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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-13 Regular Meridian City Council May 13, 2025. A Meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, 2025, by Mayor Robert Simison. Members Present: Robert Simison, Luke Cavener, Liz Strader, Doug Taylor and Anne Little Roberts. Members Absent: John Overton and Brian Whitlock. Other Present: Chris Johnson, Bill Nary, Bill Parsons, Linda Ritter, Brandon Frasier, Kris Blume, Josh Janssen, Steve Taulbee and Dean Willis. ROLL-CALL ATTENDANCE X Liz Strader Brian Whitlock X Anne Little Roberts John Overton _X_ Doug Taylor _X—Luke Cavener X Mayor Robert E. Simison Simison: Council, we will call this meeting to order. For the record it is May 13th, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. We will begin this evening's regular City Council meeting with roll call attendance. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Simison: Next item is the Pledge of Allegiance. If you would all, please, rise and join us in the pledge. (Pledge of Allegiance cited.) COMMUNITY INVOCATION Simison: We had no one signed up for the community invocation. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Simison: So, we will move forward with the adoption of the agenda. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: I move that we are going to adopt the agenda as presented. Strader: Second. Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 2 of 18 Simison: Have a motion and second to adopt the agenda as presented. Is there any discussion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it and the agenda is agreed to. MOTION CARRIED: FOUR AYES. TWO ABSENT. CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item] 1. Apex Northwest Subdivision No. 4 Sanitary Sewer and Water Main Easement No. 2 (ESMT-2025-0047) 2. Brightstar Care Overland Water Main Easement No. 1 (ESMT-2025- 0039) 3. Records Apartments Full Release of Water Main Easement (ESMT- 2025-0033) 4. Ziggi's Coffee Water Main Easement (ESMT-2025-0048) 5. Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law for Core & Main (H-2024-0066) by K2 Construction, located at 299 S. Black Cat Rd. 6. Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law for Mondt Meadows q Subdivision (H-2024-0067) by Gregg Davis, Breckon Land Design, located at 6101 and 6162 S. Terrega Ln. 7. Development Agreement (Pollard North H-2024-0037) Between City of Meridian and SCS Investments LLC for Property Generally Located Approximately a Quarter Mile North of W. Chinden Blvd. at the North End of N. Levi Ave. and on the North Side of W. Waverton Dr. 8. Revocable License Agreement between Ada County Highway District (ACHD) and City of Meridian for Placement of Vehicle Detection Cameras 9. Agreement to Accept Payment in Lieu of Installing Streetlights at Fast Eddy's at Chinden 10. Memorandum of Agreement between the City of Meridian and Meridian Dairy & Stock Shows, Inc. for Meridian Dairy Days 11. Agreement between the City of Meridian and the Meridian Killer Whales Swim Team, Inc. for Use of Meridian Community Swimming Pool Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 3 of 18 12. Subrecipient/Beneficiary Grant Agreement between City of Meridian and Ada County - Emergency Management Subgrant 13. City of Meridian Financial Report - March 2025 Simison: Next up is the Consent Agenda. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: I move that we approve the Consent Agenda. For the Mayor to sign and the Clerk to attest. Strader: Second. Simison: Have a motion and a second to approve the Consent Agenda. Is there any discussion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it and the Consent Agenda is agreed to. MOTION CARRIED: FOUR AYES. TWO ABSENT. ITEMS MOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item] Simison: There were no items moved from Consent Agenda. PUBLIC FORUM — Future Meeting Topics Simison: Mr. Clerk, do we have anyone signed up under Future Meeting Topics? Johnson: Mr. Mayor, we do not. ACTION ITEMS 14. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Amendment in the amount of $1,870,000 for Meridian Fire Department Ladder Truck Replacement Simison: Okay. Then with that we will move on to Action Items. Our first item up is Item 14, which is a fiscal year 2025 budget amendment in the amount of 1,870,000 for Meridian Fire Department ladder truck replacement. Turn this over to Chief Blume. Blume: Good evening, Mayor, Members of Council. Yes, what you see before you is a budget amendment request for 1 .8 million dollars and that's never an enjoyable place to come in front of Council and ask for that kind of money. However, I think that you are going to see -- and from expert opinion, as well as from our vendors that you are going to see with the presentation that you are going to get this evening that the Truck 31, Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 4 of 18 currently designated as Truck 36, has exceeded its service life. It served this community very well in a front line status for 14 years and it's been in a reserve status for the past three years. So, this evening you are going to get a presentation from our division chief of logistics, Chief Josh Janssen. You will also notice that we have our Deputy Chief Charlie Butterfield and myself, so if there are any questions I think that we are going to be well equipped and well able to answer those for you this evening. So, with that I will turn this over to Chief Janssen