HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 09 01 Joint Ada CountyMeridian City Council / Ada County Commissioner's Special Meeting
September 1, 2004
The Meridian City Council Special Meeting was called to order at 1:30 P.M. on
Wednesday, September 1, 2004 by Mayor Tammy de Weerd.
Members Present: Mayor Tammy de Weerd, Keith Bird, Bill Nary, Charlie Rountree.
Members Absent: Shaun Wardle.
Staff Present: Bill Nichols, Will Berg, Anna Canning, Doug Strong.
Others Present: Dave Logan, Dave Navarro, Clair Bowman, Mike Simmonds, Frank
Thomason..
1. Roll -call Attendance:
O Shaun Wardle X Bill Nary
X Charlie Rountree X Keith Bird
X Mayor Tammy de Weerd
O Judy Peavey -Derr
X Fred Tilman
X Rick Yzaquirre
Yzaguirre: For the record let's identify for the remainder of the folks that are here
for the Clerk.
Introduction: Dave Navarro, Ada County Clerk, Dave Logan, Ada County
Operations; Bill Nichols, Meridian City Attorney; Anna Canning, Meridian Planning
and Zoning Department; Clair Bowman, Meridian Development Corporation; Mike
Simmonds, ZGA; Frank Thomason, Valley Times.
3. Discussion of Amendment to the Area of City Impact Agreement to
Address the Collection of Park Impact Fees:
4. Discussion of Memorandum of Understanding for the Collection of City of
Meridian's Park Impact Fees:
Yzaguirre: We have an agenda that was created by the City of Meridian. I guess
my understanding for the purpose of this was to sort of brainstorm and get an idea
of where you were with your new City Hall and multi -governmental building as to
location and size and where you are in that process and timeline of how you are
going to fund it and those sorts of things and let us interject as to kind of — we are
thinking — we are looking at some property in that area that Mr. Logan can share
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
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with you and hopefully discuss what some of our other needs might be. That is
kind of what I was thinking that we were going to accomplish today.
De Weerd: Well, that and we had also emailed Judy and asked about the Park
impact fees and the memorandum of understanding and where we are at in that
process.
Yzaguirre: Okay.
De Weerd: That was done like over a month ago.
Yzaguirre: Well, Judy has been gone and she only has been back about a week.
What is your analysis of those two agreements on the impact fees? Are they in
our system or something?
De Weerd: Maybe Anna or —
Canning: I have talked with Ax about this and he asked that we initiate a separate
process for this one. We had talked about folding into one of the other areas, the
impact improvement amendments that he is working on that he asked that the city
initiated. So, this would be the first meeting for the city to request that you
consider the Memorandum of understanding and adopting the park impact fees as
part of the areas of the impact agreement.
Tilman: Mr. Chair if I might just inquire. It looks to me like we have listed two
items or two different things that need to be agreed upon. First of all, it is a
discussion, but do we need to amend the Meridian area of impact for you to be
able to collect fees there and then the next one is talking about collecting the fees
in Meridian. If you could differentiate between the two.
Canning: The Memorandum of Understanding would be a mechanism to allow you
to collect those park impact fees for development that occurs in the County,
outside the city. In the County in the impact area outside the city. We are not
requesting to expand the physical limits of the area of city impact. It would just be
the park impact fees would apply and that would be the change to the area is the
impact is that the County would recognize that the park impact fees apply and then
the Memorandum of Understanding is the mechanism for you to be able to collect
those fees.
Tilman: Okay, I am with you.
De Weerd: We tried to tailor that how you are currently doing it with Boise and
from my understanding is your attorney wanted it to be separate from the
Comprehensive Plan portion of it.
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September 1, 2004
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Canning: As you know we came in recently to have you adopt the Comprehensive
Plan, the 2002 version and you have done that and then as part of those
discussions there was one other change that was going to be made regarding
permission of urban services and Ax has agreed to process that request and
asked him today for an update and he said he did turn that into Development
Services, but he hasn't heard back from them yet. So this will be the third one.
Yzaguirre: I understand Ax is on his way. We will get an update from him.
apologize for not being aware of those two items. Welcome, Ax. There is a couple
items on the agenda — Ax, on park impact fees?
Yewen: Uh-huh?
Yzaguirre: There are two issues on there that we weren't aware were being
discussed and I guess Judy was aware and she was called away to a meeting.
So, we have a briefing from Anna. I understand you have had some conversations
with her on the process to move those two issues forward? Are you familiar with
what we are discussing?
