HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010 03-23Meridian Citv Council Meeting March 23 2010
A meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 7:05 p.m., Tuesday,
March 23, 2010, by Mayor Tammy de Weerd.
Members Present: Mayor Tammy de Weerd, Charlie Rountree, Keith Bird, Brad
Hoaglun, and President David Zaremba.
Others Present: Bill Nary, Jacy Jones, Anna Canning, Bill Parsons, Tracy
Basterrechea, Mark Niemeyer, Steve Siddoway, Keith Watts, Reta Cunningham,
Carrie Glenn, Elroy Huff, Luke Cavener and Dean Willis.
Item 1: Roll-call Attendance:
Roll call.
X David Zaremba X Brad Hoaglun
Charlie Rountree X Keith Bird
X Mayor Tammy de Weerd
De Weerd: So, we are adjourned out of our special meeting. We appreciate
your patience and welcome you to tonight's City Council meeting. I will go ahead
and open the City Council meeting. For the record it is Tuesday, March 23rd. It's
five minutes after 7:00. We will start with roll call attendance. Madam Clerk.
Item 2: Pledge of Allegiance
De Weerd: Item No. 2 is our Pledge of Allegiance. If you will all rise and join us
in the pledge.
(Pledge of Allegiance recited.)
Item 3: Community Invocation by Tim Pusey with Valley Shepherd of
the Nazarene.
De Weerd: Item No. 3 is our community invocation. Tonight we will be led by
Pastor Pusey with the Valley Shepherd of the Nazarene Church. We invite you
to join us in the invocation or take this as an opportunity for a moment of silence.
Pusey: Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you on this beautiful day for
your many, many blessings in our lives and in our community. We thank you for
our City Council and those that are willing to serve our community in this way and
we pray tonight for your wisdom and for your discernment to be upon them. We
pray also for our community, especially for the needy of our community. We pray
for the children and teenagers of Meridian and we ask, Lord, that you would
teach us all how to care for one another as you would desire.. May your peace,
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March 23, 2010
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may your presence, may your wisdom abide over this meeting tonight, we ask
and in the name of our Savior, amen.
Item 4: Adoption of the Agenda.
De Weerd: Thank you. Pastor Pusey. We appreciate you being here with us
tonight. And since you did mention the needy in there and we have the Youth
Council up here, I'm sure they will be more than happy to invite everyone present
to the dinner to benefit the Meridian Food Bank this week, so -- and they will
invite you when we get to that item. Item No. 4 is adoption of the agenda.
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: Just a couple of items to add on the agenda. Under the Consent
Agenda 5-H, that resolution number is 10-714 and 5-I is resolution number 10-
715. Moving forward to the -- Item 8, under 8-1, approval of the new beer wine
liquor for Sunrise Bakery, there is a request to continue that until April 6th, 2010.
And same for Item 2 for the renewal for Sunrise Bakery and Cafe of their beer
wine liquor. That is also requested to be continued until April 6th, 2010. Under
8-C, Finance Department, we are going to add a 1-A for Finance Department and
that will be the discussion and consideration of the landscape maintenance
agreement and, then, under C-2 -- 8-C-2, that resolution number is 10-716.
Under Item 10, Ordinances, 10-A is ordinance number 10-1444 and also, Madam
Mayor, we need to add the Executive Session at the very end. This will be
Executive Session per Idaho State Code 67-2345(1)(a) and (1)(f) are the two
items that we would have in Executive Session. So, with those additions, I move
adoption of the agenda.
Zaremba: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to adopt the agenda as amended. All
those in favor say aye. All ayes. Motion carried.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Item 5: Consent Agenda
A. March 2, 2010 City Council Meeting Minutes
B. March 9, 2010 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes
C. Approval of 2010-2011 BeerlVNine/Liquor License
Renewals:
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Kahootz Steak & Alehouse 1603 N. Main St.
Beer/Wine
Sa-wad-dee 1890 E. Fairview, Ste B
Beer/VUine/Liquor
Ultra Touch Car Wash 835 E. Fairview Ave.
Beer
Idaho Pizza Company 405 E. Fairview Ave.
Beer/Vlline
Gelato Cafe 2053 E. Fairview,. Ste 101
Beer/VUine/Liquor
Sizzler #215 3380 N. Eagle Rd.
Beer/VNine
Goodwood BBQ Company 1140 N. Eagle Rd.
Beer/VVine/Liquor
Shari's of Meridian #206 895 S. Progress Ave.
Beer/VVine
Corona Village 21 E. Fairview Ave.
Beer/VUine/Liquor
127 Club 127 E. Idaho Ave.
Beer/Vlline/Liquor
Sakana 1718 S. Eagle Rd.
Beer/VUine
Carino's Italian 3551 E. Fairview Ave.
Beer/VVine/Liquor
The New Frontier 116 E. Broadway Ave.
Beer/VUine/Liquor
D. Agreement with Gem State Communications for the
Installation of a Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition (SCADA) Antenna Tower at the Water
Department for aNot-to-Exceed Amount of $34,360.06
E. Change Order #1 with JC Constructors, Inc. for Tertiary
Filters Project Construction for aNot-to-Exceed Amount
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of $51,313.63 on the Original Contract Amount of
$2,869,000.00 Approved by City Council April 7th, 2009
F. Task Order 10134 with Parametrix, Inc. for Five Mile
Creek Pathway Design Services for aNot-to-Exceed
Amount of $67,346.00
G. Lease Agreement Between the City of Meridian (Lessor)
and American Harvest LLC (Lessee)
H. Resolution No. :Approving a
Lease Agreement between the City of Meridian (Lessor)
and American Harvest LLC (Lessee)
I. Resolution No. :Donating
Surplus Computer Equipment to Meridian Boys & Girls
Club
De Weerd: Item No. 5 is our Consent Agenda.
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: With the changes delineated under 5-H, resolution number 10-714 and
5-I, resolution number 10-714, I would move approval of the Consent Agenda
and the Mayor to sign and Clerk to attest.
Zaremba: Second.
De Weerd: Okay. I have a motion and a second to approve the Consent
Agenda as presented. Madam Clerk, will you, please, call roll.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Item 6: Department Reports
A. Mayor's Office: Mayor's Youth Advisory Council Update
De Weerd: Item 6 are our Department Reports. We start tonight's meeting with
our Mayor's Youth Advisory Council report.
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Grant: Okay. My name is Aubrey Grant and I'm from Mountain View High
School and I'm the communications coordinator for the Mayor's Youth Advisory
Council this year and we would like to thank you for listening to us today.
Sheets: My name is Sayara Sheets and I am from Rocky Mountain High School.
I am the chair of the Teen Advisory Council.
Grant: And the first thing we'd like to talk to you guys about is the -- the Mayor's
Anti-drug Coalition contest that we submitted a public service announcement to
recently and we ended up winning first prize, which is a grant, and we decided
that we are going to split it with the Technical Charter High School, because they
came in second and there wasn't a monetary prize for second place, but they did
an awesome job, and so last night at our meeting we voted and decided to give
half of our prize money to the Technical Charter team who got second place with
that. And so our Public Service Announcement was against tobacco use and
they were -- they were pretty outstanding all the ones that we saw and so we are
pretty happy about giving half of it to them.
Sheets: This week on Thursday we have a dinner auction at 6:30. There are a
few seats left, but if you still want one, the seats are 20 dollars and the tables are
150. We would like to thank Councilman Bird for his donation. We would like to
thank Councilman Rountree for buying two tickets. And we would like to thank
Mayor Tammy for buying a table. We would also like to invite Hoaglun and
Zaremba to buy tickets to join us on Thursday.
Hoaglun: Sold. I need to.
Sheets: Okay.
Grant: Talk to Luke.
Hoaglun: Oh. Okay.
De Weerd: Just to also say that they do have a goal of raising 4,000 dollars. If
they net above 4,000 dollars the Youth Advisory Council liaison Luke Cavener
will shave his head. So, you know -- so, I guess more ticket purchases, maybe
from Councilman Zaremba --
Rountree: How much more do you need?
De Weerd: It's all for a good cause, right, Luke?
Cavener: All for a good cause.
Zaremba: I will see Luke for a ticket as well.
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Grant: So, the other thing that we would like to talk about is how our Teen
Advisory Council has really made an impact on the Mayor's Youth Advisory
Council this year and it's the first year that we had the Teen Advisory Council in
place and I have been in Mayor's Youth Advisory Council for four years now and
I have to say that -- don't tell anyone else this, but that is like my favorite
subcommittee that I have ever been involved with and it's a lot of fun, because
we have just been able to get a lot of the youth together and a lot of it was just
the youth and the Teen Advisory Council, but with all of our friends and
everything else that we brought together we have had a ton of fun activities, like
we have had movie nights in the community center and we had a Halloween
party and a Valentine's Day party and all of it was a lot of fun and I think that it
really helps us to have something to do, because I know that there is kind of a
problem with the teenagers in Meridian and every where nowadays doing things
that they probably shouldn't be doing and I personally like to have a place that I
can go and we can just have fun with our friends and it's totally clean fun and so I
have really enjoyed having the Teen Advisory Council and I would love to have it
in the future, so that's like a really good thing that we have had and I'd like for
that to continue, even after I graduate this year.
Sheets: With MYAC we only have three meetings left until this year is over.
Next year I am going to run for historian, which I'm actually really excited about.
With my experience in MYAC I have had a lot fun. It's given me a lot of
opportunities to help my community and get involved with others. I had a really,
really good year this year and it's my first year, so I hope that I can come back
next year and have an awesome time.
Grant: She's been awesome.
Sheets: We'd also like to thank you guys for everything and we look -- I look
forward to being able to address guys again next year. Are there any questions?
De Weerd: Well, I also might mention that Sayara is also on the Mayor's Anti-
drug Coalition and she even brings her mom with her. So, they have both been
very active and we have appreciated the mother-daughter team. They add a lot
to the -- to the MADC.
Sheets: Thank you, Mayor Tammy.
Rountree: Madam Mayor? Just to extend a congratulation on your first place
with your PSA and also for your generosity. I think that's very laudable for you all
to do that. Sharing is something that we all need to do better. I appreciate that
and good job. And we appreciate your enthusiasm and all the extra time you
spend in city involvement. That's important to us as well. And thank you.
Sheets: Thank you very much.
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March 23, 2010
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De Weerd: Any other questions or comments? Now, Aubrey, you're also our
youth representative on the Arts Commission; right? So, they both have been
very involved and we appreciate your leadership.
Grant: Thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you for joining us tonight.
Grant: Thank you.
Sheets: Thank you.
De Weerd: And you don't have to stay.
Grant: Thank you for that, too.
Rountree: Go study.
B. City Council: Air Quality Board Update
De Weerd: Okay. Item 6-B under City Council, Air Quality Board update. I will
turn this over to Council President Zaremba.
Zaremba: Thank you, Madam Mayor. The Air Quality Board, for those of you
that may not be familiar with it, is the group that in Ada County runs the vehicle
emissions testing program and a few weeks ago this Council had a presentation
by the department -- the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, DEQ, about
their search for and selection of an operator to run a similar program in Canyon
county and Kuna, which do not participate in Ada County's program. They made
that same presentation to the Air Quality Board two weeks ago tomorrow and a
number of questions were raised during that presentation that caused us to
continue that meeting for another week. So, last Thursday we finally discussed
the -- all the knowledge that we had put together and the question that DEQ
asked was whether or not the Air Quality Board wanted to run the same program
as DEQ will be running in Canyon county. Our answer to that was that we
wanted to see it operate for awhile and my update is since there has been
articles in the paper about what was -- may or may not have changed in Ada
County, we had a considerable response from Ada County citizens that they
think our system is much more convenient than what is going to happen in
Canyon county. There are other issues. There are other issues. There are
some price differences as well. So, there were a lot of things to consider. But
the information that I wish to pass along as an update is that the decision of the
Air Quality Board was that we would not make another change in our program at
this point. We did as of the 1st of January go to testing every other year, instead
of every year, and not testing the first four years of a car. Those we decided
were enough changes for the moment. It makes us comply with the state law for
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areas. It does satisfy the EPA and the DEQ. So, we felt that we would like to at
least see the Canyon county program run for six months before we made any
decision about what else. So, for the moment the Air Quality Board in Ada
County is not making anymore changes.
De Weerd: Thank you, Councilman Zaremba. We did come across the letter
that we sent in response to DEQ's letter to us about what they were going
through to put out the RFP for Canyon county and asked about this
memorandum of understanding or joint powers agreement. We said we would
be interested or willing to enter into a joint powers agreement once this was said
and done. Maybe Council -- or our counsel, city attorney Bill Nary, can give us
an overview. We do need to write a letter to update them, maybe reflecting what
Councilman Zaremba just said, that in six months the Air Quality Board will pick
this up again and we will look at that again at that time. But Mr. Nary.
Nary: Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. I think the Mayor's
covered that. If you recall last year there was a request from DEQ on whether or
not the city would be setting up its own program or would be entering into a joint
powers agreement. We did send them a letter back from the Mayor and the
Council last year saying we would enter into a joint powers agreement with DEQ.
They did send us another letter in the fall -- it was either the end of September or
the first of October. I looked at that today and I don't remember the date, but
saying they would get in touch with us in the future to do that. So, we think it's
probably appropriate to, then, contact them. If you -- if this Council's decision is
to follow the Air Quantity Board's direction and let this other program run,
reevaluate it in six months, then, we need to just reiterate that to DEQ and, then,
again, be available to discuss this joint powers agreement going forward. I'm not
sure what their intent is or what this joint powers is supposed to look like and I
think that's really the -- what we would like to have is that dialogue, figure out
what this joint powers agreement would be. Obviously, this Council did not agree
when we sent that letter last year to simply latch onto whatever program DEQ
came up with, but, rather, we would be a party or a partner with that. And so I
think that's all we really were intending. We could bring that letter back at your
next meeting, so that you can approve that and send it off.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I did have some discussion with the DEQ representative after the Air
Quality meeting -- Air Quality Board meeting was over. DEQ intends to send a
letter to us and the other signers of the current joint powers -- the Ada County
current joint powers agreement and my sense of it is that our answer back to
them is a restatement of our current joint powers agreement, that we are not
joining the Canyon county group. But they will specify in their letter to us what it
is they are looking for they said.
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De Weerd: Well, I believe we did get some indicator and that's why we are
having this discussion right now.
Zaremba: Oh. Well, they --
De Weerd: And it was a little out of the blue, wondering what they were asking
for, but --
Zaremba: Yeah. They are asking for confirmation that we are looking for the
current joint powers agreement. That's what I interpreted it.
De Weerd: Okay. Well, we will send a letter under all of our signatures and --
Nary: We can do that.
De Weerd: -- and we will bring that back at the next Council meeting.
Zaremba: Thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you. Anything further from Council on this item?
Rountree: I have nothing.
Bird: I have none.
Item 7: Action Items
A. Close Public Hearing/Comment Period and Consider
Substantial Amendment to PY2008 Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) Action Plan
De Weerd: Okay. Item 7-A under Action Items, we will close the public hearing
and comment period and consider amendments to the Community Development
Block Grant Action Plan. Anna.
Canning: Yes. Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, as you know we are
within the comment period for a substantial change to the plan year 2008 action
plan. It was -- you have received detailed reports in the past. It's on the order of
88,000 dollars. It's being shifted from three projects, Habitat For Humanity, code
enforcement in the low moderate income area, and senior center new floor, to
four new activities, which are public services for the senior center, additional
funds for the Food Bank, money to the Ada County Housing Authority, and the
Public Works infrastructure design for areas within the low moderate income
area. We had received no comments to date and if there are no additional
comments this evening, then, we ask that you close the public hearing.
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March 23, 2010
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De Weerd: Okay. This is a public hearing. Is there any member of the public
who would like to provide testimony on this item? Council?
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move we close the public hearing comment period and amendment for
fiscal year 2008, Community Development Block Grant Action Plan.
Rountree: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second. All those in favor say aye. All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Canning: Madam Mayor, Mr. Ellsworth will follow up with the appropriate
documentation.
B. Public Hearing: Solid Waste Advisory Committee
(SWACj Recommendations for Automatic Collection
De Weerd: Thank you very much, Anna. Okay. Item 7-B is a public hearing on
the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, SWAC, and their recommendations for
automatic collection. And Mr. Sedlacek.
