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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-01-06 Minutes, City Commission MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE CITY COMMISSION BOZEMAN,MONTANA January 6, 2006 ***************************** The Commission of the City of Bozeman met in work session in the Commission Room, Municipal Building, on Friday, January 6, 2006, at 2:00 p.m. Present were Mayor-elect Jeff Krauss, Commissioner- elect Sean Becker, Commissioner-elect Jeff Rupp, Commissioner Steve Kirchhoff, Commissioner-elect Kaaren Jacobson, City Manager Chris Kukulski, Director of Public Service Debbie Arkell, Director of Finance Anna Rosenberry, Planning Director Andy Epple, City Attorney Paul Luwe, Neighborhood Coordinator Tracy Oulman, Director of Public Service - Fire Chuck Winn, Superintendent of Facilities and Lands James Geohrung, Chis Saunders, Staff Attorney Tim Cooper, and City Clerk Robin Sullivan. SianinQ of Notice of SDecial MeetinQ Each Commissioner, in turn, signed the Notice of Special Meeting. Public comment No comment was received under this agenda item. Work Session Continued Discussion - Issues with Incoming Commissioners and Staff. Transportation. City Manager Kukulski gave an update on the 2005 goals, indicating those goals that had been completed, and gave a status report on those goals not yet completed. Mayor-elect Krauss commented on the Durston Road and West Babcock Street improvements and noted that South 19th Avenue will immediately follow as the next transportation improvement. He noted that federal funds have been made available for these projects and indicated that there will be eminent domain issues with the South 19th Avenue project. Technology. Responding to Commissioner questions, Director of Finance Anna Rosenberry noted that we are within a few weeks of rolling out the new website, hoping that it would be online by the end of January. She further added a brief overview of the Laserfiche system and noted that it will allow people to view documents online without having to download them, allowing for easier access to public documents. Mayor-elect Krauss expressed his interest in a wireless network that would cover the city of Bozeman. He noted that other cities have established wireless networks and thinks this is an idea for the Commission to consider. The City would benefit from this due to the fact that city offices are spread out all over the city. He further noted that we will soon be broadcasting Commission meetings and brought up the possibility of the public being able to submit comments online. He mentioned the possibility of online surveys to get a feel for how the citizens of Bozeman think on specific issues. While he understands the limitations on the accuracy of this type of information gathering, but he feels it would be a useful tool. He finished by giving a brief overview of the many possible ways that he is considering for increasing the direct contact between the Mayor and the citizens, namely radio, television, internet, and direct public interaction, indicating a desire to avoid the types of media sources that have filters in place. 01/06/2006 work - 2 - City Manager Kukulski responded to Commissioner questions by stating that he will look into acquiring additional broadcasting slots with Bresnan Communications. He finished by stating a need to educate the public about the positive things that are happening in the city government. Commissioner-elect Becker brought up that having broad casted meetings will not only increase transparency in the government but add a level of Commissioner accountability. He said that we are going to need to educate the public on the different types new of communication types that will possibly be utilized. He concluded by reminding the Commission that democracy isn't cheap. Affordable Housing. Commissioner Kirchhoff stated that we can no longer rely on the housing market to solve the affordable housing crisis. He understands that this is a politically charged issue and will bring out many different segments of the citizenry, but expressed a desire for the Commission to be both aggressive and patient in dealing with this issue. He further expressed a desire to better coordinate planning with the County. He finished by stating that the City needs to better communicate with people about the various stigmas that exist around the building department. He stated that we need to let people know how much the City has approved for building and that the City is in business to grow and wants to allow development within city limits. He adamantly stated that we need to change the perception that it is hard to get a lot in this city and that a few developers control all of the lots. Working with the County. Mayor-elect Krauss brought up the need to re-establish the breakfast meeting that the Commissioners used to hold with the County Commission if they are willing and brought up the possibility of evening meetings if necessary so more people would be able to attend. Commissioner Kirchhoff noted that has had good relationships with the County Commissioners so there is really no excuses for not being able to obtain interlocal agreements with the County. He also brought up the need to have regional statistics on growth in order to better be able to plan with the county. Mayor-elect Krauss concluded by expressing disappointment over the discussions concerning the convenience station for county solid waste users, noting that the two bodies should have been better able to freely discuss ideas and options. Commission Operations. Responding to Commissioner questions, City Manager Kukulski stated that the easiest and cheapest way to bring the Commissioners into the city technology network is to have the IT department assign a computer to each Commissioner. He further stated that the Bozeman has some of the best technology available, and we are just now getting it out to the public, e.g., the website. Commissioner-elect Becker talked about the possibility of assigning Blackberries to the Commissioners. City Manager Kukulski asked the Commissioners to determine whether they wanted to be available 24/7 and whether they really want to be involved in the administration of the city government, noting that his position requires him to be readily available all the time, but for the Commissioners, this might be an unnecessary burden of their time. Commissioner-elect Becker noted the convenience of having a Blackberry and how it helps to maximize efficiency. Mayor-elect Krauss agreed with Commissioner-elect Becker that it would be convenient, however he is concerned that the purpose of the Commission is to set policy and wonders how the Blackberry will help with all the policy setting. He stated that he relies on Monday nights as the time when the Commission discusses policy, overriding issues, and board and staff reports; he further said that he wants to avoid being involved in management. The city staff and the Commissioners agreed that it would be advantageous for those Commissioners who want Blackberries to be assigned one. 01/06/2006 work - 3 - Major Planning Documents. Planning Director Andy Epple gave a brief overview of how the staff decides what information is put into the staff reports. He noted that some documents are quoted quite extensively, but the Commissioners generally could look up, any additional information that they felt to be necessary in reaching the most informed decision. Responding to Commissioner questions, Planning Director Epple stated that by state law, we have so many days to get subdivision applications before the Commission; it has changed to 60 working days. He explained briefly how the agenda gets created and why the Commission meeting agenda sometimes gets very long, because of people bringing things that need to be added at the last minute. City Manager Kukulski added that planning and zoning actions have strict statutory requirements. Commission Meetings. Responding to Commissioner questions, Planning Director Epple noted that other cities around the state sometimes have around 18 public hearings in a single night. He noted that this can happen because the issues are not debated in the Commission meeting; rather, the public is given a chance to speak and the governing body takes action quickly. He added that as the city grows, the city staff and Commission cannot keep doing things the way that they are being done now. Mayor-elect Krauss suggested that the Commission meeting start at 6 p.m. The other Commissioners agrees that this would be a good idea. City Manager Kukulski raised two important issues to be considered. The first being not limiting the input from the public and the second being not limiting the Commissioners discussion. Mayor-elect Krauss noted that he felt having a second night of meetings is a huge over-indulgence in the resources of the city. He further added that he wants to see one 3 to 5 p.m. meeting once per month and have no public meetings on that night. He finished by stating that perhaps the Commission should go back to four meetings with public hearings and one work session per month. City Manager Kukulski stated that if there is not some form of regular workshop, the Commission will be holding initial discussion on the same night as the decision. He warned that with the facility plans coming up soon, the Commission is going to need time to both consider and discuss the plans. Boards and Appointments. Commissioner-elect Rupp asked for more information on the applicants. There was Commissioner and staff discussion about boards and the possible need to re-advertise for those positions not filled ruing the upcoming appointment process. City Clerk Robin Sullivan gave a brief outline of the liaison positions, noting that some require active involvement and that some only require being available by phone. Mayor-elect Krauss stated that he wants to stay on the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. He further stated that the Commission representative should be able to communicate what is being discussed in the Commission with the Planning Board, such as specific items that the Commission is looking at as very important issues. Planning Director Epple noted that there is value when a Commissioner can communicate what issues were important in the Planning Board discussions, what issues hung the Planning Board up, and why they chose the way they chose. Responding to Commissioner questions, City Manager Kukulski stated that he liked the Directors of each department knowing what is going on at the policy level. He added he liked the FYI opportunity for the staff being able to communicate with the Commission. Finally, he raised the question of whether the FYI could occur at the beginning of the meeting so that staff that would not be involved in the remainder of the meeting could leave if they so chose. 01/06/2006 work -4- Commissioner Kirchhoff said that he didn't feel that having all of the staff present at every Commission meeting was adding value either to the Commissioners' decisions or to the staff decision making. He stated that he has almost never asked a question from any staff member other than Director of Public Service Arkell, planning staff, or legal staff. He said that he thinks it's asking too much from the staff with very little in return for them. Commissioner-elect Jacobson suggested that which staff is present should be driven by the agenda items. City Manager Kukulski responded that the reason for staff to be present is to get perspectives on the decisions made during the meeting and, in turn, to be able to help offer advice to him when needed. Adiournment - 5:05 D.m. There being no further business to come before the Commission at this time, Mayor-elect Krauss adjourned the meeting at 505 pm ATTEST: r:ti:2s1u~ City Clerk ~L ?-.- ~EY~~RA~S,MaYOr --- ~REPARED BY: DE(l.'/!Jou{ ~ Deputy City Clerk 01/06/2006 work