MINUTES OF THE

MEETING OF THE

TOWN COUNCIL OF

GARDEN CITY, UTAH

 

The Garden City Town Council held their regular Town Council meeting on March 13, 2008 at the Garden City Office, located at 145 W. Center (Logan Road).  Mayor Hansen opened the meeting at 5:00 p.m.

 

Roll call of  Council Members Present:                   

 

Kenneth Hansen, Mayor

Bess Huefner

Brian House

Laraine Schnetzer

Mike Leonhardt

 

Others Present:

 

Kathy Hislop            

Anita Weston

John Abraham

Jason Linford

Sue Lutz

Ray Lutz

Van Garner

Lynn Farner

Judy Holbrook

Karen Lambert

Angie McPhie

Jennifer Huefner

Joyce McCown

Ren Lambert

 

Mike Knapp

Rich Smart

Lance Anderson

Jared Larson

Frank Smith

Pat Argyle

Paul Webb

JoAnn Jackson

Heather Starley

 

Mayor Hansen called for the roll call of each member for the record.

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

 

Minutes of the Public Hearing held on February 14, 2008

 

The Council reviewed the minutes of the Public Hearing held on February 14, 2008.

 

Council Member Huefner made the motion to accept the minutes of the public hearing held on February 14, 2008 as written.  Council Member Schnetzer seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

Minutes of the Town Council meeting held on February 14, 2008

 

Council Member Schnetzer made the motion to accept the minutes of February 14, 2008 as written.  Council Member Huefner seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

Mayor Hansen asked to take just a minute on #5C and then #8A of the agenda because they will not be coming to the meeting tonight.

 

Mayor Hansen explained that the property located at 465 S. Bear Lake Blvd. is on the agenda for a business license but the Council may require that they go through the zone change procedure before they get the business license.  He stated that at that point there would be some discussion regarding their plan.   The Council will be very thorough on what would happen in that area.  That is the process that the Council should require is re-zone the property first, declare what their intention is at that point and then it would go to a public hearing with the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission would make a recommendation to the Council.

 

Mayor Hansen explained that there was a request to re-zone property at 330 S and 100 W.  They probably will not request a zone change at this time.  They may decide to  do a residential development on the property, which will not require a zone change. 

 

SWAN SPRING CULINARY WATER PROJECT/TREATMENT PLANT

 

Mr. Linford  passed out his report for the water treatment plant.  Mayor Hansen explained that we bid out the treatment plant and opened the bids in February.  The low bidder was Build Inc. from Salt Lake.  Mr. Linford  said that their, Sunrise Engineering, recommendation is that we do award the bid to Build, Inc.  Mr. Linford  said that he has worked personally with this company and they are good to work with. 

 

The original amount for the budget was $4.7 million and now the estimated cost 3 years later is $5.2 million.  We have been approved for the additional $500,000 through the State Drinking Water Board at the same interest rate.  Rural Development is trying to come up with an additional $250,000 in grant so we will only need to increase the loan $250,000.  The grant for this project will be approximately $1 million.  The rest is in a low interest loan.

 

We may need to re-address the rate structure or we may want to go with a stand-by fee.  That will help us reduce the debt quicker than the way the rate structure is set up now.

 

Mr. Linford  went over the list of items required for loan closing.  He said that if things go as planned we should be able to award the bid in April.  We have 60 days from February 26th to award the bids.  We hope to have the treatment plant completed by December 2008.  The treatment plan will probably be started in May 2008 depending on the weather.

 

Mr. Linford  explained that he met with UDOT regarding 3rd west and the intersection onto Logan Road.  We will not need a traffic study.  We will need to construct a turn lane in both directions and a deceleration lane in both directions. Mayor Hansen said that we need to re-visit that because we won=t have a significant amount of traffic on that road for a lot of years.  Mr. Linford said that if we want a change in what UDOT is requiring on that intersection we may have to do a traffic study.  He will talk to UDOT again.

 

Council Member House made the motion to award the bid for the treatment plant to Build Inc.  The bids were opened on February 26, 2008.  Council Member Leonhardt seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

Hodges canyon has been approved, designed and we can bid that out whenever we want.

 

Mr. Jeff Hansen is working on the topography for 3rd west.  Mr. Troy Petersen has been contracted by the Lochwood Developers to do their turn lane on Hwy 89.  We are trying to get our turn lane ready so we can team up with them and construct ours at the same time to save on some of the costs.

 

Mayor Hansen spoke with Mr. Jeff Hansen and he should have the survey of 50 South done by next week.  We need to get the plans asap so that we can get started.  We want to create the parking area from property line to property line.  We need some drainage, curb and gutter, and have it pave.  We also need to know where the sewer is so we can construct the bathrooms in the right place.  The bathrooms may come at a later time but we need the area prepped while we are dong the rest of the project.   

 

Mr. Hansen is also working on the survey for 100 West to Stump Hollow.

 

BUILDING INSPECTOR REPORT

 

Council Member House asked about the building on Logan Road and about 50 West.  Council Member Leonhardt said that Prolux is moving into that building and they are trying to clean up that area. 

 

Mr. John Abraham is not able to attend this meeting but he did prepare the report that was given to the Council Members. The Council read through the Building Permit Report.

 

 

 

 

 

BUSINESS LICENSE

 

Dahl Holding, LLC., Jack Dahl

 

Mr. Dahl is not in attendance tonight so the Council agreed to move on but if Mr. Dahl comes in later we will allow him to present his request.

 

Smart Construction, Mike Knapp & Rich Smart

 

Mr. Rich Smart said that they are requesting a business license so they can continue to build homes in the area. They will keep the office location in their homes. 

 

Council Member House made the motion to accept the business license for Smart Construction. Council Member Leonhardt seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

Bear Lake Extreme Wake Watersports

 

Mayor Hansen explained that they requested not to be on the agenda so there isn=t any discussion on this agenda item.

 

SHORT TERM NIGHTLY RENTAL LICENSE DISCUSSION/APPROVAL

 

Council Member Huefner stated that the Council doesn=t need copies of everything for short term rentals.  They just need the first 2 pages and the inspection forms.

 

Bear Lake Lodging /Jeff & Angie McPhie

 

Council Member Huefner made the motion to accept the Short Term Rental Business License for Bear Lake Lodging, Owner Jeff & Angie McPhie, items 1-8 as listed on the agenda.  Council Member Leonhardt seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

Bear Lake Vacation Rentals/Joyce McCown

 

Council Member Huefner made the motion to accept the Short Term Rental License application for Bear Lake Vacation Rentals by Joyce McCown with the corrections that have been listed by the Building Inspector and according to the agenda items1-3.  Council Member Leonhardt seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

Bear Lake View Property Management/Kyle Pugmire

 

Council Member Huefner said that she had a phone call from Mr. Rowloff because they want a fence between their home and the Papa Bear rental home.  Mayor Hansen said that there is nothing in the ordinance requiring them to have the fence so we can=t require that.

Council Member Huefner said that when they were building the Papa Bear rental home they destroyed the sidewalk along that area.  They need to replace the sidewalk in front of that property.  They broke it up so they need to replace it.  That location hasn=t been inspected. 

 

Council Member Schnetzer made the motion to accept the short term rental business license for Bear Lake View Properties for the following locations under the condition that the corrections listed on the inspection report be made; Lewis, Christenson, Fojtek, Denison and Gilbert.  Council Member Leonhardt seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

The motion for Bear Lake Lodging motion was amended to;

 

Council Member Huefner made the motion to amend the motion for Bear Lake Lodging to accept the applications for items 1 & 8 as listed on the agenda.  Council Member House seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

REQUEST FOR GARDEN CITY TO SPONSOR THE T-BALL

 

Ms. Angie McPhie explained that last year they put together a T-Ball league with 26 kids.  They charged $15 per child and $10 per child if they had more than 1 child in a family.  They paid for the t-shirts and also the equipment.

 

They are requesting that the Town try to get community involvement through a Park and Recreation department or a just a Sports Committee.  They are requesting that the Town sponsor the T-Ball League, provide insurance and purchase the equipment.  Last year they spent $120. 

She feels that the total involvement financially would be just for the equipment that we could keep every year.  

 

They feel that it is more liability than what they want to deal with so they are requesting that the Town keep it under the Town umbrella.  Council Member House said that we could check with our insurance provider to see if we could include this on our policy.

 

We would need to provide a space at the park for a backstop and some bases.  Council Member Schnetzer said that she needs to get with them and discuss the needs for the park.  T-Ball is from 3-7 years old and the older group is 8-13 years old. 

 

For a lot of years we didn=t have many kids in the area and now we have a lot of kids and we need to provide something for them to do.  The Town Council agreed to check with our insurance company to determine if we can cover this type of activity.  We will also sponsor this group for the equipment.

