HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 06-08 Pre2.
CITY OF MERIDIAN
PRE -COUNCIL MEETING
AGENDA
Tuesday, June 8, 2004 at 6:00 p.m.
City Council Chambers
Roll -call Attendance:
X Shaun Wardle X Bill Nary
X Charlie Rountree X Keith Bird
X Mayor Tammy de Weerd
Adoption of the Agenda: Approve
3. Discussion of Open Burning Amended Ordinance: Discussed / Put
on City Council Agenda
(*10 minutes)
4. Discussion of Fireworks Amended Ordinance: Put on City Council
Agenda
(*10 minutes)
5. Every 15 minutes Tape: Watched
(* 20 minutes)
6. Valley Ride — Kelly Fairless: Presented
(*20 minutes)
*Approximate allowable time set for agenda item may change depending on
discussion. Please use the designated minutes as a guideline only.
Meridian City Pre -Council Agenda — June 8, 2004 Page 1 of 1
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Meridian City Pre -Council Meetina June 8, 2004
The Meridian City Pre -Council meeting was called to order at 6:00 P.M. on
Tuesday, June 8, 2004 by Mayor Tammy de Weerd.
Members Present: Mayor Tammy de Weerd, Bill Nary, Keith Bird, Shaun Wardle
and Charlie Rountree.
Staff Present: Gary Smith, Brad Watson, Bill Nichols, John Overton and Will
Berg.
Item 1. Roll -call Attendance:
X Bill Nary X Keith Bird
X Shaun Wardle X Charlie Rountree
X Mayor Tammy de Weerd
Item 2. Adoption of the Agenda:
Bird: Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Bird.
Bird: We need to change the agenda seeing how the tape isn't working on every
15 minutes and Mayor has requested that we go into Executive Session as per
Idaho State Code 67-2345(1)(a). We will make that item five still and if Kelly
Fairless gets here before it's time to go in then we will put six and move this to
five if that's okay with the Council. With that, I'd move that we approve the
agenda as revised.
Rountree: Second.
Nary: It's been moved and seconded to adopt the agenda as revised. All those
in favor, say aye.
ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
Item 3. Discussion of Open Burnina Amended Ordinance:
Nary: Chief, I don't know do you just want to go ahead and talk about both that
and the Fireworks Amended Ordinance at the same time. Talk about Item 3 and
4.
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
Page 2 of 17
Bowers: Yeah, okay. Mr. President, City Council and Mayor. Basically this is a
new ordinance that DEQ came out with. Several years ago they come up with
the five levels of concentration: the good; the moderate; the unhealthy; very
unhealthy; and hazardous. That was very confusing for different counties,
different cities to go by, so the DEQ and I believe COMPASS as Bill Nichols was
saying, got together and green, yellow — they go by colors now. There is only
three colors. So, Bill received this information from COMPASS. We had been
discussing this many months ago and basically just a few changes in it as you
could tell. The Fire Department, the Chief, the Fire Marshall a law enforcement
officer to enforce this ordinance. Is there anything else, Bill Nichols that we need
to add to this?
Nichols: Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Nichols.
Nichols: Madame Mayor and members of the Council COMPASS asked that
Meridian update it's air quality ordinance and so we got some material from
COMPASS to coordinate our ordinance with the Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality rules and Chris Gabbert in our office worked on this and
come up with a draft, which he also provided to COMPASS for comment and it
was approved by them. It's essentially a cleanup of the existing ordinance to tie
in with how things are done with regard to a burn ban and it allows within the City
limits those enforcement officers to be able to ask or tell someone that they need
to stop their burning or whatever it might be because of the particular levels,
etcetera. So, it's mostly a cleanup and just to tie in it to what's actually being
done at the state level.
Bowers: Thank you, Bill.
Nary: Council is there any questions?
Bird: Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Bird.
Bird: As we all did I am sure, got an email from Mr. Crane regarding this.
Charles Crane.
De Weerd: No.
