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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 12.12.2006 (2) MINUTES COUNCIL WORKSHOP DECEMBER 12, 2006 6:34 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 December 12, 2006. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: x Dick Fritzler x Kate Hart x Gay Easton x Jennifer Johnson _x_ Doug Poehis x Mark Mace x Chuck Dickerson _x_ Norm Stamper OTHERS PRESENT: Mary Embleton Sam Painter Mark Richards Perry Asher Krayton Kerns 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 minute& While all comments are welcome, the Council will not take action on any item not on the agenda. · None Legislative Review: S~mtor Dan McGee and Representative Kmyton Kerns Krayton Kerns, who was elected to House District 58 in the November election, will begin serving on January 3, 2007. Senator McGee did not attend the meeting. Mayor Oison, the council members, and Krayton Kerns reviewed the 2007 Legislative Resolutions adopted by the Montana League of Cities and Towns. The resolutions include: General Principles; Local Option Taxes; Acconm~dations Tax Distribution; Finance Policy; Land Use and Environmental Regulation; Protective Services and General Operations; and Ballot Measures and Other Proposed Legislation. There was discussion regarding local option taxes. The local option tax is based on two ideas: local voters are capable of detemfining the amount and type of taxes they will pay to support their cities; and the 12 million tourists who visit Montana each year should pay a fair share of the cost of the services provided by local governments. If the local option is adopted by the Legislature, it would provide local governments the opportunity to present it to the voters. There was discussion about how revenues would be distributed within the various districts. Krayton stated that it might be necessary to evaluate the current tax structure and the sales tax option. There was fiat_her discussion regarding unfunded mandates, accommodations tax distribution, and land use and future annexation relating to subdivisions such as Pheasant Brook. Council Workshop Minutes of December 12, 2006 IC ayton is willing to report to the City of Laurel regularly throughout the legislative session. Mayor Olson explained the Montana State Firefighters Memorial Park project and asked Krayton for assistance in finding funding for the memorial. The donations received so far were used to prepare a master plan for the project, and additional funding is needed to build the memorial park. The council will approve a resolution of support for the project at the council meeting on December 19th. Mayor Oison thanked Krayton Kerns for his participation in this meeting. Plannine Board: · Resolution- McLelland Quitclaim Deed Mark stated that a survey is being completed on the McLelland property at Alder Avenue and East Maryland Lane. The legal description will be included in the resolution and will resolve this issue. · Resolution ofintant to adopt a Schedule of Fees and Charges Mark Richards explained the need to increase some of the planning fees in order to bring them in line with other communities. The State allows cities to charge for some services for which the City of Laurel did not charge, and those foes will be added to the schedule. Chuck asked regarding a requirement for a traffic study for McDonald's and Snyder Drug Store in Canyon Creek Subdivision. Mark explained that the need for the traffic study resulted from a request from the State asking for information in order to redesign the intersection of South 4th Street and South First Avenue. Clerk/Treasurer: · Resolution- Collection ofannnal $2.00 service fee for all water users Mary explained that collection of the $2.00 annual user fee is required by the Department of Environmental Quality. The resolution will be on the council agenda on December 19th. Executive Review: · Resolution - Task Order No. 12, Mon'ison-Malerle, Inc. The task order for $24,000 is for development of a rate study for the city's water and wastewater utilities. The resolution will be on the council agenda on December 19th. · Resolution - Change order for the East First Street Project This is the final reconciliation change order for the East First Street project. The total final price for the project was approximately $20,000 over the contract price. The resolution will be on the council agenda on December 19t~. · Resolution- Change order for the Main Street Waterline Project The change order for $19,940.45 is for additional materials and labor required due to the redirection of water line around existing sewer line. The resolution will be on the December 19th coundl agenda. · Resolution - Change order for the Sewer Trunk Line Project The change order for $7,270 is for fencing and two additional hookups that were not part of the advertised project but were required to complete the project. Perry will e-mail the council