Yewen: I guess what we have here is the city should have sent a letter asking to
renegotiate that area of impact because that is what these area park impact fees
would fall under. So, I assume — was there a letter sent by the city?
Canning: Yes, and then we also sent a letter to Judy asking that this item be
discussed today.
Yzaguirre: The letter is this packet, I believe the last two pages.
Yewen: Then I think all you have to do is decide is if you want to adopt the
(inaudible) negotiations and see if you want to do this (inaudible) today and the
staffs need to sit down and go through and decide how you want to do it and bring
some recommendations, pretty simple.
(Inaudible discussion)
Yewen: I understand you have one, but the agenda that we published for this
meeting today, I think is what she is talking about.
Canning: Yeah, for our agenda.
Yewen: For us to be able to make a decision today on the issue — as you are well
aware, yeah.
Yzaguirre: Why don't we just do it in our open meeting?
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September 1, 2004
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Tilman: Ax, I have one other question the agreement that is in this packet too,
have you had an opportunity to have access to this or a copy of it prior to --?
Yewen: Anna sent it to me. I personally didn't okay this — I hadn't reviewed it until
the direction from the Board and how they want to go. That is your decision on
how you want to do the park impact fees.
Tilman: So we would then, obviously have to have time for you to be able to do
your legal analysis of this, am I right?
Yewen: I think along with the Planning and Zoning staff and figure out how we
want to do it. I assume if your decision today — if you want, if you want' to look into
adopting the Meridian park impact component and plan (inaudible) and then look
into correcting those fees for the City of Meridian. I don't see that that as an issue,
believe we do it for the City of Boise already.
Tilman: Mr. Chairman, in review of the fact that there is some question about
whether we could even make a decision on this because of the fact that it was not
published. I would certainly think it would be appropriate that in one of our next
open meetings that we could publish this issue to be discussed and if you would
like at that time to have a person that could answer questions, should there be any
from the public about your impact agreement that would maybe want to be a part
of that discussion and be available for that I think it would be appropriate for us to
certainly make a decision at that time as to whether we want to proceed or not.
That is about all we could probably offer at this point.
Yzaguirre: Yeah, I certainly don't have a problem with doing that. We do need to
do it in a proper format, so (inaudible) if you could put that on a calendar for next
Wednesday. Once again, I apologize. Does that give you enough direction as to
where we are headed? Anna are you comfortable with that?
Canning: Yes, my understanding was that these are always just kind of an initial to
request and make sure that you are all at the same table when this whole process
starts.
Tilman: I think exactly what Ax offered was the fact of what steps do you need to
do? It looks to me like you pretty well complied with all of the steps, so that
process has been handled and the next step is to get it in front of us in an official
published meeting so that we could then take an action and go to the next step. I
don't see that it would be a big deal for you to get it on with going to the next step
and going through the public process to have do it for whatever the proper steps
are. I think we just need to get it published so that we can make an official
decision for you to move on it. I don't see it being a real problem.
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September 1, 2004
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2. Discussion of Space Needs and Timing for Future Expectations for Site
Locations with the City Hall Building Project:
Yzaquirre: Okay, if you want to go first Mayor and kind of share where the City of
Meridian is at with regard to the — I don't know what your proposing location was.
have some idea, but maybe you could be more specific in what the vision of the
City of Meridian might happen to be.
De Weerd: Well, where we are at is we have completed our space analysis and
we did open up a contract so that ZGA can work with your staff in figuring out the
space needs that you will need in your West Ada Campus and so Keith has been
working with Dave Logan and do you want to give any brief summary on what you
have done up to this point, Mike?
Simmonds: Mayor De Weerd and Commissioners —
Tilman: Just for the record, he ought to identify himself.
Simmonds: Mike Simmonds, ZGA Architects. We have done some preliminary
review with the Department of Motor Vehicles and also a little bit with David just to
try and get an idea of what some of the space needs might be and early on it was
our understanding that some dialogue was taking place about exactly what those
might be, so I think that was really the reasons that we wanted to at least hear
what was being discussed today, so we could get a better idea of perhaps who
might need to meet with and who we might need to discuss some of those space
needs with.
Tilman: Let me just throw out in the conversation so far kind of what I have heard.
