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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCM120811CITY OF CENTRAL POINT City Council Meeting Minutes December 8, 2011 1. REGULAR MEETING CALLED TO ORDER Mayor Williams called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 11. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE III. ROLL CALL: Mayor: Hank Williams Council Members: Allen Broderick, Bruce Dingier, Carol Fischer, Kelly Geiger, and Ellie George were present. Kay Harrison was excused. City Manager Phil Messina; City Attorney Paul Nolte; Police Chief Jon Zeliff; Community Development Director Tom Humphrey; Parks and Public Works Director Matt Samitore; Assistant City Manager Chris Clayton; Finance Director Bev Adams, Human Resource Manager Barb Robson, and City Recorder Deanna Casey were also present. IV. SPECIAL PRESENATION -Airport Master Plan Airport Director Bern Case introduced Bob Bumard and Peter VanPelt. These gentlemen have been consultants on the long process of updating the Airport Master Plan. Mr. VanPelt explained the planning process for the Airport Master Plan. They held public meetings to create a 20 year plan. The aviation forecast for 2010-2030 explains future growth areas on the east side and all runways will be north to south. There may be some land acquisition on the east side, and they will need to work with the State to relocate Upton Creek taking into account all the environmental issues. This is not a commitment of funds, construction will only proceed when there is the demand to expand. Currently the airport is sound financially. There was discussion of the possible increase in flights and carriers. The airport can handle just about any size of aircraft. V. PUBLIC APPEARANCES County Commissioner Don Skundrick wanted to wish council and staff a Merry Christmas. He explained that one of his goals as a County Commissioner was to make sure he kept in touch with all the jurisdictions. This goal has been popular with all the Commissioners and they would like to be involved. After the first of the year Commissioner Rachor will be the liaison for the City of Central Point. He will occasionally attend the City meetings and keep informed of important aspects that could involve partnerships with the County and City. Mayor Williams stated that is has been a pleasure to have Commissioner Skundrick attending our meetings and he is welcome back any time. VI. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of November 10, 2011, City Council Minutes City of Central Point City Council Minutes December O8, 2011 Page 2 B. Approval of Street Closures for Community Christmas Allen Broderick made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Kelly Geiger seconded. Roll call: Allen Broderick, yes, Bruce Dingler, yes; Kelly Geiger, yes; Carol Fischer, yes; Hank Williams, yes; and Ellie George, yes. Motion approved. VII. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA -None VIII. BUSINESS A. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Finance Director Bev Adams introduced Chris Dye from Johannsen, Dye & Purkeypile, CPA. Mr. Dye stated that the City has received a clean audit opinion, and there were no control deficiencies to report. He provided a letter to the council describing what was done during the audit. A single audit was issued because of federal grant money received for the reservoir. A few extra steps were taken because of the use of federal funds. Bruce Dingler made a motion to accept the Audit Report for 2010 - 2011 as presented. Kelly Geiger seconded. Roll call: Allen Broderick, yes, Bruce Dingler, yes; Kelly Geiger, yes; Carol Fischer, yes; Hank Williams, yes; and Ellie George, yes. Motion approved. B. Planning Commission Report Community Development Director Tom Humphrey provided the Planning Commission Report for December 6, 2011: Urban renewal plan and recommendation to City Council. The State statute directs Planning Commissions to review Urban Renewal Plans and reports before acted upon by the governing body. At their meeting in November the City Council asked staff to present a plan to the Commission. After considering a draft urban renewal plan the Downtown and East Pine Street Corridor Revitalization Report, the Commission recommended approval to the City Council. Two commissioners were absent and no one from the public spoke either in opposition to or in favor of the plan. Regional problem solving plan status. As a miscellaneous business item, the Planning Commission was informed that the Jackson County Board of Commissioners (BOC) approved the Regional Plan and has submitted it to the Department of the Land Conservation and Development (DECD) for review. The Department intends to present the Plan and their recommended changes to the Land Conservation and Development Commission at their March 2012 meeting. No decision is expected at that time. Each City will consequently prepare and consider individual Regional Plan Elements as part of their Comprehensive Plan Amendment Process. These elements are expected to be approved and sent to DECD in the fall of 2012. There was discussion regarding the Urban Renewal Projects and a few changes that have been made. The Development Commission will have opportunity to review the projects in deeper detail at their January meeting. City of Central Point City Council Minutes December 08, 2011 Page 3 Bruce Dingier made a motion to accept the Planning Commission Report for December 6, 2011 as presented. Roll call: Allen Broderick, yes, Bruce Dingier, yes; Kelly Geiger, yes; Carol Fischer, yes; Hank Williams, yes; and Ellie George, yes. Motion approved. IV. PUBLIC HEARINGS, ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS A. Resolution No. 1316, A Resolution to Approve a City of Central Point Municipal Court Amnesty Program Finance Director Bev Adams stated that the Court Clerk would like to once again implement a Municipal Court Amnesty Program beginning January 1, 2012 through April 30, 2012. The