HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001 08-14Meridian City Council Workshop August 14, 2001
The regularly scheduled Meridian City Council Workshop was called to order at 6:30 P.M. on Tuesday, August 14, 2001, by President Keith Bird.
Members Present: Mayor Robert Corrie, Cherie McCandless, Ron Anderson, Tammy de Weerd, and Keith Bird.
Others Present: Gary Smith, Bill Nichols, Shari Stiles, Brad Watson, Bill Musser, Tom Kuntz, Stacy Kilchenmann, Ken Bowers and Will Berg.
Roll Call: X Tammy de Weerd X Cherie McCandless
__X__ Ron Anderson X Keith Bird
X Mayor Robert Corrie
Issue #1 Discussion with the Meridian School District Representatives:
Bird: We’ll open our City Council Workshop for Tuesday, August 14, 2001, at 6:35 P.M. Let it be shown that all Council people and the Mayor are present. The first item is discussion
with the Meridian School District Representatives. Christine are you the representative? Okay what can we do you out of?
Donnell: Mr. Mayor and Council members thank you for giving us this opportunity to be on your agenda. I’d like to offer you the opportunity to come and be on our agenda anytime you
would like to too. If you’d like two nights in a row of meetings here in this very same chamber. In fact I noticed that Frank is here again. Frank you just don’t have a life do you?
Just like me. Anyway thank you for this opportunity and of course we really appreciate the fact that we work in cooperation with the City Council, in fact not just with this City Council
but with Eagle and with Star and with Boise. We have far ranging opportunities to work with different city agencies and county agencies. What our purpose tonight was just to talk to
you about some of the issues that face us and to give you some ideas about where we are with some of the things that we’re doing to address the growth just like you are in the City.
I ’m going to turn the rest of my time over to Wendell Bingham. He is assistant in charge of facilities and site acquisition and who deals with your staff regularly. Wendell.
Bird: Thank you Christine.
Bingham: Mr. Mayor, members of the Council. Thank you, like Christine said for the opportunity to discuss a little bit with you tonight some of our on going concerns both in a large
picture sense in terms of long range planning. I don’t believe I’ll dwell too much on that. I believe it’s very important that we continue to work in the planning areas that effect
(inaudible) within the City of Meridian and I think we’re off to the right start in doing that. The School District, for your general knowledge has formed a Committee to look at long
range planning, try to identify sites within the whole district for acquisition and kind of a building
sequence. We hope to have a draft version of that available in approximately six months to the various agencies that we work with and ultimately hope that that will be able to ride
on the coat tails of any Comp Plan that you may develop. That work is in progress and in many respects it parallels the activities occurring by the north area-planning group and entails
some of the same individuals. I think tonight I would like to talk about a couple very specific things. Please do not construe this as a whining on our part. These are concerns that
we have with every jurisdiction be it Boise City, Ada County, City of Star, or City of Eagle. There are more code interpretation issues that present an on going problem to the school
district in general to our architects that represent our interests to the agencies specifically. What I’d like to do is touch very quickly on points and then try to sum this up on kind
of a positive note if you will. First off, if you are not aware Idaho Code Title 67 Chapter 63 specifically 67-6519 deals with local land use planning efforts. It has a specific paragraph
in it that refers to schools and it refers to school approval processes to be on a defined timeline and to be given higher priority regardless of when it is submitted than any other
project that comes through the City. That is a very difficult trump card for us to play, you’re experiencing growth. I have a copy of the appropriate section of the code if you would
like to review it at your convenience. I would ask that you make staff aware of it and avail themselves to the opportunities presented with that code. That came specifically in response
to kind of a statewide general lack of timeliness for getting schools approved in relation to bonding cycles and the fact that schools always open in September and we only have one day
to remiss it by year. I’ll provide that to you just so that you’re aware of it. Second item, jurisdictional issues. In many instances, we answer to many gods, Planning and Zoning,
Public Works, Building Departments in general and the State of Idaho. In many instances we get, or our architects get conflicting information. They are told specifically if you will
by Planning and Zoning to go forth in one issue the design is (inaudible) submitted and Public Works may take exception. Issues center around fire and sewer and water and access. Those
jurisdictional, those -- there seems to be a lack of internal discussion within the agency as to what is the reasonable requirement. We struggle with that concept all the time and it
makes it very difficult for our representatives on our behalf to get it right. The third item creates a great deal of problem for us is, this perhaps it’s a naïve perception on our
part where we pay funds for plan checking. The plans are checked. The funds are paid, the permits are issued, and at the eleventh hour we get a tremendous number of very costly changes
for on site interpretations by the field inspectors. We are simply asking and repeatedly asking the agencies that they inspect to the approved set of plans, please. Or inspect the
plans at a greater level of detail (inaudible). I could give you many examples. It’s not unusual. In one instance we have a 300,000-dollar contract that’s got a 38,000-dollar change
because of an electrical interpretation. It is not in the City of Meridian if you will. It is in the County so we have a very difficult time dealing with that because at the eleventh
hour it holds up our occupancy then we’re forced to bend the rules. The bottom line is the kids are coming and we will have to accommodate schools so I would like to have recourse on
that. Specifically to
an issue that I think is unique, at least in my experience, unique to the City of Meridian is the requirement that on the school sites that we only have domestic water available to us
for irrigation purposes for half an acre. That is an almost (inaudible) situation. We’re not allowed to drill wells because of the various moratoriums or simply water is not available.
In this year it will be particularly poignant. We have several school sites where we are currently out hydro seeding lawns, planting trees to get occupancy and we will lose our water
on September 5th. I’m not sure I’m praying that it cools off so that investment doesn’t die. The ability to get domestic water. Does that mean that we should partner on wells and
share in pretreated water costs. We would love to entertain those options or we’re going to have to start looking for a way to get wells in the ground. It amazes me that as more and
more areas of the community are developers there’s less and less water to get from the canal companies. I don’t know where it goes but we would definitely like to talk about domestic
irrigation as used within the control of Meridian City. The fifth item quickly, we would like to participate in any rule changes that may encourage the (inaudible) community to deal
(inaudible) with the school district. It’s a very difficult thing to look at but I think the greatest opportunity exists in those rules that could allow school sites within a development
to contribute in part. Not entirely, but in part to the open space or landscape requirements. I maintain that a 13-acre elementary school site in a 50 or 60-acre development provides
more green open space than probably any usable Landscape Ordinance. I know that is hard to legislate but if there was some language in rules that would encourage the developer, the
City and the school district to talk I think that would be mutually beneficial for all of us. The sixth item is kind of a generic comment on zoning. It seems like every time we turn
around a school is conditionally used for its initial improvement or modifications to that. It is a protracted experience for us. Even if the current area is zoned for school use,
we will consistently get comments from the agencies specifically. Again we’ll talk about the City of Meridian that staff level determination of that conditional use is required. It
would be nice to know that right up front either with a simple statement that any and all school facilities shall be (inaudible) Conditional Use then we get into the modifications where
we try to go in and repave a parking lot. Is that a staff level decision or is that a Conditional Use activity? What we have historically found is that Conditional Use requirements
are becoming more and more of -- this is my perception, an individualized local neighbor means of extraction from the school district. Specific example briefly, I would like you to
plant trees 4 foot on center 12 feet high along my entire fence or I wont approve your development. That interpretation by staff, is that a reasonable requirement of the school district.
It becomes very much an extraction activity to the school district. That particular example occurred within the City of Boise just recently on a staff level decision for us to rebuild
a parking lot then we’re off to the races with the neighborhood so zoning is a concern. Perhaps there is some logic to creating a zone that is specifically for schools. Any property
owned by the school district has a unique designation to clearly identify it as a school site and we have a clean little set of rules that work for all of us for a school site. In trying
to close up here, a quick
comment on just the existing rules for development. The rule structure that you have, municipalities have by and large works very, very well for commercial development in general.
I still maintain that schools are very unique, either elementary, middle or high schools in that there are no commercial developments that have everything that we have in common. We
have large buildings. We have commercial buildings that are large. We have large parking lots. Kmart has a large parking lot a large building. We have a large park like setting elementary
school 8 to 10 acres and high school 45 developed acres of green open space. In that uniqueness that belongs to the school district. It is very hard sometimes for staff to apply the
rules without prejudice to the development community at large. I think that’s an area that I would like to see us work on. I think what I would like to leave you with tonight is kind
of a personal goal that I have is to work with the jurisdictions in a very proactive cooperative fashion to get very clear understandings and expectations. What is expected is of --
what may we expect of the local jurisdictions and a commitment that those items will be honored by staff level and the approving boards? I think to accomplish that we probably need
to create some level of staff planning. Work sessions on a periodic basis with the school district at its expense will avail our architects and our engineers that act on our behalf
with the City of Meridian to any of those meetings if you would so choose to set up to discuss ways that other jurisdictions do it. The problems that we have given the existing structure
so that we may cooperatively craft something that works for both of us because again, we are a public school district just as you are a public City agency. Hopefully come out of that
process with some type of written protocols and understandings that mutually benefit both of us and yet do not prejudice the entire development community at large. I think with that
I’ll stand for any questions that you might have.
Bird: Council any questions?
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Bird: Mrs. de Weerd.
De Weerd: You know I was interested in hearing that you have a Long Range Planning Committee. You talk of the need to work and communicate together. Are any of the cities represented
on that?
Bingham: Mr. Mayor, Councilwoman de Weerd. No. Specifically by design I would say that when we look at trying to -- how to structure that committee in the time commitment at the staff
level, we made a conscience decision to specifically exclude the local jurisdictions, the city and the county because what we’re looking at is where should a school be in relation to
growth patterns and land use. So, what we have done is a professional backbone if you will of Long Range Planning Committee. There are engineering firms that do Preliminary Plat and
Final Plat presentations to the jurisdictions that have expertise south of the
freeway, the Ustick Chinden corridor, and over in the Eagle area because really our goal is to get in contact with those people that could be enticed or would be willing to sell the
school district property in a developing area. Short of going to the realtor community or to the developers directly, it’s in our best interest to do it through the development professional
engineering community because they represent the interest of the landowners, the developers, and ultimately the plats that you see. So, we structured our committee around that because
again, we’re a large district. We fall under many jurisdictions (inaudible) someone from the City of Meridian but exclude the City of Boise and bring in Ada County and North Ada County
or the City of Star. We opted to go through the engineering community with this very sincere and specific intent to have our mini Comp Plan if you will piggy back right on the coat
tails of the approved Meridian City Comp Plan if you will.
De Weerd: You know, I appreciate those comments but I do think that our staff is fully aware of what’s going on in particular in our areas of impact. They know land use, where growth
priorities within the City are as well so I think you’re missing out on a very useful resource. You and I have talked a number of times about several different options. One of them
you had grazed on, partnering on well sites and that sort of thing. Another is siting of schools, surrounding them with houses. We’ve talked about that as well as partnering with parks.
You mentioned probably our Landscape Ordinance, you didn’t mention it specifically, but I imagine that’s what you’re talking about. You know, if the school district could open up some
dialogue and communicate better with our staff I think that a lot things would go a lot smoother. We’re at least going to be on the same page but there’s been very little dialogue between
the school district staff and our staff. That is hampering things and you’re seeing the result of it.
Bingham: Mr. Mayor, President, Councilwoman de Weerd. I somewhat take exception to that. To date we have initiated almost every discussion overture with the City regarding alternate
compliance on Mountain View High School. We have consistently come forward on park sites and we have backed away from several park sites at the request of Mr. Kuntz who was interested
in acquiring regional parks for the City. We are trying very definitely and very hard and consistently to work through that at the staff level. Unfortunately I believe staff is hindered
by one simple thing. They open up the rulebook and there is no latitude in the rulebook to provide for constructive discussions for alternate compliance. Crossroads Middle School,
we would like more water. We’re burning up lawn and trees that we’re planting today. The book says you get a half-acre of water. That’s all you can do and it took us close to six
months to get that request through the City because it was determined that request was Conditional Use. I don’t mean to be picking on staff. I think there is an absence of a mechanism
that provides staff the latitude to, I don’t want to say bend to rules but to look at alternate compliance and partnering. We are very willing to do that. We will do it at our expense
to bring our architects and engineers who can speak certainly more eloquently to very specific problems. Ironically, the entire approval process
as viewed by our architects in the school district through the City of Meridian and by and large most jurisdictions are simply one of site issues, access, and landscaping. The State
of Idaho deals with life safety. The State of Idaho deals with mechanical (inaudible) so almost our entire approval process churns around that site issue. We are more than welcome
to discuss any and all options for partnering or what we can do. Again, we are not trying to encourage the City to create a unique set of rules but to create a dialogue structure so
that we can get our submittals right the first time.
De Weerd: Well, and I appreciate that but the example you’re siting are already underway. What I’m siting is more long range planning and short range planning. Trying to get on the
same page before it happens so you eliminate some of those problems. That dialogue is not happening.
Bingham: Mr. Mayor, Councilwoman de Weerd. I believe that dialogue is happening. I don’t believe this is quite the appropriate forum to go into the list of concerns –
De Weerd: And I agree with you.
Bingham: -- but I could give very, very specific examples of requests and problems that it has created for us and problems it has created for staff approval. I would love to sit down
with whomever you determine would be necessary to look at that and try to discuss this in a open up front and non- judgmental way. I’d really like to (inaudible).
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Bird: Yes, Mrs. de Weerd.
De Weerd: I think that we should assign someone to follow through on this and set up meetings between public works, planning and zoning, and our parks staff and fire as well and see
if we can get together with our staff with yours and identify a list of concerns on both ends. I think when we brought the process improvement group together we found out there were
some issues on both sides that sometimes your architects aren’t really telling you -- you know, what -- well, they’re telling you what you want to hear. That’s not always what’s happening
from the staff level. We did find that with the process improvement group so I would strongly suggest that we deal with this, your staff and ours and come up with a list and start trying
to address each of those issues.
Bingham: Mr. Mayor, President, Councilwoman de Weerd. I would really appreciate that opportunity. I think we’re both in a situation where we have very high caliber people on both
sides working very difficultly, or in a difficult situation to manage almost an insurmountable set of rules and make them equitable. I would gladly participate.
Bird: I think that we can arrange that don’t you agree? Mayor, do you want to set that up?
Corrie: I think its necessary, Wendell, I really do. I think there’s some deep seeded problems here that we need to go into and you’re right this is not the forum to do it right now
but yes we can do it.
Bird: Will you get that taken care of?
Corrie: Yes, very much so.
Bird: Okay thanks Wendell. Thanks for opening.
Corrie: Thanks Christine.
Bird: Thanks Christine.
Donnell: You’re welcome.
Issue #2 Discussion with Mike Wardle concerning the northern area of impact:
Bird: Okay Item No. 2. Mr. Wardle will discuss the northern area of impact.
Wardle: Mr. President, Mr. Mayor and Council members. My name is Mike Wardle. I have been hired by the development community to put together a work program for the north Meridian
planning effort. I wanted to give you just a little bit of history and I guess a resume because I’ve read all of the minutes of the various meetings that have been held including one
that the developers had specifically with the City Council. I believe it was about the 11th of June and then a subsequent meeting with all of the elected officials. It’s very clear
that the concern is that we put together an effective professional program. One that will meet all of the goals and objectives of all parties. I have to be candid to tell you that
that’s going to be a challenge. I wanted to pass out just a bio, of a little bit of information about myself. The genesis of my own personal and professional experience actually started
in Comprehensive Planning. Going through a process that was then known as the HUD 701 Comprehensive Planning Programs that were the original efforts that the cities, counties and states
were involved in almost long enough ago that its hard to remember. I have applied those concepts and that philosophy from that effort when I first did those plans and then administered
that program statewide for the original State Planning and Community Affairs Agency. Then in subsequent experience, frankly in the private sector, where I have been involved in some
of the very first planned developments of the Lakewood project in Boise. In more recent years have become conversant with the newest trends that are going throughout the country.
I also wanted to just tell you that I have a very early relationship with the City of Meridian. My earliest recollections were on a farm just south of Overland on the Kuna Highway and
then living at the corner of King and Second Street downtown at about the time of the Korean War. So, Meridian really was probably the first home that I recognize and remember, have
been about a little bit since. I also wanted to just give to you -- I was going through my archives. I’m perhaps somewhat of a pack rat in the sense that I don’t like to discard anything.
I found an interesting item that -- the is the concept of the expansion of the Storey Park that I did in September of 1975, not quite built that way but the actual Construction Plan.
This was in the era when things were a little bit simpler and not quite as, well we didn’t even know what a CAD system was in those days. All of this line work and this description
of the project construction items was the effort that I did when I was at J-U-Bin June of 1976. I went back through the park and discovered that some of the elements are in reasonable
to the improved area. I don’t think that the park ever expanded as far to the south as it was anticipated but it still showed the area out front on Franklin Road. I don’t know if this
is of any use to you but I have made reduced copies for my own personal use and I will leave these here and if the Council or the City has any desire to place those in an archive, you’re
welcome to do it.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: That was a good idea until we got American Legion Baseball and decided we need a baseball field out there.
Wardle: There are changes and so forth that occur in the process over time because of the size of your agenda. I plan to try and be very brief. We have, you recall, for those of you
that attended the meeting on July 23rd that a fundamental decision was made for the area to be studied in this effort. That basically was the primary emphasis from Locust Grove to Black
Cat with secondary beyond Black Cat to McDermott. Obviously, you cannot ignore the fringe elements of any of this area.
