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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-25 Work Session Minutes Item#1. Meridian City Council Work Session May 25, 2021. A Meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 25, 2021, by Mayor Robert Simison. Members Present: Robert Simison, Joe Borton, Luke Cavener, Treg Bernt, Brad Hoaglun and Liz Strader. Members Absent: Jessica Perreault. Also present: Chris Johnson, Bill Nary, Todd Lavoie, Jodi St. Martin, Jamie Leslie, Joe Bongiorno and Dean Willis. ROLL-CALL ATTENDANCE Liz Strader _X_ Joe Borton _X_ Brad Hoaglun _X_Treg Bernt Jessica Perreault _X Luke Cavener _X_ Mayor Robert E. Simison Simison: Council, call this meeting to order. For the record it is Tuesday, May 25th, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. We will begin this afternoon's work session with roll call attendance. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Simison: Next item is adoption of the agenda. Bernt: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Bernt. Bernt: It's with greatest pleasure that I have that I make a motion to adopt the agenda, removing Item 11, because it's been vacated. So, I move that we adopt the agenda as -- or as amended. Hoaglun: Second the motion. Simison: I have a motion and a second to adopt the agenda, removing Item 11. Is there any discussion on the motion? If not, on in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it and the agenda is adopted. MOTION CARRIED: FIVE AYES. ONE ABSENT. CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item] 1. Approve Minutes of the May 11, 2021 City Council Work Session Page 5 Meridian City Council Work Session Item#1. May 25,2021 Page 2 of 9 2. Approve Minutes of the May 11, 2021 City Council Regular Meeting 3. Southridge Subdivision No. 4 Pedestrian Pathway Easement 4. Final Plat for Goddard Creek Townhomes (FP-2021-0029) by SI Construction, LLC, Located on the Northwest Corner of W. McMillan Rd. and N. Goddard Creek Way 5. Final Order for Cache Creek Subdivision (FP-2021-0028) by Schultz Development, LLC, Located on the Northwest Corner of E. Victory Rd. and S. Locust Grove Rd. 6. Final Order for Wadsworth Meridian (FP-2021-0030) by Wadsworth Development, Located at 3185 E. Ustick Rd. 7. Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law for Creamery North Condominiums (SHP2021-0002) by City Center Redevelopment, LLC, Located at 33 E. Idaho Ave. 8. Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law for Creamery South Condominiums (SHP2021-0001) by City Center Redevelopment, LLC, Located at 703 E. Main St. 9. Development Agreement Between the City of Meridian and GFI - Meridian Investments III, LLC (Owner/Developer) for Gateway at Ten Mile (H-2020-0046) 10. Second Addendum to the Development Agreement Between the City of Meridian and Dr. Matthew Tuft (Owner/Developer) for Cornerstone Dental MDA (H-2021-0009), Located at 3250 N. Leslie Way Simison: Our next item is the Consent Agenda. Bernt: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Bernt. Bernt: I move that we approve the Consent -- Consent Agenda, for the Mayor to sign and for the Clerk to attest. Hoaglun: Second the motion. Simison: I have a motion and a second to approve the Consent Agenda. Is there any discussion on the motion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay. The ayes have it and the Consent Agenda is agreed to. Page 6 Meridian City Council Work Session Item#1. May 25,2021 Page 3- 9 MOTION CARRIED: FIVE AYES. ONE ABSENT. ITEMS MOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item] Simison: There are no items moved from the Consent Agenda. DEPARTMENT / COMMISSION REPORTS [Action Item] 11. Finance Department Quarterly Update - Demographic Data Update Simison: And Item 11 is vacated. 12. Mayor's Office: Neighborhood Grants Program Discussion Simison: So, we will go on to Item 12, which is the Mayor's Office neighborhood grants program discussion and ask Jodi to come forward. St. Martin: Thank you for holding a special meeting just for me tonight. Nice to see you Mayor and Councilmen and Council Woman. I'm here to -- this is not new information to any of you. We have had fun casual conversations, but I would like to do a presentation for those who are watching this recorded. I am coming to speak to you about a neighborhood grant program, otherwise known as Participatory Budgeting, which is something the City of Meridian has been doing, with the absence of last year, for probably six years now. So, thank you for having me here. How do I advance this, Chris? All right. I would like to run down the presentation, have an introduction, example of program and projects, application process, project requirements and funding needs. Johnson: Just -- yeah. Hold your down arrow until you are -- there. St. Martin: All right. I would like to thank the grandfathers of this program, Papa Joe Borton and Peepaw Todd Lavoie, from my southern influence in Texas. I had permission from Peepaw to say that. Joe Borton and Todd Lavoie brought this to the City of Meridian about -- probably eight years ago with the introduction and put it into -- into play about six years ago. Participatory Budgeting is an active community project, which brings citizen input on projects that would be beneficial to the community and we have worked this project historically with the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council and