What's Up? - 1 May 2017

Happy May Day everyone!

Black text comes from the agenda
Blue text are my current comments
Purple text are from my former comments
Brown text comes from the support documents. 

What's Coming Up?

COUNCIL WORK MEETING

11:30 AM, Tuesday, May 2nd, City Conference Room, 351 West Center

1. A discussion on homelessness in Provo
The presenters will include the following individuals:
• Robert Vernon, Executive Director of the Provo Housing Authority
• Brent Crane, Executive Director of the Food and Care Coalition
• Karen McCandless, Executive Director of Community Action and Food Bank (Tentatively presenting)
The February passage of the camping ordinance triggered an important discussion about homelessness in our community. Based on past discussion with community service providers, mostly related to the panhandling ordinance, my understanding was that Provo and Utah County has a small but robust network of services to care for the homeless and near-homeless in our community. My understanding was that anyone wanting help and willing to follow the rules of the organizations would receive it. My understanding was that anyone sleeping outside was choosing to do so.
In the wake of the new camping ordinance, I read a solidly reported article which interviewed leaders from several of these poor and homeless service organizations. I looked all over to find the article so that I could link to it, but I didn't find it. These interviews caused me to revise my understanding of our homeless situation. I still believe that we have a robust network of services to care for the homeless and near-homeless, but I now believe that the network is not fully funded and is stretched beyond its capacity to deliver the services to everyone looking for help.
I believe that the community has a moral obligation to help our poor and needy. I believe that the local government has a role to play in coordinating and assisting in this effort. But I also believe that nobody's long-term best interests are served, not the needy and not the community, if the public abdicates its responsibility and expects the local government to take care of it all.
Homelessness is a complex problem. You do not need to become an expert or try to fix it all on your own. Our community already has a good overall plan and many programs in place to address the short-term needs and build the long-term self-reliance. But the community needs to give more of its time and money to support these programs. The local government can to its part, but we should not look to it to solve the problem for us. That would be a fool's errand.
[Take a look at item 4, for more on the community plan.]
2. A presentation from the Water Division
   This upcoming presentation will be the fifth in the series of Water Division presentations and will focus on water rights. One of the presenters will be John Maybe, a water rights attorney with whom the Public Works Department contracts. He will be discussing water rights in general, as well as water rights relevant to Provo.
   After Mr. Maybe’s presentation, Gary Calder, Water Resources Division Director, will talk more about Provo’s water rights.
   If you want to get a feel for what goes into one of these presentations check out these minutes from a past presentation.
3. A presentation and discussion of the Westside Planning Committee's recommendations
   At the end of February, the Westside Planning Committee unanimously recommended seven policies (and 34 subpolicies) to the Municipal Council.
   1. Preserve Provo’s agricultural heritage and support agriculture for as long as farmers choose to farm
   2. Preserve and Create Quality Usable Open Space
   3. Encourage Sustainable Residential Development Patterns
   4. Promote Development of Commercial Amenities and Employment Opportunities in Appropriate Locations
   5. Create a Robust Transportation Network
   6. Require Proper Integration and Sequencing of Development
   7. Restrict Development in Wetlands and other Environmentally Sensitive Areas
   I will be presenting the work of the Committee to the Council.
4. A discussion on a resolution approving the substantial amendment to the 2015 Five-Year Consolidated Plan
   Under the HOME Program, local governments are able to join together to form a consortium to receive HOME funding for Affordable Housing. In July of 2016 the cities of Provo, Orem, Lehi and Utah County entered into an Interlocal Agreement to form the Utah Valley HOME Consortium (HOME) to receive funding under the HOME Investment and Partnerships Program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and authorized by Title KK of the Cranston-González National Affordable Act (Act).
   A Substantial Amendment to the 2015 Five-Year Consolidated Plan is necessary to reflect that the City of Lehi joined the Utah Valley HOME Consortium for Federal Fiscal Years 2017, 2018 & 2019.
   I need to ask for clarification, but it looks like only a few lines were changed, basically to add some contact information for the administrator in Lehi.
   I believe that it was a coincident that this item is on the same agenda as our homeless discussion, but the Five-Year Consolidated Plan lays out the coordinated plan of the community to assist the homeless and near-homeless. It's a 196-page document, but here is one paragraph:
   The vision of the Mountainland Region Continuum of Care (CoC) is to provide decent, safe and affordable housing and effective support services to homeless, chronic homeless families and individuals including—initial stabilization, transitional housing, permanent housing, access to mainstream resources and independence from governmental assistance. United Way of Utah County (United Way) leads the CoC, of which Provo City is a member, represented by the RDA. The CoC is an organized body of local jurisdictions, government agencies, local nonprofit organizations, faith-based service and housing organizations, and other agencies and partners seeking to maximize resources and avoid duplication of services while providing consistent and unified planning in Utah County.
5. A discussion on a resolution to place 40 Acres, at the Mouth of Provo Canyon, on the Surplus Property List.
   This property is located at the mouth of Provo Canyon. It has steep terrain and has been used for recreational/trail purposes in the past. A departmental review was held by all city departments and there was no compelling reason for the City to continue to own the property.
   We have received an offer on the property for $1,500,000.00 subject to various terms and conditions including the ability of the purchaser to get an approved subdivision plat.
   This is the first I've heard of this proposal. I'm interested in learning a whole lot more about it.
6. An update on the status of the Buckley Draw property
   The property known as the “Buckley Draw” was included in the jail property purchase from Utah County in 1995.
   The property contains 17.21 acres, however, not all of it is developable due to slope and retention basin.
   We are working with a developer on a preliminary plan and will then be requesting a zone change from Public Facility (PF) and Agricultural Zone (A11) to single family. 
7. A discussion on an ordinance to amend Section 14.49.020(3) to allow the Low Density Residential (LDR), Medium Density Residential (MDR), and High Density Residential (HDR) Zones to be permitted for the Special Development Plan Overlay Zone. City-Wide Impact.
   I am unclear of the purpose of the Special Development Plan Overlay Zone (SDP) and how it differs from, say, the PRO zones. It appears that when it was created it was allowed to overlay residential, commercial, and industrial zones. the LDR, MDR, and HDR residential zones have since been created. I believe this request allows the SDP overlay to apply to these new residential zones as well. I look forward to learning more about the SDP zone.
8. A discussion on an ordinance amending the General Plan regarding land use for the northeast corner of 3700 North University Avenue to allow retail commercial, professional office, and residential land uses. Riverbottoms Neighborhood.
   See description in item 9.
9. A discussion on a zone change from A1.5 to Specialty Support Commercial (SSC), Professional Office (PO), and LDR Low Density Residential with a Specific Development Plan (SDP) Overlay for four acres of land located at the northeast corner of 3700 North University Avenue. Riverbottoms Neighborhood.
   It looks like items 7 and 8, along with this item, are being driven by a single proposal. It covers about 4 acres of land on the northeast corner of 3700 N and University. This proposal changes the plan for this area from only business offices to "small scale retail" on the corner, leaves business offices along University Ave. and now envisions townhouses behind.
   