and, again, he is -- I would call a subject matter expert on not just this apparatus, but fire apparatus in general, so -- Janssen: Thank you, Chief. Mayor and Members of the Council, I will run through the PowerPoint real quick. It's just 11 slides, but I think it will bring some -- some value and awareness to kind of the position we are in with our reserve ladder truck. So, a little bit of background. We title it with the license plate there. So, you will often in this presentation see it referred to as MF021 and originally, like the fire chief stated, this was the original ladder truck placed into service. So, it's a -- it's been in service for a very long time. It was purchased in 2008 and, again, it stayed as that front line ladder truck until 2022. So, far past, you know, the standardized replacement schedule. It did serve as a reserve ladder truck for the additional three years as mentioned. So, for seven -- that's seven years beyond kind of the historical value of a reserve ladder front line and a reserve. So, we have run quite a bit of numbers with our two vendors. We do have two primary vendors that service this ladder truck for preventative maintenance, which you will see referenced in the slides and repairs and that's Star Fleet out of Mid Star Fire Department and, then, Hughes Fire Equipment right here in town. So, just from fiscal year '18 to '25 that repair cost 208,000 dollars is -- is just repair, not any of the maintenance to keep it running. So, you see that just in the past three years roughly 120,000 in vehicle repair cost. That's a relatively short period of time for that amount of money. In the last 12 months this reserve ladder truck has been out of service for 197 days. That number came up just within the last week. Up a little bit. But, regardless, it shows a result of it being out of service for half the time, so 50 percent loss of availability of the service to the citizens. In the last seven incidents -- so, there -- each time that we have placed it out of reserve into frontline status it's rendered itself unusable. So, something has broke the last seven times we have tried to put it into service and I have got a couple of slides that will show you some of that as well. So, just reiterating that that has equaled about a 50 percent reduction in available status. So, I asked to get some recommendations by both of those vendors that I mentioned Star and Hughes Fire Equipment and you will see some stuff in here in quotes. Hughes stated that it's beyond its service life and does not meet the NFPA recommendations for emergency response and it just kind of outlines 12 years -- or ten years, I'm sorry, for frontline service and an additional five for reserve and, then, Star fleet -- any future repairs would be temporary at best and would not restore liability -- reliability or extend the overall lifespan meaningfully. So, one of our most recent repairs was a head gasket replacement. So, the head was removed from that vehicle. I specifically asked that they inspect the cylinder wear and the piston wear and give me some sort of lifespan and they said two to three years max to continue that. So, we would need a full engine rebuild after that and that would be around 45,000 dollars. The most recent repairs just of rebuilding the transmission and doing the head gasket, was right around 35,000 Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 5 of 18 dollars and it was out of service for just over three weeks. So, right there just kind of re -- reiterating that both vendors -- they see serious concerns with the reliability and the structural integrity of this apparatus. So, there is things to consider, like frame fatigue, stress cracks and fractures and we are dealing with the aerial ladder, too. It's not just the frame of the apparatus, but putting a firefighter on a hundred foot extended ladder that -- that has a lot of wear and stress was one of their concerns. Drive train suspension replacements, chronic and compounding electrical system issues, so they highlight that once we start getting into these repairs of this nature that they are 30,000 dollars, 40,000 dollars each time and -- and those two examples kind of reinforce that. So, our last one was 35,000 to just, you know, re-service a transmission and put a head gasket on. They said to rebuild that engine would be 45,000. Any structural damage, any aerial ladder damage, you are looking at real high numbers of figures there. So, they just advised that it's going to get worse if we keep that vehicle in service. So, their -- their recommendation there is just given the operational unreliability, substantial financial burden of the continued repairs and expert advisement from both our service vendors, we strongly recommend replacing the reserve ladder truck, which is now titled Truck 36 with a new apparatus. This approach is the most operationally effective means to ensure uninterrupted fire and emergency services for the community and, then, we have looked at other alternatives. So, you will see three different alternatives. So, to replace our -- our truck with the current truck that we just bought, Truck 35, was about 2.5 million dollars and that was brought up earlier this fiscal year. So, we looked at three different alternatives. We looked at a frame off restoration, just a couple hours from here there is a vendor that specializes in that and you will see some pros. So, it's about a million dollars is what they quoted me to do that. The con is that