the Mayor's Senior Advisory Board. Upon Mayor Simison coming into office he gave me the opportunity, as a former project manager, to review and -- and suggest any changes from the past projects that I have run and this is the presentation which I would like to present today. I called and visited with 13 cities across the U.S. and Canada that have had successful participatory budgeting projects. I have listed here 11 with similar population sizes to kind of give you an example of budgets that are out there. I wanted to emphasize that historically we have not had an application process, but something I would like to implement and all of them -- all the projects are located on public property or an easement that was given to the city. This is an example of the program timeline. I Page 7 Meridian City Council Work Session Item#1. May 25,2021 Page 4 of 9 would love to see this launched in August, sometime around National Night Out, kind of get that community -- we are all involved in the community at that time visiting neighbors and neighborhoods and just -- and it would be a great time to launch this. I would like to see a mandatory workshop and application registration for those that are interested, either individuals or groups of people and committees that would like to work together through the month of September. We would like to see the -- the committees or individuals work with the project manager, which would be me, and other city staff as needed if they need help with bids through the month of October. Voting would happen in November. The projects would come to City Council for you all to vote on and following the confirmation of their project they would be able to start their projects as they are able to. If weather is an issue, then, they would have to wait for that. The projects would complete I would hope the first part of September, so we can wrap up all the final reports before the end of the fiscal year. Here is just some illustrate -- or pictures of successful Participatory Budgeting projects that have been done around the country. Successful MYAC and MSAB projects that I would like to highlight were the bike fix it stations that are around the downtown core of Meridian. The fishing dock at Kleiner Park that has ADA accessibility. The Memorial Garden at Kleiner Park. And those are my three favorites. But those are the ones I would like to highlight that we did very successfully. The application process would require a workshop and based on where we are at I would assume that we would want to keep this virtual, so it's something we can view throughout the process and, then, if someone wanted to really do something they wouldn't have to be present. They could, then, re -- re-share that information with their group as they were forming one. I would like to see them form committees, but not limited to an individual who has a fantastic idea that might be able to do a project as well. They would work with myself, project manager of this Participatory Budgeting or neighborhood grants program and, then, would help vet the projects before we brought it to City Council. Feedback from several of you after some of our conversations. I would highly recommend the voting taking place just by City Council. I think with people and social media we could get a huge popularity contest versus a great project and so my goal would be to have City Council determine what would be the best project for the city for the community. Project requirements. The who. My fortunate advantage of what I do in the Mayor's Office -- I get to reach out to all these people, groups already and it would be my privilege to invite them all to participate. We would be inviting the HOAs, churches, businesses, schools, special interest groups and I would really like to see youth and seniors still involved in these -- in these projects. The projects must be located on public property or, like I said, an easement that would be given to the city. The how. Approved projects will be managed by individuals or committees and must report the progress to their project manager the city staff. One, projects must be completed within the fiscal year budget and final reporting due by the end of September. I do kind of run my programs strictly, so I would like to see these actually finished towards the beginning of September, so that we have that whole month to get that -- the final documentation in. Again, after feedback from several of you I had initially proposed 45,000 dollars for this project -- for this program this first year. After speaking with a couple of -- or several of you we determined that 15,000 dollars per project -- we were going to do three projects. Fifteen thousand per project wasn't always probably going to be the best kind of projects coming to -- coming Page 8 Meridian City Council Work Session Item#1. May 25,2021 Page 5- 9 forward, so I would like to decrease that to two projects max and up to 25,000 dollars per project. My -- my request would be for this program our first year 50,000 dollars. And I stand for any questions at this point. Simison: Thank you, Jodi. Council, any questions? Bernt: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Bernt. Bernt: Thank you, Jodi. Great presentation. Got a question for you. Any possible -- would there be a possibility that we would -- could choose one project or 50 if it was or does it to have to be two projects for 25? St. Martin: Well, I wouldn't want to see because we have two projects on there that we had to do two. I think that's where the ebb and flow of the -- the management comes and we really want to bring the best projects for our community and not just do one project because there is a budget for it and -- you know. And that's where -- and this is in the conversation we are having now, like do we -- do we have a really amazing project that's going to break the 25,000 dollars? Can we do an amendment to increase that budget? And this is why I'm coming to you all for the input and why I invited Peepaw over here. Simison: And I would say to a certain extent yes, because, you know, this is really about creating what the expectations are moving forward and, you know, we -- we are viewing this as a pilot for this year to help answer some of these exact questions. I know Jodi's -- we had a conversation that said, hey, I want it to be manageable for her. What -- how much can we actually do? How many projects? Because the intention is as we move towards districts do we expand this to do a project in a district? At what cost? How does that work? Do we have the capability to manage that? So, we are just trying to -- I think the main point is we are trying to look at what's a reasonable, manageable amount of work and reasonable, manageable dollar figure for the -- for the City Council to consider that they would want to do on these projects. So, yes, I think that there are -- these are things that even as we get into the project maybe there is some modifications that we make, because that's the beauty of a pilot; right? Bernt: Yeah. Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Bernt. Bernt: Just coming from the private sector, you know, there is something to be said, you know, for demand and competition. You know, I think it would be cool, you know, like if -- to have -- you know, even take it a step further maybe and allow for competition and to see who comes up with the best project and I mean I think that will make the project even better. I would hate to -- going off of what you said, Jodi, having to select a project that was just sort of, eh, you know, okay because we had a select two for 25, when if Page 9 Meridian City Council Work Session Item#1. May 25,2021 Page 6- 9 there was one that was a true winner that could definitely make a difference in our community, you know, giving the funds to that project in the match. St. Martin: There were two -- may I address -- there are two great projects that we had community involvement with. That was Republic Services. They not only on top of the allowed project dollars, they, then, doubled that. They met that. And so the -- the youth were allowed to create something even better, because they -- they met those funds. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Thanks so much, Jodi. And I love the idea and agree with the idea that we should have competition and if there is a great project that fits the bill that would be fine. How would this work for an individual? I was happy to hear you might be open to that. Sometimes people are part of a group, but maybe there is just a local parent or a local person in the community that sees a need in their neighborhood. Is it possible for one person to participate in this and -- you know, without forming a committee and a huge group? That was my question. St. Martin: Yeah. I think a lot of the times we -- especially with working with the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council, we -- we have had -- we had a lot of great ideas collaboratively -- collaboratively, but those one off ideas were so amazing and there are ways to wrap support from the community in that project build, but I wouldn't want someone, if they didn't have a committee, to feel like they couldn't participate or throwing in their idea. Borton: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Borton. Borton: Jodi, do you anticipate the process to include a -- like an RFP rubric, some scoring mechanism that would allow the Council, as ultimate decision makers, to compare apples to apples? St. Martin: Please describe RFP. Borton: A request for proposal where we would receive the -- the competing requests, but we might have some metrics that might help us make a decision one over the other. St. Martin: Well, I don't assume that I'm going to know every aspect as a project manager, I'm going to be pulling in other people, especially city staff, to help with these. I think the more involvement we have and interest from everybody, the better projects we are going to get. Simison: And, Councilman Borton, to a certain extent, yes, we are not going to put something forward that's not on public property. You know, there will be certain Page 10 Meridian City Council Work Session Item#1. May 25,2021 Page , of 9 elements to make sure it would check the boxes and including some of the operational side of things that we need to still make determinations, work with Finance, that sometimes may make it difficult for an individual to do it based on how we choose to do this, whether it's upfront or reimbursement process for these projects, you know, so there -- there are some of those elements. So, yes to a certain extent, but ultimately I think the main -- we probably would not want to -- we would probably want to let you know whether or not it checks the boxes. But the value -- I think that's where