It was my understanding in the last conversation that we had and I can't remember
when, it was after some hearings that we had was that the City of Meridian was
trying to keep as much of your city government in your downtown corridor. So I
think that piece of information was loud and clear to us that if we are going to
participate with you, you are looking to what services could we participate with you
and that are going to be maintained in your downtown corridor if you will. I know
there has been a lot of information out there and I don't know if where you are in
the process, but it was also talked at one point that you may have some corridor
along the rail property there and maybe trying to get a downtown redevelopment
type of a project and going to provide some of that. But, I think what we can tell
you is that we maybe have some needs of going into that kind of a complex with
you. But, I think we have some needs far beyond probably what you want to see
in your downtown corridor property, our Weed and Pest Control for instance. That
has some unique requirements. I am not sure that you want to have in a building
that you are going to have right downtown; we have other kind of requirements for
that kind of facility. We just acquired the Mesquito Abatement as an issue that we
are having an immediate space requirements trying to put those two together.
They have a lot of commonality in that they have a lot of stored chemicals and
things that is a special need that I am not sure you want that and I am not sure
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
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would even be permitted to be used and utilized in a downtown place like that.
Some of the other kind of requirements that we have are going to be major space
requirements, might be for juvenile, some kind of juvenile detention type of a
service and I am not sure that's a facility that would be, you know, probably a good
fit for your downtown location. So I think we are looking at some other property to
meet some specific needs that we have that are special requirements that I am not
sure would fit what you are talking about in your downtown corridor, but there are
others obviously, you talk about the driver's licensing function that I think would fit
very nicely and we, I think, would be very beneficial for us to have those kind of
things in one common building. I think there is no question about it. But, the other
side of it is timing. You know it is how soon are you going to even have this
available? How soon do we need to have space, where in some cases some of
them are pretty strict time requirements that I am not sure that is part of this puzzle
and that is what we are going to have to try and see if we can fit together too.
Dave do you have any other thing that you would like to add for space
requirements?
Logan: Right now we have only been looking at motor vehicle going to the new
City Hall complex and although you know like you say timing is everything and we
do have some other functions that may fit onto that other parcel of land pretty
nicely, but I think you have all of the numbers for motor vehicle right at this time.
Tilman: Dave do we know of any other kind county court related functions or any
of those other kinds of functions that maybe --?
Yzaguirre: What is the office space that we have on Franklin Road, is that for
juvenile and parole?
Logan: Yes.
Yzaguirre: And from what I understand they have pretty much outgrown that
facility.
Logan: And they have the juvenile departments there on Barrister, where they are
only temporary and then we had in our initial programming, we also had with that a
small kind of area for the Sheriff. We also at one time looked at EMS
administrative offices there. Their administrative offices are real hard to match up
with a station so that — you know at one time we at least did some programming on
that. Then we also looked at future storage for and I guess a permanent site for
polling area for elections and so we have just been kind of looking at that. That is
as far as we got.
De Weerd: Mr. Chairman or whoever you are.
Yzaguirre: Rick is fine.
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September 1, 2004
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De Weerd: In meeting with you, I believe it was in January or February we had
also asked to look further into perhaps a municipal courtroom as well. There was
some initial dialogue going on about that and so we had — and that is why we
expanded ZGA's contract so that some of these could be considerations. If we did
a municipal courtroom that it could be a component of the building, but maybe
separate so it had different entry requirements and that sort of thing. But, we were
just trying to get our arms around that and know what kind of site size that we are
looking for and so we knew there was a minimum of (inaudible) square up to
15,000 square feet is what we were told at that time. So when our site selection
committee met, we were looking at something around 40,000 square feet? Is that
correct? And there would be ability to expand and perhaps a campus type of
facility. In the area of old town we do have industrial right next to old town that you
could expand out into the industrial part certain components of the issues that
were brought up that you needed. So, we haven't secured a final site because we
still have the unanswered questions as to what are your needs? What is the timing
on it so we can really figure that into the package and into our plans to know what
type size of site we need. We do know what we need and minimally if you would
put on a 5,000 square foot and we were hoping to get the polling place and really
offer residents in the west Ada County a place, a one stop shop that they could do
all their type of work with the government and that certainly would be an added
bonus to our taxpayers.
Yzaguirre: Let me throw that back to you and ask you what your timeline is and
what is your availability of funding and that sort of thing? Are you looking at two
years, five years, three years? If you were to go ahead and do your component
without us, when would the building be open?