it's going to take at least six months to get it into the line and, then, at least 12 months to do the frame off restoration. So, we would be without any reserve ladder truck for right around 18 months. So, that could be a little bit longer. And, then, most notably, then, that means no reserve ladder for that time period. So, anytime one of the front line ladder trucks goes out of service, then, we are automatically at that 50 percent reduction in service. And, then, I guess it's also to -- to note that you are really just -- you are restoring an 18 year old vehicle. So, there is still going to be some concerns with it. Another option was the fire chief asked me to look at all the other vendors. So, I looked at several different vendors. There you can see Rosenbauer, HME, Sutphen. Pierce is what we currently go with. And, then, one other option is E1 and to get the same ladder truck there is really a marginal difference between any of the vendors and I think the chief might talk a little bit about that, but they are all right in line with each other. The con that comes with that is now we start having inconsistencies in our apparatus and this city has done a very good job of having similar apparatus. They are all the same. So, our frontline equipment is very similar, which reduces the potential errors in that emergency time frame, knowing how to operate that ladder truck, the training that goes into it, familiarity, all that. So, that's kind of the con there. And, then, the -- the other alternative that we came up with is the one that's before you tonight for 1.87 million and that -- that is for what Pierce calls a stock unit. So, they make a certain amount of stock units that they release on the first of the month. There may be one, there may be two, there may be three and if you are fortunate enough to purchase that ladder truck that's a stock unit it's a reduced time frame, which it reduces it down from about 56 months to Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 6 of 18 build it, down to six months and that six months is really just them fine tuning it specifically for your cities, things like logos, moving some compartments around, but it also comes at a 700,000 dollar decrease in price from the exact replica truck that we want and I will mention that I just got off the phone with the Pierce dealer and they actually have one of these trucks in stock available that if you made the decision we could actually move forward with signing the contract and securing that vehicle before anybody else. We could do that as early as tomorrow, which would be a huge benefit. We could probably have that truck in service in the city complete and ready to go somewhere between four and six months. So, that's a huge pro there. The con is it's a little bit different than our truck. Really the only main difference is it doesn't have the large basket that you are used to seeing for the firefighters on the end of the aerial ladder. It doesn't have the basket. So, it's often referred to as a straight stick. So, it still has the waterway. The only thing that's really missing is the basket and, then, also a reduction of one of the axles. So, there is actually a lot of pros to it. It's very nimble. The turning radius is exceptional. So, it can actually maneuver in some tighter spots and, in my opinion, would be a very versatile ladder truck in this city for things like The Village, these tight areas where one of our larger ladder trucks may be a little tight. It just gives us another option in our toolbox. So, a little bit of difference, but not much. So, I don't want to, you know, beat this up too much, but I think it's important to mention how much time logistics has devoted to Truck 36. It is -- it's not just a matter of being out of service 50 percent of the time, it requires -- every time it does go out of service it requires my time, along with the fire captain of logistics, to get it to a vendor, sometimes having to have it towed to a vendor. The time and energy that we are spending trying to defer regular maintenance on our two other ladder trucks to time it right to get Truck 36 in and out and stay operationally whole at that hundred percent we have spent quite a bit of time on just trying to make the best out of Truck 36 as we can and I think you are all aware of a couple of these examples. So, this kind of the catalyst to this was on -- on April 10th Truck 35 was out of -- placed out of service. Originally it was actually placed out of service because a private citizen ran into it and I wanted to have it inspected over at Hughes. When it got done being inspected at Hughes it went to leave and had a fuel issue that was non-related to the car accident, so I made the decision to put it in and try and have it looked at. It ended up being a pretty major fuel issue, which rendered that apparatus out of service for multiple days, including the weekend. When they went into Truck 36, the reserve ladder truck, that's when we discovered the transmission was blown. So, that resulted in that just one ladder truck in the city for the first six days. So, that was kind of our first real look at this. This is actually a really big problem when we are reduced down by 50 percent and that's why I started looking at the numbers, both fiscally and, then, the numbers of days out of service and, then, the most recent was on April 28th we received Truck 36, the reserve ladder truck, we received it back on a Friday from the head gasket replacement and