02142013CouncilMinutes
CITY OF AMMON
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES – WORK SESSION
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013
AGENDA:
CITY OF AMMON
2135 SOUTH AMMON ROAD
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA – WORK SESSION
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 – 4:30 P.M.
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
1.Water Meters
2.Audit and Budget Discussion
3.Proposed City Code Changes
4.Misc.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
1.Personnel Evaluations - Idaho Code 67-2345 (1-b)
2.Real Property Acquisitions - Idaho Code 67-2345 (1-c)
3.Pending Litigation - Idaho Code 67-2345 (1-f)
MINUTES
City Officials Present:
Mayor Steve Fuhriman
Councilmember Dana Kirkham
Councilmember Rex Thompson
Councilmember Brian Powell (left at 6:11 p.m.)
Councilmember Sean Coletti (arrived at 4:43 p.m.)
Councilmember Russell Slack
Councilmember Brad Christensen
City Clerk/Administrator/Planning Director Ron Folsom
Deputy City Clerk Rachael Brown
City Treasurer Jennifer Belfield
City Engineer Lance Bates
Public Works Director Ray Ellis
City Officials Absent:
None
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
Mayor Fuhriman opened the meeting at 4:34 p.m. at the City Hall building located at 2135 South
Ammon Road.
1. Water Meters:
Councilmember Kirkham said she and Councilmember Coletti added this item to the agenda and asked
Ray Ellis to explain. Ray Ellis explained that around the first of April there is going to be a seven percent price increase for water
meters, and if we are going to order another 800 meters he would like to make the purchase before the increase. Councilmember
Kirkham said we had left it that we weren’t going to purchase more meters this year until it was decided whether we were metering or
not. Councilmember Slack said he thought after the Water Rights Attorney spoke with the Council about how the City could submit
for water rights if we metered, that this shifted the conversation about metering versus not metering to the yes column.
Councilmember Kirkham said that wasn’t a formal yes, but everyone could see the reasoning for the meters; there is going to be a
point in time that DEQ will require metering if the City wants any more funding. Discussion ensued regarding current and future
expenses for water meters.
Ray explained for the square mile bounded by Ammon Road, Hitt Road, Sunnyside Road and 17th Street; we looked at just
the replacement of the water pipeline, asphalt, curb & gutter, and it looks like it could be approximately ten million dollars.
Councilmember Slack asked if we are ripping up that area to install water pipes, wouldn’t it make sense to replace the sewer lines at
the same time? Ray said an assessment of the sewer lines was included in the Wastewater Facility Planning Study; a lot of them are in
really good shape, but for those that may not be so good, yes. Lance said most of the sewer pipe probably is very good, and from a
capacity standpoint we are really good. Councilmember Slack said that is the best news he has had in several days. Councilmember
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Kirkham said we know we have this aging system in the original town site that we are going to have to deal with at some point and the
reality is when that time comes we will most likely need funding from the DEQ, and so we will need to be metered.
Councilmember Kirkham feels the problem is that all of us know this is what we should do, but none of us want to do it.
Councilmember Christensen asked about the standard deviation in water usage for each lot size. Councilmember Kirkham told Ray
that Jerry Sinkovec called her and would like a meter installed on his lot because he would like to prove just how little water people
can use with conservation. Councilmember Powell said as he looks down the road fifteen or twenty years from now, if we have to
replace water lines in old Ammon and we don’t have the funds to do it ourselves and need to go to DEQ, they are going to say you
aren’t going to get any funding without metering. Councilmember Thompson said in ten years though, you will be purchasing
replacement water meters. Ray said the meters actually have a life of twenty years. Discussion ensued regarding water usage and the
cost to distribute it.
Ray said under our current scenario, 800 meters per year is all our personnel can install; so we are four years away from
installing a meter in every pit that we already have. In year five and six Ray thinks we will be faced with replacing some lines in the
older parts of town. Councilmember Kirkham said that is kind of why we decided to install 800 meters per year, because we are kind
of on this five year plan. The idea was we are going to put ourselves on this five year plan and begin to educate the public, and feels
we need to make the decision to do it and educate the public. Councilmember Thompson would like to see the data on the yards and
see what the range is from bigger lawns and some smaller. Ron said we did that and we are still trying to convert the information into
Caselle. Ron explained the delay is coming from data we have received from the County.
Ray said the factor that is not being considered is personal use; there could be a citizen that has a quarter acre lot and never
turns his water off all year long. Until there is a meter, there is no personal responsibility. Councilmember Coletti said we will have to
raise the rates in order to do this. Councilmember Thompson said we should be raising the rates, because we are paying for the system
right now. Councilmember Kirkham said to remember that the Council did not raise the water rate this year. Discussion ensued.
