HomeMy Public PortalAboutCouncil Minutes 2000 07/27MINUTES
McCall City Council
Regular Meeting
Thursday, July 27, 2000
Table of Contents
Call To Order and Roll Call
Public Comment
Consent Agenda
Business
Reports
Executive Session
Adjournment
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CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Mayor Muller called the regular meeting of the McCall City Council to order at 7:03pm.
Mr. Muller, Mr. Colton, Mr. Eimers, and Mr. Venable answered roll call. A quorum was
present. City staff members present were Attorney Dave Bieter, City Manager Robert
Strope, and City Clerk Cathleen Koch.
PUBLIC COMMENT
The Mayor called for public comment.
Glen Gore, representing the American Legion, stated that the Veterans Memorial
Project had started in October 1999. He said that the Parks and Recreation Committee
did not have any meetings scheduled during the summer months.
Mr. Gore presented the final drawings of the memorial. The American Legion already
has $6,000 towards the estimated cost of $15,000. The legion will do all maintenance
of the memorial.
Mr. Strope mentioned that the McCall Improvement Committee and the Parks and
Recreation Committee recommended a Public Hearing for the Veterans Memorial
before a decision was made. The Park and Recreation Committee had questions about
the size and location of the memorial.
Mr. Gore stated that Community Park was the only acceptable place for the memorial.
It would give the City a flag downtown.
Ms. Shikrallah explained that the McCall Improvement Committee had a good general
feeling, but they were not ready to recommend approval yet.
Mr. Eimers stated that the Veterans had done enough and thinks that Railroad Avenue
should be renamed to Veterans Way.
Mr. Eimers moved to approve the proposed Veterans Memorial for Community
Park as presented and ask staff to find out what needs to be done to rename the
street. Mr. Colton seconded the motion. At a roll call vote, Mr. Muller, Mr.
Venable, Mr. Colton and Mr. Eimers voted aye. The motion carried.
Dottie Moore, resident, said that she came to the Council meeting prepared to make a
speech. The Progressive Club donated money to the Veterans Memorial. She thanked
Council for approving the memorial.
Loren Malone, member of the American Legion, wanted clarification on what the City
and the American Legion will do in the coming months. Mr. Muller suggested that they
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work with Mr. Strope on details. Staff was directed to bring a final agreement back to
Council between the City and the American Legion.
Tyrone Nash, District Commander of the American Legion, thanked the Council
Members.
The Public Comment period was closed.
CONSENT AGENDA
The following items were listed on the consent agenda:
• Minutes of June 22, 2000 Meeting
• Minutes of July 7, 2000 Meeting
• Minutes of July 10, 2000 Meeting
• Minutes of July 11, 2000 Meeting
• Minutes of July 13, 2000 Meeting
• Ordinance No. 740 Fishing in Net Pens
• Invoice Approval List Dated July 24, 2000
• Payroll Report for Pay Period Ending July 7, 2000
Ordinance No. 740 Fishing in Net Pens was pulled off the Consent Agenda to consider
separately.
The Council Members had questions about whether or not Verizon was the best service
for the money spent on cellular phones.
Mr. Eimers moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Mr. Colton seconded the
motion. All Council Members voted aye. The motion carried.
BUSINESS
Ordinance No. 740 Fishing in Net Pens
Mr. Colton moved to suspend the rules and read by title only, one time only
Ordinance No. 740. Mr. Eimers seconded the motion. At a roll call vote, Mr.
Eimers, Mr. Muller, Mr. Colton, and Mr. Venable voted aye. The motion carried.
Mr. Colton moved to adopt Ordinance No. 740. Mr. Eimers seconded the motion.
At a roll call vote, Mr. Eimers, Mr. Muller, Mr. Colton, and Mr. Venable voted aye.
The motion carried.
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AB 00-26 Local Option Tax Update
Donna Glenn began by thanking all of the past committee members for their work
completed. Without their work the current committee would have had a lot more work
to do. Ms. Glenn also thanked the current committee members and staff for their
commitment and support.
