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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05 06 2015 CM Study SessionZoe CITY OF CHUBBUCK May 6, 2015 COUNCIL STUDY SESSION MINUTES - 4:00pm Mayor England called the meeting to order and expressed his gratitude for the kindness shown to him with the passing of his mother. GENERAL BUSINESS: 1. Health Insurance. Mark Semons from Semons Financial was present to talk to the council about health insurance options. Councilmember Lewis would like to know what the different costs are for the different options. Mark explained the best way to get the costs would be to have the actual claims experience of our group for the last year. If we don't have claims experience we will have to fill out applications to shop other insurance companies. The costs, or bids, once we have claims experience or applications submitted, will be available within a few days. Mark explained that there is a new company in the market in our area, Select Health. The other companies in the market in Southeast Idaho are Regence, Blue Cross, and Pacific Source. Mark is unware if Blue Cross will be willing to quote outside of the IIIA. Mark mentioned that going back to self- insurance is a possibility. What usually drives the ability to self -insure is access to a physician network. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the dynamic that has changed things like this in the health care arena. The City's decision to move to a high deductible plan with an health savings account has made the city a more healthy group. The Mayor will send a letter tomorrow to the IIIA requesting the needed information. 2. Water Code Ordinance Steve Smart has recently completed a rewrite of the water code. The biggest change in the new code allows the Mayor to cleanly handle water emergencies and shortages. The old ordinance dated back to 1968 so Steve modernized it to match the way the City is doing business currently. Steve suggests the Council look at this ordinance and have the required three readings. Councilmember Lewis asked if changes can be made as we move through the three readings. For the most part, the changes that are usually proposed would not require the readings to reset. We will have to evaluate the situation as we progress through the process. 3. Elected Officials Salary Rich Morgan presented a proposal for an adjustment in elected officials salary. 2015 is an election year and by state statute is the time an adjustment in elected officials salary would go into effect. Rich presented the salaries if they had been adjusted by the Consumer Price Index and if they had been adjusted by the raises the Council has approved over the last 10 years. 4. Fee Resolution Rich Morgan presented a fee resolution proposing an insufficient funds fee for the City of $29.00. That fee matches the fee charged by the City's main depository banking institution. Rich will schedule a public hearing for the future so the resolution can be presented in a council meeting for adoption. Chubbuck City Council Study Session Cont. May 6, 2015 p.2 5. Presentation of the Schiess and Associates water and sewer rates study Rich Morgan presented the Schiess and Associates water and sewer rates study. Schiess puts together a study of the water and sewer rates of Eastern Idaho Cities. The information is valuable in assessing where the City of Chubbuck compares to other Cities in the area. 6. Discussion on speed limit ordinance There was a general discussion on the speed limit ordinance prepared to raise the standard 20 mile per hour limit to 25. The vast majority of communities in Eastern Idaho and around the state have speed limits of 25. Steve explained that the 25 miles per hour speed limit for a common residential street is the comfortable speed for the street of 85% of the population. Because of this, 25 miles per hour is what 85% of the population will travel. The Mayor had Steve find out what a change in the speed limit would cost the City in changing out all the speed limit signs. They have found a vendor that would prepare stickers for the City at a cost of approximately $600.00. Councilmember Ellis did not see any reason to make the change. Councilmember Lewis doesn't want to remove a working tool out of the Police Departments tool box. The Council asked if the Police Chief was comfortable with the change. In previous discussions at a City Staff level Police Chief Severe expressed his being fine with the change. Councilmember Marshall commented that 25 miles per hour might actually be safer. If 85% of people are driving at the speed that the environment dictates and 25 miles per hour is that speed, then we will reduce tailgating. Steve Smart commented that the science of the 85% speed has been put to the test and is good solid science. At 5:40pm Mayor England adjourned the Meeting. iJ F Kevin En(gan - ayor Rich Morgan -City Clerk Z.1 