Bird: Maybe I was the only one.
De Weerd: You are the lucky one.
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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Bird: I don't think this affects him at all. I do have one question. Who will call
the — will it be the DEQ that calls the air quality and tells us whether it's a burn
ban or what it is. Or will it stay the same as it is now?
Bowers: To my knowledge, Councilman Bird, yes. We will receive a warning
from DEQ or — well, we receive paperwork from them everyday saying if it's good
or bad, so, yes.
Bird: So, it continues that way?
Bowers: Yes, from what I understand. There is no changes in that.
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Nary: Madame Mayor.
De Weerd: And too this is just to bring us inline and consistent, not only with
what the state is looking at, but with the rest of the ordinances countywide — or
valley -wide.
Nary: Chief, in looking at this ordinance the question I had is in the air -pollution
alert, I think was Mr. Bird's question — it looks like it's 5-3-5(b) — it says it is the
DEQ that issues the air quality index alert that reaches 74 or higher is what kicks
in the requirements of this. But, there isn't any provision in here — at least I didn't
notice a revision in here that talks about how do we notify the public of that?
Because we are going to basically — and I know it's just an amended ordinance,
but we are essentially criminalizing behavior based upon information from DEQ.
So, I guess I wasn't sure whether or not it was necessary in the ordinance or
recommended by COMPASS that we put information in here so how would we
notify people of that — that type of thing before we just cited them for —
Bowers: That's a very good question. I am not really sure if Bill Nichols could
answer that or not. They do change daily their message on the phones, but you
would have to know the telephone number. Several times last year when it got
real bad or even the first of this year when it got bad it did come out at the news
at night time on the news channels 6, 7 and 12 and 2 basically did announce it. I
heard it a couple of times and also then it did come out in the paper, the Valley
Times and also the Statesman. How we would get to the people that day that
might be a little difficult, I don't know.
Nichols: Madame Mayor, Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Nichols.
Nichols: Yet under sub -paragraph "c" in that same section 5-3-5 it places on the
permit holder or the person that is operating this solid fuel appliance — whoever is
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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doing the burning to be aware of what the air quality index and stagnation
forecast and so forth are. That's the policy that is here. It's basically, if you are
going to burn wood to heat your home with, if you are going to bum you get a
permit to burn, agricultural waste or whatever it is you have to know what the
level is each day. As Fire Chief noted when those unhealthy air designations go
out that the news media are pretty good about getting those out on the air. Most
of the weather people include that as part of their weather forecast information
what the level is. If there is anything additional you want to put in here, we could
sure look at doing that, but this is the way it is now.
Bowers: Mr. President.
Nary: Chief.
Bowers: Whenever anybody comes in and gets a bum permit from us, we hand
them a form that tells them what telephone number and it says right on it — it
states right on it before you burn, you need to call this number. How many
people do? I don't know, I can't tell you that but we do hand out a piece of paper
with our burn permits.
Nary: Just so I am clear. I am not trying to belabor the point on this, but this
applies — I mean, I agree I think the people have a permit, you can give them
notice, but the responsibilities are the people that have a continuing operation —
do the same thing through education and I guess whether it needs to be part of
the ordinance or whether it needs to be just part of a protocol or what the
notification is because this applies to people burning their fireplace, didn't it?
People that are wood burning?
Bowers: No. This is basically —
Nary: Okay so it's just the permits and just the people that have a continuing
operation?
Bowers: Yes.
Nary: Okay. So, we could provide them notice up front?
Nichols: Well, Mr. President.
Nary: Yes, Mr. Nichols.
Nichols: I am not sure whether we can say that it doesn't apply to that. If you
look at the definitions —
Nary: Well, I saw fireplaces in the one you pointed out that's why I asked
because those would be the ones that I would be the most concerned with
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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because, you know, notice to them is more generalized, so again, whether it
needed to be in the ordinance or whether it needed to be at least in some way to
educate the public that when there is a burn ban this is how it applies to you and
when they do (inaudible) sometimes through PSA's on TV, but I just haven't seen
the word fireplaces in (inaudible) and that was why I asked if it applied to people
that had a home fireplace.