De Weerd: Well, since I turned it over to Mr. Bird on the financing — he says one
year —
Bird: The main thing we need to do is we need to know how many square feet
because the county has come from 20 to 5 to this and that. We know what we
need for our city hall to last us. The financing is something that like we did with the
Police Department it isn't two or three year deal out. Now the building isn't going
to be built in one year, don't get me wrong there. But, we need to know how many
square feet we need. We feel we need a magistrate court or municipal court —
Tilman: Where did that come from that is news to me?
Bird: Is that news to you, Fred?
(Speaker unknown): We (inaudible) and I have not heard anything. I am not
opposed, but I haven't heard anything.
Bird: I don't know that anybody in the county actually, other than we mentioned it
when Dave and some of those people that it would be really nice to get it and
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September 1, 2004
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maybe Bill knows something. I don't know. It was brought up and we thought it
would be great for the west county. West county is growing and to get down here
for a magistrate or a municipal court is horrible.
Navarro: I don't object, but we don't control that. None of us here control that.
You are talking to the administrative judge. Are you talking about a place to pay
fines or actually have hearings?
Nary: Well, both. I have had a conversation with Judge Williamson a couple of
months ago and she was very supportive and obviously this is just the talking
stages and of being able to staff that with a judge and at least have, not jury trials
necessarily, but to have at least some court hearings there.
Navarro: See, those are my staff and now I have got — not un -surmountable, but I
have got six visiting judges every day and that is — I don't have anymore staff.
got six plan b judges every day to come hear our case loads and that impacts you
commissioners there because it wouldn't work unless we had a clerk.
Nary: I think the — I guess it was looking at how much would it be? Obviously it
was just to pay fines and things like that is one level. Obviously to have court trials
or court hearings of some sort, yeah, it needs a clerk, judge, bailiff and so you
need a bunch of other bodies to do it and to have the whole system to actually
have jury trials there would take even more security in and a bunch of other things
that would probably make it not very practical to try and do that, but we were
looking at at least something in between that and I think all we were was talking
about — I think the meeting we had with Mr. Logan was just again bringing that up.
I had a conversation with Judge Williamson and with Larry Riner and they both
said that as long as we could figure out in doing that how to make it a full day to
not have — it wasn't worthwhile from the court's perspective to send down a judge
for half a day of something. It was at least a schedule of a full day to be able to
make it work. I think it would be one of those things — it would be nice ultimately to
get to something that was a one day a week, but that might be a long way off. But,
maybe two days a month, so every other week might be something more practical.
We are using the Nampa City Court as kind of the idea of where we would like to
get to. But that really is all the preliminary discussion that we had.
Yzaguirre: Well, I think the demand is going to be there in two, three or five years
down the road, but —
Nary: If nothing else then maybe just to pay. Somebody has an appearance
opportunity there and again a lower level staffing would be a great asset to the
western portion of the county; Kuna, Star, Meridian and West Ada County, Eagle.
There would be lots of opportunity, you know but like I said having an actual court
to have actual hearings would be another benefit to the western part of the county.
So it is just something we are looking at exploring while we were looking at this.
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
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Bird: In our site selection is, like the Mayor said is we have got quite a few all in
the downtown. But, a lot of it depends on what size footprint we have got to have
and that depends on how much square footage you guys are going to — I
understand right now 5,000 for the DMV is about all you want within this building.
Yzaguirre: Is that correct Dave?
Logan: That is right.
Tilman: How many clerks would that give us out there?
Navarro: It is a big department.
(Speaker unknown): How many do we have over there now?
Logan: I am not sure how many. More than five.
Yzaguirre: So that is what you are doing is moving its present location —
(Speaker unknown): A rental building to a permanent site.
Tilman: Based on the needs of what there is there now, just moving it over we are
saying we need about 5,000 square feet?
Logan: Yes.
Bird: And we would welcome that. It would be nice.
Tilman: Okay question then if we were to take that 5,000 square feet and then add
a court function even if it was a scale down, a clerk sitting there to be a — I don't
know — it would also probably take, I am assuming some technology to tie from
here to there —
Logan: Yeah, I certainly want to work with you and this has been the best thing
that ever has as far as the courts in just the opposite of moving everything here.
We really gained a lot of (inaudible). It is tough to do — we have had ancillary
courts and we supported them, but they are tough Commissioner.
Tilman: How much space would we be talking about that might be needed for a
scaled down version?
Logan or Navarro: Well, would there be attorneys there? Maybe a public defender
or a prosecuting attorney?
Logan or Navarro: Yes, I would guess and you are talking about a lot of space.
