Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-03-22 Minutes, City Commission MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION OF THE CITY COMMISSION BOZEMAN, MONTANA March 22, 1999 ***************************** . The Commission of the City of Bozeman met in work session in the Commission Room, Municipal Building, on Monday, March 22, 1999, at 3:00 p.m. Present were Mayor Stiff, Commissioner Smiley, Commissioner Rudberg, Commissioner Frost, Commissioner Youngman, City Manager Johnson, Assistant City Manager Brey, Staff Attorney Day-Moore and Clerk of the Commission Sullivan and Deputy Clerk of the Commission Prosser. The meeting was opened with the roll call, Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. Work Session - fA) Update from Mike Hoey re Y2K. (8) Staff report re possible funding of North 19th Avenue traffic signals. fC) Discussion re topics for joint meeting with County Commission. and (D) Discussion re possible letters of support for HRDC grant application (A) Update from Mike Hoey re Y2K Mike Hoey, Deputy Director of the Gallatin County Disaster and Emergency Services (DES), gave a brief update on Y2K issues for the City and County government. He stated that he had conversations with the City and County Data Processing Division's approximately 30 . days ago. He revealed that the County has completed a comprehensive inventory of all their computer systems and they are 70 to 80 percent compliant. The 9-1-1 system is almost totally compliant except for one component, which must be upgraded by the supplier under the contract. He stated the City/County phone system is not completely compliant, and it will cost approximately $12,000 to bring into compliance. He noted the City's AS400 computer mainframe is compliant. The NT servers are 80 percent compliant; however, one main server will need a new mother board, at a cost of $2,000. He further stated that 65 percent of the personal computers are compliant with approximately 35 computer systems needing software upgrades, at an approximate cost of $20,000. Mr. Hoey stated both the City and County Data Processing Divisions are very busy upgrading systems as time allows. Mr. Hoey stated that on December 14, 1998 DES held its first meeting with representatives of essential services, and indicated that another meeting is planned for March 31. He stressed that essential services include Montana Power Company (MPC), cellar phone services, US West, the National Guard, Fire Department, Police Department, and Emergency Medical Services. The meeting on March 31 is to initiate the planning phase of an emergency exercise, which will identify potential problems not yet considered. He stated that September 9, 1999 is a default date for Y2K, and Montana Power Company will be testing their services on that date. The goal of the training is to ensure the development of a threat can easily be changed to an all-risk plan. . Mr. Hoey stated that educating the public is an important component of Y2K. He further stated there needs to be "a voice of reason in the storm of misinformation that is out there". He then stated he is the Public Information Officer for the entire state, as well as for Bozeman, and he has prepared several press releases on this issue. Mr. Hoey stated that the message being sent from DES is to prepare for Y2K as you would any other kind of emergency. Which means having a 72-hour supply of what your family needs. He stressed the importance of not making poor life choices, noting he received a call from a citizen who wanted to know if he could store 500 gallons of fuel in his house. 3-22-99 -.. .--.- - 2 - Mr. Hoey stated he is working with the Red Cross and other volunteer agencies in an effort to coordinate and not duplicate services. He stated there are pamphlets and brochures available for a variety of issues from installing back-up generators to what type of emergency supplies you should have on hand. He notes these pamphlets are available at the Fire Department and will be distributed to other locations throughout the community. Mr. Hoey then stated there are several other default dates to be aware of, including . April 9. 1999; July 9. 1999 - the date established by the accounting industry to have all accounting systems upgraded; December 31, 1999; and leap year day, February 29, 2000. Responding to Commissioner Smiley, Mr. Hoey stated he is sending press releases to every radio and newspaper in the County. He then indicated that he will get her copies of the brochures. Mayor Stiff stated that, since this is a work session and this item was listed as a staff update, no public comment will be heard. He asked of those in attendance to put their questions in writing and submit them to the Clerk of the Commission. Responding to City Manager Johnson, Mr. Hoey stated he has attended community meetings on this issue, noting there are very strong feelings on the issue. He then indicated that the LEPC addresses only hazardous materials. City Manager Johnson stated that he has requested 24- and 72-hour disaster reports from those departments providing essential services, and copies of those reports will be submitted to the Commission including WTP, WWTP and streets (for signals). The City Manager further stated that some computers in City Hall