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RIGGINS
CITY COUNCIL February 14, 2018 – 6:30
p.m. City Hall The regular meeting
of the Riggins City Council was called to order by Mayor Glenna McClure. Councilors present were Akins, Wilson, Friend
and Miller. Guests: Colleen Skillings, Lorry Harper, Tom Anderson,
Gale Larson, Phil Boswell, John Belton, Jacob Theis, Jim Gorges, Doug Ulmer, H.
Jerome Hansen, Scott Carnes, Tom Schrempp, Clay Hickey Staff: Dan
Wash and Jeff Joyce JANUARY MINUTES:
Council members were individually polled and all confirmed they had read
the January meeting minutes. Motion was
made by Akins to accept the minutes as presented; seconded by Miller. Voting yea, Friend, Miller, Akins and Wilson. No nays; motion carried. FINANCIAL STATEMENT and BILLS FOR
PAYMENT: The financial statement was read detailing $1,565.62
paid after the January meeting, bringing the total January disbursements to $45,040.76. Bills in the amount of $26,964.35 were then
presented for payment. Motion was made
by Friend to approve the financial statement and allow the bills for payment;
seconded by Wilson. Voting yea, Wilson, Friend, Miller and
Akins. No nays; motion carried. A copy of the financial report is attached
and hereby made a part of this record. WAIVER OF ORDINANCE #53 REQUEST:
Jacob Theis (Rants & Raves Taphouse) and John Belton (Seven Devils
Steakhouse) requested that Ordinance #53 be waived for the 2018 special
events. Ordinance #53 prohibits the
consumption or possession of alcohol on the city streets and sidewalks. Mayor McClure reviewed the special events for
which the waiver would apply – Women with Bait Fish Dance, Salmon River Jet
Boat Races, Riggins Rodeo, Big Water Blowout, and Hot Summer Nights – contained
in RESOLUTION #18-1. Motion was made by Wilson to grant the waiver request and
approve Resolution #18-1; seconded by Miller.
Voting yea, Miller, Wilson, Akins and Friend. No nays; motion carried. SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT COVERAGE DURING
SPECIAL EVENTS: During the discussion of the waiver of
Ordinance #53, Jim Gorges with Idaho County Sheriff’s Department advised the
Council that no extra coverage during special events would be provided by the
Sheriff’s Department. If the Council
requests extra deputies, the City will be billed $40 per hour per deputy. POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERY POLICIES:
Riggins Postmaster, Colleen Skillings, addressed the Council regarding
the need to have incoming mail addressed correctly in order to be delivered,
specifically mail that is addressed to a physical address rather than a PO
Box. Skillings stated companies pay for
endorsements in order to get the recipients correct mailing address; “return
service requested” endorsements must be returned to the sender if not correctly
addressed (addressed to physical address when recipient has a Post Office
Box). She stated she understands the
frustration and is willing to work with folks to resolve their concerns. Mayor McClure clarified the issue that mail
boxes on Main Street
sidewalks are prohibited by the Idaho Transportation Department, not the City. LAKE
SHORE DISPOSAL – QUARTERLY REPORT: Scott Carnes reported tonnage for the 3rd
Quarter of 2017 was 106.88, and 4th Quarter was 94.03 tons. Carnes requested that the bars that have
several green cans leave 2 feet of space between the can to allow for their new
equipment to pickup the cans. Carnes
indicated Lake Shore is willing to donate the use of
dumpsters during special events. The
Clerk will send Carnes a list of special events scheduled for 2018. UMPQUA BANK – PROPOSAL:
Mayor McClure and the Council thanked Lorry Harper for the time and
effort she spent gathering signatures on a petition as well as a letter writing
campaign to Umpqua officials requesting the
Riggins Branch remain open. Mayor
McClure reported that Susan Hollenbeak had been communicating with Cara Coon,
Senior VP, regarding the possibility of Umpqua
offering to pay for the Salmon River Public Library’s internet services. In addition, they would like to have a
representative from Umpqua set up mini
training sessions with customers for their online services at City
Hall/Library. The Clerk reported that
Susan received a proposal from Umpqua to pay
the following: 18 months of Internet for the Library
… $3,600 Reimburse the Library for 4 new
computers purchased last year … $1,140 Pay for 1 more computer for the
Library … $285 TOTAL: $5,025 The Council
discussed the proposal. It was decided
to request that Ms. Coon attend the March 14th Council meeting to
discuss the proposal in more detail. 2018 DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM: Tom
Anderson expressed his opposition to the killing of deer to reduce the town
deer population, particularly killing of does during gestation, stating it’s a
crime against nature, and that man should not interfere in the natural process. Anderson
requested that Idaho Fish and Game rescind the 2018 Kill Permit. Councilor Miller reported that 9 deer have
been eliminated this year. Councilor
Akins recounted the reasoning for the program and history leading up to this
point - In 2010, Dr. Mark Drew, attended a City Council meeting to discuss the
increasing deer population and exotic louse on the deer. He explained that these exotic louse are not
native to this area, and that Riggins is the first place in Idaho they have been seen. In order to eliminate the louse, all the deer
have to be treated three times each. A
four-stage plan – approving an ordinance, fencing, depredation hunt, and Fish
& Game eliminating/treating the deer – was considered. Fish & Game recommended reducing the
number of deer thereby reducing the louse on the deer. There was
discussion regarding the improved condition of the deer since the population
has been reduced, and what other options are possible. Anderson
suggested relocating deer to reduce the number of town deer. Tom Schrempp, Idaho Fish & Game Officer,
indicated that these town deer have Hydadit Cysts which are another concern,
and that Fish & Game does not want to move the deer because of these
parasites. Discussed
the following: a) City’s Resolution prohibiting the
feeding of deer. Schrempp indicated an
Ordinance is needed to enforce this. b) The possibility of a managed or
controlled hunt, or a mentored youth hunt. c) Clay Hickey, Idaho Fish & Game,
reported that research shows wolves do not have an impact on town deer. d) Issuing a kill permit for
November/December rather than January/February.
