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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 05.08.2012 MINUTES COUNCIL WORKSHOP MAY 8, 2012 6:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS A Council Workshop was held in the Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Ken Olson at 6:30 p.m. on May 8, 2012. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: _ Emelie Eaton _x_ Doug Poehls _ Bruce McGee _ Mark Mace x Scot Stokes _x_ Chuck Dickerson x Tom Nelson Vacant OTHERS PRESENT: Heidi Jensen Numerous members of the public Sam Painter Public Input (three - minute limit): Citizens may address the Council regarding any item of City business not on the agenda. The duration for an individual speaking under Public Input is limited to three minutes. While all comments are welcome, the Council will not take action on any item not on the agenda. There was no public input. General items: • Appointments: o Laurel Volunteer Ambulance Service: Lance Dollarhide Mayor Olson stated that the appointment of Lance Dollarhide to the Laurel Ambulance Service would be on the May 15 council agenda. o Health Insurance Committee: Heidi Jensen, City Rep; , Council Rep Mayor Olson stated that the appointment of Heidi Jensen to the Health Insurance Committee would be on the May 15` council agenda. Executive Review: • Discussion — Dog ordinance Mayor Olson stated that tonight's discussion is not a public hearing but is an issue for the council's consideration. The Emergency Services Committee will review the issue to give direction to the city council. Mayor Olson asked people not to present evidence for a public hearing. He stated that tonight's discussion is not about banning a specific breed of animals in the city limits, but is a discussion of the current ordinance. Chapter 6 of the Laurel Municipal Code is not perfect, and the three strikes and nuisance sections need to be addressed and a definition of a dog in control is needed. Terri Cherry, 405 Laurmac Lane, spoke regarding a recent personal incident and the need to be responsible dog owners. Robert Johnson, 210 6 Avenue, spoke regarding the need for responsible pet owners. Council Workshop Minutes of May 8, 2012 Monty Cherry, 405 Laurmac, spoke regarding irresponsible pet owners, the need for a full -time animal control officer, and the issue of waiting for an incident to happen before dealing with uncontrolled animals. Erin Maslen, 1012 2° Avenue, spoke regarding the natural instinct of dogs and the use of a muzzle on an aggressive dog. Annette Behm, 226 Laurmac Lane, spoke regarding an incident with her son's dog and the possibility of a muzzle leash law to control aggressive dogs. Helene Tiefenthaler, a certified professional trainer and a certified behavioral counselor for dogs, lives at 2331 Old Hwy 10 West. She spoke regarding the need for education of dog owners regarding the breed of their dog, statistics of dog bites in Canada and the US in 2010, and the dog breeds that are generically referred to as pit bulls. Robert Ybarra II, 1134 Central Avenue in Billings, suggested reviewing www.bestfriends.org to find some proactive and positive laws. Kat Lee, 1003 Bobcat, runs a dog training facility and asked people not to lose track of the fact that natural instinct has a lot to do with the issues. Dustin Stoll, 307 Forrest Avenue, stated his concerns regarding inter -pet relations and for the safety of his daughter and other children. Jeremy Pedersen, 316 Forrest Avenue, stated that he is for stricter pet ordinances and for personal responsibility. Tonya Brown, 509 Birch Avenue, spoke regarding the need for pet owners to take responsibility and the need for stronger laws. Jean Kerr, 1128 9 Avenue, spoke from the vantage of the court regarding concerns with dog bites and the need to review the dog ordinance. Doug stated that the Emergency Services Committee would review the dog ordinance at the meeting on May 21 at 5:30 p.m. He encouraged the public to attend and participate in that meeting. • Discussion — Leases Mayor Olson will meet with Alan Hulse of MMIA on Wednesday while Alan is attending the Elected Officials Workshop in Billings. A date has not been set for MMIA representatives to meet with the club members. Tom stated that the city is not in a position to go forward with the leases until the FEMA issues are resolved and the park issues are addressed. Mayor Olson asked for public comment. 2 Council Workshop Minutes of May 8, 2012 Curt Lord, 418 West 12 Street, is the treasurer of the Laurel Rod and Gun Club. He stated that the Laurel Rod and Gun Club wants to get back into the building in Riverside Park. The club has shot at the shooting range in the park for a long time and hopes to continue shooting by working out the issues with the insurance company. The club wants to keep the trap shooting going because they do not have another suitable place to do so. Ernie Freund, 404 East 9 Street, gave a lengthy comment regarding the history of shooting in the park. The Rod and Gun Club has been shooting in Riverside Park for over 70 years. The club installed the traps in 1940 and has been shooting there ever since. He spoke regarding someone that wanted to mine the shot, his feeling that the park does not get heavy use, the permission the council gave in 1955 for the club to shoot big bore at the shooting range, the $16,000 the club spent for the trap layouts, the improvements the club made to the building since it was acquired in 1938 or 1939, and the suggestion that watching the shooting activities would give a better understanding of what trap shooting is about. Mayor Olson asked for other comments from the audience and for discussion from the council. Doug stated that the task force should continue to work on the issues and find out the best options. • Resolution — MOU between BNSF Railway Company and Laurel Police Department Heidi explained the MOU between BNSF Railway Company and the Laurel Police Department. The railroad also entered into the MOU with Yellowstone County. Since the Laurel switchyard is the biggest switchyard between Minneapolis and Spokane, the railroad is concerned about the large amount of diesel stored there in the event of an elevated terrorist threat or a national security threat. The MOU is an agreement to provide emergency services as quickly as possible and to increase patrol if the security threat is raised. Chief Musson does not have any concerns about entering into the MOU, as the department is already patrolling the area. There was discussion regarding railroad security, the use of the city's limited resources for an extended length of time, and the differences between a mild and an elevated threat. • Resolution — Cemetery Irrigation Project Heidi stated that the bid opening for the cemetery irrigation project is scheduled tomorrow, so no information was available tonight. The information will be distributed as soon as possible. If the bid is over the amount currently allocated in the 2011 -2012 budget, a budget amendment will be needed if the council chooses to go forward. The additional funding would come out of reserves. The bid opening is scheduled at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. • Discussion — Town Square awning and lights Heidi Jensen stated that former city planner James Caniglia applied for a grant through a historical conservation group for the awning in Town Square. The city will administer the $4,600 grant for the awning, and the city and Laurel Alive are working together to get the awning built before June 30` The money that has been allocated is for administration of the grant, so no additional city funds are being allocated at this time. Since it was a government grant, someone from a government agency had to apply for it and James did that at the time. Monica Plecker is now administering the grant. Heidi spoke regarding an inquiry to the State to remove the period lighting on the west end of Main, as the lights do not provide enough illumination to be considered a street light. A request has been 3 Council Workshop Minutes of May 8, 2012 made to move the black lights into Town Square. That is not a city project yet, but LURA wants to get involved in the project. The lights are free, but there will be some costs to move them and some construction costs to replace any cement that is disturbed or holes that need to be filled. If the request is over $5,000, Heidi will present it to the council. If it is under $5,000, it will be a vote by the LURA board. • Discussion — Neptune water meters Sam Painter gave a history of the city's energy performance project that included replacement of all water meters. He spoke regarding the consistent number of meter failures, the longstanding dispute with Neptune regarding the meters, a lawsuit between a city in Hawaii and Neptune, theories about the failed meters, Neptune's admission that a manufacturing defect impacted 50,000 meters, and the possibility that the City of Laurel received its entire batch of water meters from the defective batch. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the issues. Sam stated that the council would eventually need to decide whether or not to authorize him to file a lawsuit. The issue will be on the next council workshop agenda for further discussion. • Council Issues: o Update on donation of land on 12 Street (Emelie Eaton) Heidi stated that the city sent the Richmonds a copy of an estimate of value that A Haus of Realty did of the property on 12 Street. The Richmonds did not agree with the evaluation and wanted the city to use Yellowstone County's current taxable valuation. They asked the city to do an appraisal of the property, but that was an expense the city did not want to extend, and the city is willing to use the taxable valuation. When the Richmonds respond, the city attorney will take care of the legal documents. The property runs along the ditch from Valley Drive to the walking bridge on 12 Street. Mayor Olson asked for public comment at this time. Rita Haase, 404 West 12 Street, stated her concerns about the ditch and the city's plans for the property. Her main concern is that it is a busy thoroughfare there and drivers go faster than the 25 mph speed limit. Emelie recently agreed to send her some information regarding the area. Rita is very concerned as it is a fire hazard right now. Mayor Olson thanked Rita for her comments and stated that her concerns would be shared with the Planning Department as they review the development for the area. Other items Mayor Olson asked Heidi to update the council on the FEMA issue. Heidi updated the council on the funding issues with FEMA, recent conference calls with FEMA representatives, FEMA's request for the city to provide additional information, the city's engineering expenses, and the city's requests for assistance from the County Commissioners and the congressional offices. 4 Council Workshop Minutes of May 8, 2012 There was discussion regarding conversations with FEMA, the information requested by FEMA, and the delay in a decision regarding funding. Doug stated his disappointment with the situation and his willingness to contact Mr. Rehberg, Mr. Baucus and Mr. Tester. There was further discussion regarding the frustrations and the need to contact congressional representatives. Doug stated the need to set a drop dead date for the project, as the City of Laurel is responsible to provide water to its citizens. He also suggested a statement on this issue from the council in the form of a resolution. Mayor Olson asked the council to allow city staff to do further review and to make a recommendation to the council. Review of draft council agenda for May 15, 2012 The information regarding the cemetery irrigation system will be forwarded to the council. Attendance at the May 15, 2012 council meeting All council members present will attend. Announcements A kickoff breakfast for the 2013 Aviation and Technology Week is scheduled on Friday, May 18 at 8:30 a.m. at the high school. The closing ceremony for the Special Olympics will be held in Laurel on May 18 This year's first Rock the Block is scheduled on May 18 The council workshop adjourned at 8:18 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Cindy Allen Council Secretary NOTE: This meeting is open to the public. This meeting is for information and discussion of the Council for the listed workshop agenda items. 5