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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 05.04.1999 MINU'TI S OF THE CITY COUN(IL OF IAIJRi L May 4, 1999 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 Chuck Rodgers at 7:00 p.m. on May 4, 1999. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Dirk Kroll Gary Temple Ken Olson (7:47 p.m.) Miles Walton Gay Easton Norman Orr Bill Staudinger Bud Johnson COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: None Mayor Rodgers asked the council to observe a moment of silence in behalf of the Fermer family. MINUTES: Motion by Alderman Kroll to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 20, 1999, as presented, seconded by Alderman Temple. Motion carded 7-0. CORRESPONDENCE: a. Norm Klein, Montana Department of Commerce: Legislative Update and BARS Seminar Information. b. James Stevens, LVFD Chief: Letter regarding new appointment. c. Julie Jones, Double-Tree: Letter requesting amendment to homebuyer assistance contract. d. Larry McCann: Information regarding streetlights. e. Laurel Chamber of Commerce: Letter regarding a Lewis and Clark Public Input Forum on May 5, 1999, from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. at Laurel Ford. CONSENT ITEMS: a. Claims for the month of April in the amount of $434,277.28. b. Committee Reports. --Budget/Finance Committee minutes of April 19, 1999 were presented. --Budget/Finance Committee minutes of April 20, 1999 were presented. --City Council Committee of the Whole minutes of April 20, 1999 were presented. --Laurel AimoH Authority minutes of March 23, 1999 were presented. c. Resolutions. 1) Resolution No. R99-17: Resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign Change Order No. 6 for the Water Treatment Plant. RESOLUTION NO. R99-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN CHANGE ORDER NO. 6 FOR THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT. 2) Resolution No. R99-18: A resolution amending the administrative contract for management services between the City of Laurel and Double-Tree, Inc., to Council Minutes of May 4, 1999 administer certain services related to the HOME Investment Partnership Program. RESOLUTION NO. R99-18 A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACT FOR MANAGEMENT SERVICES BETWEEN THE CITY OF LAUREL AND DOUBLE-TREE, INC., TO ADMINISTER CERTAIN SERVICES RELATED TO THE HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. The mayor asked if there was any separation of consent items. Them was none. Motion bv Alderman Walton to approve the consent items as presented, seconded by Alderman Orr. Motion carded 7-0. SCHEDULED MATTERS: a. Confirmation of Appointments. Ambulance Reserve Attendant: Mayor Rodgers appointed Marie I. Besel to the Ambulance Reserves. Motion by Alderman KrolI to confirm the appointment of Marie I. Besel to the Ambulance Reserves, seconded by Alderman Johnson. Motion carried 7-0. Laurel Volunteer Fire Department: Mayor Rodgers appointed Brian Cherry as a fireman for the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department. Motion by Alderman Staudinger to confirm the appointment of Brian Cherry as a fireman for the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department, seconded by Alderman Johnson. Motion carried 7-0. b. Mike Richmond - Montana Power Company - stree~ight presentation. Mike Richmond explained that Larry McCann had contacted him regarding the City of Laurel's interest in upgrading, adding, or possibly creating a citywide lighting district. If residents of a subdivision desire to add streetlights, they can approach the council regarding the possibility of forming a lighting district. The council would need to get a lighting district design prepared according to Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) standards. Not all cities do that, but Montana Power recommends this standard from a liability standpoint. The standards specify what foot-candle level goes on the street, after the street and roadway classification is completed. Montana Power would prepare the lighting district design. If the city chose not to install lighting according to IES standards, MPC would need a letter to absolve them of any possible liability issues. Mr. Richmond distributed some information about roadway lighting design considerations. In residential or intermediate areas, the classifications include local, collector and major roadways. Commercial areas have collector and major classifications. Each roadway classification has a different average maintained foot-candle level and a different uniformity ratio. The uniformity ratio is the comparison of average maintained foot-candle to minimum foot-candle, which minimizes the dark spaces in between lights. In a commercial area, the uniformity ratio is three to one, and a dark space would probably not even be noticed in this area. The uniformity ratio in a residential area is six to one, and dark spaces would be noticed. The time flame necessary to design a lighting plan would depend on the size of the area included in the district. Montana Power Company would probably require a couple of months to design a citywide lighting district. Once the subdivision and the street classifications have been determined, specific fixtures must be chosen. Every fixture has a different photometric curve, which is used to determine the average maintained foot-candle. With the use of a computer program, Mr. Richmond can determine the specific features provided by various overhead fixtures for the different roadway classifications. Once the best location for each light has been determined, it is necessary to decide whether overhead Council Minutes of May 4, 1999 or underground wiring is needed. The older section of Laurel would have mostly overhead electrical feed. The lowest cost would include a wood pole with overhead wire and fixtures. Most of Laurel has intersection lighting only at the present time, with one or two lights at an intersection. The fixtures and poles range in price from $100.00 to $1,000.00 or more. Most cities have an overhead fixture, the lowest cost fixture available. The 100-watt, high-pressure sodium overhead fixture costs about $90.00 to $100.00, and