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
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Nary: Maybe from the planning stages and looking — I think their intent for the
DMV was a stand alone building, right? It is not a rental space, it would be a stand
alone building is probably — maybe if the property is large enough for the
expansion then we could get further discussion on court. But, if you are going to
build a stand alone building for a. DMV and you have enough space to add onto
that building and a floor under that building or something in that range that gives us
the opportunity for that planning without it slowing down city hall or slowing down —
(Speaker unknown): Well, when you are saying a stand alone building, what are
you talking about?
Bird: Yeah, that is — I am going there right now, this is where (inaudible) --
thought DMV was going to be part of our City Hall. I didn't know it was going to be
a stand alone building, so basically if you are not going to be there it is just up to
us to go build a city hall. We have got the same problems, just like Dave said until
we get all of our departments back into one; we are not going to be the most
efficient city that we can be.
De Weerd: What we were trying to do is incorporate your space needs that you
need now like we need it now within the next two years into one building. But, to
look also at a campus type of a setting where if you need other types of buildings
or other departments, but not within the same timeframe that those could also be
figured within the master plan and so that is more — you know what are the needs
you have for your timeframe so that we can plan it within one building and longer
term that — or even similar, but just not compatible under this one (inaudible).
Whatever needs might you need that we could also figure within a campus setting
if that is the site that we look at.
Tilman: It seems to me that we are talking a number of different things here and
obviously that is the point of this conversation is trying to get it nailed down a little
bit. I hear in one sense we are saying we want to be in the same building, which
means we are going to have all of our traffic walk in through your front door, which
that is going to create a lot of different challenges for you folks. I mean let's face it
it means there are going to have to be a lot of different type of — depending on how
much traffic we have throughout the day, how long they stay there that creates all
kinds of parking different needs than what you might have for your city employees
so it seems to me like the more and more you put it all into one building, you are
just going to kind of escalate those kinds of issues as far as what is the
requirement of that facility? Parking and if you are going to have courtrooms you
are talking about a whole different scenario there, a lot of different security needs;
you are talking about a whole different clientele.
De Weer& Well, that wouldn't be under the same building.
Tilman: Well, I am telling you that you better be aware of that and this is a whole
different clientele that you are talking about and so I hear that on one hand and the
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September 1, 2004
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other hand you use the word campus and stand alone buildings. Well, that to me
implies a whole different kind of posturing if you will and then if you look at your
overall project that I think you are probably trying to look at them and that is if you
are going to do downtown redevelopment project, you want to make it big enough
obviously to be.able to incorporate as many services as you can. I mean it makes
sense to do that too and then trying to figure eventually what is going to go in
there. I mean you can do a lot of different ways of — you know you can piece by
piece to get where you want to go.
(Speaker unknown): We went into it with our eyes open and looked and with kind
of an open mind that we would look at everything and it is feasible to have a
common area within the (inaudible) building dedicated to motor vehicle that has —
take for instance that their hours open at 8 and the rest of the building starts at
8:30. They go in and they unlock their own door and is in charge of that and kind
of like a condominium, you could actually separately meter that area if we wanted
to; share common space, entry door and then break off from there. There are lots
of different things that we can do, but it would truly be an Ada County space. You
know you enter that door and its motor vehicle and they would — like they may
have an extra day off where the City of Meridian doesn't. They would lock up and
go home.
Tilman: Let's kind of put this into perspective. We know for sure that we have a
need for a motor vehicle. What else do we know for certain that would go into that
one facility?
(Speaker unknown): Commissioner I appreciate the city and I would pay for
whatever I need to pay for elections and that would be wonderful to be able to
have. It would work into plan 40 days prior to election to get people in place to go
vote absentee if that would work for you with staff and however if that is possible.
(Speaker unknown): What kind of space?
(Speaker unknown): Minimal.
Bird: A thousand?
(Speaker unknown): Oh, less. A good example is to see what Dave did for us out
at the Barrister site. We actually just used kind of a hall area, where we just have
some computer access and can bring in a crew.
(Speaker unknown): It is all portable?
Logan: Make voting available for your citizens so they don't have to come down
here. It could be in any space you have a conference area.
Tilman: What about voter registration?
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September 1, 2004
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(Speaker unknown): They do it now. Will does it. The Clerk's Office, they all do it.
Tilman: They also do it at the driver's license location?
(Speaker unknown): Yes. They do that now.
Tilman: So I am just trying to think in terms of what other services we may offer.