are not yet Y2K compliant, but noted these computers will be used for non-critical functions such as typing. He then stated that Network Systems Manager Dennis Cruise continuously downloads tests for compliance. . Mr. Hoey established that reliable data is needed and cautioned that while there are many sources of information available on the Internet, care must be taken to sort out the good from the bad information. Commissioner Youngman stated the Library has started a Y2K file and will be preparing a display of brochures. She suggested that a display at the Courthouse could also help disseminate the information. She further noted the Bozeman web site would be a good place for all citizens to ask questions and have the Commission respond to them directly. Commissioner Youngman then stated she has spoken with the Red Cross and they have invited the City and the County to do a joint brochure on preparing for Y2K, taking disaster and personal preparedness into consideration. Responding to Mayor Stiff, City Manager Johnson stated that the cost of updating one system will be approximately $43,000. He noted the other systems will be replaced over time at an estimated cost at $20,000. The Commission thanked Mr. Hoey for his presentation. (8) Staff report re possible funding of North 19th Avenue traffic . signals City Manager Johnson stated that he met with several property owners and developers in the North 19th Avenue area concerning the funding of traffic signals at West Oak Street and Baxter Lane, in light of the freeze on impact fees. He cautioned that it is not a simple matter of installing the traffic signals; rather some rebuilding of the streets will be required. At the West Oak Street intersection some new geometrics will be required. He then stated that Holiday Retirement Home is to be constructed on Oak Street, west of North 19th Avenue. City Manager Johnson stated that North 19th Avenue from Oak Street north to Baxter Lane needs to be five lanes wide, and the super at Baxter Lane needs to be decreased. City Manager 3-22-99 -- - 3 - Johnson estimated the total cost at $800,000. He stated that based on that estimate the City's share is approximately $500,000, which was to be funded from a combination of urban transportation monies, general obligation transportation bonds, and $155,000 in impact fees. City Manager Johnson reminded the Commission that under the conditions of approval for Castlebar, Rose Park and the Chamber of Commerce, the traffic signals must be installed and operational before the Certificates of Occupancy will be issued. He cautioned that with . the Castlebar Apartments this could post:! a problem since that project is being constructed with tax credits and they have timelines from the Montana Board of Housing that must be met. He then stated that State of Montana Department of Transportation has become involved in the project and under their timeline it appears the traffic signals will no~ be operational until at least Christmas. As a result, it may be necessary for the City to consider the possibility of issuing temporary occupancy permi:ts for the thirty-six total units that are to be constructed prior to the end of the year. City Manager Johnson stated the developers approached him about the possibility of splitting the $155,000 that was to be funded from impact fees on the condition that they would receive impact fee credits on a dollar for dollar basis, if impact fees are determined legal and remain in effect. In response to Questions from the Commissioners, City Manager Johnson stated this will be an agenda item for a regular meeting. (C) Discussion re topics for joint meeting with County Commission Included in the Commissioners' packets was a memo from the County Commission, dated March 16, forwarding topics for discussion at the joint meeting scheduled for March 29. . City Manager Johnson gave a brief overview of the items on next weeks agenda and highlighted the items for the joint work session as requested by the County Commission. He then indicated that maps for the jurisdictional boundaries will be ready prior to the meeting and should be in the packets. Commissioner Youngman suggested that a discussion regarding Y2K be added, indicating that she, Mike Hoey, and James Goehrung have been working to develop a flyer for distribution by the Red Cross. (D) Discussion re possible letters of support for HRDC grant application City Manager Johnson stated that HRDC has prepared plans for renovation of the old post office building and recently showed those plans at meetings which he and Commissioner Youngman attended. He briefly highlighted those plans which include tearing down part of the existing building and constructing an additional building. He noted the estimated cost of the project will be between $1.7 million and $2 million. He further stated that HRDC is seeking grant funding, and has requested a letter of support from the City. He then a read a letter of endorsement and asked for Commission concurrence for the Mayor's signature. The Commission concurred and Mayor Stiff signed the letter. . Discussion - Commissioner Projects None of the Commissioners forwarded any comments under this agenda item. Discussion -FYI Items City Manager Johnson presented to the Commission the following "For Your Information" items. 