The committee researched resort communities to compare the different types of tax,
areas of use, if the tax had changed, if the tax was passed, and how the city benefited
from the tax. Knowledge was obtained concerning successful and unsuccessful
attempts by other cities.
The committee has recommended starting with a 2% hotel -motel tax and 1 % general
sales tax. The two taxes would generate approximately $400,000 in revenue.
The areas prioritized for use of the tax would include recreation/open space, city
beautification and parking, city promotion and tourism, administration and collection of
the tax, economic development, and property tax relief.
The committee would like input from the community. Public hearings will be held on
August 17 and September 7, 2000. Ms. Glenn said that the tax would enhance the
community by bringing in additional revenue primarily from tourists and non-residents.
It would enable the City to reduce the amount of property taxes local residents pay and
create a more equal sharing between the permanent residents and the tourists/visitors.
In just 5 years, the city could have over $2 million for city improvements and tax relief.
Mr. Muller asked if the next step was to educate the public. Ms. Glenn confirmed that it
was the next step.
The Local Option Tax Committee will be recommending broad based projects. The
specific projects will be left up to Council. There will be a separate committee set up to
help guide Council on priorities.
Mr. Colton asked if language would be included in the ordinance to prevent supplanting.
Ms. Glenn stated that the committee had not addressed the issue. A final
recommendation concerning the tax will be ready by September 15, 2000.
There was discussion concerning who would collect the tax. In other cities the City
Clerk collects the tax. Other cities have also estimated that 70 to 80% of the tax comes
from tourists.
AB 00-74 VAR 00-5 Christopher Worthington
Mr. Worthington stated that he applied for a variance to build a garage 28 feet from the
existing road. The garage would be 8 feet from the road right-of-way. A setback of 20
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feet is required in the area. All the neighbors were at the Planning and Zoning meeting.
They feel that it would enhance the neighborhood.
Mr. Eimers moved to adopt the Planning and Zoning Commissions Findings and
Conclusions as the Council's own and approve the application for VAR-00-5. Mr.
Muller seconded the motion. All Council Members voted aye. The motion
carried.
AB 00-75 Federal Brownfields Program & Resolution 00-15
Ms. Shikrallah is trying to determine a way to fix the erosion problems at Mill Park. The
State of Idaho does not have any Brownfields Projects.
Ms. Shikrallah asked for permission to submit an application for assessment. The city
would receive recommendations about Mill Park and Riverside Park from the program.
The Environmental Protection Agency would assess the site to find out what is
underneath the docks so that the city can decide whether or not to remove the docks.
Ms. Shikrallah does not know if money is available for construction of a new dock.
Council Members expressed concern about applying for money to do an assessment.
They did not want to apply for funds without a goal in mind. They were also concerned
about finding a problem that the city may have to deal with in the future.
Mr. Strope recommended tabling the discussion for now while staff obtained additional
information.
Ms. Shikrallah mentioned that she is aware the Council is concerned with the value they
are receiving from the position she holds. She explained that she was never offered a
contract position, only a position as a staff member. Ms. Shikrallah believes that the
position of a Project Coordinator is critical to the cities success.
AB 00-76 Police Department Grants
Mr. Wolf stated that he would like to applaud the officers who have taken their personal
time to apply for grants for the police department. Mark Donica, Lance Rogers, Nancy
Lockhart, Regina Fredricks and Jerry Summers have all taken time to apply for grants.
Mr. Wolf presented four different grants that he wanted Council to approve.
The DUI/Drug Detection Task Force grant would require a matching amount from the
city of $8994. He went on to give statistics concerning DUI's. The City of McCall had
the highest fatality rate in the state between 1994 and 1997. Valley County Sheriffs
Department is willing to split the match portion of the grant with the city. This also
means that they would share the grant for $26,560.
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Council addressed the Universal Hiring Grant. Council would like the school to help
fund a School Resource Officer if the police department wants to use the grant for an
SRO position. Mr. Strope stated that the grant is a multi -year grant and he was unsure
whether or not the city could commit to the grant. Mr. Wolf said that the school might
be willing to cover part of the matching funds, if they provide an SRO. Mr. Colton
mentioned other possibilities for an additional officer such as code enforcement or a 24-
hour officer, which has nothing to do with an SRO.