(Speaker unknown): For me that is the best and it is certainly open for a court
down the road.
Berg: If I could just interject a little bit. Some of the other services that people will
want to do is pay their tax bill. I don't know if there is a place there for them to do
that besides pay fines and different things —
(Speaker unknown): You accept credit cards and so on, you just need to have this
thing (inaudible--) building, I am sure she wouldn't care. We do it by credit card. It
is pretty complicated — you have to — it depends when they pay.
Berg: That is just something that — what service that Western Ada County
residents would like to do or find a little bit more ease. I mean we are looking at
ourselves as maybe the central for the western portion; Eagle, Star, Kuna. Okay,
now recording documents is that a --?
(Speaker unknown): No, it is all — we have to time date them because of liens.
can't have the time stamp somewhere else. I am not going there. We are going to
do that electronically very soon, providing statutes and the city is going to pioneer
with us and it will all be done electronically, which is wonderful then you don't have
to come down here.
Yzaguirre: It seems to me you hit it on the head. It looks like we are in the 5,000
square foot range to start. But, over time as we continue to grow, I am sure the
needs of the county are going to increase and many (inaudible) so I am hoping
that they are looking at a pad or a site that will allow expansion for you and for us
that we can't even realize today. Is that what you are kind of visualizing that you
are going to acquire some property and pay for it to the Urban Renewal District,
hopefully you don't have to pass a bond?
Bird: The financing stuff the Mayor and Council has to sit down and figure out.
We have about three or four avenues to go and —
Tilman: Let me ask a question too. Are you looking at other tenants?
Bird: We have had a call from another tenant that would like to have about 3,000
square feet.
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September 1, 2004
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Tilman: Are any of these a government entity?
Bird: Yeah, it is government entities.
Tilman: So, do we know Dave what it would be if we were to contemplate any kind
of a courtroom function and I hear what you are saying as soon as you say that
and you can start very basic and then it starts escalating if you want to be able to
be a full service, but if and when we were ever to contemplate, how much space
way for full blown courtroom constitute?
Navarro: Well, with a courtroom you would have chambers, court clerk area; .you
generally would have a small area. The hard part that goes with it is that the public
defender usually has a presence in the building, the prosecutor has a presence
and they have staff support people and then storage areas that go with them. You
know one courtroom by itself; let's say well you might as well make it a large area
courtroom if you are going to make one. I would think that by the time we have put
in security because security would be there, a waiting area, cuing area, probably
12 to 14,000 square feet.
Yzaguirre: Round it off to 15?
Logan: How about a driver's license? Have you talked to Sheriff or are you doing
that now in the city? That is something that might be a nice offering for the public
in that area.
Yzaguirre: I was assuming that would go with motor vehicles.
(Inaudible discussion)
Bird: You would be shocked at how many Boise people go to Meridian. That is
what we need to know so we can tie down Mike with a footprint and find out how
much this is going to really cost us whether we need 40,000 square feet or
whether we need 50, 60 or 70, what do we need? It also will lay out our footprint
whether we go three stories or go four stories, two stories or whatever we go.
(Speaker unknown): It is kind of an incredible commitment to make because there
— you know elected officials and they are all in involved in supporting the courts
and some of them are very, very opinionated about splitting the courts up and
having to support a court offsite. Yeah, it is feasible and that would be potential
space that we could do, but it is kind of — it would be pretty iffy to plan that right
now.
(Speaker unknown): But if we (inaudible) to the right partners and they have
talked to the judge that is good.
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
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De Weerd: Well, I guess long term we are looking — you set a really good example
of planning for the future and making sure your LEED certified, you have an
energy efficient building, your anticipating for future technology and that sort of
thing that even maybe at some point a courtroom can be more a televised type of
thing rather than an onsite that we could link to you this facility and not necessarily
have some of the other types of physical requirements, but more of an interactive
television type of thing. I am sure there is a more technical term than television,
but telecommunication or whatever.
(Speaker unknown): One of the big challenges will be for the courts is that they
have two shelled in spaces now for future courtrooms.
Tilman: (Inaudible). If we are going to justify building another courtroom over
here, we still have space in this building that is vacant, designated for courtrooms.
Bird: We are building a whole building for what a courtroom would cost. I was
here when this thing was built.
De Weerd: Okay well we are talking telecommunications.
Tilman: I totally agree with you and I have to tell you though, again it gets back to
the courts, some of them will use that, some will absolutely refuse to that. But, you
want them eyeball to eyeball and that is just a feature of who our client is and who
you are trying to serve and they are state employees, we can't tell them how to do
their business.