3-22-99 -- - - -.. --... -. -- .-.- - 4 - (1 ) Summary of the "Roundtable for Jobs and Income" meeting conducted by the Gallatin Development Council on February 16. (2) Copy of the legislative bulletin dated March 17, as prepared by the Montana League of Cities and Towns. (3) Copy of the snowpack report for the Gallatin River basin as of March 8, 1999. . (4) Newsletter from the Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA), dated March 13,1999. (5) Notice that the Drug Court Planning Coalition Stakeholders meeting has been rescheduled from April 1 to March 31 at the Courthouse. (6) Minutes for the November 10, 1998, meeting of the Local Water Quality District. (7) Minutes for the February 9, 1999, meeting of the City-County Board of Health. (8) Minutes for the December 2, 1998, meeting of the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee. (9) Agenda for the Development Review Committee meeting to be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 23, in the Commission Room. (10) Agenda for the Design Review Board meeting to be held at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23, in the Commission Room. (11 ) Agenda for the City-County Planning Board meeting to be held at 7:00 p.m. on . Tuesday, March 23, in the Commission Room. (12) Agenda for the County Commission meeting to be held at 1 :30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23, at the Courthouse. ( 13) Agenda for the Cemetery Board meeting to be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, in the Conference Room. (14) Agenda for the Board of Adjustm~nt meeting to be held at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, in the Commission Room. (15) The City Manager distributed a copy of an article from the Helena Ind.ependent Record regarding utility deregulation. He stated that Bozeman is positioning itself to participate in the Leagues program for electricity and natural gas and to possibly become a supplier. He gave a brief overview of the savings anticipated through the League program, which should total approximately $12,000 annually. Assistant City Manager Ron Brey briefly reviewed the bidding process that the League of Cities and Towns has used to date. He stressed that this is a learning process, noting that better conglomerations could lead to better pricing in the future. . (16) City Manager Johnson gave an overview of five legislative bills which could impact the City's revenues. Those include 5B200, which is designed to stimulate growth by providing property tax incentives; 5B260, which reduces motor vehicle fees; HB174, which revises taxation of electrical utilities; HB 128, which revises taxation of telecommunications; and HB108, which revises taxation on Class 4 property. He stressed that HB108 probably will not pass, but a similar bill will take its place. He estimated that these tax breaks will result in a $42 million decrease in funding to cities and towns on a state-wide basis, but the State is to reimburse local governments for those lost revenues. He expressed concern that under the current package, the reimbursement is a flat dollar amount rather than a percentage of a revenue source. He stated that he is also monitoring HB393, which would allow for local 3-22-99 ~- --.........:;;'"... =r-..----- -----...- - 5 - option or luxury taxes and HB91, pertaining to building code enforcement in the jurisdictional area. (17) Staff Attorney Patricia Day-Moore stated she is preparing the municipal court ordinance, and it will be on the April 5 agenda. (18) Commissioner Frost stated he attended the Historic Preservation Advisory Board . meeting last week. He noted they are working on Historic Preservation Week, and they are looking for an alternative site because the Ellen Theater will not be available, due to the owner's concerns about liability. Break - 4:27 to 4:30 p.m. Mayor Stiff declared a break from 4:27 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in accordance with Commission policy. Executive Session re litigation Mayor Stiff announced his intent to close the meeting and enter into executive session, under Section 2-3-203(4), M.C.A., for the purpose of discussing litigation, noting that if the issues were discussed in open meeting, it would have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the City. At 4:30 p.m., Mayor Stiff called an executive session for the purpose of discussing litigation strategy and asked all of the persons except City Manager Johnson, Assistant City Manager Brey, City Attorney Luwe, Staff Attorney Day-Moore and Clerk of the Commission Sullivan to leave the room. . At '5:05 p.m., Mayor Stiff closed the executive session and reconvened the open meeting. Adjournment - 5:05 p.m. There being no further business to come before the Commission at this time, it was moved by Commissioner Frost, seconded by Commissioner Youngman, that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried by the following Aye and No vote: those voting Aye being Commissioner Frost, Commissioner Youngman, Commissioner Smiley, Commissioner Rudberg and Mayor Stiff; those voting No, none. ~/~.~ ALFR M. STIFF, Mayor ATTEST: Clrl.: y ~ ROBIN L. SULU\f AN . ~. -- . Clerk of the CorTums'sion - - ~ - . . ~ - ^ - " "- ._~~. - 3-22-99 ...---