HomeMy Public PortalAbout2015.05.28 Regular Minutes MINUTES
McCall City Council
Regular Meeting
Legion Hall (McCall City Hall - Lower Level)
May 28, 2015
Agenda
Call to Order and Roll Call
Approve the Agenda
Work Session
Pledge of Allegiance
Public Comment
Presentation
Business Agenda
Consent Agenda
Executive Session
Open Session
Adjournment
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Mayor Aymon called the regular meeting of the McCall City Council to order at 5:33 p.m.
Mayor Aymon, Councilor Giles, Councilor Scott, and Councilor Swanson all answered roll
call. Councilor Witte was absent.
City Staff members present were Gene Drabinski, City Manager; Bill Nichols, City Attorney;
Linda Stokes, Treasurer; Meg Lojek, Library Director; Peter Borner, Public Works Director;
Michelle Groenevelt, Community Development Director; Nathan Coyle, Airport Manager;
Dennis Coyle, Parks and Recreation Director; Justin Williams, Police Chief, and BessieJo
Wagner, City Clerk.
APPROVE THE AGENDA
Councilor Scott moved to amend the agenda to add AB 15-96 Local Option Tax Commission
Member Appointment. Councilor Swanson seconded the motion. In a voice vote all members
voted aye and the motion carried.
WORK SESSION
AB 15-90 A Business-Friendly Environment Discussion
Michelle Groenevelt, Community Development Director, conducted a discussion with Council
regarding creating a business-friendly environment within the City of McCall. This is a timely
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subject because the City will be updating the McCall Area Comprehensive Plan in the fall of
2015 and it is an opportunity to shape the plan in such a way that it nurtures development and
promotes a healthy relationship with the community.
Ms. Groenevelt added that there is a feeling among some people in the community that McCall is
not "business-friendly," so the purpose of this work session is to understand the issues from both
the Council's perspective and Staffs perspective and see if there are some immediate things that
can be done to change policy or should be considered in the upcoming months.
Ms. Groenevelt presented three questions for Council to consider:
1) What do you think contributes to the perception that the City is not business-friendly?
2) Are there specific regulation policies that contribute to this perception?
3) What ideas, recommendations, or solutions do you have to address the issue?
Ms. Groenevelt added that Community Development is often placed in a difficult situation
because the nature of the work is very regulatory and City policies may not be popular when
telling people what they can and can not do with their property. Ms. Groenevelt asked for an
open discussion with Council and wanted to hear their concerns.
Mayor Aymon asked members of the Council who are also business owners if they agreed with
that feeling. Councilor Scott agreed that people do not like to be told what they can and can not
do with their land. Councilor Swanson stated that he did not have any specific code revision type
recommendations, but rather he commended the customer service given from the Community
Development department despite having a very difficult job. Councilor Swanson asked if there
are any routine issues that come up frequently that perhaps Council should look at revising. Ms.
Groenevelt commented that there has been a feeling in the community that the City's regulations
were prohibiting downtown development, yet when asked for clarification, the first thing that
comes up is that the need for parking is prohibiting development. Ms. Groenevelt pointed out
that this is why it is so important to fully vet these concerns and understand them before
incorporating them into the Comprehensive Plan.
Delta James, City Planner, commented that the City has already responded to several issues and
proposed code amendments to ease the planning process. In recent years permitting requirements
have been relaxed for commercial uses, parking requirements have been reduced, all of which
help to streamline the permitting process. Ms. James feels that if there are larger discussions it
should happen through the Comprehensive Plan related to development patterns; for example,
should there be something that addresses the Commercial District that is along the lakefront as
opposed to all the standard lakefront regulations, something different for the downtown core. Ms.
James thinks this warrants further discussion.
Councilor Scott thought that it would make sense, while a focus group is put together as part of
the Comprehensive Plan process, to ask about community perceptions. Councilor Scott also
commented that the City's regulations are more strict that those of the County or neighboring
cities, and that is not going to change. She also thought this perception of the City involves more
than just Community Development and perhaps includes the Police Department and others.
Councilor Scott mentioned that the only complaint that she has heard is how the City approves
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some things and not others. Ms. Groenevelt responded that the goal is to be consistent. When
there are differences the City is happy to reach out and explain the reasononing behind it.
Ms. Groenevelt added that this past year the City met with all of the major design firms and
builders and asked for feedback, and from those discussions a list of code amendments were
compiled. Some changes were simple and could be enacted right away but others are more
significant and should be vetted through a larger forum like the Comprehensive Plan discussion.
