MINUTES CITY OF MOSCOW CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING March 17, 2014

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1 MINUTES CITY OF MOSCOW CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING March 17, 2014 Mayor Lambert called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Present: Staff: Dan Carscallen, Art Bettge, John Weber, Walter Steed, Wayne Krauss, Tom Lamar Bill Lambert, Mayor Gary Riedner, City Supervisor Rod Hall, City Attorney Dwight Curtis, Parks and Recreation Director David Duke, Police Chief Ed Button, Fire Chief Don Palmer, Finance Director Jeff Jones, Executive Director URA/Economic Development Specialist Joe Williams, Division Chief/Fire Jen Pfiffner, Assistant to the City Supervisor Tom Grundin, Parks/Facilities Manager Tyler Palmer, Street/Fleet Manager Stephanie Kalasz, City Clerk PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Councilmember Tom Lamar led the Pledge of Allegiance. Avista 125 th Anniversary Proclamation - Mayor Lambert Paul Kimmell thanked the Council for the opportunity to present and showed an Avista video regarding the company s 125 th anniversary. He said the next 125 years will be very different but Avista will be there for the community. Mayor Lambert read the associated Avista 125 th Anniversary Proclamation. 1. Consent Agenda: Any item will be removed from the consent agenda at the request of any member of the Council and that item will be considered separately later. Approval by roll call vote. A. Approval of March 3, 2014 Minutes Laurie Lewis B. Disbursement Report for February Don Palmer Staff presentation of the Disbursement Report February This was reviewed and signed by the Public Works/Finance Committee on March 10, ACTION: Approve the Disbursements Report for February C. Child Passenger Safety Seat Grant - Alisa Anderson/David Duke The Moscow Police Department has participated in a child safety seat program since 2003 by applying for grant funding to purchase safety seats and conduct child passenger safety technician instruction classes. The community partners in Region II have alternated turns as the lead agency to apply for the funding and organize community events for seat inspections and distributing child safety seats. The Moscow Police Department was asked again to apply for FY 2014 grant funding through the Idaho Transportation Department for purchasing child safety seats, continue training technicians, and distributing the seats in Region II. This year the police department requested $9,000 for purchasing child passenger safety seats and $1,500 for training and outreach programs City Council Minutes March 17, 2014 Page 1 of 9

2 for a total of $10,500 in grant funding. No match is required. The request for submission for the child passenger safety seat grant was reviewed by the Administrative Committee on January 27, 2014 and approved by the Council on February 3, The City was notified the grant was approved by the Executive Committee of the Idaho Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics on February 24, If approval to accept the funding is authorized, the grant funding will allow the police department and our community partners (Success by 6, Gritman Medical Center, CareNet of the Palouse, Toyota of Pullman, and St. Joseph Medical Center) to purchase child safety seats to distribute throughout our region and train additional technicians to conduct child seat inspections. In 2013, the Moscow Police Department was awarded $9,200 through this grant source and the department was able to purchase 143 child safety seats in various sizes and train six technicians. This was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Administrative Committee on March 10, ACTION: Approve grant acceptance for the FY14 Highway Safety Seat Grant Program through the Idaho Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics for $10,500. D Weed Spray Program - Tyler Palmer The City of Moscow Weed Spray Program helps control the spread of noxious weeds within City limits. We have worked with Shull Brothers of Moscow for several years for our week spraying services. The annual program, with the associated chemical list is submitted to the Sustainable Environment Commission each year for review. There was one chemical removed from the list by the contractor this year, and no additions. The "No-Spray" list will continue as in years past, and provides residents with the option to perform the weed control on their property and the adjacent right-of-way. This was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Public Works/Finance Committee on March 10, ACTION: Approve the 2014 Weed Spray Program with Shull Brothers. E. FEMA Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grant Request - Alisa Anderson/Ed Button/Joe Williams The FY13 Fire Prevention and Safety Program (FP&S) allows Fire Departments to apply for funding to purchase equipment that is designed to reach high-risk target groups and mitigate the incidence of death and injuries caused by fire and fire-related hazards. The Moscow Fire Department would like to apply for grant funding to purchase a Live Fire Extinguisher Training System. This system determines where the trainee aims and sweeps the compressed air/water Smart Extinguisher and automatically varies the flames in response, providing a realistic and safe training experience. A live fire extinguisher training system along with intelligent props and multiple class of fire and difficulty settings is now able to provide countless training scenarios without the cost and cleanup associated with dry chemical or CO2 extinguishers. Class A, B and C fires can be selected at four different difficulty levels and props can be used to create realistic flame patterns, further enhancing the training experience. These systems can save organizations more than the cost of a training session in one year. Quick recharge air/water training extinguishers plus reduced set-up and clean-up times mean you can train more people in less time. If awarded grant funding to purchase a live fire extinguisher training system the Moscow Fire Department would use it conjunctions with the Fire Safety Training Trailer. The system the Fire Department would like to purchase will cost approximately $11,000. The match requirement under the FP&S program is 5% equivalent to $ based on an $11,000 purchase. This was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Administrative Committee on March 10, City Council Minutes March 17, 2014 Page 2 of 9

