Loading...
Council Minutes 05/05/1976 I o 00 t-- ~ c:a ~ I I Page 187 =-6-~ A report by Councilwoman Dille indicated that there is a dangerous situation of a !eaning shed in her neighborhood, and she was advised that the City has no responsi- bility for such things on private property. Mayor - Mayor Wehmann presented a list of proposed official holidays and travel allowances for the Council to study and consider at a future meeting. He-reported that H-K Contractors, Inc., is trying to make arrangements to get a sweeper to use along with the City s-weeper to clean up the chips in the Hillview area, and requested that the Engineer follow through by checking on this matter. Since he expects to be out of town at the time, Mayor Wehmann asked Councilman Swensen to attend the Assoc- iation of Idaho Cities District Meeting in Idaho Falls on May 13. He also reminded the Council Members to get pre-registered for the AICConference in June, since the registration fee is higher if this is not taken care of in advance. A report by Mayor Wehmann indicated that notice has been received from the Office of Revenue Sharing that, based on the recent special census count of 3,630, and estimate of 3,177 population on July 1 r 1973, will be used for calculating the amounts to be received this year. Regarding accepting the improvements in the Barbara Jean Addition, Mayor Wehmann announced that he has refused to sign the papers urti1 a solution is agreed upon on the streets. He reported that he asked the City of Idaho Falls to inspect that addition, principally the streets, and a letter is to be prepared to identify the faults. Mayor Wehmann asked for the feeling of the Council regarding a request by a City employee to get an advance (loan) to purchase parts for his automobile. Attorney Smith advised that it is not within the corporate powers of the City to get into the lending business, and the Council members agreed that this should not be allowed. Reference was made to a letter received from the State Department of Labor explaining the updated statute relative to inspections under the Uniform Building Code. A reply is to be made not later than April 30 as to whether the City will be providing its own inspection or plans to rely on the State for this service. Mayor Wehmann pointed out that the present arrangement for inspections by the City of Idaho Falls seem to be reasonable and efficient, and asked that the. City Attorney write a letter to this effect after checking the correspondence from .the Labor Department to see if anything else is required. New Business - In connection with his assignment to attend the District AIC Meeting, Councilman Swensen received the support of,the Mayor and Council to approve the name of City of Idaho Falls Councilman Gil Karst as a candidate for re -election to the AIC Board. Councilman Swensen noted that the ditch watering schedules for residents in the Original Townsite are. to be sent out by May 1, 'and that the L. D. S. Church officials have been notified that the water will be turned into the ditch about May 15 so the culvert work which is to be done there must be completed before that time. Councilwoman Dille asked for ideas on how to handle the contest for painting fire hydrants, and mentioned that she is preparing the application form. Councilman Swensen moved to adjourn at 11:45 P. M. ; seconded by Councilman Lee. Claims were approved for payment prior to the meeting. ~:><- .- -) c ke,'z'c ;) MAYOR f " i ,Ii" .~. .,' .,...:_..-/._~ >1- a/ t;i ~ nL~"(-;Ct -r / ~g71 , ~. / (J LERK CITY OF AMMON May 5, 1976 Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Mayor and City Council: The meeting was called to order at 7: 35 P. M. by George Wehmann, with the following City Officials present: Mayor George Wehmann Councilman Russell N. Swensen Councilman Marvin Anderson Councilman Francis Lee Councilman Carol A. Dille Engineer David E. Benton As st. Attorney Franklin Smith Maint. Supervisor LaVern Williams Maint. Employee Gene Simpson (Part Time) Office Clerk Aleen Jensen -::::f}:::4=- P age 18 8 Others present: Joseph Wenger Prior to the opening of this meeting, a .construction meeting was held at 7:00 P. M. to discuss the progress on the 17th Street Project. Present were: Mayor Wehmann, Councilman Swensen, Councilman Lee, Councilwoman Dille, residents of 17th Street--Mr.. and Mrs. R. F. Smith and furbara Brown, Mervin Gardner of Aerojet, Robert Gray and Mike Townsley of the County Engineering Department, Earl Foster of H-K Contractors, and Office Clerk Aleen Jensen. H-K Contractors reported that work on 17th Street is progres sing as rapidly asv.eather will permit. The moisture has been detrimental during the excavation. Mervin Gardner was concerned with how long a period of time would be involved in the excavation and wondered whether or not the site