De Weerd: Well, I will tell you any savings of our police officer's time —
Tilman: I couldn't agree more, but that is unfortunately not a decision that we
make.
Bird: David, Bill said we could at least pay fines and stuff over there and with just
one clerk —
Tilman: Sure, I don't want you to think that I am not —
Bird: I mean that would be a benefit to our taxpayers over at the west side for all
of us.
Tilman: It seems to me that we could take, if we have a set up to get your
registration here at this booth and you get your driver's license at this booth and
we could have another booth that you could pay your fines, your courts and maybe
there are certain things that we could from the tax, from the Treasurer's Office —
(Speaker unknown): That would be cheap for us Commissioners we could save —
still provide the service for you and I would partner with the Assessor.
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
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(Speaker unknown): What I am hearing is that wouldn't take any more than if we
reasonably are saying 5,000 if we added these other functions —
(Speaker unknown): You might want a separate desk because of clienteles.
Nary: Yeah, well 5,000 to 7,500 square feet —
(Speaker unknown): That is a great idea.
Tilman: And then having within that same location, I would think a place set aside
where you can do your border; you know you can have your voter —
(Speaker unknown): Well, and thank you to the City of Meridian by the way, Will
just reminded me we used to use and loved using City Hall, lunches at night for
education of our registrars and we really appreciate what you have done. We like
to use that area because it is tough to get people down here.
De Weerd: Well, anyway we can save trips on our roads for our West Ada County
people — I guess, as we look at how we are going to fund it and certainly the
struggles that they have had in Eagle in getting that facility, we want to make sure
that the taxpayers see this as, not only a partnership, but good use of their money
and if they can go one place to do a lot of their governmental activities then I think
you are going to win wins.
Tilman: Let me just give you a little advice and just my own personal observation
and personal view on courtrooms. If you are going to have a courtroom facility,
make it a stand alone facility. You don't want anything to do with the rest of your
facilities because then you are going to have the same thing we have. Everybody
coming into this building for any reason has to go through the whole security thing.
And that, believe me is a huge factor that we are living with that in hindsight and
the day is going to come as the courts grow here that we are going to start
probably having other administrative offices where we can eventually get away
from that, but if you got a courtroom and a facility, it doesn't matter what floor you
put it on everybody goes through the screening, so if you are thinking in those
terms just think about how can you keep those functions very separate so you
don't have to put everybody through the same scrutiny just to go in to get your
renewal or pay a fine or whatever.
Bird: If you set it up Fred, don't you think if we set it up in the original plans and
maybe Mike can answer this, it could have its own security entrance and
everything right inside the first floor and then you put a firewall or build a firewall
around it where there is no way to come in from any part of the building other than
through this one front entry and of course you would have to have some exits.
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
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Tilman: If I carry a bomb and plant it in the other side of the building next to that
wall — I am just telling you it is a new world we live in.
Bird: I hear you and I know that.
Tilman: Just keep that in mind if you are talking about a courtroom, judge's type
that is a whole different arena that you get into.
De Weerd: We will just go for the television.
Nary: I was going to say the same thing, I think for a law firm I think if nothing else
we would be looking at just a large enough piece of property that if that is a viable
option that it would be able to be done as a stand alone facility for the court
because like you said parking needs, security needs are very different for a court
facility than it would be for another municipal building. So, another question that
probably we would want to discuss is are you looking at this as potential lease
space or are you talking about condominium space?
Tilman: No, we are not buying any condominiums.
Nary: Do you want to own the space you are in or do you want to rent the space
you are in?
Tilman: I think we have done both, depends on the situation.
Yzaguirre: We would have to have that conversation. I would rather own it.
Logan: I would rather own it too because sometimes there is misunderstandings
not — you know 10 years down the line about —
Tilman: Could we make them the same offer? I mean, could we build it and lease
to them?
Logan: We would prefer to own our spot so we have some control over our space
for the long term.
Nary: For the very same reason you guys do. We have the same needs.
Tilman: Let me tell you one other thing. Some of the things that I think we have
had conversations about is EMS and trying to locate them in some other place and
having an administrative office at maybe a different location, but along with that
you also have a maintenance shop and with that you are still going to have people
running out of there night and day with lights and sirens — I mean it is just a
function of that and I am not sure that is always something that you want in a
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
Page 17 of 20
downtown or even further away from a residential kind of community. Just for the
CU standpoint —
De Weerd: That is where our fire station was for years and years and years.
