Glenns Ferry City Council Meeting
May 8, 2012
City of Glenns Ferry City Council Regular Meeting May 8, 2012
The regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Glenns Ferry was opened and called to order at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 by Mayor Lanham.
Members Present: Chris Bryant, Traci Stewart, Alan Crane, Mayor JoAnne Lanham.
Members Absent: Billie Dillon.
Staff Present: Debbie Rowan, Jeff Cook, Bob Janousek, Bob Peace, Will Berg.
Others Present: Jak Krieger, Wanda Velaska, Ralph Winterbottom, Jill Laib, Donna Carnahan, David Eiguren, Jean Eiguren, Art Church, Leta Espinoza, Kay Neal, David Payne, Annette Payne, Erik Stewart, Cathy Wiggins, Jerry Wiggins, Lydia Thompson, Joyce Ashton, Susan Peake, Doug Coates, KC Duerig, Harry Knox.
Item 1. Open Meeting with Welcome and Roll-call Attendance:
Mayor Lanham called to order the regular meeting of the City of Glenns Ferry City Council on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 7:00 pm. She welcomed everyone for attending. She asked the City Clerk to do the roll-call attendance. City Clerk Berg proceeded to do the roll-call attendance:
X Chris Bryant X Traci Stewart
X Alan Crane O Billie Dillon
X Mayor JoAnne Lanham
Item 2. Pledge of Allegiance:
Mayor Lanham asked the audience to please stand and join her in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Item 3. Adoption of the Agenda:
Mayor Lanham asked that the City Council to adopt the agenda as prepared. Council Bryant made the motion to adopt the agenda. Council Stewart seconded the motion. With all ayes, the motion carried.
Item 4. Public Comments (for information purposes only on items not placed on the meeting agenda – no actions or decisions can be made on public comments – please limit public comments to three (3) minutes.):
Mayor Lanham said that we are going to open it up for public comments, if you would please come to the microphone and introduce yourself and tell us what you want to talk about anything that is not on tonight’s agenda. Ralph Winterbottom, 263 West Arthur, thanked everyone that came out on the bridge on Friday to salute our fallen comrade and showed a great turnout. Seeing no one else wanting to speak, the Mayor closed this item of the agenda and proceeded to move on to the next item.
Item 5. Approve Consent Agenda (Roll-call Vote):
A. Approve Accounts Payable for April / May 2012:
B. Approve Payroll for April 2012:
C. Approve Minutes of City Council Meeting for April 24, 2012:
D. Accept Minutes of Glenns Ferry Library Board Meeting for March 28, 2012:
E. Accept Minutes of Glenns Ferry Gem Community Team Meeting for January 19, 2012:
Mayor Lanham asked the City Council asked to approve the consent agenda. Council Bryant made the motion to approve the consent agenda. Council Crane seconded the motion. Roll-call vote was taken by Mayor Lanham: Dillon – absent, Crane – aye, Stewart – aye, Bryant – aye. With all ayes, the motion was approved.
Item 6. Items Moved from Consent Agenda for Further Discussion:
There was no item removed from the consent agenda.
Item 7. Introduction of Steve Millington, Candidate for State Representative for District 23-B:
Mayor Lanham introduced Steve Millington a candidate for State Representative for District 23-B and asked him to address the City Council and audience. Steve Millington introduced himself and thanked for the opportunity. He said that this is his first entry into politics and it’s been an exhilarating and challenging event. He said that it would be a pleasure to serve in the legislature for all of you. He does not have an agenda because he feels that elected officials need to adopt the agenda of those for whom they work. He would be honored to serve you in the Idaho Legislature and appreciate your vote on May 15th. He will hang around after the meeting for any questions.