buses should be rerouted. The contractor reported that I after the excavation, the base has to stabilize before they can begin filling. As soon as a portion of the excavation is complete, work would begin on the refill steps. Each step would not be completed the full length of the project before an- other step was begun, but all would progress toward Ammon-Lincoln road together with each phase a little ahead of the other. The planned steps are: (1) one foot of barrow, (2) 2/3 of the crush, (3) curb and gutter, (4) the other 1/3 of the crush, and (5) plant mix. Hopefully the plant mix will be in the middle of June. The contractor is trying to accelerate the project because he needs to pull equipment for another job in another part of the state as soon as possible. The Mayor wanted assurance from the County that all stubouts would be extended beyond the asphalt area as the work progressed. Questions were answered. The County will put up all signs. The project calls for 35 mile speed limit the length of 17th Street. There will be four traffic lanes and a fifth passing lane. There will be no parking along either side of 17th Street within the city limits. The Council will wait to see how the project is progressing to decide if another construction information meeting is needed next month. The pledge of allegiance to the f lag was led by Councilwoman Carol Dille. Prayer was offered by Councilman Marvin Anderson. Minutes of the meeting of April 21, 1976, were not available so they will be approved at the next meeting. Joseph Wenger, 3655 Wanda, was interested in the Council's desire to revise I their system of payment for utilities. Mr. Wenger presented his idea of auto- matic utility payments through the bank. This idea was discussed. Recommen- dation was made for the Fiscal Operations to research Mr. Wenger's idea along with the other idea of a coupon book which is already being researched. Committee Reports. City Engineer. Mr. Benton, City Engineer, had not arrived yet, however, the Council continued with discussion of the items listed on the agenda. The Mayor again expressed concern that all service lines be stubbed to eliminate cutting of 17th Street when it was finished. It was the opinion that there was to be no cutting of the new road for at least three years. There is no formal agreement to this effect, but there is a "gentlemen's agreement. 11 Intermountain Gas Company will challenge such an agreement. Assistant Attorney Franklin Smith was asked to review the 4WranChise agreement with the gas company. If the agreement did not provide a blanket agreement for them to cut into streets, the Attorney would contact Intermountain Gas and request they too conform with the City's request. Regarding the fire hydrants, H -K Cont ractors will take care of the hydrant at 17th Street and Avocet as theroad project is completed. LaVern Williams, maintenance supervisor, was asked to follow through on the hydrant extenders needed in Peterson Park. It was recommended that Mr. Williams work out some kind of a trade with Hartwell for parts and get the hydrants raised up. Six water leaks have been reported in the water lines. There have been problems in pin-pointing the exact location of these leaks. The City crew has pretty well established the location of two of the leaks. Mayor Wehmann requested that action be taken to definitely know where the leaks are and get the problem corrected. If necessary, H-K Contractors need to be involved. The Mayor wants a report on all six leaks by next meeting. I Engineer Benton arrived and he was asked to verify the status of the service lines for 17th Street. All property owners have been contacted and service lines for the pro- posed nursing home are now in. The .only exceptions at this time are Ross McCowin, Ren Chambers, and Lewis Nielsen. Mr. McCowin does not want to put in any line at this time, and Bob Gray, County Engineer, is to write a letter to Mr. McCowin to advise him that if a line is not put in at this time, it will be necessary to wait four years before cutting into East 17th Street. Engineer Benton will contact Lewis Nielsen again, but this is not a real problem because Mr. Nielsen has an alternate way he would be able to hook on without interference to the street. Mr. Benton I Q 00 l'- ~ ~ c:1J I I Page 18~'" reported that he had contacted officials of the L. D. S. Church who have purchased land from Elmer McDonald near the intersection of 17th Street and Ammon-Lincoln Road about having water and sewer stub-ins put in. Mr. Benton had also authorized a 12" storm sewer be stubbed in on the South side of 17th Street at where Midway would intersect if that street should be extended. Engineer Benton is committed to follow through.. Fiscal Operations. Councilman Swensen reported on a utilities coupon book. In- vestigation will continue