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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 08.14.2007 MINUTES COUNCIL WORKSHOP AUGUST 14, 2007 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 August 14, 2007. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: _x_ Emelie Eaton _x_ Doug Poehls x Kate Hart x Mark Mace _x_ Gay Easton _x_ Chuck Dickerson Vacant _x_ Norm Stamper OTHERS PRESENT: Sam Painter Mary Embleton Steve Klotz Rick Musson Wyeth Friday 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. Planning Board issues: · Ordinance - Proposed amendment to the Laurel City Subdivision Regulations Wyeth Friday stated that the proposed draft ordinance is a minor amendment to the new' subdivision regulations that the City of Laurel and the Laurel Planning jurisdiction adopted earlier this year. He works for the City-County Planning Department in Billings, which does the planning for the City of Billings and the rest of Yellowstone County outside of the Laurel jurisdiction. The Billings Planning Division has been contracted with the City of Laurel to do the subdivision review over the last several months. During that process, they have received final plat applications for subdivisions that have been through preliminary plat approval. He explained that the review period under the previous regulations for the City of Laurel and the Laurel Planning jurisdiction allowed only one year between preliminary plat approval and final plat approval. State code allows one to three years for that period. The rest of Yellowstone County and the City of Billings have had the three-year period for quite some time, which may have caused some of the confusion. Some applicants have gone past the one-year period. The amendment is being proposed to allow those subdivisions that were preliminarily approved under the previous regulations to have the three-year limit and be able to complete those subdivisions without having to start over again. The proposed language for the Regulations in Effect section will state that the regulations in effect when the preliminary plat is reviewed are the regulations used for the whole process; however, the review period would go back and cover any plats within the last three years that were preliminarily approved and could then come in for final plat approval. Wyeth presented this to the Planning Board on August 2Na. The board was scheduled to have a public heating at that meeting and make a recommendation to the council and the County Council Workshop Minutes of August 14, 2007 Commissioners. The Planning Board did not have a quorum at that meeting, but those present were Board still needs to supportive of moving forward. The Planning t~ hold a public hearing and make a recommendation, which will be done on September 6 . Wyeth explained that the proposed schedule for the ordinance is for draft ordinance review at this council workshop, the first reading on August 21st, the public hearing on September 4th, and the second reading on September 18th. Wyeth thinks it would still work if the Planning Board holds a public hearing on September 6th, which would be right after the council's public hearing. He asked for the council's input regarding the schedule. Sam Painter stated that it is awkward, but it is important to remember that the city council can initiate changes on its own, with or without the Planning Board's recommendation. He does not think having the council's public hearing and then conducting the Planning Board's public hearing would create anything illegal. It is awkward and different procedurally, but it would not be illegal. Wyeth stated that no public attended the advertised heating for the Planning Board and no correspondence was received. The change needs to go to the County Commissioners for that jurisdiction, and the commissioners need the Planning Board's recommendation for them to act on a recommendation in the county jurisdiction. There was discussion regarding pending subdivisions that would need this to be approved quickly, options for allowing an extension for subdivision approval, and the possibility that the Planning Board will not have a quorum present on September 6th. Sam again stated that the city council can make changes to the regulations on its own volition. Mayor Olson stated that the ordinance will be on the council agenda on August 21, 2007. Public Utilities Department: · Resolutions - Change orders for trunk line project Steve Klotz stated that the resolution is for approval of the final change orders for the trunk line project. The resolution will be on the August 21st council agenda. Doug thanked Steve for the road millings that were delivered to the airport today for the area in front of the hangars. Public Works Department: · Resolution - Agreement with St. Vincent Healthcare Steve explained that the agreement with St. Vincent Healthcare is for the city's drug testing program and is renewed annually. Steve will be the contact person for the program, and Mayor Olson will sign the agreement. The resolution will be on the August 21st council agenda. Distribution of the 2007-2008 Preliminary Budget: Mary Embleton distributed and explained the organization of the 2007-2008 budget sheets. The Preliminary Budget will be discussed further at the council meeting on August 21 st. Mary grouped the budget sheets based on the types of funds. The following groups were briefly explained: the tax- levied funds, which are covered by 1-105 and restrict how many dollars can be levied, based on the certified value of the mill; the Planning Fund, which is a mill-levied fund, and the county sets the mill levy; the Permissive Health Fund, which is the additional mills