Sedlacek: Madam Mayor and Members of the Council, the Solid Waste Advisory
Committee has been meeting every week for the last six or seven weeks a
couple hours at each session and we have come up with some items to discuss
tonight with you and to get public input on. Basically what we are talking about is
converting from a manual collection system like we have now, to an automated
collection system. And we have come before you a number of times to discuss
this and I wanted to bring up -- there is a general discussion file on that zip drive
or that thumb drive that I know the Council has this information and I just wanted
to show it up on the screens. Tonight I was just going to present a general
discussion of what it is that we would be doing. The Council -- or the commission
-- or the committee, excuse me, is -- there we go. The committee is dead locked
on how to proceed on one particular issue and we need some guidance from you
on that. And Steve Corey and Nancy Mann will be talking about those two issues
next and, then, I'm going to come up and finish up with the proposed rate
structure. Okay? So, basically, to convert to a manual -- to convert to a fully
automated collection system I don't want to spend a lot of time on this, we have
talked about it before, but just to go over it quickly, every house is going to
receive one or two carts. One garbage cart and one recycling cart. They may
already have -- have both carts already and we would, then, change our trucks
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over a period of time to use automated collection arms to grab the cans and
dump them in the trucks, prevents a lot of worker injuries, reduces our labor staff
to some extent, but it costs a lot of capital to do this. So, the point of doing this is
to bring some fairness to the waste collection system where, you know, we are
the only utility where no matter how much of it you use you will pay the same.
And you can imagine how much electricity we would use or water we would use if
everyone paid one lump sum every month. So, there is some highly variable
collection stops out there, you might say, and we have got some photos of those
that I have got and we can look at those if you're interested. So, we want to get
the system where the more you put out the more you pay. Okay. And so if you
want to put out less, if you want to recycle more, you have the ability to do that
and we want to encourage recycling and reuse and composting. The recycling
program does remain voluntary. There are people that just don't generate very
much waste and don't need to recycle and they can still get their stuff into a
pretty small can and that's fine. Most of the residents already use our wheel
carts. There will be -- instead of just one size that we have now there will be
three sizes. We are hoping that if OSHA comes out with new lifting rules, which
they have in the past, this will -- this will meet those regulations, we won't have to
comply, you know, suddenly with those rules. I'm not sure how to -- oops. I think
have to go over here. There are some negative points to doing this. There is
negative points to any collection system. It adds additional fees for collection of
excess waste and how we collect excess waste is the subject of discussion
tonight I think. It requires the remaining 35 percent, approximately, of the
residents who don't have a cart to get one and, you know, it makes the system a
bit harder to use. You can't just haul everything out to the curb and set it there
on your collection day. So, that might lead to more illegal dumping. People
might want to take their stuff to work and throw it in their dumpster at work or
something. There is wheeled cart storage concerns. You know, carts are way
too big, people think -- maybe they are, maybe they are not, I don't know. It
depends on the size you get. Where am I going to put it. Is my homeowners
association going to be mad at me. You know, we will get calls about, you know,
why doesn't my neighbor bring his cart in. I don't like looking at it all the time. It
increases the workload for MUBS, the billing system folks, and Carrie is here
tonight to talk about that if we want to. And it increases our capital costs. So,
that's sort of the pros and cons. I know you have heard all that before. I guess
could stand for questions on this. The questions that we need to go to next in
this presentation is do we go fully automated where the only way you can put
extra waste on the curb is in a cart, so you're going to have to sit -- you know, it's
one cart or two carts or three carts or whatever, and there is a rental charge for
those carts and that way our driver never gets out, he just keeps dumping the
carts. Or are we going to allow people to use their own cans and put a one time
use tag on it. In that case we are sort of semi automated, because we have to
get out of the car -- out of the truck, dump the can into the cart -- you have to
have a cart there -- and, then, we will redump the car. It allows, excuse me,
people to use their cans, but there are pros and cons to those and we will hear
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about that. I guess if there is no questions for me, I will turn it over to Steve or
Nancy. I'm not sure who is going first.
Nary: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Nary.
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, while Steve and Nancy are
coming up to talk about the different options, one of the items that's in your
packets that I wanted you to be aware of is the Solid Waste Advisory Committee
compiled all of the different a-mail comments that we received and Samantha
Simet from -- from SSC responded to every one of these. We wanted the
Council to be aware of the number of requests and number of duplicate types of
requests. Of course, many folks can attend the meetings and didn't realize when
they would send in a request that we had had multiple requests for the same
thing. So, we wanted the Council to see and the people to know as part of the
record, all of these issues were discussed by the Solid Waste Committee. Some
were not included in the recommendation, because they are not either practical,
as we vetted out the discussion and just didn't work, so -- but that all of them
were considered. So, you may hear that from other folks and you may have
heard that from other people before tonight about the container sizes or glass
recycling or they want to use their own trash cans or they dislike the loss of
unlimited trash. We did discuss all of those issues in coming up with these
recommendations for the solid waste committee and I just wanted you to be
aware that that was in your packet.
De Weerd: Thank you, Mr. Nary.
Mann: I'll just say quickly I'm Nancy Mann, this is Steve Corey, we are the citizen
members of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. We are not City of Meridian
employees, we do not work for Sanitary Services, we are just volunteers who are
dealing with the trash thing. So, Steve has been with us for about two months.
have been around for ten years. We both have been very involved in this
committee and you can believe me when I tell you that we have vetted every up
and down of this issue. We have done the work for you. I believe all the
information is in the packet in front of you, all the issues have been addressed,
the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, we can surely by the end of this short
presentation this evening answer any questions you might have, because we
think we have got it figured out. So, let's let Steve start, he's going to deal with
the -- the trash tag system that we have proposed.
De Weerd: Thank you, Nancy.
Corey: Mayor de Weerd, Members of the City Council, my name is Steve Corey,
I'm a citizen of Meridian, and about six weeks ago, maybe two months, I came
forth to the committee to testify on one of the subjects that they were considering
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and at that point, then, they were kind enough to honor me with a request of -- if
was available would I join the committee and it has been quite a whirlwind. Over
the course of the last six weeks we have had numerous discussions on
numerous issues and I have enjoyed at this particular point the chance to go
ahead and look at those issues and, then, look at the letters that we have
received and they do match up quite well. I think probably 95 percent of the
issues have dealt with the -- the ones outside of that are ones where people are
asking for us to develop an incentive program for composting or various other
situations that would require a budget and we felt that was beyond our scope
anyway. Indeed, basically, where this is coming down to is in the concerns that
we were hearing, people were discussing -- presenting their views about
concerns about protracted renting of containers versus owning containers, that
they had containers that they would like continue to use. They presented issues
-- possibilities of being compensated for their contains, various other things, and
so about a month ago the committee sat down and they considered what
changes would be necessary to the City Code to allow use of private containers
and we have worked out some language. The following week, then, presentation
-- it was moved that we go to a fully automated process where only containers of
uniform shape and size would be used and the committee at that point took a
vote on those two options and the vote was three-three. So, we are presenting
these two options at this point and looking for your advice on those issues. On
the tag allowance option the -- as Steve mentioned before, residents of the City
of Meridian would be able to have as many of the uniform carts as they would
choose to use. Each one would require an additional payment of two dollars per
month. There is also a process for having a special collection of waste, if they
have demolition waste or other things from their home, heavier items that won't fit
in the containers. So, this is something above and beyond that, and it is
matching the process that's currently used over in the city of Boise. The city of
Boise is requiring a prepaid tag to be put on personal cans before they can be
picked up. Going into the pros, of course, we have identified here that the
customer would, then, have the option to use their own personal trash can that
they have right now and that is really set up to address this issue about the
complaints about renting versus ownership or continuing to use the can that they
have. What's not on this list is just that there is an existing business for trash
cans and that would have to be considered at this point. At this point that
business could continue. The cons, though, primarily lead off with the fact that
we would be saying that we were having an automated service, but, in reality, it
wouldn't be fully automated. As Steve has alluded to, the truck would come up
and pick up the cart that SSC supplies and, then, the driver would have to exit
the cab and go over and pick up the additional containers, dump them into the
SSC container and load it into the vehicle. This, obviously, slows the collection
process and the SSC trucks would not be able to service as many residents as --
on each particular route. The other major problem with this is the tag process
and making tags available. Tags must be purchased in advance and a process
or a system to make tags available to the citizens when they are wanting them
would have to be put in place. We do have the indication from the city of Boise
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that this has added significant hours to their utility billing department and it may,
indeed, end up requiring additional staff with the City of Meridian to deal with
issues associated with tags and -- go ahead and express this, but the process
that would be coming forth would be that if someone wanted to use their can they
would be charged a dollar for each time that that can was placed on the curb
versus two dollars for renting a cart for the month from SSC. So, there would be
an incentive for people to go ahead and switch over to the conforming carts and
there may be people that would complain about paying four dollars for their own
can to be used versus two dollars for the SSC system. And with that thank you
for allowing me to present that option.
De Weerd: Thank you, Steve.
Mann: Okay. And I believe we are going to have some pictures at some point.
Mr. Parsons, do you have that zip drive that has the photographs on it, perhaps?
Bird: No. Steve does.
Mann: Steve's going to give it to you. Okay. While you guys are hooking that up
I think pictures say a thousand words and I, quite frankly, was shocked when
saw some of the photographs coming off of the SSC trucks. They do have --
now have the capability of taking a photograph at each residence, so that they
can document what date and time that picked up a Meridian resident's trash and,
basically, folks in Meridian have really been spoiled over the years, because you
could just put out anything you wanted and as much as you wanted and the folks
from SSC would come along and pick it up. Well, that really was not a very
equitable service, because the little old lady, you know, who lives by herself, like
me, maybe doesn't make as much trash as the people across the street who
have six children and some in-laws living with them, who put out six to eight
garbage cans per week. So, we are trying to make this much more equitable,
which is why the automated collection system is being proposed. So, I'm here to
say the pros and cons of the fully automated system. I think it's probably pretty
logical, if we are going to go automated, we should go automated. The whole
point of this is for safety of SSC personnel to decrease the amount of workmen's
compensation claims of these guys getting injured all the time. It's going to be
much more efficient and they are going to be able to utilize the capital equipment
they are going to be purchasing. I think it's going to make for a greater looking
city. We are not going to have trash blown around, we are not going to have
trash bags sitting on the curbs, it's going to be cleaner, it's going to be safer, and,
hopefully, we are going to be promoting our recycling program, because the
more stuff you put in that recycling bin the less that's going to be driven up to
Hidden Hollow Landfill and the tipping rates up there are going to do nothing but
increase over the years to come. We are just going to zip through these pictures
real quick and, then, we will go for some questions. We are going to see what
the hazards are of trying to pick up trash in the City of Meridian. Let's just zip
through a couple of these. Here is an example of large -- large loads of things
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out on the sidewalk that the personnel, as of today, have to physically get out of
their trucks and pick up -- manually pick up and throw into the backs of their
trucks. When we go full automated, all the trucks are going to be top loading and
cannot be physically -- manually loaded in the back as they are now. The SSC
drivers have to come across all kinds of things in the way and hazards during the
day, having a hard time getting their trucks into tight areas, as you can see in
these photographs. And we will just zip through a couple of them real quick.
And I'm hoping we have some here to show what we are really looking for. Just
large quantities of things sitting out on the curb, it's very unsightly, it's unsafe,
animals can get into these and, you know, haul things away. Very difficult to get
to these trash cans here, as you can see with vehicles parked in the way. And
I'm looking for -- hopefully a picture of -- here is a tough one. I don't know how
the guys could pick that up. I'm hoping -- we have a picture in here of what we
would like to see, which is, basically, one recycling container and one or two
automated trash cans. Here is an example, but they are too far away from the
curb. He has to be able to reach out there and pick -- pick those up. Now, we
are back to the beginning again. So, I think you get the idea. We are trying to
make it cleaner, safer, more efficient and make -- and make it really easier for
SSC to do the great job that they do. So, you have got the fee structure in front
of you and I do want to let anybody in the room know that might be here in
regards to the cost of this, quite frankly, the new fee structure, some of the
Meridian residents, if they recycle more and put out less trash, they will actually
pay less per month and they are going to be given a new cart, a recycling cart
and a trash cart, and their price per month could actually be less than what they
are currently paying. This is not about a fee increase. This is about paying for
what service you use. The more trash you put out the more you're going to have
to pay. And, hopefully, we can get people to recycle more.
De Weerd: Thank you, Nancy. Any questions from Council for Nancy or Steve
at this point?
Bird: Not at this time.
De Weerd: Okay. Thank you.
Mann: Did we make it that clear? Clear as mud?
De Weerd: They may have questions later.
Mann: Okay. Thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Sedlacek: I believe there is a pdf file on that red zip drive that has the rate
structure. Well, I guess we can -- I know that Council has the rate structure. I
was hoping that we could broadcast it for the public, too. We will get there in a
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second. But, basically, right now you have -- there is two rates you pay. You're
either paying $13.45 for unlimited garbage collection using your own cans or if
you rent a totter cart from us it's $2.88 per cart. And that -- so, if you have a cart
it's 16.33 and still unlimited service. We have something right now called the
habitual late can fee, I guess that's for the customer that never gets his can to the
curb and we got to go back and get it every week. We have never charged
anybody that -- that fee. If someone calls and they are late, we just go back and
get them. So, we also have free bulky waste collection. That's -- that's an Excel
sheet. It's not quite the right one. It's a pdf file.
Parsons: What file is it under? I have an open one for -- what's the name of the
file?
De Weerd: Rate structure.
Sedlacek: lJh-oh.
Nary: There is one that's in the packet, too, Bill.
De Weerd: Bill, if you can pull up the packet that's online. The downloadable
documents, you can go in under the first folder --
Sedlacek: That's great.
Parsons: Do you know the name of the file?
Canning: Do you know the name of the file? We are not going to turn that
monitor again.
Sedlacek: We will get it up here in a second.
De Weerd: Yeah. That way the public has a point of reference, too.
Bird: Madam Mayor, could I ask a question while he's waiting?
De Weerd: Yes.
Bird: Your technicians now, what is your comp rate per one hundred?
Sedlacek: We pay about ten percent of our -- for every -- for every hundred
dollars in labor costs we pay ten dollars in workmen's comp fees.
Bird: Ten dollars? If you go fully automated what do you expect to save, if any?
Sedlacek: The state does not differentiate between automation and
nonautomation.
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Bird: That's what I --
Sedlacek: So, we are in a particular category of worker called garbage and
rubbish collection. So, how we reduced our payments to workmen's comp is we
have fewer employees. You have one guy on a truck who can get hurt, rather
than two guys on a truck that can get hurt.
Bird: But you're still paying the same rate per --
Sedlacek: Right. Your experience modifier should go down.
Bird: Yeah.
Sedlacek: And -- but they only allow that to go down so far. The bottom line is
we are going to hurt fewer guys. You know, we have people now that we hire --
we hire young men -- there it is.
Bird: See if they can figure out how to rotate it. I'd love it.
De Weerd: Yeah. Right click. And, then, you will find the rotate. Yeah. There
you go.
Sedlacek: There we go. So, just to finish the point, we hire, you know, pretty
strong young men and after seven or eight or nine years they are pretty much
worn out and they have to go find another job. There is no -- there is no future in
our business on the back of a truck, unless you move up to be a commercial
driver or a roll off driver, but those guys, they never leave, ever, because -- you
know, they are more highly compensated and they like what they do. So, with
automation we will be able to hire men, women, anybody, you know, regardless
of age, to operate one of these trucks. So, on the left side of this screen here
you will see the current rate structure, habitual late can fee. Bulky waste is now
collected for free, as you saw in some of those photos. If someone wants to put
out a washer or a water heater or whatever, we pick it up and take it. Even
sofas, desks, anything.
De Weerd: I didn't know that.
Sedlacek: It's unlimited collection. So, we also charge currently for Freon
containing items, like refrigerators and air conditioners and stuff like that. Fall
leaf collection for two weeks in the fall is free. Christmas tree collection after
Christmas is free. And so comparing that to the rate structure on the right side of
the screen, the proposed rate structure, if you have a 95 gallon cart, instead of --
on the left side it's 16.33, on the right side it's 16.32. So, it's a penny less. And
that just worked out that way. So, fora 64 gallon cart, plus a recycling cart -- so
that's two carts, that's 14.32 and, then, another two dollars off if you can get all
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March 23, 2010
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your garbage into a 35 gallon can. Okay? So, all these rates include two carts,
the red lid recycling cart and a green lid garbage cart. And the recycling cart can
be any size you want. If you want to have a huge recycling cart, that's fine, and,
then, a small garbage cart, 35 gallon, that's fine, 12.32 a month. So, that's -- we
are trying to get some incentive to reduce your cart size extra waste on the
collection day, a dollar per can. Now, this is the question, if you want to go fully
automated, that line disappears. There is no -- there is no personal use of
garbage cans. And to put out extra weight -- or waste you will have to get an
extra cart, two dollars per cart per month. Now, if you're going to tag a bunch of
stuff every week, it's going to be cheaper pretty quick to just get a cart. I mean
that's why it's priced this way. Some people don't want to store carts, though,
and they are going to want to continue to buy these tags, if that's what you want
to do. The question is how do you ease the public into this? And maybe there is
no easy way. Some people want this, some people really don't want this, and I
understand that. But how -- so, how do you -- how do you move forward is the
question. Is there a question for me?
Hoaglun: I did. Madam Mayor. Steve, on this chart where you have extra carts,
the two dollar per cart per month, any size -- so, in those a-mails there are a lot
of folks saying, gee, I have a lot of yard waste, I do this, I have seasonal stuff,
that -- so, if they already have a -- a 95 gallon and that's 16.32, that extra cart is
only two dollars per month more and that includes the pickup?
Sedlacek: Yeah.
Hoaglun: So, it's still a pretty good deal, in my book. I mean that's -- but you
would -- you would recommend doing something that as -- that would be an
option, as opposed to having the extra dollar per can where the driver gets out,
they put the sticker on, he gets out, dumps it into the cart, they -- then, they use
the automated pickup and go from there.
Sedlacek: Yeah. Hopefully, we -- our guy would tear the sticker off, so they
couldn't use it again, but he might not. You know, one of the things about the
system is that bags are no longer allowed. Just a bag sitting on the curb is no
longer allowed. A plastic bag. It's got to be in some sort of can that we can grab.
So, a lot of people will say, well, you know, every so often I have an extra bag,
what am I supposed to do? You know, this is so constraining to me. I don't want
to go rent a cart for two dollars, I mean I only need to every so often. The cart's
huge. Well, one comment is -- well, you could save it until next week. I don't
know if that works for some people. Maybe you have had a party at your house
and you got just some extra stuff and you want to get rid of it, should you allow --
should the city allow them to buy a dollar tag, put it on their old can, and set it on
the curb? Because they might just want to do that once every six months.
Honestly, if I were that person I would go to my neighbor and put it in his cart
that was only partially full, but --
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Canning: With his permission, of course.
De Weerd: Oh, thanks for suggesting illegal activity.
Sedlacek: That's perfectly -- if you have your neighbor's permission, that's
perfectly fine with us.
De Weerd: Okay. I like that, then.
Zaremba: The point is you have to first have invited the neighbor to your party.
Sedlacek: So, almost all -- a lot of the a-mails are how do you deal with extra
waste. I just have this occasionally where I just have more -- I have to have
some mechanism to handle this. If it's every week for month after month, well,
just get a cart. I mean that's pretty simple. It's the -- it's the sporadic occasional
thing where our system now you don't have to think about it, you just set it on the
curb and it goes away. So, how do we change that? How do we move towards
something where you have to think more about what you're throwing away every
week. The -- just getting back to the rate structure, if I have answered your
question, Councilman Hoaglun, for a cart to -- pick up or exchanging for a larger
cart, there would be a fee for that, 12 dollars per cart. We -- what we want to
avoid is people calling us and saying, hey, I had a Super Bowl party at my house,
bring me a cart and, then, three weeks later come pick it up and like no charge
for it. Well, there is a transactional cost there for us. We have to charge to -- we
don't mind delivering carts that are going to stay at people's homes, but
constantly picking them up is an issue for us. Okay. Also the habitual late can
fee goes to ten dollars per occurrence. We have now switched our trucks over
with GPS tracking and the camera system, so we know exactly when we are at
your house and we know if -- you know, some people used to say, well, you
know, you missed me. Well, you probably weren't out. I mean that whole
discussion is kind of over with a lot of the customers, so -- and that's fine. If
they're habitually late we will charge them to go back. If it's just once, they have
never called us before, we will just go back, pick it up for free. Not a big deal.
That's sort of at our discretion and the SWAC talked about that. We will have this
collection -- special collection service is, actually, something we had under the
old rate system for commercial accounts. We used to have customers that would
call us and say, you know, come pick up the container and clean out the -- clean
out the enclosure for us and we would do that for a fee structure, I think it was 15
dollars for five minutes and, then, so much a minute after that and we'd send
them a bill. Or the city would send them a bill. Well, this is now something that
we can do for our residential customers, if you have got a huge mass of stuff like
those -- some of those pictures, they would be charged this rate in the future and
they would be paying, you know, 50 or 60 dollars to pick that mess up, not zero.
We will still have fall leaf collection. We will still have Christmas tree collection.
We will go to an unlimited waste collection the week after Christmas, so you can
go back to your old ways for a week, put everything on the curb you want and we
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will pick it up. Now, you will have to have your cart out there, so we can get the
stuff in the cart and get it in the truck.
De Weerd: Can you get your Christmas tree in the truck?
Sedlacek: Sure.
De Weerd: I mean in the can.
Sedlacek: Christmas trees are collected separately in a separate truck.
De Weerd: Okay.
Sedlacek: Right. Just like fall leaf collection. It's all separate. Those are all
handled separately. So, that's the new rate structure proposed to you tonight. I'll
stand for questions or I'll sit down and let the public talk.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I do have a question about one of the options that you want us to -- to
work through. In the option where you would allow people to continue using their
own can, there was a limit on that as well, but there could only be 50 pounds in a
35 gallon container.
Sedlacek: That's correct.
Zaremba: My question is that's similar to the rules now.
Sedlacek: That's correct.
Zaremba: Do people comply with that? I mean how often do you come out and
find the can weighs 85 pounds or a hundred pounds and --
Sedlacek: We -- honestly, the current weight list -- the current weight limit for a
can in the ordinance I believe is 65 pounds.
Bird: Sixty-five. Yeah.
Sedlacek: Sixty or sixty-five. And since we are lifting into a higher level than the
back of a garbage truck, we are reducing the weight by ten pounds. Honestly,
we lift cans that are overweight every single day and I'm not sure if a majority of
them are, but I would say a lot of them are. But it's easier for our guys just to lift
it and get it done, than argue about whether it's two pounds over weight. So, you
know, if it's 75 pounds, we will lift it. So, hopefully, if I said a 50 pound limit, we
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March 23, 2010
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won't go to 80, going to a 60. I mean I don't know. But we do tag them and we
do not dump them.
Zaremba: I'm just saying human nature probably doesn't change. It just -- those
who put whatever in there they want to do will probably do that -- continue to do
that.
Sedlacek: We are also going to ask people -- you know, if you have got a bunch
of heavy stuff, that's fine, but put it in your cart first.
Zaremba: Yeah.
Sedlacek: And if you want to put it in an extra can, try to put the lighter stuff in
the can, so we can make sure we pick you up.
De Weerd: Okay. Any other questions at this point?
Bird: I have none.
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: Thank you, Madam Mayor. Steve, proposed implementation date.
Sedlacek: We have talked in the past about this occurring in May. So, I will just
leave that whole month open. It's going to take some time to deliver carts and
get them to the right houses and the right sizes to the right people. This isn't
something that can occur in a couple days, it occurs over weeks. So, I would
assume we would start implementation early May, finish by the end of May and
be fully automated or whatever automation you want to call it in June. First week
of June.
Nary: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Nary: To add to that, part of what would drive that decision or that timing would
be two things. One would be the rate decision from tonight's meeting, the hope
for is to get direction from the Council to go forward with advertising these rates.
Although these rates are lower, they are different, so we are going to have to
advertise these rates as essentially a new rate for people and, secondarily, there
are some changes that are necessary to the ordinance. Not major. The number
one change is the unlimited trash collection. That's in the current ordinance now.
So, before we can implement a limitation on that, we will have to amend the
ordinance. That takes, again, a couple of weeks for rate changes to have a
public hearing, a couple of weeks to bring an ordinance change back as well.
So, it still can get done in the month of April, so whatever you're comfortable with
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timing. And if you don't mind, I'll just add one more thing. Myself and Carrie
Glenn, the billing manager, Steve Siddoway and Tom Barry, were on the
committee as well from the city's perspective and, you know, we really -- we
really struggle with all of these decisions. I mean we -- not to be cute, but we are
real immersed in this garbage thing and we are really pretty -- pretty in tune with
what we see out there, but we recognize that there is a lot of folks that changing
their behavior is very painful and it's been a very big struggle for folks to even
consider that on whether they can change how much yard waste they
accumulate and how -- how they accumulate it and when they accumulate it and
same thing with trash. So, that's why we had a split decision of the committee is
trying to remedy both the concerns that were addressed by folks who really
maybe can't change, don't have the means to change, or at least don't have the
information to change yet. Yard waste is the biggest driver of this decision. Most
of the people found in a lot of the a-mails that we received from the committee
were that the recycling program is working, it is getting people more conscious of
it, they are using it more -- in fact, they would like pickup even more often,
because they use it so much and they find that their normal household garbage
has reduced by half, you know, a third, two-thirds, and they don't really need as
large of garbage cart anymore, but they do occasionally, like Steve said. Super
Bowl. You know, family parties. Thanksgiving. And, then, all summer long. So,
part of the -- the struggle for the committee was trying to create a system that
would either make people make significant changes to their behavior today
without much transition or allowing them transition with their own -- with their own
garbage cans. There is more administrative time and effort to doing that. So,
that's really why we -- we were split on whether that would make the most sense.
Easiest, pick it up in the can that's provided, get extra cans if you need it, pay the
extra couple dollars and it's a lot easier, but it is very difficult for folks. So, I just
wanted you to know that at least more for the public I think that we really struggle
at trying to meet everybody's needs and desires in these recommendations and
we think we have done the best we can to at least alleviate those and leave,
really, that -- that last decision, really, to the Council on how much more you want
it to go.
De Weerd: Mr. Sedlacek, I guess I would have a question regarding the
discussion around the summer waste, because I see that probably has the
largest amount of concern, and when -- you would think to rent the extra can or
extra cart it's seven months, approximately, that you would need this and, then,
you have to pay a 12 dollar pickup, that kind of defeats the purpose. Then, you
have that cart year around and you're not really encouraging the recycling and
the waste reduction behavior. So, have you talked about maybe a special yard
waste rate? I know we have been talking about composting and, hopefully, at
some point we can move in that direction, but I just thought I would ask, because
I know I'm going to be a big person on that, too.
Sedlacek: Well, Madam Mayor, I'm sure you'll start mulching your grass and you
won't need to throw it away.
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March 23, 2010
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De Weerd: I do every other week, but you can't mulch always or you get
mushrooms and all kinds of great stuff in your yard, too.
Sedlacek: Well, Madam Mayor, we have talked about this a lot. This is the
issue. I mean I know the Public Works director and I want to come before you
and talk about composting in the near future, about a pilot project to do that.
Right now grass is garbage. It goes to the landfill. So, we haven't talked about
having a separate collection of grass per se, because it's all going to the landfill.
You know, with regard to people, you know, using a cart for seven months and,
then, not having to use it for five months, that's part of the reason why the rates
only two bucks. You know, the disposal fees on that are going to consume most
of that two dollars. So, you know, I guess I'm -- I'm of the opinion that people will
keep them all year around, they will end up paying ten dollars a year, you know,
those five months at two dollars a month, more than maybe they should have,
but if we want to allow people to turn them in and get them at -- at -- at anytime,
that's fine, but that two dollars isn't going to be two dollars, it's going to be like
five dollars, because I have got to recover my cost of sending people in and out
every day, I have got to store the cart, I have got the capital cost on the cart.
You know, I have got to -- you know, I guess the rules have to be one or the
other and we can go either way.
De Weerd: I would love to say I was just playing devil's advocate, but ten dollars
is ten dollars, you know, so --
Sedlacek: And I agree. I agree with that. Right.
De Weerd: I understand the other side of the argument, though. And I am going
to take lessons on composting, so --
Sedlacek: Well, just to be fair, Madam Mayor, I don't think composting is the be
all end all to grass problems. You can't compost grass only. It's a green waste
and waste thing. You have to have all of it to do it.
De Weerd: I do.
Sedlacek: Perhaps it is an end all for you. You know, grass -- there is issues
with grass and it needs to be mixed with things like biosolids, like you have at the
waste program -- treatment plant for it to be successful. So, it's a really tough
issue.
De Weerd: Okay.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
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March 23, 2010
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Zaremba: You can tell which way I'm leaning on having people use their --
continue to use their own carts in an -- in what we hope will be an automated
system, but let me just maybe frame a quantity on it. If we are saying under the
current system where people have been billed separately to have a cart, only 35
percent of us don't have a cart. In the automated new system where the cost of
the cart comes in the price of the service, I -- just off the top of my head I would
guess that a good half of the 35 percent that don't have carts right now would
easily take a cart and there would be no struggle there. So, we may be talking
about 15 to 17 percent of our citizens that might have some objection, saying
they have recently spent 20 dollars on a cart of their own.
Sedlacek: Correct.
Zaremba: I happen to be one of those people, but I -- I feel that I would very
happily use my -- the cart that I bought at a hardware store for some other
purpose and use your cart -- I'm just -- what I'm narrowing it down to is it looks
like this is a 35 percent of the people problem, I'm guessing it's probably five,
eight percent of people problem that we are talking about, and to invent a whole
secondary system to deal with that small -- I realize every individual is important,
but -- but if we are trying to go to an automated system to allow five to eight
percent of the people to have a different system I don't think is practical.
De Weerd: For the sake of discussion, I withdraw my suggestion. I just found a
way I could do it.
Sedlacek: Madam Mayor and Councilman Zaremba, you know, the issue is
people have purchased cans, as you have, and should you be allowed to
continue to use them with a tag and if you want to do that, that's fine with us. If
you don't want to -- and have a truly automated system, which everyone -- or
everything is in a car no matter what, that's -- that's Option B. I'm happy to --
think we are moving forward in either option, from my perspective.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Steve, tell me on the automated trucks, how much higher -- if we had to
physically throw the trash in, how much higher are we than the existing trucks we
got?
Sedlacek: How much work -- the --
Bird: The -- well, you come up and go down in the top, don't you?
Sedlacek: That's correct. It comes in the top.
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Bird: So, if you are going to physically -- now you got alittle -- you're maybe
three foot off the ground where you throw it in.
Sedlacek: Right. Exactly right.
Bird: Okay. So, manually you're going to have to go up on top and bring it
down?
Sedlacek: No, sir.
Bird: You still have the back open?
Sedlacek: No, sir.
Bird: Okay. How are you going to do it in a regular can like --
Sedlacek: The -- the only way a person could set out a regular can, like
Councilman Zaremba, is if he also set out his cart. So, we would dump his cart,
we would see the can next to it was tagged --
Bird: What if we don't have the cart?
Sedlacek: Then, you don't get service. The only way to get -- the only way to get
garbage in these trucks is the opening, as you say, is ten feet in the air, is using
a cart.
Bird: I think the question is you either automate or you don't.
De Weerd: That's what he's asking.
Rountree: That's the question.
Bird: Right.
De Weerd: Okay. We will save all the rest of our questions for --
Bird: Somebody else.
De Weerd: -- summary.
Sedlacek: All right. Thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you. Okay. I do have several people who have signed up
and when Iraise -- or read your name, if you would like to come forward and
provide testimony, we would invite you to do so at that time. And if you didn't
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
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sign up I'll ask for any additional testimony at the tail end. Liz Pew. Yes. Please
come -- come on down. And if you will, please, state your name and address for
the record.
Pew: Okay. Yeah. I'm new to this. So, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council,
thanks for allowing us to have a chance to voice our opinions. My name is Liz
Pew and my address is 5280 North Debussy Way in Meridian. I came here -- I
have been following a lot of the a-mails with -- with the -- with the solid waste
company and I have been following that. I have been to at least one meeting
where we were able to ask questions and do that. I -- I do applaud them for
starting the recycling first. It does -- it has given at least me personally a chance
to see what I can do with that and how much waste I can cut down. I still have
some concern. Meridian is a rural community. We are not -- we are not big city
and we do have a lot of rural waste, you know, just the yard waste, like we have
talked about tonight. I am sad that people abuse the system. I am not one of
those. And I'm sad that some do. I also recognize the fact that it -- that it is very
demanding physical -- physically. So, I'm not against going automated.
However, I am one of those that do have at least twice or three times a year the
large, you know, yard waste, because we still, you know, cut all that up and put it
out. My guess -- part of my question might be is it possible that we could --
rather than adding the extra cans I'm not going to use every month or every
week, possibly -- I have two suggestions, maybe. Could there be one week a
month where we could put out extra in those plastic bags that could be thrown
into our cart? I personally think that throwing a couple plastic bags into my
wheeled cart would be easier than lifting a big garbage can every time for that
person who might come. And the other question might be if they don't want it --
you know, maybe if we don't have one week a month we could do that, possibly
just, you know, have the tags for those plastic bags that could be throw in that
bigger receptacle. I -- those are just a couple of ideas that came to mind. I know
it's complicated. But I need a way to do it and I'm not going to use that can all
year around, so -- that extra can. So, I -- it's complicated, but those -- maybe a
couple suggestions, a couple questions. Thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Hoaglun: Liz, before you go --
Pew: Yes.
Hoaglun: Real quick. Question if you don't mind.
Pew: Yeah.
Hoaglun: I'm in the same boat. I'm doing the recycling and it has dramatically
reduced how much I throw out and I'm -- when I started doing the figuring for me
I'm thinking, you know, that 65 gallon gives me enough excess capacity, because
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
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now I just have the 32 gallon can I put out, because I recycle. So, by going to the
65 I'm -- because I'm in the same boat, I -- we have an acre. We used to be a
farm and so we have a lot of waste. We do composting, but my -- we still have --
you know, you trim shrubs and trees, everything, so I'm trying to figure out, okay,
how do I do that and I'm going to -- I think I can do the 65 gallon and add -- add --
be able to fill some of that extra capacity. Can you do something like that, too? I
mean that's how I was thinking I could go and I don't know if that was an option
for you or --
Pew: Well, you're just saying because I won't use it fully all the time and I could
add extra --
Hoaglun: Correct. Right.
Pew: Yes. I have some concerns because when you're cutting back shrubs they
are very large and as it is it's been nice to not have to cut them down to more
than four feet.
Hoaglun: Right.
Pew: As we have to start cutting those down, those take up a lot of room. A lot
of room.
Hoaglun: Yeah. They do. They do.
Pew: I -- in the spring we now hire someone to come do it, because Ican't -- I
can't get rid of all that waste anymore, it's a lot. So, they come and haul it away.
But in the fall -- I can't afford to do it both times, so we do it all ourselves and it's
a lot, you know, when you're doing the bushes. And cutting that down would be
pretty tough to fit in those -- you know. And I guess do -- but do I have to pay 12
dollars to get the can and, then, the extra monthly fee and, then, I don't need it
for the rest of the year. I have to pay it to have them come pick it up again -- it's
complicated. So, could I bundle those? And for -- you know -- and it doesn't all
come at the same time, so you're not going to have just that one month in
November, like the one week they will pick up my leaves. Well, my trees all fall
at different -- you know, different times, because there will be several times, you
know. I don't know. Yes, I could get some in it, but I -- I think I have too much.
Based on my past experience I'd have more than that. And I could do it two
weeks at a time, but I still think with all the bushes it's going to be --
Hoaglun: Yeah. I'm in the same boat. I understand. My wife's a master
gardener, so I'm really up to it with cutting and different things, so -- and that's
one thing I'll ask Steve, you know, we can take things to the Franklin Center
there, so -- because I have done that a time or two, you don't have to drive out to
Hidden Hollow and --
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 28 of 74
Pew: Well, that's nice, but I don't have a truck.
Hoaglun: But you -- yeah. I know we had a van for awhile, I'd bundle things up
and I get too much and just take it down there, so --
Pew: I wish I had a truck, but I don't, so --
Hoaglun: Okay. Thanks, Liz. Appreciate your involvement.
Pew: All right. Thanks.
De Weerd: And Thomas Sower. Sower. I should know your last name, but --
thank you for joining us. If you will, please, state your name and address for the
record.
Sower: My name is Thomas Sower. 4089 South Cabola, Meridian. And
especially for Councilman Bird, I'm not sure it came across quite clearly enough,
but my understanding is that you have to get one of these carts besides your own
personal cart, so -- if you put out additional. But I don't believe we should do this
halfway. If we are going to go automated it should be a hundred percent
automated. I don't think there should be any manual whatsoever. If people have
a lot of garbage, which I don't, they should rent the additional carts, it makes it
easier on everybody, and if they don't use it every month, every week, it doesn't
matter, it's cheap compared to what it would cost to do the tag system. So,
think I agree with Nancy, automated or nothing, if we are going to go that route.
And I guess is that still a question as far as the Council is concerned?
De Weerd: It is the question that SWAC is asking tonight. I think it's a
reaffirming what decision --
Sower: Can we stay the same as we are today or do we -- are we transitioning
to the automated?
De Weerd: The recommendation is to transition into the automated.
Sower: Or can we just go into it period? I don't think --
De Weerd: I think it's -- well, we have been transitioning and that is the question.
Yes, either you do it or you don't.
Sower: Uh-huh. And I don't think -- personally, I don't think the tag system is a
viable option for extra, because they have to get out of the truck, they have to
throw it in the dumping container, and, then, they have to go back in the truck
and dump it again. Where is the savings? So, that's, basically, all I really wanted
to say, then. So, thank you very much.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
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De Weerd: Thank you. Karen Babcock. Thank you, Karen. David and Wendy
Lushbaugh. If you will, please, state your name and address for the record.
Lushbaugh: David Lushbaugh. 3041 West Bonner Street in Meridian
De Weerd: Thank you.
Lushbaugh: This is all new to me, but this screen -- you can't see it back there.
It's too small. And I do most of my lawn. Only thing is you have to cut it twice a
week and I do compost and that stuff. The only time I have extra stuff is when I
trim my bushes and stuff and I was recycling them, but, then, they got this great
big old thing and I don't have room for it, so I stopped doing it. So, that's all I got
to say, so -- if they are going to have smaller recycling bins, I guess I'd probably
use one.
De Weerd: Okay. Well, we will get clarification on that as well. Okay. Thank
you, sir. Okay. Those were the names on my list. Is there anyone who would
like to provide testimony or comment? Okay. Yes. Ken, come on forward.
Altig: I'm Ken Altig and I live at 101 East Carmel Street in Meridian and it is a
senior community, so everybody in there is over 60 years old, up to in their 90s,
and I just had a few questions. I -- I didn't understand -- now, are they going to
charge for both cans, the garbage and the recycle? Just the one can.
De Weerd: All included in that price.
Altig: In one price. So, if you have a 66 gallon trash, that is the price for both
cans; is that right? Okay. And also I have a question about what do they do if
somebody's put their garbage can out and somebody parks a car in front of it
before they get there? Are they going to get out and move this cart, so that they
can get to it with the truck or are they going to leave it? We are rather limited
with parking in there and as guests come in they come -- will park in front of a
mailbox or garbage cans or whatever there is. And I have a question what they
will do with the carts that are blocked by a car that somebody's parked in the
street after it was put out. And that's my main questions right now.
De Weerd: We will ask Mr. Sedlacek when he comes up. Thank you, Ken.
Okay. Any further comments?
Mann: I have one more, if I may.
De Weerd: You certainly may.
Mann: Thank you. In regard to the discussion --
De Weerd: You will need to restate your name for the record
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
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Mann: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm Nancy Mann. 34 West Claire Street, chair
person of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Mann: One of the major issues here seems to be large bundle branches, fall
clean-up, spring clean-up, big items all at once on people's properties. We have
addressed that in detail. I think we spent about four hours on that in discussion,
eight of us, and you will notice on the waste collection rate schedule that there is
a special collection service. For 20 dollars the solid waste -- or, excuse me,
Sanitary Services will come over with their bulk truck and they will pick up
everything that you have out on your curb that's not in special containers, waste
branches, trash bags, grass, whatever. And for ten minutes -- for ten minutes of
their staff time for 20 dollars they will pick up all that stuff in the front of your
house. So, these folks that have concerns about once a year, twice a year, they
have a large bulky waste and they don't know how to get it off their property, for
20 dollars they can get it off their property. And I would be happy to pay 20
dollars for somebody to come and do all that work for me. I don't know where
else you're going to get somebody to do that for 20 bucks. Or you can take it to
the transfer station.
De Weerd: And, Nancy, you wouldn't have to cut your twigs to a certain length,
you could --
Mann: I don't believe so. I'm sorry. Four feet. This also goes along with
couches, desks, toilet bowls, engine blocks.
De Weerd: So, you have to cut your couch to four feet?
Mann: Okay. So, that's one of the options. So, bulky waste can either go to the
transfer station or it will be collected at the property for 20 dollars for ten minutes
worth of staff time. Thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you. That's a very good point. Okay. If there is no further
public testimony, I would ask -- before we have Steve come up, Karen would -- or
Reta, would you like to speak on behalf of finance?
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor, as they are coming up I'm kind of curious -- if we go to
the extra waste collection day, a tag system, if you will, where they can put out
their regular garbage can, dump it in the other one, they buy the tag -- how are
we going to administer from the billing system? What's that going to take to
make that happen? So, can you guys address that?
Glenn: My name is Carrie Glenn, I'm the utility billing manager
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March 23, 2010
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Cunningham: I'm Reta Cunningham. Controller.
Glenn: We have actually been doing some tallying, some logging, that kind of
thing, comparing with Boise, since they have just kind of experienced this
transfer. As far as the tag system, we would either have to just sell them in-
house to where customers would have to come to City Hall. I know Reta and I
have both contacted some agencies outside of the city limit -- agency. We have
had one pretty large chain say that they would be interested in selling them in
their stores. One of the smaller businesses didn't -- that I talked to really didn't
have much interest in doing that. As far as administering the program, if
somebody come in, we would have to manually charge that to their account,
collect the money, and give them the tags. If we chose to do it on the Internet
they could pay -- we would have increased postage trying to get the -- trying to
mail them out. That kind of thing. That would be one of the drawbacks as far as
the tag system, on a Sunday afternoon you're trying to clean up your yard and
you have no tags, your trash days on Monday. There you sit. You have no way
to do it.
Hoaglun: Carrie, real quick. On the store, through a vendor, are they -- do they
want a cut of whatever the charge is? If we sell them for a dollar do they want 15
cents, 20 cents? Did they say?
Glenn: You know, we didn't get into that. We just talked about whether or not
they would even be interested in something like that and they said as long as
they were bar coded or actually have serial numbers on them, so that they could
track them for inventory purposes, they would be willing to actually purchase up
front from us and, then, they sell.
Hoaglun: Okay. Thank you.
Glenn: I think overall either of the options that you have heard tonight is going to
have some increased administration effects. We are going from a one rate
structure to a three rate structure. So, all of those -- all of the people that maybe
start out with a big trash can now want to go to a reduced size, all of those code
changes are going to have to be done. I have -- I have made contact with IT, so
we are working on getting an import procedure to where we could just do it
electronically, change those rate codes. Right now it's all done manually.
Cunningham: I did talk to Boise city also and they, actually, have 66,000
customers and they said they are getting about a thousand adjustments a month.
That's a thousand customers a month that are going from different can sizes.
Then, when we talked about the tags, they said they are getting about a hundred
calls aday -- they are averaging a hundred calls a day requesting tags and, then,
they are mailing them. So, just to let you know. And they said it was a huge
impact. They didn't add staff and now they are going to have to look at hiring one
more just for the tag system.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
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Hoaglun: Just a comment on that. I mean in this day and age, you -- the
economy and, of course, our revenues reflect that. That's -- that adds up. And --
and that one dollar -- I guess that's a question for Steve when he comes back up,
is who gets that dollar? Does that all come to us? Is it split? Because we have
got to mail those things out, that sort of thing. Plus staff time and everything
else. So, that's something -- it all boils down to dollars and cents on that.
Cunningham: That's right.
Glenn: Any other questions?
De Weerd: Anything else from Council or staff? Thank you. Okay. Steve.
Sedlacek: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, I guess in summary we are
here to try to develop a system that is more rate based, more user based, more
of a fee based structure based on what you have put on the curb. We are trying
to get a system that is -- protects workers, a little bit more modern than what we
have now, and so the question is how do we move forward. I guess to the -- I
guess it's Liz -- I didn't catch Liz's last name. Although I remember you at some
of the public meetings.
De Weerd: Mrs. Pew.
Sedlacek: Mrs. Pew. If we did go to an unlimited collection every third week or
fourth week, my comment is let's just do it every week. I mean what the heck.
Now, we do have the rate -- the collection rate where we can come out to your
house and for ten minutes from 20 dollars we will pick up whatever you have got
on the curb. Your question about sofas, do they have to be cut to four foot
lengths. No. We can feed half that sofa in, we crush it, and we feed the other
half in and crush it. It's kind of fun to do every so often. If you're cutting up
branches, though, they do need to be four foot lengths, because that's the width
of the back of the truck. We need to push them in that way. So, it can be
dangerous putting stuff halfway in and smashing it. Things fly. People get hurt.
De Weerd: It gets dirty, too.
Sedlacek: It's not good. With regard to what do we do in front of a place with a
blocked car -- or a car blocking a can, our driver's do get out and move the cart
and dump it and, then, put it back. They won't necessarily walk all the way back
around the car and put it back where it was, they will set it someplace -- probably
near the mailbox or, you know, on the front edge of the car or the back edge of
the car. The new carts we are ordering are --
Zaremba: I think they should put it on the roof of the car.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
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Sedlacek: Well, these things happen. And one of the things, to let you know, is
if this happens every week, we are going to stop getting out of the car -- or
getting out of the truck and moving it. We do have issues where stuff is
chronically forever blocking -- you saw some of those pictures where people park
on 90 degrees from the cul-de-sac and we can't even turn our trucks around. Or
the one picture where the guy just decided to park in the middle of the road. I
think the police department took care of that. There is always strange things
going on and if there is chronic problems we take a photo of it and we don't dump
the cart. Now, if it's just a once every so often deal, that's fine. That -- you know,
we will get out and move it. So, it's a little bit to -- at our discretion. We are not
trying to, you know, upset anybody, we are just trying to move efficiently through
the town, keep our structure -- rate structure down, and get everyone's trash
picked up, so -- I think that's it in summary for me, unless you have questions for
me.
De Weerd: Council, any further questions?
Hoaglun: Yes. Steve, what is the cost -- if someone brings out yard debris to --
to your Franklin facility, what does that charge run?
Sedlacek: It's -- right now it's nine dollars a yard. If it's grass only it's seven
dollars a cubic yard. We are actually starting a program where if you bring clean,
fresh, grass to us, we are going to segregate it and we are going to get a dairy
farmer to pick it up every day and they are going to go use it for cattle feed. So,
we are diverting that from the landfill. And, hopefully, that seven dollar a yard
rate will go down -- I'm not sure. We will see how efficient he is. But if you don't
have a truck, as Mrs. Pew doesn't have a truck, that's -- that's a good point, you
know, it's tough to get stuff to us sometimes. But if you have a truck take -- and
we take metal for free, cardboard's free, carpet pad, you can dump that off at no
charge. Because we turn around and sell that material.
Hoaglun: And just to kind of comment, we have talked, just so folks understand,
a long term there is a vision to do composting and these types of things, we just
aren't there yet. I mean this is -- we are phasing things in, we are making
changes down the road. We want to do it -- there is a lot of issues surrounding
that, a lot of cost. We will get there some day.
Sedlacek: I think so. If you look at other parts of the country, most places -- or a
lot of places -- I wouldn't know if it's most, but, you know, where I grew up now --
you know, they used to come into my parents garage and pick up the can and
take it out and dump it and put it back. That doesn't happen anymore. Now, they
have -- my parents have three cans, one's for recycling, one's for waste, and
one's for composting. And that's a fairly typical system. Composting costs about
30 dollars a ton and that's -- we are paying about 25 dollars a ton for disposal
now. So, it's slightly cheaper to just continue to throw it in the landfill. And we
are struggling with that financial issue right now and -- but we are working with
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 34 of 74
the city to try to figure that out. It's going to be a few years, though. It's not -- it's
not like next week.
De Weerd: Okay. Anything else from Council?
Rountree: Madam Mayor, Idon't -- I don't have any questions, but I do have
some comments and I first want to recognize Nancy Recycle It Mann. She has
been with the SWAC committee for -- she indicated ten years and it's because of
her -- I think involvement and interest a number of years ago why the city moved
towards recycling in the first place. She's stuck with that committee. I have sat
in on numerous meetings and she's kind of the driving force and a breath of fresh
air when it comes to just getting down to the brass tacks of the issues. I really
have appreciated her time and energy and we need to do something for her one
of these days. I don't know what it is, but maybe we could build a collage or
something out of recycled pop cans or something. She'd probably like that.
De Weerd: I thoughts it was continuing her service.
Rountree: But if she would continue, that's -- that's well. I'd also like to
recognize the rest of the SWAC committee. They have worked hard this last six
weeks, but they have worked hard over the years with all kinds of issues related
to trash and trash collection and recycling for the city and have done a great job.
The newest member, Steve Corey, we just kind of -- he showed a degree of
interest and some insight I think to the committee members and it was an easy
call and an easy suggestion that he would be a benefit to the committee as well
and, Steve, I appreciate you taking on that assignment. And as far as SSC, they
have been a great partner with the city, they have -- they have held fast with the
Solid Waste Advisory Committee. They have listened to the desires of the City
and the Council. I can guarantee if there is a public event in the City of Meridian,
they are there and they are there on their own time. They are a great partner to
the city. And, lastly, to the financial department in the last six weeks -- I know
they have been cringing at what might happen and where this might go and we
have yet to make that determination, but thank you for your patience and time.
And, hopefully, we can get on with a decision this evening and move forward.
Thanks, Steve.
Sedlacek: Thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you, Mr. Rountree.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I move we close the public hearing on the Solid Waste Advisory
Committee.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 35 of 74
Hoaglun: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to close the public hearing on Item 7-
B. All those in favor say aye. All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Yes, Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I'm very pleased about all the things that have been considered and
discussed and I am on the side of saying if we are going to do this we need to do
it a hundred percent. Automation is certainly the right way to go and I believe we
need to find a way to go to a hundred percent automation, not have a separate
parallel system to get around not being fully automated. I'm -- that's not very
eloquent, but I think we need to go to full automation. That's my comment.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: In going into this I was one of those folks that puts out that extra can
once in awhile. That was about a year and a half ago when we first started
talking about this and I have since done a lot of thinking and activities related to
residential waste management and have not necessarily eliminated that option,
but pretty much gotten rid of it. Brad asked about, well, what's it cost to go to the
transfer station. I can tell you I went yesterday, it cost ten dollars for a fairly full
pickup load of tree trimmings. If I would have rented a cart under the proposed
fee structure for extra storage of yard waste, I would have had to have that cart
for five months in order to make it pay and it was -- it was just easy to either take
it myself or it would have been just as easy, because it was all bundled up, to call
and have SSC come and pick it up for 20 dollars. I was inclined to think a bag
tag or a -- in this case a proposed can tag was probably the way to go. Having
heard some of the comments this evening, I guess I'm inclined right now to say
let's -- let's just move forward and let's just do it and move forward and work out
the wrinkles if there are any. So, I'm -- I'm at this point of changed in my position
that would have been -- and Nancy's nodding her head, she knew what it was a
week ago -- to let's -- let's automate this rascal and move forward.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 36 of 74
Bird: I agree. Let's move forward. I have a -- I have a problem with that tag
system, because I think it's going to be a can of worms. A big time can of worms.
And if you -- if you look at it, get two 65 gallon receptacles and it's the same as if
you got a 95, so you have got two cans. You know, there is ways of working with
it. SSC has always bent over backwards to make sure they have been fair to our
consumers and I think it's time that we go to the automated and no messing
around. I mean I -- let's do it.
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: Just a couple of comments. I always find it fun when we have public
hearings and we had discussion earlier and no one commented on it, we spent
88,000 dollars, but it was federal money, don't worry about it. No one
commented, but, you know, we want to talk about two dollar can fees, boy, we
are all over -- that's just -- that's just the way it is. It's kind of fun. That's just an
observation. That's one thing we do worry about on the Council and the Mayor is
worry about costs. What does it cost the rate payer and what does it cost SSC,
what does it cost the city, because, ultimately, that's the taxpayer dollars that are
paying for that, however that comes in, whether it's through billing services
somewhere else. I have done some calculations that -- in fact, it's interesting --
I'm like Councilman Zaremba, I didn't -- when we were annexed into the city
many years ago, I kept my 32 gallon garbage cans, because, to me, that 2.88 a
month, added up to 34.56 a year. Now, why would I want to pay an extra 34.56 a
year when I got regular garbage cans that do just fine. So, I appreciate SSC
making this work. One of the concerns I had when they first came to discuss this
was what about those folks that don't generate that amount of trash, the folks that
-- the Johnsons that live right across from me, an older couple, retired, they put
out their little sack every week and I bring out my cans and whatever I have and
put it out there and we are paying the same rate. And that -- that worried me a
bit, because the folks -- they can actually lower their trash bill and I think that's a
good thing and folks who need to put out a lot, they are going to have to pay for it
and that's -- that's what we are going to and we have accepted that and -- and
from the standpoint that Liz brought up, you know, I feel her pain. I'm in the
same situation where I have got acreage, got property, how do I deal with that.
You know, I was up in that corkscrew willow Sunday afternoon, my wife just
wanted that one branch cut. Well, several bundles later, including some logs I
need a chain saw to cut, you know, now what do I do, you know, that's -- that's
something that we struggle with, if you have any amount of property, which I
think Liz pointed out we still do have some areas around the city that still have
that. And for those of us that have that, that is a tougher -- tougher problem and I
don't know what the solution was. I was coming in tonight thinking -- I was
favoring the per can. Do the tag, throw it in there, that way we got the option for
people and throw it in there, but as I listened to the discussion and realize where
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
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we are going in this city and eventually we will have compost and we will
probably have three cans and, Liz, our problem will be at least a little better
solved. We probably need to jump to the extra cart. Originally when we were
first talking about this I thought, wow, for people who want extra carts and they
are going to have to pay double, 16.32 times two, that's -- no. But the two dollars
per month you had to -- do I have to hide it somewhere, because I'm only going
to use it on occasion, you know, like Charlie said, you know, what do you do. But
when I look at what I'm paying, because I'm recycling, I'm going to save, I have
got extra capacity, because I only put out the 135 gallon, so if I go 65 gallon
have increased my cost by a dollar, but I'm saving 34.56 by not renting, so I have
to get a cart at two dollars, that's 24. So, I'm saving 10 dollars a year. Okay. If
you followed that math, we got a job for you in the federal government.
De Weerd: I was just going to say, he's adding for Congress.
Hoaglun: But, you know, those are the types of things that we go through up
here trying to figure out, okay, what is the best deal for our citizens? Are we
going to have to make some sacrifices? Yeah. I think a few people like Liz and
me are going to have to grit our teeth and figure out a way to -- way to get it to
the -- to the transfer station or -- if we don't have enough room in our cart that
day and I think if I recall, Steve, the lids have to be closed on those carts, so it's
not like I can have the four foot bundles sticking up with the lid open. Sorry, Liz, I
tried on that one, but -- so, I guess I'm to the point where I came in tonight per
can, but if we are going to do this I think we have to go to the fully automated and
not go to the tags and make it happen and those of us will have to figure out a
way to make it work and --and we will figure it out. We are pretty ingenious.
De Weerd: Thank you. And I know I don't have a vote, I'm already sensing how
this goes, but I'm in the category of Liz and Councilman Hoaglun here with my
third of an acre and I love plants and so I am a creator of a lot of waste, but with
this new recycling program I have found I have reduced my waste stream by two-
thirds. I recycle and I have extra capacity in my 95 gallon thing, because I only
fill it by a third. I have even missed trash collection and it hasn't freaked me out.
So, that's a good thing. I do think that we all need to learn to reduce our waste
and, Nancy, you have created a legacy in our community with the recycling
program and when I moved here in 1992 I moved from a community that we
were charged per container and when we moved here there was no incentive to
try and reduce your waste and it was a little baffling, but easily you get into that
new frame of mind and I think like Councilman Rountree and Councilman
Hoaglun, I was really favoring the per bag tag. I knew that the work -- the
workload would certainly be impacted, but -- and I get a lot of the phone calls and
that's what people have been suggesting. I do see the value of the fully
automated and moving either -- it's kind of that saying, either you're pregnant or
you're not. You're never part pregnant. We either need to decide to go in that
direction and do it for all the right reasons and we are running out of room in our
landfill, we will -- we will delay a decision of what we need to do with our waste,
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but I think every year we can buy extra time, it's -- it's going to make us all be
part of that solution. So, I agree with the direction that Council is going and --
and I know that SSC, utility billing, my office, and probably others we will
continue to field the questions, but I think the Council has listened to every angle
with 102 comments from a-mails and letters and phone calls, we have certainly
seen every angle and appreciate everyone's time and consideration trying to do
what's right for the whole and that's how we have to think.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I would like to set a date of -- if possible to get everything done and have
this start July 1st. That way we get all the bumps and the bruises over with and,
then, we are ready to go. Sometimes if you try to do it too fast you wind
spending a couple of months just putting out fires.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: I move that we move forward with the total automation of trash
collection in the City of Meridian and direct staff to move forward with the
proposed rate structure for hearing and to modify the existing solid waste
ordinance accordingly and include the appropriate measures that need to be
made to bring the ordinance to -- into consistency with the automated trash
collection.
Bird: Second.
Rountree: And have the automated trash collection be fully implemented by the
1st of July, 2010.
Bird: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second for discussion. Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: For the sake of discussion, it might be preferable to SSC start on July
5th, which is a Monday, as opposed to start mid week. The 1st is a Thursday.
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor, by July 1, so they could implement it a week sooner.
Zaremba: Okay.
Rountree: They can implement anytime.
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March 23, 2010
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Zaremba: That works for me.
De Weerd: Well -- and billing is going to have to bill it in full months, so that's --
that's reasonable. It also allows SSC time to, again, get information out to the
customers and allows us time and billing and certainly through ordinance work to
do the things we need to do. So, I think that's a reasonable time frame.
Nary: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Nary.
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, would the first billing cycle in July
be the more appropriate billing? So, we can have all of that implemented and,
then, be able to put it in force in that first billing cycle. So, that's when the
change would occur.
De Weerd: Okay. So, we will go with the first billing cycle in July. Does the
motion maker agree?
Rountree: Motion maker agrees with that.
Bird: That's fine with me.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: Next question. Are the proposed rates -- are we including in that the
rates as proposed minus the one line about extra cans?
Rountree: That would be consistent with the motion. The motion is for total
automation. With total automation we don't have that.
Bird: Second agrees.
De Weerd: Okay. Anything further? Good points of clarification. Thank you. If
there is no further discussion, Madam Mayor, will you, please, call roll.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
De Weerd: Thank you to the SWAC committee for your time and diligence in
bringing us a complete package to consider. Thank you. And thank you for
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March 23, 2010
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those that came to share testimony. We appreciate you being here and
certainly can understand where you're sitting, too.
C. Public Hearing: TE 10-005 Cavanaugh Subdivision by
DBSI Tanana Valley, LLC. Located on the Southeast
Corner of South Meridian Road and East Victory at 465
E. Victory Road: Request for an 18- month Time
Extension to Obtain the City Engineer's Signature on the
First Final Plat
De Weerd: Okay. Next item is Item 7-C. Public hearing on TE 10- 005. I will
ask for staff comments as this public hearing is open.
Canning: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, this project is located on the
southeast corner of Victory and Meridian Road and the application before you
tonight is a preliminary plat time extension. The applicant requests an 18 month
time extension to obtain the city engineer's signature on the first final plat. Staff
has recommended approval with the following conditions. The first one being
that all nonsingle family detached homes shall be subject to design review and
certificate of zoning compliance approval per the UDC. The second one that the
applicant shall submit an irrevocable letter of credit or cash deposit for their
portion of the required sanitary sewer construction improvements along the
project's frontage in Victory Road. The applicant shall submit the letter of credit
or cash deposit prior to signature on the final plat by the city engineer. Third, the
applicant shall provide an executed permanent sanitary sewer easement and
temporary construction easement on forms provided by the city within 90 days of
the City Council approval of the subject time extension in order for the subject
time extension to remain valid. The applicant shall also submit a letter to the city
allowing the use of their approved plans for the construction of the Black Cat
Sewer trunk line. Finally, the applicant shall provide a pathway connection within
a common lot in accord with the standards listed in UDC at the southeast
boundary of the subdivision to connect to a future pathway in Cavanaugh Ridge,
to provide a pedestrian interconnectivity between the two subdivisions and to
comply with the block length requirements in the UDC. The applicant is in
agreement with the conditions outlined in the staff report and to our knowledge
there are no outstanding issues for Council.
De Weerd: Thank you, Anna. Any questions for staff, Council?
Bird: I have none.
Rountree: I have none.
De Weerd: Okay. Would the applicant like to comment. Boy, it's been a long
time since we have seen you.
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March 23, 2010
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Rountree: Yeah. It's been a while, Wayne.
Forrey: Yes, it has. It's nice to be here.
De Weerd: Good evening. If you will, please, state your name and address for
the record.
Forrey: Yes. Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. My name is
Wayne Forrey. My address is 1952 South Wild Creek Way, Boise. 83709.
Members of the Council, I am the representative of the applicant and later -- or
late this afternoon I submitted a letter to Anna Powell. You have that letter?
De Weerd: Uh-huh.
Forrey: Okay. Good. So, we agree with those five conditions. And I would also
like to thank Counselor Nary -- I guess he's not here now, but -- and also Bruce
Freckleton and Scott Steckline and Sonya Wafters in your planning department,
for helping us organize this project to get to this point. We have a little more
work to do with your Public Works Department to help you get this sewer in
Victory Road. But if we can get this project extended and meet those conditions,
then, we can work with you to get that done. So, we hope you will approve this
time extension. I'd be happy to answer questions.
De Weerd: Thank you. Council, any questions?
Rountree: I have none.
De Weerd: Thank you.
Forrey: I really enjoyed hearing the report from your youth committee tonight
early at the meeting. It's nice to have that focus on youth and I congratulate you
for that. That was refreshing.
De Weerd: They are certainly a joy to work with.
Forrey: Yeah. I can see that. Any questions?
De Weerd: No.
Forrey: Thank you.
Rountree: Thanks, Wayne.
De Weerd: This is a public hearing. Is there any member of our public who
would like to provide testimony on this application? Okay. Council, any
questions for staff?
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March 23, 2010
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Rountree: I have none.
Bird: I have none.
De Weerd: I, too, would like to thank staff for your diligence in working through
some of the issues on this. It's greatly appreciated. Okay. Council, if there is
nothing further, I would entertain a motion.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: I move close the public hearing on Item 7-C.
Zaremba: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to close Item 7-C, the public hearing.
All those in favor say aye. All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
De Weerd: Do I have a motion?
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: I move that we approve the request for the 18 month time extension
from Cavanaugh Subdivision, Item TE 10-005.
Bird: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to approve Item 7-C. If there is no
discussion, Madam Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
D. Public Hearing: VAC 10-001 Settlers Crossing by Dave
Evans Construction Located at the Northeast Corner of
Meridian Road and Ustick Road: Request for Vacation of
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the 20-Foot Public Domestic Water Easement Platted on
Lots 45 and 46, Block 7 of Sundance Subdivision No. 5
De Weerd: Item 7-D is VAC 10-001. I will open this public hearing with staff
comments.
Parsons: Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. The subject site
is located on the northeast corner of North Meridian Road and East Ustick Road.
The vicinity map in front of you shows you that the two -- the two lots that are
affected. The applicant is proposing to vacate a domestic water easement that is
currently platted on the property. Here is an .aerial of the site. There are some
existing buildings -- a few more buildings out there than what you see today. The
exhibit before you here shows the easement as it is recorded on the plat today.
The applicant is proposing to shorten that -- basically vacate that easement,
create a new easement so that the owners of the property can go forward and
construct a day care facility on Lots 45 and 44. I have received confirmation from
the applicant that they are in agreement with the staff report. There are no
outstanding issues for Council tonight. However, I did want to make mention on
record that there was an error in the staff report in Section 60 in part of the
utilities section that mentioned that the easement may require relocation of a fire
hydrant. That was an error. It was, actually, to make mention that the building
may be too close to water services and those meters may have to be moved.
So, I just wanted to go on record to state that that was an error. It has been
corrected. And with that I would stand for any questions Council may have.
De Weerd: Thank you. Council, any questions?
Bird: I have none.
Rountree: I have none.
De Weerd: Thank you. This is a public hearing. Is there anyone who would like
to provide testimony on this item? Okay. The applicant's not here? Yes? No
comment? Okay. Thank you. Council, any questions for staff, the applicant, or
-- if there is not --
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move we close the public hearing on VAC 10-001.
Zaremba: Second.
Rountree: Second.
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March 23, 2010
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De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to close this item. All those in favor
say aye. All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move we approve VAC 10-001 with staff, applicant comments.
Rountree: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to approve Item 7-D. If there is no
discussion, Madam Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes. Motion carries. Thank you.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
E. Continued Public Hearing From February 23, 2010: TE
10-001 Ambercreek No. 2 by Trilogy Development
Located at Southwest Corner of W. McMillan Road and
N. Meridian Road: Request for approval of an 18-Month
Time Extension to Obtain the City Engineer's Signature
on the Final Plat for Ambercreek. Subdivision No. 2
De Weerd: Item 7-E is a continued public hearing on TE 10-001. I will ask for
staff comments at this time.
Parsons: Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. The subject
property is located on the southwest corner of McMillan Road and Meridian
Road. The applicant is requesting an 18 month time extension to extend the final
plat for Ambercreek Subdivision No. 2. The subject property is currently zoned
R-8 within the City of Meridian. If you will recall, approximately a year ago a DA
modification came before you regarding the extension of this plat. The applicant
tied some elevations to this site. That DA has not been initiated or signed and
approved by Council at this point. Also, as part of this time extension it has come
to our attention that communicating with ACHD and after staff had reviewed.
some of the minutes for the project, the applicant was to construct a five foot
detached sidewalk along McMillan Road to the intersection, so that there would
be a safe route to the school on the northeast corner. Here is the plat in
question. The DA -- the requirement in the DA stated that the sidewalk was to be
extended from Ambercreek -Way, which, if you can see this white arrow on the
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white map, that's where they are proposing to make connection to McMillan Road
and the requirement was to extend that to the intersection, provided that ACHD
could acquire right of way or get an easement on that outparcel. Well, after
talking with ACHD, that easement is in place and it has been acquired. So, that
sidewalk can be constructed across that outparcel. Here are some of the
elevations that you looked at and were approved with that DA modification. And,
then, again, with this time extension, because the DA hasn't been initiated, staff
is recommending an additional 90 days to work with the applicant and come up
with more appropriate elevations and a more attractive streetscape. If you recall
that previous hearing there was some single story homes constructed in between
two, two story homes, which kind of gave an awkward look to the streetscape
and so staff had recommended per that -- with that DA modification that they
submit an exhibit showing that that wouldn't occur with the phase two. The
applicant did not meet that requirement and so we have met with them prior to
them submitting their time extension and agreed with them that we could -- if they
were to give us a streetscape and give us some additional elevations to show
that single story homes could be compatible next to two story homes that we
could recommend that to you and move forward. We haven't quite come to that
agreement yet, so staff is recommending an additional 90 days to get that
worked out with them and, then, also get that DA recorded. So, really, the
outstanding issues for tonight -- it isn't really the -- the applicant's willing to
construct the sidewalk, that isn't the issue, they know that's their requirement.
The outstanding issues before you is, one, are you willing to grant the 90 days to
work with the -- have staff and the applicant work out an appropriate streetscape
and elevations to tie back to the DA and get that approved and the other is the
timing of that improvement along McMillan Road. Staff is recommending that
that sidewalk be constructed along the entire frontage, which is approximately
1,400 linear feet. So, it would be from the western edge of the plat all the way to
the McMillan Road intersection and, as I mentioned to you, the DA didn't require
that. So, with that the applicant is in agreement with the staff report. The only
point of contention with them is that they would like that sidewalk to be
constructed prior to the plat expiring again, which would be July 18th, 2011. And,
again, staff has recommended that that happen before the 2010-2011 calendar
school year. So, basically, by September of this year. The applicant is in the
audience. ACHD didn't provide us any additional comments for you tonight. And
with that I would stand for any questions you may have.
De Weerd: Thank you. Council, any questions at this time?
Bird: I have none.
Rountree: I have none.
De Weerd: Okay. Would the applicant like to comment? Good evening. If you
will, please, state your name and address for the record.
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March 23, 2010
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Brownlee: I can do that. Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council.
Shawn Brownlee with Trilogy Development, 2364 South Titanium Place in
Meridian. We do concur with the staff report. I just want to point out that we
have been working with staff on the streetscape for the city and we did bring the
builder in and that and we are working on that. So, hopefully, you guys will grant
us 90 days to get that accomplished. So, I think we can come up with a
streetscape that will be compatible with -- with staff recommendations and, then,
as well as the sidewalk along McMillan Road. I'm sure everybody knows that
there is not a ton of activity or work going on out there. We just ask that maybe
we can prolong this until the July 11th -- or July 18th, 2011, date and kind of help
us infuse some of that cost. It's going to be roughly 25, 30 thousand dollars to
construct this. So, I would just ask for a time extension and to delay that
sidewalk until that date. I'll stand for any questions. Thank you.
De Weerd: I guess I have a question. Is there any -- anyone living out there, any
occupancy right now?
Brownlee: In phase one there is, yes.
De Weerd: And,- you know, Iguess Iwas -- I was here during that discussion.
Our concern was the safety of kids getting to that school.
Brownlee: Correct. Out of the Ambercreek phase one they do have access.
There is sidewalk provided along Meridian Road to the north to the school and
this connect actually helped -- and I cannot remember the development to the
west there, Bill.
Parsons: Solitude Place.
Brownlee: Solitude Place.
Parsons: I'm sorry. To the west is Cedar --
Brownlee: Cedar Springs.
De Weerd: Cedar Springs.
Parsons: Cedar Springs. Yes. Sorry.
Brownlee: Yeah. But as far as the Ambercreek residents, they do have access
to that school.
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor. Bill, could you go back to -- I think there was another
one that showed more of that property to the west. So, Ambercreek is -- number
one, that is developed --
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March 23, 2010
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Brownlee: That's correct.
Hoaglun: And you're saying they have access from there to Meridian Road.
Brownlee: Correct.
Hoaglun: And then -- and, then, up --
Brownlee: Yeah. That was all reconstructed by Ada County, I believe, Highway
District a couple years ago and there is sidewalk from -- from that entrance road
right there. Oops. To the north.
De Weerd: And the sidewalk piece we are talking about is along McMillan Road;
correct?
Brownlee: Correct. And that was part of the development agreement for -- for
phase -- for Ambercreek and, obviously, we agreed to construct it and I believe it
was to be constructed prior to occupancy for phase two and that's when we were
planning on constructing that sidewalk.
De Weerd: Well, I thought it was prior to phase one, because I -- if I remember
the discussion, we weren't all that excited about putting it in there unless there
was a sidewalk connection, so that any school age kids would have a safe route
to school. You know, that is in an area that has the irrigation ditch and a lot of
traffic. So, what you're saying is they have a connection over to Meridian Road,
so, they would, actually, have to walk south to get to the sidewalk and, then, walk
north? Do you have any kids?
Brownlee: I do.
De Weerd: Do you think they would do that? You know, I guess it's a -- kind of a
sarcastic question and I apologize for that, but I have kids. They are going to
take the route that's --
Brownlee: Shortest and easiest possible route. I agree.
De Weerd: And that was the majority concern and that's why that -- that
condition was put in there. It was for the safety of kids.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: My recollection of this is back when I was still on the Planning and
Zoning Commission and this came through Planning and Zoning before it came
to the Council. The Planning and Zoning Commission had quite a discussion
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March 23, 2010
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about that sidewalk along McMillan. At the time and even currently it is very
unusual to require what's called an off-site improvement. In other words, this
was a sidewalk that was going to go across somebody else's land. The Planning
and Zoning Commission insisted that that be an element precisely because there
was going to be school children traffic needing to walk to that intersection and
cross to get to the school and as unusual as that request was, our
recommendation to Council was that that sidewalk was an important element of
even approving the subdivision in the first place and our assumption was that it
would be one of the first things that was built. So, I can't speak for how the
Council dealt with that, but I know that was the Planning and Zoning
Commission's intention that the sidewalk would be one of the first things that
happened, for what it's worth.
De Weerd: Bill, was that not required in phrase one?
Parsons: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, reading through the minutes,
Councilman Zaremba is correct, the Planning and Zoning Commission wanted
that to happen with phase one and that was their recommendation to Council as
it came forward to you. During that hearing Gary Inselman discussed -- an
attorney was here discussing the requirements for off-site improvements and
how would you tie it to the developer and everyone was adamant that that
happen with a DA. Even Mr. Hood commented on it, that it should become a part
of the DA to get that requirement as part of the annexation and so through that
process -- the hearing process Council amended that DA and made it clearer -- I
shouldn't say the provision got added to the DA, but there was a special
consideration in the findings that said Council made it clear that the sidewalk was
to be extended from Ambercreek Way, which is the public street connection to
McMillan, and extend to the intersection and they were given options as to which
side of the canal that sidewalk was going to be. So, if ACRD could not get the
easement on the outparcel, then, the sidewalk was to be constructed on the
north side of Lemp Canal. If they did get an easement, the preferred location
would be on the south side in connection with their sidewalk and that's how it was
to read and it was to happen prior to occupancy of any structure on the site. And
so now we have phrase one, what, we have probably 50 homes in there, people
living in there, and we are sitting here today discussing the sidewalk and so that's
-- I'm not sure where we -- where we errored on that -- on that part of it, but that's
how I read the minutes. It was to happen prior to even phase one getting
occupancy.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I believe it was to be added to the DA period. It was in the findings. It was
part of the DA. It should have been part of the DA. We can't -- it's -- it's not --
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March 23, 2010
Page 49 of 74
didn't happen, but that's no reason not to require it to be in by the start of this
school year.
De Weerd: So, I guess I just have a technical question. If it's in the DA, although
the DA wasn't signed, how did they get occupancy?
Canning: The DA must have been signed.
Parsons: Madam Mayor, the original DA was signed.
De Weerd: The DA was signed.
Bird: Was that in it?
Parsons: It wasn't an actual -- the DA's broken up into different sections and in
this case five -- section five was the conditions governing this site. A specific DA
provision wasn't located in that section, but as you read farther through that
document it made mention of -- it was modified and Council made it clear that
that's what they wanted to happen. So, it's still in the record that we have that in
that recorded document that that was to happen. So, we have contacted Mr.
Nary, we talked to him about it, he said that the decision of order would take
precedent -- I'll let him comment. I'm not an attorney, but I think he recollects
that conversation Pete and I had with him.
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, we did. And we did feel that
between the DA and the order that was required, it is still required. So, if you
want to make it part of this time extension, I think that's really the issue today, to
make sure that it gets done in the fashion you want it done. But it was -- it is in
the order or the findings that were a part of the development agreement.
Brownlee: I don't think we are -- it's just a matter of timing of this, I think, the
discussion -- am I not correct?
De Weerd: And certainly --
Brownlee: We know that we have got to install that, but it's just -- it's just a
question of timing.
De Weerd: And I think we understand the timing and the economy and all of
that. I guess my concern -- and I can't speak for Council -- is we shouldn't have
had one occupancy period without that sidewalk in and I -- that's my comments.
Any other questions from Council? Thank you. Any additional testimony on this
item? Anything further from staff?
Canning: I apologize for the error.
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March 23, 2010
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De Weerd: We are not beating you up.
Bird: We are not blaming anybody.
De Weerd: I think it's just a statement. Okay.
Rountree: Madam Mayor, I just need to get clear on the timing on this. So, we
are looking -- this is the second request for a time extension and the DA has
been out there to be approved since when?
Parsons: Yeah. The amended DA has been out there since February of 2009.
Rountree: Okay. Must be the second time -- second extension. Thank you.
Parsons: It's actually the third, because this is the second Council time
extension, so it's the third, if you want to get technical.
Rountree: That's all I need to know.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Mr. Parsons, refresh my memory. What was the date on the first -- what
was the date on the first DA that was signed?
Parsons: Excuse me, Councilman Bird. That happened in 2006.
Bird: And that was when they started building phase one?
Parsons: Yes. Phase one platted in 2006 and recorded.
Bird: And the sidewalk wasn't put in?
Parsons: No, sir.
De Weerd: Okay. Council -- any further applicant comments? Okay. Council,
anything additional needed? Okay. I would entertain a motion to close.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: I move that we close the public hearing on Item 7-E, Ambercreek
Subdivision No. 2.
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March 23, 2010
Page 51 of 74
Bird: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to close the Item 7-E. All those in
favor say aye. All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Rountree: Madam Mayor, my comment -- and I can make a motion, but I'd like to
hear some additional discussion, but I think the applicant was correct, it's a
matter of timing and I think the timing is -- is really not good for moving forward
with this particular project. He's had a couple bites at the apple and still hasn't
got the job done. So, I'm inclined to deny their request for time extension.
Bird: Is that a motion?
Rountree: I haven't made a motion. I just -- for discussion purposes.
De Weerd: I guess, Mr. Rountree, I understand your comments, but I think the
time extension is more in nailing down and agreeing with the street elevations
and -- and, then, moving forward. Is that correct, staff?
Canning: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, it is at Mayor and Council's
discretion as to whether to approve the time extension or not.
De Weerd: Okay. Thank you.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
Rountree: We have -- to finish my thought, we -- we have got four plus years
and a couple opportunities to review this. In my mind that things have changed.
We have some other ordinances, we have other issues -- we have issues with
this that haven't been addressed and they haven't been addressed in over a
year. I'm not sure that I see any indication that they are going to get addressed
in another year.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: You know, as Councilman Rountree has stated, they had four years. And
Meridian economy in 2006 was still north and I know that they definitely had to
get the idea that before they built -- got any occupancy they had to have that
sidewalk done. I'm inclined to be like Councilman Rountree and not grant this,
but Iwould -- I would think about granting it, but with the consideration or the
demand that by September or -- well, that's -- school will start the last week of
August -- by August 15th that that sidewalk be in place. I -- we tried to make it
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secure on the original and I guess they laughed at us, but I -- I don't know. If
they can't put in by then, I'm not for approving this extension. And I don't know
how we can guarantee they put it in.
Nary: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Nary.
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, I think you have two options, if
that's the direction, Council Member Bird, if you would like to go. I mean you can
condition the extension as we have done before on that condition that it has to be
met by August 15th. Therefore, if they don't meet it by August 15th, their time
extension is done. Or if the -- if the applicant's wanting to show some good faith,
you can continue this matter to August 15th or somewhere after that. If the
sidewalk is completed, the Council's desire would, then, be to allow them to have
their time extension. But the burden is on them. You either can grant it now with
a condition that we will, then, extinguish that time extension at some point in the
future if it's not completed or put them on notice that we are going to continue this
matter until after August 15th. If the sidewalk's done, you would be inclined to
grant it.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Mr. Nary, which way would be the easiest for the city to enforce?
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, Council Member Bird, I don't see
a problem, Iguess -- and Mrs. Canning could probably answer it on, basically,
ending their time extension after August 15th. The only difference is from an
enforcement standpoint is if this matter is continued to -- in front of you to
sometime after August 15th, they are going to have to come back here and
explain to you why it wasn't done and if they still want that time extension. All
you're doing is granting them the opportunity to complete a project that should
have been done four years ago. I don't know from Mrs. Canning's perspective
which is easier. That's just my thought is whether or not you want to see this
applicant again.
Canning: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, we have never revoked a time
extension, so I had some questions about how to go about that. Usually they
lapse. But I was informed that we could just revoke one. So, I assume that
that's okay. Continuing items out would not be my preference. There would be a
third option. You don't have to grant the full 18 months, you could grant the time
extension until August 15th. That would be another option. Or just a six month
time extension. And, then, they'd have to come back and if those things weren't
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done they could justify to you at that time whether or not -- why it hadn't been
done and you could decide then whether or not to approve the time extension.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I guess this is a policy question, which is brought up because of this
situation, but I suspect we are going to keep running into similar situations with
other time extensions. What happens if we say no? If they want to continue the
project, they start all over with a new application that goes through your
department and the Planning and Zoning Commission and then here?
Canning: Yes, sir. Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, if you're considering
one of the options Mr. Nary talked about, planning staff would appreciate tagging
the -- completing the DA, as well as completing the sidewalk. Which -- Madam
Mayor, Members of the Council, if you're considering one of those two options, if
you could also include signing the DA modification that's outstanding, that would
be helpful in tying up those loose ends as well that's the sidewalk.
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor, just to be sure I understand, Anna, then, that -- the 90
days to complete the design -- the elevations streetscapes is something you
need. And, then, if we were to say come -- to the applicant come back on August
24th -- at our August 24th meeting and say with proof that the sidewalk is done,
we -- we would -- I guess Mr. Nary might need to weigh in on this -- we grant the
time extension to that date and, then, we -- we take that issue up again for a
longer extension. Is that a correct understanding?
Nary: No. Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, Council Member Hoaglun, I
think what Mrs. Canning was suggesting was that granting a specific time period,
because if you grant it only to August 24th and they have to start over, they are
going to have to file an application before that, which takes a little bit of
processing time, too. So, I think that's -- maybe that's what was her intent of
saying six months is 9/23. So, sometime after that it would expire, so you would
hear it before the 23rd of September. That
would allow the time period for the sidewalk to be completed, as well as the
application for the additional extension. I am not trying to presuppose what she
was thinking, but I think that's the reason is we don't want to put it to that date or
just set it -- as you have seen many times, when we continue something out
people tend to forget why we were supposed to come back or what the reasons
were. It sometimes gets a little stale and that's another reason, maybe not, to
continue it, but to simple grant a shorter time window.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
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March 23, 2010
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Zaremba: Madam Mayor, I may not be remembering this correctly, but my
recollection is there is a limit to the number of time extensions. Once by the
director and twice by the Council and, then, there can't be anymore?
Canning: No.
Zaremba: That's not true? Okay.
Canning: We -- Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, we changed it so that --
that was the old rule. We changed it that you could extend indefinitely, but with
the provision that staff could suggest any new -- or that Council could apply any
new code changes or any conditions they saw fit.
Zaremba: Okay.
De Weerd: And, Council, I guess I would just put my two cents worth in here is if
you don't extend it you will not get a sidewalk. By keeping it alive and giving the
opportunity to -- to build, certainly extending it is going to have more likelihood of
getting that sidewalk in and that would be my two cents worth.
Parsons: Madam Mayor, if -- there is always five options. I guess I would go
with number three. I don't know if the Council would entertain this, but the
applicant could come in with a smaller phase final plat, do some lots along
McMillan, construct Ambercreek Way and, then, extend that sidewalk per the
condition of the DA from Ambercreek Way to the intersection. But that's up to
him to decide if he wanted to do a smaller subdivision and if that would be more
beneficial to do some sort of street to McMillan and sidewalk or just do the 1,400
linear feet of sidewalk, but that's certainly another option for him.
De Weerd: Now we are really getting complicated.
Canning: That's too complicated.
De Weerd: We will see if the Council is following what track.
Canning: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, I don't know if this helps in the
discussion at all, but the only reason it says from Ambercreek Way to the
intersection, rather than the full frontage, is because we were worried about the
off-site portion and that was an easy way to describe most of the off-site portion.
So, it was always anticipated that there would be sidewalk along the full frontage,
but the reason it says Ambercreek Way to the intersection is the off-site issue.
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Hoaglun.
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March 23, 2010
Page 55 of 74
Hoaglun: Yeah. I'm thinking we want to give the developer time to make this
work. We need that sidewalk. It should have been put in when the going was
good and now it's not so good and that's -- I know it's difficult, but it's worth
keeping this -- this alive. I would move that the Council grant the 90 days to
complete the design of the elevation streetscape and sign the amended DA and
that we provide a six month time extension during which a sidewalk, as required
in previous DAs, is installed and we will find out at the hearing when they come
before another time extension if that is completed and we will take that issue up
then.
Bird: Second.
De Weerd: Okay. I have a motion and a second. Any discussion?
Zaremba: Madam Mayor, six months puts it beyond the opening of school,
though.
Hoaglun: Yeah. I thought about that, Mr. Zaremba. It sounded like from legal
counsel six months was kind of a -- a set time frame -- I mean I don't mind if we
say, you know, September 1 in the meeting prior to that, but I'm open to changing
that if that needs be -- need be. Be a little bit longer.
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, I mean if it's not going to be done
by the middle of August or the 20th or whenever the school year starts, it
probably isn't going to be done by September. So, I mean I'm not sure that it's
going to make a lot of difference. It's either going to get done or it's not and so
the -- the few weeks difference probably won't have a huge impact on the school.
The other thing, though, I didn't recall if Council Member said sign the
development agreement as part of your motion.
Hoaglun: I think -- yes. That the Council grant the 90 days to complete the
design of the elevation streetscape and signed the amended DA, yes.
Nary: Okay. Thank you. I'm sorry. I just didn't hear it.
Hoaglun: Yeah. No problem.
De Weerd: Okay. Any further discussion? Hearing none, Madam Clerk, will you
call roll.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, nay; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: Okay. That motion carries with three ayes and one nay.
MOTION CARRIED: THREE AYES. ONE NAY.
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F. FP 10-002 Five Twelve Subdivision by Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints Located West Side of
Stoddard, Midway Between Overland Road and Victory
Road: Request for Final Plat Approval of One buildable
lot and One Common Lot on Approximately 4.65 Acres
in an Existing R-8 Zoning District
De Weerd: Okay. Item 7-F is FP 10-002. I will turn this over to staff.
Parsons: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, this is a final plat before you
tonight for Five Twelve. Council acted on that preliminary plat roughly six weeks
or so ago. As promised, it's a one lot subdivision for a church lot. The applicant
has gotten the staff report. They are in agreement with the conditions of
approval. I do want to go on record as saying that the applicant came forward to
me this evening, they received ACHD's comments on the final plat and they are
-- ACHD, if you recall, there was a planter island that was proposed inside of
West Kodiak Drive that the applicant was going to plat as a common lot. ACHD
has requested that the applicant include that as part of the right of way. They
anticipate in the future that that intersection will be signalized and so they want to
have the ability to possibly remove that in the future if they need some additional
turn lanes off that street. Other than that change, like I said, the applicant's here
and they are in agreement and with that I'll stand for any questions you may
have.
De Weerd: Thank you. Council, any questions?
Bird: I have none.
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor. Bill, real quick. Is that right across from the Bear
Creek Park entrance -- one of the -- there is two actual entrances.
Parsons: Madam Mayor, Councilman Hoaglun, yes that is correct, they have a
large planter island -- or parkway across the street as well.
Hoaglun: Okay.
Parsons: Larger than this one.
Hoaglun: That's -- I remember seeing that, but I couldn't remember. Thank you.
De Weerd: Would the applicant like to make comment?
Larson: Good evening, Council Members, Madam Mayor. My name is Jo
Larson. I'm with Lowland Johanson & Zimmerman Architecture. We are located
at 400 South Main Street, Payette. 83661. I am here representing the Presiding
Bishop for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the application for
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March 23, 2010
Page 57 of 74
this final plat and hopefully for the approval. We concur with all the comments
and I don't really have a lot to say, I just have been sitting here long enough I
figured I might as well get up and make use of my time. Questions?
De Weerd: Thank you. Council, any questions? We appreciate you being here
Larson: Well, thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you. Okay. Council, if there is no further questions or -- I
don't see any member of the public who is wanting to provide testimony.
Rountree: Madam Mayor, I see Frank shaking his head no, so I move to close
the public hearing.
Rountree: Second.
Hoaglun: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to close the public hearing on 7-F. All
those in favor say aye. All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: I move that we approve the application on 7-F, FP 10-002.
Bird: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to approve this item. If there is no
discussion, Madam Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Yes, Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: I'm getting old and we actually have been going from 6:00 o'clock. I
would request a recess.
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March 23, 2010
Page 58 of 74
De Weerd: Okay, old man, we will recess for five minutes.
(Recess: 9:38 p.m. to 9:47 p.m.)
Item 8: Continued Department Reports
A. Parks Department Split Corridor Pump Station Update
De Weerd: Okay. We will go ahead and reconvene. I will, before I ask Steve to
come up, I would like to take the chair's privilege and thank Tracy for the
leadership he has provided during the absence of our chief and just say how
much of a privilege it's been having you on our team and certainly you have filled
some big shoes and you did it with grace and good humor and certainly we
appreciated you being part of our team during that period.
Basterrechea: I appreciate that. And I'm glad he's back, by the way.
De Weerd: I know. And he did share that you did not hesitate -- miss a beat in
letting him come to the director's meeting this morning, so -- but you were
missed. So, with that said, I'll move to 8-A and invite Steve to make comment.
Siddoway: Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. This is an
update for you on the split corridor pump station. As you know, the split corridor
landscaping was put in by MDC last year and we are currently maintaining that.
However, it is currently being watered by city water and we would like to get that
converted over to irrigation. We have been coordinating this issue with MDC for
some time over the last year, with several departments involved. Last year
Public Works helped negotiate the water rights that were needed. Parks
Department negotiated the license agreement with Nampa-Meridian, as well as
the easement with the dairy board and all of those are currently in place. MDC
during that time has completed the construction documents for the pump station
and is now ready to build. In fact, it is out to bid and went to bid last week. The
pre-bid meeting is tomorrow. Bids are due on Friday. The arrangement that we
are trying to do is where MDC will cover the cost of those improvements. The
city staff will assist with the manpower necessary to manage the project. As we
move forward we have learned from purchasing and Keith is here to answer any
questions about this, but that we cannot manage the project and have the
invoices sent directly to MDC, that we have to pay those invoices ourselves at
the city and, then, get reimbursed by MDC. Therefore, we will be coming back to
you about a month from now with a budget amendment for the project, once we
verify where the actual bids are, we expect them to be in the neighborhood of 60
to 75 thousand, but accompanying that will be a reimbursement agreement from
MDC, which we intend to take to them at their next meeting on April 14th. So,
that is .really it in a nutshell. I just didn't want to surprise you with at budget
amendment and/or the agreement without having first discussed that with
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March 23, 2010
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Council, but the intent would be to have those funds be a wash for the city, that
we would simply help them manage it as staff. With that I will stand for any
questions and if there are any specific questions about the project, I have Elroy
Huff here or Keith Watts if there are any questions about the financial
arrangement.
De Weerd: Thank you, Steve. Any questions from Council?
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I have a question, but it isn't financial. Well, it is, I guess. From the start of
this -- I don't know how much involvement you guys have had in the parks, but
were we -- was the design planned to irrigate off of city water from the start and,
then, now all of a sudden we decided to irrigate out of the other? What was the
original irrigation plan?
Siddoway: Yeah.
Bird: I don't know if you were involved with it or not. I mean it's -- holy Toledo,
we are --
Siddoway: Madam Mayor and Councilman Bird, the -- when I started we
received our -- the first set of plans from MDC, where they were proposing the
city connection as backup and they just showed aconcept -- conceptual line
going into the -- into Storey Park to connect to the park there, but for several
reasons that does not work directly there. So, we had said that they need to get
the pump station -- a separate pump station for the split corridor irrigation and in
working with Ted Baird in legal and reviewing the agreement, it was pointed out
that some language in that agreement said that the city will provide the source
and MDC was doing the -- you know, covering the cost. So, that's when MDC
kind of washed their hands of trying to find the source on their own and said we
need you to work on this and, then, Public Works helped us get the water right.
They are ACHD's water rights, but through -- from the split corridor, but we
assembled those, worked with Nampa-Meridian and we are trying to get the
pump station there by the speedway.
Bird: Well, Steve -- then, Igot afollow-up question, Madam Mayor. After this
pump station is put in, whose property is it? The City of Meridian's?
Siddoway: Yeah. I believe it's being written so that we will own and maintain the
pump station ourselves.
Bird: Because the easement given by the Meridian Dairy Show Board was to the
City of Meridian, not to MDC.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 60 of 74
Siddoway: Right.
Bird: Okay.
Siddoway: So, we will own and maintain it. We will also oversee the installation
of it through this construction project, but MDC will cover the cost.
Bird: You mean the park -- the one that drew up the plans isn't going to oversee
it?
Siddoway: CSHQA?
Bird: Yeah.
Siddoway: Well, they will -- I'm sure they will be involved as the engineer, but in
terms of construction management, the city will do that.
Bird: Okay. Thank you, Steve.
Siddoway: Any other questions?
De Weerd: No.
Siddoway: Okay. Thank you. We will work with MDC on the agreement and we
will be back to you with an agreement and the accompanying budget amendment
in approximately a month.
De Weerd: Thank you, Steve.
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: It isn't actually on that subject, but we were handed an agreement for
independent contractor services for Lawn Co. I assume that's through the Parks
Department.
Siddoway: Yes, sir.
Zaremba: I don't see it on the agenda. Are we supposed to do anything with this
tonight?
Siddoway: I believe it was added as C-1-D.
De Weerd: That's added under the Finance Department.
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March 23, 2010
Page 61 of 74
Bird: 1-A.
Siddoway: 1-A.
Zaremba: Okay.
De Weerd: Okay. Thank you, Steve.
Siddoway: Thank you.
Zaremba: Thank you.
B. Legal/Human Resources Department
1. Approval of New Beer/VUine/Liquor for Sunrise
Bakery and Cafe Located at 805 N. Main St.
2. Approval of Beer/VNine/Liquor 2010-2011 Renewal
for Sunrise Bakery 8~ Cafe Located at 805 N. Main
St.
De Weerd: Okay. 8-B is our Legal Department, so I'll turn that over to Bill.
Nary: Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. The first two items
are the -- are request to continue for the Sunrise Bakery and Cafe. Mr.
Donnesley, who is their representative, was here earlier, they had -- they didn't
have a response to the letter that had come in from the church and they
requested that that be moved to April 6th. Did you do that already or were you
going to do that now? I heard it talked about at the beginning, but --
De Weerd: They -- as part of adopting the agenda it was noted.
Nary: Right.
De Weerd: Do we need a specific motion?
Nary: I think you probably should move to a specific -- to April 6th as requested.
De Weerd: Thank you. Council, I'll need a motion.
Bird: Madam Mayor, I move we approve -- continue to April 6th, 2010, the
approved -- the approval for a new beer wine liquor license for Sunrise Bakery
and Cafe located at 805 North Main Street and -- who is the identical? How
come we got one and two?
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March 23, 2010
Page 62 of 74
Nary: Number two is a renewal. If you recall, Madam Mayor, Members of the
Council, Council Member Bird, May 1st is our -- is our date, so this is for the
month of April is the one they are requesting as a new license and, then, the --
Bird: I really did graduate. I can read, but I missed the renewal. And I move that
we also continue until April 6th, 2010, the renewal of Sunrise Bakery and Cafe,
located at 805 North Main, their beer wine liquor license.
Rountree: I'll second that nice job, Mr. Bird.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to approve -- or to continue Item 8-B,
one and two, to April 6. All those in favor say aye. All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
3. Approve New Beer License Application for
Crawforth Brothers 4 LLC, DBA Piehole Located
at 726 Main St.
De Weerd: Okay. Item 8-B-3.
Nary: Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. Item 8-B-3 is the
request for a beer license for Crawforth Brothers, which is the new Pie Hole
restaurant that's going to be on Main Street. They are nearly complete. They
haven't completed -- their target date to open is April 1st, so it's before your next
meeting. What we would ask is if you would conditionally approve their license
subject to them getting a certificate of occupancy. That way we can make sure it
gets all done. Deputy Chief Silva and the building department said they are
close to being ready to be issued their certificate of occupancy, but it won't be -- it
wasn't by today, but it should be before April 1st. Emily didn't want them to
delayed in opening their restaurant by this license. We have done this on
occasion when we have had a gap in meetings like this.
De Weerd: Thank you, Mr. Nary.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Where is 726 Main Street? Is it North Main?
De Weerd: Yes. It's where the guitar shop was, it's where Modern Printers and
the alley and, then, the -- it's north of it.
Bird: They are going to put a restaurant in there?
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March 23, 2010
Page 63 of 74
De Weerd: They are.
Nary: It's nearly complete.
De Weerd: And everyone is very excited about it, by the way.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move we approve the new beer license application for Crawforth Brothers,
LLC, doing business as Piehole, located at 726 Main Street, on condition of they
get their occupancy.
Rountree: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to approve Item 8-D-3. Madam Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
4. Service Agreement between the City of Meridian
and the St. Luke's Regional Medical Center for
Wellness for aNot-to-Exceed Amount of
$13,760.00 Plus an Additional $30.00 Per
Employee for Participation in the Personal
Wellness Profile
5. Service Agreement Between the City of Meridian
and the St. Luke's Regional Medical Center for
Occupational Health Services
De Weerd: 8-B-4 is Mr. Nary as well.
Nary: Yes. Thank you, Madam Mayor, Members of the Council. Four and five,
actually, are the next items up and they could have been on a Consent Agenda,
but we were very excited about this. We -- this is the agreement -- we discussed
it last year in the budget process of our agreement with St. Luke's for them to
help us manage a wellness program for all the city employees. It's already been
in place, they have actually been working with us since October on this, even
though we took awhile to finalize the agreement. Their lawyers take a lot longer
than our lawyers do, so that's how that works sometimes. But we wanted to --
we wanted to highlight it as part of the discussion tonight, because this has been
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March 23, 2010
Page 64 of 74
a long time coming, we think it's a very positive step forward for the city in really
taking the forefront in wellness for our employees. It's something that my
department and myself and the -- the very active and engaged wellness
committee has wanted for a long time. We have had a lot of desire and a lot of
energy and a lot of interest, but not always a lot of time to manage all the
different activities and varieties of different events that go on to help really
promote wellness as an activity for employees and St. Luke's stepping up and
wanting to be a partner with us, providing us some discounts to make it
attractive, providing us their expertise and their marketing skills as such, they
have an on-site person here weekly that works out of my office to provide contact
for city employees. We have a new program kicking off this week for wellness.
We are now looking at a smoking cessation as the next program we are going to
have as part of the wellness -- there is an ongoing wellness challenge. So, we
have had a lot of -- a lot of really -- a lot of interest and a lot of desire to get this
partnership completed and we just wanted to make you aware of it, that we got
that done and are moving forward and we will be putting in a part of our budget
request for next year to continue this relationship, but we just wanted to take a
moment to highlight this relationship and this activity so you were aware that we
were following through on what we had talked about before. The second one is
simply formalizing an agreement that we already have had. We have been using
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center for our occupational health needs for on-the-
job injury for worker's compensation. They originally had asked to become the
exclusive provider. We didn't really think that made much sense for the city to
make them an exclusive provider, although we do predominately use them over
other providers, but we couldn't see the value of really creating an exclusive
relationship, neither did the state, but we didn't have any issue or concern with
creating a more formalized agreement. Up until right now we have just sent
people there, because that's what we do and we have had no real written
agreement or arrangement with them at all. This formalizes an agreement that
we have done before and so we felt it was time and more appropriate to do that
and they wanted to make that as a part of the wellness package, that they would
also basically, besides assisting employees on the wellness side, they'd also be
working with employees who get injured on the job. So, that's the reason for both
of those agreements that are in front of you.
De Weerd: Thank you, Mr. Nary. Council, any questions? I would need a
motion to approve these agreements.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move that we approve the agreement with St. Luke's Regional Medical
Center for wellness of a not to exceed figure of 13,760 dollars, with an additional
30 dollars per employee for participation in the personal wellness profile.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 65 of 74
Rountree: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to approve Item 8-B four and five. Is
there any discussion? Okay. Madam Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
C. Finance Department
Finance Department: Purchasing Policy Discussion
De Weerd: Item 8-C is our Finance Department. I'll turn this over to Keith.
Watts: Thank you, Madam Mayor and Council Members. The purchasing policy
that you have in front of you is the one that we brought to Council last month and
had a couple of suggestions from Council Members, which we incorporated into
this policy and those changes were made. The significant -- significance of that
change is the verbiage for the purchases in the amount of 10,000 dollars to
25,000 dollars, three quotes will be required from the departments in order to
procure anything in that range. The current policy right now just states that they
-- three quotes should -- or it should be -- it's encouraged for them to obtain three
quotes. This makes it, essentially, mandatory from 10,000 to 25,000 dollars and
that was -- the biggest change from the last time we were in front of you. And,
then, also there was an attachment to the policy last time, which was the green
purchasing policy, which has been incorporated into the body of this policy. The
changes in the dollar amount that I previously stated is on page four and the
green policy is on page 13. This has been made in that copy that you have.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I have to tell you that they did -- they did listen and they went back and in
my opinion put in about as good a purchasing policy as I have seen. I think it not
only covers every department and every employee, but it also covers our
purchasing agent and also covers yourself and the four of us Councilmen. I think
Keith did a great job on going back and listening to us and getting some things
changed, because I -- I really feel that everything we possibly can should be bid,
especially in these times when people -- at lot of -- a lot of people a four or five
thousand dollar job is a big job to them right today. It's their wages from a month
or two, so I -- I would have no problem adopting this purchasing policy and see
that it's taken and adhere to.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 66 of 74
De Weerd: Thank you, Mr. Bird.
Rountree: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: I echo Keith's comments about that fairness of the policy and it looks
pretty straight forward. I do have one question and it's an area on page four
under the purchasing authority, up to 10,000 dollars. And it's just got language in
there that's going to bring people at odds that if the purchasing agent decides
somebody didn't take a good enough effort to get three bids, then, you get into a
little confab that really isn't needed. It seems to me that some language in there
certainly to encourage three bids, but in the cases where three bids are not
obtained, it's at the approval of the department director and be done with it, so
we don't have Finance and the departments going like this, because on a 5,000
dollar deal you spend 2,500 dollars arguing with each other.
De Weerd: They don't argue.
Rountree: Well, they do, too. That's the only change I would make is just get the
-- make it clear who's got the authority.
De Weerd: Okay. Thank you. Is that --
Watts: Yeah. That's doable. Absolutely.
De Weerd: Okay. Well, since we do have this to -- also as an item to approve,
do you feel comfortable that will be cleaned up? Can you offer some language
tonight or what's the pleasure of Council on that?
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I would -- I would make a motion that we move forward with the change of
item and bring -- we got to bring a resolution forward and at that point --
De Weerd: You have a resolution.
Bird: -- we could also have the change at that time within this language and say
yea or nay.
De Weerd: The resolution is the next item. Do you want to -
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 67 of 74
2. Resolution No. 10-716: Adopting the Revised
City of Meridian Purchasing Policy: Moved to
Follow Item 11.
Bird: We might have to delay the resolution.
Watts: Madam Mayor, Councilman Bird, if Council would like, I could go back
and revise this right now and have it for you --
Nary: After your Executive Session.
Watts: Exactly. It's going to be fairly straight forward and simple.
De Weerd: Okay.
Watts: Thank you.
De Weerd: Keith, do you want to address the landscape maintenance
agreement?
Watts: Yes. The reason that is --
Zaremba: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: I'm sorry. Hold on for a minute.
Watts: Sorry.
De Weerd: Mr. Zaremba.
Zaremba: Before we move on, I guess this is just a question. Do we need to do
anything revoking the old policy or does that automatically happen?
Nary: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, Council Member Zaremba, when
you adopt a revised policy it will supersede any previous --
Zaremba: It wasn't mentioned, but I just wanted to clarify that.
De Weerd: Okay.
a. Amended onto the Agenda: Agreement for
Independent Contractor Services with Lawn Co.
for Landscape Maintenance Services.
Watts: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, the landscape contract is,
essentially, on my department because I did not get it to the clerk's office in time
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 68 of 74
for the Consent Agenda. I apologize for that. We did go out for an RFP for this.
It was a fairly lengthy process. We had ten responsive proposers on it and the
winning proposer is Lawn Co. This agreement is a three year agreement with
two one year extensions on it. There is a funding out clause for lack of -- so, for
Council not appropriating funds in any given fiscal year. We are ready to move
forward with this, if you have any questions I'm here to answer anything. I also
have Steve and Elroy here.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: It don't -- it don't say -- it says compensated on a monthly basis. Is that
255,145 dollars and is that a year or is that for the three years?
Watts: That's for three years, Councilman Bird. There is a breakdown in that
contract that -- that --
Bird: Well, (thought -- I thought it was, but I -- it says right here, you know, be
compensated on a monthly basis. It don't say whether it's 36 months or 12
months or --
Watts: Based on, actually, a 36 week season. But they do submit their invoices
monthly. It is spelled out in the contract for the contract manager to manage that
project.
Rountree: Back in the fine print.
Bird: I didn't get that far back.
Siddoway: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Steve.
Siddoway: Just two quick items. One, I'd just really like to commend my staff for
their hard work on this. Elroy Huff, Mike Barton, and Roger Norberg put --
through the month of December worked on a new and very detailed set of
maintenance standards that created the basis for the bid that went out and with
spring here we need to get the contractor on board as soon as possible. So, we
did provide it to Keith about a week ago in the hopes that it could get on the
agenda and we would just request your approval and stand for any questions you
might have about it.
De Weerd: Thank you. Any questions, Council?
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 69 of 74
Siddoway: And it is -- it is -- that amount, Councilman Bird, just to clarify, it is a
three year amount and there is a breakdown of those three years in the back of
that contract.
Bird: It has the fund out. We are okay.
Siddoway: There is a three break -- even within each year there is a breakdown
for three separate funds. One for bill bug, one for the base contract, and one for
what says, you know, bid two or line two that's the Water Department.
Watts: Correct. And that is in the water department's budget as well.
Siddoway: Right. As a separate item.
De Weerd: Steve, just a question as to oversight. You know, there were some
bill bug damage in a couple of -- our green spaces that were being maintained by
a contractor last year. What is our oversight to make sure it doesn't get to a point
where it's noticeable by the public and almost damaged enough --
Siddoway: Can you address that, Elroy?
Huff: Madam Mayor, Members of the Council, you built in some things in that
document, so they have to inspect for bill bug on a monthly basis and we have to
be -- we will be watching that with them on those crucial times as they come up,
which is June, July, and August. End of May. Or end of May, June, July, and
August. And we didn't require them to just automatically applicate as we are
working on IPM practices, Integrated Pest Management, to avoid applying when
we don't need to, but we know there is some areas that absolutely have this
issue. So, we are going to make sure that we are right there with them. They
have to monitor that and, then, they have to let us know -- they have to inspect it
and, then, let us know they found it and, then, we tell them to get right on it, so --
that first treatment will probably come about May 15th, though, so --
De Weerd: Okay. Thank you.
Watts: Madam Mayor, I would like to add also that the contract actually
specifically calls out for -- I believe those problem areas that they are required to
be treated.
De Weerd: Thank you. Okay. Council, any further questions?
Bird: I have none, Mayor.
De Weerd: Okay. Do I have a motion?
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 70 of 74
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor, I move that the city enter into an agreement for
independent contractor services with Lawn Co for landscape maintenance
services as -- in a not to exceed amount of 255,145 thousand -- 255,145 dollars
for a three year period with potential extensions as per the contract.
Zaremba: Second.
De Weed: I have a motion and a second. Any discussions? Madam Clerk, roll
call, please.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea. I
De Weerd: All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Item 9: Items Moved From Consent Agenda.
De Weerd: Okay. There were no items moved from the Consent Agenda.
Watts: Thank you.
Item 10: Ordinances
A. Ordinance No. 10-1444: Making the Violation of Posted
Signs Prohibiting Smoking a Infraction:
De Weerd: Yes. Thank you. We will see you after we get back. Item No. 10 is
Ordinance No. 10-1444. Madam Clerk, will you, please, read this ordinance by
title only.
Jones: Thank you, Madam Mayor. An ordinance amending Title 6, Chapter 3,
Section 2 of the Meridian City Code regarding disorderly conduct and providing
an effective date.
De Weerd: Thank you. You have heard this ordinance read by title only. Is
there anyone who would like to hear it read in its entirety? Seeing none, I would
ask for a motion to approve.
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move we approve Ordinance 10-1444 with suspension of rules.
Rountree: Second.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 71 of 74
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second to approve Item 10-A. If there is
discussion, Madam Clerk.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Item 11: Amended onto the Agenda:
Executive Session per Idaho State Code 67-2345 (1) (a) - To
Consider Hiring a Public Officer, Employee, Staff Member or
Individual Agent, Not to Include Filling a Vacancy in an
Elective Office, (c) - To Conduct Deliberations Concerning
Labor Negotiations or to Acquire an Interest in Real Property
Which is Not Owned by a Public Agency, & (~ - To Consider
and Advise its Legal Representatives in Pending Litigation.
De Weerd: The next item is -- was added to our agenda. Executive Session.
Do I have a motion?
Bird: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move we go into Executive Session as per Idaho State Code 67-
2345(1)(a) and (1)(f).
Hoaglun: Second.
Rountree: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second. Roll call, please.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
EXECUTIVE SESSION: (10:14 p.m. to 11:42 p.m.)
Bird: Second.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 72 of 74
De Weerd: Okay. I have a motion and second to move out of Executive
Session. All those in favor say aye. All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Item 12: Continued from Item 8C1: Finance Department: Purchase
Policy Discussion:
A. Continued from Item 8C2: Resolution No. 10-716:
Adopting the Revised City of Meridian Purchasing
Policy.
De Weerd: Do I have a motion to adjourn?
Rountree: No. We have one more item.
De Weerd: Oh, I'm sorry.
Rountree: Finance Department.
De Weerd: Sorry, Keith.
Watts: That's okay.
De Weerd: I was ready to go.
Watts: I think we all are. Take a look at page four, Item 4-A. I have revised that
as Mr.
Rountree suggested and -- the revision of it.
De Weerd: It would have been helpful if you used strike outs. Edit mode.
Watts: The language that I did add states the department director or designated
purchasing personnel shall have the responsibility to determine what method of
procurement is in the best interest of the city for procurement -- or purchases in
this range.
Bird: Yeah.
Hoaglun: Madam Mayor?
De Weerd: Mr. Hoaglun.
Hoaglun: I move that we approve Resolution 10-716, adopting the revised City
of Meridian purchasing policy, that the Mayor be authorized to sign and Clerk to
attest.
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 73 of 74
Zaremba: Second.
De Weerd: I have a motion and a second and that would include the new
language that is in front of you right now.
Siddoway: Yes, it would, with the changes made to Section 4-A, subsection one.
De Weerd: Okay. Any discussion?
Rountree: I have none.
De Weerd: Roll call vote, please.
Roll-Call: Bird, yea; Rountree, yea; Zaremba, yea; Hoaglun, yea.
De Weerd: All ayes. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Watts: Thank you.
Zaremba: Thank you.
De Weerd: Thank you, Keith. We appreciate you getting those changes made. I
would now entertain a motion.
Rountree: So moved.
Bird: Second.
Zaremba: Second.
De Weerd: All those in favor?
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
De Weerd: We are adjourned.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 11:45 P.M.
(AUDIO RECORDING ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS)
Meridian City Council
March 23, 2010
Page 74 of 74
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