Mr. Wolf explained to Council the changes within the police department that he had
made. The city will be broken into zones so that each officer will be responsible for
code enforcement in their own areas.
Mr. Eimers moved to allow staff to budget for the matching funds for the DUI/Drug
Detection Task Force, Highway Safety Grant and Juvenile Justice Grant and
authorize the Mayor to sign each grant. Mr. Colton seconded the motion. All
Council Members voted aye. The motion carried.
Mr. Colton moved to direct the City Manager and Police Chief to determine what
the city would get for an additional officer. Mr. Muller seconded the motion. Two
Council Members voted aye. Two Council Members voted nay. The motion
failed.
AB 00-79 Golf Course Fee Change
Mr. Strope presented new rates for golf course green fees, which would be a reduction
in the current rates. Council thought that the new rates presented were already being
used. The evening rates were only being used on certain days.
Mr. Eimers moved to approve the Golf Course Advisory Committee's
recommendation and adopt the rates. Mr. Colton seconded the motion. All
Council Members voted aye. The motion carried.
AB 00-77 Lease with Inland Marine Construction, Inc.
Mr. Bieter presented the lease agreement with Inland Marine Construction, Inc. Mr.
Bieter stated that he would like the agreement to run a calendar year and remove a
paragraph that was not necessary.
Mr. Eimers moved to approve the lease with Inland Marine Construction, Inc. with
the removal of paragraph 9 and the change to a calendar year and authorize the
Mayor to sign. Mr. Colton seconded the motion. At a roll call vote, Mr. Eimers,
Mr. Colton, Mr. Venable and Mr. Muller voted aye. The motion carried.
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AB 00-78 Proposed Highway 55 Bike Path Improvements
Mr. Strope presented a proposal from Mr. Manchester to separate the existing bike path
from the road on Highway 55 to create a physical barrier. Mr. Keating supports the
idea. Snow removal and maintenance would have to be addressed.
Mr. Manchester would also like the city to vacate part of Herrick and create a cul-de-
sac. The city and neighbors would benefit from the paved cul-de-sac. Mr. Muller
mentioned that the city does not have cul-de-sacs because of snow removal. Mr.
Strope will address the issue with Mr. Keating. The project is in a preliminary phase.
REPORTS
J-U-B Engineers, Inc. — Matt Uranga
Mr. Uranga presented an update on the J-Ditch project. The department of water
resources will be onsite tomorrow. It will be a critical visit because they will look at the
foundation of the East embankment. Based upon visits in the past, there were a couple
of issues to resolve.
The Southern Dike has about 5 feet more to be complete.
The change order is not completed yet. A small area on the Northeast corner needs to
be excavated.
There may be an issue with Mr. Seubert's property. Excess material needs to be
placed on his property. After material was placed on Mr. Seubert's property, Mr.
Keating asked if there was a time frame for how long the material can sit on the
property. Mr. Uranga spoke to Mr. Seubert about the issue of time. He posed a time
frame and did not pursue it any further with Mr. Seubert. Mr. Colton said that he
understood Mr. Seubert would excavate the topsoil first.
There is also an issue with the Seubert's moving stockpiles under the assumption that
the city would pay for the movement. Additional funds of approximately $10,000 will be
required for the movement of the stockpiles. Either way, the stockpiles had to be
moved and the bid would have been higher for the project.
Mr. Strope is working with Mr. Vickers on staking that was done on the project without
permission. The city will save money because the contractors will probably not be paid
$12,000 of the $15,000 for the staking.
The contractors are planning to work 7 days a week, 12 hours per day. They will also
have an additional scrapper with another to follow.
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Material for the dike has been wetter than it needs to be. It is taking time to dry the
material.
Mr. Uranga will be meeting with the contractor on Monday to look at the revised
schedule. He would like them to explain how they intend to keep the schedule. Mr.
Levihn should be there to review the schedule.
City Manager — Robert Strope
The grant writer position is being reviewed. Mr. Kirkpatrick is compiling
benefits received by the City.
Mr. Strope explained that he was able to leave Council with $10,000 in
Contingency Fund. The initial budget work is done for fiscal year 2001.
reductions must be identified.
a list of the
the Council
$690,000 in
The revised City Manager Job Performance Standards were presented to Council. Mr.
Colton would like the standards included with Mr. Strope's employment agreement if
Council agrees to the draft copy. The standards will be included in the next City
Council agenda.
Mr. Wolf will be presenting Council with a plan to address a wide range of concerns in
the Police Department. He has already presented the plan to the Strategic Planning
group and the police department staff.
Mr. Peckham will return to work on Monda
y.
The amateur golf tournament had over 600 golfers and was a success.
The signs for Rotary Park should be updated on Friday. The merry go round in the park
is broken. The city may be able to fix it.
An ordinance may need to be adopted for weed control and enforcement.
Paving bids will be going out for Davis, Fir, Thula and Ponderosa. The state would like
to continue the Davis Street work to Ponderosa State Park.
A temporary water service to support the fire fighting efforts has been hooked up at the
airport. The City will receive funds to pay for the water use.
There's a lot of traffic at the airport due to the fire. The FAA has been asked to send up
crews to control the high traffic during the fly in and fire fighting operations.
Approximately 1,000 people are expected at the fly in.
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Mr. Rowe has been asked to work with the USFS to develop a formal agreement for the
use of City property at the airport. Currently, the USFS pays by purchase order on an
annual basis.
The maintenance person for City Hall, the Police Department, and Library has given
notice. The City will replace him as soon as possible.
A half-time position is being advertised for computer support. This will enable the City
to staff the position at a lower overall cost than the contract allowed.
The health insurance benefits are increasing again this year. Ms. Blake is looking into
options for benefits. Mr. Muller cautioned Mr. Strope to be careful about dropping Blue
Cross because they do not have to take the City back.
City Attorney — Dave Bieter
None.
City Clerk — Cathleen Koch
The ordinances in the Business Regulations section of the code are under review.
Changes will be brought to Council in the coming months to bring the code up-to-date
and to reflect the Council's goals.
A license for the Arts and Crafts Fairs and similar type activities is being drafted. It will
be similar to the Hawker's License requiring a resolution to implement fees. A fee of
$50 per day per event is recommended. An Arts and Crafts Fair will be held in August.
Ms. Koch recommended Council make a motion to direct staff to draft an ordinance and
resolution to implement fees and a license.
Mr. Colton moved to authorize the City Manager to negotiate with the event
organizer for this event and direct staff and the City Attorney to revise the
ordinances. Mr. Eimers seconded the motion. All Council Members voted aye.
The motion carried.
The Recreation Department Van Lease is signed. Mr. Bieter addressed a clause added
about the city's tax-exempt status.
Police Chief — Steve Wolf
Mr. Wolf stated that in the 10 months in which he has been employed, he has seen
issues within the Police Department. He has come up with an action plan to satisfy his
goals.
Mr. Wolf is trying to change the police department's negative image. The items Mr.
Wolf addressed are as follows:
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" T h e r e w i l l b e m o r e w a r n i n g s i s s u e d w h e n a l i f e i s n o t i n d a n g e r .
" A c r i t i c a l r e v i e w w i l l b e d o n e o f a l l t r a f f i c s t o p s , c i t a t i o n s a n d a r r e s t s t o m a k e s u r e
t h a t a l l i n f o r m a t i o n i s i n c l u d e d .
" T h e C i t y w i l l b e b r o k e n i n t o z o n e s t h a t e a c h o f f i c e r i s a s s i g n e d t o . T h e o f f i c e r s
w i l l b e e m p o w e r e d t o e n f o r c e t h e C o d e .
" A o n e - e i g h t h u n d r e d n u m b e r w i l l b e i m p l e m e n t e d t o a d d r e s s c o m p l a i n t s .