Bird: Mr. Wardle, could you sit up here and take the mike because our staff needs to look at this.
De Weerd: Hey Tom, do you want to take these down so the audience can see too?
Wardle: I don’t intend to get down to any specifics but just to emphasis on the COMPASS area of impact map, I guess it is live. That we are of course looking at the Ustick to Chinden,
Black Cat and back to McDermott but primary emphasis in that two mile north south corridor all the way back to the established infrastructure both in the City of Meridian and certainly
Boise as it interfaces on the east. We have been working since that meeting of July 23rd and are there Council members here that were not there that did not receive the status report
at that time. I don’t recall if all the members were there. I have extras if that was. In going through the process it’s very apparent that we have -- from the developer’s prospective
they want an expeditious process. From the City’s prospective, you’re looking for a formula for orderly growth. You want to take the functional elements of infrastructure and the timing
of that infrastructure and see that there is orderly growth that is contiguous and obviously that’s going to be -- really it’s a foundation element of the way the infrastructure goes
into place and where those growth areas can occur and the timing thereof. The County Commission, I met with them yesterday, are interested in avoiding the problems that they experienced
in the southwest area of Boise where the growth elements preceding the availability of infrastructure have created some serious challenges. They want to avoid that as they work with
you in their dual responsibility in the area of impact for that area that is not yet annexed to the City. ACHD is obviously looking at concurrency of at least right-of-way and certain
improvements in the roadway structure that goes along with development in this North Meridian are. Obviously the schools and the parks and the other elements of the city’s services,
those all have to be factored into concurrency so that we’re not always working behind the curve but more closely with the curve of growth if at all possible. The things that will have
to occur as this process unfolds will be assuming that the Comprehensive Plan is adopted, or an update is adopted. There may be amendments to that Comprehensive Plan. There will certainly
be some defined Urban Service Planning Areas. I think that’s a critical distinction over what the current plan shows of an Urban Service Planning Area, just a singular. I think we
need to look at the phased elements. There will certainly be the necessity for an area agreements with Ada County in order to implement these items. With regard to development approvals,
there’s very likely going to be some process underway as this effort is going forward. I just wanted to share with you. Obviously you cannot see this unless you have far better eyesight
than I do. This is a schedule that I’m working with. I will be presenting it to what I call the sponsors next week and that would be the development community. Then it will be presented
to the stakeholders on Monday the 27th at COMPASS at 8:30 in the morning. That’s the next general gathering of the group. I wanted to just emphasis several things. We’ve used the
process that comes out of the Treasure Valley Futures Program that deals with specific area plans. We’ve formulated this entire process to follow that concept, not necessarily every
little detail but those that are applicable. A couple of critical things, the blue elements are all of the reports to what I would call the stakeholders. These would be certainly the
elected officials throughout the process. Right now the schedule dates for those would occur, well, in August, September and then basically toward the end of the process that I will
talk about very briefly in a moment. Public involvement which is an important element and the Council has expressed that at some of these earlier sessions. We will do some workshop
sessions that will begin actually in September, excuse me right here would be the first series and this would be in the middle of September. This will be a discussion and it’s not creating
new information but to bring your staff and other agency staffs in to discuss the basic infrastructure elements, specifically the sewer and water,
schools and parks, police, fire and EMS. Those back bone elements that create community quality. That will be really the foundation for all of the subsequent discussions about what
a plan might be. That will occur in September. At the beginning of October, I guess actually well in October we get down to the particulars. I think the two most important aspects
are the transportation system and the land use. Those are the points that will be taken up in actually the end of September and the beginning and middle of October. As we go through
this process there will also be, each of these green elements represents an opportunity for the public to come in. All of the workshops will be open, presentations in terms of open
houses. There will be a conclusion that I’m predicting right now where a preferred plan would again be presented in a public information open house. That would actually occur, at
this schedule on the 30th of January 2002. It’s a fairly aggressive schedule when you stop and think about all of the time that’s going to be required frankly of all of the parties
associated with the effort because this is going to have to be done with the cooperation and the input of all the public agencies. It also doesn’t try to load up on the elected officials
until we get to a point in the process where, essentially at the end of January we go into a combination of what I call the sponsor and public agencies. That would be the developers
and public agencies to discuss the implementation of strategies. That hopefully would occur ion a fairly short time frame, roughly over about a five to six week period. Then, at this
point I have the end of sponsor responsibility. It doesn’t mean that the development community wouldn’t be involved beyond that. It simply means that then we’d go into the Public Hearing
process where we amend Comp Plans. I necessary -- amend Ordinances or create an overlay district that sets specific standards. We adopt those unique standards and we amend any area
of impact with the County as applicable. Then beyond that point, the monitoring process over time really is just a factor of how the program works in the future. Now, very quickly
to conclude, I went through and found a number of comments that you folks had made during those earlier discussions. I think that you’ve raised some flags that we all need to be aware
of. Certainly the public entities are the people that have the last say. We can put forward a plan hopefully in context and effort with your staff and the others but the final analysis
is it comes back to you. If it works, if it fits, if we have consensus its something that goes forward as part of public policy. Secondly you have great concern about the orderly growth
aspect of how your north Meridian area develops in the future. It will never be necessarily the one parcel and then the next one and so forth. That’s very unlikely. If it fits within
your plans, the way your facilities are programmed and can be programmed, I think one of the other most significant possibilities in this process is some public private partnerships
that help carry that challenge forward. Rather than the necessarily the City alone being the party to get all of these facilities in the ground. I realize time is short so I’m going
to stop at that point. I would certainly entertain any additional concerns and suggestions that you have as we move forward. I think I have a sense from my extensive reading of what
you have stated before that you have both stressed support for the effort and I guess
expectations are high on all sides that we can actually do something to benefit the city’s future growth. I’ll stop there Mr. Mayor.
Bird: Thank you.
Wardle: Mr. President, sorry.
Bird: Council, any questions for Mr. Wardle?
Corrie: Mr. President I don’t have any questions at this point. I have some later with Mike. I think you’ve got a tremendous job ahead of you. You’ve got an aggressive approach to
this. In your bio you have a lot of experience with planned communities so I think we’re in good hands there. Just as a sideline how do you think the developers are going to take this
timetable? Do you think they’re going to have a little problem with it or do you think they’re going to go with it?
Wardle: Mr. Mayor and Council. I suspect that frankly this will be received with general -- I’m not going to say that all of them are going to be happy because there are already some
applications on the table but that will have to be dealt with in the context of both your Ordinances and policies and the County’s Ordinances and policies that are in place today. Frankly,
this is as aggressive as I think it can be done. We may find during some of these key discussion elements that we have to delve a bit deeper. I’m not going to even suggest that it’s
possible that it wont extend out. If the developers themselves are not somewhat patient in this process, then I think they will be the losers long term, because it will put them in
a position where we’re all somewhat working against each other. I hope that that doesn’t occur. I’m expecting there will be some renegades and some rebels in the process but I believe
that most of them are in concert. That’s what we’re doing next week. I’m meeting with them to review the particulars to get their commitment. If we don’t get their commitment frankly
when we meet on the 27th, that will be explained.
Corrie: At that meeting, the 27th I was very encouraged with some developers had put their time on it and you came back and said this is not going to be done in 3 weeks. I agree with
you and I think a lot of them did as well. I commend you for taking this job on. It’s going to be a difficult one but I think if anybody can handle it you can.
Wardle: I thank you Mr. Mayor. I’m excited about it. It’s an opportunity to do some of the things that I’ve been concerned about because my own, the second sheet there uses my catch
phrase of in pursuit of community. I have always been desirous of creating not just another subdivision but to create communities. In the context of a City you still create sub communities
that have services. They will have employment opportunities and they create then the fabric that I guess
we all look back in kind of a nostalgic way and get a sense of what was and what we’d like to be in the future.
Bird: Any other questions?
Anderson: Mr. President, I did have a comment for Mike. I too don’t envy you. You’ve got a big job ahead of you. I guess I do have a concern though that I think is shared by the
rest of the Council members. I’m not so sure the development community is necessarily fully on the same page as we are. I guess I see the planning process that you are going through
as kind of a first step. I think I’m sensing from the development community that they feel like once we’ve laid out a plan that the City Council and everybody’s just going to say okay
now start developing. That’s not how it’s going to work because one of the key elements in the plan is then the funding to make the plan happen. All these things, widening the roads,
providing for the schools, providing for the parks, providing for the public safety, that ought to be part of your plan is how are we going to fund those things. That ought to be one
of the key elements that have to be stressed throughout it. I’m not one to endorse any of this development until we know how we’re going to pay for the infrastructure that’s needed.
You talked about building a community. That’s one of the things that we as a Council are trying to do, build a community, build it in an orderly fashion but we have to be able to provide
those services. Right now, to just allow the development community to take off and start building, we can’t do it. They have to step forward and partner with us and show us that they’re
willing to help pay for that infrastructure that’s going to be needed to go right along with that. I hope you consider that in your planning process and that finance and funding be
one of the biggest elements in there.
Wardle: Mr. President, Council Member Anderson. That’s exactly what we have tried to do. We realize that we have to develop infrastructure and community facility phasing as one of
the implementation strategies and then create public and private agreements on the right-of-way and utility extensions. Probably one thing that isn’t put in here that I intended to
would be the other facilities that we’ve talked about, the schools and the parks. It doesn’t mean that necessarily all of those facilities will be constructed but it means the preservation
and some type of means to get those in the public’s hands in that process. It’s going to be a challenge. I have no misconception about that. I don’t think the developers frankly will
have any misconception by the time we’re at that point.
Bird: Any other questions, Council?
Wardle: Thank you.
Issue #3 Presentation on I-84 corridor study by Erv Olen of COMPASS:
Bird: Very nice presentation, appreciate it. Okay item No, 3 is the I-84 corridor study by Erv Olen of COMPASS.
Olen: Thank you Mr. Mayor, President Bird, and members of the Council. It’s always humbling to follow Mike. I’ve always fashioned myself as being one of the old timers around here
and he certainly goes back a long time and has a much better memory. I just hope I don’t look as old as he does. I’m here to talk about the I-84 corridor study. We’re getting ready
to wrap that up. It has been a little over a year now that we started the process. We’re getting ready to make a final recommendation. This, starting tonight is a two or three week
window we’ve got to come and talk to each of our member agencies and see what you think about what we have, giving you a chance to understand what’s being proposed. In a couple of months,
you’ll be asked to take some formal action on it. I have two items that I’ve handed out. I’d like to actually refer to the first item first which looks like this if you will. Probably
it’s on the bottom. Do you all have a copy of the -- I know time’s short and I’m just going to run through this. From the get go on this I-84 corridor we’ve adopted or accepted the
goal we have in Ada County to have 25 percent of all the trips by other than driving. Up until a week ago we hadn’t really put much detail into what that meant. We set some money aside
to implement but we didn’t really define it. I’d like to run through how quickly what we’re looking at in terms of implementing what we call a transportation demand management element.
Again the intent is to meet the 25 percent goal along the corridor in the next 20 years. The assumptions that we’ve used to meet that goal is to first of all really target the commute
trip and the peak hour. That’s what you design the facility for and the commuter’s generally the best audience to try and achieve some of these. We also have decided to look at the
most heavily traveled portion of the interstate which is just west of the wye. Everything fun will drive through there. If we take our goals for ridership at that point, that’s the
most that we’re going to be getting in the corridor. We decided to implement that goal and we needed to increase the current estimate of (inaudible) roughly one percent up to five percent.
One reason we’re so confident that might work is the shuttle system we’ve been working with for about two years now has been super successful from Meridian to downtown Boise. Actually
it picks up in Canyon County. The second assumption, the next one is to increase the ridership roughly 20 percent from a current estimate of 10 percent to 12 percent. With those changes
and leaving it al status quo the bicycle, walk and the work at home figures from the 1990 census, we’ve arrived at our goal of 25 percent. The bottom of that is just too hard to see
but I wanted to explain that. Using our travel forecast model we can take that link just west of the wye and cut it and 20 years from now predict where they people come from that pass
through that link and where they’re going to. That helps us design and cost out a transit system. 51 percent of that link originate in the exits serving the City of Meridian, over
half never leave Ada County and come from this area. There are three exits. One is Ten Mile, soon to be built by then and of course Eagle and Meridian. That means less than 50 percent
going on into Canyon County. So, half the bus service that we’re looking at really needs to orient to the City of Meridian. Other
interesting parts of this is six percent of all the trips passing through actually come from outside of Canyon County. On the other side, a little over 80 percent of trips are destined
to Boise, Garden City. That’s not a big surprise. Six percent to Micron area and 11 percent actually going beyond Ada County to the south, or to the east. I’m going to jump now to
a description of, and I’m back on page three, a description of the service that we’re looking at. The express bus service would require that we add 35 new busses in the corridor. Roughly
five of those are for backups but to cost them out, a little over 12 million dollars on capitol cost. The big cost in this is operating those over the next 20 years. We estimate almost
80 million to operate them 15 to 20 percent of that could be –
***End Of Side One***
Olen: -- the rest would have to be provided again. That’s over roughly 20 years. There needs to be additional park and ride lots developed in the corridor. It’s our iron fast rule
that any new interchanges or any reconstructed or modified ones will include park and ride. We’re assuming 20 park and ride lots will be developed over the next 20 years in the corridor.
The commuter van program, do you remember that? That increased by about 20 percent. That would require that we had roughly 20 new vans in the corridor and the cost of those vans is
700,000 and the operating cost is about 7 million. That 7 million pays for itself as a former van rider, my 55-dollars a month helped pay for that. The only real cost to the public
is the capitol cost of buying the vans. In order to make the system successful, you’ve got to market it and expand the current employer programs and get the employers to participate.
Many of the downtown employers right now do pick up the cost of a monthly bus pass for their employees to use it. That’s got to expand and the marketing has proven extremely successful,
particularly with the shuttle service. Finally the transit, its intelligent transportation system is to implement a plan we developed several years ago that could do a number of things
for public transportation. It could be automated fare collection and what they call smart fare where you don’t have to exchange money and buy a card. Some of you have probably seen
that in your travel. It could have on board GPS Global Positioning Systems so you can monitor at all times where they are and how they’re doing on the schedule. Finally (inaudible)
devices so if they are behind schedule, they can force a signal to turn green and let them through. Over the 20 years we’re looking at roughly 10 million dollars. In all, we’re looking
at an investment of about 126 million dollars over 20 years to support this demand management element not included in that cost would be service that may not even leave Canyon County
that would use the interstate from Nampa to Caldwell or anything west of Meridian. People who want to come from Nampa Caldwell to Meridian and vice versa. That would have to be added
to this cost. We estimate roughly another 20 percent to do that. We don’t include any cost to preserve the rail which is the foundation of our current and a starting point for the
I-84 corridor and pick a number what that’s going to cost to preserve. We do have a 150,000-dollar study that was funded for Via Trans to do an evaluation on the right-of-way and what
its value is. Basically that’s part of the cost of this
demand management element. Finally the recommendations coming out of the study are every time a new lane on the interstate is added that we fully evaluate the need for high occupancy
vehicle lanes. In fact if you’re going to have 35 buses operating plus a number of van pools and others in the corridor it may be necessary to have a lane exclusive for those vehicles
particularly during the peaks to get them into town much more efficiently and much more competitively with driving. We don’t include the cost of those. Eventually there will probably
be some high occupancy vehicles. I think this valley has got to the point they’re going to have to deal with that issue. I’m including this first because it really is, usually we come
in and talk about we need to improve the roadway which is a big part of this. This also is a big part of it. If we didn’t make this investment of 126 or so million we estimated that
we’re going to need 10 lanes on the interstate west of the wye, probably through Meridian and Ten Mile. I don’t know exactly how many structures that is along there but every structure
would have to be replaced because its not wide enough to handle that at 20, 25 million bucks in construction. So when you look at the additional cost of the lanes and replacing all
the structures it would exceed the 120, 30 million that we think is needed to implement demand management. I’ll pause there and see if you have any questions then I’ll go on to the
main part of this.
Anderson: I have a question. Maybe this is kind of silly but why couldn’t a commuter train be put on the rails even if we didn’t own the rails, just lease it just like the rail companies
do now and run a commuter train and just schedule it in between times when there’s freight cars that are running through there? Wouldn’t that be a lot cheaper and is that feasible at
this point to start adding something like that?
Olen: That’s a very good question. As you know, the regional sprinter that we tried several years ago was hugely successful. A lot of it though was probably people wanting to ride
the train. I talked to families that wanted their kids to ride the train. I think part of the problem is that it would be expensive to retrofit the rail to be safe for the vehicle.
You’ve got over 30 existing at great crossings that would be problematic to do that and I’m not sure the Union Pacific Rail companies would want to get into the commuter rail business.
What the goal has been is to try to acquire the rail for public use and then eventually of course put in rail service between the two communities. That’s a good idea. What we’re assuming
is the preservation of the rail eventually we have to use the rail. A lot of it too is land use. Frankly Meridian is right in the middle of that rail corridor and the land use along
there is going to dictate how successful that would be. You really have opportunities to make it happen and I believe there’s a strong commitment from this City to do that. All of
those things have to be in place. In the mean time we can add buses that are flexible in where they travel. Once they get people in the habit of using the corridor it’s a lot easier
to shift to the railroad.
