to the City Manager
concerning his performance expectations. Mr. Strope also compiled a list that
was sent to each Council Member for their review.
Mr. Colton stated that he had reviewed the lists. The revisions that he would like
to make would be primarily editorial. Some of the items listed would be difficult to
measure because they are philosophical and do not belong in performance
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expectations. He also noted that several of the goals in the expectations were
really Council goals. Mr. Strope should be responsible for carrying out those
goals.
Mr. Eimers said that he liked the document Mr. Strope put together with a couple
of additions. He would like to see a capital improvement plan added and a City
Manager review of all City contracts.
Ms. Arp would like to see the Comprehensive Plan, a review of the water and
sewer rates, and facilitating participation with community members added to the
expectations of the City Manager. Ms. Arp would also like to see a study of the
facilities. Mr. Strope explained that he viewed that as a capital improvement
plan. Ms. Arp would like it addressed so that morale can be improved with the
community and staff members.
Mr. Strope asked the Council Members to table the discussion about whether or
not they should serve on committees until Mr. Muller is present. Council
Members stressed that they expect Mr. Strope to make recommendations to
them and to be the representative with other agencies.
Mr. Strope outlined his expectations to Council Members concerning
communication with department heads. He stated that there is a clear separation
of who can tell who to do what. An individual Council Member cannot tell
department heads to do things. An inquiry or casual contact is fine. Mr. Strope
said that the Council Members could add his responsiveness to the list of
expectations for the City Manager.
The Council Members asked what options a department head would have if they
had a problem with the City Manager. Mr. Strope said that a department head
could request an Executive Session through the City Manager or City Clerk to
address any problem. The also asked about lower levels of staff members. Mr.
Strope explained that he has an open door policy. He will be meeting with all
staff members in his first 90 days of employment.
Mr. Strope and Mr. Colton will get together to assemble the City Manager's
Expectations. The department heads have already had the opportunity to review
and make comments about Mr. Strope's performance expectations.
Ms. Arp would like to see the Council Action List in the packets again.
AB 00-61 Bike Path Completion and Purchase of Property from John Carey
Mr. Strope presented the amendment to the IDWR contract to receive funds in
order to purchase the property behind City Hall for the bike path. Mr. Keating
and his staff have done an excellent job getting the work done. Mr. Strope
recommended a ribbon cutting ceremony with Mr. Keating's staff.
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Ms. Arp moved to approve Amendment #1 to IDWR Contract DWR-
CON00255 and authorize the Mayor to sign the Amendment. Mr. Eimers
seconded the motion. At a roll call vote, Mr. Eimers, Ms. Arp, Mr. Venable
and Mr. Colton voted aye. The motion carried.
Ms. Arp moved to authorize the Mayor to sign all documents necessary to
purchase the former railroad right-of-way, for an amount not to exceed the
IDWR grant award, subject to review and approval of all closing documents
by the City Manager and City Attorney. Mr. Eimers seconded the motion.
At a roll call vote, Mr. Eimers, Ms. Arp, Mr. Venable and Mr. Colton voted
aye. The motion carried.
AB 00-62 Resolution 00-11 Clean Water Act & Contract with Contractor's
Northwest, Inc. for Construction of Phase II of the Water Treatment Plant
Mr. Strope met with the Water Treatment Plant Citizens Committee. The
resolution presented allows the committee to act on a lower cost alternative, if an
opportunity presents itself.
Mr. Colton moved to adopt Resolution 00-11 and authorize the Mayor to
sign. Mr. Eimers seconded the motion. All Council Members voted aye.
The motion carried.
REPORTS
City Manager — Robert Strope
Mr. Strope met with Chief Points from the Fire Department. They discussed 2
options concerning the lease of airport property and the current building jointly
owned by the City and Rural Fire District. The current building could be sold
jointly or the City could purchase the building at replacement cost after an
appraisal is completed. Mr. Bieter will put together a lease with both options.
A letter has been given to the Sheriffs Department giving them permission from
the City to moor their boat at the City's dock. The Council Members stated that
the Sheriffs Department should use the shorter dock because citizens use the
other dock. Mr. Strope said that the details have been turned over to Chief Wolf
and Sheriff Durfee to decide which is a better dock to use.
The men only day was addressed with the Golf Course. They will not be holding
any events that could be considered discriminatory.
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Mr. Rowe will be working with the USFS to develop a formal agreement for the
use of City property at the airport. The USFS currently pays by purchase order
on an annual basis.
Mr. Strope will be meeting with Steve West, DEQ, to discuss the funding of the J-
Ditch Project. There may be additional funds to use for the project and to fund a
full-time position for Paul Levihn. DEQ has made $7,500 available to pay for Mr.
Levihn's time during the month of June.
Matt Uranga, JUB Engineers, gave an update on the J-Ditch Project. It does not
look like a pond yet. The crew will get larger next week. They hope to get
through the topsoil this week because it is a longer haul for that particular soil.