Ms. Groenevelt stated that the timing for revising the Comprehensive Plan is great because she
feels at this time there will be an opportunity to engage as much of the community as possible.
City Manager Drabinski added that many of the negative comments that come up regarding City
policies are merely from misinformation. Mayor Aymon agreed that misperception, a lack of
understanding, and a lack of communication are what cause a lot of these problems. Mayor
Aymon also felt that it would be helpful if people had a better understanding of the Code.
Michelle Groenevelt ended the discussion by asking for feedback and encouraging
communication between the Council and Community Development.
Mayor Aymon led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance at 6:00 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mayor Aymon called for public comment at 6:01 p.m.
BessieJo Wagner, City Clerk, stated that the minimum wage petition has collected a sufficient
number of signatures, and so at the next Council meeting the next steps will be discussed.
Fire Chief Mark Billmire stated that for the past year the community has been working on getting
Firewise designation and the application was finally accepted. Chief Billmire presented Mayor
Aymon and the Council with a Firewise award and commended her and the committee for their
diligence and support.
Sherry Maupin commented on the earlier discussion about the Comprehensive Plan. Ms. Maupin
thought the Plan was more widely known when she was a Planning and Zoning Commissioner,
as there were common questions regarding the Plan that had to be answered with every land use
proposal. Michelle Groenevelt, Community Development Director, responded that when the
Comprehensive Plan was first adopted in 2007 it was more widely known at the time because
there was so much public involvement over it, and that too much time had passed and many
people have forgotten about it.
Mayor Aymon closed the public comment period at 6:06 p.m.
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PRESENTATION
AB 15-94 Employee Service Award Presentation
Peter Borner, Public Works Director recognized the retirement of John Lewinsky who has
provided 34 years of service to the City in his capacity as the water treatment facility operator.
Mr. Borner congratulated Mr. Lewinsky on his retirement and presented a certificate and a card
signed by his fellow employees.
BUSINESS AGENDA
AB 15-96 Local Option Tax (LOT) Commission Member Appointment—Jerame Petry
The Local Option Tax (LOT) Commission is required to have seven members from specific
sectors of the community, and currently there are two vacancies, one for a business owner and
the other for a resident at large. The vacancies were posted in the Star news and one application
was received from Mr. Petry, who is a business owner in the community. Staff recommended his
appointment to the LOT Commission to serve a term that expires December 31, 2018.
Councilor Scott moved to appoint Jerame Petry to the Local Option Tax Commission to a
term to expire December 31, 2018. Councilor Swanson seconded the motion. In a voice vote
all members voted aye and the motion carried.
AB 15-86 Repuest Approval of Lease for New Ricoh Printer/Scanner/Copier for Staff and
Public Use at the Library
Meg Lojek, Library Director, presented this request. The five-year lease has come due on the
Library's Ricoh printer/scanner/copier machine, which is used by staff as well as the public. By
changing the contract to eliminate some extra components that are not used they were able to
save about $20 a month. Ms. Lojek stated that the lease had been reviewed and approved by the
City Attorney as well as the Library Board.
Councilor Giles moved to approve the lease with Ricoh and authorize the Mayor to sign all
necessary documents. Councilor Swanson seconded the motion. In a roll call vote Councilor
Giles, Councilor Swanson, Mayor Aymon, and Councilor Scott all voted aye and the
motion carried.
AB 15-89 Repuest Approval of 2015 TIGER Discretionary Grant Application for
Infrastructure Improvements in Downtown McCall
Carol Coyle, Grant Coordinator, presented the request for approval of 2015 TIGER
Discretionary Grant Application for infrastructure improvements in downtown McCall. The City
of McCall applied for a US Department of Transportation TIGER grant in 2014 for the design
and engineering of infrastructure improvements in the downtown core. Although the application
received a "recommended for funding" score, it was not funded. This year the Federal
Government is very interested in funding "transformative" projects, meaning improvements that
will transform the way business is performed in downtown and transform the community. The
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Council has already been approached to get approval to submit a pre-application and now Staff is
requesting approval to submit the final application.
The application was prepared by Nathan Stewart, City Engineer, and Horrocks Engineers. The
City hopes to receive about $6.5 million in funding. Treasure Valley Transit is partnering with
the City to use their awarded funding from the Federal Transit Administration for their
component of the project, but the City will still be required to come up with some potential
matching funding.
Councilor Scott moved to approve submission of a 2015 TIGER Discretionary Grant to the
US Department of Transportation for infrastructure improvements in downtown McCall
and authorize the Mayor to sign all necessary documents. Councilor Swanson seconded the
motion. In a roll call vote Councilor Scott, Councilor Swanson, Mayor Aymon, and
Councilor Giles all voted aye and the motion carried.
