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minutes meeting date 2026-08-10 · fetched 2026-09-17 · 14958 characters · official file · plain text
City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes 1 680 Park Avenue Idaho Falls, ID 83402 Monday, August 10, 2026 3:00 PM City Council Chambers Call to Order and Roll Call There were present: Mayor Lisa Burtenshaw (Left at 5:19 pm) Council President Jim Francis Councilor John Radford Councilor Michelle Ziel-Dingman Councilor Jim Freeman Councilor Kirk Larsen Councilor Brandon Lee Also present: Ian Turner, Airport Director Melissa Cross, Alliance (via Teams) Nathan Cuvala, Ardurra Project Manager Mary Lund, Library Board Darin Jones, HR Director Kerry Beutler, CDS Assistant Director Jeremy Galbreaith, Deputy Chief of Police Zack Jones, City Attorney Linda Lundquist, City Clerk Mayor Burtenshaw called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. with the following items: Airport - Discussion: Airport Terminal Update: Airport staff provided an update on the terminal expansion, current infrastructure work, funding, and timeline. • Current infrastructure work: The Utility and Infrastructure Package is replacing and relocating major electrical, mechanical, plumbing, water, drainage, fiber, and lighting systems to prepare for the terminal expansion. A new powerhouse, generators, chiller, and boilers are also being installed. This work is scheduled for completion on September 16, 2026. • Revised Phase One: The Airport has scaled back the original expansion to focus on immediate needs. The project will add approximately 21,700 square feet of single-story space, including six additional ticket counters, expanded queuing, a new baggage makeup area, additional restrooms, airline/support space, and electrical/IT infrastructure. About 16,700 square feet of existing space will also be remodeled. • Future expansion: The previously planned second level/gate-hold area will not be built now, but the new structure will be designed to allow it to be added later. The Great Hall will remain unchanged. • Baggage screening: The expansion is intended to provide space for a second TSA baggage screening machine, addressing a major current bottleneck and providing redundancy. • Funding: The project will use FAA grants, IIJA funding, passenger facility charges, an ITD grant, and other Airport funding. Approximately $36–$37 million is currently available, with an estimated $7–$10 million in borrowing potentially needed. The City would guarantee the debt, but it would be repaid from Airport revenues. • Timeline: Foundations are proceeding now to keep the contractor mobilized. The full design is targeted for late November 2026, with a new Guaranteed Maximum Price expected to come before Council around early 2027. Major construction is anticipated to begin in spring/summer 2027 and take roughly 24 months. Mayor, City Council – Discussion: Citywide updates, concerns, questions, reports: • Council President Francis City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes 2 680 Park Avenue Idaho Falls, ID 83402 Willow Place decision statement: A councilor asked that the recent written statement regarding the Willow Place Townhomes decision be brought forward Thursday for discussion and possible amendment. Legal has made some revisions to the draft, so councilors were encouraged to review the updated version before the meeting. The goal is to expedite finalizing and releasing the statement. • Councilor Radford Duck Race/community weekend: Council members praised the recent community weekend, which included the Duck Race, Farmer’s Market, and Youth Jam. Attendance and participation were strong, with approximately 25,000 ducks sold, just below the record of about 28,000. The Idaho Falls Duck Race was noted as reportedly the second-largest duck race in the country, behind Chicago. Electric motorcycles: Councilors discussed growing concerns about electric motorcycles capable of reaching speeds around 40 mph, particularly their use by young riders and on sidewalks, trails, and grass areas. Legal staff, Deputy Chief Galbreaith, and Council members are already examining the issue. Councilors were encouraged to share ideas with City Attorney Jones and his team as they consider potential regulations. Boise, Idaho, was mentioned as having recently adopted an emergency ordinance following a teenager's death. • Mayor Burtenshaw Northgate Mile planning: One of the Council's priorities is bringing in subject-matter experts to review portions of the City's subdivision code. The next effort may focus on updating the Northgate Mile plan, building on a plan previously developed by Brad Cramer. Chris Lee has volunteered to participate on the citizen side of the planning effort. Councilors asked anyone with potential citizen experts or interested participants to provide names to Director Sanner so the committee can be formed. The work may address