 

 

 

 

PRELIMINARY CONDO APPLICATION

 

Mr. Lance Anderson showed the site plan the Bear Lake Condo Project and showed the changes that they made pursuant to the recommendations made by the Planning Commission. 

 

They presented this as an expandable condo project and they plan to do this in phases.  They are not sure what the open space ratio is at this time.  Mayor Hansen said that it looks like they have enough open space to fit in with the ordinance requirement.

 

The road width in the project is 38' dedicated to the Town and asphalt width of 24'.  More property will be dedicated on the other side of the property line when they develop there.  Mayor Hansen said that we really need to watch the road width for future developments.

 

Mr. Anderson said that they are dedicating just the 350 South road to the Town for maintenance and snow removal and the rest of the roads will stay private to the development  Mayor Hansen said that is fine as long as they are built to the town standards per Mr. Linford .  The 24' is sufficient for their project. 

 

They want this project to be in a price range to attract full time residents and young families.   Some of the units will be owner occupied and some will be rental units.

 

Phase 1 is six buildings and the clubhouse.  They are hoping to start the project this June. 

They need to make application for the water shares that they will need to bring to the town in exchange for connecting onto the town water system.  They will do that process through Mr. Linford.   They can come up with a development agreement so that they have a record of how much they have given to the Town for future phases. 

 

Mr. Anderson stated that they have submitted everything that they thought would be pertinent to the new ordinance even though they started under the old ordinance.

 

Council Member Huefner made the motion to accept the preliminary condo application for the Bear Lake Condo=s with Jared Larson as phase I, 72 units.  Council Member Leonhardt seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

ORDINANCE DISCUSSION/APPROVAL

 

Ordinance #08-04, Motor Vehicle Access Ordinance.

 

The Council discussed a few minor changes to the Ordinance and those changes will be mad and this ordinance will be back on the agenda for next month.  Mayor Hansen and Council Member Huefner will work on this ordinance.

 

 

Ordinance # 08-05, Dark Sky Ordinance

 

Planning Commission Chair Huefner explained that the Planning Commission=s main point of discussion for this ordinance is why are we requiring this.  The Planning Commission feels that this particular ordinance is too cumbersome.  She suggested that if we need an ordinance it just state that down lights are approved.  Council Member Huefner agreed that we should just have a simple ordinance.  We need to allow people to shine the light on the flag. 

 

Council Member Huefner suggested that we write a very simple dark sky ordinance and present it to the Planning Commission next month.

 

REQUEST FROM THE BEAR LAKE REGIONAL COMMISSION TO HELP FUND THE POCATELLO REGIONAL TRANSIT BUS IN GARDEN CITY.  Judy Holbrook

 

Ms. Judy Holbrook explained that last year they had the bus run July - August and it cost $14,000.  This year they went to the chamber to see what the needs are for the businesses.  They are still in need of a lot of employees.  It seems that Montpelier and Paris are the only places that have affordable housing so we need to draw from that area.  Ms. Holbrook is working with all the businesses to see what time they need the bus to run and she will try to run the bus to accommodate the needs of the businesses. 

 

The bus will cost about $7500 - $8000 for the summer season.  The chamber donated $3200.  The Mayor from Montpelier is trying to get $1000.  They will also check with the banks to see if we can get some funding from each of them.  She is also getting a good response from the Real Estate Companies to help donate.  She is requesting Garden City donate $1000 for the bus.  She does have a grant to help pay for the bus also.

 

Mayor Hansen suggested that we get the business owners to encourage the use of the bus.  That would help with the loitering problem after work. 

 

This bus will be free to ride again this year because fares cannot go towards the cash match for the grant.  It is a good service for the older people.

 

Council Member Huefner made the motion to provide $1000 to the Pocatello Regional Transit which will provide busses from mid May to mid September in the Garden City area.  Council Member House seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

The Pocatello Regional Transit will bring a bus down and provide transportation during Raspberry Days.  It will be a different bus than the commuter bus, maybe a trolley.

 

Council Member Huefner explained that she started working on the Scenic Byway grant and she is working through what was done 2 years ago.  Council Member House will be attending the meeting next week. 


DISCUSSION REGARDING THE JULY 1, 2008 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2009 BUDGET

 

Mayor Hansen said that the new budget year is fast approaching.  We will have the tentative budget in May and June will be the final budget.  The new budget starts in July.  All the Council and department heads need to determine what they need so we can be ready for this process.

 

In years past we=ve received the property values from the assessors office to determine what increase we can figure for the property tax part of the budget.

