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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 02.15.1994Minutes of the City Council of Laurel February 16, 1994 A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Laurel, Montana, was held in the Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Charles Rodgers at 7:00 p.m., on February 15, 1994. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Ron Marshall Albert Ehrlick John Minch Donna Kilpatrick Gay Easton Bob Graham Chuck Dickerson Lonnie Kellogg COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: None INVOCATION: Invocation was given by Reverend Bob Shaw. MINUTES: Motion by Alderman Marshall to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of February 1, 1994, as presented, seconded by Alderman Ehrlick. Motion carried 8--0. CORRESPONDENCE: Received a letter from the Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Solid Waste Program, regarding the Laurel Landfill. Received a copy of a letter written to the Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Solid Waste Program, from Geo Research, Inc. regarding the Laurel Landfill. BoB Graham recommended that all council members read these letters very carefully because it will be a tough issue in the future. Received a memo from the Montana League of Cities and Towns regarding Initiative 66 & 67 and voter review. Received a memo from the Montana Municipal Insurance Authority regarding the Montana Safety Culture Act proposed Administrative Rules. Received the January minutes and activity report from the Yellowstone County Air Pollution Control Board. PUBLIC HEARING - BEST VALUE HOME IMPROVEMENT CENTER: This item was postponed until the March 1st council meeting. CITY CLERK & CITY TREASURER'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: The City Clerk and City Treasurer's financial statements for the month of January were presented. Motion by Alderwoman Kilpatrick that the City Clerk and City Treasurer's financial statements for the month of January, 1994, be approved, seconded by Alderman Ehrlick. Motion carried 8--0. ANNUAL REVIEW OF GREYHOUND BUS DEPOT: The Mayor stated this is an annual review of the Greyhound Bus Depot. We are allowing the bus to double park and to load and unload passengers. Chuck asked if anyone has had any problems with it. Joe Leckie said he spoke to Mike Atkinson regarding the bus depot and there have been no accidents or complaints filed in the last year. Motion by Alderman Marshall to allow the Greyhound Bus Depot to continue operating as it has in the past and to continue with the annual review, seconded by Alderman Graham. Motion carried 8--0. L.D. COLLINS - REPORT ON AIR QUALITY: L.D. Collins, a member of the Yellowstone County Air Pollution Control Board, handed out data study graphs and gave a report on air quality in the Billings-Laurel area. Minutes of the City Council of Laurel Page 2 Council Meeting of February 15, 1994 A recent article in the Billings Gazette gave the impression that air quality some how has something to do with the Air Pollution Control Board in Billings. L.D. said there are several things they have control over but the SO2 problem is governed by the State and the board has no control at the local level. L.D. said he would try to get the graphs from the two Laurel monitoring stations and make them available. One station is located on the Middle School and the other is on a farm southeast of the refinery. ADOPT UNIFORM FIRE CODE - 1991 EDITION: ORDINANCE NO. 094-2 (second reading) AMENDING SECTION 15.40.010 OF THE LAUREL MUNICIPAL CODE, TO ADOPT THE UNIFORM FIRE CODE 1991 EDITION Public Hearing: No Comments. Motion by Alderman Dickerson to close the public hearing, seconded by Alderman Marshall. Motion carried 8--0. Motion by Alderman Dickerson that Ordinance No. 094-2 (second reading) be passed and adopted, seconded by Alderman Graham. Darrell McGillen stated this is being adopted under the future of the Montana State Building Code Bureau. Whatever the state adopted~ this code is going to fall within that. The state did pull some articles and appendixes out of the code that they do not govern. A roll call vote was taken and all aldermen voted, "YES". Motion carried 8--0. TRANSFER GAS TAX FUNDS TO CAPITAL PROJECT - STREET EQUIP: RESOLUTION NO. R94-6 BEING A RESOLUTION TRANSFERRING CERTAIN FUNDS OF THE CITY OF LAUREL, MONTANA Motion by Alderman Dickerson that Resolution No. R94-6 be passed and adopted, seconded by Alderman Marshall. Motion carried 8--0. TRANSFER GENERAL FUNDS TO CAPITAL PROJECT - COMPUTER EQUIP: RESOLUTION NO. R94-7 BEING A RESOLUTION TRANSFERRING CERTAIN FUNDS OF THE CITY OF LAUREL, MONTANA Motion by Alderman Marshall that Resolution No. R94-7 be passed and adopted, seconded by Alderman Ehrlick. Motion carried 8--0. TRANSFER FIRE DEPT.CONTRACT REVENUE TO CAPITAL PROJECTS - FIRE DEPT: RESOLUTION NO. R94-8 BEING A RESOLUTION TRANSFERRING CERTAIN FUNDS OF THE CITY OF LAUREL, MONTANA Motion by Alderman Dickerson that Resolution No. R94-8 be passed and adopted, seconded by Alderman Ehrlick. Motion carried 8--0. TRANSFER MONEY FROM SID #95 BOND SINKING TO SID REVOLVING FUND: RESOLUTION NO. R94-9 BEING A RESOLUTION TRANSFERRING CERTAIN FUNDS OF THE CITY OF LAUREL, MONTANA Motion by Alderwoman Kilpatrick that Resolution No. R94-9 be passed and adopted, seconded by Alderman Graham. Motion carried 8--0. Minutes of the City Council of Laurel Page 3 Council Meeting of February 15, 1994 COMMITTEE REPORTS: --Budget/Finance Committee minutes of February 1, 1994 were presented and reviewed. Motion