Rountree: Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: That's real confusing to me. Under 5-2-4, prohibition against open
burning that has two paragraphs "a" and "b". The first one says you aren't going
to have an outdoor fire of any kind. The next one talks about you are not going
to have a fire of any kind and in it it says there is an exception for this under
Section 5-2 — and I am not sure, my old eyes can't make out that next number.
It's either a five or a six. If it's a 5-2-5 there is no section 5-2-5. And if it's a 5-2-6
you jump from you can't have an outdoor fire to permits, which leads to my final
comment. This day and age I see no reason why in an urban environment,
outdoor, open burning should be permitted under any circumstance. If
something needs to be gotten rid of, we have a service in town that if need be
they will come and haul it away for you. I have a hard time thinking why we
would need to even allow open burning.
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Nary: Madame Mayor
De Weerd: I guess I would agree to a certain extent, but being how I was in the
city and I had a ditch that ran behind my house and I liked to burn it to keep the
weeds down and the ditch was in the city as well — that's — I know a lot of people
and farmers included they will burn those ditches to keep the weeds down and
that's the only thing —
Rountree: They have weed whackers now
Bowers: Mr. President.
Nary: Chief.
De Weerd: (Inaudible) what are those weeds called, I don't know?
Nary: Chief before you respond, I would note Councilmember Rountree that I
think the reason 5-2-5 isn't here is because it's not being amended. That's the
reason it's not in this draft because this is merely an amended section of the
code. So, there is a 5-2-5 it's just not been amended so that's why that reference
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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is okay. But, I would agree with it and then Chief maybe you can respond
because it does say in "a" you may not have an outdoor fire of any kind for any
purpose and then in `b" it says well you can get a burn permit — you can't use
your burn permit and some of the things that you can get a burn permit for is an
outside fire. So, it seems contradictory at least —
Nichols: Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Nichols.
Nichols: You have to look at the part that is underlined just ahead of that. It
says, (inaudible) is allowed under 5-2-5, no one can have an outdoor fire and
then it says no burning permit holder shall (inaudible) and so forth subject to 5-2-
5.
Rountree: So, what does 5-2-5 say?
Nichols: Well, I will look real quick.
Bird: You have to go into your city code (inaudible).
Nary: Yeah, I happen to have it pulled up here and that is fire's allowed with a
permit that's the exceptions and it has agricultural burning, irrigation ditches and
fence rows, fires used for control or early (inaudible) fire hazard or for weed
control when no alternative control method exists. Fires used in training of
organized firefighting personnel, special fires are allowed with discretion to the
Fire Chief; fires that are allowed without a permit or use for the preparation of
food and camp fires under the control of a responsible person. I am assuming
that is for a barbeque.
Rountree: Yeah, barbeque.
Nary: Thank you, Mr. Nichols for pointing that out. So, Chief now that we cut
you off about three times (inaudible) —
Bowers: That's okay that's basically what I was going to say. We do allow weed
burning on irrigation ditches in the City. That is the only thing we do allow in the
City to be burnt and that's through the summertime. Now, wintertime, once we
are off the weather gets very cold we do allow warming fires for their tools.
Sometimes that gets a little out of hand so we have to shut that off, too,
sometimes. Their little warming fires tum out to be as big as a house.
De Weerd: Farm fires.
Bowers: Ceremonial fires, we do allow even without permits there is somebody
called today and they are going to do a pig, you know bake a pig in his backyard.
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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Stuff like that, you know, but anything else, wood, tires, trash we do not give any
permits for that at all.
Nary: Chief, I guess we kind of talked around this a little bit on the issue of
fireplaces and looking again at these things that defines fireplace in the code and
it sounds like it in your house fireplace, but the rest of this stuff talks about — it
seems like outside burning and then there is that revision that talks about
fireplaces as whether or not it's permitted during that. I mean I think we can
educate the folks, but are we — is there some contradictory information that
maybe I am just not (inaudible) out of it about whether we are trying to address
outside burning and not people's in-home fireplaces or are we trying to address
both?
