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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Workshop Minutes 02.26.2019MINUTES CITY OF LAUREL CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019 A Council Workshop was held in the Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Tom Nelson at 6:30 p.m. on February 26, 2019. _x Emelie Eaton Heidi Sparks x Bruce McGee _x x Richard Herr Scot Stokes x Iry Wilke x Richard Klose x Bill Mountsier Lei Matthew Lurker, Chief Administrative Officer Kurt Markegard, Public Works Superintendent Nick Altonaga, City Planner Forrest Sanderson, Interim Planner Public Input: There was none. General Items: 1. Introduce Planner to Council The CAO introduced the City Planner, Nick Altonaga, to Council. He asked Mr. Altonaga to if he would like to address the Council. Mr. Altonaga stated he is grateful for the opportunity. He had been looking for this type of position for a while. He has always wanted to move to Montana. It was questioned if he had a family. Mr. Altonaga stated that he had a father and a brother and sister back East. He has a significant other who is in Texas and looking to move here potentially. 2. Appointment of Jon Rutt to the Park Board for a term ending December 31, 2022. There was a question if someone who lives outside the city limits can serve on boards. Under LMC 12.28. 010 all Park Board appointments need to live within two miles of city limits. Mr. Rutt lives within that two-mile radius of city limits. Mayor Nelson stated he is working on having potential appointments vetted. Executive Review: 3. Resolution - A Resolution Accepting The Proposal Submitted By Morrison Maierle Systems To Provide The City's Information Technology ("IT") Support And Services And Authorizing The Mayor To Execute A Contract With Morrison Maierle Systems For Such Services. The CAO gave a brief overview of the RFP process. Vendors were invited for a site visit prior to bidding. The RFP requests a five-year fixed firm price. There are a few exclusions from the fixed firm price, such as the replacement of equipment or adding to or subtracting from our infrastructure. There were three vendors who bid on the RFP. Systems were not only the most cost-effective option but offered the best services as well. This vendor will be working with the VOIP vendor. Thad McGrail, Account Manager for Systems, stated that the only time there would be an additional cost would be when the City adds or takes away from the network. One of the first things they would do coming in would be to do a network mapping. They are 98% sure they understand the City of Laurel's needs. The levels of service would then be discussed. Part of the network mapping will be to identify any unique software systems the City utilizes, such as at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The City Attorney has reviewed the document and spoken with Mr. McGrail of what submitted materials are part of the contract. The Clerk/Treasurer was asked to pull what the City is currently paying our current vendor. The proposed contract is less than what the City is currently paying. Mr. McGrail brought the Council's attention to the five percent discount starting at year two. Systems does a yearly review to make sure there is no growth or contraction of use. In the event, there is a large project a proposal will be brought to Council for approval. Council Issues: 4. Annexation/Zoning Discussion [Goldberg L.L.C] Mayor Nelson gave a brief overview of the issues with the annexation and zoning and why this item was removed from the last Council Workshop Agenda. This item will come forward once all the issues have been addressed. Kurt Markegard, Public Works Director, was questioned at the public hearing where the city limits are. The Ward Zoning map shows the city limits the best. The Public Works Director looked into the legal description of Lot 25, it does not have a section line. There is 30 feet missing from the plat. Upon looking at the annexed property across the street from around 1982 property was annexed to the section line, there is 30 feet that were missing. It is questionable who owns this land. The plat was filed in 1940. Those owners and their descendants have perished. After researching ownership, the Public Works Director went to the County Courthouse and found that Lot 25 encompasses Elanor Roosevelt. The white line, showing the road, could be an error. These issues would be resolved through the annexation agreement. Forrest Sanderson, the Interim Planner, has discussed these issues with Performance Engineering. Forrest Sanderson, Interi n Planner, stated there are three potential items before Council, annexation, zoning, then development. Annexation is discretionary and is a business decision. The Annexation Policy (Resolution No. R08-22) has been included in Council's packets. Zoning must meet the Growth Policy and the other 1I - points of the test as stated in Montana Law and the Laurel Municipal Code. Development is the final step in this process. Council has the most discretion at annexation and the least discretion at the development point in the process. However, we are looking at setting the framework for urban scale development and urban scale infrastructure. It was stated at the public hearing that the City of Laurel does not have a good track record of insuring that things are getting done so we are proposing an annexation agreement to spell out the duties, expectations, and outcomes. The example of Lot 18 was given. Lot 18 is developed. Per the Annexation Policy Council needs an Annexation Agreement outlining how they address the issues with Lot 18. The Interim Planner sent Performance Engineering an email outline (included in the Council Packet) the items that need to be addressed as outlined in the Annexation Policy. A draft of the agreement was received today. The Interim Planner has not had a chance to review the proposed agreement. If City Staff are comfortable with that agreement, then the agreement will be brought to Council. This project will have a clear play book for both the City and Developer for moving forward. Council will have a recommendation regardless of the outcome of Staff and Legal review. 5. Update on West Railroad The City had a preliminary meeting with the State. It was brought forward to the Public Works Committee in error that there are no funds to do the project. The State brought forward its cost estimates for this project. These estimates are high; it is suspected the true cost of the project to be under those estimates. The estimated shortfall was between $700,000 and $2.5 million. The City is looking at what options there are to be able to move forward with this project. When there is an update available the item will be brought back to Council. 6. LURA Project Update Some Council Members were lead to believe that this project was also on hold and not moving forward. The TIF District itself will expire in three years. Staff is hoping to be able to start on this project this year. The project would be bonded through LURA and would extend the TIF District out to the maximum State statute. The possibility of using LURA funds to complete the West Railroad project is also being examined. Other Items: There was none. Review of Draft Council Agendas: 7. Draft Council Agenda March 5, 2019. There were no changes. Attendance at Upcoming Council Meeting: All in attendance will be present. Announcements: Council Members thanked the Public Works Department for their hard work the past few days keeping the streets cleared ofd Public Works Committee will be meeting in March. The council workshop adjourned at 7:16 p.m. Respectfully submitted, r t Brittney 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.