by Alderwoman Kilpatrick Committee minutes of February 1, 1994, Alderman Ehrlick. Motion carried 8--0. to enter the Budget/Finance into the record, seconded by It was stated in the committee minutes that offer from Jacob and Terri Lambrecht for the Cherry Hills Subdivision. the city accepted the single improved lot in --City Council Committee of the Whole minutes of February 1, 1994 were presented. Motion by Alderwoman Kilpatrick to enter the City Council Committee of the Whole minutes of February 1, 1994, into the record, seconded by Alderman Ehrlick. Motion carried 8--0. --Cit~-Count~ Plannin_~ Board minutes of February 10, 1994 were presented and reviewed. Cal Cumin stated that the Laurel Airport is going to become a major airport in the future and we need to control the land use. There is a big area around the airport that is called the airport flight pattern area. In the first round of reviewing the ordinances, they are requiring that any development in this area go through a special review. The people have to apply for the special review and a public hearing is set. Cal talked to the FAA and others and said that any time someone wants to put up a residential structure in any area outside of the city limits and outside the boundaries of the airport itself, they have to have a permit. As part of the permit, they would have to provide the city with an air navigation permit. As air navigation increases, we will not get complaints from people who build in the area. Cal said there was controversy over the special review process. The special review process is a unique method of dealing with zoning and he urged the Planning Board members to look at items covered by special review in the city ordinances. If there are any problems with them, you need to take them out. You do not change the review process, rather you take out the uses that are allowed under the special review. HOME OCCUPATION Steve Hollingshead, 419 Maple, has applied for a home occupation for the selling and repairing of firearms. He has many computer programs related to firearms and this is where his expertise lies. There would be no additional traffic to the home and he has nothing in stock. In regard to a question about gun powder and ammunition, Steve said he has his own personal supply but nothing more. There will be no discharging of guns in his business. In regard to a question, Steve said he was a police firearms instructor for seven years and has had extensive training to be a pistol instructor along with a degree in criminal law. Motion ~M Alderman Marshall to grant a home occupation to Steve Hollingshead subject to no displaying of retail goods and no customer traffic to the home, pending a fire inspection, seconded by Alderman Ehrlick. Motion carried 8--0. Valarie Faist, 241.1 Atchison, has applied for a home occupation to run a day care in her home. She is licensed for 11 children through the state. She has one child of her own and her mother will be helping her run the day care. Darrell questioned whether she was required to have a fire inspection from the state in order to get the state license. Valarie said she has not had a fire inspection. She received a book from the state and Minutes of the City Council of Laurel Page 4 Council Meeting of February 15, 1994 had to make sure her home met the requirements. Darrell said he is not familiar with day care occupancy and maybe the state does not require the inspection. The city does require a fire inspection and one will be done. Motion by Alderman Ehrlick to grant a home occupation to Faist, pending a fire inspection, seconded by Alderman Graham. carried 8--0. Valarie Motion The minutes stated that the new attorney would be willing to attend meetings of the Planning Board as needed if they need legal advise, but he does not want to become a member. Chuck Dickerson questioned whether there will be a vacant spot on the board. It was stated that we still need a replacement for Joe Bradley who was a city representative. Chuck Dickerson said he is interested in serving on this board, Motion by Alderman Dickerson to enter Board minutes of February 10, 1994, into Alderman Marshall. Motion carried 8--0. the City-county Planning the record, seconded by --Public Utilities Committee minutes of February 14, 1994 were presented and reviewed. At the committee meeting, Bob Frank asked permission to dump waste from his septic tank pumping truck into the sewer plant. He now has to haul this waste to Billings to be dumped. Bob presented the committee with a list of cities in the state that allow disposal of septic waste. The committee will explore this issue further and make a recommendation at a later time. Chuck Dickerson said the committee often times has questions for Dave Michael and they would like him to attend the meetings. Motion by Alderman Dickerson to enter the Public Utilities Committee minutes of February 14, 1994, into the record, seconded by Alderman Marshall. In regard to the Bob Frank situation, Lonnie said the Public Utilities Committee looked into this when the plant was built and there may be some information available if they look back. At that time, HKM recommended that we not allow it because if we let one person dump~ other could also do it and we would not have any control over it. More discussion followed and L.D. Collins said the problem with these trucks is that they not only pump septic tanks but also sludge pits. If you get a certain contaminant into your sewer system, you can be in a lot of trouble. It was stated this will require a great deal of