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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 07.01.2025 MINUTES CITY OF LAUREL CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JULY 01,2025 A Council Workshop was held in Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Dave Waggoner at 6:30 p.m. on July 1, 2025. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: _x_Tom Canape x_Heidi Sparks Michelle Mize _x_Jessica Banks _x_Casey Wheeler _x_Iry Wilke x Richard Klose x Jodi Mackay OTHERS PRESENT: Brittney Harakal, Administrative Assistant Kurt Markegard, CAO Jerrad Anglin, Interim Police Chief Jessica McCartney, 303 Union President Public Input: There were none. General Items Executive Review 1. Planning: Resolution- Resolution Of Annexation Of City Owned Park Land That Is Contiguous To The City Limits, Such Annexation To Include All Of The Adjacent And Adjoining Rights-Of-Way Of The Annexed Property, In Yellowstone County, Montana, And Amending Previous Resolutions Nos. R12-79 And R12-90. This property is located between the irrigation ditch and W. 12th Street. In 2012, lots 4-6 were annexed into the City; the correct legal description is lots 1-6. The 2012 annexation was never filed with the County. This resolution is to tie up those loose ends and annex this portion of parkland into the City. 2. Ambulance: Resolution- A Resolution Of The City Council Authorizing The Mayor To Execute An Emergency Services Mutual Aid Agreement By And Between The City Of Laurel And The Joliet Emergency Services Department, Inc. This is a standard mutual aid agreement, based on similar agreements that have been established. It was questioned if we currently help Joliet, and it was clarified that we do. 3. Police: Resolution - A Resolution Approving A Memorandum Of Understanding By And Between The City Of Laurel And Local Union Local 303, American Federation Of State, County, And Municipal Employees, AFSCME. This MOU is the wages negotiated by both the Union and City teams. They spent approximately an hour negotiating. The Union passed with a vote of 18-2. Union 303 will not come back to the bargaining table until June 2027. It was clarified that every job class had a raise last year. The police officers chose to take the bulk of their 12% last year, with a minimal increase this year. The dispatcher chose to take half last year and half this year. Both groups will receive no raise next year. 4. Police -Resolution- A Resolution Of The City Council Authorizing The Mayor To Execute The Agreement Between The City Of Laurel And The Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter, For The Provision Of Animal Shelter Services. This is the same contract Council approved this spring. The only changes were updating the dates and updating the City's point of contact. The City holds dogs for 72 hours before they are taken to the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter. The cost is 5k plus fees, which is approximately $428 per month. Council noted that posting lost dogs on Facebook has seemed to help reconnect dogs with their owners. Council also noted that this is a good partnership and a valuable resource to have. It was questioned if a dog is chipped, does the Police Department have a chip reader?It was clarified that they do have a chip reader, but the dog has to be registered. 5. Public Works: Ordinance No. R25-01: An Ordinance Amending Chapter 12.28 (Park Rules And Regulations) And Repealing Chapter 12.32 (Trees And Boulevards) Of The Laurel Municipal Code. The requested number of members has been updated. Council Issues Other Items The Mullaney's have requested the following variances, see attached letters. They will be the only home with access to this portion of the road. Emergency vehicles can enter the property, as they have installed a culvert to provide additional access to the property, in addition to an existing alleyway. They proposed a few different options, one being to abandon that portion of E. 11 th Street, as it runs into the Nutting Drain. Another option presented was to be granted a variance from the public works standards to develop the street. They are also requesting the address of 207 E. 11th Street, as the house to the South of E. 1 lth Street is numbered 208 E. 1 Ith Street. All the brush that was on the public right-of-way has been removed, and it is a gravel road. This subdivision was created in the 1950s. Water and sewer were never extended to the Mullany's property. The sewer line in close proximity was originally sloped uphill and needed to be replaced so that sewage flowed properly. The property to the South had a variance in place and was able to build. A variance is property-specific and does not extend to Mullany's property. The Council has adopted public works standards. City staff cannot waive any of those standards. If the Council decides to move forward with a vacation, the Mullanys will not have an answer for 30+days as they navigate the vacation process. Giving a variance will give a more immediate answer and preserve the right-of-way for future use. It was questioned whether granting a variance would impose a burden on the City in the future. It was clarified that, in granting the variance, the street will not be brought up to standard. An SID would need to be passed to improve the street in the future. Council questioned whether the road would ever be connected to Great Northern Drive. It was clarified that the City could purchase the right-of-way to connect to Great Northern Drive; however, this is not a likely outcome. The Mullaney's stated they would be agreeable to a