to cover increases in health insurance costs; the Special Assessment Funds, including street maintenance, light districts, and SIDs; the 2 Council Workshop Minutes of August 14, 2007 Enterprise Funds; the Capital Projects Funds; the Grants and Special Revenue Funds; and the Trust and Agency Funds. The Trust Funds are for the cemetery and the pool endowment. Mary will give more detail during the budget presentation at the council meeting on August 21st. Copies of the budget calendar were also distributed. The public hearing will be held on September 4th and the Final Budget will be adopted on September 18th. A copy of the 2007-2008 Final Budget will be sent to the Department of Administration in Helena by October 1 st. Emelie Eaton asked regarding the number of city employees. Mary explained that there are sixty employees, of which five are part-time employees. Emelie asked regarding contributions to the swimming pool fund and similar funds. Mary stated that contributions are limited and are most visible on the monthly cash report. Donations received for the parks, the ambulance, the library, and other donations are put into the General Fund. The memorial endowment was received from one donor for a specific purpose and has to be in a separate fund for that specific purpose. Chuck asked regarding the amount of the overall projected budget. Mary estimated it to be about $13 million. Executive Review: · Ordinance - City of Laurel Truck Route · Resolution - Establishing City of Laurel Truck Route Mayor Olson stated that the staff will continue to review the truck route before it is presented to the city council. The resolution, which will be brought forward with the ordinance, is for approval of the truck route map. The ordinance and resolution will be on a future council workshop agenda. · Resolution - Surplus auction items Mayor Olson stated that the city council must declare the items as surplus in order for them to be sold at public auction. The resolution will be on the August 21st council agenda. The terms of sale will be cash, cashier's check, or money order at the public auction on September 8t~. · Ordinance No. 007-05: Ordinance for Laurel Cable Communications Sam Painter explained the draft of the amended ordinance, which will require the same process used recently to amend an ordinance. The council will amend the ordinance that was adopted at first reading by striking out the entire previous first adopted ordinance and replacing it with the proposed changes. Sam stated that this ordinance basically does the same thing as the previous one. He deleted the public access television information that will not happen in Laurel for quite some time. The ordinance provides a lot of the terms and conditions that will be in a franchise agreement that would be negotiated directly with the company. As other companies come into Laurel, the same process and agreement will be negotiated with them, and council approval will be required. Sam recommended approval of the amended ordinance on second reading. · Council Issues: o Barricade at south end of Eighth Avenue (Council Member Mace) Steve Klotz stated that the State controls the street and signage on the street. He will send a request to Jim Stevenson, the State Public Works Director, to request that the State review it and make sure it meets the current standards. Council Workshop Minutes of August 14, 2007 c> Review of Safe to School route (Council Members Eaton and Stamper) Steve stated that this Safe Route to School should not be confused with the Safe Route to School grant, as this project was originally planned to involve a Safe Route to School grant. The school district requested designation of Sixth Street as a thoroughfare to facilitate pedestrian flow between the schools. The first four pages of Engineering, Inc.'s traffic and pedestrian study were distributed. The recommendations and request included the installation of additional stop signs, painting stop bars and crosswalks, and ADA ramps at every intersection. The city put in the stop signs and the stop bars in advance of the beginning of the school year and is in the process of repainting the crosswalks· Funds are not available to do the ADA ramps at this time. The school did not apply for the Safe Route to School grant for the ADA ramps, but future applications could be made to complete the project· There was discussion regarding putting notice of the school route in the newspaper and the annual Safe Route to School grant. Norm stated concern regarding the uncontrolled intersections on East Sixth Avenue· There are dangerous intersections and drivers are getting used to Sixth Avenue being a through street from Eighth to Washington Avenue· He suggested that Sixth Street should be a through street all the way to Juniper. There are five uncontrolled intersections on East Sixth Street and people drive as though it were a through street. There is a controlled intersection at Washington, an uncontrolled intersection at Idaho, a controlled intersection at Alder, an uncontrolled intersection at Birch, a controlled intersection at Cottonwood, an uncontrolled intersection at Date, and a controlled intersection at Elm Avenue. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the process for installing stop signs. Steve explained that the Public Works Department installs the stop signs, but the request comes from the Police Department, based on accident history or the results of a requested traffic study. Emelie mentioned that she previously requested public notification regarding the proper procedure at unguarded intersections and speed limits in residential areas. Mayor Olson stated that Larry Tanglen has written an article for tomorrow's newspaper· There was further discussion regarding the need for a comprehensive study and plan, the possibility of greater hazards when the correct process is not followed, putting an update on the issue on the August 28th council workshop agenda, and the obligation of the school district to notify parents about the school route. There will be an update on the next council workshop agenda· Other items: Chuck asked regarding the council vacancy created with Vonda Hotchkiss' resignation last week. Mayor Olson stated that a council vacancy ad will be published in the newspaper on August 15th and 22nd ...... · The ~nd~wdual who filed for elect~on could apply for the pos~t~on, but the vacancy must be advertised to the public. Emelie Eaton spoke regarding the communication about demolition of old buildings between the Public Works Department and the Historic Board. She received a copy of the letter that was sent to the Public Works Department and requested that the attorney draft an ordinance for review at the August 28th council workshop. Review of draft council agenda for August 21, 2007: 4 Council Workshop Minutes of August 14, 2007 · Public Hearing: Budget amendments for FY 2006-2007 There were no changes to the draft council agenda. Attendance at the August 21 st council meeting: All present will attend. Announcements: Doug will contact Scott Wilm regarding the Cenex fire agreement this week and will determine by next week if an Emergency Services Committee meeting will be held on August 27th. Emelie stated that previous minutes (July 31st council workshop minutes) incorrectly stated that the VFW building in Riverside Park was on the short list of the Registry of Historic Places. She stated that it is the former POW, Prisoner of War Camp, which would essentially be the whole Riverside Park. She is excited about this was because the short list includes ten places to be placed on the Historic Register and two of the places are in Laurel. She wanted to make sure it is clear that Riverside Park is being considered and not just one building. Gay Easton provided some history and stated that it was originally a transient camp and the City of Laurel took ownership in 1935. Mayor Olson thanked Gay for the information and stated that Gay is a noted historian. Mayor Olson stated that progress is being made with the city planner position. The interview was successful, and references have been contacted. The council workshop adjourned at 7:40 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. LAUREL PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHOOL D~I'RICT No. 7 and 7.70 OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT ~.~~ 410 Colorado Avenue ~ Laurel, Me.tans 59044 (406) 62~:8023 (406) 628 8625 Fax ~ To: Laurel City Council From: Josh J. Middl~on, Laurel Superintendent Re: 6~' Street Throughway Dat0: March t3,11007 On beb~l¢o.f, the Laurel Board of Trustees and Laurel School District, I am requestln~ th~ City Council to consider snd approve a ~raffi¢ plan fl~at would provide a 6~u S~eet "thloughway" between Wn.~hington A~ and 8th Avenue. The district is reconfl~ ils elementary district schools for 2007-08 whereby West will be fl~e school for i~ and 2~ ~raders, Cu'aff will be the school for 3~ aud.4~ graders, and the new middle school will be~f~0r $~ through 8a gra&~. Because o.f this Ohnn~e we ate -noon,oiled intersections along 6a sa-eet except at 3 points where them are 4 way stops. We request ~.t at all ~ intenecfions, stop signs be placed on the north and south avenues allowing for continuous flow ofuaffic on 6~ Street except at the already established 4 way stops. As ~ city request, a tmfflc study will be comple~d by Engineering Inc. at district ~xpense for furor consideretio~, City Council approval would result in the city inc~ling the explm~ and placement of signs. Furd~r, both city en~eers and district officials agree that this placement be completed early in the summer of 2007 for Laurel citizens to become accustomed to now traffic flow. Most importantly, the district views this change as a safety precaution for student walkers, bikers, and motorist. We appreciate your partnership to insure safety for all. ENGINEERING, INC. CunsultJng [nginee~s and Land Surveyors Apn] 18, 2007 Mr. Steve Klotz Public Works Department City of Laurel 115 West 1st Street Laurel, MT 59044 Laurel Public Schools Traffic and Pedestrian Study E.I. No. 03004.02 Dear Steve: This letter is provided as a summary of the analysis performed for Laurel Public Schools that will potentially be used for a future Safe Routes to School grant application. As you know, they are proposing modifications to existing traffic control along Sixth Street, between Graft Elementary School (417 East Sixth Street) and West Elementary School (502 Eighth Avenue). Proposed changes to class schedules at both schools are expected to result in a significant increase in vehicular traffic, as well as the number of students w,alldng between the two elementary schools throughout the average school day. In particular, the school district is request. Lng that the existing uncontrolled intersections along Sixth Street become two-way stop-controlled with the right-of-way assigned to the Sixth Street approaches. Therefore, this analysis focuses on the intersections along Sixth Street as shown in the attached Figure 1. EXISTING CO~IOITIONS Existing traffic control at the study area intersections is illustrated in Figure 2. The intersections of Sixth Street with First Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Eighth Avenue are currently four-way stop- controlled. The intersection of Sixth Street and Eighth Avenue currently has marked crosswalks