study before a decision is made. A vote was taken on the motion. Motion carried 8--0. Dave Michael introduced Bill Leonard who is with Midwest Assistance Program. This is a regional non-profit organization that goes to small rural communities and helps them with anything that they need help with relating to water or wastewater systems. This can be to develop a system or to help repair or extend a system. They also go in to help on management matters such as budget rate structure and collection policies. Laurel would be one of the larger communities that Leonard has worked with. Leonard said there is a common thread that runs through all communities that are faced with water or wastewater problems. The most prevalent is money and it all fans out from there. He does not bring with himself or the program, a bag of money, He said 98% of the communities in Montana are broke and they have little or no reserve. The question is always one of how can we possible afford whatever it is we need. New construction is very expensive and usually overwhelming for a community. Minutes of the City Council of Laurel Page 5 Council Meeting of February 15, 1994 He has offered to Dave and the Mayor, his assistance in guiding you to financial agencies where you can procure funds to make improvements. He feels Laurel's chance is fair to good to receive some financial assistance in the form of grant money. Leonard said that according to the 1990 census figures of median household income, he feels Laurel could get some Farm Home grant money, for example. Their interest rates are about as low as you will find anywhere but the great thing is that they will go 40 years on a loan for an infrastructure system. In the long run it is more expensive but it is more feasible on a monthly or yearly basis for the people in the community. He also keeps close ties with other organizations that have grant and loan programs. The problem with the CDBG program is that the community has to prove that at least 51% of the residents are low to moderate income people and we would have a hard time doing so in Laurel. Leonard went on to review other programs and organizations where funds are available and gave criteria for their funds. Leonard said his purpose is communities that do not have experience in these areas. to bring the expertise to the small the planning capacity and financial The Mayor stated that with a community our size we need help and guidance and we have relied on engineering firms for this expertise, Leonard said another thing that he can help us with is our engineering procurement. There is nothing wrong with hiring an engineer to do preliminary type work or to have a study done. This engineer does not have to go through any specific procurement stage, but sooner or later, before construction, you must go through the procurement procedure that is set up by engineers and required by the laws of this state. To get the financial assistance mentioned before, you must go through this engineer procurement procedure. Leonard spoke more on the procedure and application deadlines for application of funds. COMMUNITY HOPE Cal Cumin said the committee for Community Hope had a good meeting last night. They did come up with a list of requirements. This will be presented at the next council meeting and the council will make a decision at that time. APPOINTMENTS: The Mayor appointed Chuck Dickerson to the City-County Planning Board to fill the position vacated by Joe Bradley. Motion by Alderman Kellogg to confirm the Mayor's appointment of Chuck Dickerson to the City-County Planning Board, seconded by Alderwoman Kilpatrick. Motion carried 8--0. MAYOR'S COMMENTS: AVIATION TECHNOLOGY AWARENESS WEEK The Mayor stated that April 25th - 30th will be Laurel Aviation Technology Awareness Week. Mr. Jack Bayne, 8th grade History teacher~ is in charge of this program. Chuck attended a meeting for it and said it is going to be a tremendous program. They are asking for the city's assistance in blocking off certain roads and use of the park. The actual showing will be a two day event with Friday being for the school students and Saturday being open to the public. Chuck said they now have approximately 4,000 students they opened it up to all the schools that have applied, around 35~000 students. coming and if there would be Minutes of the City Council of Laurel Page 6 Council Meeting of February 15, 1994 Chuck said they will have a bus shuttle and students will be moving in groups of 25 from station to station every 15 minutes. Chuck said they started out with 8 or 9 stations at the airport but by the end of the day they were looking at 30 to 40 stations. There is no way they can put the children through everything that they have so they may have to pick and choose what they see. ASSESSING THE CITY'S NEEDS Chuck asked the council to assess our needs. Do we need an engineer, a public works director or a consultant? Do we need a combination of these or something different? We now have four supervisors who are over a total of eight people. Do we need this? He asked everyone to think about this and consider the possibility of looking to the outside for contracting work. He would like the council's opinion at the next meeting. There being no further business to come before the council at time~ the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m. Donald L. Hackmann, City Clerk this Approved by the Mayor and passed by the City Council of the City of Laurel, Montana, this 1st day of March, 1994. Charles Rodgers,~ M;~yor ATTEST: Donald L. Hackmann, City Clerk