parking, trees, and other broader citywide planning issues, rather than being limited strictly to Northgate Mile. INL/energy and utility discussion: The Mayor announced a Wednesday evening documentary screening and panel discussion focused on major developments affecting eastern Idaho's utilities, including advanced reactors at INL, data centers, and geothermal energy. The discussion is intended to help the community stay informed as these issues increasingly converge with the City's role as a utility provider and the region's rapid growth. John Wagner and Lori Barber were expected to participate in the panel. The screening event will be held at the Frontier Center. There appeared to be an issue with online registration, so attendees are welcome to just show up. If the Council meeting runs long, Council Member Francis will finish the meeting, allowing Mayor Burtenshaw to participate in the filming/screening event. Library – Discussion: Leave without pay: Library Board member Mary Lund, a past Board chair and current member-at-large, requested City Council approval for a 12-week leave of absence for a valued Library employee who is pursuing a master’s degree in education. • The employee works in the Library's Makerspaces and is considered a highly valued, long-term employee. • The employee needs approximately three months to complete a practicum/master’s requirements. • Rather than taking a full education leave (which under City policy would end pay and benefits), the Library requested leave without pay while reducing the employee's schedule to 20-hours per week for the duration and retaining benefits. City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes 3 680 Park Avenue Idaho Falls, ID 83402 • Pay and benefits tied to hours worked would be reduced proportionally, including wages and retirement contributions, while the employee would continue paying her share of medical coverage. • HR Director Jones explained that the request does not fit neatly within the City's formal education-leave policy because the employee is not leaving work entirely. • The arrangement would actually reduce the City's personnel costs, although there could be some temporary reduction in productivity. • Library staff emphasized that retaining the employee and gaining her additional education and skills would ultimately be valuable to the Library. • The request was expected to come before Council for formal action on Thursday, although staff indicated Council could potentially approve/disprove the request at this meeting if Council desired. Motion: Approve the leave without pay as presented by the library. o Moved by: Councilor Dingman o Second: Councilor Radford o Vote: Aye: Francis, Dingman, Freeman, Larsen, Lee, Radford. Nay: none. o Motion carries. CDS – Discussion: Starter home subdivision: City Council discussed Idaho's new starter-home subdivision legislation, which requires cities to allow smaller, more affordable detached homes on qualifying parcels. Council generally supported the goal of increasing housing attainability and missing-middle options, but expressed concern that large developments of repetitive, very small homes could negatively affect neighborhood character, parking, open space, infrastructure, and livability. Staff explained that the State law does not override all City standards. Height, density, lot coverage, parking, street width, access, driveway spacing, fire access, and other requirements can still apply. However, some existing standards, particularly density, lot coverage, and parking, could make starter-home developments difficult to build under the State's intended model. Council also questioned how the legislation could affect previously annexed and zoned properties, noting that residents may have expectations about development based on existing zoning. Staff cautioned that the State law is broad and may limit the City's ability to grandfather properties or impose additional approval requirements. Staff presented three options: • A: Adopt the State requirements essentially as written. • B: Modify City regulations so starter-home subdivisions function effectively in all applicable zones. • C: Pursue B while also developing alternative housing models, such as cottage courts, attached homes, smaller developments, design standards, and strategically located attainable housing that better fit Idaho Falls. Council Direction Council generally favored Option C, with Option A as a backup if time becomes an issue. Staff will form an advisory group involving Planning Commission members, developers, engineers, Public Works, and other experts to examine density, lot coverage, parking, design, location, and alternative housing models. The goal is to have a draft ordinance before the Planning Commission in October, bring it to Council in November, and ensure compliance with State law by January 31, 2027. City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes 4 680 Park