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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990.1002.TCWSM.MinutesTOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE WORK/STUDY SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1990 A public work/study session of the Fountain Hills Town Council was convened and called to order by Mayor John Cutillo at approximately 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 2, 1990 in the conference room of the Fountain Hills Town Hall Offices located at 16836 E. Palisades, Building C, Fountain Hills, Arizona. Present for the work/study session were Mayor John Cutillo, Vice Mayor Wally Hudson and Councilmembers Mike Minarsich, Frank Clark, Bill O'Brien, Peg Tibbetts and Charlie Fox. Also present were Town Manager Paul Nordin, Director of Community Development Gary Jeppson, Town Attorney Bill Farrell and Town Clerk Cassie Hansen. AGENDA ITEM #2 - TOWN MANAGERS REPORT A.a. Mr. Nordin reported that the council had in front of them, for review and comment, a draft of the Fountain Hills transportation plan submitted by the transportation committee. He said any comments or changes that the council would like to make -could be added to the document for Thursday nights meeting. Councilman O'Brien suggested adding McDonald Douglas on page three to the list of destinations receiving express bus service. Councilman Clark suggested coordinating the construction of covered bus shelters with future paving projects. A.b. Mr. Nordin reported that the street crews had been working on the cleaning of streets, although one sweeper had been down, grading unpaved roads, patching, brush control and median painting. He further stated that the new sweeper had been ordered and should be in soon. Mr. Nordin told the Council that he was now able to spend some significant time studying the road paving situation. Councilman Clark asked if Boulder, east of Golden Eagle, had been graded since the storms. Mr. Nordin assured him it would be checked into. A.c. The Town Manager informed the Council that the Town Auditor would be present at Thursday night's meeting to give a report on the completed audit and answer any questions the Council might have. He said the audit showed a healthy carry in balance and that we are doing well. Mr. Nordin further said it would be his recommendation to stick with the same firm for 3 to 5 years because it is important to develop continuity with an auditor. B.a. Mr. Nordin referred to the Sheriff's contract in the Council packets and said it was in the final form as agreed to by the Council, including the 90 day cancellation as opposed to the 180 day cancellation. Councilwoman Tibbetts drew attention to a typo on the top of the page starting 1.10 - she said the last sentence referenced District I commander and should be District IV. B.b. Larry Woodward explained that the draft before the Council contained underlined areas which represented suggested changes by Dimension Cable and that existing verbage was typed through. He briefly went over changes that had been made to the RFP. On page 2, item B., filing proposals - delete the zip code on Town Council Minutes 10/2/90 Page 1 of 7 the "in person" address and change the last phrase to read "or mailed to the following address and received no later than the above time and date". Mr. Woodward then continued going through the changes as shown with the underlined and strike through process. Mr. Farrell verified that the Town does not have rate control. Mr. Woodward said they were trying to solicit comment from the cable suppliers as to just what they felt we had here at present and how well it meets the future cable needs of the community. Mr. Farrell said the license will indicate that it covers future expansion to the corporate limits of Fountain Hills. B.c,d Vice Mayor Hudson suggested that a specific insurance amount be requested on the special event request form. Councilman Fox suggested to have coordination with ambulance, fire, sheriff, etc. on future events done by the Town Marshal. AGENDA ITEM #3 — PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FELKER PROPERTY ANNEXATION Mr. Nordin told the council that all the proper postings, mailings, etc. have been done so the hearing can be legally and properly held. He said the primary purpose of the hearing was not for staff or the Felker people to make any additional presentations but rather to give the public an opportunity to say whatever they desire to say about this item. Mr. Farrell said that this hearing was not the time to get into any kind of a debate format, just a time to take public comment. Councilwoman Tibbetts suggested announcing ahead of time what kind of hearing this was supposed to be so it would not have to be handled from the chair. AGENDA ITEM #4 — RESOLUTION 1990-25. MAKING THE TIMES THE OFFICIAL PAPER Mr. Nordin said bids were solicited from other newspapers and that it was staff's recommendation to make the Times the official newspaper for legal publishing. AGENDA ITEM #5 — RESOLUTION 1990-26 ADOPTING A CONSTRUCTION PERMIT FEE SCHEDULE Mr. Nordin reported that he had heard from Janet Queen who represents the building industry and asked that she be given