10. A discussion on an ordinance amending Provo City Code to change yard requirements in the one-family residential zone.
    This item was continued at our last Work Meeting because the method for determining the "average" setback was not defined. The proposal for tomorrow gets rid of the problematic "average" and would allow for up to 100 sq ft of the house to extend beyond the 20' limit, up to a 15' setback, as long as the extension is a single story.
11. A discussion on sanitation rates and an update on composting
    Present options and receive direction for implementing proposed Sanitation rate increase as part of 5 year Public Works utility rate plan. Give an update on composting, now having completed about a year of the current program.
    Even before I joined the Council I was advocating for a change in fee structure for garbage, recycling, and yard waste. Our current structure doesn't make a lot of sense. For example, if I have a black can and decide to add a blue can, it will cost me $45/year. If I have a black and a green can, and decide to add a blue can, it will cost me $69/year. Can you imagine a business making that offer? "The more services you bundle the more you save the more you pay for each one!"
12. Closed Meeting

COUNCIL MEETING

5:30 PM, Tuesday, May 2nd, Council Chambers, 351 West Center

1. A presentation for Provology graduation
2. A presentation by the Covey Center of "Anne of Green Gables"
3. A presentation by Their Story is Our Story regarding the Refugee Crisis
   
   Public Comment
4. A public hearing on the substantial amendment to the 2015 Five-Year Consolidated Plan Development to include the City of Lehi as a member of the Utah Valley HOME for Federal Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2019 consortium.
   See item 4 in the afternoon meeting above.
5. An ordinance amending Provo City Code to change yard requirements in the one-family residential zone.
   See item 10 in the afternoon meeting above.
6. A resolution tentatively adopting a proposed budget for Provo City Corporation for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2018.
   Adopting a tentative budget is not the same as adopting the official budget; rather, it is acknowledging that the budget officer provided the governing body with a budget to consider—the tentative budget.
   Moving forward, the Municipal Council, Redevelopment Agency, and Storm Water Special Service District will hold additional public hearings regarding the proposed budgets on June 6, 2017 and June 20, 2017.
   Under Utah Code 10-6- 111, municipal budget officers are required to present a tentative budget to the entity’s governing body at a public hearing. In addition, the Code states that the governing body “shall review, consider, and tentatively adopt each tentative budget.
   If you check the public documents site, you'll see that the proposed budgets aren't there yet. We haven't received them. I believe last year we continued the items a couple of weeks to give us time to review them before tentatively adopting them.
7. A resolution tentatively adopting a proposed budget for the Redevelopment Agency of Provo City Corporation for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2018.
   See item 6.
8. A resolution tentatively adopting a proposed budget for the Provo City Storm Water Special Service District for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 3018.
   See item 6.