and will include the idea proposed by Joseph Wenger for automatic bank deduction. The Mayor will see that a bi-centennial flag is ordered. John Homer will take the insurance policy to the City Attorney for review on May 6. If everything is in order, the insurance will be finalized. Mrs. Metcalf has been asked to head a committee to make some recommendations regarding Library facilities. A Library Committee meeting will be held Friday, May 14, 1976. Planning and Zoning Commission. No meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission has been held since the last Council Meeting. Councilwoman Dille asked about the Council's feelings ab0ut citizens using a portion of the 99' easement left for roads, especially on the West end of Rawson as proposed by Jerald Hansen. Discussion followed. ConsenaIs of opinion was that the City should retain rights or provide some way for granting use which is available to all. Temporary use encourages squatters' rights, and they were not in favor of granting any temporary use. The problem was referred back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for their recommendation. Parks and Recreation. Work on the tennis court lights has been completed. The cost will be itemized as soon as all bills are in. Councilman Anderson reported that he receives numerous calls from people with ideas about perfecting the city. Often groups are'willing to provide the lahor if the City will pay for the materials. He wondered what the Council felt about this. The opinion was that there is no -objection if the job needs to be done, if money has been provided for in ,the budget, and if they will agree to do a good job. The only thing that has been done regarding the tennis nets is to order some net covers. These covers have not yet been re- ceived but should improve the nets. Regarding the status of the summer baseball program, Theron Beck is working through Idaho Falls and is in charge of Little League for boys ages 9, 10, 11, and 12. The City of Ammon will sponsor a PeeWee League for boys or girls ages 6, 7, and 8 or First, Second, and Third Graders provided there is enough interest. Responsibility for organizing teams and obtaining coaches should be assumed by parents and boys and girls. Councilman Anderson is to prepare a flier to go out through the schools on Monday, May 10,1976. If suffi- cient interest is shown for four teams with four coaches, Ammon will go ahead with the program. If sufficient interest is not shown, those interested will be encouraged to participate with the prog:r:am through Idaho Falls which requests youth to sign up by May 28. Councilman Anderson reports the park will be roto-tilled once more before seeding the grass. Information was not available regarding the swimming program. Councilman Anderson wasrequeste.d to present all details about the pool and swimming lessons at the next Council Meeting. A question was raised about whether o~ not city residents could be given priority in swimming lesson sign- up. The Mayor's opinion was since Federal funds had helped build the pool, no restrictions could be made. Maintenance Supervisor LaVern Williams asked what the Council thought should be done about the tarp that covers the swimming pool. The tarp is six years old and is rotting and has algae build-up. Companies refuse to sew the tarp unless it is clean. Some discussion followed. It was felt that all that could be done at this time was to dry out the tarp and fold it up for storage. It was recommended that the Council think about the tarp situation and offer their ideas before the tarp needs to be used again. City Clerk. A list of delinquent accounts was presented to the Council which showed $2785.86 delinquent. This list was prepared as the statements reflecting charges for April were mailed on the first of May and includes accounts with 90 days delin- quency. All these accounts have been notified to payor make arrangements to pay by May 10. This list will be reviewed again on the second Council Meeting for the month. Concern was expressed about two accounts--Brent Hall for $40.50 and Lewis Nielsen for $42.50 which included. sewer only, and there is no way to threaten by shutting off water. The City Clerk was instructed to write a strong letter to be signed by the Mayor. (Brent Hall paid .his bill prior to writing the letter. ) ~------ -u-u- Page 190 Rayce McVey, City Maintenance Employee, has had two accidents with City vehicles. One accident occurred on April 19, 1976, when he pulled out of the Black Angus Drive In into a pick-up. The second accident occurred two days later, April 21, 1976, when on completion of an assignment for the swimming pool, Rayce drove towards town on 17th Street to Bud's Texaco to check on his own car. An unanchored plank on top of the city vehicle blew off and hit a car .driven by