 

Mr. Linford  will be working on the impact fee schedule to determine if we can change the way we collect the impact fees and also how much we can collect.  He will find out if we can assess the impact fees at the time of sale of a house or lot.  Mayor Hansen wants that for water impact fees, road impact fees and park impact fees.  At this point all those fees are collected from the buyer at the time they pull a building permit.  The lots that are all ready existing can be liened so the fees are assessed when they sell or when they build. 

 

He also suggests that we impose a water stand by fee on every lot that is sold.  We have committed that we will provide that lot with water so they should pay the standby fee, which would be a portion of the monthly water rate. 

 

We have been in very good financial shape for a lot of years but we have been saving the money for some significant projects that will all come to fruition this year.  We will be spending a substantial amount of money this year to complete the proposed projects.

 

UPDATE OF THE PROGRESS FOR THE NEW LIBRARY TOWN HALL

 

Mayor Hansen said that we are just waiting for the appraisal to be done on the Canyon Cove and then we can close the loan.  The bank has the paperwork ready for whenever we are ready to close.

 

Cost to rent the facilities:

 

Council Member House suggested that we set the cost to rent the facilities and also have a deposit.  Council Member Leonhardt will work on getting some rental costs for the new facility.

 

Use of alcohol:

 

Council Member House suggested that for public safety in a public building we don=t allow alcohol at the new facilities.  The Council Members suggested that we contact the attorney and also the insurance company for more direction on this matter. 

 

Council Member Schnetzer said that if we are not comfortable with having alcohol served in our building then we should say no until we get a policy together.  We need to have some time to get a policy.  Until we have an alcohol policy the Council Members are not going to allow alcohol at the new facility.  We won=t take any reservations with alcohol until we get the policy in place.  Council Member Leonhardt will get a proposal for the cost next month.

 

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

 

Date for Raspberry Days

 

The County Commissioners are wanting us to move the date of Raspberry Days to the first Saturday in August.  The Council agreed that the 2008 Raspberry Days will be on August 7th, 8th and 9th.  In future years Raspberry Days will start on the Thursday before the first Saturday. 

 

Council Member House made the motion to that in 2009 the date of Raspberry Days will change to include the first Saturday in August.  Council Member Schnetzer seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

Conflict of Interest for Planning Commission Member Ballingham

 

The Council reviewed the Conflict of Interest form for Planning Commission Member Ballingham.  The Council Members signed the form.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS

 

Council Member Huefner explained that she started working on the Scenic Byway Grant and she will work with Council Member House on that grant.

 

Council Member Huefner said that the Hook Canyon Project is a big concern and they are having a meeting on March 28th at the Garden City Office.  We need to have everyone here at the meeting. 

 

Council Member Huefner said that there will need to be a huge work day to put the signs up in town.  Mayor Hansen said that because we are regulating the state highway they need to have some input. 

 

150 S will need to be widened and the minimum road width is 30'. 

 

Council Member Huefner said that Mr. Gerber would like to be contact when we determine that they need to move the quonset hut.  Mayor Hansen said that he is okay with using the town equipment to move the quonset hut and we should give them a deadline to move it by the middle of June.  Council Member Huefner will prepare a letter to send to them. 

 

Council Member House said that the marina didn=t pass the legislature and he was told that in order to get a marina it will have to be supported by the community.  Mayor Hansen said that he is not sure how we could have supported it any more.

Council Member House asked about charging fees for the beach.  The state is not going to take care of that so maybe the Town can charge the fees and collect the revenues.  We need to put up gates and think about how we can do the charging.  This will take a lot more discussion.

 

Council Member Schnetzer said that she has been gathering a lot of research on the Library.  She has talked to the Librarian to let her express her concerns for the new library.  When we are ready to move the library we will need to get a lot of community help. 

 

Council Member Schnetzer asked if we are interested in becoming a certified library.  If we are a certified library then we could get grants for some of the things that we will need for the new library.  She feels like the qualifications are not to terribly difficult, but we would need to have a paid staff, not volunteers.

 

Mayor Hansen said that he appreciates all the good work that is being done by the Town Council and the Planning Commission.

 

PAYMENT VOUCHERS

 

Council Member House made the motion to pay the bills as presented with the vouchers.  Council Member Schnetzer seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

There being no further business to discuss, Council Member Schnetzer made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m.  Council Member House seconded the motion.  All in favor and the motion carried.

 

APPROVAL:

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

Kenneth Hansen, Mayor

 

Attest:

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________

Town Clerk