Councilmember Kirkham said she feels water merits a discussion beyond cost, because the reality is that it is a renewable
resource that isn’t renewing at the same rate that it once was, and we are going to find ourselves at a point where the population is
consuming more than we have to provide. Discussion ensued regarding water rights, new residential construction, and lot size
metering tiers.
Councilmember Powell said he thinks everybody in the City understands conservation, and they understand cost; they just
want to continue doing the same thing. Councilmember Slack said he feels as a steward of the City, metering is a good idea and said
he would like to move forward with installing meters, but we have a lot of discussion about how we are going to charge.
Councilmember Kirkham polled the Council. Councilmember Coletti said he is comfortable buying another 800 meters.
Councilmember Powell said yes. Councilmember Thompson said he doesn’t want to buy 800 meters unless we are going to meter.
Staff was given direction to prepare a random sampling of 200 homes to obtain water usage data, and will bring the findings to the
Council at the next work session. Councilmember Kirkham said in the next work session she would like to see the data, and then the
Council will decide whether to move forward with the meters. Councilmember Christensen would like to have a public hearing.
Councilmember Kirkham said the public hearing will come when it gets closer to the time to meter. Councilmember Coletti said a
public hearing would give the Council an opportunity to explain why the City needs to go to metering the water. Councilmember
Coletti suggested sending out a survey to obtain citizen opinion regarding metering the water. Ray said if the Council has a public
hearing and the citizens are against metering, then the question becomes how will the City fund ten million dollars’ worth of
improvement if you don’t have DEQ backing to fund it? Councilmember Kirkham said the Council knows what they have to do, and
they know in their guts what the right thing to do is. Discussion ensued regarding a possible water metering survey.
2. Audit and Budget Discussion:
Councilmember Slack directed the Council to page twenty of the City’s Audit report
and covered the income versus expenses. Discussion ensued regarding possible fee increases.
3. Proposed City Code Changes:
Ron explained the requested changes to the City Code and said he will be bringing it to
Council for approval on February 21st.
4. Misc.:
Jennifer said she spoke with Rick and he spoke to Randy from Forsgren. They are looking for the Council’s
approval for Randy to work with the contractor due to the concern that some specs weren’t fully accomplished and they need to redo
some work. Jennifer asked the Council if they are comfortable to pay the amount that has been earned and withhold the other payment
as retainage. Jennifer wants to create a final pay application to submit to DEQ and start closing the bond. The Council agreed.
Lance reported that on March 29th Chad Stanger is retiring. Chris Fredrickson will be Chad’s replacement. Lance said he
feels Chris will be more opened minded.
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Ron handed out the Sunnyside Sewer information pertaining to Hawks Landing. Hawks Landing ownership is being
transferred. Chris Meacham has been asking questions as he transfers all the documents. Ron briefly reviewed the agreement
regarding the lots involved in the Sunnyside sewer project. The City was supposed to pay oversize charges; when Lance did his
assessment it was cheaper to put in the 30 inch than the 8 inch so there were no oversize charges so the total amount we paid out is
going to go back to the developers. Ron approximates this at about $70,000.
Councilmember Christensen said Ken has had some interest from students to participate in a large service project that would
involve some infrastructure development in the parks system. Early on Ken had some money in the budget for benches and shelters in
the Woodland Hills area. Councilmember Christensen and Ken talked with some residents from the Woodland Hills subdivision, and
the residents voiced an interest for the City to install a swing set near the parking area. Ken spoke to an Ammon resident that has a
playground equipment business and he has some second hand playground equipment that someone didn’t end up wanting. He will sell
it to the City for $10,500 and he will install it. Councilmember Christensen said there is no need to open the budget, because Ken had
some improvement money already budgeted for Woodland Hills and he saved some money buying fertilizer in advance.
Councilmember Kirkham said that would go a long way for public relations.
Councilmember Kirkham said Ray went out and obtained information for a City recycling program. He looked for canisters
for a recycling station that the City trucks could pick up. He successfully found canisters that we are able to pick up, and can take to
Western Recycling. The City would receive credit for the recyclables. The only ongoing cost would be for fuel, and the cost to
purchase the containers would be $6,000. Councilmember Thompson said there is no reason to recycle if it costs as much in gas to
haul the containers to the recycle center, as we would receive from the credit. Councilmember Coletti said there is a private business
doing this now, and we have had others in the past, but they died out because it is not a cost effective business. He questions if we
need to provide recycling since the private business is currently there. Ron said Western Recycling is the business providing recycling
in the City and they are actually the ones who we would take the recycling to. Discussion ensued regarding recycling.
Councilmember Slack said no, Councilmember Christensen said no, Councilmember Thompson said no, and Councilmember Coletti
said no, Councilmember Kirkham said yes.
The meeting adjourned at 6:52 p.m.
_________________________________________________
Steve Fuhriman, Mayor
_________________________________________________
Ron Folsom, City Clerk
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