What's Up? - 8 March 2017

This time I focused more on describing the outcome of the item rather than the item itself. If you would like more information on the items I suggest referring to my last blog post.

What Was Up?

COUNCIL WORK MEETING

12:30 PM, Tuesday, March 7th, City Conference Room, 351 West Center

1. A discussion on an AMI Opt-Out Policy and fee request
   Motion to move to the Council Meeting agenda on March 21, 2017. Approved 7:0.
   Roughly half of the meters have been placed and so far 21 people have protested having their meter replaced. Provo Power predicts that maybe three would pay a monthly fee to stay on the old technology. $25 would be about the incremental cost to the City to send out an employee to physically read somewhere around 10 meters each month.
2. A discussion on form-based code
   Presentation and discussion only. Staff will coordinate further discussion with Community Development.
   A number of cities in Utah have at least dabbled in form-based codes (FBC). Of the city-employee planners in these cities who responded to an APA survey, a large majority have an overall positive experience and see it as a positive step. There have been difficulties with the learning curve in adopting a new system. Cities generally start out by applying FBC to one or two contained areas and then expanding as they gain experience. The Council is learning more and would like our Planning Division to propose some next steps.
3. A presentation on the Water Division
   Presentation only. There was not sufficient time to cover this entire presentation, so it will be continued.
   We are fairly well situated as far as securing water well into the future. We are using significantly less water than has been projected, putting us in an even better position. But we do need to continue to be proactive and wisely manage our water resources or we may find ourselves in a much less enviable position down the road.
4. A discussion on creating a Public Works Board
   Motion to direct staff to conduct a best practices study of other comparable cities and Public Works Boards, including what these boards contribute to the city and the makeup of membership on the board. Approved 5:2, Council Members Kim Santiago and Kay Van Buren opposed.
   Motion for the Mayor to move forward with the creation of a task force to examine the sewer treatment plant issue with the advice and consent of the Council. Approved 7:0.
   The more immediate need is to have an ad hoc committee to study our waste water treatment plant dilemma. We would like to move forward first with this committee and then see what we can learn from it before setting up a permanent Public Works Board. In the mean time, Council staff will look to other comparable cities to see if they have a Public Works Board, what their experience has been, and what are the best practices.
5. A presentation and discussion of the West Side Planning Committee's recommendations
   Item continued to a future Work Meeting following review at the Planning Commission.
   We were running behind schedule so I gave a 15 second report that we had fulfilled our assignment and would be presenting more on our recommendations after the Planning Commission has had an opportunity to weigh in on them.
6. A discussion on neighborhood boundary changes
   Motion to move the proposed changes for the Lakeview North/Lakeview South Neighborhoods and Sherwood Hills/Edgemont Neighborhoods forward to a Council Meeting, and to continue study and discussion on changes to the Downtown area. Approved 7:0.
   The non-controversial proposals will move ahead. The Downtown proposal will get some more discussion and public input.
7. A discussion on a proposed amendment: Provo City Community Development Department requests amendments to the parking ratios for the Off-Street Parking Standards for Baching Singles (Section 14.37.060), the ITOD Zone (Section 14.23.120), the General Downtown Zone (Section 14.21A.150) and the Downtown Core Zone (Section 14.21B.140) to consider increasing the minimum parking requirement within these zones. City-Wide Impact.
   Discussion only. This item is scheduled for a Public Hearing at the Council Meetings on March 7, 2017 and March 21, 2017, with the intent for the Council to take formal action at the March 21, 2017 Council Meeting.
   After the discussion, I felt more comfortable that we are talking about a stop-gap measure until we can implement a more comprehensive parking strategy.
8. A discussion on an appropriation for Vote By Mail
   Discussion only. Staff will prepare two resolutions—one addressing an appropriation for a Vote By Mail option, and the other addressing an appropriation for an optical scan option.
   Vote By Mail has many advantages. But also some distinct disadvantages. It's good to know that I'm not the only Councilor who is hesitant about taking this step. But, again, I feel the County's decision will force the issue this year.
9. A discussion regarding the appointment of temporary Justice Court judges
   Council Chair Sewell stated his intent for Leadership to place this item on the next Council Meeting agenda.Two new judges will be appointed, joining the three current judges, as recommended by Judge Romney.
10. Administrative update on the BRT project
    This item was continued; Administration will provide an update to Council Leadership to determine whether this requires time at a future Work Meeting.
11. Closed Meeting

COUNCIL MEETING

5:30 PM, Tuesday, March 7th, Council Chambers, 351 West Center

4. A presentation by the Provo Bicycle Committee of the Golden Spike Winter Bicycle Commuter Award.
   Presentation only
   Public Comment
    
5. An ordinance amending Provo City Code with regard to permit parking areas
   Approved 7:0.
   My previous description is sufficient, "This is mostly a cleanup of the code and helps get us ready for license plate readers used for enforcement."
6. A resolution to adopt the Southeast Neighborhoods Plan as a component of the Provo City General Plan.
   Motion to amend the Southeast Neighborhood Plan on page 34 to include the words “This document should be available on the City website and at the front counter of the Provo City Community Development Office.” Approved as amended 7:0.
   Councilor Knecht met several times with the three neighborhood chairs covered by the Southeast Neighborhoods Plan to discuss citizen feedback that we received in January when we last heard this item. These meetings resulted in a number of improvements to the plan. There was little public comment on this item in this meeting, and it was uniformly positive.
7. A resolution to renew the surplus status of unsold property on the Surplus Property List.
   Approved 7:0.
   There were several people who came to speak on this item because one of the properties returning to the Surplus List is the old jail property. All of them were members/supporters of ProVolt which is a community maker-space. The head of ProVolt has pitched the idea of the City selling the old jail building to their group for $1 to allow them to expand the maker-space. From all accounts, ProVolt is a great part of our community. Unfortunately, the City has determined, based on the opinion of several independent professionals, that the old building is not salvageable, and is a hazard that must be removed. I wish ProVolt the best going forward, but it won't be at the old jail property. This same step would be necessary regardless of who the property is being sold to. It is up to the administration to decide on the buyer, within the parameters of the ordinance. But we do understand that a preliminary agreement has been entered into with a developer who will pay the roughly $1M price tag to remove the building, and has proposed a development that has met less neighbor opposition.
8. An ordinance amending the Provo City Code to adjust the parking ratios for off-street parking.
   Presentation and public hearing only. This item is scheduled for an additional public hearing and formal action at the Council Meeting on March 21, 2017.We heard from a number of community members, including some developers. I am hopeful that we will back off of the parking reductions Downtown, rather than eliminate them completely. We heard a lot about flexibility and differing needs in differing areas. I think it makes sense that Downtown parking needs would be different than parking needs elsewhere. But again, my hope is that this is just a stop-gap measure until a more creative, flexible, parking strategy can be developed.
9. A resolution adding the structure generally located at 690 West 300 South to the Provo Landmarks Register.
   Approved 7:0.
   This house had previously been nominated, but the owner at the time objected. The current owner welcomes the designation. This sounds like a win-win to me.
10. A resolution appointing individuals to the Metropolitan Water Board of Provo.
    Approved 7:0.
    Thank you to all who applied and are willing to serve our community. Here are the five Board members who were appointed or reappointed last night:
    Greg Hudnall
    Wood Miller
    Cindy Richards
    Scott Steffensen
    Dennis Weir