3 ACTION: Approve the Moscow Fire Department to submit a grant request to the Fire Prevention and Safety Program to purchase a Live Fire Extinguisher Training System not to exceed $11,000. F. GHG Baseline Review - Keaghan Caldwell, Sustainability Intern/Jen Pfiffner Assistant to the City Supervisor In 2010, the City's initial Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory and report was completed based on data collected for the year Upon acceptance of the report the Council approved Resolution The report and resolution established a baseline year for measurement of the City's GHG emissions to be compared to future years in order to track reductions in emissions. Since that time, the software used to compile and report GHG emission data has been significantly updated. Due to differences in software and lack of specific data files, the 2005 data used to establish the original report baseline cannot be verified in its reported form and the backup is no longer available. The Sustainable Environment Commission was informed of the possibility that 2005 may be insufficient for future reporting needs when they were presented the interim update to the report on December 10, 2013, which was also presented to Council on December 16, The current sustainability intern has continued work to update the City's GHG emission inventory and report to include the most current 2012 data. ICLEI's updated software package has been determined to be the only available method for tracking and reporting the data in a meaningful manner. Knowing the 2005 data available will not meet the needs for measurement and tracking within the updated software, the oldest data available for use is from As such, it is recommended that the City of Moscow s GHG inventory and report be updated to reflect 2008 as the revised baseline for measuring emissions. With that adjustment a comprehensive report of emissions from 2008 to 2012 can be developed to provide information for future reduction recommendations. This was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Administrative Committee on March 10, ACTION: Approve the adjustment of the City of Moscow's Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory baseline year from 2005 to G. Palouse Knowledge Corridor Request for Funds - Gina Taruscio, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director/Jen Pfiffner, Assistant to the City Supervisor The Palouse Knowledge Corridor is a collaboration of economic, educational and civic entities. In June 2014, the Palouse Knowledge Corridor will offer the Be the Entrepreneur Bootcamp, an intensive four-day immersion into the complexity of business development. The event will consist of three tracks focusing on industries already essential to the Palouse economic base including value-added agriculture, animal health, and technology in all stages of business development. Each participant group or individual will be paired with a mentor to foster the business incubation and growth process. At the end of the sessions, participants will have a fullydeveloped business model that will have been vetted by industry leaders and evaluated by potential investors. Several agencies in the region have pledged financial support for this endeavor specifically. The Palouse Knowledge Corridor would like to request additional support from the City of Moscow in the amount of $2,500. This would be in addition to the $2,500 already pledged and paid to the Palouse Knowledge Corridor in fiscal year This was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Public Works/Finance Committee on March 10, ACTION: Approve support in the amount of $2,500 to the Palouse Knowledge Corridor for the Be the Entrepreneur Bootcamp training. City Council Minutes March 17, 2014 Page 3 of 9