Anderson requested that the City research
what other cities in Idaho
do with deer issues. He stressed the
need to research other non-lethal means to deal with the deer population. It was
decided another meeting will be held in August to discuss plans for the end of
the year. Fish and Game officials
requested to be advised of this meeting, and to be kept in the loop of what
other cities are doing. DEPARTMENT
REPORTS LIBRARY – no report EMS
– no report FIRE – Fire Chief, Jeff Joyce reported: PUBLIC WORKS–Public Works Director, Dan Wash,
reported: RIGGINS
COMMUNITY CENTER 1 – Request
to waive rental fee for Dance Lessons – tabled. 2 – Consider
a suggestion to install acoustic tile in the lower level: after discussion,
Council decided against. MANNING BRIDGE TOWER PROJECT:
Councilor Miller reported that pads have been poured and backfill is
completed. Tower will be loaded on a
trailer tomorrow and transported to the upper parking lot; work will then start
on putting the tower back together at the location. Discussed having a ribbon cutting ceremony
with Mayor McClure in the near future. IDAHO TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT –
UNIFIED CERTIFICATION PROGRAM: The Clerk reviewed the Idaho Unified
Certification Program agreement which establishes the required one-stop-shop in
the administration of the Idaho Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program. Each recipient of USDOT funding is required
to sign the agreement recognizing ITD as the agency authorized to manage the
Disadvantage Enterprise Program for the State of Idaho.
After discussion, Mayor McClure signed the Statement of Agreement which
will be sent to the Office of Civil Rights, ITD. IDAHO
COMMUNITY REVIEW APPLICATION – Idaho
Rural Partnership: Reviewed the packet of information
received. Applications are being
accepted from rural communities with populations less than 10,000. This planning process is designed to give a
community more clarity about shared goals and opportunities, and leads for
available funding and other resources.
After discussion, the Council chose not to participate at this time. OPPORTUNITY ZONE Program:
The Council reviewed information detailing this new tool created by the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that provides tax incentives to “help unlock
investor capital” to fund businesses in underserved communities. An Opportunity Zone is a low income census
tract (20% or greater) or a median income of 80% or less designated by the
Governor to participate in this Federal program. Opportunity Zone investors get a temporary
deferral and modest reduction in capital gains taxes in exchange for holding
Opportunity Fund investments for 5 to 7 years.
Idaho has 109 low income tracts which
limits the number of Opportunity Zones to 28.
The Clerk reported that Riggins is in a tract that qualifies (Population
1,244; Median Income of 71.52%; Poverty Rate of 8.5%; and Unemployment Rate of
8.4%. The tract goes from the Adams County
line north to Slate Creek then east to include the Florence
area and beyond Warren. After
discussion, the Council requested that the Clerk research what information is
required on the application. The
application is due March 2, 2018. PAST DUE WSG BILLING:
Reviewed. FACILITY USE APPLICATIONS: RCC – American Freedom Defense for a
Firearms Class – March 3, March 10, and April 14 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Lower
Level without Kitchen. Cleaning Deposit
and fees have been received. CITY PARK Subaru
Owners Meet – May 12th from Noon to 6 p.m.; expecting 100 to
attend. Deposit and fee has been
received. Chris Frazee
for a Wedding Reception on August 11th from 3-10 p.m. Deposit and fee received. DOWNSTREAM CLEAN WATER COALITION:
Councilor Akins reported on this recently formed coalition made up of
approximately 20 people who are calling attention to Midas Gold’s plan for the
Stibnite Mine. A copy of the letter that
was presented recently to the Idaho House of Representatives Resource and
Conservation Committee was provided to the City Council. Akins described the House Joint Memorial and
the need to include language that ensures Midas Gold will do everything in the
company’s power to prevent any downstream pollution or worse. The Long Valley
area residents have seen this issue in the news for quite some time, yet people
downstream in the Riggins area have not been afforded the same opportunity to
learn about the plans or become informed on the issue. The potential to contaminate the Salmon River with pollution could spell a catastrophe for
communities downriver from the mine. The
Coalition would like to host a Public Meeting in Riggins with Midas Gold
representatives to get the word out to business owners and residents about this
project and share the information pertinent to their livelihood. The Council indicated support for these
efforts. CITY
SERVICE WAIVER/ADJUSTMENT REQUESTS: None MUNICIPAL
CODE REVISIONS – tabled WATER/SEWER
SHUT OFF STATUS – tabled There being
no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Respectfully
Submitted, Brenda Tilley, City
Clerk-Treasurer
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