a chance to review the proposed fee schedules so she could act in her official capacity as a spokesperson for the building industry. She represents the Homebuilders Association of Central Arizona. Mr. Nordin said he was going to suggest that this item be tabled at Thursday nights meeting until more research and review could be done. He further stated that these are fees not covered by the U.B.C. Mr. Jeppson commented that these are fees on what goes into the right of way, the public infrastructure. Councilwoman Tibbetts said these are fees that builders are currently not paying and because of this, she felt it important to get feedback from the builders in town. Mayor Cutillo expressed concern as to how this would impact the cost of building a house in Fountain Hills. It was decided that further clarification was needed before any decisions could be contemplated. Mr. Farrell said that 999 times out of 1,000 this would be applicable to the subdivision of real property but that there were areas in the community that don't have infrastructure out in front of the vacant lot at this point in time, and if you were being required to pave the street in addition to constructing a home this second set of fees would Town Council Minutes 1012190 Page 2 of 7 kick in for the plans that would be submitted for the paving of the street. Councilman Minarsich said he would like to hear from the local builders association on this. Mr. Nordin said it was a good mechanism for something like this to come up in a public meeting and then be tabled to make the public aware of the issue and give them a chance to respond. Councilman O'Brien requested that the document be clarified as to whether it is subdivision only or not. AGENDA ITEM #6 — RESOLUTION 1990-27 ADOPTING A SIGN PERMIT FEE SCHEDULE Mr. Jeppson said U.B.C. does not cover the cost of issuing a sign permit and the Town will be covering, basically, review location, set back and sizing to assure compliance with our sign code. He explained that there were some areas the Committee of Architecture could enforce that the Town had no jurisdiction over and areas the Town had enforcement authority over that the ComArch could not enforce. He added there were some common areas. Councilman O'Brien asked what the exemptions were now. Mr. Jeppson replied that right now, political, public signage (ie. street signs), are exempt. He stated that for sale signs and the realty signs such as appear up and down Fountain Hills Blvd. have not been required to secure sign permits. Councilwoman Tibbetts said this puts us once again in a double fee situation and that perhaps more study should be done as to how to handle this. Mr. Jeppson said that we currently have the sign ordinance that Maricopa County had and it states that permits are generally not needed for temporary signs. He said that generally a permit would not be needed for temporary use unless it was misused or abused. Mayor Cutillo asked if it would be possible to ask the Committee of Architecture to forego their sign regulation and permit fees and let the Town take care of it if the Town adopted a set of regulations much like what the ComArch currently enforces. Mr. Farrell reiterated that the CC and Rs and declarations are very immobile and become more engraved in stone whereas the Town's codes and regulations are more flexible and can be changed as time goes on. One body is locked and the other is not locked and there will always be differences. It was the concensus that the Council was desireous of staff sitting down with the Committee of Architecture, to decide who does what and work out a functioning agreement so residents are not double billed on everything they do. Councilwoman Tibbetts suggested the Committee do the aesthetic review, and if the size and location requirements are identical, then the Town can take over from there. Mr. Farrell said it was wonderful to cooperate but that the Council had a legislative responsibility that is a police power given them by the electorate and the state statutes and they must exercise that power. He said there is very little that the Mayor and Council can give up to the Committee of Architecture. Mayor Cutillo said his problem is with charging dual fees not with the dual authorities. The potential problem was brought out that if, the Committee relinquished it's authority regarding signs with the understanding that the Town would enforce the same standards, only to have a council come along down the line that decided the same guidelines were not important to them, the whole regulatory system could conceivably be changed. The aesthetic control once enforced by the Committee could feasibly cease to exist. Councilman Fox suggested that staff work with the Committee and whoever would be in charge of the regulatory end, should get the permit fee to cover part of the administrative costs. AGENDA ITEM #7 — DIRECTING STAFF TO PREPARE A SIGN ORDINANCE Town Council Minutes 10/2/90 Page 3 of 7 Even though this topic was covered in item #6, Mr. Jeppson pointed out that there were some things that the Committee of Architecture could regulate that the Town cannot and visa versa and that would limit adopting the same sign regulations. AGENDA ITEM #8 - ORDINANCE 90-15, PROVIDING FOR AND SETTING THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Mr. Jeppson spoke on setting reimbursement for the commission members, a monthly allowance for mileage to check out property, etc. It was decided that the money that was put in the budget for planning and zoning was for supplies, attending appropriate conferences, etc. Mayor Cutillo said he felt the people chosen would probably be willing to serve for the same salary as the council receives. Mr. Jeppson said there is a provision in the ordinance that requires a four member affirmative vote for a motion to pass. Councilman Fox expressed concern that sometimes this may cause a problem if not enough members were present. The Council felt if this became a major problem, they could always replace any member or members who might be lax in attending meetings. Mr. Jeppson said the Council had to choose terms for the Commissioners and it was decided that the Planning and Zoning members could choose the length of terms amongst themselves and supply the Council with a list to appoint from. AGENDA ITEM #9 - ORDINANCE 90-16. ESTABLISHING A TRUCK ROUTE Mr. Jeppson said the code regulated trucks driving on town streets but had not identified the streets to be used. He said there had been inquiries from members of the public as to where large trucks could drive and park in town. As a result of these recent questions, he said that he had established a possible truck route in ordinance 90-16 as well as making some revisions to the original code and asked for the Council's consideration. He said that trucks that had a delivery in the corporate limits could take the streets that comprise the shortest route possible to that delivery point. He said large overweight vehicles that are not making deliveries, such as the crane at the Sanitary District, would be assessed a fee to cover damages done to the streets. Councilman Fox wanted the 10,000 pound limit reduced to 8,000 pounds. Mr. Farrell suggested modifying number 5 to include vehicles of other governmental agencies and political subdivisions in the normal course of their business to cover the Sanitary vehicles. AGENDA ITEM #10 - ORDINANCE 90-17, LIMITING PARKING ON PUBLIC STREETS Mr. Jeppson said this, too, was in response to complaints received from residents about RVs, boats, camper shells, etc. being parked on public streets. He said there were two alternatives for the Council to consider. Much discussion ensued as to how to control this problem. The difficulty of enforcement was discussed. Prohibiting on street parking between 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. could create hardships for some people in areas like Courtside where a car won't fit on the driveway and for people that have out of town visitors. The intent was explored and the Council questioned whether or not either one of the ordinances addressed the real intent which was to control parking of boats, unhitched trailors, camper shells, RVs, etc. on the public streets. Mr. Farrell said the 48 hour ordinance was very easy to beat by moving the vehicle a few inches every 2 days. Temporary permits were suggested as a way to allow certain circumstances such as occasional Town Council Minutes 1012190 Page 4 of 7 visitors. Mayor Cutillo suggested an alternative ordinance that read no overnight street parking or limiting parking to cars, excluding RVs, boats, etc. It was suggested that Mr. Jeppson revise the ordinance to better express the desired intent. AGENDA ITEM #13 - APPROVING THE BENEFIT PACKAGE FOR TOWN EMPLOYEES The Council jumped to this agenda item to allow Tom Richards, the insurance broker who has been working with the Town, the Sanitary and Road Districts, and who had been waiting for quite a while, to discuss the proposed insurance coverages with the Council. Mr. Nordin said that Intergroup, the company the Town presently had through the Sanitary District, appeared to be the best choice. Two others had slightly better rates but were noticeably inferior. Mr. Richards explained that it was difficult to get bids for a non-profit organization or a township. He said that technically the Town policy was separate from the Sanitary District. Mr. Nordin stated that the premiums fit into the 24Z allowed for employee benefits. Mr. Richards explained that premium increases would be less with an HMO because there are more controls but this also means there are limitations on doctors and hospitals. Mr. Nordin said the Delta Dental Plan, the existing carrier, was the most cost effective choice as well as a good carrier. He said he was recommending to change the current life insurance carrier, Guardian, to Principle Mutual, one that he was familiar with and also one in which the coverage could be moved up to $20,000. He further said the cost per $1,000 was less with Principle Mutual. Mr. Richards said there are few free standing vision plans available and that AZ Vision Service was about the only one. He said they are the largest in the nation and they do just about 80% of all the vision benefits in Arizona. Mr. Richards said about one third of the 300 groups he handles includes vision benefits. Mr. Nordin said he was going to recommend that the Town continue to pick up the premium for 50Z of the dependent coverage on all the plans. He also told the council that his estimate of all these benefits, including retirement between 5 and 87., would be about 18%. AGENDA ITEMS #11 AND #12 - RESOLUTION 1990-28, ADOPTING THE PERSONNEL POLICY MANUAL AND RESOLUTION 1990-29 ADOPTING THE SALARY RANGES FOR TOWN EMPLOYEES Mr. Nordin said he had pirated the merit system from the City of Scottsdale for Benson some years ago and was proposing a similar system, a pay for performance system, for Fountain Hills. He said this involves alot of supervisoral discretion in terms of the evaluation process and that he had found this to be beneficial. Mr. Nordin said he was also recommending that employees be reviewed and eligible for merit increases semi-annually. He said semi-annual reviews keep employees on their toes and give the employees an opportunity to perform with a reasonable amount of reward possible for the better performing employees. He further pointed out that the employee manual was created with input by all the employees. Mr. Nordin said the manual included the balance of the employee benefit package including vacation days, paid holidays, sick leave, etc. The Town Manager then gave some statistics on what other cities and towns allow for holidays, vacation days, etc. Although the proposed vacation days were fairly liberal, he pointed out that there were less paid holidays. He said our total of 22 days off fell in the total range of what other cities and towns allow. Mr. Nordin pointed out the schedule for accrual of vacation leave and admitted that Town Council Minutes 1012190 Page 5 of 7 it was fairly liberal and there were two reasons for this. First of all, he said he wanted it to be an area where we are more liberal than other cities for recruiting purposes. Second of all, he wanted it to compensate for the lack of longevity credit for the road district employees, giving all employees a chance to benefit from this in the long run. Mr. Farrell said the manual was a well prepared document and would effectively handle many of the problems that a small or new community might encounter. Vice Mayor Hudson expressed concern for the length of time necessary to have reviews semi-annually. Mr. Nordin reiterated how important he felt this process was and that it proved to successfully increase productivity. The Vice Mayor suggested that new employees sign some sort of a document stating that they received, read and understood the employee documents. Mr. Farrell said six month reviews keep employees from falling into bad habits and forces managers to stay in touch with their employees. Mr. Nordin said that six month reviews force both the employee and the supervisor to focus on their performance in a more effective way. Councilman Fox said the six month reviews are a good opportunity to set long and short term goals. Councilman Clark endorsed the pay for performance system and the document in general. He had a few suggestions regarding the tone of Section 3.7, salary increases - he felt the tone of it was not totally compatible with the pay for performance idea. He further suggested changing Section 4.14 to put more emphasis on not waiting so long, ie. waiting until 10 days before the end of the probationary period. He felt it better to put the emphasis on trying to prevent problems instead of waiting until the end of the period. Councilman Clark pointed out that something appeared to be left out in 6.1.a. and suggested that sons and daughters be added to 6.6. In 7.2.b, he said the wording was unclear and it was decided to change non-prescription drugs to abusing drugs. In 7.3.6, he felt the tone of the verbage made merit pay sound too routine. Councilman Clark pointed out a number of typographical errors that required correction. Section 8.2 on retirement was discussed. Councilman O'Brien expressed concern for mandating a minimum in 3.8. Councilman Fox expressed concern for promoting a person before a position is actually available. The Council discussed the salary range resolution. Following a few suggestions by Councilman Clark and Councilman O'Brien on the resolution and the job descriptions, the Council concluded their review and comments on the employee related materials. AGENDA ITEM #14 - APPROVING THE IGA BETWEEN THE TOWN AND COUNTY TO OBTAIN REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE WORK DONE AT PALMER WAY Mr. Nordin assured the Council that the amount of reimbursement was $40,000, not the actual amount spent and commented that he did not want to change any of the wording since the County had already approved the reimbursement. AGENDA ITEM_#15 - ADJOURNMENT The Council adjourned the work/study session at 10:45 p.m. Town Council Minutes 1012190 Page 6 of 7 TOWN OF UN TAHILLS —r By: John 1`I,/ Cutillo, Mayor � fI ATTEST: Cassie B. Hansen, Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the work/study session held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 2nd day of October, 1990. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this IS+4— day of October, 1990. CA 1 Cassie B. Hansen, Town Clerk Town Council Minutes 1012190 Page 7 of 7 d