variance. Council noted they would like to have a variance brought before them at the next Council meeting. Council questioned whether they needed to address the address request as well. It was clarified that the Building Official works with the County to determine the address. At this time, the Council does not need to take any action regarding the address request. Attendance at Upcoming Council Meeting All Council Members in attendance will be at next week's meeting. Announcements 6. Employee Recognition July to December 2025. Mayor Waggoner noted the employees' recognition for July to December 2025. Council was reminded that this Thursday, July 3, 2025, a Park Board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The council workshop adjourned at 7:22 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brittney HaraU Administrative Assistant NOTE: This meeting is open to the public. This meeting is for information and discussion of the Council for the listed workshop agenda items. Shawn & Amy Mullaney P.O. Box 103 Laurel, MT 59044 406-672-4406 or 307-921-8094 Ismullanev(a),gmail.com amy@sunlightpm.com June 30, 2025 City of Laurel Planning & Public Works Department 115 W 1st St. Laurel, MT 59044 RE: Petition to Abandon Unused Portion of East IIth Street—Laurel, MT To Whom It May Concern, We are writing to formally petition the City of Laurel to consider the abandonment of the unimproved portion of East 11th Street that currently provides access to our property. This request is based on the following considerations: 1. Sole Access Point: Our home is the only residence that utilizes this portion of East I Ith Street. There is no through traffic,public access, or other properties dependent on it. 2. Public Infrastructure Savings: If the City were to approve this abandonment, it would relieve the City from any future costs associated with maintaining, grading, snow removal, or upgrading this portion of the street. 3. Improved Utility Access: Vacating the right-of-way would potentially provide us with better access to connect to city water and sewer in a more direct and cost-effective manner. 4. Avoid Unnecessary Street Improvement Requirements: Given that we are the only home accessing this segment, we feel it is an undue burden to be required to complete costly street improvements such as curb and gutter for a non-essential, low-traffic section. 5. Property Address Assignment: This change would also allow us to finalize and officially assign the address of 207 E 11th Street, Laurel, MT 59044, which we are currently seeking through a separate request. We believe this proposal benefits both the City and our property by reducing future obligations and simplifying infrastructure needs. We are open to any requirements or public hearing processes necessary to move this petition forward. Thank you for your time and consideration. Please feel free to contact us at 406-633-4307 /307- 921-8094 or 1 snnillaney ugmail.conl a111V(COstlilll�,,Iitpm.com if further information is needed. cerely, Shawn & Amy Mullaney P.O. Box 103 Laurel, MT 59044 406-672-4406 or 307-921-8094 1 Mullaney@gmail.com June 30, 2025 City of Laurel Planning & Public Works Department 115 W 1 St St. Laurel, MT 59044 RE: Request for Street Address Assignment—207 E 11th St, Laurel,MT 59044 To Whom It May Concern, We are writing to formally request the assignment of a street address for our property located at the end of E 1 lth St, address wanting 207 E 1 lth Street, Laurel, MT 59044. This address is needed for utility setup,permit applications, emergency services, etc. We understand that all address assignments are handled through the City's Planning and Public Works Department, and we are happy to provide any additional documents or information necessary to complete this process. Thank you for your time and assistance. Please feel free to contact us at 406-672-4406 or 307- 921-8094 or 1 smul laneyrlgmail.coni or amy@sunlightpm.com if you need further details or clarification. Sincerely, awn & Amy Mullaney Shawn & Amy Mullaney P.O. Box 103 Laurel, MT 59044 406-672-4406 or 307-921-8094 lsmullaney@gmail.com June 30, 2025 City of Laurel Planning & Public Works Department 115 W 1 sc St. Laurel, MT 59044 RE: Request for Variance—Curb and Gutter Requirement To Whom It May Concern, We are writing to formally request a variance from the requirement to install curb and gutter at our property located at(TBD) 207 E 11"', Laurel, MT 59044 We believe this request is reasonable and justified based on the following considerations: • Our property is the only one currently accessed by this section of East 11th Street. As such, the installation of curb and gutter would serve no broader public use at this time and would represent a significant cost with minimal benefit. • We have already constructed a secondary access point to our property, which is fully accessible by emergency vehicles. This additional access helps ensure public safety needs are met, regardless of future infrastructure improvements. • Should the City choose to extend East 11th Street to connect with Great Northern, we fully support that vision and understand that the infrastructure upgrades—including curb, gutter, and paving—would likely be completed through a Special Improvement District(SID). In that case, we are more than willing to pay our equitable share of the costs as part of that future development. For these reasons, we respectfully request approval of our variance. We appreciate your consideration and are happy to provide any additional information you may need. 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