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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 05.29.2012 MINUTES COUNCIL WORKSHOP MAY 29, 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 29, 2012. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Emelie Eaton _x_ Doug Poehls _x_ Bruce McGee (6:45 p.m.) x Mark Mace x Scot Stokes x Chuck Dickerson x Tom Nelson Vacant OTHERS PRESENT: Heidi Jensen Monica Plecker 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 Urban Renewal Agency • Linda Frickel — Voting Member to fill a term ending December 31, 2015 • Dirk Frickel — Advisory Member to fill a term ending December 31, 2015 The appointments will be on the June 5 council agenda. Executive Review: • Ward 4 Vacancy — Letters of Interest Mayor Olson stated that the Ward 4 council vacancy was posted in the Laurel Outlook and letters of interest were received from Zada Stamper and William Mountsier. They will address the council tonight, and the council will vote at next Tuesday's meeting. Zada Stamper, 523 Date Avenue, has lived in Laurel for 17 years, has raised two sons in the school district and has been part of the community. Zada previously worked with the YMCA in Laurel, which was an incredible organization. She currently works for the school district and is also the executive director for Laurel Aviation & Technology Week. When her husband served as a council member, they discussed the issues and their impacts on the community. She would like to continue to work with the city and serve the community. Bill Mountsier, 901 Pennsylvania Avenue, has lived in the Laurel area since 1995. He retired ten years ago as a US Drug Enforcement Agent, has worked with the local police department, served as the state representative for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and dealt with the Council Workshop Minutes of May 29, 2012 offices of Senators Baucus and Tester and Representative Rehberg. He stated that Bruce McGee encouraged him to start serving locally and to apply for the council vacancy. He has a bachelor's degree in business management and a minor in accounting, worked 6.5 years for the Internal Revenue Service, and has a background in financial affairs. Since most of his jobs have been solving other people's problems, he feels he would be a real asset to the council. There was discussion regarding the term of the vacant council seat. The term ends December 31, 2015, but the successful candidate would need to run in the next election in November 2013 to fill the last two years of the term. • Resolution — Robertus' variance request at East 11 Street and Montana Avenue, Certificate of Survey 2039 (Planning Board postponed the Public hearing for May 1, 2012; Public hearing will be on June 5, 2012) City Planner Monica Plecker stated that her staff report detailed the variance request that went before the Planning Board. The property is located at East 11 Street and Montana Avenue and the variance is a request to use an alley as the primary access. There would be no primary access, as the alley would act as the primary access. Along with the variance request, Mr. Robertus has offered 30 feet of right -of -way to the east of his property, which would be along Colorado Avenue. Laurel Municipal Code states that an alley should be used as secondary access, and the Standards for Public Works state that an alley is a secondary city street serving as a service access. After the Planning Board reviewed the information presented, the Board recommended approval of the variance. There was discussion regarding the third condition stated in the draft resolution: "Make it known during the permitting process that the City intends to complete E. 11 in the future by creating an SID which this lot will participate in." Monica explained that the city currently has no plans for an SID, but the city would like to see the street go through at some point. The street is platted through and the Planning Board also wants to see the street completed. The previous owner of the property had signed a waiver of protest, so a future SID would be uncontested. Doug asked if the main access for this lot would revert to the street access when the street, curbs and gutters are installed on East 11 Street. Monica explained that the condos adjacent to the property have street frontage and garages in the back that they are technically using for their primary access. Since they have street frontage, they technically have primary access there. Once the street goes through, he would have the street frontage as a primary access. One requirement is that the house must face north toward East 11 Street, which is the direction the condos face. The fourth condition states that "the variance shall be good for three years from approval on unimproved property." The condition is needed to insure that something happens with the property. If nothing is built on the property within three years, the owner would have to apply for another variance. Mayor Olson stated that the Planning Board continued its public hearing for an additional thirty days. After the public hearing next Tuesday, the council could choose to unanimously waive the rule and place the variance request on the agenda. 2 Council Workshop Minutes of May 29, 2012 • Resolution — Approve Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance, Delta Dental, and VSP Heidi stated that the resolution is for approval of the Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance, Delta Dental and VSP for an additional year for the city staff. The term will expire at the end of the fiscal year and open enrollment has occurred. It is better for the employees to have insurance signed prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year so the rates are locked in and can be adjusted for payroll for July premiums. The BCBS and Delta Dental premiums increased, but the VSP premium went down. The health insurance increased 10 percent, which is the national average. Tom commented that the Health Insurance Committee would meet on June 7 regarding the health insurance plan. Heidi explained that the Health Insurance Committee did not vote on this yet. The committee did not call a meeting in the six -month period in which it could have looked for another health insurance plan. Health insurance is deducted a month in advance from an employee's payroll, so the July premiums are taken out of June paychecks. Heidi spoke regarding the need to lock in the premiums in order to get the best cost for the employees, the need for the committee to meet earlier to consider changes to the insurance benefits, the possibility of returning to MMIA at the end of the three -year period, and her appointment to the Health Insurance Committee. There was further discussion regarding the council approving the agreements prior to approval by the Health Insurance Committee, the fact that the council makes the final decisions, the need to continue the current plans for the next fiscal year, the need for the committee to consider possible options next January or February, and the committee's meeting scheduled on June 7 • Resolution — Loan from the Solid Waste Fund for the FAP Building Heidi stated that the bills have been received for the ambulance addition, so the city is proposing a loan for $308,000 from the Solid Waste Fund. The project ended higher than estimated, as there were some issues and change orders with the project. The Solid Waste Department is agreeable with the $308,000 loan. • Resolution — Custodian job description Heidi explained that the city's contract with Covert Cleaning expired and the city went out to bid for janitorial services. Covert Cleaning was the only bidder for the janitorial services, and the bid was higher than their current contract. The clerk/treasurer determined that it would be more cost- effective for the city to hire its own part-time janitor for 20 hours or more, including benefits, than for the proposed bid. The custodian job description has been updated for the council's consideration. The city would advertise the position starting at 20 hours a week. Even a 3 / -time position would be cheaper than the proposed bid. The employee would work during the day, have oversight from city staff and be available when janitorial needs arise. The job description is basic and allows for a lot of flexibility and the position would be non -union status. There was discussion regarding the hourly wage and benefits, the applicant pool, and the need to purchase a new vacuum cleaner. • Resolution — Accept American Legion's donation of a flag and flag pole for Thomson Park Mayor Olson removed this item from the agenda, as the American Legion is not ready to proceed at this time. 3 Council Workshop Minutes of May 29, 2012 • Resolutions — Quit Claim Deeds for Richmond Family Trust Heidi stated that the Richmonds graciously offered to donate the land on 12 Street by Valley Drive to the city and want to name it the "Jake and Lois Bernhardt Parkway". The Richmonds signed the quit claim deeds last week. The realty transfer deeds will be sent to the Richmonds for signatures. Public Works Director, Kurt Markegard, took the Richmonds to the property last week for a photo opportunity with the Outlook. This is a really nice donation and the city will be able to improve the land and make it a nice transition for pedestrians. The property has a lot of potential. • Resolution — MDT Street Sweeping Agreement for July 1, 2012 — June 30, 2014 Heidi stated that the standard resolution is for renewal of the $5,000 annual contract for the city to provide street sweeping on MDT right -of -way. The Public Works Department did not have any problems with continuing the agreement. • Discussion — Cemetery Irrigation Project Mayor Olson stated that the Cemetery Commission recently discussed its options and recommendation regarding the irrigation project. The chairman's recommendation was not to go forward with the only bid received for the project. Tom Nelson explained that the Cemetery Commission discussed a couple of options. The main option is to find out the amount of available funding in the new budgeting cycle, to start with half of the project one year and complete the other half the next year, and to work on the upper end of the system (the underground sprinkler portion), providing water from the ditch, and the option not to bed the system as deep as Great West designed it. There is still an opportunity to partner with the county, as the county is interested in providing water to the veterans' cemetery. The Cemetery Commission will continue to discuss the options. Mayor Olson will attend the Yellowstone County board meeting regarding the veterans' cemetery on June 6 He hopes to schedule a meeting with Tom Nelson, board member Denis Pitman and Commissioner Kennedy for further discussion. The county and the city have the commonality of two cemeteries trying to find water, with the added venture of having potable water. There was discussion regarding the dedicated CIP funding for the cemetery irrigation project. Mayor Olson stated that there is currently $106,000 in the CIP for the irrigation project, but the CIP funds are put back in the pot every year and the council decides what to fund. The CIP process is being reviewed and department heads will present their lists of capital projects in two weeks. The council makes the final decisions regarding the capital projects. There was further discussion regarding the five -year cycle for the CIP. The cycle is over, but there were some diversions and some changes were made. Mayor Olson stated the importance of reviewing the process to establish another five -year CIP plan for the budgeting process. • Council issues: o Skateboarders on Valley Drive, 12 Street and First Avenue (Chuck Dickerson) Mayor Olson stated that staff is trying to set up a meeting with the sheriff's department and the City of Laurel regarding the issues with skateboarders on Valley Drive, 12 Street and First Avenue. Chuck spoke regarding two situations last weekend. One driver had to stop abruptly when a skateboarder shot a skateboard right underneath her car. On Friday night, a vehicle coming down 4 Council Workshop Minutes of May 29, 2012 Valley Drive at 85 mph took out some mailboxes, a vehicle parked on the corner of 13` and Valley Drive, a boat and a trailer, and a shed. A