Avenue Idaho Falls, ID 83402 Bottom line: Council supports the State's affordable-housing objective but wants to develop a more thoughtful Idaho Falls approach that provides attainable housing without simply creating large concentrations of repetitive tiny homes. Legal, Police - Discussion: Server training: Council discussed separating the alcohol server training requirements from the broader alcohol ordinance revisions. The server-training provisions would become a new Chapter 2.1, making them easier to find in the City Code and allowing them to remain in place whether or not the City later consolidates its beer, wine, and liquor ordinances. Key points: • Training requirement: The ordinance would apply to alcohol license holders and their employees who serve alcohol. It does not apply to employees working solely at charitable events covered by charitable- event permits. • Free training: Between the ordinance's effective date and November 15, 2026, the Idaho Falls Police Department (IFPD) will provide three free training sessions to help businesses become compliant before the requirement takes effect. • Ongoing training: Beginning January 1, 2027, the IFPD will provide four free trainings per year. Businesses may also use other courses approved by IFPD, including available online courses. • Compliance deadline: The required training date was moved from October 1 to November 15, 2026, giving businesses additional time and avoiding placing the transition in the middle of the holiday season. • Proof of training: Businesses will not be required to keep certificates in a particular location or format. If an authorized official requests proof, the employee/business will have four days to produce the certification. • Approved courses: Council discussed whether alcohol distributors already provide server training. Police will investigate whether distributor-sponsored courses meet the City's requirements and could potentially qualify as approved training. • Posting approved programs: The list of approved training programs will be maintained by both the City Clerk and Idaho Falls Police Department, rather than either one alone. • Public-health rationale: Council supported adding a recital citing Idaho Department of Health and Welfare statistics concerning deaths associated with excessive alcohol use to explain the ordinance's purpose. • Cost and accessibility: Council noted that approved online training can be relatively inexpensive. For example, a Boise-approved course was cited as costing about $17 and taking roughly two hours. • Next steps: Staff will incorporate the additional feedback and bring the revised server-training ordinance to the Council for consideration on August 27, 2026. The broader alcohol ordinance revisions will be addressed separately at a later date. Mayor - Announcements, Events, Calendaring, Proclamations, Notes and/or Minutes from Boards and Commissions: Motion: Receive the recommendations from the July 7, 2026 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission pursuant to the Local Land Use Planning Act. o Moved by: Councilor Francis o Second: Councilor Dingman City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes 5 680 Park Avenue Idaho Falls, ID 83402 o Vote: Aye: Francis, Dingman, Freeman, Larsen, Lee, Radford. Nay: none. o Motion carries. • Councilor Freeman: Congratulated City staff on the successful rodeo. • Councilor Lee: Discussed the departure of Ariel, the Community Food Basket director, who is moving to Boise for another charitable-sector position. An interim director from the Utah Food Bank is currently serving, and Council members praised Ariel for her long-standing service and dedication to the community. • Councilor Radford: Council members were reminded to review Ms. Thinnes’ email regarding travel reimbursements. The City's new enterprise management system will change how reimbursements are processed, and Council members may need to register or follow new procedures when seeking reimbursement for expenses they personally pay. o Per diem: There was also brief discussion that the City may be considering changes to its per diem and travel reimbursement system. • Councilor Francis: Fireworks: Concerns were raised about the increasing illegal use of fireworks around the Fourth of July, including complaints about increasingly large aerial fireworks. They want to begin planning well in advance of next July for a more proactive enforcement/prevention strategy. The discussion noted that some vendors require purchasers to sign agreements stating they will not use certain fireworks within prohibited areas, but Council expressed concern that enforcement and education may need to start much earlier. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:24 PM. /s/ Linda Lundquist_________________ /s/ Lisa Burtenshaw _____________ Linda Lundquist, City Clerk Lisa Burtenshaw, Mayor
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