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minutes meeting date 2025-11-06 · fetched 2026-09-17 · 13548 characters · read by OCR, check numbers against the source · official file · plain text
CITY OF POCATELLO, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 6, 2025 a. I — AGENDAITEMNO. _ 1: ROLL CALL AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Regular City Council meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mayor Brian Blad. Council members present were Dakota Bates, Rick Cheatum, Linda Leeuwrik, Corey Mangum, Brent Nichols, and Hayden Paulsen. Scouting America Troop 363 performed a flag ceremony and led the audience in the pledge of allegiance. AGENDAITEMNO. — 2: INVOCATION A moment of silence was observed in place of an invocation. AGENDAITEMNO. _ 3: CONSENT AGENDA Council was asked to consider the following business items: (a) MINUTES Waive the oral reading of the minutes and approve the minutes from the following meetings: Work Session meeting of August 14, 2025; and Clarification and Regular City Council meetings of August 7 and August 21, 2025. (b) MATERIAL CLAIMS Approve the Material Claims for the period of October 15-31, 2025 in the amount of $2,607,320.73. A motion was made by Ms. Leeuwrik, seconded by Mr. Paulsen, to approve the items on the Consent Agenda. Upon roll call, those voting in favor were Leeuwrik, Paulsen, Bates, Cheatum, Mangum, and Nichols. AGENDAITEMNO. 4: PROCLAMATIONS Mayor Blad announced there were no proclamations. AGENDAITEMNO. _ 5: CALENDAR REVIEW Mayor Blad reminded Council members of the following meetings: November 13th City Council Work Session at 9:00 a.m.; November 20th Clarification meeting at 5:30 p.m. and Regular City Council meeting at 6:00 p.m. Mayor Blad announced the Veterans Day Parade will be held on November 8 at lla.m. in Historic Downtown Pocatello; Veterans Day will be observed on November 11. City offices will be closed for the holiday. Sanitation Department collection trucks will remain on their regular schedule; on November 11 from Tl a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a Brady Chapel Open House at Mountain View Cemetery hosted by Pocatello Historic Preservation Commission and Friends of the Brady Chapel; beginning November 15, City Creek Recreation Area gates will be closed to motorized access until approximately May 15, REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING 2 NOVEMBER 6, 2025 2026; Early Voting for the Mayoral Runoff Election will be held November 17 through November 25 at the Bannock County Elections Office, 141 North 6th Avenue, with voting hours Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Election Day will be Tuesday, December 2, 2025; the Festival of Trees will take place November 19 through November 22 at the Stephens Performing Arts Center; applications for the Pocatello’s Promise of Tomorrow Mayoral Scholarship for Students Program are being accepted through November 14; the Annual Leaf Collection will continue through November 29. Leaves must be placed in large, paper compostable bags, not boxes or plastic bags, and placed curbside by 7 a.m. on the regular collection day to be taken to the Bannock County Landfill compost site; the “Food for Fines” program at the Marshall Public Library runs through December 13. For every non-perishable food item donated, patrons can have $1 in fines forgiven. Please contact the Library for more information. AGENDAITEMNO. 6: FINAL PLAT APPLICATION - TRAIL CREEK ESTATES DIVISION 5 Council was asked to approve a final plat application submitted by McCormick Ranch, LLC, represented by Brady Smith of Avyant (mailing address: 16] Jefferson Avenue, Pocatello, ID 83201) to subdivide approximately 7.93 acres (more or less) into 14 lots for a townhome development. The property is zoned Residential Low Density (RL) and is located west of the intersection of Balboa Road and Champlaine Street. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the application with conditions following a public hearing on July 9, 2025. A motion was made by Ms. Leeuwrik, seconded by Mr. Nichols, to approve a final plat application submitted by McCormick Ranch, LLC, to subdivide approximately 7.93 acres (more or less) into 14 lots for a townhome development with the following conditions: 1) All conditions set out in the Public Works Department Memorandum from Merril Quayle, P.E. dated October 27, 2025, shall be met; 2) All other standards and conditions of Municipal Code not herein stated but applicable to the subdivision shall apply and that the property is zoned Residential Low Density (RL) and is located west of the intersection of Balboa Road and Champlaine Street and that the decision be set out in appropriate Council decision format. Upon roll call, those voting in favor were Leeuwrik, Nichols, Bates, Cheatum, Mangum, and Paulsen. AGENDAITEMNO. 