Anderson: I guess I just see it easier to get yourself established and get a rail service running. Then you can always look at buying the rail itself and improving all the grad crossings
and all those types of things. If you’ve at least got the service started and get people using it then you expand upon that and you start to build on it.
Olen: We can certainly look at that. Another part of this funding, the highway money wouldn’t be eligible to do that. In talking with federal transit, there’s a long backlog nationally
to get in line and get those things funded. They haven’t been sending positive signals that those funds would be available. I would like to add also on the transit, I indicated on
this last chart the eligible funds for these things. Many of those things are eligible for existing federal and it’s our (inaudible) we can decide where those federal funds are used.
The operating cost is not eligible for federal, the 80 million dollars. That’s really a big issue. The only way we’re going to realize this 25 percent goal is some source of funding.
Right now the state legislature has put a three percent cap so using property tax is probably not reasonable. There’s a constitutional prohibition at the state to use highway-using
money even though it may not be federal, in the State of Idaho you cant use it for other than the road. So, there really is an issue here of finding ways to support this level of transit.
It requires local option of some kind. The cities, counties have for years tried to get that and I think that effort needs to continue to make this happen.
Anderson: I have just one more question. Its probably well beyond the I-84 corridor study. It would seem like to try to eliminate some of the pressure off of I-84 and to avoid expanding
it to 10 lanes like you’re talking about and replacing all the bridge structures that there ought to be some efforts right now to preserve some of the major arterials like highway 20/26
Chinden Boulevard and Highway 44 State Street and try to make some of those area limited access and increase the capacity maybe to four lanes because those two roads would move a considerable
amount of traffic in themselves even though they may never be developed to the level of an interstate. There ought to be some efforts there before that all gets built into subdivisions
all along that to try to preserve that and make those some limited access.
Olen: Councilman Anderson, I couldn’t agree with you more. That’s the key. We can cite all kinds of examples where that wasn’t done. Recently and to our great support the state of
Idaho, the Idaho Transportation Department adopted a controlled access policy on all their state roads. Highway 20/26 through Meridian basically is a half-mile spacing and that is currently
their policy. Then west of that, almost to Caldwell is one mile spacing which does exactly what you’re supporting. That policy was just recently adopted and long overdue. It’s really
going to help all of us. Also the Idaho Transportation Department has some money set aside for fiscal year 03 to begin buying up right-of-way to preserve both 20/26 and 44. You’re
right, the interstate cant carry it all. Unfortunately though this study confines itself to the interstate. It’s hard to do that because
there are some big picture issues. I think there are some positive things being done and we started that on Eagle Road. There is an access control policy and though we came in a little
bit late on it we are making some progress with it. Now I’d like to quickly talk about the road element of it. The first chart talks about what’s already in the pipeline. These are
considered committed projects. The message I’d like to give with this is its pretty balanced between Ada and Canyon County. The City of Meridian, we’re showing the Locust Grove overpass
as a committed project even though it’s still in the out year in the program everyone’s intent is that that’s going to happen. Again, Karcher Interchange is shown on there in Canyon
County and improvements at the wye and so on. Anyway, those are projects that are already in the pipeline that we assume are (inaudible). The next thing our committee did is how are
we going to phase the remainder of the improvements that are needed. In contrast to the last chart, this really heavily favors Ada County. If the first 10 years of the phasing that’s
needed, it identifies the need to increase the interstate lanes from the wye to Eagle to eight lanes through to Ten Mile interchange to six lanes and then east of the wye to six lanes
out to Broadway. The only new interchange identified in the first ten years is Ten Mile. Also we identify the complete rehab of both Meridian Interchange and Garrity in Canyon County.
That’s the first 10-year increment of what needs to be done based strictly on need. The next 5-year increment identifies extending that 6-lane section on out to Garrity in Canyon County,
putting in some additional travel lanes to serve the Karcher Interchange in Canyon County. It’s pretty much in the next 5 years a Canyon County process. Then the final chart I’m showing
is the year 2020, what’s needed to complete the 20-year needs along the interstate? We’re going to have to go to eight lanes out to Ten Mile, eight lanes east of the wye and exchange
the six lanes in Canyon County further west to the Karcher Interchange. Also we would add another new interchange at Robinson Road in Canyon County and at the request of our board we’re
showing a Five Mile interchange in 20 years as needed. Then we’ve identified a whole bunch of projects. If you’re with me I’m on page 6, beyond 2020. These are projects that if we
had the money we could sure justify doing those projects within 20 years but realistically the funds aren’t there. It does include two new additional interchanges in Canyon County.
One after Middleton and one at Ustick. I think that the group that has been working with us on the consulting team and the advisory committee has done a really good job in working
together to identify and agree on the phasing. The final chart that I’ve got for you is the harsh reality what all this is going to cost. When this chart was developed we assumed that
25 percent of the cost for this corridor would be transportation demand management so we put that 146 million in as kind of a placeholder. Now that we’ve done a lot more detail, it
appears that’s a reasonable level of funding for alternative transportation. The first part of this chart talks about the reconstructing and rehab that’s needed along the corridor at
341 million almost 60 percent of the total cost and also of course demand management. In the bottom it talks about the widening and brand new interchanges that are needed in 20 years.
The total cost of this is 585 million dollars. Our best estimate right now is that if funds continue to flow the way they have and if we get a few breaks
on congressional earmark we may have 250 million over the next 20 years. That leaves us over 300 million dollars short of doing what really needs to be done. Today at our meeting with
the Treasure Valley Transportation Team the group that advising us, they felt that that’s probably not something that they as a committee could really deal with. They felt it was you
as elected officials along side our legislators from Ada and Canyon County. What they’re recommending is that maybe in September, October we could be in a workshop of all of you to
look at these need assessments and these costs and get your feeling on what you’re going to support to fund it. Public transportation expansion will not happen without some form of
local option passed. In the past the citizens in Ada County have supported a user type fee to support roadway projects. In the past 20 years, we’ve been quite successful with two increases
in gas tax some of which trickled back down to Ada County, the impact fee system that Ada County Highway District has and of course in Ada County there is a vehicle registration fee.
We have had some success in the past getting revenue enhancement. This is a big-ticket item. It’s going to take quite a bit of effort. It can be done. I’m convinced of that. We
are going to now look at a workshop of all of the elected officials on this board and our legislatures and see if we can find some areas where we can go out and peruse funding for.
With that, I really don’t have any more to add. We are moving forward. We have a deadline of mid September to get our final reports to the consultant. We’re scheduled to have our committee
to meet two weeks from now to make their final recommendation. We hope this can go to the COMPASS board in September for essentially accepting the findings thus far and authorizing
two more rounds of public meetings, one in Ada and one in Canyon then coming back in October and November for final action. We’ll then go to the Idaho Transportation board the month
after COMPASS acts and ask them to adopt this. We’ve met with them a number of times and their status reports are extremely supportive of the process we’re following here and seem to
be willing to have locals decide what’s needed and then they’ll do their best to try to support and I’m convinced of that. With that, I’d be happy to answer any questions.
Bird: Council?
Anderson: (Inaudible).
Bird: Mr. Anderson.
Anderson: I’m just curious. I’ve always wanted to know. How do you guys figure out, I mean how do you make the determination to go from four lanes to six lanes? Is there some traffic
count numbers that you use?
Olen: Yes there is. In our transportation plan in Ada County, we long ago decided we couldn’t afford to have free flowing traffic all the time for what we call level of service C. So,
we’ve adopted a level of service that’s just short of total gridlock. Its called level E and its typical of what you see in the mornings now and
evenings on the interstate system. Traffic still moves but there’s an hour there where it may be a little difficult getting through. The rest of the day it works well. So, we’re designing
the system to handle the amount of traffic and the level of congestion that generally we have today on the interstate system.
Anderson: The goal isn’t to improve it it’s to keep it the same?
Olen: Yes. We’re talking about spending for the road part of this 300 400 million dollars to have what we have today in 20 years. That’s a good way of describing it. If we didn’t do
that it would be pretty grim.
Anderson: How do you know what year that you need to go from six lanes to eight lanes is it based off population projections there?
Olen: Yes, it is.
Anderson: That tie in with those traffic counts?
Olen: The COMPASS board adopts in 5-year increments growth projections based pretty much on the comprehensive plans and those are what we used for this study. When we did agree early
on that Ten Mile needed to be added, we did shift some growth to reflect if Ten Mile was (inaudible). We took some of that growth out of what was currently assumed along Eagle Road and
worked close with your staff. So, we did do make some adjustments based on if you add an interchange they will come. I think our projection now are more realistic about reflecting that.
We have them in 5-year increments and we have a travel forecast model we use that was calibrated in 98 which is probably on e of the most current ones in the country. With our consulting
team and the committee we made our judgments about what’s needed when.
Anderson: Here's a bizarre thought that I’m sure you guys have thought of. You mentioned 51 percent of the trips were coming from Meridian and Ten Mile and east. Has anybody ever thought
about building a half of an intersection at Ten Mile, just out the off ramps going west and the on ramps coming east because I would think it would save a lot of money and it would take
a bulk of the traffic that is creating the problem now at Eagle and Meridian Road and it would sure relieve a lot of pressure there? It would be funded in a lot less time.
Olen: Mr. Mayor, Councilman Anderson. To answer your question, no we hadn’t. But there’s a good reason, the feds will not allow now any new interchanges unless they’re full fledged.
That s a brand new policy. If you’re familiar with the off ramp that was built to come into the mall of the connector, that could not be built under current policy. But it makes perfect
sense and there are times when its quite justified in my opinion to do that but right now we’re not allowed to do that. The same argument could be made for Five Mile, very similar argument.
The
feds have said no. So, unfortunately, well I shouldn’t put it that way. We haven’t thought of it because it’s not an option right now under current administration.
Bird: Any other questions?
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Bird: Yes, Tammy.
De Weerd: Would it not be less expensive to just try and use the rail corridor to achieve some of these things that eight lanes could do, or six lanes rather than eight lanes?
Olen: Mr. Mayor, Councilwoman de Weerd.
De Weerd: Or would it be cheaper?
Olen: We came to the COMPASS board and then Ada Planning Association a few years ago to suggest that maybe we could use that corridor in the interim. Maybe start out do a feasibility
study for exclusive bus lines and eventually when you get enough traffic use rail vehicle. Federal Transit Administration indicated that if we did that they might be able to support
funding for acquisition of it. The feeling at the time was no we really want to just focus on rail for the corridor. Its been considered as a longer term option and we haven’t really
looked at the cost in detail of bringing that corridor in sooner. We have funded a study to look at that. That will start in October that will really look at the feasibility of the
right-of-way along there and what it would take. That’s the first step in trying to get that corridor acquired early but no to answer your question we haven’t. All we’ve done is identify
the need to preserve it for future use.
De Weerd: And to think out of the box, like Councilman Anderson suggested and leasing the access to it rather than preserving and acquiring right off, those kind of options you know
seem to be viable. It just seems like this is an awful lot of money that if you use Chinden, if you use the rail corridor if you used other things you wouldn’t have to be adding more
lanes to a freeway which is very costly.
Olen: Absolutely. To answer your question, no we haven’t looked at it. We did in the original phase of this and it got us into some trouble. We did expand it to look at parallel arterials.
At the time our projections were we still needed the widening we’re talking about on the interstate but we also needed to widen some of the east west arterials, Fairview, Cherry Lane
was one. Ustick was one and of course 20/26 particularly as you get into Garden City. The widening of those are very costly because of some of the existing development. Not so much on
20/26 but on Fairview, Cherry Lane, and Ustick. We basically focused this effort on the interstate corridor. We are going to be looking at the rest of the arterials when we do our regional
plan update which will start shortly. We’re going to have to
deal with the other but its my opinion that the balance that we’re looking at now with the improvements being proposed for the interstate, its still going to overload the surface arterials
and be a challenge. I think the suggestion to control access where we still have the opportunity to do that is an excellent suggestion. It makes a huge difference, almost 100 percent
on what we can carry. The amount of growth that we’re projecting dictates that we’re going to need it all. I don’t think we’re overstating with this what’s needed on the interstate.
It probably wouldn’t be hard to justify 10 lanes. The original study a couple years ago did look at 10 lanes but we realize that financially that just wasn’t going to happen and eight
lanes is the optimum. Those are all great ideas and I’d like to hear that because we may have to go back and re-look at the rail as a cheaper way of maybe satisfying the demand.
De Weerd: Or even right now, frontage roads along I-84 corridor in the undeveloped areas because you didn’t do it right up to this point. Maybe we can do something now.
Olen: Right.
Bird: Any other questions? Thank you Erv, very much. I appreciate it.
Olen: Thank you.
Issue #4 Discussion of explanation of spread sheet for water, sewer and trash delinquencies:
Bird: Item No. 4 is a discussion by Rick and Leslie on the water sewer and trash delinquency spreadsheet. Its not that any of us see our water bills you know.
Howard: Well, I wasn’t real sure what I was to prepare for. I kind of put together a little packet for everyone.
Anderson: You copied my bill didn’t you?
Howard: No, I didn’t copy your bill.
Anderson: Good thing.
Corrie: It looks awful familiar to me.
Anderson: It shows I’m two months behind.
De Weerd: I would rather have this bill. Can I trade?
Bird: Yes, can we trade?
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Could you put my name on this one?
Howard: No, sorry.
De Weerd: This is even in July. Much not have much of a yard.
Bird: I don’t know, (inaudible).
Howard: Okay. The top sheet that I’ve attached here is a copy of a bill and I just attached it so I could give you the fundamentals of how some one appears on that delinquency list.
This just happened to be one that happened to be sitting there. If you’ll check the top copy that I gave you, is the bill that was mailed out the first of July. As you can see, she’s
current. This is for water usage used in part of May and part of June. The second bill that you’ll see, well let me go back. When this bill is mailed out, it is mailed out the first
day of the month. This one was mailed out the first of July. It states that she has 10 days to pay it, its approximately 15 days because the July billing due date says July 16th. This
resident didn’t pay it by that date, so on the next page when the bill goes out on the first on August it will come to that resident with a past due balance showing of the 26.38 which
is from the previous bill and then her current charges of 26.38 as well. If you’ll go down a little further you’ll see the past due amount in the pink section that says 26.38 but it
also tells them that the past due date is on August 20th. If you’ll read down a little bit farther in the square box it states any past due amount will result in discontinuance of service
and penalty unless payment is received before 4 P.M. on past due date shown. Please disregard past due if there is no past due amount shown. This person will then appear on the delinquency
list unless we receive this payment of 26.38 or the total bill in full of 52.76. That’s how a person gets on the turn off list.
Anderson: Let me clarify something –
Howard: Its about 45 days.
Anderson: Let me clarify something you said there.
Howard: Okay.
Anderson: You said if they pay the 26.38 or they pay the 52.76. You said if they didn’t pay the 52.76 they would be on the turn off list. If they just paid the month that was behind
would they be taken off the turn off list?
Howard: Yes. The second page is an explanation of the billing procedure. Then below that are eight possible reasons why a person will still appear on the delinquency list that you get
past the non-delinquent date. The last section that I
gave you is a copy, actually its who is still delinquent as of today’s date because I rant his today. But this is similar to the list that you get, just smaller. Anyone who is a non-delinquent
is a bill that, the non-delinquent section is the bill that just went out in the mail. Anything past that is what the person is going to be turned off for. Then you’ll see the last payment
date and the amount of the last payment there further to the right.
Anderson: Why is this report so much smaller than the one that we get? Is it because of the time that you’re running it?
Howard: The timing that we’re running it and I changed -- I wanted to show you, the Council members, how many people are still off after we get done turning residents off at the end
of the month. These are the accounts that are still delinquent and are still off or they’ve made arrangements to pay their bill. I mean we have residents that are filing bankruptcy.
We have homes that are going into foreclosure. I’ve listed those here. We have several residents that have medical reasons as to why we cant turn them off. We have one resident that
has a son that requires an aspirator and it requires water to run. I don’t turn them off due to that medical reason. We have one resident that has a little boy that has leukemia. I don’t
turn them off but they call us and they make arrangements to pay their bills and we make arrangements for that.
Anderson: Is there a reason why we have to -- do we have to give our approval so you can turn them off or would it be better off for us to wait and get the smaller report?
Howard: No. The reason why this report is so small is because we did turn off 398 residents last month. That’s the reason why it’s small. You turn their water off, they’re going to
come in and pay their bill.
Bird: Leslie.
Howard: Yes.
Bird: I’m looking this over. I agree on residentials and their situations that we should never turn it off but I see companies on here. I see a company right now that is four months
past due to the tune of almost 1,000 dollars.
Howard: What company?
Bird: I would just as soon not name it. They’ve got a total of 2,000 dollars and 1,000 dollars billing day was March 31st and hasn’t been paid. That’s what is my biggest confusion on
this whole bill. Here we’ve got another down here that’s got 64, they’ve got a total bill of 1375 and 642 dollars of that is at the March 31st billing which is four months.
Howard: They haven’t made a payment to us since December 4, 2000 and I’m assuming that they are off or they have made arrangements of some sort to pay.