The production rate will increase after they get through the topsoil. Mr. Uranga
believes that he will have a feel for the time line within 3 weeks. The people
residing in the area seem to be happy. Landscaping has already begun because
there was extra material available to create a visual screen.
The Local Option Tax Committee has decided to focus on a general sales tax
and bed tax. The range has been set for 1 to 2% and 2 to 3% respectively.
Their focus will be on what kind of revenue the different percentages will
generate, identifying the priorities for the funds generated and the level of
community support for the taxes. Mr. Strope asked for the Council Members
support in funding a professional poll. The scope of the poll and cost will be
brought to Council for action. Mr. Strope pointed out that Sun Valley has set
taxes based upon the point of delivery.
Progress is being made to resolve the areas for improvement in the audit report.
A number of items have been fixed. The deadline to complete all items is June
26th. A positive relationship is being created with the auditors. Mr. Strope is
concerned with the budget because things like the bike path were not projected.
He's also concerned about the Recreation Department's budget. More money
will probably have to be put into the budget for the department. After looking at
only 2 employees wages within the department, there was only $3,000 left for the
other employees. The budget for the department may not have been put
together well. The large increase in the salary has been because of the
increased number of kids in the program.
A department head meeting was not held this week. The focus of the meetings
will be the current year's budget. Projections are being developed for the
remainder of the year.
The Personnel Policy Manual needs some work. Mr. Strope requested the
authority to grant exceptions to the policy while it is being revised. He stated that
there was only 1 qualified applicant for the swimming program. The applicant
was related to an employee within the department. The personnel policy
prevents the City from hiring the most qualified candidate. Ms. Arp stated that
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she believes policy is policy without exceptions. The policy is in place to prevent
nepotism. Mr. Bieter pointed out that the policy says the City can vary it at times.
Mr. Eimers moved to give Mr. Strope the authority to deviate from the
policy while it is being amended and then notify Council of any such
deviation. Mr. Colton seconded the motion. All Council Members voted
aye. The motion carried.
Mr. Strope reviewed the duties of the Assistant Recreation Director with Mr.
Peckham. Ms. Barkley was set up to work 30 hours per week, but she has been
averaging 37 hours weekly. Mr. Strope is considering converting Ms. Barkley to
a salaried position with pay that would be approximately the same as her current
30-hour salary. The change will probably be made with the next fiscal year. The
Council Members agreed that the Recreation Department should have hours
posted.
Responses have been received for the 360-degree evaluation program. Input is
received from department heads, staff, Council, and community members. Mr.
Strope is the only one who will see the actual input.
Mr. Kirkpatrick will be the Acting City Manager while Mr. Strope is away getting
his family moved. Then, he will be attending the AIC Conference. Mr. Strope will
be back in the office July 1st
Ron and Lou Anne Gwartney requested to erect a temporary structure for
storage of their vending cart. Mr. Strope did not approve the request.
City Clerk — Cathleen Koch
Danielle Swinford sent a letter requesting a City Parks agreement. The Council
Members said that an agreement similar to the Gwartneys would be fine. They
would like to reevaluate any agreements at the end of the year.
A resolution will be brought to the next Council meeting to suspend the open
container policy. The City must be named as a writer on the insurance policy of
the businesses selling alcohol.
City Councilor — Ray Venable
Would like the attorney action update completed at the next Council meeting.
City Councilor — Marilyn Arp
Will be out of town for the next meeting.
City Councilor — Ralph Colton
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Received a call from Mike Mitchell, Committee for Region 3. He said that the
City could probably obtain grant funds. Boise is presently receiving most of the
funds. Mr. Strope will follow up on the call. He already spoke to Mr. Mitchell but
has not received the information he was supposed to receive.
A local saloon owner was concerned about the police department profiling their
customers. They will be forming a committee to discuss the problem. Mr. Colton
suggested that they involve the police department and maybe a Council Member.
Mr. Strope said that he would be happy to get involved in the committee.
The signs at Rotary Park need to be checked. They say no alcoholic beverages,
which is not correct. The code allows beer and wine.
City Councilor — Kirk Eimers
Mr. Eimers asked who was responsible for collecting trash from the new
trashcans. It was noted that the Golf and Parks Departments are responsible,
but the cans are for planters, not trash.
City Attorney — Dave Bieter
Vending in the City Parks must be done by an agreement approved by Council
with a roll call vote.
Ms. Arp moved to execute an agreement with Danielle Swinford similar to
the other vendor in the City Parks and authorize the Mayor to sign. Mr.
Colton seconded the motion. At a roll call vote, Mr. Eimers, Mr. Colton, Mr.
Venable, and Ms. Arp voted aye. The motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT
Without further business, Mr. Eimers moved to adjourn. Mr. Colton
seconded the motion. All Council Members voted aye. The motion carried.
The Council adjourned at 9:40pm.
ATTEST:
Cathleen A. Koch, City Cler
Muller, Mayor
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