Item 8. Presentation of the City Market by David Eiguren:
Dave Eiguren: We had a good year last year and would like to step it up a little bite this year. We would like to start a “Small Business Saturday” encouraging everyone on Saturday to get outside and go to a small business downtown. During the time we would like East Idaho Avenue to be people friendly. We are requesting the streets from the corner of Idaho and Commercial from the entrance of the bank parking lot to Lincoln Street to be closed. The core of the people that are in City Market will be there every single Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The plan is to bring in someone weekly that would provide a trade demonstration or an exhibit or an entertainment on the street. We want to work with the businesses on that street to bring sales and will encourage the community to advertize their garage, yard sales, etc on the corner sign that will be there. It may be possible to partner with the Senior Citizen Center to schedule their bus on Saturday. That might be something thru the State they can do. I am asking the City to be partners with us to help with advertising. We are going to step it up a bit and are going to get more growers for the produce sales. We are looking for a theme each Saturday. The area street needs to be people friendly from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Bryant: So there would be access to the parking and a drive thru in the parking lot next to the bank?
Eiguren: They would have parking right there and there would be spaces for up to thirteen cars. I know on Friday and Saturday night’s people don’t have any problem parking in the alleys. We aren’t going to take anything away from them. There is always parking on Commercial and the parking lot next to the bank. So they don’t have to sneak into the back. They can go into the parking lot if its full they can come back to Commercial or head down the alley toward Lincoln.
Bryant: So on Lincoln the intersection is still going to be open to the left?
Eiguren: Yes, our goal would be to come back to Will and ask to close one more block. We are hoping to bring more people walking downtown. They can go to Jack’s store, the bakery and even around to the Mexican store
Bryant: Have you received feedback from the other stores along that street?
Have you talked to the hardware store yet?
Eiguren: We have not. We haven’t talked to anybody yet.
Lanham: I don’t think they will have a problem.
Eiguren Last year when we had the 3 Island the hardware store went outside and they just loved it. They had sale items and everything.
Stewart: They could have a sidewalk sale.
Eiguren: We want to include everyone. If you want to have a yard sale you could have it on tables at the Market. It would be by application whether you showed up once a week or once a month. Last year during the Food Bank they handed out one City Marked ticket this year we ask them to hand out five. Each ticket is worth five dollars.
Stewart: I think it is a good idea. Last year I think a lot of people passed you up because you were around the corner.
Eiguren: People ask us why you are having it on a Saturday. The reason is on our corner on a Friday night we see $200,000 dollars go by then they come back to town and have nothing to do. If they go by they will see it then come back by they will also. I’m a firm believer if you close something that is when people come and look at it.
Stewart: From the 3 there you don’t have any problems from us.
Janousek: If you don’t keep the fire plug open you will get a ticket?
Eiguren: We’ll be 15 feet each way from the fire plug.
Janousek: How are you going to set your booths up down the street?
Eiguren: We are thinking about our backs to the railroad track.
Janousek: We need to leave a big enough opening for a fire truck.
Eiguren: We won’t be on both sides only one and you can drive right down it.
We thought about making it one way. We would like to put the entertainment on the sidewalks and the booths on the railroad side and then you could drive right thru if you have to.
Janousek: That is what I was concerned about. We have had some problems when they have the dances there. I have to go down and more somebody away from the fire hydrant. They like to back in there and unload and walk away. I haven’t had any problem getting anyone out of there.
Lanham: It sounds like a good idea to me. Does anybody have and comments?
Crane: Yes, are there any comments.
Thompson: Lydia Thompson, mention that we will have a port-a-potty.
Eiguren: We will have one. It is not to cause a problem or competition with any other businesses. We are hoping it will catch on and people from other cities will come into town.
Payne: David Payne, as a business owner I would like to lend my support. It will be more difficult for us because of the location. But we need the community to support this. You know as a rule of thumb it that’s 3 years to get up and running. We had a good start last year and it will get better and better.
Eiguren: The money made on each Saturday is turned over in the community so it is benefiting the whole community.
Item 9. Approve Ordinance No. 12-547: Amending the Appointments and Board Configuration to the Glenns Ferry Urban Renewal Agency:
Mayor Lanham said this Ordinance was to change the commissioner membership requirements. Council Bryant made a motion to approve the suspension of the rule to read the ordinance three different days and times and Ordinance No. 12-547 be read by title only. Council Crane seconded the motion. Roll-call vote was taken by Mayor Lanham: Dillon – absent, Crane – aye, Stewart – aye, Bryant – aye. With all ayes, the motion was approved. Council Bryant made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 12-547, an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Glenn Ferry, Idaho amending Ordinance No. 11-544 by reducing the number of City Council members on the Board of Commissioners of the Glenn Ferry Urban Renewal Agency and adding a minimum of three and a maximum of five volunteer commissioners providing a repealer clause and providing for an effective date. Council Crane seconded the motion. Roll-call vote was taken by Mayor Lanham: Dillon – absent, Crane – aye, Stewart – aye, Bryant – aye. With all ayes, the motion was approved.
Item 10. Appointments to the Board of Commissioners of the Glenns Ferry Urban Renewal Agency Board by Mayor Lanham – Approve Resolution No. 12-014 Approving Appointment of Five New Members to the Board of Commissioners of the Glenns Ferry Urban Renewal Agency:
Lanham: I will appoint the new board at this time. The board will consist of two members from the City Council and three members from the community.
Berg: After talking to the City Attorney several times today she felt which I agreed that the initial startup of the Urban Renewal Agency Appointments should be done by resolution. That way the seats are set, in a document form, and can be referred back to. You could make those appointments and adopt the resolution which does have those exact appointments. The lengths of the terms are staggered as to not have more than two expire at once as required.
Bryant: Would you like to just read the resolution?
Lanham: Yes that is what I will do.
(See attached resolution) appointing Seat 1 to Jak Krieger expire January 1, 2015, Seat 2 to Alan Crane expire January 1, 2016, Seat 3 to Bob Pattison expire January 1, 2013, Seat 4 to Traci Stewart expire January 1, 2016, and Seat 5 to Ralph Winterbottom expire January 1, 2015.
Lanham: These are my recommendations. I have spoken with the appointments and they have agreed.
Bryant: I make a motion to adopt Resolution No. 12-014.
Stewart: I second the motion.
Lanham: Is there any discussion?
Roll-call vote was taken by Mayor Lanham: Dillon – absent, Crane – aye, Stewart – aye, Bryant – aye. With all ayes, the motion was approved.
Item 11. Request to Declare Water Storage Tanks as Surplus Property by Jeff Cook:
Lanham: I will turn this item over to Jeff Cook. It was brought to my attention since the scrap metal value is high.
Cook: The two tanks are the old silver tank on the hill by the blue one and the old elevated tank by the Water Treatment Plant. The scrap metal prices are good right now and it might be a good opportunity to have someone take down and dismantle them and haul them off. That was what we did with the old red wood tank years ago. I know that the old icon tank by the river is not a popular thing to be talking about taking down but it is time to take it down or spend some money to maintain it. I realize we are struggling to maintain what we have. So I am asking Council approval to go out to bid on having them removed.
Bryant: What do you think the safety would be of taking down the elevated tank?
Cook: Taking it down in a controlled environment would be better than it falling over. I don’t know when the last person was up there to inspect it. I haven’t been up there.
Bryan: Is there going to be anyone interested in tearing it down?
Cook: Yes, metal prices are high enough there will be interest in doing it. I think that it is to our benefit now for them to pay us for it and take it down rather than us having to pay to take it down later.
Crane: How are they going to do it safely and effective enough to go out and collect the salvage?
Cook: I’m not an expert at that and I think they will have to bring in a crane and dismantle it piece by piece.
Crane: Metal is high we just sold some for $180 per ton.
Stewart: Someone approached me about painting it with a mural. I agree with the Mayor that is an icon but would be interested in what the community feels. I would like to get everybody’s input before I make a decision.