Bowers: Mr. President when COMPASS started this, if you remember you might
have seen some commercials of no burning of bum barrels. You have seen that
a few times?
Nary: Sure.
Bowers: That was the start of it, but now the next thing is to go to this as the air
quality. Now, I believe and Will Berg possibly Bill Nichols can help me. I think
we do have an ordinance for burning in the home because if they have to have
approval from the City Clerk if they have — if that is their only burning or only
heating source I believe we do have an ordinance like that that takes care of that.
De Weerd: Mr. Nary, I mean Mr. President.
Nary: Madame Mayor.
De Weerd: They are getting more and more that you see these campfire — the
approved burning pits for roasting marshmallows and maybe your hotdogs, but
that they are coming in all shapes and sizes now and they are outdoor bumings,
so that might be what it's referring to in terms of a fireplace because it is a safety
approved, pit type of a thing and they are becoming more and more popular.
Bird: Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I disagree. A fireplace is not an open fire — open burning because it is
enclosed. You are talking about a fire pit that is open burning and that's what
this ordinance is, is open burning. A stove, like a heating stove or a barbeque or
something like that is enclosed, but the fireplace is an enclosed burning. This
ordinance takes care of the open burning, which is burning your trash can, which
we used to do all the time, so I believe this ordinance has got that pretty well
covered -- all the open burning amended ordinances and I don't think there
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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needs to be any open flame fires within the City out in the backyard or where
they are at.
Nary: Mr. Bird, I agree with you — a fireplace is defined in here as a residential
solid fuel burning device, which is a permanent structural feature of a building.
But, I think what Madame Mayor is talking about and I know this because I have
one is an outside fire pit. I know you can buy one, we have one that is portable
and it's metal and it's enclosed, but it's still outside and it's like — you know to me
it's no different than a barbeque, but it still needs to be attended and I don't know
that we really address that very well in here and again it's just because I think
technology and change in what people use and stuff so I am not sure whether or
not that is just leading I know we are just trying to amend COMPASS's
recommendation and some of the provisions and maybe what's not clear to make
and it's my own fault for not looking at it closely enough ahead of time is this is
just the amended portions and some of I think are questions because some of
the portions aren't being amended, and therefore, maybe some of those
questions could be answered by us looking at that and Council, I mean if you are
comfortable with this to this point, we could certainly either put this back on next
week on the agenda or as a department report to give us time to look at the
whole ordinance to see if there is questions that we have or we think it's
something else or we can put this forward if you are ready to put it on the
agenda. Whatever your preference is. I just think some of the questions we
have and I keep having is because I need to look at all of the ordinance, not just
the amended portions and make sure that it all makes some sense -age in my
mind, but I don't know what everyone else's thoughts are.
Bird: Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I agree with you. I think we need to make it very clear. I don't think that it's
real clear right now. I am like you, I do have some questions, which probably if I
researched both of them they are probably answered there, but I'd like to see it
come back before Pre -Council next week and then we can take it on from there.
If that's agreeable to the other Council people.
Wardle: Sounds good
Nary: Is that okay, Chief, so we will go ahead and put it on next Tuesday on Pre -
Council again and then we will have an opportunity to kind of do the whole
ordinance.
Bowers: I will get with Bill Nichols and we will go through it a little farther. Thank
you.
Item 4. Discussion of Fireworks Amended Ordinance:
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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Bowers: New fireworks ordinance — basically there are several changes — not
changes just a few changes in the firework's ordinance. We did not have — there
was — excuse me there was a little discrepancy in the ordinance before of who or
where the money went to after investigating the people that come in and got the
permits. Did Will Berg do that? Did the Fire Department do that? So, that has
been cleaned up in this ordinance. We also — we are not under the Uniform Fire
Code anymore we are under the International Fire Code so we changed that in
the ordinance. We also put in there that the parent or guardian is responsible for
a child that has purchased fireworks and has went out and caused damage.
