2024-01-09 Work Session Meridian City Council Work Session January 9, 2024.
A Meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday,
January 9, 2024, by Council President Joe Borton.
Members Present: Joe Borton, Luke Cavener, Liz Strader, John Overton, Ann Little
Roberts and Doug Taylor.
Members Absent: Robert Simison.
Also Present: Chris Johnson, Bill Nary, Jeff Brown, Joe Bongiorno and Dean Willis.
ROLL-CALL ATTENDANCE
Liz Strader _X_ Joe Borton
_X_ Doug Taylor _X_ John Overton
_X_Anne Little Roberts _X—Luke Cavener
X Mayor Robert E. Simison
Borton: Good afternoon. It is 4:30 on Tuesday, January 9th. Time set for our workshop
agenda. Welcome. Missing the Mayor. So, we will run in his absence right now. We
will begin today's workshop meeting with roll call attendance.
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
Borton: Item No. 2 is the adoption of the agenda.
Strader: Mr. President?
Borton: Ms. Vice-President.
Strader: Taking a look I don't see any changes in our work session agenda, so I move
that we adopt the agenda as published.
Cavener: Second.
Borton: It's been moved and seconded to adopt the agenda as published. All those in
favor say aye. The agenda is adopted. Thank you.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item]
1. Adler Industrial Project Green Water Main Easement (ESMT-2023-
0159)
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January 9,2024
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2. S. Benchmark Way and W. Cobalt Drive Water Main Easement No. 1
(ESMT-2023-0182)
3. Ten Mile Marketplace Water Main Easement No. 1 (ESMT-2023-0183)
4. Ten Mile Marketplace Water Main Easement No. 2 (ESMT-2023-0184)
5. Approval of Task Order 11230.i for Aeration Basins Retrofit &
Upgrade Software Integration for the Not-to-Exceed amount of
$430,787.00, as well as authorization for the Procurement Manager to
sign the Purchase Order for the Not-to-Exceed amount of
$430,787.00
6. Approval of Equipment Contract to Lone Star Blower and
Compressor for the supply of Lone Star Blowers to be included in
the Aeration Basins 1-4 Retrofit and 9 & 10 Expansion project, for the
Not-To-Exceed amount of $1,082,727.00
7. First Amendment to City of Meridian Parks & Recreation Department
Meridian Youth Baseball/Softball, Inc. Amendment to Development
and License Agreement
Borton: Item No. 3, the Consent Agenda.
Strader: Mr. President?
Borton: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: I move that we approve the Consent Agenda, for the Council President to sign
and the Clerk to attest.
Cavener: Second the motion.
Borton: It's been moved and seconded to approve the Consent Agenda as published.
There are no questions or discussion. Mr. Clerk.
Roll Call: Borton, yea; Cavener, yea; Strader, yea; Overton, yea; Little Roberts, yea;
Taylor, yea.
Borton: Consent Agenda is approved.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
ITEMS MOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item]
Borton: There are no items been removed from the Consent Agenda.
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January 9,2024
Page 3 of 7
DEPARTMENT / COMMISSION REPORTS [Action Item]
8. Discussion of City Council Appointments as Department Liaisons
and Appointments to Interagency Boards, Committees, and
Initiatives
Borton: Brings us to the Department/Commission Reports. Item No. 8, discussion of
City Council appointments department liaisons, inter-agency boards, committees and
initiatives. So, this is the annual start of the year where we shift around different duties
and assignments amongst Council Members. Those who have been here know that
they have been in different departments and served as liaisons and there is some
committees and boards that we have existing City Council Members serving on. So,
some quick context to the assignment of liaisons for Council Members now. It's not
quite as climactic as a -- as a sorting hat and an announcement of different doors or
where you get placed, it's already public and published. But the idea is there is not a
set science to who gets assigned where or a specific rotation, other than to try and
provide opportunities for every Council Member to have a variety of experiences with
different departments. They generally change every year for every department, with
some exceptions. Sometimes people have stayed two years, but generally they move
around, trying to expose people to different areas, things that they have not been
involved in or some areas where they have particular interest in and the role of the
liaison continues to be that of a primary kind of a conduit between the Council as a
whole or the Mayor and that particular department. So, an example might be if -- if you
know John's running or being a liaison for the Parks Department and we need -- we
wanted to know something that might be going on, a Council Member might call
Councilman Overton and say, hey, are you aware of this issue in Parks or what's going
on or what do you think about it? Maybe bring that up to your director and -- and we will
see if it becomes an agenda topic or something we discuss as a whole. It's much more
efficient for our directors to use the liaisons and have liaisons serve with the directors,
so we don't give them six questions, you know, at the same time, have directors who
are going to be very polite to our requests then have to give us six answers. So, we
have been -- this has been the process for a number of years. So, to the liaison to the
department that you get assigned to, reach out to your director early, very soon, have a
cup of coffee, to lunch and visit with how that director likes to communicate, what makes
-- how you can help them share information with us. Listen to their ideas. They all are
different in how they -- they work. Some are more independent, some need more
Council direction. So, please, get actively involved and, then, be available so when
Council Members have questions for that department we are going to try and turn to you
and ask you first if you have heard something or know about something or think of a
constructive way to bring it onto the agenda. So, that's kind of the broad brush picture
of liaison assignments. So, as we shift around, in no particular order, Public Works,
Enterprise Fund, which is a big lift, Doug -- to Councilman Taylor. So, thank you for
taking that one on. It's a fantastic department. They all are, but I'm coming from Public
-- Public Works, so now you and Laurelei will work great together. Councilman Overton,
who was with Parks most recently I believe, is now shifting over to Community
Development. Another large item to tackle and in hitting the ground running with -- with
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January 9,2024
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tonight's agenda at 6:00 o'clock. Council Woman Little Roberts, who is well versed with
the liaison process and you know how all of this works, you are now Fire. So,
congratulations. Thanks for taking that on. Councilman Cavener, a cagey veteran as
well, is now the liaison for the City Clerk's Office, as well as the Police Department. Our
Vice-President Council Woman Strader has three different departments, Human
Resources, IT and Legal, which work pretty closely together. And, then, lastly, I will be
the liaison for Parks and Rec, as well as the Mayor's Office and Finance. The last two
being more traditionally Council President roles. As you know, one of the larger items
that we tackle every year is the budget process. As a whole the Council does, so the
Council President has year over year been the liaison to the Mayor's Office and in
Finance. So, that's the process. That's the role of liaison that -- that most of you are
well versed on and those are the assignments. They will be effective today as part of
the resolution and with that stand for any questions from my colleagues.
Cavener: Mr. President?
Borton: Mr. Cavener.
Cavener: No questions, just a comment. Appreciate the breakdown and certainly
appreciate your heavy lift. I think the Mayor's Office and Finance -- I like that idea of
them kind of being brought together, but also recognize that's a heavy lift for you in your
role. So, just want to say thanks for taking that on. Appreciate it.
Borton: You got it. Gladly. If there is not any -- any other discussion, comments,
questions on it, this is effective until the next January.
Little Roberts: Mr. President?
Borton: Council Woman Little Roberts.
Little Roberts: I would just like to say I am honored to be the liaison to Fire and look
forward to working with the department again.
Borton: You got to whoot from Fire. Now you are kind of compelling everybody to -- to
whoot advocate for -- here is another -- yeah. We won't go around the room and have
our cheers. Another I think a really critical role for the liaison is have the difficult
conversations with your department. If they want to -- because we want to have good,
honest feedback early on. If there is something they want to bring forward or have
concerns about something that happened, be the strong voice for the Council. You are
not necessarily tasked with speaking on behalf of all six of us, that's not really your role,
but you can give some good feedback and -- and exchange ideas, which is going to
help the directors be more effective as well. So, you are speaking as one, but you really
are leading the voice of the group there, so --
9. Resolution No. 24-2429: A Resolution of the Mayor and the City
Council of the City of Meridian Approving City Council President's
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Appointments of City Council Members to Serve as Department
Liaisons, and Providing an Effective Date
Borton: If there is no other questions or comments that moves us to Item 9 on our -- on
our workshop agenda, which is Resolution No. 24-2429. Mr. Clerk, do we need to read
the resolution? No?
Johnson: I'm happy to, but it doesn't have to be read.
Borton: Okay.
Strader: Council President, I move that we approve Resolution No. 24-2429, a
resolution of the Mayor and City Council approving the appointments to serve as
Department Liaisons and providing an effective date.
Overton: Second.
Borton: It's been moved and seconded to approve Item No. 9, Resolution 24-2429. Is
there any questions or discussion? If not, all those in favor say aye. Any opposed
same sign. Resolution is passed.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
10. Resolution No. 24-2430: A Resolution of the Mayor and the City
Council of the City of Meridian Approving City Council President's
Appointments of City Council Members/City Staff Members to Serve
as Interagency Boards, Committees, and Initiatives Representatives,
and Providing an Effective Date
Borton: Leads us to Item 10.
Strader: Mr. President?
Borton: Yes.
Strader: I move that we approve Resolution No. 24-2430, Item No. 10.
Overton: Second.
Borton: It's been moved and seconded to approve Resolution 24-2430. Any questions
or discussion from Council? If none, all those in favor, please, say aye. Any opposed
same sign. Resolution passes.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
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EXECUTIVE SESSION per Idaho Code 74-206(1)(c): To acquire an interest in real
property not owned by a public agency and 74-206(1)(f): To communicate with
legal counsel for the public agency to discuss the legal ramifications of and legal
options for pending litigation, or controversies not yet being litigated but
imminently likely to be litigated.
Strader: Mr. Council President?
Borton: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: I moved that we go into Executive Session per for Idaho Code 74-206(1)(c)
and 74-206(1)(f).
Cavener: Second.
Borton: Moved and seconded to go into Executive Session per the code sections cited.
If no questions or discussion, have roll call. Mr. Clerk.
Roll Call: Borton, yea; Cavener, yea; Strader, yea; Overton, yea; Little Roberts, yea;
Taylor, yea.
Borton: We are in Executive Session.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
EXECUTIVE SESSION: (4.39 p.m. to 5.23 p.m.)
Strader: Mr. President?
Borton: Council Woman Strader.
Strader: I move we come out of Executive Session.
Cavener: Second.
Borton: Moved and seconded to come out of Executive Session. All those in favor say
aye. Motion carries.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
Borton: Take a motion to adjourn.
Strader: Mr. Council President?
Borton: Council Woman Strader.
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Page 7 of 7
Strader: I move that we adjourn.
Borton: Been moved to adjourn. All those in favor say aye. We are adjourned.
MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 5:23 P.M.
(AUDIO RECORDING ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS)
Mayor Robert E. Simison 1-23-2024
ATTEST:
CHRIS JOHNSON - CITY CLERK