the transmission, so we thought it was ready to go in service. We scheduled Truck 35 for its overdue maintenance and a bunch of items that were kind of past due for that following Monday. As soon as we started moving Truck 31 over to the vendor, Truck 36 blew a coolant line. So, it just -- it's another example of each time we go to put it into service we are starting to see a new failure. It's not the same failures, it's new ones over and over. So, we quickly reversed that, brought the truck -- Truck 31 back into service, had that coolant Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 7 of 18 leak fixed and, then, shortly after that, upon the pump test, it wouldn't even pump. It wouldn't pump any water. So, we had another issue with it that day as well. So, we rescheduled Truck 31 for Tuesday. Got the repairs done on Truck 36 and, then, now Truck 30 -- 35 is back in service and Truck 36 is in reserve status again. So, I know that's long winded. I just want to provide you with as much detail as I can and here is kind of a summary. The ongoing operational challenges and mechanical failures of Truck 36 are placing a strain on the department's ability to maintain consistent ladder truck service. The frequency of these failures, despite significant repair investment, indicates that Truck 36 is no longer a viable reserve ladder truck. Continued reliance on this unit jeopardizes our operational readiness and response capability and I'm happy to answer any questions. Simison: Thank you. Council, any questions? Cavener: Mr. Mayor, real quick. Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Thanks for the presentation and overview. Just want to make sure I'm understanding then. The recommendation is really kind of the third option that you have presented to us, which is a -- as I understand a Pierce truck with a shorter axle and ditches the bucket. Any other differences between what our traditional ladder trucks have been versus what you are proposing? Janssen: Just very small compartment size and configuration. Very minimal things. The largest thing is -- is that bucket is not on there. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: No anticipated interruptions in terms of operations as our crews have used our ladder trucks in the past. Janssen: Nope. There will be a training component, but we have talked with our training chief and feel confident that that's an easy fix. Just going to take a little bit of training. Cavener: Okay. Thank you. Taylor: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 8 of 18 Taylor: Quick question on the bucket. It doesn't have one currently. Are you -- is there plans to fit it -- to put a bucket on it at some point or is it just -- that's not how it's designed to actually work? Janssen: Correct. It's not designed to work that way, so -- it's -- it's a straight stick. It's built that way. It would not have a bucket on it. Taylor: Okay. Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Taylor: To follow up. Does that affect any kind of like ability to provide -- does that degrade your ability to respond to certain types of incidences if you don't have the bucket? I mean that's something -- if you could speak to that just for a little bit I would just like to understand that difference from my own -- Blume: Councilman Taylor, excellent question and I will let him answer, but I -- to answer your question, a straight stick ladder in my professional opinion is a better ladder truck for this community. If we were to look right across the street at the podium constructed four story over a commercial, the only aerial device that I could put right in the window for a rescue is a straight stick aerial. So, it's a scalpel and the bucket offers some convenience, large commercial occupancies, things like that, but when it comes to aggressive rescue and safety of the firefighters, as well as the community, straight stick is a far -- in my opinion is a far superior product. Janssen: And I can speak to -- I spent about a decade working on a straight stick and there are a lot of advantages to a straight stick. In fact, I have never worked on a bucket. The buckets are largely for doing things like cutting holes in the roof. So, you are -- you are more stable to do that, but if you are trained correctly, then, you can still provide a ventilation hole in a roof from the stick as well. So, like the chief mentioned, there are -- there is a lot of benefits to the rescue portion of a straight stick and not having the bucket in your way and that's where I go back to my comment, I -- my opinion is I think it serves as an additional tool in this city's toolbox and now we have both. So, I tend to look at the pros and the positives in things and I think it yields a lot of additional rescue features, high point angles for high point rescues, rescues out of canals, there is -- there is a lot of great things that this ladder truck will be able to do. Simison: Maybe just a -- I'm not going to ask you to be a mechanic, but I am curious. When someone says two to three years of lifetime potentially, what does that really mean? Does that mean, you know, two to three operational years in terms of like sitting there not being utilized or hours on the engine. How -- how are we to understand what two to three years means in a reserve truck in theory from a mechanic's standpoint. What are they really articulating? Everyday usage two to three years, once every six months two or three years or is it all the same amount of life? Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 9 of 18 Janssen: No, they -- that's a great question. They -- and I asked that specifically. I asked for that upon the evaluation and that is for all use case. So, how many hours we are putting on the engine in a given year is what they estimated. If we use it as a reserve the amount that we are using it, they expect that life expectancy to last another two or three years. If it -- if it wasn't being used as frequently as we are using it -- if it wasn't being used at all, then, it's going to last a long time, but it's directly related to engine operating hours equaling years, so -- Simison: Okay. Thank you. Appreciate that. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: I want to just make sure in case any colleagues have any more questions, but I have been quiet, but I will chime in. No one will be surprised to hear my opinion. You know, this -- I would have loved if we could have waited until budget time. That would have been ideal to have this discussion and we were really hoping to do that. But that is not, unfortunately, where we are at. We all live in reality together and we have to I think respond to those circumstances. You know, I provided a memo previously in April that had some pretty extensive Q and A and, then, I have provided -- additionally I forwarded the chiefs memo and, then, now everyone's seen this presentation. I feel very strongly that going ahead with ordering a replacement ladder is the right thing to do, just based on all this information. I think for me the cost is a concern and I have to say that the speed with which the price of ladder trucks across the United States has gone up in recent years is very concerning. The chief forwarded me some antitrust articles about that. I know the government's looking at that. I think it's really important that they do that. You know, obviously, these pieces of equipment are critical for cities across the country, not just Meridian. I'm very happy that we at least have this narrow opportunity to try to get this apparatus, you know, for 1.87 million, I think -- it sounds like it would be a great fit and add some versatility to our fleet. You know, at this point it feels to me like even a bigger issue for me and part of, you know, why I was supportive of the amendment, it's not just the cost, I think it's the fact that it's been out 50 percent of the last 12 months, like that is a really sobering piece of information and I think, you know, our community deserves to have robust, functioning ladder service. I think that's really important for any city. So, with that I would go ahead and make a motion that we approve the fiscal year 2025 budget amendment in the amount of 1,870,000 dollars for Meridian Fire Department's ladder truck replacement. Cavener: Second. Simison: Have a motion and second to approve Item 14. Is there discussion? Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman -- Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 10 of 18 Cavener: Cavener. Simison: -- Cavener. Cavener: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Simison: He was grabbing his mic at the same time. Cavener: Fair enough. Appreciate the good comments from my good colleague Council Member Strader. Budget amendments of this caliber are one I typically don't support for one reason, is that we -- these don't come with a public hearing and I think it's important for our public to be able to weigh in. However, in light of what I think is a pressing and urgent need, I'm supportive of this budget amendment tonight and -- and, Chief, I appreciate your comments about the cost of human capital. The cost to -- of repairing the apparatus certainly is expensive, but certainly the cost in terms of your time and your colleagues' time was something, quite frankly, I hadn't fully considered. So, I appreciate you putting a spotlight on that. I think that's an important piece as well. I think that you have brought forth a very prudent recommendation. While it has a very large price tag, I think it is the appropriate solution, so I appreciate your brainstorming and collaborative approach to try and bring us a solution that meets the needs of our community. I will be in support tonight. Taylor: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Taylor: Just a quick question. Can you confirm that -- we are not using general funds? We are going to use the public safety funds for this purchase; is that correct? Blume: Councilman Taylor, that is correct. As it was -- the budget amendment was written with the public safety funds being identified. However, it's Council's discretion I guess to what fund is utilized. Simison: It is all the same money, it's just that we have earmarked some to go towards that transfer, so -- Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Maybe I could be helpful there. I thought actually maybe Finance would be here, but we have -- we don't actually earmark -- just as a practice we do not earmark within the city generally the -- by ordinance the exceptions to that are we have always had a Capital Improvement Fund and we have always had a public safety fund for these types of replacements and that -- it's basically a mathematical formula of a small percentage that every year gets swept into those dedicated funds and I know our CFO Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 11 of 18 Todd would be happy to go through in more detail, because it is actually a little bit -- I know as I was getting my arms around past budgets, getting my arms around those two funds did take a little time and I think it -- he would be happy to help with any questions on that. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Just to add to that for Council's benefit, this isn't actually something that we have -- we have always done. It's probably only been in the past ten or 11 years that we did that in part because of the large price tag associated with these types of -- of apparatuses that we didn't want to be in a position of, you know, that eats up kind of a budget during a budgetary hearing and so we have put a little bit each -- away each year, so that we -- it makes these decisions, while still challenging, a little bit more easier than if they just pop up out of the blue. Taylor: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Taylor: Yeah. I'm going to support the budget amendment tonight, too. I think it's one of those core responsibilities of the city is public safety and sort of the water infrastructure are things that we don't want to delay on the necessary investments for the safety of the citizens. Certainly our firefighters. I mean these are high stress situations. These -- you can't afford for these things to go south when you have an emergency. They have to be in good working condition. It seems like we have stretched it as far as we can stretch it and we are at that point where we need to do something. For a city growing as quickly as we -- as we are seems like a -- makes sense. I understand would have been better to do it through the regular budget process, but circumstances are what they are. That seems like moving in a timely fashion and makes some sense. So, I will be supporting it tonight. Simison: Thank you. If I just could -- just to add in that, you know, I know that -- I think that, actually, the time we have taken from the -- when this first -- when you first were bringing up the opportunity to buy off I think that there has been more investment in where we are and what we want and what makes sense operationally since that conversation, even a price point that was different than -- a couple months ago when this conversation was occurring. So, I don't want to say I think we -- you know, we did the right decision all the way around, but I think we have got to the point where it makes sense moving forward in that context. So, appreciate the extra effort and work to get us to this location and a path forward that when we come back in a couple weeks we can talk about the operating -- operational plans moving forward for the department, how this fits into that role and function in that context. So, while I won't be voting at all, definitely supportive of the effort and the results and having -- make sure we have the Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 12 of 18 means to deliver the services to the community. So, with that ask the clerk to call the roll. Roll Call: Cavener, yea; Strader, yea; Overton, absent; Little Roberts, yea; Taylor, yea; Whitlock, absent. Simison: All ayes. Motion carries and the item is agreed to. MOTION CARRIED: FOUR AYES. TWO ABSENT. Blume: Thank you all very much. 15. Public Hearing (Continued from April 22, 2025) for Centrepointe Apartments (H-2025-0009) by Mike Maffia, MGM Meridian 2, located at 3100 Centrepointe Way and 3030 N. Cajun Ln. A. Request: Modified Development Agreement to modify the existing Development Agreement (H-2022-0035, Instrument # 2022- 079000) for the existing 11 .17 acres and create two (2) new agreements which will allow each property to be developed independently. Simison: Thank you. Next item up is Item 15, which is a public hearing continued from April 22, 2025, for Centrepointe Apartments, H-2025-0009. I know we do have a request for a continuance. I'm not even sure -- did we ever even open this public hearing before? So, it's still not even open, so -- I believe the applicant is online if Council wishes to hear from them or from staff on the reason for the continuance, but don't think the public is here. Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Mr. Mayor, thanks. I am curious, Linda, Bill, what's -- what's the basis for the continuance request? Ritter: The applicant is working with the city to work out some issues with the project and so we will be ready for the June 3rd public hearing. Cavener: Okay. Ritter: Want to work out some differences that we are having, so -- Cavener: So, Mr. Mayor, Council, we support fostering collaborative conversation between our staff and the applicant. This is the second continuance request, so I don't -- fortunately we don't have anybody here from the public that's here. I don't know if there was some people online that planned to testify, but I think that's a big deal when we are continuing a request multiple times. I think it doesn't always send the right message to our public. In light of this maybe getting us to a better application I'm Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 13 of 18 certainly supportive, but I don't know if Council has any other feelings that they would want to share. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Thank you, Linda. Just -- I mean you sounded like you had a really high confidence level about the June 3rd date, but it takes two to tango, so I just want to make sure that -- that you, you know, feel good about that or would you want us to build in any additional cushion into this? Because I think having a -- I just want to say having a third -- not that I expect that, but a third continuance request, if it were to come I would not support. I would actually expect the applicant to present. So, I just wanted to kind of just put that out there and perhaps we could hear from the applicant if it's appropriate. Simison: They are raising their hand. I think they want to speak and explain the situation. I think you -- well, the hearing is where you would be ready to go, but we had already informed the community that this was -- Cavener: Okay. Simison: -- planned, so -- Cavener: Let's hear that and, then, that will give us the confidence for a continuance. Maffia: Good evening, Mayor Simison and Council. Can you hear me okay? Simison: Yes, we can. Maffia: I just wanted to add to some of the comments. I think we are there. We just -- we had requested a continuance before we had the opportunity to clarify some items in the staff report and there was one item -- I'm still waiting from ITD. They had sent me an updated letter. What happened is when we asked to separate the development agreement to accommodate -- it's two parcels with one DA. We have a regional bank that wants the pad. They have requested that they be separated. We are doing that and that, along with a previous application, as you know that didn't move forward with the affordable housing, triggered an ITD requirement and they sent me a letter updating the distance of the deceleration lane on Eagle, but it's not updated in the staff report and the difference is like 270 versus 340 feet and we just want to make sure it's accurate. So, I'm confident we will be ready on June 3rd. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 14 of 18 Strader: Just maybe a follow up. Sorry. I think I heard -- I think I heard I feel really confident from you, but I guess just to make sure, because it sounds like there is still some back and forth with ITD and I can't really get into the middle of that. I just want to make sure -- is June 3rd -- like -- because I guess what I was trying to warn you is like if on June 3rd you ask for a continuance I have a problem. I'm just one person up here. All of us would have to weigh in on that. But I would probably say, no, I would like you to present on June 3rd, unless there were some really crazy circumstances. So, I think just -- I want to make sure you are calibrating your timeline with feedback we have heard from other partners, like ITD, that you need to, you know, discuss with. Maffia: No, I don't blame you. We will be ready on June 3rd. They have already sent it to me, just -- I don't think it was incorporated, so -- and I hear you loud and clear. Like I said I don't blame you. We will be ready. Strader: Sounds good. Maffia: All right. Thank you. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Good question for Mr. Johnson. How does our agenda look on June 3rd? Johnson: Mr. Mayor, Councilman Cavener, that is a great question. I'm looking right now. At this time we don't have any hearings scheduled for June 3rd. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: I move that we continue Item 15 -- yes. Application H-2025-0009 to June 3rd. Strader: Second. Simison: Have a motion and a second to continue Item 15 to June 3rd. Is there any discussion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it and the item is continued. See you back then if not before. MOTION CARRIED: FOUR AYES. TWO ABSENT. ORDINANCES [Action Item] 16. Ordinance No. 25-2082: An Ordinance (Pollard North H-2024-0037) for rezone of a parcel of land situated in a portion of the south half of the southwest quarter and the southwest quarter of the southeast Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 15 of 18 quarter of Section 21, Township 4 North, Range 1 West, Boise Meridian, City of Meridian, Ada County, Idaho, more particularly described in Exhibit "A," rezoning 14.901 acres of land from the R-8 (Medium-Density Residential) zoning district to the R-15 (Medium High-Density Residential) zoning district in the Meridian City Code; directing city staff to alter all applicable use and area maps as well as the official zoning maps and all applicable official maps depicting the boundaries and the zoning districts of the City of Meridian in accordance with this ordinance; providing that copies of this ordinance shall be filed with the Ada County Assessor, the Ada County Treasurer, the Ada County Recorder, and the Idaho State Tax Commission, as required by law; and providing an effective date. Simison: All right. With that we will move on to Item 16, which is Ordinance No. 25- 2082. Ask the clerk to read this ordinance by title. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. It's an ordinance for rezone of a parcel of land situated in a portion of the south half of the southwest quarter and the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 21, Township 4 North, Range 1 West, Boise meridian, city of Meridian, Ada county, Idaho, more particularly described in Exhibit "A," rezoning 14.901 acres of land from the R-8 zoning district to the R-15 zoning district in the Meridian City Code; directing city staff to alter all applicable use and area maps as well as the official zoning maps and all applicable official maps depicting the boundaries and the zoning districts of the City of Meridian in accordance with this ordinance; providing that copies of this ordinance shall be filed with the Ada County Assessor, the Ada County Treasurer, the Ada County Recorder, and the Idaho State Tax Commission, as required by law; and providing an effective date. Simison: Thank you. Council, you have heard this ordinance read by title. Is there anybody that would like it read its entirety? Seeing none, do I have a motion? Taylor: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Taylor: I move we approve Ordinance No. 25-2082. Little Roberts: Second. Simison: Have a motion and a second to approve Ordinance No. 25-2082. Is there any discussion? If not, clerk call the roll. Roll Call: Cavener, yea; Strader, yea; Overton, absent; Little Roberts, yea; Taylor, yea; Whitlock, absent. Simison: All ayes. Motion carries and the item is agreed to. Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 16 of 18 MOTION CARRIED: FOUR AYES. TWO ABSENT. 17. Ordinance 25-2083: An ordinance repealing Title 13, Meridian City Code, regarding parks and recreation regulations; adopting a new title, Title 5, Meridian City Code, regarding parks, recreation, and forestry; repealing conflicting ordinances; and providing an effective date Simison: Next up is Item 17, which is Ordinance No. 25-2083. Ask the clerk to read this ordinance by title. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. It's an ordinance repealing Title 13, Meridian City Code, regarding parks and recreation regulations; adopting a new title, Title 5, Meridian City Code, regarding parks, recreation, and forestry; repealing conflicting ordinances; and providing an effective date. Simison: Thank you. Council, you have heard this ordinance read by title. Is there anybody that would like it read in its entirety? Seeing none, do I have a motion? Taylor: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Taylor: I move that we approve Ordinance No. 25-2083. Little Roberts: Second. Simison: Have a motion and a second to approve Ordinance No. 25-2083. Is there discussion on the motion? If not, Clerk call the roll. Roll Call: Cavener, yea; Strader, yea; Overton, absent; Little Roberts, yea; Taylor, yea; Whitlock, absent. Simison: All ayes. Motion carries and the item is agreed to. MOTION CARRIED: FOUR AYES. TWO ABSENT. FUTURE MEETING TOPICS Simison: Council, any future meeting topics? Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 17 of 18 Cavener: Real quick for Council. It's looking like our meeting on the 27th that we currently don't have any agenda items. So, unless something pops up in the next week or so we won't have a meeting that evening. The clerk or I will communicate with you the closer we get to that date, but with the Memorial Day holiday in a -- as you all notice a lighter than usual agenda, we don't forecast any need to meet on the 27th. So, more to come on that, but just wanted to flag that for you. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Just to kind of preview one thing and I think -- I think the chief hopefully touched on it. I don't recall it coming up specifically in his presentation, but I do think the Fire Department would be very interested to come and just talk about different operating models that they are looking at. Now that they have that new kind of Al driven tool Dark Horse analytics, that has allowed them to look at the data about our responses and different ways of tackling that through a different perspective, I think it could just be a really good workshop, like an educational session for us. So, I just wanted to throw that out there that I think they would like to come back when they have the full Council to -- to kind of dig into that, because it's more of a -- more of a brainstorming type discussion. Cavener: Council Member Strader -- oh, sorry, Mr. Mayor. Council Member Strader, I'm in full agreement. We had thought about it maybe for this evening, but in light of being down two Council Members we wanted to wait, to your point, until everybody is back together. Simison: And I think we were looking at the 27th, but with that being canceled that may push it -- Cavener: Into June. Simison: -- into June, so -- Cavener: I hear we have a very light agenda on June 3rd at this point, so -- okay. Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. One more thing. Just a quick -- quick announcement for those that can be here and I apologize if you -- I just received this, but they will be at Owyhee on Thursday giving them a banner and ice cream, if anyone is available at 11 :00 o'clock, which is around their lunch hour. So, I think they will be out and about and I'm not exactly sure what the -- it's going to feel like or look like, but there will be ice cream for the students of Owyhee as they are Water Tower Championship winners, so -- Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Meridian City Council May 13,2025 Page 18 of 18 Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Yeah. If Dave can just send us an invite with time and where to be to all the Council I think that would be helpful. Simison: Yeah. I just wanted to make sure you got it, because I just saw it on my calendar yesterday. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Cavener. Cavener: I move we adjourn. Simison: Motion to adjourn. All -- Strider: Second. Simison: Motion and second to adjourn. All in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed. nay? The ayes have it. We are adjourned. MOTION CARRIED: FOUR AYES. TWO ABSENT. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 6:40 P.M. (AUDIO RECORDING ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS) MAYOR ROBERT E. SIMISON 6-3-2025 ATTEST: CHRIS JOHNSON - CITY CLERK 6-3-2025