AB 15-88 Request for Funding Support for America in Bloom Competition
Carol Coyle, Grant Coordinator, presented the request for funding support for the America in
Bloom Competition. The City of McCall has been entered in the America in Bloom contest again
this year. The McCall Improvement Committee funds the majority of the costs associated with
this contest as well as the local McCall in Bloom contest. The McCall City Council has approved
funding in previous years to assist with program participation costs. Funding of $1,000 is
requested for the America in Bloom judges' lodging costs and McCall in Bloom participant yard
signs for the 2015 program.
Councilor Scott moved to approve funding of $1,000 from the Economic Development
Support line in the FY15 City Council budget. Councilor Giles seconded the motion. In a
roll call vote Councilor Scott, Councilor Giles, Mayor Aymon, and Councilor Swanson all
voted aye and the motion carried.
AB 15-85 America's Best Communities Grant/Competition Update and Request for Funds
Sherry Maupin, McCall Area Chamber of Commerce President, updated the Council on the
America's Best Communities (ABC) Grant/Competition. The McCall Area has won the first
round for the region. The award is for $35,000 from America's Best Communities and $15,000
from Clearlink, a mentor/partner from Salt Lake City. Part of the contest requires that $15,000 be
raised locally to match these funds. Ms. Maupin submitted a request to the City of McCall for
$3,500 as a match for the contest and provided a preliminary budget on how those funds will be
used. Two regional planners have been approached that will help with the process.
Ms. Maupin continued, stating that Five items have been identified that are going to be focused
on for the contest --jobs; housing; transportation and infrastructure; educational, recreation, and
cultural opportunities; and health and well-being. Each one of the communities are partnering
together and with the planner to find solutions for these five items. The committee expects to
spend about $38,000 to $40,000 for the planners and the rest of those funds will cover labor
expenses to put the plan together including public relations, events, and regional meetings. The
ABC Committee has received funding from some of the other communities in addition to St.
Luke's and Midas Gold. The next time the committee approaches Council they hope to have won
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the $100K, which is the next award level, and after that will be in full implementation of an
economic development program and in competition for the $1M, $2M, and $3M prizes at the
end.
Mayor Aymon asked about how the money would be spent on public relations and events. Ms.
Maupin explained that the committee is buying signs for each of the communities, also media
releases, advertising to get people to events, community barbecue parties, and literature that can
be presented so people know what the committee is working on. Five businesses will be
identified and followed to highlight their success stories.
Councilor Scott asked if the County is contributing any funds. Ms. Maupin stated that Valley
County gave $7,500 -- half of the $15,000 match. Mayor Aymon asked if there is another
application for the next round. Ms. Maupin replied that there will be another application to
submit at that particular time.
Councilor Scott moved to approve the Chamber of Commerce's request for $3,500 as a
grant match for the America's Best Communities Grant/Competition. Councilor Swanson
seconded the motion. In a roll call vote Councilor Scott, Councilor Swanson, Mayor
Aymon, and Councilor Giles all voted aye and the motion carried.
AB 15-84 Reguest for Approval of Cooperative Agreement among ITD, Cascade, Valley
County, and McCall
Cascade Mayor, Rob Terry, presented a request to approve a Cooperative Agreement among
ITD, Cascade, Valley County, and McCall concerning the south bridge across the Payette River
in Cascade. The south bridge was rebuilt in 2013, and there was a design flaw on how the
utilities were relocated. These were moved from one side of the bridge to the other and went
across the highway at a 45-degree angle, tying the new lines into existing old lines at a depth of
15 feet. Mayor Terry stated his concern that if there was any leakage of the pressure sewer or
water lines those lines could break and form a sinkhole, shutting down Highway 55, possibly
without alternate routes. The City of Cascade has put $8K into engineering work and so far that
is all that has been spent on the project.
Mayor Terry contacted ITD and they suggested he explore other options before they would
contribute additional funds. Mayor Terry applied for funds from FEMA and the request was
denied. ITD then suggested that if a Cooperative Agreement was formed they would fund an
additional $25K for this project. Mayor Terry approached Valley County and they approved a
not-to-exceed amount of$10,600, and Mayor Terry is now requesting the same amount from the
City of McCall. This would impact the FY16 budget. If this project is approved the engineering
work would start in June 2015 and the construction would be in September and October so it
impacts FY16. Mayor Terry outlined the total cost of the project minus the funds from ITD and
minus savings by taking on more responsibilities in-house, leaving a balance of$32K divided by
the three contributions among Cascade, Valley County, and McCall. Mayor Terry is requesting a
not-to-exceed amount of$10,660 from the City of McCall.