purpose of the program is benefit to both the citizens and the City. This program encourages citizens to pay their fines and therefore reinstate their driving licenses, it reduces outstanding court cases that have been turned over for collection, and allows the city to collect revenues that we may othervvise never receive. We will offer assistance to court customers giving them the opportunity to clear up old debts allowing the issuance of driver's licenses. Any citizen paying an outstanding assessment in full will receive a 25% discount on the fine being paid and 50% discount on the interest assessed in cases with suspension and/or collection action against them. Ellie George made a motion to approve Resolution No. 1316, Approving a City of Central Point Municipal Court Amnesty Program. Carol Fischer seconded. Roll call: Allen Broderick, yes, Bruce Dingier, yes; Kelly Geiger, yes; Carol Fischer, yes; Hank Williams, yes; and Ellie George, yes. Motion approved. B. Resolution No. 1317, A Resolution Ratifying the Police Collective Bargaining Letter of Agreement and Resulting Collective Bargaining Agreement. Human Resource Director Barb Robson stated that the Police Bargaining Union Agreement expired June 30, 2010. At that time the City and Union agreed to an eighteen-month extension to the bargaining agreement with a new expiration date of December 31, 2011 but with a provision for a wage reopener in July 2011. A letter of agreement detailing the agreements was ratified by the Union on November 8, 2011. Staff recommends ratifying the bargained letter of agreement. The terms include: the collective bargaining agreement is extended through June 30, 2013; the salary schedule is increased by 3% retroactive to July 1, 2011; language changes consistent with the reorganized department structure; revised language to address shift scheduling parameters; a COLA on July 1, 2012 based on the CPI-W with a 1 % minimum and a 5% maximum; and the Union agrees to withdraw the three pending grievances regarding the reorganization of the police department. Allen Broderick made a motion to approve Resolution No. 1317, A Resolution Ratifying the Police Collective Bargaining Letter of Agreement and Resulting Collective Bargaining Agreement Bruce Dingier seconded. Roll call: Allen Broderick, yes, Bruce Dingier, yes; Kelly Geiger, yes; Carol Fischer, yes; Hank Williams, yes; and Ellie George, yes. Motion approved. C. Resolution No. 1318, Revising the Classification Pay Plan City of Central Point City Council Minutes December 08, 2011 Page 4 Mrs. Robson stated that the proposed revised pay plan reflects changes resulting from negotiated collective bargaining agreements. Normally this resolution would be before the Council with the Budget Approval documents but she held the final approval until both Bargaining Agreements were approve. Part A of the pay plan reflects the 1 % increase in the General Service Bargaining Union ratified by the Council in August, 2011. Part B of the plan reflects a 3% increase approved by the previous resolution. This section also reflects the moving of the IT Specialist position from the Police Bargaining Union into the General Service Bargaining Unit. Part C of the plan is the exempt, Non-Bargaining Unit, Management Positions. This section reflects no change in salaries. The IT Manager position was added by the Council in July and the Classification title for the Assistant City Manager was updated. Bruce Dingier made a motion to approve Resolution No. 1318, Revising the Classification Pay Plan. Carol Fischer seconded. Roll call: Allen Broderick, yes, Bruce Dingier, yes; Kelly Geiger, yes; Carol Fischer, yes; Hank Williams, yes; and Ellie George, yes. Motion approved. D. Resolution No. 1319, A Resolution Approving an Electric Utility Franchise Agreement Between the City of Central Point and PacifiCorp Assistant City Manager Chris Clayton explained that the existing Utility Franchise Agreement between the City and PacifiCorp is scheduled to expire at the end of 2011. The City has been working with PacifiCorp and have negotiated numerous agreement revisions including: a definition of public ways; 10 year agreement term; updated standard language; electronic mapping requirements; ability to increase compensation with 60 day notice; utility permitting requirements and other various updates. Currently the Franchise Agreement sets the City's compensation at 5% of PacifiCorp's gross revenue collected within the City's incorporated limits. Many cities in the State have increased that compensation to 7%. Staff and PacifiCorp recommend the Council consider a 2% increase in the franchise fee. An Increase of 2% would: • Provide $249,570 of possible revenue for capital projects. • offset current streetlight electrical generation costs of $145,000 annually. • allow for an additional $145,000 in annual street fund capital expenditures. • Allow the Budget Committee to allocate the remaining $104,570 to projects outlined in the 2012 budget process. • Allow the offset of street electrical generation costs by reducing existing budgetary pressure on the street fund mitigating the need for a street utility fee increase over the next 2-3 budget cycles. • minimize the need for a property tax rate increase in the immediate future. There was discussion regarding the possible projects that could be done with the 2% increase. The budget committee would be responsible for allocating the additional funds during the normal budget process. Some of the Council are concerned that this was a back door approach to increasing fees on the citizens. They would like to make sure there are no other areas in the General Fund that could be allocated to pay for the street lights and therefore allowing that City of Central Point City Council Minutes December OS, 2011 Page 5 money to be directed toward street projects. Staff assured the Council that there has been no fluff in the budget for several years. Mr. Clayton explained that by allocating franchise fees to the General Fund it can be used for a variety of things including street utility issues. If the money is allocated strictly to the street utility fund it can only be used for street fund projects. The General Fund can cover all funds in the city budget, but designated fund balances cannot be used for other funds. It is the best use of our money to designate franchise fees to the general fund and then allocate it where it is needed the most. Several Council members would prefer to have the 2% increase on the franchise agreement instead of increasing the street utility fee in the near future. Mr. Samitore explained the difficulty of getting grants for street projects without the money to match those grants. In most cases cities are required to put up some amount of money when they receive grants. If we do not have an increase in the franchise fee or increase in the street utility fee projects will be set aside indefinitely. Bruce Dingler made a motion to approve A Resolution Approving an Electric Utility Franchise Agreement Between the City of Central Point and PacifiCorp with a 2% Franchise Fee increase. Carol Fischer seconded. Roll call: Allen Broderick, no; Bruce Dingler, yes; Kelly Geiger, no; Carol Fischer, yes; Hank Williams, yes; and Ellie George, no. Motion failed. There was discussion regarding a 1 % increase that would be designated to be used in the street fund to help pay for the street light power bill. Several Council members are uncomfortable increasing any type of fee on the citizens at this time because the economy is so bad. Mr. Clayton explained that a 1 % increase should cover the street light bill and provide a little extra for street projects. Staff may return in a few months if this is not enough to cover all the grant money that is already promised for matches. The option at that time could be to increase this fee another 1 %, or increase the Street Utility fee. Ellie George made a motion to approve Resolution No. 1319, A Resolution Approving an Electric Utility Franchise Agreement Between the City of Central Point and PacifiCorp with a 7% Franchise Fee Increase to be dedicated to the Street Fund. Allen Broderick seconded. Roll call: Allen Broderick, yes, Bruce Dingler, no; Kelly Geiger, yes; Carol Fischer, no; Hank Williams, yes; and Ellie George, yes. Motion passed. X. MAYOR'S REPORT Mayor Williams reported that: • He attended two Medford Water Commission meetings where they discussed the base rate for the City of Medford. • He did a ride along with Lt. Day and was amazed at the electronics they have in their cars. He felt that everything was a team effort and not the city against the citizens. • He was a judge for the Providence Festival of Trees. • He attended an LOC Ethics training in Jacksonville. • He attended the Council Commissioners meeting on RPS. XI. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT City of Central Point City Council Minutes December O8, 2011 Page 6 City Manager Phil Messina reported that: • Attended a SOREDI meeting on Tuesday, he is seeing some improvement in their attempts to attract businesses to the valley. • There will be a Council Work Session on January 28th. • He attended a regional public managers meeting. XII. COUNCIL REPORTS Council Member Allen Broderick stated that he attended the Parks and Recreation Foundation Meeting and the Arts Commission meeting. Neither of the meetings had enough members to have a quorum. It is becoming very important to change the city code so that these committees can conduct business. Council Member Kelly Geiger reported that he attended a meeting with Mr. Clayton regarding the franchise agreement. Council Member Bruce Dingier reported that he attended the Veterans Day Memorial Service at Don Jones Park. Council Member Carol Fischer reported that she attended the School District Desert Auction. Council Member Ellie George reported that she attended a Community Center Meeting. XIII. DEPARTMENT REPORTS Assistant City Manager Chris Clayton reported that: • The funding for Freeman Road has been approved. They will begin with the right-of--way acquisition soon. • There will be opportunity for publidprivate partnerships with the possible construction of a Community Center. Staff will bring forward a change to the purchasing policy in order to allow work that will be associated with a community center. • There will be an Urban Renewal meeting on January 26th to discuss the UR project list. There will also be a Study Session that night instead of a Council meeting. • He attended a Medford Water Commission where they discussed regional water conservation. Parks and Public Works Director Matt Samitore reported that: • Tomorrow night is the Community Christmas celebration. Staff is trying to scale the event back to be a local event rather than a regional event. • There have been several meetings on the Community Center. The funding source is still not finalized. Representative Richardson would like to have three funding recommendations for the community center. There will be traffic impact analysis for all three sites. • They have poured the final floor section for the reservoir and should begin installing the walls next week. • They held a kick off meeting for the Hwy 99 Streetscape project. The city will need to acquire easements and dedications for the plan to work. City of Central Point City Council Minutes December OS, 2011 Page 7 Community Development Director Tom Humphrey reported that he is working with Micro-velum to provide office and work space for additional software companies that may be interested in locating in our area. XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION -None XV. ADJOURNMENT Bruce Dingier moved to adjourn, Carol Fischer seconded, all said "aye" and the Council Meeting was adjourned at 8:52 p.m. The foregoing minutes of the December 9, 2011, Council meeting were approved by the City Council at its meeting of January 12. 2012. ATTEST' , City Recorder _~ Mayor Harik Williams