and stop bars on all four approaches, the intersection of Sixth Street and First Avenue currently has marked crosswalks and stop bars on three of the four approaches, and the intersection of Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue does not currently have any marked crosswalks or stop bars. The intersections of Sixth Street with Second Avenue, Third Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Seventh Avenue are currently uncontrolled intersections. The intersection of Sixth Street and Seventh Avenue currently has marked crosswalks without stop bars on the northbound and southbound approaches. The rest of the uncontrolled intersections w/thin the study area do not have any marked crosswalks or stop bars. 1300 North rranstech Way · Billings, MT 59102 · Phone (406) 6564255 · Fax (406) 656-0967 , w~vw.enginc.com Steve Klotz April 18, 2007 Page 2 According to the Transportation and Communi~ Sustainabi~y Plan for Laurel, Montana (Carter-Burgess, March 2000), Sixth Street is classified as a collector street in Laurel's functional classification system. Of the north-south study area roadways, First Avenue is classified as an arterial street, and Fifth Avenue and Eighth Avenue are both classified as collector streets. All other north-south intersecting roadways included in this amlysis (Second Avenue, Third Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Seventh Avenue) are classified as local streets. Existing conditions were determined by collecting AM and PM peak hour turning volumes and pedestrian volumes at the intersections of Sixth Street with Second Avenue, Third Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Seventh Avenue. Turning volume and pedestrian volume data were not collected at the intersections of Sixth Street with First Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Eighth Avenue because all three intersections currently operate at safe and efficient levels with the existing four-way stop-control. For the purpose of this analysis, it was assumed that the AM peak hour occurs between 7:30 and 8:30 AM and the PM peak hour occurs between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. A summary of the AM and PM peak hour turning volumes and pedestrian volumes is included in the attached Figure 3. RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS Consistent with the Manualon Uniform Traffc ContmlDevices ~UTCD), a common practice is to control the intersections of arterials or collectors with local streets by using two-way stop-control to assign the right-of-way to the higher chss roadway. In this case, it is recommended that stop signs be placed on the northbound and southbound approaches of the local streets (Second Avenue, Third Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Seventh Avenue) at their intersections with Sixth Street in order to assign the right-of-way to the collector street approaches. This would also be consistent with the MUTCD in ttmt the stop signs would be placed on the lower volume approaches. The instalhtion of stop signs on the north-south minor leg approaches would also provide for increased protection for pedestrians traveling east-west on Sixth Street. Two-way stop-control capacity calculations were performed for the intersections of Sixth Street with Second Avenue, Tkird Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Seventh Avenue using High~vqy Capaci~ Soft~a~ (HCS+). As shown by the attached capacity calculation results, all approaches to all five intersections would operate at level of service (LOS) B or better during both peak hours with the instalhtion of the recommended two-way stop-control. RECOUMENDED IAAPROVEAAENTS As discussed above and as illustrated in Figure 4, it is recommended that new stop signs be installed on the northbound and southbound approaches to the intersections of Sixth Street with Second Avenue, Thkd Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Seventh Avenue. No additional signing would be necessary because, according to the MUTCD, school crosswalk warning signs shall not be installed on approaches controlled by a stop sign. The stop signs would already accomplish what the school crosswalk warning signs would. Along with the recommended stop signs, the same Steve I~otz April 18, 2007 Page 3 approaches should be striped with new stop bars, high-visibility ladder-style crosswalks, and 4-inch doub. le yellow centerline striping for a distance of SO feet from the stop bars. In order to be consistent with the Amoicans ugth Disabilities Act (ADA) Gui&lines, accessibility ramps should be installed on all four comers of all of the intersections along the corridor. In order to provide consistency for the entire length of the corridor between the two schools, it is recommended that all four approaches to the existing four-way stop-comxolled intersections (First Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Eighth Avenue) also be striped with new stop bars, high-visibility ladder- style crosswalks, and 4-inch double yellow centefline striping. School children should be encouraged to cross Sixth Street at one of these three locations, rather than crossing at a location without a marked crosswalk and stop control. These intersections should also be improved with new accessibility ramps that conform to current ADA standards. If the above improvements are implemented as recommended, a much safer environment would be provided for school children, while still allowing for safe and efficient traffic operations along Sixth Sl~eet. Please contact me ff you have any questions or ff you need any additional information. Sit~erely, Senior Transportation Engineer DMR/skw Eric. P:03004_02_K1o t z_Ltr_041807