" O f f i c e r s w i l l n e e d t o d o c u m e n t a t l e a s e o n e p o s i t i v e c o n t a c t e a c h d a y .
" K n o w l e d g e w i l l b e i n c r e a s e d c o n c e r n i n g t h e F o u r t h A m e n d m e n t S e a r c h a n d
S e i z u r e L a w .
" T h e C i t y P r o s e c u t o r m a y c o m e i n o n c e a m o n t h t o r e v i e w S u p r e m e C o u r t
d e c i s i o n s w i t h t h e o f f i c e r s .
" A l l o f f i c e r s w h o h a v e n o t a t t e n d e d l a w w e e k i n t h e l a s t 6 m o n t h s w i l l g o a g a i n .
" O f f i c e r s w i l l b e r e c o g n i z e d f o r a j o b w e l l d o n e . M r . W o l f w o u l d l i k e t o s t a r t a n
O f f i c e r o f t h e M o n t h p r o g r a m .
" O f f i c e r s m a y b e a l l o w e d t o w o r k d i f f e r e n t a s s i g n m e n t s i n s t e a d o f d r i v i n g t h e i r
c a r s .
T h e p h i l o s o p h y w h e n M r . W o l f a r r i v e d w a s i t ' s u s a g a i n s t t h e m ( t h e c i t i z e n s ) . H e w a n t s
t o m a k e t h e p h i l o s o p h y t h e m a n d u s .
C i t y C o u n c i l o r R a l p h C o l t o n
N o n e .
C i t y C o u n c i l o r R a y V e n a b l e
N o n e
C i t y C o u n c i l o r K i r k E i m e r s
M r . E i m e r s a s k e d i f t h e c i t y h a s a p a r k i n g p l a n . M r . K i r k p a t r i c k w i l l w o r k o n a p l a n w i t h
c o m m u n i t y i n p u t .
M r . E i m e r s a s k e d a b o u t t h e o f f i c i a l n e w s p a p e r . M r . B i e t e r w i l l c h e c k i n t o t h e
r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r h o w i t i s d e t e r m i n e d .
C i t y C o u n c i l o r M a y o r M u l l e r
M r . M u l l e r a s k e d i f t h e r e w a s a r e p o r t o n I N I . M r . K e a t i n g m a y i n c l u d e i t i n h i s s t a f f
r e p o r t .
W h a t h a p p e n e d t o t h e s t o c k p i l e a t t h e A i r p o r t ? M r . S t r o p e s t a t e d t h a t i t w a s a d v e r t i s e d
i n t h e n e w s p a p e r a n d s o l d . C o u n c i l t h o u g h t t h a t i t w a s b e i n g h e l d t o b u i l d a r o a d o n
L i c k C r e e k .
P a g e 1 0 o f 1 1
J u l y 2 7 , 2 0 0 0
C i t y C o u n c i l M i n u t e s
Mr. Muller asked if Verizon Cellular has the best rates for the city. He also noted that
old cellular phones could be given to Senior Citizens for a 911 emergency service.
A breakdown of how much has been paid to the Grant Administrator was requested
along with how much money has been received from the position. Mr. Strope stated
that he was not prepared to address it at this time.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 10:15pm, Mr. Muller moved to go into executive session per Idaho Code 67-
2345(1b) to consider a personnel matter. Mr. Eimers seconded the motion. At a
roll call vote, Mr. Muller, Mr. Eimers, Mr. Colton, and Mr. Venable voted aye. The
motion carried.
Ms. Koch left at 10:20pm. The discussion concerned personnel matters.
At 10:49pm, Mr. Eimers moved to come out of executive session. Mr. Colton
seconded the motion. At a roll call vote, Mr. Muller, Mr. Eimers, Mr. Colton, and
Mr. Venable voted aye. The motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT
Without further business, Mr. Eimers moved to adjourn. Mr. Muller seconded the
motion. All Council Members voted aye. The motion carried. The Council
adjourned at 10:50pm.
ATTEST:
Allan Muller, Mayor
Cathleen A. Koch, Ci
lerk
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