year ago, a highway patrolman often parked on Valley Drive and wrote numerous tickets to speeding drivers. Since he has not been there for quite some time, the traffic speeds have picked up, especially on 12 Street. Chuck stated that it is a serious issue and it is amazing that nobody got killed Friday night. Mayor Olson and Heidi will try to schedule a meeting with the appropriate entities to discuss the issues. Chuck spoke regarding issues regarding the speed limit signs on Buffalo Trail and the County's promise to contact the city within a few weeks after the joint meeting last February. Mayor Olson will get an answer regarding the signage on Buffalo Trail and try to schedule a meeting regarding the skateboarding issues. Other items There were none. Review of draft council agenda for June 5, 2012 • Public Hearing: Robertus' variance request at East 11` Street and Montana Avenue, Certificate of Survey 2039 Mayor Olson stated that the vote to seat the new council person would be at the beginning of the meeting. Attendance at the June 5, 2012 council meeting Tom will be unable to attend the council meeting. Announcements Chuck had commented several weeks ago about potholes on 13 Street between 4th Avenue and 5 Avenue that make traffic go into oncoming traffic to avoid the potholes. The potholes have gotten bigger and he asked when they would be filled. Heidi stated that she relayed the request to the public works director, who told her that the potholes would be filled as soon as possible. She will relay the request again, and asked Chuck to inform her if it does not get done. There was a request for an update on the water fill station. Heidi recently asked the public works director to call the company that has the water fill station for sale in Wyoming and she also asked the city attorney to send the lease to MRL or BN. LURA is having a work planning session tomorrow, and improving the south side of the railroad and that area is one of LURA's number one priorities. She stated that things are slowly moving forward. Tom stated that the process concerning the leases at Riverside Park is moving forward. The task force will reconvene soon with an open meeting for the public. Mayor Olson asked Heidi to report on a recent meeting with the American Legion and Little League regarding the baseball leases. 5 Council Workshop Minutes of May 29, 2012 Heidi stated that three leases are involved, including the concession stand lease, the American Legion lease and the Little League lease. The concessions lease is a joint lease between the American Legion and the Little League. Since this is the busiest time of year for these two clubs, it was an opportune time to contact them but an inopportune time for them to actually work on the leases. The city and the clubs will meet again the second week in August to discuss leases that will clarify more responsibility and upkeep of the area than the 1996 leases. The American Legion is a bigger organization than the Little League, so they could take care of the restrooms and the facilities. The Little League wants to talk to the city about parkland and potential additional fields. Any proposals would be referred to the Park Board for consideration. Mayor Olson spoke regarding today's discussion with FEMA. The discussion included FEMA representatives, the Army Corps of Engineers, two representatives from Senator Baucus' office, a representative from Senator Tester's office, Commissioner Kennedy and Jeremiah Theys from Great West Engineering. The city asked FEMA repeatedly for some type of a timetable. They are going to accommodate a timetable as close as they can, recognizing that the city still needs to provide some information to them. Next Tuesday's meeting at 2:00 p.m. will be an important meeting. Mayor Olson stated that FEMA wants to give the city a response and wants to hold themselves accountable to the opposing people, making sure that their decision is determined upon substance rather than emotion. They understand the city's concerns and right to address public health and safety issues if the water intake is jeopardized by the inadequate flow of the river. Reimbursement for that is not high on their list of ways to spend money, but the city told them that reimbursement for activities should be in the best interests of the taxpayers' dollar. FEMA's timeline for the City of Laurel consists of the statement that the City of Laurel is their first priority right now. Whether or not the city likes their answer is not a consideration of FEMA, as their charge is to accommodate requests that meet the criteria that FEMA has been vested in by Executive Order. They are investigating the Executive Order and trying to ensure the correct determination. There was discussion regarding the city's swimming pool. The waterline issue has been fixed, a pool manager and lifeguards have been hired, the pool should open on time, and the contractors did a good job on the project. There was discussion regarding the requirement for the city to purchase environmental credits by July. Heidi mentioned the environmental credits three times during today's conference call with FEMA. She stated that it is dependent upon the data that FEMA receives and what they mitigate as fundable, so the city is in a holding pattern until next week. Jeremiah let FEMA know that that the city has a July 15 deadline for the $50,000. Mayor Olson stated that FEMA representative Tom Bush was not aware of the deadline for the $50,000 until today's meeting. The Laurel Urban Renewal Agency will meet tomorrow for discussion regarding LURA's five -year plan. Mayor Olson attended the luncheon for the Ambassador from Brunei and then met the Ambassador and his wife at the Owl Cafe the next day while they were on their way to Yellowstone Park. Mayor Olson mentioned that BSEDA is offering two opportunities for trips to the Bakken to observe the oil boom. He would like to participate in the trip to Sidney and Williston on June 14 and 15 Anyone that is interested should contact Mayor Olson or BSEDA. 6 Council Workshop Minutes of May 29, 2012 The council workshop adjourned at 7:43 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. 7