Julie Birt. Julie Birt did not stop, however, she did report the accident to the City of Idaho Falls Police and an officer came out and issued Rayce McVey a ticket. Rayce McVey is to be notified there is no coverage on the insurance and he will be expected to settle . with Julie Birt out of his own salary. The Mayor wants a firm understanding with all employees on the use of City vehicles. The Mayor will arrange a meeting with Rayce McVey. Police and Fire Department. Regarding False Arrest Insurance, Councilwoman Dille, contacted the County to see if there was a pos sibility of going in with them. The County does not have this type of insurance either. Some action by the State seems to be in the development stages and this may offer the City something. Applications for the fire hydrant contest have been drawn up. The following fire hydrant painting rules were approved by the City Council: entrants must be residents of Ammon, applications should be filed at the City Building, approved paint must be used, the fire plug is to be painted at the entrant's own expense, contest will end July 3; judging will be completed by Council Meeting on July 7, and the prize of a $25.00 savings bond will be awarded during Ammon Days. David Benton was asked to supply a list of approved paints. The dog catcher has agreed to make some early morning runs about the city. Tentatively he will go out at 6:00 A. M. on Wednesday, May 13. Considerable discussions and telephone calls have. resulted from the issuance of an increased number of no parking citations. Councilwoman Dille asked for the response of the Gity Council if they felt any changes should be made to allow for .parking between 10:00 P. M. and 8:00 A. M., courtesy parking for visitors, or anything else. Also, she wondered about the use of an evelope and a different kind of a parking ticket. It was the opinion that no changes in the parking ordinance should be made. Strict enforcement of the no parking on the narrow streets as posted should continue. Gouncilwoman Dille was assigned to come up with a different ticket and some kind of an envelope for the convenience of the violator.. On visitors when they appear at the City Building, the City rlerk may waive the first ticket and keep an accurate record of their name and address. If a second violation occurs by the visitor, no wC1iver will be made. Fire Chief McGary reports that property owners at 4060 Ross and 4200 Ross have placed their fence too close to the fire hydrant. It was felt that this situation should be investigated and if the hydrant could be turned on without too much trouble, -we would. make the best of the situation. If the City can't turn on the hydrant, then the City would write a letter to the property owner to ask that he make some adjustment. Also, Lester Nelson has secured his fence to a stop sign on the corner of Romrell and Sunnyside. LaVern Williams was asked to talk to Mr. Nelson and explain that this presented a hazaI'd and ask him to secure his fence some other way. I I Public Works. A payment of $613.50 to H-K Construction was approved.at last Council Meeting, however, the Mayor requested that payment be withheld to see if it wouldn't encourage H-K to assist with the clean up of chips on the streets in Ammon. The City is hesitant about going ahead with the clean-up in case H-K will feel this eliminates them of responsibility and shows the City assumes it all. Also, H-K has some responsibility on streets which have sunk in the vicinity of 2235 Dove, 1920 Eagle, and the corner of Salmon and Curlew. Engineer Benton and Mayor Wehmann will both contact H-K. Councilman Lee recommended that the City move into an agreement with Starline B,auipment for a new garbage truck. Discussion followed concerning lease options, bids, keeping the old truck, whether they should take Revenue Sharing funds and pay caseh, etc. Councilwoman Dille moved that the recommendation to purchase a new garbage truck from Starline Equipment under lease -option which is good only until May 19, 1976, be tabled. Motion to table was seconded by Councilman Lee. A verbal vote showed all in favor. Motion to table the purchase of a new garbage truck carried. The Attorney was asked to investigate the lease -option and information about accepting bids. The street sweeper has been having trouble with cleaning up the chips on streets. It seems the only solution to get rid of the chips is the manual way. The employees are not too happy about the manual labor. H-K cannot provide a sweeper until the end of May and the chips on the streets seem to be too heavy for the Citysweeper. Also, the sweeper has a problem with the top elevator shaft. The streets are .terrible and the Mayor instructed city employees to get on with the project by hand. . LaVern Williams was instructed to get the men started sweeping. The