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Mayor Aymon asked for opinion from Peter Borner, Public Works Director, about going from a
larger pipe to a smaller pipe, and if that is common or worrisome. Mr. Borner replied that it is
uncommon and typically not a good practice.
Mayor Aymon asked City Attorney, Bill Nichols if there would be any legal issues with this kind
of cooperative agreement and Mr. Nichols could not think of any. If there is a cooperative
agreement among local governments that includes ITD then it should be acceptable.
Councilor Swanson thought the request seemed reasonable. Councilor Giles thought it was the
right thing to do, albeit just a little unusual, also adding that Mayor Terry has identified a good
solution and McCall should be a partner in that. Councilor Scott stated she was a little troubled
by the request with this pertaining to a State highway, and typically the upkeep of State
highways is ITD's responsibility.
Mayor Aymon stated her favor of cooperative agreements between regions as it allows for
sharing of resources and helping each other. Mayor Aymon thought it was probably the right
thing to do, even though it is unique and unusual.
Councilor Swanson motioned to approve the Cooperative Agreement among ITD, Cascade,
Valley County, and McCall, and authorize the Mayor to sign all necessary documents.
Councilor Giles seconded the motion. In a roll call vote Councilor Swanson, Councilor
Giles, and Mayor Aymon voted aye. Councilor Scott voted no. The motion carried.
AB 15-91 Reguest for Approval to Rename Fairway Park
Dennis Coyle, Parks and Recreation Director, presented the request for approval to rename
Fairway Park. Midas Gold donated $50,000 for improvements to Fairway Park in exchange for
being awarded the naming rights by the City Council. Midas Gold asked the community to offer
suggestions and three finalists were chosen by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee
with the final recommendation of Gold Glove Park.
Mayor Aymon moved to unanimously approve the renaming of Fairway Park to Gold
Glove Park. The naming rights will not exceed 15 years per the adopted City of McCall
Donation Guidelines and Park Naming Policy. Councilor Scott seconded the motion. In a
voice vote all members voted aye and the motion carried.
AB 15-92 Sewer Revenue Bond Refunding Update
Linda Stokes, City Treasurer, presented the Sewer Revenue Bond Refunding Update to Council.
The application packet and fee has been submitted to the Bond Bank. Cameron Arial at Zions
Bank states that he has had good conversations with the Bond Bank. The bid packets for the
2004 bonds were sent out on May 19 and some banks have been making inquiries. The downside
is that since the prior meeting when this was discussed the rates have gone up substantially. In
addition, a question has come up about the consolidation with the Sewer District and the City
and how that may impact the refunding and/or the current debt service. A conference call with
the Bond Council and Cameron Arial is scheduled for next week and more information will be
forthcoming. This means that the process is on hold and not moving forward at this time.
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AB 15-93 Hangar 544 Lease Termination and Establishment of a New Lease
Nate Coyle, Airport Manager, presented a request for termination and establishment of a new
lease as a part of the sale of Hangar 544. The owner of Hangar 544, Northwest Development
Management Group LLC, has a sale pending and would like to request termination of the
existing lease at the time of closing with a subsequent request for establishment of a new lease to
Loon Mountain Aviation LLC. The purchaser has been provided with a copy of the proposed
lease, current Airport Rules and Regulations, and Airport Minimum Standards. The buyer, Dave
Looney, owns a Maul aircraft, which he plans to store within this hangar.
Councilor Swanson moved to approve termination of the existing lease of Hangar 544 from
Northwest Development Management Group LLC at the time of closing and subsequently
approve the new lease for Hangar 544 to Loon Mountain Aviation LLC, and authorize the
Mayor to sign all necessary documents. Councilor Scott seconded the motion. In a roll call
vote Councilor Swanson, Councilor Scott, Mayor Aymon, and Councilor Giles all voted aye
and the motion carried.
AB 15-83 Review FY16 Local Option Tax (LOT) Priorities and Provide Direction to LOT
Commission and Staff
BessieJo Wagner, City Clerk, introduced members of the LOT Commission who were in
attendance. Council had previously been provided with the LOT funding applications and were
given time to examine them before the LOT Commission meets to select recipients. Council
Members individually suggested their priorities to the LOT Commission.
Councilor Scott thought it would be important to fund organizations that are very dependent on
LOT money, such as Treasure Valley Transit and McPaws. Councilor Scott referred to the recent
Community Conversations workshop and reminded the LOT Commissioners to disperse funds
among the three categories as discussed at the workshop. City Manager Gene Drabinski then
gave a quick overview of the categories.
Councilor Giles asked if there were notes on the Community Conversations meeting that could
be provided to the LOT Commission, as he thought it would offer valuable information.
Mayor Aymon had previously studied the applications independently and divided them into the
LOT categories and separated them by funding sources. Mayor Aymon listed her priorities as
direct administration costs, followed by event recovery costs (Fourth of July, Winter Carnival),
requests with grant matches, and requests for money for marketing of events. Mayor Aymon then
recommended priority to the requests that are only paid for by taxpayers such as the Library and
most city projects.
AB 15-87 Community Conversations #2 Debriefing
Gene Drabinski, City Manager, discussed the recent Community Conversations workshops. Two
workshops were conducted and a third one is coming up on June 9. The topic, "What is Fair?"
was discussed at the first workshop. The second workshop examined different kinds of funding
to determine what could work. At the third workshop, titled "What Else?" round table exercises
will be conducted to demonstrate what else needs to be considered for the ordinance to earn the
support of the voters. Mr. Drabinski asked that the Council pay attention to what the participants
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think is fair and determine what else Council would want from the community that might help
them to craft an initiative.
Council discussed the public's reaction to creating a diverse menu of taxes instead of just one
type of tax. They felt that the audience was surprisingly favorable to this approach, contrary to
the previous year when the idea had been abandoned because it was felt to be too complicated.
Councilor Scott thought it would be appropriate to consider staggering taxes for different
timeframes, perhaps having a more aggressive tax schedule for a shorter duration. She gave the
example of hotel owners who would rather see an occupancy tax be imposed after the current 3%
tax expires and not added to it.
Council discussed whether it would be appropriate to put the different taxes on multiple
ordinances with different ballots or combine them into one initiative. City Attorney Nichols
thought that they should be separate, especially for taxes that expire at different times.
City Clerk Wagner explained that some cities put multiple tax initiatives on multiple ballots,just
in case one passes and not the other.
City Manager Drabinski added that a good topic for the "What Else?" discussion would be
defining how much revenue is needed, whether it is $30M for the actual streets rebuilding or
$500K a year for maintenance, and for how long the taxation should continue, where there would
be an aggressive tax schedule right away or a short term to gain trust of the community with
some immediate benefit to be seen.
Council discussed that there is one more upcoming meeting on June 9, 2015, and following that
there is a work session on June 11. At that meeting the ideas can be put together into a final draft
proposal that can be taken back to the community for feedback.
Upcoming Meetings Schedule Discussion
There was a revision to the meeting schedule as there is no June 12 meeting; that was an error.
Mayor Aymon noted that the Community Conversations format seems to be well received by the
community, and asked if Council would like to continue the meetings in the fall with various
topics as they arise. Council agreed that it would be a good idea to continue the meetings.
Mayor Aymon highlighted upcoming events with the Payette River Games and the upcoming
WICAP fundraiser in Cascade.
CONSENT AGENDA
Staff recommended approval of the following items:
1. Payroll Report for Period Ending May 8, 2015
2. Clerk's License Report for Period Ending May 28, 2015
3. Warrant Registers
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Councilor Swanson moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Councilor Scott seconded the
motion. In a voice vote all members voted aye and the motion carried.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 7:36 p.m. Councilor Scott moved to go into executive session for Exempt Records -
Pursuant to Idaho Code §67-2345(1) (d) To consider records that are exempt from
disclosure as provided in chapter 3, title 9, Idaho Code. Councilor Giles seconded the
motion. In a roll call vote Councilor Scott, Councilor Giles, Mayor Aymon, and Councilor
Swanson all voted aye and the motion carried.
The Council reviewed records exempt from disclosure.
OPEN SESSION
At 7:50 p.m. Mayor Aymon moved to return to open session. Councilor Swanson seconded
the motion. In a voice vote all members voted aye the motion carried.
AB 15-95 Authorization to Take Recommended Action
After conducting an executive session, the Council voted in regular session to authorize Human
Resources to take action recommended by the City Attorney.
Councilor Scott moved to authorize the Human Resources Manager to take action
recommended by the city attorney. Councilor Giles seconded the Motion. In a roll call vote
Councilor Scott, Councilor Giles, Mayor Aymon, and Councilor Swanson all voted aye and
the motion carried.
I ADJOURNMENT
Without further business, the Mayor adjourned the meeting at 7:51 p.m.
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