Always before we had that in our ordinance, but there was like a $2,500 cap on it
and talking with Bill Nichols on that $2,500 doesn't pay for very much.
Nary: Doesn't pay for your house that's for sure.
Bowers: That's exactly right.
Bird: (Inaudible)attorneyfee.
Bowers: Yeah. Also we are going to have them place that on a sign on the fire
works booth or stand or tent now visible so that the parents can see that. Also,
under the firework's temporary stands and tents that had changed from the
Uniform Fire Code now to the International Fire Code on verbiage. So, we had
changed that and I believe that's all the changes for the ordinance and you
probably don't have the whole ordinance again, Mr. President, probably.
Nary: Council, any questions for the Chief on this one? This one sees a little bit
clearer.
Bowers: It is.
Nary: There is only a couple of little changes and certainly that notice provision
is good, but Council is there other questions, I am sorry?
Rountree: Since we don't have the whole ordinance I just have a question.
What's the age limit on being able to purchase fireworks?
Bowers: I believe it was 16, 1 believe is what it was.
Bird: I believe it was 16 because that's kind of uniform throughout the Valley isn't
it?
Bowers: Yes.
Bird: I would if we have no problems with this I would like to see this on the
Consent Agenda next week. We don't have to put it on for public hearing or
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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anything because there is no fees changes or anything like that. This needs to
be enforced here shortly.
Nary: Mr. Berg.
Berg: Mr. President, members of Council and Mayor we have already had the
applications for this summer season. This is just going to help us determine
where those fees go. Before it was the $25 where there was a concern about it
that said investigations and then in another place it said inspections, so we have
cleared that up — the $25 (inaudible) both. The fees or the applications had to be
in by April 15th for this summer season, so this would be hopefully in effect before
the winter season.
Nary: But isn't the sign provision (inaudible) in effect before the Fourth of July
sales? It's going to be required that they have it. It's not part of the permit.
Berg: That part is correct.
(Inaudible discussion)
Bird: Permit fees.
Nichols: Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Nichols
Nichols: Should note too that this will result in a reduction and then the fees are
charged to the stand owners in order to be in compliance with the state law caps
on how much you can charge and I just did a — I 'd like us to research that age
for purchase and make sure that — because I am not — I just did a search with the
word age and I don't find anything other than in the form of application and with
regard to how old somebody has to be to work inside one of those facilities, so
we would like to look at that and get back to you.
Rountree: (Inaudible discussion)
Bowers: We will find out.
Nary: So, Council do you want to go ahead and put this on the agenda for next
week? Is that okay for everyone?
Rountree: Mr. President along as Council is okay with these search for age
(inaudible ----------------).
Bird: Yes.
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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Nary: Okay. Chief thank you very much.
Bowers: Thank you President, City Council, Mayor, thank you.
Item 5. Every 15 minutes Tape:
(Item 5 was discussed on first page — Tape wasn't working).
Item 6. Valley Ride — Kelly Fairless:
Nary: Council, Ms. Fairless is here we could probably go ahead with the Valley
Ride's presentation (inaudible--------) before our Executive Session if that's still all
right with everyone?
Rountree: That would be great.
Bird: That would be great.
Nary: Unless you would rather wait?
Rountree: Do you want to wait?
(Speaker ?): They have to go to Wilder tonight, too.
Fairless: Mr. President, Madame Mayor, members of the Council, thank you very
much for the opportunity to come and talk to you this evening. I am here to
review our budget request for this year with the City of Meridian and to also give
you an update on what we have been doing in the last year and what we have to
look forward to in Fiscal Year 2005. 1 understand how tight budgets are and I'd
like to have this opportunity every year to let you know what you are getting for
your money and giving you an opportunity to provide us with comments and
feedback about things that you would like to see us be doing in the future as well.