a bronze shoebox fixture costs about $265.00. After the district has been designed and the fixtures have been chosen, MPC would determine the cost of the project. The city could purchase the lights and contract for the installation and the electricity. Mr. Richmond explained that the lights would not need to be metered at the present time. A flat rate would be charged if the lights are operated on a photoelectric cell from dusk to dawn. For lights that operate from dusk to dawn in the state of Montana, 350 hours are used as the number of operating hours per month. The high up-front cost required is the negative aspect of contracting privately for the installation of streetlights. If Montana Power completed the lighting service, they would carry the up-front costs and would own the system. MPC would install the poles, lights and wiring and would maintain the system for a monthly charge per light. Currently, MPC's electric rate structure is based on the costs of installation. The energy charge, the ownership charge, and an operating/maintenance charge would determine the monthly fee charged for each light. The ownership charge is determined by an amortization of the installation costs and would be an ongoing expense. Montana Power would be responsible for operating and maintaining each individual light. As deregulation is considered and Montana Power Company no longer sells energy, the City of Laurel will have to contract to provide energy services. The energy portion would be contracted, but MPC would continue the ownership charge and the operations/maintenance charge for each light. The assessment methods used for a lighting district include assessment on square footage, taxable valuations, and lineal footage. When using the square footage assessment, the square footage of the streets, alleys, and government properties would be subtracted. A corner lot would have a double assessment. Since Laurel has only intersection lighting in some areas and no lighting in other areas, the installation of any lighting would be an improvement. By installing one street light in the middle of a city block that presently contains intersection-only lighting, the lighting would be greatly improved. However, it would not meet the IES standards, which is important for liability issues. Creating a new lighting district' involves publishing a notice of intention to create a lighting district, notifying every property owner within the district with information and costs, and holding a public hearing. If more than half of the property owners protest, the proceedings must be stopped for a minimum of six months. The preferred way to create a lighting district is to have the residents of a subdivision present a petition containing sixty percent of the required signatures. At the present time, the City of Laurel owns four streetlights and Montana Power maintains and operates 281 lights within the city. There are currently two light districts in the city. Light District #2 is a residential area, and the downtown area, Light District #3, presently has 68 lights. Lighting within the City of Laurel does not meet the IES standards. Mr. Richmond suggested that the next step would be to create the district, which cotrid be modified by phases. If residents of a certain area indicate a desire to participate, modification of the district could be made to small areas. Obtaining easements to install wiring is a difficult and time- consuming part of the process. Alderman Ken Olson arrived at the council meeting at 7:47 p.m. The City of Hardin currently has 400 lights and is considering having 300 new lights installed. The City of Belgrade recently passed an ordinance requiring the installation of streetlights in all new subdivisions. Although that did not help the existing city, the new areas of growth have good lighting. The benefit of having an ordinance that requires all subdivisions to have streetlights is that the lighting is installed as the subdivision is developed. Council Minutes of May 4, 1999 Mayor Rodgers selected one alderman from each ward to serve on a committee to study the lighting issues. The committee consists of Gary Temple, Miles Walton, Gay Easton and Bud Johnson. Mayor Rodgers directed the committee to choose their chairman. Bud Johnson commented that the Drug and Alcohol Task Force has discussed the current lack of and need for more lighting throughout the City of Laurel. He stated that the public is aware of the need for better lighting in Laurel. Ordinance No. 099-24: An ordinance of the City of Laurel amending the standing committees of the City Council as appointed by the Mayor. First reading. ORDINANCE NO. O99-24 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF LAUREL AMENDING THE STAND1NG COMMITTEES OF THE CITY COUNCIL AS APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR. Motion by Alderman Johnson to approve Ordinance No. O99-24, seconded by Alderman Orr. A roll call vote was taken on the motion to approve Ordinance No. 099-24. All eight aldermen present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. The second reading and public hearing will be held at the council meeting on May 18, 1999. UN SCHEDULED MATTERS: Mayor Rodgers informed the council that the City of Laurel has received the $85,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Transportation and Community and System Preservation pilot program. Cal Cumin prepared the application for this grant and the mayor thanked him for all of his efforts. Mayor Rodgers will be sending a letter of appreciation to Senator Conrad Burns for his support of the City of Laurel's application for this grant. Mayor Rodgers proclaimed May 28th as Poppy Day in Laurel in behalf of American Legion Post #123. Bud Johnson commented that receipt of the $85,000 grant for the City of Laurel was largely due to the determined efforts of Cal Cumin, and Bud expressed appreciation for his work. There being no further business to come before the council at this time, the meeting was adjourned at 7:57p.m. Cindy Alle~Secretary Approved by the Mayor and passed by the City Council of the City of Laurel, Montana, this 18th day of May, 1999. 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