we leave it to Council to determine the overall value of the project to the community. Borton: Got it. Yeah. It has to meet -- Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Borton. Borton: -- some baseline benchmarks of eligibility of course. I think it's great. I think it's a great program. My initial reaction was having a cap was helpful. I think if you didn't have a cap you might get all 50,000 dollar requests, which forces your hand to pick one, as opposed to an opportunity to pick two. I guess it cuts both ways. So, I guess my takeaway on it all is make it happen, stumble a little perhaps and learn and make it better every year, I think that's what made Participatory Budgeting better. We learned and don't let us get bogged down in some of the minutiae. You are going to learn as you go though it, so I think with your leadership it's going to be wildly successful and probably provide something to our community that the seven of us would go, holy smokes, that's awesome. None of us thought of that. Which is really the whole point. St. Martin: Thank you. Borton: So, I think it's fantastic. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Mr. Mayor, I don't have much more to add, so maybe just a suggestion along the lines of the conversation. Maybe it is up to two and that way you don't feel obligated. If there is one that's really stellar and one that's kind of eh, that you don't feel like you have to bring two, that maybe, again, as the project manager you have a certain amount of authority to justify and, again, if we get one and Council says, oh, well, what else is out there, that that gives you an opportunity maybe to present some more information. For the record I do like the idea of a rubric or a scoring metrics of some kind so that Council can understand this is the benchmarks that it hit and that's why this project is being selected. Not required, but just -- I'm supportive of that if that's something that would have come forward. St. Martin: I have been in the back pocket -- or a gal that's doing this program in Boise similarly, she's been in the back pocket for me. She's given me a lot of reputable information that could -- that we could make for Meridian and they do have something Page 11 Meridian City Council Work Session Item#1. May 25,2021 Page 8 of 9 similar and that's one of the things we would be highlighting in the mandatory workshop. Hoaglun: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Hoaglun. Hoaglun: And, Mr. Mayor, just to kind of piggyback on your earlier comments, that this first year I think it's going to require some flexibility and see how it goes and -- you know. Because I could even envision a project that's fantastic for 25 and you have two others at ten. Well, within the budget and manageable for three, that we might go, uh, who knows, you know. A couple questions, though, Jodi. One, if you are looking at a National Night Out launch, are you looking at creating some brochures, whether they are tri-folds, postcards, flyers, whatever that we can have to hand out to people, talk to people about, do your marketing, you know, that sort of thing? St. Martin: Absolutely. One thing I -- one thing I love to do is advertising and putting things together in marketing ways and I -- that's something I would definitely take on myself. Hoaglun: Great. And the other question that I have is -- we have talked about, you know, who is eligible for this. It could be individuals, it could be organizations. What -- what if someone applies and it's an Eagle Scout project? Does that fit within the realm? St. Martin: That would be great. Hoaglun: Appreciate the presentation. It was very helpful. Thanks. Simison: Okay. Council, anything further? Cavener: Good job. Thanks, Jodi. Simison: All right. You will see this as an enhancement in your budget and, then, like I say, assuming it looks like it's going to move forward we can prepare for an August 3rd -- or National Night Out launch appropriately. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Maybe just -- I know that we are talking a certain monetary amount for the project, but if we could maybe tack on eight, maybe 15 dollars more so Peepaw can get a new name tag for his door, I would certainly be in support of that. Borton: And, Mr. Mayor, I have to ask -- I'm curious about -- it's not a Texas phrase I'm familiar with. I don't know what that stands for. Does that stand for old man or what? I'm not -- Page 12 Meridian City Council Work Session Item#1. May 25,2021 Page 9- 9 Cavener: Distinguished leader. Simison: I was going to ask our CFO if he wanted to talk about the program, but he's welcome to respond in any way he would like to any of these comments. Lavoie: I believe Peepaw is much younger than Papa, so that's all I recall. So, Papa Borton is definitely in order. Simison: All right. Thank you. Council, with that we have reached the end of our agenda. Do I have a motion? Bernt: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Bernt. Bernt: I move that we adjourn. Hoaglun: Second the motion. Simison: I have a motion and a second to adjourn the meeting. All in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it. You are adjourned. MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 4:51 P.M. (AUDIO RECORDING ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS) 6 / g 2021 MAYOR ROBERT E. SIMISON DATE APPROVED ATTEST: CHRIS JOHNSON - CITY CLERK Page 13