The theme for the past year has really been building a solid foundation for the
future regional system. We through a variety of efforts we have been building a
solid foundation by developing our regional participation through the
implementation of our strategic board adhoc committees and our community
outreach plan. We have been getting a solid organizational structure in place
through the implementation of some internal reorganization and also some staff
realignments that I think have really improved our agencies efficiency. We are
developing performance measure systems that as we implement new services
we will be able to look at performance measures and track our performance over
time and be able to provide the kind of feedback that we hear from or get
requested from elected officials and the citizens about how we are doing and we
have done that through the implementation of a financial and accounting
software system that specifically is designed for public transportation called
Fleetnet. We also are doing regional service coordination through the
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
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development of our regional operations and capital improvement plan. This is
the first time that the system has been looked at as a one system in aiding
Canyon County's rather than a lot of different services being provided. We are
also working toward high quality and effective public outreach and education
through a comprehensive marketing plan, including a review and analysis of our
marketing communication strategies designed to maximize our marketing
opportunities with the limited resources that we have available. Also we are
looking at regional customer service through the planning and implementation of
a one-stop shop for public information for public transportation throughout Ada
and Canyon Counties. When I go back and review some of the public outreach
that was done prior to the citizens voting for a regional public transportation
authority, one of the common themes was finding a way to coordinate the
services so that people could get information and a one-stop kind of way and so
we are really excited about this opportunity. Our specific accomplishments this
year have been we are currently in the 15 month of an 18 -month sole -source
contract for the services in the Nampa urbanized area. We have a request for
proposal and we are involved in a selection process for the local services and the
inner county services that Meridian helps fund. So, this is the first time that those
services have been competitively procured. It will be a three-year contract with
options for up to two one-year extensions. The selection will hopefully be
completed in the contract negotiations that started this summer with an
anticipated implementation with the new contracts by October 1st. We have been
engaged in a major service planning effort through our regional operations plan
and that just recently our Board adopted a preferred short-term alternatives
which are assuming existing resources, so we are not adding any service in the
short term, but looking at how we can reallocate existing resources. It's designed
to increase rider ship in both urbanized areas by making the systems more
frequent, direct and simple. We are really trying to listen to what the public wants
in terms of improving the way the services operate. We will be having public
hearings in mid — or in mid and late August and the implementation will start — we
will start phasing the implementation starting with Boise urbanized area doing the
inner county services next and then the Nampa services and we think that those
will be implemented completely within the next year. We are also working on our
long-term, six-year plan and that will include a plan for services in every city and
both counties. These are based on assumed additional resources and includes a
financial plan, a capital improvement plan and an implementation plan. We have
also provided the project management for the downtown Boise Mobility Study,
which has been a comprehensive look at the transportation system in downtown
Boise and we have done that in partnership with a variety of different agencies.
Our -- under marketing and customer service we co-sponsored May in Motion
exploring transportation alternatives. We'd like to see this become an alternative
or an annual event that will help encourage people and Valley residents to try
alternative transportation. We are also developing an Art in Transit program in
Boise that we would like to be able to apply to services that are provided in other
communities. It's been a self-sustaining program. It gives us opportunities to be
able to incorporate into our transit facilities, into our services. Some examples of
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June 8, 2004
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that were the shelter prints that Ward Hooper did for us last summer that are
displayed in our transit shelters downtown. We have been able to sell the prints
for those and in cooperation with the City Art's Commission, we have actually
been able to retain some of the proceeds for that and that's what we are using to
fund the programs that we are starting this year. So, that's been kind of our seed
money. We are going to be having poetry in motion and what we are calling
moving art come out in this next couple of months. We have secured what we
are calling our ride -line, which is that region -wide phone line. It's going to be
345 -ride. So, we have been successful at confirming that number and we also
will have the coordinated public information services through the Internet under
the tag line or the Internet address "rideline.org" and we have been able to
secure that as well. Under our legislative agenda, we I think, had a very
successful year this year — I guess a very successful year would have meant we
got funding, but we had a successful year, so, I'll put it that way. We assisted the
statewide task force on public transportation and provided staff support for
completing that report. We presented that report to a variety of legislative
committees. We also were successful at amending our enabling legislation to
make RPTA's exempt from fuel taxes, which was a real critical issue especially
for the City of Boise because of the hit to their budget that would of caused. The
legislature passed a legislative interim committee. It was one of the only interim
committees that were passed this year and they are going to be looking through
the summer at public transportation and funding options. The legislature also
passed a memorial supporting the concepts asking Congress to support
changing the local match for public transportation to be equal to the match that
the highway projects have, which is the 7.34 percent. Right now federal match in
Idaho for transit projects throughout the country are 20 percent for capital
projects. We are looking forward to next year. We are working on developing all
of our public information into creating a regional look for our public information for
our public transportation services. We are evolving our naming convention to re -
generalize the services and designate those services from the actual authority.
One of the things that we are doing is all of our fixed route, local services in both
urbanized areas will be called Valley Ride and all of our inner -county or limited
stop services, those that come through Meridian and serve Meridian will now
after the first of October or there -about will be called Valley Ride Express. So,
again people won't be wondering — that's one of the most confusing things to
people is which services do I get on and where do they go and so we are really
trying to coordinate those things. We will be evolving the authorities name to
better depict what it is, to better describe what it is we are, which is the Treasure
Valley Transit Authority. We will implement the ride line. We hope to have the
staff in place and the training done and be able to implement that by December
of 2004 and we are going to implement the route restructure as I mentioned
before. The funding request I handed out — one correction I just noticed is that it
says that it's based on 2003 population, but it's actually 2004. It is the 2004
population that COMPASS has just adopted in March. We separate our request
by dues and local contributions. The dues are assessed to the cities and
counties based on those population projections at a 60 cents per capita, non-
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
Page 14 of 17
duplicated, so the counties cover all the unincorporated areas and the cities
cover the incorporated areas. We also have special member's dues that are
negotiated with those members. This year's budget request had a modest
increase for the special members as well. The dues request really supports the
regional planning and transportation administration support. It's basically what
funds the umbrella agency of Valley Ride. The local service contributions for the
Boise urbanized area in Garden City and Boise are based on a percent of the
service within the city limits of each jurisdictions, so right now Garden City has 2
percent of the service going through Garden City and we do that by service
miles. So, they cover 2 percent of the local contributions for that and Boise City's
request is the 98 percent. Nampa and Caldwell local services are based on the
cost of service divided between Nampa and Caldwell and then also the number
of routes, so Nampa's is two-thirds because they have two routes in their
community and Caldwell's is one-third because they have one -route. The inner
county services, we based this year — we did it a little differently and you may
notice in the document that I gave you that we based that on the jurisdictions
where those services actually travel and then with Nampa and Meridian, those
are the two communities in the — along the route that have the direct stops,
specifically to transport people who are from here or coming to here, so we
divided it out by the Nampa and Meridian portion is a little more than the others
and we are also requesting Boise City, Ada County and Canyon County as well
as Caldwell contribute to the balance of those services. That's something that
we certainly can talk about if you think there is a different way we need to do that.
We are just trying to find a fair way to divide those service costs up. That is the
local contribution. The remainder of the budget comes from federal 5307 funds.
One of the changes this year that's specifically effects Meridian is the Treasure
Valley Metro that you have been providing funding support for is no longer
eligible under the Surface Transportation Program, which is where it received it's
funding while it was a (inaudible) mitigation project. We were able to by using
the 5307, which is our formula transit funds in the Nampa urbanized area, we
were able to take that service under Valley Ride and because of Meridian's
contribution was all local dollars so we were able to spread those out and cover
the local match without a significant increase in cost. So, we were pretty excited
about that. I actually think Meridian's request may be pretty close to what it was
last year is what I was hoping. We were trying to not be too far away from last
year's request. That is my presentation. I'd be happy to answer any specific
questions you might have about what Valley Ride is doing or our budget request.
Nary: Council is there questions for Ms. Fairless?
Bird: I have none.
Nary: Just so you are aware, Council, I think I — this is the same formula that we
got at the Board meeting, is it not?
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
Page 15 of 17
Fairless: Actually, Mr. President, I am glad you asked that because what it is we
went back and we have redone — we have had a budget revision since then. The
management committee has not approved this, but I made an assumption since
everything went down — all the requests are going down and not up that you all
probably wouldn't disagree with that and that you'd rather see the more accurate
numbers. We have been — we are working in a brand new accounting system
and have found many challenges in terms of getting this budget done, so we
have been able to do some refinements that have ought to reduce some of the
costs.
Nary: Now, have you been in touch with our finance folks here --?
Fairless: Yes.
Nary: -- because I have given that information to them from the last Board
meeting so they would have some numbers to plug into the preliminary budget
amounts.
Fairless: We did send a letter also to, I believe, the City Clerk or the -- yeah to
Will.
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Nary: Madame Mayor.
De Weerd: The letter is $2,100 less than the table you have here.
Fairless: That is probably because we were able to do some adjustments. That
is —
De Weerd: -- no your table is more.
Fairless: Oh, the table is more? Oh, thank you, Madame Mayor. The reason for
that was I was basing the increase on what was provided last year and after
talking to your Finance Department I realized that we didn't have the correct
number so I was building it off of a $40,500 contribution last year when it was
actually $42,500 and what we did with the inter -county service — the portion of
the service that's in Nampa and Meridian is we did a 5 percent increase. The
one thing that might happen that I will point out we are in the process of doing
this competitive bid and our hope is that we have been realistic enough that we
have had determined what the correct budget is, but until we actually negotiate
the contract, we don't know for sure how that's going to come out. So, we are —
if it turns out that they actually come in less than what we had anticipated on a
per hour basis then we could actually come back and decrease those, but I — and
if they go higher then we would have to come back and look at how we might
adjust the services or make another request.
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
Page 16 of 17
Nary: Well, I think what the discrepancy is, is that there is a request on here for
this large express service on this table that's not on this letter.
Fairless: Oh, okay.
De Weerd: No, you add the two together and it's $44,609 instead of $42,509.
Nary: Right.
Fairless: And the difference is in we were building it off of last year's and I had
an incorrect number from last year's. The reason I split those out in a second
document was because we were trying to make sure that we are covering all of
the communities that are receiving services and again we are working off of our
plan for the inner -county services and I just went back and refined those to more
accurately reflect what portion Meridian's actually getting in terms of service.
Nary: Is there any other questions, Council?
Fairless: All right. Thank you, I appreciate it.
Nary: I think we are now up to our Executive Session.
Bird: Mr. President.
Nary: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move that we go into Executive Session as per Idaho State Code 67-
2345(1)(a).
Wardle: Second.
Nary: It's been moved and seconded to go into Executive Session. Mr. Berg,
could you take roll call vote, please.
Berg: Thank you Mr. President, members of Council.
Roll call vote: Bird, aye; Wardle, aye; Rountree, aye; Nary, aye.
ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Nary: (Inaudible ---) Executive Session. No final decisions were made. I would
take a motion to leave Executive Session.
Meridian City Pre -Council Meeting
June 8, 2004
Page 17 of 17
Bird: So moved.
Rountree: Second.
Nary: It's been moved and seconded to leave Executive Session. All those in
favor, say aye.
ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
Nary: We have reached the end of our Pre -Council agenda for June 8t'. I would
accept a motion to adjourn
Rountree: So moved.
Bird: Second.
Nary: It's been moved and seconded to adjourn our Pre -Council meeting. All
those in favor say aye.
ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7:10 P.M.
(TAPE ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS)
APPROVED: