Comprehensive Plan Kick-Off
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Bronwyn's Council Preview |
The City Council meeting starts at 4:00 p.m. this Tuesday at city hall. Note the early 4:00 start for due to the Comprehensive Plan workshop. The agenda includes (but is not limited to):
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1. Comprehensive Plan Kick-Off.
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Our Tuesday meeting starts early (4 p.m.), with a two-hour workshop dedicated to the Comprehensive Plan prior to our normal meeting. This workshop will involve Council discussion on the process of developing the plan itself and the desired outcomes. Council will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses (aka “challenges”) of a number of topics related to the Comprehensive Plan, including sustainability, transportation, housing demand, and neighborhoods, just to name a few.
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According to the staff report, this workshop is not designed specifically for public input, that process will start more thoroughly in January and February of 2019.
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18. Flood Mitigation - River Flooding.
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In 2017, the City applied for a FEMA grant to help cover the cost of channel widening for Squaw Creek at its intersection with Duff Avenue. Last year’s application wasn’t successful, but staff have prepared a new application for this year’s round of funding.
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To apply for the grant, a local match commitment is required, which is what Council will be confirming for this agenda item.
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Council recently got a request to reimburse JCorp for some of their costs related to developing plans for a housing project at State Avenue that did not proceed. According to the staff report, because of the language of the RFP, staff don’t believe the city is obligated to reimburse these costs.
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Staff were also asked if any of the work done by JCorp was used in the City’s recent expansion of Tripp St. According to the report, approximately 5% of the design technician’s time was saved by using information in the JCorp design.
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20. Staff Report regarding Requirement for Individual Metering of Water Usage in Multi-Unit Buildings.
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In March of 2018, Council revised requirements for water meters in multi-family residential units. Beginning in January, instead of one master meter, developers of apartments will need to install one meter per unit. Research shows up to 20% water usage can be reduced by this type of meter system.
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The staff report astutely states that this is a case of weighing different (and sometimes opposing) Council priorities. On the one hand, we have a commitment to encouraging affordable housing, and costs go up with the installation of multiple water meters. On the other hand is Council’s commitment to sustainability, and our projected water demand over time.
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Non-Agenda Packet: The following items are requests and communications to the council that are not on the agenda. This includes staff reports and communications/request from constituents/developers. By tradition the council can ask city staff for more information (a report), put the item on a future agenda for discussion or just accept the communication (taking no further action). This usually takes place at the end of the meeting during council comments.
Thanks for reading,
Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen
At-Large Council Member