4 H Sidewalk Program Contract Award - Scott Bontrager The 2014 City of Moscow Sidewalk Improvement Program will construct sidewalk and pedestrian ramp improvements in various locations with City funds and will perform additional sidewalk replacements under the Property Owner Assistance Program at the owner's expense. An electronic bid solicitation for this year's Sidewalk Program was issued to four area contractors on February 21, 2014, giving them one week to respond. As the level of citizen participation is unknown, the project was advertised with estimated quantities. Three responsive bids were received on February 28, Of the responsive bids received, numbers ranged from $59,500 to $88,480. Knox Concrete of Lewiston, Idaho submitted the apparent low bid on the project of $59,500. The Engineer's Estimate for the project was $59,990. The total value of the work by and for the City of Moscow will not exceed the City of Moscow FY2014 Sidewalk Improvement budget line item amount. The value of any additional work done will be dependent upon property owner participation and at their expense. Based on the bids received, Staff feels that it is in the best interest of the City to award the contract to the apparent low bidder Knox Concrete. This was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Public Works/Finance Committee on March 10, ACTION: Accept the low bid from Knox Concrete and authorize a work order based contract with Knox Concrete not to exceed the amount available to the program. I. Pedestrian Curb Ramp Improvement Project FY Scott Bontrager The improvements for this project include replacing deficient pedestrian curb ramps on the Idaho Transportation Department highway system at all four quadrants of the intersection of US 95 and Styner Avenue as well as all four quadrants of US 95 and Sweet Ave. The Engineer's estimate for this project was $59,814. The project is funded by a FY2014 grant from the ITD Pedestrian Curb Ramp Improvement Program. In January, 2014, a Cooperative Agreement was signed between the City of Moscow and the Idaho Transportation Department to construct the nine pedestrian ramps in the Agreement with a lump sum reimbursement from ITD at $53,833. The City then provided the additional 10% cash match of $5,981 for this grant to arrive at the original Engineer's estimate of $59,814. The City shall be responsible for providing any additional funding necessary for change orders exceeding the $59,814 allotted for this project. This additional funding in excess of the $59,814 currently allotted to this project would be expended from the Capital Projects Sidewalk Improvements line item The City solicited six contractors for bids on February 21, 2014 for the construction of the proposed project. Three responsive bids were received with McCall's Classic Construction of Clarkston, Washington submitting the apparent low bid on the project of $44,075. Staff is in discussion with ITD about the possibility of adding additional ramps to the project to fully utilize the grant funding budget of $59,814. ITD has approved such requests in the past. If the approval is received the additional ramps would be added to the contract through the change order process. This was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Public Works/Finance Committee on March 10, ACTION: Accept the low bid from McCall's Classic Construction and award the contract in the amount of $44, to construct this project and authorize staff approval of construction change orders in an amount not to exceed a total contract amount of $59,814. J. North Almon Street Property Purchase Agreement - Bill Belknap The City currently has two sanitary sewer mains, one 12 inch main and one 18 inch main, which currently cross a privately held property located behind and directly west of the Rosauers Supermarket, currently owned by Helena Rogalski. The mains were constructed upon the property when the property was owned by the two prior railroad companies, one in 1967 and one City Council Minutes March 17, 2014 Page 4 of 9

5 in As was the railroad's common practice, the City was granted license agreements for the utility crossings, one of which included a one-time fee of $25 and the other which included an annual fee of $260 and both allow for the forced removal of the facilities with 30 day notice. The license which is subject to the annual fee may be increased at the discretion of the property owner. Since that time, the annual license fee was increased by the property owner and as of last year the license fee was $1,500 annually. In September of 2013, the City received notice that the license fee was increased from $1,500 to $5, per year effective immediately. The City has explored potential relocation of the sewer mains and concluded that a complete relocation is estimated to cost approximately $218,000. The City entered into negotiations to purchase perpetual easements which were rejected by the property owner. The City has reached a negotiated agreement to purchase the southern 0.51 acres of the subject property which includes the subject utility crossings at a price of $50,000. Funding for the acquisition would come from the Sewer Fund. This was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Public Works/Finance Committee on March 10, ACTION: Approve the proposed property purchase agreement. Steed moved and Weber seconded approval of the consent agenda. Roll Call Vote: Ayes: Unanimous. Nays: None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried. 2. Mayor's Appointments - Bill Lambert Mayor Lambert said he would like to appoint Randy Baukol to the Fair and Affordable Housing Commission. The Council approved the appointment unanimously. 3. Public Comment and Mayor s Response Period (limit 15 minutes) - For members of the Public to speak to the Council regarding matters NOT on the Agenda; not currently pending before the Planning and Zoning Commission or Board of Adjustment; not the subject of a pending enforcement action; and not relative to a City personnel matter. Please state your name and address for the record and limit remarks to three minutes. Margaret Dibble, 1131 Jacksha Road, said Bike Month is coming up in May and they would like the Mayor to issue a proclamation to declare Bike Month in the city. 4. Noise Ordinance Report - David Duke Duke gave the Noise Ordinance Report. He said the Police Department responded to 625 noise complaints with 24 citations issued. He explained what types of charges were cited. He displayed a graph to show the effect of the January 2008 change to the Noise Ordinance. There seems to be a downward trend. There was discussion about the fact that generally one-third of the citations are dismissed. Hall explained that an initial call could have been noise but it turns out to be domestic violence or something like that or that there is no proof or there are other charges and as part of a plea the noise charge is dropped. There was further discussion. 5. Citizen Commission Report - Urban Renewal Agency - Jeff Jones Jones gave the Moscow Urban Renewal Agency report. He discussed the Agency profile, its purpose, the organization structure and listed the members as well as the staff who support them. He provided some historical information regarding the Agency and its projects as well as ways they are allowed to fund projects. He explained how the Agency acquires its revenues and what it gets from each project. He said the URA budgets conservatively. He discussed expenditure trends and the five-year long term debt trend. He displayed maps of the districts, provided information about each and gave highlights. He said there has been some potential legislation brought forward this year and he discussed two bills. Weber said he serves on the URA and Jones covered what they have been doing in his report. He said the Agency is City Council Minutes March 17, 2014 Page 5 of 9

6 moving along well. Bettge said he is happy that the lots are now in commercial hands for marketing. Lamar said he is glad to see the lots are being marketed and he is hoping to see fun things happen at the 6 th and Jackson property. 6. National, Regional and Local Economic Indicators - Jeff Jones Jones provided information regarding National, Regional and Local Economic Indicators. He explained what an economic indicator is and discussed the information that is used. He displayed a U.S. Business Cycle Map for December He discussed Idaho s regional economics and the local economy as well as housing/home prices, employment, industrial production, earnings, and population growth [presentation included with the minutes]. There was some discussion. 7. Quarterly Report #2 - Paradise Path Task Force - Tom Grundin The report, as requested by the City Council, will illustrate the activities and progress of the Paradise Path Task Force from December, 2013 through March 11, The Task Force is seeking to become a stand-alone Commission, and after discussions with City Council in 2013, the membership was requested to provide four quarterly reports to the Council, as a means of monitoring the actions and progress made by the Task Force. Two future reports will be made in June and September of ACTION: Accept report; or take other action deemed appropriate. Grundin said the Paradise Path Task Force is making its second quarterly report and introduced Margaret Dibble. Dibble listed the Task Force s accomplishments which included quorums at all of their meetings and development of a mission statement for Council consideration. She read the proposed mission statement. She listed their proposed goals for the coming year. There was discussion and Steed asked if the mission statement could be brought forward to the Council for approval at meeting in the near future. Regarding approval to move forward, he said he does not want to approve the items generally but prefers approving specific projects. He would like to continue to receive quarterly reports. Lamar suggested having staff work-up the concepts. Riedner said staff can prepare that information. Lamar discussed a specific intersection as well as two national conferences he attended recently. He explained the benefits of making communities walkable and bikeable. He said he appreciates what the Paradise Path Task Force is doing. Carscallen moved to accept the Paradise Path Task Force Quarterly Report and to bring back the other requests for action by the Council. Lamar seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: Ayes: Unanimous. Nays: None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried. Bettge mentioned that there are opening on the Paradise Path Task Force if anyone is interested in applying. 8. Revisit Potential Uses of City Property Previously Leased by Cadillac Jacks, Inc. - Dwight Curtis On March 3, 2014, the City Council approved the lease of City property to Cadillac Jack's, Inc. (Mr. Phil Roderick) not to exceed 99 years, with a 90-day termination clause. On March 4th, Mr. Roderick contacted Parks and Recreation Director, Dwight Curtis, informing him that he was no longer interested in leasing the property and subsequently also contacted Councilman Steed with the same notification (copy of attached). This property is located at the junction of A Street, Main Street and Washington. With Mr. Roderick's decision not to lease the property, options the City could pursue with this property are: close the property to parking and landscape adding curbside parking; lease property to another business; develop the property into a public parking area; divest itself of the property; and other direction, as determined by the City Council. This item was reviewed by the Administrative Committee on March 10, The discussion leaned toward leaving the property as it presently is until a decision otherwise is made. In the interim, Parks and Recreation staff will perform litter pick-up. Community Development Director, Bill Belknap suggested that the City's entryway beautification planning efforts could possibly be extended to include this property if the Council desires it. City Council Minutes March 17, 2014 Page 6 of 9

7 ACTION: Provide further direction to staff on how to proceed with subject property. Curtis presented the issue as written above and provided background information. He displayed aerial photos that showed some options for the property currently being leased by Cadillac Jacks, Inc. He displayed photos of the area. He staff is looking for direction on how to move forward. Krauss said this was discussed at the Administrative Committee and they did not think there was a rush so they would like to leave the property as is for now for possible inclusion in the beautification project. Steed said he is not in favor of landscaping the entire property but would not be opposed to a few trees. He is not in favor of making it a park. He asked if it is needed as a City employee parking lot. Riedner said that is an option that could be considered as well, there is currently some parking at the Water Department as well as street parking. Steed asked if the parking lot would have to be developed. Riedner said he does not believe so if it is left in the current form but he would need to talk to Belknap. There was some discussion. Carscallen said he is interested in adding it to the beautification plan and comparing how many parking spaces would be in the lot as opposed to how many would be gained on the street. Lamar said he thinks it could be a nice small open space blocked off to vehicles. Bettge said he agrees because it looks like more spaces would be gained on Main Street as well as adding a few street trees on the northeast side. There was discussion about the CJ s use. Riedner said the property belongs to the City and is not public rightof-way. Weber moved to leave the property as it is and have staff bring forward some ideas that will coincide with beautification and extension of the downtown area to the north. Carscallen seconded the motion. There was some discussion. Weber amended his motion and Carscallen agreed that a six month time limit be added for the item to be brought back to the Council. Roll Call Vote: Ayes: Unanimous. Nays: None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried. 9. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Presentation The City's auditor has completed the City's Audited Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ending September 30, Mitch Marx, representing the City's auditor Presnell Gage, will present the CAFR report and Don Palmer, Finance Director will outline comparative changes from previous years. Staff is proud to announce that the City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report has been awarded the certificate of achievement for excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers' Association (GFOA) for the last ten consecutive years. After approval, staff will submit this report for consideration for the eleventh GFOA certificate of excellence in financial reporting award. This CAFR meets all of the newest implementations of Governmental Accounting Standard Board's pronouncements that affect the City of Moscow and is in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The final draft of the CAFR for fiscal year ending September 30, 2013 is accompanying this audit and financial presentation. ACTION: Approve and accept the City of Moscow Audited Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for fiscal year ended September 30, 2013; or take other action as deemed appropriate. Palmer presented the issue as written above. He explained what is included in the financial statements. He thanked staff and the Audit Committee for their efforts. He introduced Mitch Marx, CPA for Presnell Gage, PLLC to discuss the highlights. Marx explained that this is quite an accomplishment. He discussed the standards for the document, how it is drafted and what is included. He said the City received an unqualified opinion which is the highest rating. He explained the layout of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and gave an overview of the funds. Palmer discussed the Water, Sewer and Sanitation Funds. He gave the financial highlights which included general government, public safety, culture and recreation and streets. There was some general discussion as well as discussion about the HUD Fund. Carscallen moved to approve and accept the report and Lamar City Council Minutes March 17, 2014 Page 7 of 9

8 seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: Ayes: Unanimous. Nays: None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried. REPORTS: Administrative Committee Krauss said the items discussed at the Administrative Committee meeting were covered on the Council agenda. Public Works/Finance Committee Steed said the items on the Public Works/Finance Committee agenda were approved at Council. Other Boards & Commissions Latah Economic Development Council Krauss said the LEDC discussed that PMWR will be moving into the Potlatch Business District. A big part of that was through CEDA. The organization is going through growing pains and is undertaking some strategic planning to redefine what they do. Farmers Market Commission Krauss said the Farmers Market Commission discussed moving the market to Jackson Street for the University of Idaho Homecoming Parade. Palouse Knowledge Corridor Krauss said the PKC discussed the Be the Entrepreneur Bootcamp and they will be moving forward with it. It should be a good four-day workshop. There is a Spring Business Showcase on April 3 rd. Tree Commission Carscallen said the Tree Commission has six people signed up for the Adopt-a-Tree Program and they are working on a tree owners manual. The Arbor Day celebration will be April 25 th. The entryway beautification plan was discussed as well. Arts Commission Carscallen said the Arts Commission discussed having a poet laureate for the City. Artwalk will be June 13. They will have a wilderness speaker series as in October part of the 50 th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Transportation Commission Carscallen said the Transportation Commission talked about the lot next to Cadillac Jack s. They discussed the Joseph Street Ball Fields path along Mountain View. They received a report regarding the League of American Bicyclists and preventing bikes on sidewalks along Main Street should be moving forward soon (asking people to walk their wheels). Clearwater RC&D Lamar said the Clearwater RC&D discussed a very short timeline for a grant proposal for economic development funding for the region. CEDA Lamar said he met with the CEDA director and discussed the region. Lamar discussed the National Bike Summit and National League of Cities conferences he attended. Planning and Zoning Commission Weber said the Planning and Zoning Commission discussed North Main Street zoning amendments which have been approved and will be coming to Council for consideration. The accessory dwelling unit item will be moving forward in April and tandem parking allowance consideration will be discussed in the future. Mayor Mayor Lambert discussed sessions he attended at the National League of Cities Conference that he attended with the City Supervisor. City Council Minutes March 17, 2014 Page 8 of 9

9 Riedner mentioned the passing of Leslie Moss, former Human Resources Director for the City, who will be missed. The meeting concluded at 9:17 p.m. ATTEST: Bill Lambert, Mayor Stephanie Kalasz, City Clerk City Council Minutes March 17, 2014 Page 9 of 9