Attorney was to write a letter to H-K stating that we were going to proceed with the project to remove the loose chips and this did not mean we released H-K from their responsibility and we would charge I I o 00 ~ CO U:.:l ~ I I Pag~ 191 ~ back costs to them. Idaho Falls uses a sticker to put on garbage if their men reject -- this may be an idea for Ammon. Seven houses are still not connected to the sewer, however, the Attorney's letter to Blair has apparently moved him to action--a con- tractor has been engaged and Blair should be in for a permit. Councilwoman Dille suggested that the City may need to consider installing more street signs to show no parking. Also, we may need to explain to the public again what areas they can't park in the street. It should be sufficient to inform the public there is no parking on streets now posted. Mayor. The Mayor will contact Gary Davidson regarding Ammon Days and ask him to formulate plans and bring them to Council Meeting. A vice chairman is needed for Ammon Days. Discussion was held concerning the feasibility of having a Saturday work schedule for the men to assist with spring clean-up. It was agreed that two men should work each Saturday in May to provide a garbage pick-up in the morning around 10:30 A. M. and around 5: 30 P. M. LaVern Williams should plan the schedule. The men working should take time off on Monday or Tuesday. Bonneville Council of Governments. Councilman Swensen reported that an interesting meeting was held on solid waste disposal. A grant has been applied for. The Council is invited to a meeting the first Wednesday in June at 7:30 A. M. Pressure is on the County to join EED. City Attorney. Regarding the status of the complaint of the Home Builders Assoc. about the $200 sewer hook-up fee for new homes being built in Ammon, the Attorre y had researched the information and prepared a formal written opinion which was presented to the Mayor in a letter. In reviewing past cases, it appears cities can charge a connection fee provided they can justify the costs and the charge is reasonable. It was recommended that a detailed analysis be prepared to justify the costs involved in a sewer connection. The City Engineer and City Clerk should develop as much information as possible. The Attorney recommended an audit of cost was not necessary, but a gathering of figures. The Attorney will write to the Home Builders Assoc. on the status of the complaint. Work should procee-d on collecting the figures with deliberate speed. Regarding the Utah Power and Light hearings before the Public Utilities Commission for rate increase, the Attorney had done some research. The hearing only needs to be public, fair, and reasonable. PUG. is charged with making or adjusting rates. Based on the general law and what statue requires, we do not have basis for challenge. The only possibility of a contest is the law requires the Attorney General or his representative who must be a member of the Bar be present at the hearing. There is a possibility this requirement might not have been met. The Attorney agreed to investigate. Councilman Swense:r{ reported that Utah Power and Light would like to improve their image with Ammon. Regarding new business, the breakdown for Revenue Sharing Funds is not due until June 28, so we will discuss this at a later meeting. Mayor will make a $10 purchase to be used as a door prize -at the As sociation of Idaho Cities convention. The Council and Attorney should read and study the proposed inspection agreement with the City of Idaho Falls. The Mayor asked that the Council give some consideration to hiring a full-time individual to coordinate the City busines s and serve in the capacity. City Manager. It was agreed that the salary would need to be $14,000. to $15,000. He asked not for a decision, but a carefully considered opinion. When AIC holds their meeting on May 13, they may ask for a status report on sewer connection fees. Regarding old business, the water will be in the ditches about May 12, the watering schedules are out, the ditches - should be cleaned. The French drain has been completed on Vaughn & Geneva and the culvert is being worked on. Swensen will check with Romrell to see if he is satisfied with his new lawn so payment of $160 can be made for planting the lawn and the easement can be completed. The question was raised if the Council wanted the Animal Cm trol Officer to do nay thing about the Simcask animal problem. The Health Department has been contacted. It was recommended that we wait to see what the Health Dept. can do about the situation. Councilman Anderson wanted to know if any group could reserve the tennis courts. The City Clerk has been taking reservations for the Shelter area and writing it on her calen- dar. Opinion was that it would be hard to reserve courts and people should plan on getting to the courts early in the morning rather than the City becoming involved with reservations. Cub scouts are continually wanting projects. The Council discussed possibilities. It was felt they should not be assigned any project which involved activity near the streets. Suitable projects would be gathering up paper by tennis courts, -~Ss Page 192 gathering up paper around the park, trimming gras s with gras s shears in the park, or perhaps permission might be obtained for them to polish on the fire truck. c:;laims were approved for payment prior to the beginning of the meeting. Councilman Lee moved that the meeting be adjourned. Concilman Swensen seconded the motion. Al! in favor. Meeting adjourned at 11: 30 P. M. ('~ ~ ,;t:'-&5Y iej~l~v, ~"MAYOR \! ~~~ ~A , / ~7 CLERK CITY OF AMMON May 19, 1976 Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Mayor and City Council: I The meeting was called to order at 7: 30 P. M. by Mayor George Wehmann, with the following City Officials present: Mayor George Wehmann CounCilman Russell N. Swensen Councilman Carol A. Dille Councilman Francis Lee Councilman Marvin J. Anderson Others present during the meeting were Richard Hahn, Gary Davidson, Barbara Hale, Sharon Drowns, Gerald Connell, Ronald Jacques, Michael Berg, Roland Romrell, and Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Hoggan. Clerk Deon Hemingway Attorney' W. Joe Anderson Engineer David E. Benton Maint. Supervisor La V ern E. Williams Mayor Wehmann led the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Councilwom~n Dille offered the invocation. Minutes of the meetings of April 21 and May 5, 1976, were approved as typed. The Council reviewed the details of a variance request made by Richard Hahn, 2230 Curlew, and learned that the adjacent property owner, Gerald Taylor, 2240 Curlew, has indicated in writing that he has no objection--there will still be at least 25 feet from the proposed structure to the neighbor's house. It was noted also, that the Planning & Zoning Commission has recommended approval of this proposal. Councilman Swensen moved to grant a zoning variance of 2-1/2 feet on the sideyard setback as requested by Mr. Hahn to allow him to build a garage up to 5 feet of his south property line in- I stead of 7 -1/2 feet as required in the R-l Zone. The motion was seconded by Council woman Dille; a voice vote was all in favor; motion carried and variance granted. Gary Davidson, Chairman for the 1976 Ammon Days, reported that tentative plans for that event are for an old-fashioned celebration in keeping with this Bicentennial Year. He listed a number of special activities which were felt to be appropriate for the occasion, and asked for and received suggestions from the Mayor and Council. The thought was expressed that a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the completion of the 17th Street Project should be included. A date which will not conflict with other activities in the area is to be set after checking with the County Bicentennial Committee. It was pointed out that suggestions are needed for an Ammon Days Co-chairman, who would in turn be the Chairman for the next year. In response to an inquiry by Barbara Hale and Sharon Drowns regarding orgamzlng the City-sponsored Pee Wee Baseball Program for 6,7, and 8-year-old youngsters, assur- ance was given that the needed equipment will be supplied if at least 4 teams are formed, and that older boys who serve as umpires are to be paid at the same rate as now being done in Idaho Falls. These mothers were asked to follow through by setting up playing schecules, etc., if the, program gets going. COMMITTEE REPOR TS - Ma~r - With reference to a letter written by Attorney Frank- l1n Smlth to H-1\ Contractors, ayor Wehmann mentioned that the subject of removing the excess chips from the streets was covered but not the hazardous holes which havel developed in the streets in several places. Attorney Anderson advised that the con- tractor could be notified that the City will have the repairs done and bill the cost against their bond. Mayor Wehmann indicated that, if this is done, another const- ruction firm will be engaged so that there will be a clear-cut bill to present. Engineer Benton made telephone cORtact with one of the foremen of H-K Contractors and in- formed the Council later in the meeting that the company's patching .material plant is now in operation, and a promise was made to have the holes filled in by Fri day this week. Mayor Wehmann requested the consideration of the Council regarding proposed holi- day and travel allowance schedules, copies of which had been presented to each member at a previous meeting. The matter of travel allowance was tabled for further study. Councilman Swensen moved to accept the proposed official holiday schedule for the years 1976-77 as follows: