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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 11.27.2012 MINUTES COUNCIL WORKSHOP NOVEMBER 27, 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 November 27, 2012. COUNCIL MEMBER PRESENT: _x Emelie Eaton _x_ Doug Poehls _x Bruce McGee _x_ Mark Mace _x Scot Stokes _x_ Chuck Dickerson _x Tom Nelson x Bill Mountsier OTHERS PRESENT: Heidi Jensen Public Input (three - minute limit): There was no public input. General Items: There were no general items. Executive Review: • Resolution — Tax Compliance Procedures Relating to Tax- Exempt Bonds Heidi Jensen explained the resolution for the Tax Compliance necessary to refinance and issue bonds by the City. The City has not had a tax compliance resolution in many years and Dorsey & Whitney is requesting one prior to the refinance of the water /sewer bonds and before the new sewer bond is issued in the spring of next year. There were no questions. • Resolution — Accept Donation of Steel Water Tank Pat Hart and Family has donated a 1,000 gallon water tank to the City to make it possible to water the new trees planted downtown and other places where no potable water is available to water new trees. The Mayor stated that the donation is much appreciated and will have a multitude of uses. The Mayor will pen a letter to the Hart Family if the Council so desires. Mark requested that not only do we thank the Hart Family, but also make sure the Public Works Department receives a thank you for their help in using the donation. Bruce requested we send the Hart Family a thank you. The Mayor requested that Heidi mention the donation from ExxonMobil. Heidi stated that ExxonMobil had a large inventory of items left after the oil spill clean-up and sent letters to non- profit organizations asking if they were interested in the items they did not use. The Public Works and the Fire Departments checked off the items they would like and the City ended up with two truckloads of items that could be used by the City, i.e. weed eaters, shovels, waders, life jackets and many more items. It was determined that the worth of the items was over $10,000. ExxonMobil requested no recognition for the items. Council Issues: Annexation — The Mayor asked Bruce to proceed with the annexation issue. Bruce stated that he believes the Council needs to prioritize the annexation and he would like to see Riverside Park annexed on the top of the priority. • Chuck questioned whether it could be annexed in as a subdivision rather than a park and thus we would not have to provide services to that area. This would be fine by Bruce if it is legal, but he just feels that it needs to be annexed. • Doug asked Heidi for an update on the Growth Management Plan and if the park would be addressed in the GMP. Heidi stated that she is not involved in the GMP but she believes the plan is right on schedule and the committee is dealing with economic development at this time. She knows that the park will be addressed in the annexation chapter. • This item will be further discussed on a future workshop agenda after the Growth Management Plan Committee has moved to the annexation chapter. Left -hand turn signal on First Avenue /Main Street — The Mayor asked Chuck to proceed with the turn signal issue. • Chuck realizes this is a State highway, but there really needs to be a left -hand turn lane and light for vehicles turning to the left on the way up the hill after the underpass. Only about three vehicles can turn before the light turns red. Chuck feels that this is an annoyance and a serious safety issue. Someone from the City needs to contact the State in regards to this and address it or at least conduct a traffic study there. • Tom agrees with Chuck and stated that it is a bottleneck issue now and it will be worse as the city grows. This is the only north/south route through the city. • Bill also agrees with Chuck and Tom. He feels striping the lanes could alleviate part of the problem. • The Mayor will talk to Stefan Streeter to see if he could look at it prior to penning a letter to the State. • Heidi stated that we are addressing MDT; something should probably be put in writing. She will see if she can get someone to Laurel to look at the problem. • Chuck stated that, if they cannot change the timing on the light, he would like them to address the Council and explain the problem. • Doug does not think the problem will be resolved unless the street under the tracks is expanded. The stripes and left hand turn are only band aids to the problem. • Chuck stated that even band aids stop a lot of bleeding and it is a start. • The Mayor will get further information for the Council. Sunset Clause in Lease Agreement — The Mayor asked Emelie to proceed with discussion in regards to the sunset clause. • Emelie stated that she understands that the lease agreement with the Gun Club will have a sunset clause in it. She does not understand if the sunset clause will address only the shooting or the lease for the building also. She would like to know how the Council defines "Sunset Clause ". She would like to make sure that, if a sunset clause is added to the agreement, the future councils are aware of what the clause is referring to. • Tom assumes that the sunset clause will be written into legislation to terminate the shooting at Riverside Park on a certain date. He added that another clause can be changed by any future council. The long range goal is that the club finds another area of land to do their shooting on. He feels that the Gun Club will be able to move their whole operation after they fix up their land, but now the clause only addresses the shooting angle. • Bill stated that he believes it only deals with shooting also. His understanding is that it only pertains to outside shooting. Presently, the Club has no authority to shoot outdoors at the Park after December 31, 2012. • Doug stated that Bill's understanding is the same as his. • Tom stated that if the land is annexed it would preclude shooting anyway. • The Mayor stated that it would not necessarily preclude shooting, as shooting is allowed for instruction and competition in the City limits. • Chuck suggested that the Council get an opinion from the City Attorney so everyone has the same interpretation of a "Sunset Clause ". • Emelie asked if the task team would be negotiating for a lease or shooting. • Bruce stated that the Task Force is only working on the end date for outdoor shooting. • The consensus of the Council is that shooting will be the only thing addressed in the sunset clause portion of the lease agreement. • Scot mentioned that the Gun Club is getting bids on fencing now and would it be worth their expense to fence in the area if shooting is banned in the near future. If the clause extends out 10 -15 years, he feels that is too far out. • Mark feels that Scot brings up a good point that 10 -15 years out is too long. His concern is that if someone gets shot or hurt at the park, the lawsuit will fall on this Council's shoulders and he feels the shooting should stop now. • Tom agrees, but the Gun Club has been shooting down there since 1940 without any accidents and they feel that precedence should be considered. • Bruce feels that the task force is getting mixed signals from the Council. Does the Council wish to continue with the lease agreement or not? • Mark stated that yes, the Council wishes to continue with the agreement and he would like it to get done sooner rather than later. • Bill stated that the lease task force is moving rather well. The issue has been around for 12 years and the committee has only been working on it for three months with a resolve pending shortly. • Tom stated that the end of shooting occurs on December 31, 2012, and this should encourage the Club to get moving on an agreement. Budget Workshop - January 22, 2013 — The Mayor stated that since there are five Tuesdays in January, he is interested in having a budget workshop for the Council so they get a better understanding of how the budget is developed. He feels that the Council should have a say, not so much in the O &M, but in the capital outlay for the City. • Heidi mentioned that Kurt, Shirley, the Mayor and she have been meeting regularly to develop a capital plan for the future of the City. Currently, the group is working on the water /sewer funds, but she would like to meet with all department heads to develop their capital plan. • The Mayor is requesting that anything the Council is interested in learning about the budget be written out in a short note so that it can be addressed during the workshop. • Chuck would like to have a rough draft of topics that will be covered prior to the workshop, so the Council can form questions in regards to the agenda. Heidi stated that she would have a rough draft for the Council prior to the meeting. Other Items: The Mayor informed the Council that he received a request from the Mayor of Cut Bank requesting a letter of encouragement to Cut Bank's Miss America participant. Miss Wineman has dealt with Asperger's Syndrome since she was 11 years old, has managed to overcome her disability to become Miss Montana, and will be participating in the Miss America pageant in Los Vegas. The Mayor sent the letter around to the Council members to sign. Review of Draft Council Agenda for December 7, 2012 The Mayor mentioned that the Arbor Day Proclamation will be done early this year due to grant applications that need to be submitted early. Attendance at December 4, 2012 Council Meeting Mark stated that he will not be able to attend. Announcements • Bruce asked if the workshop on January 22, 2013 would be at 6:00 p.m. The Mayor stated that the time would be 5:30 p.m. and he will provide pizza. • Emelie requested that the Arbor Day trees be placed at the cemetery this year. • Chuck inquired as to when the next combined meeting will be held with the County. The speed signs at the airport have not been addressed. The Mayor will look into this. • Doug would like to have a FEMA update. Heidi stated that the City had a conference call with FEMA, the Army Corps, County Commissioner Kennedy and the City today and nothing was settled. The City is tired of getting the run - around and requested an in- person meeting with FEMA with individuals that have authority to get something done. FEMA will be here on December 19 2012 at 8:00 a.m. and will meet with the City in the Library meeting room. The final breaking point for the City was the fact that we have 3 -4 new individuals (from FEMA) working on this for over a year and nothing is getting done. Tom inquired as to whether Council members could attend. The Mayor stated that it will be an open meeting. The council workshop adjourned at 7:52 p.m. Respectfully submitt , ihC<<( I ((OCRcv Shirley Ewan Clerk/Treasurer NOTE: This meeting is open to the public. This meeting is for information and discussion of the Council for the listed workshop agenda items.