Bird: If they’ve made an offer to pay and maybe this is something in the ordinance that we have to do but if you’ve got a payment arrangement -- I mean I hope we’ve got it better than
the last payment of being less than a tenth of their total bill and it was eight months ago. If a payment arrangement, we’re not going to turn off their water to start with, they shouldn’t
show up on the delinquency bill. They should show up on a credit report or a printout as being delinquent. But if we’re not going to turn it off, we shouldn’t have it out here for us
to approve. As we approve these, we expect these to do. Then every month we just see them getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I mean, I can guarantee you that if you had this company
do some work for you your last payment wouldn’t have been December 4th. There would have been a lien on your house.
Howard: Right. I cant tell you why they’re still on here. I will have to research that account. However the list that is supplied to you is a list of everyone that is delinquent. Whether
they’re still off or we’ve made arrangements with them and it comes down to that day of turn off and they haven’t kept the arrangements that they have made we still want to have the
opportunity to turn them off. If they don’t appear on the list for you to approve, there isn’t any way that I can turn them off to receive payment unless they appear on the list.
Bird: Okay. I understand that but we’ve approved this one particular one here for 8 months and it just keeps getting larger. Their last payment was last year in December.
Howard: They must have made arrangements with one of my staff members because they didn’t even appear on a commercial turn off list this month either. I can check into that for you.
We may be working on their account based on a leak and we do, do that. If the customer is calling and they are having their account researched we do not turn them off and that may be
a situation.
Bird: I understand that wholeheartedly.
De Weerd: Is there a chance that that could be noted in your message column so that you know when we keep seeing something over and over again if it just says research or pending or
something?
Bird: Put a star by it or two stars and then give an explanation what they stand for.
Howard: I can certainly work with the software company to see if that’s something that we can do. You have to understand that the list that comes to you is the night before turn off
and we are still entering payments and trying to get everything taken care of the night before. Sometimes we’re here until 6 or 6:30 at
night trying to get everything entered. So, it’s a time line. The list that comes to you is, well we sent to you last month a total of 692 on the list that we gave you. By the day that
we turned off which is the next day, we turned off 398.
Bird: All in one day?
Howard: All in one day. No, excuse me two days. The second day we turned off 60 and the first day we turned off 338.
Bird: My biggest concern was why are we getting some of these in the over 120 days are pretty large. We need an explanation why that’s happening because we look down here and see this
month in and month out, the same place and very few of its residents, mostly businesses.
Howard: Right, mostly businesses. We went through a time there where we didn’t turn the businesses off and now we’re doing that.
Bird: Okay.
Anderson: Would you define what that non-delinquent column is? What is that amount?
Bird: That’s current.
Howard: The non-delinquent is the current bill that we just mailed out to you.
Anderson: That would be the most recent month?
Howard: That would be the most recent month but not on the list that you have because I went back. So, this doesn’t reflect the bill that just went out. What I was trying to do was provide
you with a list that shows the difference between the list that you received prior to turn off and then how many were still off after we did the turn off.
De Weerd: So, these are all off? Or not necessarily?
Howard: Not necessarily. Some have arrangement. Some are off. Some of these are homes that the title company has notified us that they are selling and we have sent a closing bill to
the title company, waiting for payment from their closing costs.
Anderson: Describe that turn off penalty. We implemented some type of penalty, is it 50 dollars?
Howard: 10.00 dollars.
Anderson: Its 10 dollars if we come out to turn you back on or its 10 dollars when we shut you off?
Howard: Either way, its 10 dollars.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Anderson: So, they come out and shut my water off then I have to pay an extra 10 dollars and they’ll come out the next day and turn it back on?
Howard: Or the same day. They come out the same day to turn you back on if we receive payment by 5.
Anderson: Do we have a late fee penalty if they don’t pay within so many days?
Howard: No.
Anderson: I know one of the problems, I mean like you say you mail these out on the first. Well, the first may fall on a weekend, it may fall on a Saturday. I mean, I’ve gotten my statement
in the mail sometimes as late as the 9th or 10th and it’ll say due by the 15th or 16th. It really only gives you about a week to pay it before you’re technically late with your payment.
Howard: Right but you don’t accrue a late fee.
Anderson: We don’t charge a late fee?
Bird: Leslie.
Howard: Yes.
Bird: On that last payment date does that mean that they have –
Howard: Never made a payment.
Bird: --never made payment at all?
Howard: Never made a payment.
Bird: Okay. If they haven’t made a payment, we’re letting them get 90 days before we putting it on the turn off list?
Howard: Yes, approximately. Some of these where you’ll see no payment, could be a new renter in the home and we’ve moved the account over to the next generation. They didn’t make a payment
while they were living in the home. But, the homeowner’s ultimately responsible for that. Once the water is turned off for
nonpayment due to a renter, the homeowner will need to come in and pay the bill current before it will get turned back on and moved into their new tenants name.
Bird: Any other questions?
De Weerd: It’s as clear as mud.
Howard: You’re more than welcome –
Bird: It cleared it up to me and I was probably the biggest questioner on it.
Howard: My office door is always open.
Bird: You cleared up a lot of stuff for me.
Anderson: You should close it when you go home. Someone might steal –
De Weerd: Can’t.
Howard: My office door is open from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday.
De Weerd: But if you can check on that message thing that would make it a lot more comprehensive so we know something’s pending or you’re researching or there’s medical or all those
different categories. Even if you just did numbers with a chart that said what the numbers meant. That might even be easier for you.
Howard: I can certainly work with them and get that for you. Anything else?
Bird: Anything?
Howard: Thanks.
Bird: Thank you very much Leslie.
Issue #5 Discussion of status of bids for construction for Chateau Park, skateboard, 56 acres and Bear Creek letter of agreement:
Bird: Okay. Item No. 5, Mr. Tom Kuntz. Discussion on the bids for the construction of Chateau skateboard and 56 acres and Bear Creek letter of agreement.
Kuntz: (Inaudible) Council. I guess I would like to start with the projects that would be bid and start the soonest.
Bird: That’s great.
Kuntz: I handed out to you tonight a request to advertise for bidding the Skate Park which will appear in this Sunday’s paper. We’re allowing, actually a 4-week bid process. The reason
we’re doing that is the actual printing of the documents and information will be delayed one week. Even though the bid or the request to submit (inaudible). On that document that I
handed out, you’ll notice (inaudible) that the bids will close on Monday September 17th and we do plan on asking to be on the agenda for the 18th to, if all goes well to approve the
low bid for the project. I have the blueprints with me tonight. Staff did an in-house review of them today. We have a meeting with the Land Group this week to go over the questions we
have in design elements. Then I’ll get them all ready to go. I just want to alert you there is one controversy that is brewing. We had the bicyclists attend some of the original meetings
and we’re concerned that this facility be open to skate boarders and bicyclist. The design itself is predominantly weighted for skate boarders and in line skaters. But, of course it
could be used by the bicyclists also. I’ve told them that no decision has been made at this point as far as if it’s for skaters only. That will be a parks commission and city Council
final decision. We’ll be doing some research and bringing that to you as far as what other entities have done, especially related to liability and risks when you have both bikers and
skaters at the same time. Then I’d stand for any questions.
Bird: Any questions?
Corrie: My preference is they don’t at the same time.
Anderson: I had a question I guess. We heard a few weeks ago from The Land Group that the projection was that this was going to cost more than what we budgeted. What have you done to
cut this back to make it fit the budget? Or are you just hoping that somebody’s going to come in with a low bid?
Kuntz: Well, a couple of things have happened of course. The march for parks, the friends of parks have contacted us about their golf tournament this year. They’ve made an informal commitment
of about 2500 dollars that would be used to offset our overrun. The discussion last night at the commission meeting that I passed on to the Land Group today is to make sure that we have
wording in the bid document that will allow us to deduct specific contributions that we get, specifically the concrete and the gravel. Once we know those specific quantities we’re planning
to meet with the kids and we’re going to figure out which businesses we can talk to as far as those amenities and go talk to them and try to get some in kind contributions. They scale
it back, I believe the final project is 10,500 square feet. We started out with 1180 so I believe we have scaled it back but we don’t want to scale it back any further than that. We’re
planning to go out and raise the extra money, Councilman Anderson.
Anderson: I guess it might be good to have some alternatives in your bid that you can take some things off of there because once you award that bid, you cant re-nig on that. If you
don’t have the funds in hand, we can’t award the bid.
Kuntz: I guess we’re hoping time line wise is with this being a 4-week bid process is that during that process we will be out asking for in kind contributions and have those in hand
when we open the bids on the 17th of September. Of course we always have the option of rejecting the bids at that point. But we hope to have a fairly clear picture on where we are financially
as far as in kind bit the 17th. Many of the amenities as far as rerouting sprinkler systems, trash receptacles, benches and those type of things, we’re trying to do in house as much
as possible. That’s our game plan. We don’t have a fall back plan though as far as making it any smaller at this point.
Bird: If I remember right when we scaled it down, what was the estimate on going over?
Kuntz: Approximately 20,000 over what we had budgeted.
Bird: I don’t think that would be a probably raising. I don’t have any problem with that. I do have a problem, as a subcontractor that wouldn’t be bidding on this. Have you come in and
say I was a concrete guy and I went to brand x and got my concrete price from them. Then I get to the bid opening and I’m successfully low and then I’m told well you’ve got to use brand
y concrete because he donated. Maybe brand x had a little different deal and its easier to pour. I’m not a concrete -- I’m just throwing concrete out here.
Anderson: You’d better talk glass. You’d better talk something you know about.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: It just seems to me that as contractors that after you come in -- the in kind stuff should be, if you’ve got some in kind, it should be in the specs. You’ve got up until I believe
five days before bid time to put in the addendum. If brand x or brand y says I’ll donate the concrete. You get an addenda out saying concrete will be donated, figure just labor to lay,
pour and lay. To be fair with it that’s all I’m saying. Then to go to the bike thing, I was under the understanding and Eagle has bike and skate boarders and roller blades all at the
same time out there and I have not seen any problems. Not that I’m the most frequent person out there but I have been there a few times. I thought that we had designed this for –
***End Of Side Two***
Bird: -- you know they’re little mountain bikes to me. They’re little things that I don’t know how some of those big kids are riding. I was under the impression that was what, this
was part of the group that was going to be able to use it not the racers or anything like that. I personally don’t have any problems. I think if it goes over budget, the money can be
raised within a week.
Kuntz: Council Member, I think you bring up a valid point as far as the x y. Probably what we would do is not ask for a total contribution of that much concrete. But what we’ve done
on other projects is gone in and said well we need 100 yards would you donate 50 if we bought 50 from you? We did that at Tully and it worked real well. I think it’s a very valid issue
and I can see what you’re saying if they’re getting a certain price from x and we want them to use y I think we need to make sure we give them sufficient notification. We’ll have to
discuss that further.
Bird: That’s something that the Land Group is probably very familiar with doing. Any other questions regarding the skate board park? Okay, Tom.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Kuntz: The next one is Chateau. You can see we did a little review of the layout today. We have a meeting with them tomorrow morning at 11 A.M. to finalize the plans. We plan on following
about the same time schedule in that it will only be out to bid for three weeks. So, we’re hoping to start construction around September 26th also. I didn’t mention it, I’m sorry but
the skate park construction would start on the 26th. We’re recommending a few modifications to save a little expense on concrete. I feel like we’re going to have a real nice community
park when it’s done.
Bird: Is this phased Tom or is this going to be done all at one time? At one time, we talked about phasing Chateau.
Kuntz: The only thing that we’re not including in the original bid package is the actual playground equipment itself. (inaudible) The actual area around the playground will be done as
part of the bid. The restroom facility, we’re trying to do kind of in house and we’re trying to adopt a design that’s already in place so we don’t have to pay the full price of an architect.
We plan on buying the material ourselves and then hiring someone to actually put it up. It will be a split-faced building. So, we’re trying to save some money on the restroom. The shelter
itself, we already have purchased. We saved some money on that and were able to purchase that at the beginning of summer. The basketball courts will be built as part of the deal. The
backstop, this area is all grass so we (inaudible) that’s just all turfed area. Then the pathway itself will be a gravel with a asphalt bid alternative so we can see if we’ve got the
funds to do it. So, we’re hoping that we can come in within budget. We got a couple of items of good news today, originally we thought we were going to have to cut the street to bring
electricity across. We’ve discovered electric box here by this power pole. We dug it up and found that and (inaudible). It looks like that might be able to service everything we need.
Bird: Great.
Kuntz: So, that’s a big savings. Then we met with Ada County Highway District
A couple weeks ago and the (inaudible) of the current design of this area that was donated to us is there’s a grease trap here that drains out into the creek. It was designed incorrectly
and then the water was, the trap was much higher than the water that sat in there. We’ve got permission to vacate that, move it down closer to the parking lot and Ada County will pay
for the concrete box and then that will take care of all our drainage here and we can level the entire park including this site. So, it will really give us a lot better project overall.
So, we’ve got some (inaudible).
De Weerd: And you’ll still have the swing sets, so you wont have it full blown playground? But you’ll still have the swing sets Right? You’re just going to relocate them?
Kuntz: We’ll have swing sets and playground in that area. We need to evaluate whether the existing swing sets are reusable or not. We talked about that today. Then we’re going to take
a look at them.
Bird: Any other questions? Okay.
Kuntz: Bear Creek, this is the one that we’re probably the most actively involved in because they want to get going. To date, they’ve already put in the two parking lots. They have
not been paved and then the pathway between the two parking lots is in place. Just to refresh your memory, we have approximately 90,000 dollars left in that budget for this fiscal year.
We tentatively talked about a 180,000 dollar price tag to do, complete and have the developer do phase one which is the two parking lots, the perimeter pathway in asphalt at the tune
of about 180,000 dollars. So, there was 90,000 dollars that I was going to come up with from some line items and make that recommendation to you on where we could transfer money. In
addition to that we want to make sure we get the utilities put in the ground so we don’t have to rip everything back up. Right now we have a cost estimate from Briggs Engineering which
we hired at about 31,000 dollars to put all the utilities in. We have a meeting with Briggs tomorrow at 1:30 to define the drawings that they’ve given on where we need utilities and
then we’re going to go out and try and come up with a couple of more bids so we make sure that this amount is accurate. If we still feel like its too high we may end up doing some of
the trenching and laying some of the water pipe and conduit ourselves. We haven’t eliminated that at this point. In addition, we would really like to get the backstops and outfield fences
in at this point, this fall. We’re estimated that’s going to run us about 28,000 to do that. I will be bringing a proposal back to you on where I would like to transfer approximately
90,000 plus approximately 60,000 so we can complete as much as we can of phase 1. There has been discussion with the developer. I asked the question what would it cost to do the entire
park now excluding the tennis courts, actually I think the tennis courts were in there. We came up with a figure of about 300,000. There was discussion that the developer was going to
approach the Council to see if there
was a way that this park could be built entirely now with some kind of a reimbursement back to the developer over a period of time. I don’t know where that proposal is right now.
Bird: We can’t do it. That’s financing. Any questions on Bear Creek for Tom?
Anderson: I had one. You said that you had extra money. I just want to make sure because there’s been some confusion here when you say you have extra money. Is that money that you’ve
already budgeted next year that you’ve listed as carry over? Or is this money that is not going to be used in a project this year? I guess what I’m asking is I’d like you to work with
Stacy and verify that you actually have those numbers in your budget and that you haven’t put them somewhere else to be used next year.
Kuntz: Councilman Anderson, it is not money that is scheduled to be carried over. The funds would come from the pathway money that would not be spent this year.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: That you proposed last month? You have 163,000 then you had 129 9,000 and 25,000.
Kuntz: That’s changed a little bit but to answer your question it’s not money that was scheduled to be carried over.
Anderson: I just want to make sure that –
Kuntz: Yes sir.
Anderson: -- that the money’s there, that we’re not robbing Peter to pay Paul and taking away from some other project that you’ve got planned.
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Bird: Yes, Mrs. de Weerd.
De Weerd: I think you know Tom and I kind of talked about this last night. You know, we’ve done this with other developments by offsetting the impact fees. That might be a way that we
can pay the developer back without encumbering a seat at the Council.
Bird: Tom, do you guys have any idea what the number of homes that’s in this Bear Creek development? What kind of impact fees that will bring to us?
Kuntz: We actually discussed that at the department head meeting this morning with the planning and zoning director Shari Stiles because I was under the recollection that the impact
fees from Bear Creek went to offset the actual cost of the property in the development agreement. Checking with Shari she felt like that was the case. We computed the total number of
homes at 529 dollars a home which came to 176,000 dollars of impact fees. I did not check the development agreement. Will was going to pull that up here in the next day or two and let
us look at it to make sure that was accurate.
Bird: Check into that Tom. I don’t recall that at all.
Anderson: It sounds familiar to me.
Bird: What?
Anderson: It sounds familiar to me.
Bird: That we traded the impact fees for this ground?
Stiles: Yes.
Anderson: Yes.
Bird: Is that right, Bill?
Nichols: Mr. President, Members of the Council, that’s my recollection. Its not as good as it used to be.
Bird: I can’t believe that Anderson remembers that.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: We weren’t on.
Kuntz: President Bird, Matt Schultz is here tonight representing the developer. He has jumped ship and moved to Gregg Johnson’s outfit. If you have any questions for him or not.
Bird: They just answered it for me on that deal. You’re saying about 180,000 to completely do this?