Tilman: I am just saying those are all the things that we need to try and site those
locations and it is a little difficult, but it isn't just an administrative function that we
need, it is also maintenance function and some other type of requirements that —
again, we are looking at some specific requirements for that. But -as well as we
appreciate working with you guys too on even some of your fire stations and where
we can co -vote and locate and things like that I think that makes a lot of good
sense. I think really what you are talking about on this deal of the project is more
of an administrative type functions that we have outlined here that seem to be a
really nice good fit and what kind of people? I don't know like maybe a marriage
license.
(Speaker unknown): That is a possibility. We do that on behalf of the state. It isn't
really mine. We could look.
Tilman: Well, I see couples coming in here hand in hand and having to go through
security.
(Inaudible discussion)
Tilman: But there is some justice to the fact that they come through the building
hand in hand and have to go through security.
(Speaker unknown): Yeah, that is a great possibility. Passports you could do now.
You just contract with the feds. That is up to you guys. That is not ours either.
We do it just like you do as a convenience, but marriages, yeah.
(Speaker unknown): If we are able to participate in the project we would want to
have our money at the right time to fully participate and when do you guys
anticipate, you know, coming to Ada County and say when are you ready and if
you have got money in Ada County let's go?
De Weerd: How far in the year?
Bird: Less than a year, within the year.
De Weerd: And then build following then — so yeah, fiscal.
Yzaguirre: Well, you may or may not be aware that we are looking at property out
there. I don't want you to be surprised down the road.
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
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(Speaker unknown): Get rid of the weeds we are tired of trying to control the
weeds out there, so we are going to put the Weed and Pest there. By the way
your staff is very easy to work with. They are very efficient, very understanding
and they understood the property and they are really a joy to work with.
Canning: (Inaudible).
Yzaguirre: Is there anything else?
Bird: So we can count on about 7,500 square feet for county and you would want
to purchase it instead of leasing it?
Yzaguirre: That would be our plan.
Bird: And if we let you purchase that way we won't have to pay taxes on it, right?
Yzaguirre: Well, you have got to figure out how to do that.
De Weerd: He was just dying to get. that in.
Tilman: I tell you what, on this one we will help you craft it.
Bird: Okay.
(Tape turned over)
Yzaguirre: Anything else from anyone? Thanks again. I apologize for the
confusion on the agenda. But, I think we got to the point that we needed to be with
the impact fees.
Rountree: I had a question on that. If you schedule that for next Tuesday and
take affirmative action, you have before you in this package a draft MOU, could
you let us know the schedule for consideration of that, so that when we
(inaudible)?
Tilman: One of the things that we are going to have to do is have our meeting with
staff and review.
(Inaudible discussion)
Canning: Also the Parks Director is here and he has a copy of the impact fee
ordinance which you will need also a copy of the Parks plan, which comes with
that. It is referenced in the MOU.
Tilman: Okay, great. Yeah, if you could make that available we could get that --
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
Page 19 of 20
Rountree: The reason I ask is do we need to key back to you — to take action on
the MOU? If you take action on the (inaudible) —
Yzaguirre: Do you want us to do it in the same meeting?
Rountree: That would be great if you could.
Yzaguirre: I would love to be able to do that, but (inaudible) get lost in our Legal
Department, so we will do the best we can --
Rountree: -- so we don't lose track of where it is and you don't lose track of the
action you are going to take —
Tilman: We also need to be make sure that we schedule this in such a way that if
somebody wants to come in and make public comment on it that we give them the
opportunity to do that. So I am just saying that you need to make sure that you
have got somebody that can speak to it during the meeting because we obviously
are going to be a public meeting too and if somebody wants to come in and have
conversation that kind of thing.
Canning: Is that next Tuesday that you would like somebody there?
Yzaguirre: 9:00 Tuesday, yeah.
Tilman: We like to do that anytime we have any kind of — somebody, whoever's
issue it is to be here to speak to it.
De Weerd: Doug does that work for you as well?
Strong: Yes.
Yzaguirre: Okay, thank you all for coming. We are adjourned.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 2:30 P.M.
(TAPE ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS)
APPROVED:
0`1 122- SOS
TAMMY D ESRD, MAYOR DATE APPROVED
Meridian City Council Special Joint Meeting
September 1, 2004
Page 20 of 20
ATTESTED:
JAYCEn. HOLMAN, CI