regarding the current progress of the project. There was discussion regarding a survey error on a portion of the 2 Council Workshop Minutes of De~ember 12, 2006 project involving some exposed sewer line in a ditch. Since it was their error, Mon'ison-Maierle will pay the costs. The resolution will be on the council agenda on December 19~. · Resolution - Extension Agreement for the Middle School Resource Officer Program · Resolution - Extension Agreement for the High School Resource Officer Program Mayor Olson stated that the revised extension agreements were e-mailed to Josh Middleton today for review. If the agreements are acceptable to the school district, the resolutions will be on the council ageaxla on December 19~'. The revised agreement for the Middle School SRO reflects that the City of Laurel no longer receives a federal grant for the SRO program. Jennifer has served on the Drag and Alcohol Task Force at the Laurel High School. She emphasized that the school district needs to pursue grant applications to fund the SRO positions. · Resolution- DNRC Termination Date Extension Amendment The extension is needed to extend the date for the $100,000 DNRC grant awarded to the City of Laurel for the wastewater improvement project. The resolution will be on the council agenda on December 19~. · Resolution- Thomae Lumber p~mfit Mayor Olson removed the resolution from the council workshop agenda for further negotiation. · Resolution - Support for the Montana State Firefighters Memorial Mayor Olson stated that the Laurel City Council previously approved dedicating and naming the park Firefighters' Memorial Park. Governor Judy Martz also dedicated the park as the Montana State Firefighters' Memorial Park. The draft resolution will be revised to include verbiage regarding the council's dedication and naming of the park. Mayor Olson stated that approval of the resolution will reflect the council's continued support for the project. The resolution will be on the council agenda on December 19~'. · Ordinance - Amendment to Sign Code - Section 15.40.130(1) The proposed amendment to Section 15.40.130(I) of the sign code is: I. Freestanding signs which are not on-premise and/or which do not address interstate traffic as determined by the director may be installed to a maximum height of twenty-four feet and may have a maximum size of one hundred fifty square feet. Exceptions to this are noted in the entryway zoning district. Mayor OLson stated that the public works director would be asked to e-mail the council members to explain the need for the amendment. The first readi~4g of the ordinance will he on the council agenda on December 19th. Appointments: · Yellowstone City-County Health Board: Appointment to a three-year term ending December 31, 2009 Mayor Olson stated that Donna Wagner submitted a letter of interest to fill the position on the Health Board. Kate agreed that Donna would be a good representative on the board. The appointment will be on the December 19a' council agenda. · HOME Program Advisory Board: Appointment of Mark Richards Council Workshop Minutes of D~¢ember 12, 2006 Mayor Olson will appoint Mark Richards to fill the position vacated by Cai Cumin on the HOME Pwgram Advisory Board at the council meeting on December 19~. · Cemetery Report The cemetery report was removed from the council workshop agenda. · Draft Vehicle Use Policy The draft vehicle use policy was removed fi.om the council workshop agenda. Review of draft council aeendn for December 19, 2006 The resolution approving an encroachment pemdt for Thomae Lumber will be removed from the draft There was discussion regarding the Laurel Airport Authority. The minutes from Se~. tember 23, 2005 through October 24, 2006 were received recently and are listed on the December 19" council agenda. The Laurel Airport Authority is its own entity. The City of Laurel appoints the board members and assesses the mill levy for the Laurel Airport Authority. Doug stated that the board does not post agendas or the locations of its meetings, and he is dissatisfied with several issues. Announcements A meeting with the Montana Department of Transportation regarding funding of the Eighth Avenue project is scheduled for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Dick Fritzler and Mayor Olson met with the county commissioners today regarding the cemetery. Attendance at the December 19th c0uneil meetino No discussion. Other items Mayor Olson mentioned that department heads would be asked to attend council workshops to provide input and information regarding items that are listed on the agenda. Questions and items not listed on the agenda should be given to Mayor Olson or Perry for consideration. The public will not be able to address the department heads, and the proper procedure of addressing questions through the mayor should be followed. The council workshop adjourned at 7:58 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.