Schultz: I’m Matt Schultz. I’m with Westpark Company and we’re the developer on Bear Creek and the 20-acre park. I just joined about a month ago so I’m not privy to some of their other
discussions like the trading of impact fees and things like that. But, I am out there trying to get eh park built right now. Like Tom said we are moving forward in good faith that this
Development Agreement will get
signed with the previously agreed upon number of 180,000 which was going to put in the parking lots and the pathway and I think tiling the drain in the middle is part of that too.
Bird: Yes.
Schultz: When I reviewed the notes, that’s where that number came from to get it up to 180,000. We’ve done all that work. We’re actually going to pave the parking lots next week. We’d
like to build the undergrounds next week because we have our forces marshaled out there. I don’t know if anybody’s driven by there lately but there’s a lot of action out there and we’re
moving forward quickly. We’d like to get the park, at least the phase 1 built this year. Like Tom said, we’re looking for ways to get the other pieces built. We think we have trees lined
up to get in there, right around 10 to 150 trees we would like to plant within three weeks to go in simultaneously with our underground sprinkler system which is being revised to match
the latest little changes that Tom’s been proposing, switching around a few little of the amenities in the future so when we go back later we’re not doing total obliteration of our system.
What I would like to ask for tonight is, Tom’s asking for some of these like the underground utilities has been kind of, I wouldn’t say last second. It’s been in the works for a little
while now. Its kind of working through the design is taking a long time and he’s brought up backstops and some of those other issues. With that agreement, correct me if I’m wrong, (inaudible)
that allows some change order so to speak or something like that. We would like to get the 180,000 authorized because we’ve done a lot of work out there already. We’d like to be able
to get it start that process of getting that 180 paid back. The additional 30 or whatever it ends up being 25 to 30 and then you said another 28 for backstops. That could be done on
a change order basis and I think that would allow us to move forward and get some of this stuff -- we’re paying them but we would like to be reimbursed.
Bird: You’re not a bank?
Schultz: It seems like it sometimes.
Bird: You are the bank.
Schultz: I’ve seen the bills, they’re fairly large.
De Weerd: We had money budgeted this year, 100,000. Then we authorized with your voodoo accounting that you said you had more money you know 80,000 dollars more. There’s 180,000 been
authorized.
Schultz: There’s a draft agreement that has not formally been signed yet that we forwarded just recently to Tom with our little mark ups. He’s probably passed it on to the attorney.
I don’t know if it’s got to his desk yet. It’s coming, where we would like to just get it signed and authorized or at least if we were to submit an
invoice, you guys would pay it. Either way it doesn’t matter to me if it’s signed in ink -. We’ve moved forward in good faith and we anticipate the city will do the same. This is where
we’re at.
Bird: We can’t make a decision tonight.
Schultz: I understand and in understand it’s not a public meeting but it has a signatory on that agreement I thought it was appropriate to put in my two cents.
Bird: You bet.
Schultz: Thank you.
Corrie: It sure would be nice if the developer could put it all in at one time. It would sell their houses a lot quicker.
Kuntz: Yes sir.
Schultz: We would like that.
Corrie: I know you would.
Bird: That ought to donate some money back then.
Schultz: It’s a nice size park you know and it’s a lot to chew on . We’re throwing a lot of forces at if just to get the underground utilities and even the trees. We’re going to have
some scout troops out and help get those in as Eagle projects and things like that. We think it’ll really be a nice project.
Bird; Great.
Schultz: Thank you.
Bird: Thank you. Any more questions on Bear Creek? Yes, Mrs. de Weerd.
De Weerd: Stacy, you know it seems like a number of times we’ve had this come up and Tom has said he’s had funds. Could you maybe work with Tom prior to when he comes here and maybe
we can be more concrete with what kind of funding we are talking about and what we have to play with? That would be really helpful.
Kuntz: You don’t trust me?
De Weerd: That’s not it.
Anderson: (inaudible) decipher the same way I do.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: I just keep hearing we have it. I would just like to see it. If you could, it would really be a lot -- it would help Ron sleep better at night.
Kilchenmann: Mayor and Council. That’s why I’m following Tom around tonight.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Bird: Stacy, does he have the 180,000?
Kilchenmann: I can’t say right now.
Bird: Would you find out because this contractor has got money hanging out. Now, if we’ve got 100,000, we need to at least get that to him.
De Weerd: We have that.
Bird: If we’ve got that we need to get it to him. If we don’t have the other 80 then we better work on something. But this guy is paying his bills and regardless of what people think
money don’t flow out of developers pockets like everybody thinks.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Would you check that out Stacy and get back to the Mayor so he can bring it onto the next Council?
Kilchenmann: I can do it in the morning.
Bird: If it is appropriate. I’m like Tammy, I don’t care what department it is, if they’ve got something that they want to change around or do something different, have the back up that
the money is there when they come.
Kuntz: Can I take you to breakfast?
Bird: Any more questions? Okay, Tom your next one.
Kuntz: The last item I’ve got is the 58.84 acres –
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Kuntz: As was informally agreed upon when The Land Group came to your last workshop, we plan on going out to bid with this project in November hoping to get a reduced bid, instead of
bidding it now. I just want to keep you up to date on
what was going on. We have decided on the location for the pond that (inaudible). It will be in the northeast corner of the park, adjacent to Meridian Road. We decided on that location
for a couple of reasons. One is the wastewater. We’re hoping that we can get an easement from Mr. Howell, we’ll (inaudible) also (inaudible) plans on using to irrigate his subdivision
if and when it’s approved. I think the only other issue that’s come up lately is (inaudible). We have a meeting with them I believe on next Monday or Tuesday. The 50,000 that council
approved next budget year, there was some discussion about was that for the area around there, or playground equipment. According to Council Member de Weerd it’s for the playground equipment.
That is not in phase 1 at this point. I did discuss with Dave Cogan The Land Group today because it was discussed at the Commission meeting last night to do a bid alternative to see
what it would cost to actually grass this area. I think the commission was a little disappointed that we weren’t for our money that we’re not getting a little larger development. So,
I’ve asked Dave to include that in the first phase as far as a bid alternative so we can really see what (inaudible). I’ll stand for questions.
Bird: Any questions? I’ve got one question and it isn’t on phase -- I opened up on your liaison the other day. I have never without a doubt seen that property in such a mess in my life.
I couldn’t walk down and breathe in that ditch, there is so many weeds and stuff out there. We would have been better off, this is my personal opinion Tom, to have let (inaudible) come
out there and farm it this year because we haven’t done -- We have not done anything. I don’t know what it takes but we need to get out there and get that bunch of weeds cut down.
Kuntz: Are you --
Bird: I’m talking along Meridian Road.
Kuntz: They’ve been cut down.
Bird: When?
Kuntz: Last week.
Bird: This did happen?
Kuntz : I know that I experienced the same thing that you did. I was concerned about safety at that intersection and I know that in the last week or two they went out and cut all the
weeds in the corner and along Meridian Road as much as they could. I know that with the new sprayer that they’ve been out there experimenting and spraying. We had it (inaudible) about
4 weeks ago, 5 weeks ago and there’s still some narrow patches of weeds. I know that the drain ditch is quite overgrown but as far as weeds along Meridian Road and this area --
Bird: I have to say the last time I drove by the house did look, I could see the house. To be truthful with you I didn’t look down there. But I unloaded on Tammy a week ago over it.
I mean it, I’m the world’s worst gardener, but I’ll tell you one thing I could walk down that ditch and you couldn’t have seen my head.
Kuntz: Let me know if --
Bird: I’ll look Tom.
Kuntz: We took care of it about a week ago.
De Weerd: Tom and I had a conversation about that but you know I still, I think if we ask it of others we have to do it as well if not better. If we have vacant parkland sitting around,
we have to tend to it and be an example.
Bird: I’m not unloading on you, I’m just really, I was really disappointed being city property.
Kuntz: I understand.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Kuntz: Just call our office though if you see that happen again because we’ll --there have been some other areas that we haven’t taken care of.
De Weerd: Maybe you need to tell them why you call it the 58 acres now.
Kuntz: Technically its 58.84 acres is what’s on the document. The water tank which we haven’t been reimbursed for yet is just two acres.
De Weerd: You have too.
Bird: You’ve been reimbursed a dozen times.
Kuntz: Where’s Gary? Geeze I wasted that one didn’t I? Thank you.
Bird: Okay, thanks Tom.
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Bird: Yes.
De Weerd: Stacy, I think that Reta had pulled together a summary on the park impact fees and what’s been budgeted out and what's remaining and what’s projected for this next year. Can
you get a copy to the Council on that? Thanks.
Issue #6 Discussion of status of fee study for possible increases for P & Z, Public Works, Parks (impact fees) and Safety Services impact fees:
Bird: Okay, item No. 6, discussion of status of fee study for possible increases in planning and zoning, public works, park impact and safety services impact fees. On the impact fees
lets start with Shari, on yours. Have you, are we getting them to come forward or do we need to wait until the Comprehensive Plan. It would be part of the Comprehensive Plan that we
adopt wouldn’t it, the fees? Or are they a separate item?
Stiles: It would be separate.
Bird: Separate item, okay.
Stiles: I talked to Becky yesterday and she can’t remember where she was at in talking to the building contractors so we need to get back together. I’d also like to do a calculation
on the proposed fees and what that would generate based on applications from last year just to make sure that its not ridiculous.
Bird: You bet.
Stiles: She had checked these before and she’s been telling me for a couple years now that our fees are out of line with everybody else. She just couldn’t remember where she was at with
the building contractors association. Unfortunately some times the building contractors association waits until we get to the public hearing process and then they want to comment. We’re
hoping to avoid that and I think Becky will be a good contact to try to get their support of it.
Bird: It would be real nice, in my opinion and I believe the other Council and the Mayor too, if we could have this so that we could implement it around October first, the new fiscal
year or as close afterwards as we can so that we -- it does increase a lot of our income, the revenue that we have which in turn then we can turn around and hopefully give better services.
You can you know if you have to hire outside people in stuff or contract out. It gives you some revenue.
Stiles: Yes.
Bird: Okay, Shari thanks a lot. Keep on it.
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Bird: Yes, Tammy.
De Weerd: Can we set a target date on that?
Stiles: To start Public Hearings?
De Weerd: Do we have to give a 30-day notice on it?
Nichols: Councilwoman de Weerd I think the only requirement is that there be a public hearing and the notice requirement is 15 days I think. Isn’t it Will two notices. That’s the legal
requirement but what you’ve already pointed to is the political reality which is that you need to basically have it out there long enough to where you’ve got all the input and you kind
of know where you’re at.
De Weerd: Could we get an update maybe in our fourth meeting of the month? On the 28th, on the non-land use?
Bird: Mayor, that’s your baby. Can we have an update on that on the agenda?
Corrie: The 28th looks good as far as --
De Weerd: Would that give you enough time?
Stiles: At least I’ll have a better idea of what comments we get form the building contractors association.
De Weerd: Okay, thanks.
Bird: Brad, can you update us on any of the -- you know we were looking into changing our sewer fees and stuff like that. How are we coming along on that?
Watson: Councilman Bird, Mayor, and Council. We’ve got three, maybe four sets of fees that we need to put together. I was just telling Gary in the hallway what my plan of attack was
right or wrong. I don’t know that I got much feedback from him. The first one that I need to do is the plan review inspection fees. That’s kind of the priority in my mind. Number 2 is
the user fees, the monthly rates. That’s actual cost that we’re having right now, especially the power costs that we’re paying. The third is the assessment fees and I’ll back up to the
user fees. We’ve been doing, getting some information from MUBs and collating some of that information. It’s a whole lot of statistics. We gather at least a year’s worth of information
and kind of regurgitate it and rework it and go through this thing out of pops. We have been doing that. The assessment fees, those were at least a draft of those was updated I think
those were given to you last spring sometime.
Bird: Yes.
Watson: Then the fourth, kind of subcategory is the trunk fee. Really nothing has gone further on that since that time just because there are quite a few legal questions in my mind.
I was talking to Gary that that obviously needs to be taken care of before this north area starts. I don’t have anything other than the draft of
the assessment and trunk fees. The plan review inspection fees I think we can at least get a draft of that fairly quickly. There’s been some other hot spots recently. I don’t have much.
Bird: Brad, I’ll tell you, I like your idea of having back up. You know, you go back and go through and have you r facts and figures like you said you were doing. I think that very,
very important when you bring it to a public hearing. Do you have any problem if the Mayor approves bringing this onto the 28th meeting, an update on it. Kind of give us an idea of how
long you think it’ll take to get it out so we can get public hearings? I don’t believe, I don’t know whether we could do your fee assessment and the planning and zoning at the same time.
I don’t believe we probably would. Those two would fit into together where maybe parks wouldn’t at that time but we could do them together and parks something else.
Watson: Councilman Bird, Mayor and Council. I will certainly be able to give you a schedule at that time.
Bird: That’s all we’re asking Brad.
Watson: I’m gone next week so I’m not going to get much.
Bird: Okay.
De Weerd: Planning and Zoning are far ahead. They’re past the draft stage. I think right now they’re just getting comment back. So, I don’t see those as going -- I don’t want to hold
up P&Z --
Bird: I don’t want to hold up anybody.
De Weerd: Were those in priority order that you gave them in?
Watson: Yes.
Bird: Yes.
De Weerd: Because I’ve been hearing Council Member Bird talk about these trunk fees ever since I’ve been on Council. Is that a higher priority for you?
Bird: Into right now. I think that, just like he stated, that those others right now are something that we need to implement. As the north corridor goes we need to get the trunk fees
in line too. Yes, Brad.
Watson: Councilman Bird, Mayor and Council. That priority list is kind of also in order of simplicity and how quickly I can get them out. The first one is the simplest for me. The second
is somewhat simpler. The fourth, that trunk fee that’s pretty heavy, so to speak.
De Weerd: Okay.
Bird: Brad, if you would let the Mayor know when you can come back on and maybe he can get you scheduled on one of the deals as soon as possible.
Watson: Sure. Thank you.
Bird: Thank you. Tom, we’ve got impact fees for the parks. You get to stand ground again.
Kuntz: Since, you’ll be working with me on this soon. We had a meeting with Jerry DeGrue on the 26th of July to finalize our action plan. As a part of that action plan of course we wanted
to address our impact fees. Included in that meeting in the morning were Steve Siddoway and Shari Stiles from Planning and Zoning. What you have in front of you is a compilation that
Steve Siddoway did as a follow up to that meeting. I don’t want to go into a lot of detail but it was real important to me that we’re able to show what our true cost of building our
park system in Meridian is going to be excluding what the current population should have paid or should be subtracted from that compilation. I’ll go through this real briefly. If we
are accepting that we want to have 5 acres per thousand, what our current acreage should be at 35,000 population is 175 acres. If you subtract, and I’m in the middle of the page now.
I’m sorry I don’t mean to skip around on you. Do you want me to go through this?
Bird: No, we can read it.
Kuntz: The action plan is complete except for a capitol improvement plan that I want to make sure is acceptable to this Council. Shari Stiles brought to the table the fact that if we’re
going to go to the County and ask them to collect our impact fees, we need to make sure we have a supportable, defensible capitol improvement plan.
Bird: Right.
Kuntz: I’m planning to meet with a couple of representatives from the parks commission. I can see where we need to have Planning and Zoning involved and really hammer out a capitol improvement
plan. Not only in land acquisition but in development of sites. I guess I hope to do that within the next couple of weeks.
Bird: Can you report back, Tom, is the 28th going to be too soon?
Kuntz: Yes sir.
Bird: Okay, so you can do like Brad, one of the first meetings in September get a hold of the Mayor and ask if you can get on the agenda.
Kuntz: If you’ve got questions after you read this please don’t be afraid to give me a call.
Bird: Okay, will do. Thank you Tom.
Corrie: Tom is this thing -- excuse me Mr. President. Is that same committee going to be working on the safety program as well, the impact fees? Because they’ve got a state formula they
have to follow through. We did it eight years ago. I know this is off the agenda here but is that the same committee that you have parks fee going to work with the public safety?
Kuntz: No.
Corrie: No, okay but we’ve got to put it together.
Kuntz: The committee?
Corrie: We’ve got to look at the formula because we cant just --
Bird: You can’t just draw a number.
Corrie: What we did seven years ago, (inaudible). What money was coming in wasn’t working. It might work now with the population.
Bird: Thank you Tom.
Anderson: Say that one more time because I don’t understand how the public safety impact fees work.
Bird: I don’t either. Is that the Mayor’s point?
Corrie: Yes.
Bird: Are you going to handle that?
Corrie; Yes. That’s based on a formula that they have. What you need. What you have now. What the new population comes in. Then you can charge the new impact fee for public safety, police
and fire. There’s a direct formula that the state has put on that. When we first came out seven or eight years ago, we didn’t have the population and we figured it would be about 75
dollars to come in and our cost to bring it in wasn’t -- it wasn’t feasible to do that. Now this committee has to look at feasibility on that formula and it looks like they’re going
to be, now with the population, we’re talking about 300 or 400 dollar impact fee.
Anderson: Is this in the state code or where is it?
Corrie: I think it’s the state code if I’m not mistaken. Bill, is it not?
Nichols: Mayor, Members of the Council. Impact fees are permitted under state statute only for certain categories. Parks is one. There is a public safety impact fee and the statute does,
its been a while since I looked at it but it does set out the different criteria, the committee that has to go together and all the different parts of it. Its for purchase and development
of actual capitol facilities.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Nichols: That would be the way to finance a new fire station, police substations.
De Weerd: (Inaudible).
Bird: Let me ask you. If we got this implemented could it pay back our loan?
Nichols: I doubt it.
De Weerd: No.
Bird: Can it buy new vehicles? That is not a capitol improvement.
Nichols: I don’t think that the vehicles --
De Weerd: If it’s a fire truck you might be able to.
Bird: What’s the difference between a fire truck and a police car?
Nichols: I think it’s the expected life.
Anderson: Come down to the fire station and I’ll show you.
Bird; I know the difference but they’re used for the same deal.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Do you have a committee appointed for this thing already?
Corrie: We’ll get one. We’re – (inaudible).
Bird: This is something we really need to look into and get going.
Corrie: We’ve got it --
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Bird: Yes, Mrs. de Weerd.
De Weerd: I think just to clarify you have to have capitol existing beforehand. One reason it’s never happened before is we didn’t have much behind it. We only had the fire station here
and the police station there. It wasn’t much to go on. That’s why the formula worked out to be so few dollars. Now that we have the two stations and the police station that can be figured
into that capitol the formula will favor the impact fee a lot better.
Bird: Okay. I understand that now.
Anderson: We’ve been talking about that now for the three years that Keith and I have been on here. Is there somebody specifically like Stacy, maybe that we could sick on working on
that?
Bird: You’ve got to have a committee.
Corrie: She would be on that committee. You have to have a set committee by state statute. We’ve got it but we just need to put it together now. We’ve talked to them and they’re ready
to go.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: Like I said before it wasn’t in any phase that didn’t pay off at all. Now we’ve got the population, we’ve got the capitol improvements that come out so we can -- it will probably
pay us to do it.
Bird: You’ll proceed with that Mayor?
Corrie: Yes. We’ll get that.
Bird: (Inaudible).
Corrie: We’ll get that committee lined up.
De Weerd: She’ll also be involved in the park impact fee?
Corrie: I think she should be involved in everything like that. Anything that’s got anything to do with money.
Bird: Okay. Any other questions on the impact fees? That’s very clear, finally the safety thing. I understand now why we can finally run it and do it. We’ve got enough capitol it would
be worthwhile.
Issue #7 Discussion of flood plain ordinance:
Bird: Okay. Item No. 7 with your Council permission, we’re going to go through these until 10:00 and then we’re going to cut her off. Cherie do you agree to that?
McCandless: Yes.
Bird: Ron?
Anderson: Yes.
Bird: Okay. Do you want to go over the flood plain ordinance with us?
(inaudible discussion amongst Council)
Stiles: Mr. President, Mr. Mayor and Council. The flood plain ordinance has been discussed for a few times now. Gary had brought up some concerns at the last meeting. Dave McKinnon has
done a significant amount of research on this. Gary did bring up that on page 2 of the proposed ordinance that where it said valuation should be changed to elevation. Right now in the
existing building ordinance, the building code of the city, in ordinance 10-6 it shows that the lowest floor includes the basement or crawl space. In other words all of the areas that
are enclosed on four sides. Also in Ordinance 10.6 it says the lowest floor can be at the base flood elevation provided proper venting is installed. Our biggest problem in the planning
and zoning department is that anything that’s done in the flood plain which you can see is the light blue on this map. Those are all 100 year –
Unidentified Speaker: He thought it was 500.
Stiles: Oh, did he? It must be.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Stiles: So, you can see there’s quite a few areas in Meridian that are considered to be within the floodplain. With the zoning ordinance it requires all of those areas, any structures
within any of those areas would require a Conditional Use Permit. The ordinance that we’re proposing to be repealed would be Ordinance 11-11. It requires the main floor to be one foot
above the base flood elevation. The ordinance as written today, the proposed ordinance, it would eliminate the requirement of the Conditional Use Permit. Also it would add the finished
floor as one foot above the base flood elevation to this Ordinance 10-6 so it would move that portion of the ordinance from the Zoning Ordinance back to the building code. It would still
leave that requirement for the one foot above the base flood elevation. Its not considered the bottom of the crawl space is not the finished floor.
Bird: Is considered finished floor, instead of how do we want to, the lowest elevation encaptured by four sides.
Stiles: Four sides. That’s how Dave interprets it. I don’t know if Gary -- I think Gary was more confused by talking to the Feds.
Bird: I don’t see, in a flood where that does any good in a crawl space. You can vent a crawl space but you can’t vent it enough to let water run through it. If you have one foot above
on the finished floor, yeah maybe it wont go through there but its going to come down and the way some of these foundations are built, enough water beating on it and the finished floor
will be down to the lowest elevation.
Smith: Mr. Mayor, Mr. President, Members of Council. The way it was explained to me by the coordinator for our national flood insurance program here in Idaho is that the elevation of
the crawl space, the ground in a crawl space, needs to be one foot above base flood elevation in order for that property to be taken out of the flood plain and out of flood insurance
requirement. If the ground elevation of the crawl space is at or below base flood elevation, then adequate provisions need to be made to allow the equalization of the hydrostatic pressure
if water gets into the crawl space as you mentioned. It cannot be done with standard foundation vents. It has to be an opening that will allow water to pass freely through. Dave McKinnon
explained to me today that in other places where he has worked their recommendation has been to put a styrofoam plug in the opening in the foundation wall that would serve. So that if
it did fill with water it could just force the styrofoam plug out. It’s not a tight fitting plug. It’s just a styrofoam block that sits in that opening. That would allow the floodwaters
to pass through to equalize pressure. By the time you get done explaining all of this and trying to rationalize it they realize its not going to happen anyway. Never the less we’re encumbered
with this flood insurance program through the FEMA group.
Bird: So, Gary what you’re telling me, within the homes, the existing homes or new homes that -- I take it, it goes back to the existing homes within this flood plain area.
Smith: Correct.
Bird: If they’re zero elevation is basement floor or crawl space floor, then they’ve got to go get flood insurance?
Smith: If it’s at flood elevation, base flood elevation or below, they have to purchase flood insurance. Correct.
Anderson: Plus do all these special things in the code.
Bird: Yes.
Anderson: Let me ask a question. If you bought a piece of property that’s in that flood plain, can you fill it and raise the elevation?
Smith: Yes.
Anderson: If you do that, you’re just making the flood plain go somewhere else. So somebody else that wasn’t in the flood plain might be in the flood plain now when you fill your lot.
Smith: Yes.
Anderson: What’s the logic there?
Smith: That’s a good question and I’m not sure there is any logic to it, Councilman. They strictly prohibit you getting into the flood way with any kind of construction. You cannot encroach
in the flood way with construction unless you can prove by engineering that you’re not impacting the upstream elevation of the water. The flood plains were determined by some field measurement
of cross sections of the stream channel elevations and so forth. In some instances they’ve been able to go back and do more detailed engineering, more detailed –
***End Of Side Three***
Smith: -- determine that they can build a little into the flood way and its not going to effect the upstream elevation of the water surface. So they have allowed that but that doesn’t
happen very often. The flood plain is a different subject and there have been, well Mr. Yorgenson’s in the audience tonight and he built Waterbury Subdivision actually the last phase
of Waterbury raised the surface of the ground out of the flood plain and filed what they call a LOMAR which is a letter of map revision to officially take that area out of the flood
plain map that FEMA has created. Your question where does the flood go? It’s got to go somewhere.
Anderson: -- flood plain somewhere else that it wasn’t before?
Smith: Correct.
Bird: What does it do, just go south? On this particular place?
Smith: What we’re finding in most places the flood plain is created because of inadequate pipes crossing roadways, inadequate sized pipes crossing roadways. That’s the 100-year flood.
Bird: Culverts?
Smith: Culverts, correct so you’ll see at every intersection of a stream of a drain and a roadway, you’ll see a flood plain on the upstream side of it.
Bird: You sure can.
Smith: It’s just typical, those pipe crossings are too small.
Stiles: Gary, didn’t you have somebody do -- somebody gave you a report on that that said increasing that culvert on Linder Road would not decrease the flood plain.
Smith: It wouldn’t decrease the flood plain as far back upstream as what the property owner thought it would. He’ll still argue that point with me. It only has an effect so far upstream
even if you eliminate the restriction.
Anderson: Mr. Yorgenson thinks he can answer part of my question.
Bird: Yes, maybe.
Yorgenson: Mr. Mayor I didn’t realize this might come up while I was here. One of the explanations that was given to us by our engineer is its much like putting a sideboard on a river.
It just pushes the water down the river in the channel. That may or may not be the case. I don’t know but I do know one thing. We had additional property to the west that we decided
not to develop because it was in the flood plain and who knows. We just chose not to go ahead and purchase the additional ground and continue developing. The engineers tell us it works
and I certainly don’t mistrust what the engineers say but I just don’t know. The explanation was to us its like putting banks on a river. It just pushes the water down the river further.
Bird: Mr. Yorgenson. What does it increase the cost approximately, the cost of developing homes and then the flood insurance that you have to purchase? How much will that increase the
cost of the home?
Yorgenson: In the case of this project we’re involved in we raised it I believe it was about 6 inches. It was a fairly minor amount. I believe it averaged about 6 inches.
Smith: As I recall Ramon, there was fair amount toward the stream.
Yorgenson: Correct.
Smith: -- flattened out as you went –
Yorgenson: If it’s an average of six inches over the phase that we did, we had material on property. We had to haul in a little bit, not very much. In some cases,
in some projects down by the Boise River, they had to haul in a lot of dirt or they dig ponds to generate enough. Some of those, they raise them up as much as 3 feet. They raise them
up and they do a gravel pit in effect. It is expensive but its not cost prohibiting. As I recall, it was about 500 to 1,000 a lot depending on how far you spread the cost.
Bird: Do any of you have any idea what flood insurance costs?
Yorgenson: Excuse me, I didn’t ask the second part of it. Once we did that then you don’t have to buy the flood insurance.
Bird: That’s right. For the remaining people that don’t do that, they can still develop as I understand within that but then the homeowners have to purchase the flood insurance. I suppose
this is strictly just, the only time you would have to prove that you had to purchase it would be with a FHA, or GI or some kind of loan, a federally insured loan. If you went to a bank
and got a conventional loan, I don’t know whether they make you do it or not.
Yorgenson: Some don’t but generally they’re suppose to.
Bird; I was going to say –
Yorgenson: You just can’t take. I think its cost prohibitive to just add so much to your payment.
Bird: It is very expensive then?
Yorgenson: I don’t think flood insurance is a good way to go.
Bird: Okay. How do we do it then? How do we write an ordinance that is going to be satisfactory to everybody?
Smith: It has to be satisfactory to FEMA.
Bird: That’s what I mean.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Smith: We’re required to comply.
Bird: How do these other cities do it Gary?
Smith: Dave McKinnon said that he’s familiar with Boise and I can’t remember the other city. Eagle has more restrictive requirements than what FEMA requires. He said that actually require
a 2-foot separation between finished floor and flood
elevation down along the river in their flood plain. Flood insurance is, I’ve been told that its somewhere between 350 to 400 dollars a year for flood insurance.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: They got nailed?
Smith: Tammy was referring to that Meridian Park Sub just on the other side of Tully Park. There are homes that are actually built in the floodway there and if those homes ever burned
they could not be rebuilt in the floodway because they were built before Meridian adopted the national flood insurance program. I think the only thing that you can do as Council and
Mayor of the City of Meridian is to comply with the requirements of FEMA. That’s what we’re under the (inaudible) of FEMA as far as this flood control program.
Bird: So, all that ground will have to be raised at least a foot. Like Mr. Yorgenson said some of these locations the elevations very low and you’re going to (inaudible) some money to
bring in some fill. If we have to do it, I guess we have to do it.
De Weerd: That’s undeveloped but what about existing?
Bird: What about existing? They just have to go purchase --
De Weerd: They just pay the flood insurance?
Smith: I’m not sure how that works. I don’t know how they’re contacted to -- if a home is built in the flood plain by someone else, I’m not sure if they just, I’m not sure how they recognize
that its there, that its in the flood plain and it needs to pay insurance.
De Weerd: So, this is only form this day forward? As far as the City is doing it?
Smith: Well, I’m not sure. There has been a lot of confusion as to what the reference elevation is for a property to be eligible for flood insurance or be required to purchase flood
insurance. I think up to just recent time, the city’s understanding was that the finished floor elevation was the reference elevation that needed to be one foot above the base flood
elevation. The crawl space, ground level was never discussed. We’re being to ld now that it’s always been part of the requirements.
Anderson: Where is that interpretation coming from? Can we request a clarification from FEMA on that interpretation?
Smith: Yes. Its coming from our local coordinator and he’s getting that from FEMA, from national. We have a meeting with our coordinator toward the end of this month to discuss this
subject among several others.
Anderson: I know usually in code you can request a formal written interpretation and make FEMA provide that of what their interpretation of that finished grade is. Whether it’s the floor
or the crawl space.
Smith: Right. We can certainly do that.
Anderson: This is going to have a big impact on a lot of our residents.
Smith: Yes it is.
Anderson: We need to make darn sure of that interpretation before we adopt this.
Smith: Right. It definitely is.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Nichols: Mr. President, Mayor, members of the Council. Gary, let me, I want to make sure I’m understanding this if I can. I should have brought my full file with me. When we put together
this draft ordinance I thought what we were trying to do was get rid of the flood plain overlay district in the zoning code, move some stuff to where it was more appropriate. Take one
part out of the flood plain overlay district and put it into, I think that’s where the 12 inches basis comes from. We really aren’t, if we look at our existing code as it stands right
now today, this 12 inches above the base flood elevation is already there. Is that correct or am I remembering wrong?
Stiles: That would be added to the building code portion of it with this new ordinance.
Nichols: Is that 12 inches above base flood elevation anywhere in our existing code now? It’s been so long I have forgotten.
Stiles: I think that would be added. What would be added would be the section that says no building or structure shall be erected and no existing building shall be extended or moved
unless the main floor of said building or structure is placed a minimum of one foot above the elevation of the hundred year flood level. No basement floor shall be below this one-foot
safety margin. Foundations of all structures shall be designed and constructed to withstand flood conditions at the side which is already in the code where it talks about the minimum
of two openings and that those openings not be any higher than one foot above grade and that they are equipped with screens or louvers or other coverings and that they permit automatic
entry and exit of flood waters. The part that was in the
zoning code which refers to the one foot in the new proposed ordinance that part is included. Our main goal was to get rid of the Conditional Use Permit requirement and to leave it at
the building department where it really should be.
Nichols: Okay. President Bird, Mayor , Members of Council. I guess back to my question. If there’s already this requirement on our existing code that it be at least one foot above the
base flood elevation and what’s changed is our interpretation of what that means based on FEMA’s representations what we’re talking about in these proposed ordinance changes doesn’t
change what the law is today. The impact comes in new development in what has to be done in any new structures or a new subdivision like Mr. Yorgenson had put in on this pone place.
How they get out of being in the flood plain or how they mitigate that impact like the styrofoam block or the rest of it. The existing structures unless the owner decided to retrofit
that structure by cutting holes in the foundation and putting in styrofoam blocks and so forth, that existing structure would have to have flood insurance if they either choose to or
if required by a lender. That’s my summary of what I’m hearing here. So, when we’re looking at this like Shari said it all started with try to make things easy for people, particularly
in the commercial setting to do away with the Conditional Use Permit and now we’ve tumbled across this issue which rises out of a clarified interpretation of what the finish floor means.
Am I correct on that Gary? That’s kind of where we’re at?
Smith: Yes. I just wanted to be sure that our terminology was consistent in the ordinance with what FEMA was requiring.
Anderson: I understand what you’re saying Bill. I guess my only argument to that is if we’re going to adopt an ordinance that has something in it, I would like to see a formal interpretation
because if somebody walks in the next day after we adopt that ordinance and says I want to build this subdivision, they’re going to have to go to a lot more expense based off of what
we’re hearing is the interpretation. I would feel much better having a formal interpretation from FEMA in writing that says this is how we’re interpreting this and not just a regional
representative giving us a verbal his opinion of what it is.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Nichols: President Bird, Mayor, members of Council. I agree but I expect what will happen is when we check into it they’ll be able to give us chapter and verse from the code of federal
regulations which defines exactly what that finished floor thing and there will be drawings and all sorts of examples. I could be wrong but I expect that’s the case.
Yorgenson: Working with fed is an experience to say the least. If the local people can help you in working with the national office for that interpretation I would strongly recommend
that. We were asking for an interpretation out of national for our particular project that Gary referenced. We were contacting them almost
weekly for 6 months because they held up our project and they were stonewalled, just to get an interpretation if we qualified. We thought we did in every way possible but they wouldn’t
give us an answer aye or naye. All the way up the line everybody said yes, local FEMA and all the staff said we qualified but we couldn’t get a signature that was qualified. We finally
in desperation called Senator Kempthorn’s office. Senator Kempthorn’s report back to us, we called them back on a Tuesday afternoon. Later that afternoon his local secretary called us
back and said Senator Kempthorn asked me to call the chairman of FEMA. He said he wants an answer tomorrow afternoon on this issue. If he doesn’t have an answer he wants an answer why
he doesn’t have an answer. WE had our answer the next afternoon. If they stonewall you, you hate to do that, but sometimes they just don’t help you. It’s really frustrating. So, if the
local people can help you I think it might help in getting that interpretation. That’s what you need and I really support that but it can be so frustrating because they jus, kind of
like out in Idaho, who are those guys?
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Yorgenson: I think that’s the right direction. Maybe a letter just asking a simple point, does this 12 inches also mean not only basement I believe you said basement was in the --
Bird: And crawl space.
Anderson: Basement or crawl space or finished floor or what does that mean.
Yorgenson: I think it says finished floor or basement and then say does that also mean crawl space. I think it does but that’s what the interpretation is that we want to receive.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Yorgenson: This says finished floor and finished floor means carpeted floor but maybe finished floor means crawl space too. That’s what you need to ask.
Bird: Also do they, on these floods Gary, or Mr. Yorgenson might be -- do they specify a feet of flood speed on this or anything on this because I got real concerned and Mr. Yorgenson
could probably answer this more. If you start cutting out a bunch of foundations to allow this to go under, where’s the strength of your house going to be?
Yorgenson: I think that’s a very good concern. I’m not an engineer so I don’t know.
Bird: I’m not either.
Yorgenson: I expect FEMA probably has, they certainly have experience with that to know what it means to them.
Bird: I’ve got a real concern with FEMA. I’m like Ron, I would like to get a, whether its local or how we get it, I’d like to see Gary and Bill get, when they meet with them get down
and get the legal aspects and all this kind of stuff with this guy and get it taken care of. Then come back and we’ll see what we have to do to draft something to make it the best solution
for our patrons out there.
Nichols: President Bird.
Bird: Yes.
Nichols: Members of the Council. Assume for a minute that crawl space is a finished floor like Gary says. That we get a letter that says one foot above the finished floor meaning you
know if its crawl space, the bottom of that crawl space is the finished floor. You put visqueen down and you’ve finished it. Lets assume that that’s the case, then this ordinance is
ready to go and your point, or Council Member Anderson’s point about the cost for somebody to develop and so forth then that’s a matter of maybe educating the development community that
here's the flood plain map. Here’s what’s going to be required and getting the information out to them before they bid that, you know they give somebody a bid on a house and that sort
of thing so they don’t have a gotcha when they come into the building department for the permit and find out that they’ve got to construct the foundation differently and incur additional
expense.
Anderson: I guess the only point is, I’m saying they wrote the code, they wrote the definition but we’re the ones that have to enforce it. We have to make sure that everybody builds
to this standard but we’ve got to know what the standard is. All we’re asking for is an interpretation of what is the standard that we’re going to be enforcing? I don’t know how we,
--. We cant even tell a developer who walks in here the next day after we pass this ordinance, we cant tell him for sure because we don’t know what that interpretation is at this point.
De Weerd: I agree. Lets just set this for our workshop next month.
Bird: Yes. Either that or lets just get it out and they can get back to the Mayor with a report back to the Mayor. If he thinks its important enough to bring on to one of the --.
De Weerd: We need to pass this at some point.
Bird: That’s what I mean we need to brign it back and take a hard look at it.
Stiles: I wanted to ask Gary on e more question.
Bird: Okay.
Stiles: Is this a local person that you’re going to meet with?
Smith: Our local coordinator out at the Idaho Department of water resources.
Stiles: So, would it help to give him a copy of this proposed ordinance before your meeting to have him look and see if he feels that meets their conditions?
Smith: Yes. That’s a good idea. That would be helpful. I would assume he would appreciate reviewing it.
Stiles: I’m sorry I should have had David here tonight because it’s all logical and makes perfect sense to him. He still considers it that one foot is a free board, you can provide the
one-foot free board before you have the finished floor and that that meets the requirement. He believes that will allow the cheaper flood insurance rate and allows the city to participate
in that community-rating system that will help lower everybody’s cost.
De Weerd: Maybe he can be at that meeting.
Stiles: He needs to be at that meeting. David could probably convince him that his interpretation is maybe not correct.
Bird: The problem is though, we want the correct, like Ron said if we’ve got to pass something we want the correct interpretation.
Anderson: Just to clarify, I mean I’m not sure that you understand Gary that I’m not looking for this guy from the department of water resources. I’m looking at his boss’s formal interpretation
in writing not his opinion. We know what his opinion is already.
Smith: That’s what I’ve written down is formal interpretation from FEMA.
Anderson: Okay.
Bird: Okay. Shari if not, have you got nay more on that Council?
Issue #8 Discussion of stealth cellular tower ordinance:
Bird: Stealth Tower Cellular Tower Ordinance.
Stiles: I don’t remember where we were at on that. I think the last time we talked about it we wanted to talk about there was one section in the proposed ordinance that says the towers
proposed in or adjacent to residential zoning districts must apply for Conditional Use Permit. I brought up the fact that a couple of them are
already proposed adjacent to residential districts. I’m not sure if the one on (inaudible) has been put up yet. Has anybody been out there or noticed?
Bird: I hadn’t noticed.
Stiles: Also there’s --
Bird: Council, why did we want a CUP on that?
Corrie: So we could regulate them as I understand.
Stiles: Because we didn’t want them to just go up permitted everywhere. The stealth ones that they proposed, remember Crickett came and did a little presentation and showed you some
of their towers that were disguised as flagpoles or something like that, that probably would be acceptable near residential areas and not as intrusive as the giant towers. A stealth
tower could be any thing from what we see out there on near Tammy or the smaller ones that they call a micro pole. I guess that they convinced you enough when they came before you that
you thought it would be a good idea to allow those without going through the entire process. That’s why Bill came up with this just to cover ourselves I think.
Nichols: President Bird, Mayor, Members of the Council. I usually don’t just try to draft without getting some indication from you first. This is hopefully the one and only exception
and that’s because we had the discussion on the stealth towers and you talked about having some flexibility in being able to site them without requiring a CUP because the way the ordinance
is now you do have to have a CUP for every tower. Because these were a lower impact, I think there was some discussion. That’s why this was put together was so that Shari would have
some authority and know when she could say yes to an application for a tower and when it would have to go through the CUP process. I think there was also some discussion from Gary about
what is adjacent to a residential, within how many feet. That was a point well taken but the reason for bringing it back on your agenda tonight was to get some direction from you as
to what you want us to do with that. Do you want us to continue to work with this to make it better? Do you want us to look at a comprehensive cellular tower ordinance? Caldwell just
adopted one.
Stiles: We have one drafted.
Nichols: We were asking for some direction. How you want us to do this? In my notes it was suppose to be on the July workshop and didn’t get it there. That’s one of the reasons I wanted
it brought up so we could at least get some direction and keep it moving forward if that what you want to do.
Bird: My preference would be that if we could write an ordinance that would state the type of cellular towers that’s acceptable within residential areas like flagpole and stuff like
that that don’t stand out like a sore thumb --.
De Weerd: That can be taken care of at staff level?
Bird: -- that can be taken care of at staff level instead of everything having to come for a CUP. We ball everything up in CUPs. I think you know we heard tonight -- it’s a lot of work
for you CUPS. If we write and ordinance and I think Mr. Nichols is capable of writing an ordinance that would state some stuff that gives a line of what you can have in this residential.
It’s got to be this and this. It says that, you make the decision Shari.
Stiles: Don’t you think you still want them to be conditional use in a residential area? I think everybody would be more than happy to have a cell tower in their backyard because there’s
a lot of money in it.
Bird: That’s probably true, you know but if you put it up as a flagpole or something like that and they’re not going to, you know you’re not going to see it in every block. There’s no
reason to have a tower in every block. I don’t know. I just think we spend a lot of time doing CUPs that we probably don’t. I think if we write a strong enough ordinance with what we
want, what’s acceptable that looks nice, why do we have to have a CUP on it? Staff level can, you know its lined out right there for you. You can say hey this is what it says, if it’s
not like this I have to deny it. That’s my opinion. I don’t know -- Council, any other?
Anderson: I agree I’d like to be able to hand that off to staff but I think Bill would probably need some direction from us what we’re expecting if we’re saying we don’t want them within
500 feet of one another or a mile of one another or we want some height restrictions or if there’s just certain places that we don’t want them. Those are the kind of things we’d have
to provide. Then it could be a staff level decision if it meets the criteria then it could go in there. If it doesn’t then it would have to go through a permit process.
Bird: No, they’ve always got the appeal. If they don’t agree with staff they can always come to appeal but if you set it to a CUP then here we go again. It’s a 6 8-month drug out ordeal
that comes through. Nobody’s happy. The city staff isn’t happy. The developer definitely isn’t happy and the Council isn’t happy. I agree with you Ron. We can set those kind of regulations.
You know like you can have one within every square mile or something like that or however we want to do it. The height, I don’t know what they need, 50 feet 20 feet. We need to get that
information form the people who put it up. We can have the design so that the staff can say aye or naye. If they don’t agree, they can come appeal it to the Council.
De Weerd: Well, the City Attorney attached a comprehensive one from the City of Caldwell.
Nichols: I think that was the City Clerk actually.
De Weerd: Thank you Will. You’re a good guy. Maybe some of it can be taken off of this and then anything over above this if they want to propose it then they can go through a Conditional
Use Permit because we do need to be sensitive in a residential area especially existing. That way staff can deal with most of these stealth tower type of things because they do blend
and they’re not obtrusive but there will be times when they may need to build a higher tower. Then that should come through with a CUP because it does impact neighbors.
Corrie: Mr. President.
Bird: Yes
Corrie: Shari, on the stealth cellular towers, its just one company, right? They don’t have --
Stiles: No other company has proposed it yet.
Corrie: -- three or four companies on the same tower but if you have three different companies on that same tower, its not going to be stealth any more?
Stiles: No.
Corrie: So, we’re talking about Verizon and Crickett and different ones that have the towers. If you’ve got 15 towers up in the neighborhood you’ve got a problem. I think that can be
worked out but you can have a limited number in the neighborhood that type of thing. You don’t want to -- some of these towers are pretty high and there are four or five companies that
are sharing it and they look like the devil. That’s my (inaudible). We need to do give Bill some direction where you want it now. You can take a look at all these things, give it to
the Council. The Council says yes, this is some of the things that we want. Then Bill can write it but I don’t know that I want to have Bill kind of write an ordinance that doesn’t know
exactly what we want.
Nichols: Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council. I failed the mind reading course.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: Take it again.
Nichols: Just ask my wife. With regard to, if Shari’s staff is already working on a Comprehensive Cellular Tower Ordinance, we can incorporate this part of it into
that. I just want to know where we’re at. So, if you’re already working on something --
Stiles: Mr. President.
Bird: Yes.
Stiles: Mayor and Council. David McKinnon has drafted an ordinance for the cell tower. It doesn’t include the stealth at all. I think probably we do need to better define what stealth
is because what stealth is to one person. I didn’t exactly think the one out at Fred Meyer was stealth and Crickett even acknowledged after the meeting that yes a giant flag is probably
not going to be very stealthy because its going to make a lot of noise. So, they changed that design so it looks more like just a very tall light. So, we probably do need to get some
more standards on that. Crickett's kind of new in the area and they don’t because of the way their system is it’s only a local calling area so they don’t need the giant ones. But we
don’t know how many of those types of facilities will come about. I mean with the way technology is advancing there probably wont even be a need for cell towers within 10 20 years.
I don’t know how this has worked for Caldwell.
Nichols: President Bird, Mayor, members of Council. I don’t think they have much of anything at all. They were running into problems and I just noticed form the newspaper that they had
adopted one. I haven’t talked to their city attorney. I think, I’ve gathered enough here. We’ve got enough direction. Dave’s already working on an ordinance. We can use some of these
things with regard to this stealth situation and maybe create a definition for that and have a special section in a Comprehensive Ordinance that talks about how those might be sited
as a little differently or treated a little differently than the standard, the aluminum 199 foot pole.
Bird: (Inaudible)?
Corrie: Also I agree with Keith. We don’t need the conditional use with everything we do in the City. We’re getting more and more requests. You know, we’re getting bigger and we don’t
have go through all this rigamorough. I think Keith is absolutely right (inaudible) but we need guidelines.
Bird: We need good guidelines for the staff.
Stiles: The giant ones should probably still be conditional use.
Bird: Are they a stealth tower?
De Weerd: No, they’re (inaudible).
Bird: That’s what I’m telling you they’re not one of those so they don’t come under this ordinance.
Corrie: Its like the one by the airline tower there on I-84 right next to the (inaudible).
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Okay. We’ve got enough directions here Shari for you to proceed?
Stiles: Yes. Thank you very much.
Bird: Thank you.
Stiles: I’m zero for three now.
Issue #9 Discussion of status of E. 1st name change to Main Street:
Bird: Item No. 9, discussion of East First name change to Main Street. Mayor, you --
Corrie: Yes. Here’s all that’s left. We have to notify the effected property owners, the property on East First Street where they make the change to Main Street. The signage will cost
approximately 4,000 dollars we have to pay ACHD. That covers the cost of new signs. We have the ordinance already been done. Cheryl said that acceptance of the change by major stakeholders,
that’s not necessary.
Bird: Mr. Nichols.
Nichols: Mr. Mayor is there an old ordinance that’s been floating around for a long time? Is that what --
Corrie: About a year and a half, yes.
Nichols: Okay.
De Weerd: Before we came on.
Nichols: That would explain my ignorance on this one.
Corrie: I checked with the post office and all we have to do is send those letters out to those people and then they will deliver the mail for a year at both addresses. So they have
time to change their stationary and what have you. That’s all that’s necessary. We need to have the Council approval to have ACHD do the signage. Then we have to notify the owners.
Bird: Okay. Mr. Mayor, instead of going through my house and looking for old papers, could you make a copy of that ordinance for me because I don’t know where its at. I don’t know if
Mr. Anderson has his or not.
Anderson: Somewhere in that Stack.
Bird: Mayor will take care of this and report back to us?
De Weerd: When will the letters go out?
Bird: Well, we have to pass the ordinance first.
Corrie: We already passed the ordinance. We just need to allot 4,000 dollars, maybe more than that now. We passed the ordinance. That was back there when, almost four years ago, two
years ago. It was before you got here.
Bird: Before I got here? It was four years ago then.
Corrie: No, before Tammy got here.
De Weerd: No, you were on.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Ron and I don’t remember.
Corrie: I’ll get the ordinance.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Mr. Mayor and Council.
De Weerd: Who sends the letters out?
Corrie: We do.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: We have to get the list form the post office. Then we will send all the letters registered mail to the residents of that East First Street.
De Weerd: Will they double sign that street for a year then too?
Corrie: They’ll probably leave the same signs up and put the new ones up. Then they can take the old ones down after a year. That’s for the new signs. I’m just
shooting from the hip that there’d be double signs. But I think whatever we want them to do they’ll do it.
Bird: Council and Mayor, with your permission, Mr. Yorgenson had requested to talk to us and we are running a little late. With your permission I would certainly allow him to come up
here and talk to us about some land that he wanted to trade. Anybody have any objections or something?
De Weerd: No.
Bird: Do you want to come up Mr. Yorgenson?
De Weerd: I knew he was here for a reason. Not just being a pain.
Bird: Not to answer our questions.
Corrie: He’s got a subdivision he’s got to talk to us about.
Yorgenson: President, Mayor and members of the Council. I really didn’t have anything to do tonight.
Corrie: Raise your right hand.
Yorgenson: Now I can swear to tell the truth. We have a project we’ve been working on for about a year. Its right at the northeastern corner of the Meridian’s impact area, lies right
next to Boise City, right next to the Bristol Heights Subdivision which is one of the projects that we did on the corner of Eagle and Chinden. It’s a 10-acre parcel that lies between
the Bristol Heights Subdivision and another subdivision that’s already been developed, of larger lots that’s in the county. We would like to have that area go into and be serviced by
the City of Boise. One of the reasons that we feel its different and that makes it reasonable to do that is the difficulty in being able to sewer it and provide service by Meridian.
Not just because its not there but because of the topography of the ground. There are future sewer lines that will be out in that area that will be serviced by Meridian in maybe 5 years
maybe 10 years. We don’t know. But that’s no reason to take it out of an impact area. The fact that when the sewer lines go in there will be such a grade that this particular parcel
that sits down in a hole can not be serviced without having a lift station for that parcel of ground. Boise has a lift station right on the corner which we installed when we did Bristol
Heights. The (inaudible) the lift station and the sewer lined in Boise are low enough that it can drain into Boise’s. Is it at the very northern and eastern boundary. It’s in the corner.
We don’t know how long it will be before your sewer lines are out there but they cant sewer it unless it’s filled to about that high in some areas. Some of it 4 feet, some of it 3 feet
of fill for the entire project which we don’t do. We would like to ask your consideration. We’ve been working with the county. Ada County has made application at some time the past on
this
particular parcel but we didn’t have the particulars on the sewer. So, we said until we get the information we don’t want to proceed. At the direction of your engineering department
we had our engineer do a feasibility as to what it would take to sewer into Meridian’s sewer lines once they were built. He did the topography work and the elevation work. That is what
they came up with. They presented that to your engineer and he reviewed and the two of them agreed that it was a proper feasibility study or unfeasibility study. I’ve talked with Boise,
they do not want to make an application that will be returned to them, or not returned to them or be serviced by them because they don’t want to be perceived as out grabbing ground into
Boise. I think that’s appropriate, they should not. Its one of these darn developers that’s wanting to do that. Yes, our Bristol Heights has been very successful. That’s not the only
reason for it. We have been working on this parcel for about, almost three years now and the people that we had it under option for finally said okay here's your deadline. Stand up and
start swinging or good-bye. So, we’ve gone ahead and purchased the property based on the information that we had from our engineer and from Meridian’s engineer. That is the purpose of
our being here tonight. We do not think it will set a precedent because I believe that virtually all of the area that you have in your impact area can be serviced eventually as the sewer
lines are put in. We have other projects along your white trunk that we’re very anxious to have it go in so we can put that project. We understand that we have to wait for that and that’s
just something that we do. Once its there we can use your sewer lines but this one we will not be able to. That’s the purpose of my being here and I’d be glad to answer any questions
you may have in regards to that project.
Bird: Mr. Yorgenson. This is the Jarvis property that faces up to the --
Yorgenson: It’s just next to Jarvis’. It’s not Jarvis’.
Bird: It faces right up to Chinden?
Yorgenson: That’s correct.
Bird: How many feet down does it go?
Yorgenson: Its about, it goes the same distance, lets see it’s the same distance as the subdivision that’s just to the west of it. The back of our project is the same as the one just
to the west. We do have the street stubbed to it. I do not believe we would stub out onto Chinden. I would prefer not to and I believe ACHD would not want us to. We have provided the
means for it to stub into Bristol Heights and the sewer stub to it and the water stub to it.
Bird: That’s just what I was just going to ask you. You’re not bringing water across Chinden?
Yorgenson: No. All the facilities are there.
Bird: It’s coming through Bristol Heights, coming in, and you’ll use that lift station they’ve got there?
Yorgenson: That’s correct. The lift station is about 8 feet away and its about 15 feet in the ground. It’ll take care of it.
Bird: Then, Gary, I’ve got a question for you. I think, you know I’ve discussed this before but that piece is practically impossible for us to sewer even off the north channel isn’t
it? The north trunk. The piece of property he’s talking to, we’ve discussed this before unless he does bring it up to grade so it will naturally flow.
Smith: That’s correct. Brad has worked with Gene Smith, Ramon’s engineer. As Ramon said Gene went out and did a lot of survey work because we didn’t have any good elevations out there
to look at. Then Brad and Gene chased the elevation of pipe extending the sewer line from the north slough trunk in a couple different alignments and found out that the site did need
to be filled significantly in order for it to be sewered by gravity into the City of Meridian’s trunk system. That filling. It not only impacts the cost of development of this piece
if property but it also impacts the adjacent land because the adjacent land on both sides of it to the east and the west is developed. On the east it’s the smaller urban residential
lots and on the west it’s the larger one-acre lots or so. It would impact the elevations along there if this site was filled for sewering. The other thing that I guess brad and I met
with Mayor Corrie on Monday to discuss this. There’s development all around it that exists. To the south is a, I cant recall what they call the terminology where they have land set aside
that cannot be developed for a certain number of years after the subdivision is platted. Its set aside ground for open space. Its called Dunwoody Subdivision. So, there’s open space
down there that’s restricted from development. There’s a large lot subdivision on the west that’s already developed. There’s urban residential lots on the east that are developed. On
the north is Chinden Boulevard. South of Dunwoody is Vienna Woods which is developing as you know. South of Vienna Woods is Edinburgh subdivision. Then there’s McMillan. SO, that whole
half of section is either developed or developing except –
***End Of Side Four***
Anderson: --some of the similar cases. I guess I would like to see before I make my decision a map showing all those other ones that developed because I’m concerned about opening the
floodgates. If you say well this guy can go then you get 15 other applications that say well we’d sure like to go over to Boise too and they can accommodate us. I don’t want to open
the floodgates.
Smith: Right.
Yorgenson: Mr. President. It seems to me like one of the things that I have to be concerned about because I’m going to be back here to see you folks again sometime, and that is that
we cant set a precedent. Maybe that what you’re referring too, that someone else. There has to be good reason that we’re going to do something here that we cant just say well me too.
Because I play that game too. If I see something that looks like it has all the same criteria I say hey. I believe this one is extremely unusual. Boise City is very anxious but they’re
not going to go out and ask you for it. I’m the one that has to be the one that’s before you. I didn’t know if I was going to make a presentation. I’ve talked to the Mayor several times
and he’s been very understanding in saying we’ll see what we can do and run it up the flagpole. Everyone we’ve talked to once we get an understanding seems to come up with the same consensus
so we appreciate your listening to us this evening.
Anderson: You’re right. The development community, I mean if they can find anything that’s similar to theirs even if it’s in the same hemisphere then you know I need the same favor.
Yorgenson: It has to be something unusual that the others don’t have. This one is a unique piece. That’s the reason we went ahead and purchased it. I started to tell you that he gave
us a drop dead date and so based on all the information we had we’ve gone ahead and purchased the property based on what information that we had and we hope that that was not a bad decision.
Bird: You know, we could trade. Boise City offered Winston’s Corner there. What was that? 12 acres that is sewerable. Right, Gary?
Corrie: Yes it is.
Bird; It is. This is not. That’s the one thing the other developers have got to realize is this without being greatly altered in elevation this is not sewerable by any Meridian trunk.
Am I not right?
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: By gravity. I mean without putting a lift station in.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: That’s something that we can definitely look into but we can’t act on it tonight.
Yorgenson: I understand that. The County is going to have a meeting next week. All they ask if we had a discussion on it of this issue if we could write a letter saying yes we’re looking
at it. We will continue to look at it to see if it meets our criteria. Not make a commitment but so they know that we’re looking at it
because it’s actually been before the county which they brought to you. They don’t want to deny it. I mean, they’ve been very good. They just want to have something happen and see that
it’s moving forward. If they could have a letter that just says its being looked at and that we need some more information whether it be a map or whatever you would like to see. We’d
be more than happy to provide that of course.
Bird: Let me ask you a question. You said you’re going to the county. Are you going to annex into Boise?
Yorgenson: It would be annexed into Boise. It would bypass the county. The county wants us to annex to Boise.
Bird: Okay.
Yorgenson: But we made application to county when nothing was happening in the city so we made application to the county because the city couldn’t act on it at the time. Then we realized
it can’t be sewered anyway. The county says you need to take it into Boise if Meridian can’t provide services then you need to take it. You know we do fill. We have a Quail Ridge project
we put lots fill in. It costs about $50,000 a lot to fill in Quail Ridge. Lots sell for a little bit more than what these lots will sell for. Fill dirt gets very expensive in a hurry.
We know about filling lots.
Corrie: Mr. President.
Bird: Yes, Mr. Mayor.
Corrie: I think engineering wise that’s the way to go. I would like to talk with Boise and the county this week and make sure we don’t have any political ramifications. We can talk to
them about the other 12 at that time. I don’t think there’s going to be. We’ve got to play this pretty close to the chest because of what Ron has said and I talked to you about that
before.
Yorgenson: I would want you to.
Corrie: I think we can do that this week and get most of that done. I’ve already talked to Brett about it. He hasn’t got any objections. I don’t think Kingsford (inaudible).
Yorgenson: I mentioned briefly Rodger. I have not talked to Kingsford but I’ve talked to Rodger about it.
Corrie: Roger’s the only one I hadn’t talk to. But he’s on the list tomorrow.
Bird: Okay. Take care of it. Thanks Ramon.
Issue #10 Discussion of transportation priority list:
Bird: Discussion of transportation priority list. Is that you Tammy?
De Weerd: Mr. President.
Bird: Mrs. de Weerd.
De Weerd: We got a memo from ACHD and I couldn’t find mine.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: They gave us a new time frame for getting our priority lists and then they wanted to discuss it at our next joint meeting. We have a transportation task force that puts together
that list and reviews it. They usually don’t meet until December. Last year they had to meet in November. They need to be meeting right now. I did send an email to Gary.
Smith: Right. I was going to try to schedule it the last week in August but things kind of filled up. So, I’m going to try to move that to the first week in September. I can’t remember
the date. Did they give a date in their letter?
Corrie: No they just said during the month of August but as quickly as we can. I talked to Holly and Claire yesterday.
Smith: Okay,
Corrie: They would like to have that as soon as they can. If you can get that (inaudible) time requirements.
De Weerd: Maybe we can schedule this in for the next workshop and have a chance to you know discuss what you came up with.
Smith: All right. That would be fine. I’ll do that.
Corrie: Okay.
Bird: Is that all on that?
De Weerd: Yes.
Bird: Any questions Council?
Issue #11 Discussion of status of Urban Renewal District Board appointments:
Bird: If not, urban renewal district board appointments. Mayor how’s that coming?
Corrie: You’ll have it Tuesday night to give you the renewal board appointments. I’ve got Jim Johnson, Claire Bowman, Clarence Jones, (inaudible) what’s her name?
Bird: Oh, Anne Marie?
Corrie: Anne Marie and Tammy. Then we’ve got two. We’ve got the Finance Director as Ex-officio and Steve Siddoway as Ex-officio. I told Jim that the Committee when they go that approved
next Tuesday. Then they can get together and put who their president and what is. Then they can decide whether they need any more or not. That’s a minimum that we can work with. That
group can get their things put together. That’s the one you’ll be getting Tuesday night.
Bird: Thank you , Mayor.
Anderson: Can I comment a little bit?
Bird: Yes, go ahead Ron.
Anderson: I don’t know what’s the proper way to set up those boards but I’m just thinking that in my mind, and kind of how these urban renewal districts have been explained to me. They’re
almost like another functioning arm of the city because any of the assets that they acquire during the 10-year life span of them is that reverts back to the city ownership at the end
of it and stuff like that. I guess I’m thinking that this board should have a pretty heavy City of Meridian influence on it. I realize we have one Council member and we have a finance
director and Steve Siddoway but I’m not sure what their capacity is as Ex-officious, if they’re like voting members of that. I guess I’ll just throw this out I don’t know. Do we think
we ought to have two Council people sit on that board so the city has more influence on the direction that that board goes. I just throw that out for discussion because I don’t know
what’s appropriate what’s right. I just want to make sure that the goals that they set and that they establish are very compatible and close to the same goals as the city because those
2 agencies need to be working hand and hand.
Bird: CCDC has two Council people.
Anderson: Nampa’s has two.
De Weerd: AIC had a topic covering urban renewal. It seemed like most of the agencies represented in that room had at least a couple of seats form either City Council or the mayor.
Corrie: We can set this up anyway you want. You have the finance director on this board as well if you want to do that. Or you can have two Council people, and you can have all four
Council people.
Bird: No. Will would have a heart attack.
Corrie: He would just have to notice the meeting but I don’t think we want to geo that way.
Bird: I think two Council people. You need some people that will vote towards the – on the funding. That’s their biggest objective is getting funding and tax increments and stuff like
that which is very --.
Corrie: If you want to have it, you can have like Tammy said you can have a Council and the Mayor. Does anybody on the Council want to do it besides Tammy?
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: Keith do you? I mean, I’d be happy to sit on it. Then after they get it set up, then they can --
Bird: Mayor, I would not mind sitting on it and I’m up for reelection and I might get my butt kicked.
De Weerd: Then they can deal with it at that time.
Bird: I would sit on it.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: Okay, we can add one more. That doesn’t make that much difference –
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: I agree with Ron on that.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: I think you’ve got some very good people there to be truthful with you. I think you’ve got some good heads.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: That’ll come to you Tuesday night. I guess the next ones mine too.
Issue #12 Discussion of date for strategic planning with John Luthy:
Bird: Any more? The next one’s yours too, Mayor. We’ll go real fast here.
Corrie: Okay. John Luthy will be, did you all get that --
Bird: Yes we did.
De Weerd: Yes. Thank you.
Corrie: He’s going to be coming and talking to the Council then on the September the 4th meeting. All the directions and what they’ve been doing with that. After that, it’s kind of outlined
here what he’s going to do. I talked to him and he’s ready to go. I think the only thing I’m make sure that you understand that we’re looking at probably a 25,000 dollar bill for that.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: Just to make sure you all understand what we’re doing here. Then this is pretty well lined out what he has and I think it’s a good program. Then we’ll get our strategic planning
going and then from then on its just rolls upon itself. What he wants to do, he doesn’t want to do it for us but to teach us how to do it and we follow that every year. He will be here
September the 4th and talk to you and give you the general directions and specifics to set up.
Bird: Mayor, are we going to start early to listen to him or can we bring him in at 5:30?
Corrie: You can bring him in at any time.
Bird: What do you think? Because we’re probably going to have a busy Council night aren’t we?
Corrie: On the 4th? I don’t know what –
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: Okay, bring him in at 5:30 if you’d like and give him an hour to talk to you.
Bird: And you buy dinner?
Corrie: Yes, I’ll buy – I’ll take care of that. I’ve still got about 4 dollars sitting in my budget.
Bird: That’s enough for me. What are you going to eat?
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: Yes, I’ll take care of that but I’ll have it at 5:30.
Bird: Okay.
Anderson: Sunflower seeds --
Bird: I hate to get up here and have him coming up here talking and we’ve developers sitting there squirming in their seats and us here at midnight when I’m half awake.
Corrie: Okay, you want lasagna and wine?
Bird: Whatever you want.
McCandless: Absolutely.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Council, we’re getting close to the 10:00 deadline.
Anderson: No, we’re there.
Issue #14 Discussion of city logo:
Bird: We’re there so with your permission I’d skip item 13, 15, and 16 and give Tammy five minutes on the city logo because I know its something we need to get onto.
De Weerd: (Inaudible) you can read. I wont read it to you. This is incorporating al the comments of the last presentation. We would like to get it out for public comment in the Valley
Times at least. I don’t know if the Statesman would do it. Allow a two week comment period and have a color rendering maybe in the city clerk’s office if they want to see the slate blue
and gray or whatever I had put.
Corrie: Okay. I think you’re probably going to see what I’m getting is they still want (inaudible).
Bird: They want the water tower?
De Weerd: You know, all the comments that we got prior to starting this, no water tower. Once we started it and had the speedway flags in there, the comments we got back were no speedway
flags.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Now, wait a minute. You didn’t get – my comment was keep them in.
De Weerd: You didn’t turn one in.
Corrie: I think you’d better (inaudible) and just give it that. Let the people take a look at it.
Bird: You bet.
Corrie: You’re going to get a good cross section of likes and dislikes on it. I think you might as well get her out there.
Bird: Yes. Lets get her done so we can get that thing passed on.
De Weerd; Do I need any work on that third paragraph? I kind of wanted to incorporate what it depicts.
Anderson: Deplicts? Is that a word?
De Weerd: What it represents.
Bird: Would you talk in laymen’s terms so I can understand you?
De Weerd: How it got to be to where we got.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: If you can’t spell it we cant pronounce it. I think that --
De Weerd: Is that sufficient to go with it?
Bird: Yes. Lets see what we get.
De Weerd: I just want to get off dead center here.
Bird: Could we have this done, Tammy by October 1st so we can get this thing going by the new fiscal year?
De Weerd: Yes, depending on how many comments we get back.
Bird: If we get it out, if they don’t comment that’s their problem.
De Weerd: The goal would be then to bring it back at the next workshop and give you a summary.
Bird: If we can get it -- if you cant Tammy it’s a small (inaudible).
De Weerd: Will, I’ll bring the summary back at the next workshop. Thanks.
Bird: Okay. Captain Musser.
Musser: Mr. President, Mayor and Council. Just a suggestion for public feedback. I think Kendra would probably run an article for us but if we provided our web access on there and we
mounted that on our own web page and had it there for people with computers to respond back. That might increase the public response that we get back.
Bird: Good idea.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: I think Kendra would even though this is her last week working for the Statesman.
Musser: I haven't talked to her for a day or two but I know sometimes they’ll run little blurbs like that.
Bird: You bet she would.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Corrie: You wont get it on the web page for about two weeks because we’re having troubles with Micron and (inaudible). People are putting the web page on and they’re cleaning it all
up so it’ll be about another week.
Bird: That’s the whole city.
Bird: But if we could get it on Tammy that would be really nice.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Yes, why don’t you put your email address on that article. Then they can all email you.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: then you’d get all kinds of junk email.
Bird: Okay. Council, anybody else got anything? Mayor, you got anything?
Corrie: No, not at this point.
Bird: Captain Musser, anything?
Musser: No sir.
Bird: Gary?
Smith: No sir.
Bird: Shari?
Stiles: No sir.
Bird: Bill?
Nichols: Well, now that you’ve asked.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: Will, you’ve got anything?
Berg: Just a reminder, I’ll get a calendar out but we have a meeting on the 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th at different times. Three evening meetings and one in the morning at 8:30 at COMPASS
but I’ll get those out.
Bird: Thanks Will.
Berg: Just a reminder make sure you get with me as far as when you may be absent for a meeting. Ron will be absent for a couple weeks in September, a couple weeks in October.
De Weerd: What’s on the 30th?
Berg: Oh, I’m sorry. That’s the Comprehensive Plan.
De Weerd: That's your meeting.
Berg: I’m sorry that’s my meeting.
Bird: He figured if he had to be here every night so does the Mayor and Council.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
De Weerd: Mr. President. I move we adjourn.
Bird: Do I have a second?
Anderson: Second.
(Inaudible discussion amongst Council members)
Bird: All in favor say aye.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYE
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 10:07 P.M.
(TAPE ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS)
APPROVED:
ROBERT D. CORRIE, MAYOR
WILLIAM G. BERG, JR., CITY CLERK