7: IDAHO PARKS AND RECREATION (IDPR) 2026 RECREATIONAL TRAIL PROGRAM (RTP) GRANT AWARD DENIAL AND_ SIMPLOT DONATION ACCEPTANCE Council was asked to consider the following items regarding the Simplot River Access Trailhead project: a) REJECT ACCEPTANCE OF 2026 IDPR RTP GRANT Reject the acceptance of the 2026 IDPR RTP grant for the Simplot River Access Trailhead; and b) DONATION ACCEPTANCE FROM SIMPLOT Accept a donation from Simplot for the remaining project costs for the Simplot River Access Trailhead project and approve expenditure of the funds, and REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING 3 NOVEMBER 6, 2025 authorize the Mayor’s signature on all pertinent documents, subject to Legal Department review. A motion was made by Mr. Cheatum, seconded by Ms. Leeuwrik, to approve items as outlined in Agenda Item No. 7(a) and 7(b) for the Simplot River Access Trailhead project and authorize the Mayor’s signature on all pertinent documents, subject to Legal Department review. Council thanked Simplot for their efforts to make this project possible. Mr. Cheatum’s motion was voted upon at this time. Upon roll call, those voting in favor were Cheatum, Leeuwrik, Bates, Mangum, Nichols, and Paulsen. AGENDAITEMNO. _ 8: PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT - WATER SYSTEM FACILITY PLAN UPDATE Council was asked to accept staff recommendation and approve a Professional Service Agreement - Water System Facility Plan Update between the City of Pocatello and Keller Associates, in the amount of $432,900.00 and authorize the Mayor’s signature on all pertinent documents, subject to Legal Department review. Funding for the project is available in the FY2026 Water Department budget. In response to questions from Council, Justin Armstrong, Water Superintendent, explained that the Water System Facility Plan update could not be conducted in-house due to the complexity and scope of the study, which includes SCADA communications, structural evaluations, and other tasks beyond the expertise and capacity of City staff. He noted that such studies are typically performed by a third party to provide an unbiased, external perspective that supports long-term planning and funding needs. Mr. Armstrong added that the City issued a request for proposals outlining the project scope, received submissions from qualified regional firms, and ensured the selected team has the necessary expertise to complete the work. A motion was made by Mr. Mangum, seconded by Mr. Cheatum, to approve a Professional Service Agreement - Water System Facility Plan Update between the City of Pocatello and Keller Associates, in the amount of $432,900.00 and authorize the Mayor’s signature on all pertinent documents, subject to Legal Department review. Upon roll call, those voting in favor were Mangum, Cheatum, Bates, Leeuwrik, Nichols, and Paulsen. AGENDAITEMNO. 9: BACKGROUND CHECK USER AGREEMENT - VERIFIEDFIRST Council was asked to accept the recommendation of staff and approve an end user agreement with VerifiedFirst for background check services and authorize the Mayor's signature on all applicable documents, subject to Legal Department review. A motion was made by Mr. Nichols, seconded by Ms. Leeuwrik, to accept the recommendation of staff and approve an end user agreement with VerifiedFirst for background check services and authorize the Mayor’s signature on all applicable REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING 4 NOVEMBER 6, 2025 documents, subject to Legal Department review. Upon roll call, those voting in favor were Nichols, Leeuwrik, Bates, Cheatum, Mangum, and Paulsen. AGENDAITEMNO. 10: AIRPORT LEASE AGREEMENTS AND RESOLUTIONS - AIRPORT Council may wish to approve the following lease agreements and adopt corresponding resolutions for property at the Pocatello Airport and authorize the Mayor’s signature on all applicable documents, subject to Legal Department review: a) LEASE AGREEMENT - AARON BOWMAN AND JARED SMITH - RESOLUTION (2025-37) Aaron Bowman and Jared Smith- 1,760 square foot City-owned hanger. The lease term will be five (5) years and rental rate will be $324.20 per month; LEASE AGREEMENT - CIVIL AIR PATROL - RESOLUTION (2025-38) Civil Air Patrol - 1,760 square foot City-owned hanger. The lease term will be five (5) years and rental rate will be $77.45 per month; c) LEASE AGREEMENT - BOB HOWARD LARSON TRUST - RESOLUTION (2025-39) Bob Howard Larson Trust - 5,990 square feet of property upon which the trust owns a hangar. The lease term will be fifteen (15) years and rental rate will be $1,377.70 per year; LEASE AGREEMENT - BUTCH MCDOUGALL AND ASHLEY MCDOUGALL - RESOLUTION (2025-40) Butch McDougall and Ashley McDougall - 5,649.81 square feet of property upon which Mr. McDougall and Ms. McDougall own a hangar. The lease term will be thirty (30) years and rental rate will be $1,299.46 per year; b —_ d — LEASE AGREEMENT - HANNAH WARNER - RESOLUTION (2025-41) Hannah Warner - 6,293 square feet of property upon which Ms. Warner owns a hangar. The lease term will be twenty (20) years and rental rate will be $1,447.39 per year. e — Rental rates will be increased annually according to the CPI with a full review in 2026 and every five (5) years thereafter. In response to questions from Council, Alan Evans, Airport Manager, explained that the Civil Air Patrol lease is stated in months rather than years and is a lower price because it is an auxiliary of the Air Force. The shorter term allows flexibility in case they choose to relocate, and they are considered a valuable asset to the airport. City-owned hangers generally have five-year lease terms. A motion was made by Mr. Cheatum, seconded by Ms. Leeuwrik, to adopt Resolutions (2025-37) for Aaron Bowman and Jared Smith, (2025-38) for Civil Air Patrol, (2025-39) for Bob Howard Larson Trust, (2025-40) for Butch McDougall and Ashley McDougall, REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING 5 NOVEMBER 6, 2025 and (2025-41) for Hannah Warner and approve corresponding lease agreements for property at the Pocatello Airport as outlined in Agenda Item No. 10(a) through 10(e) and authorize the Mayor’s signature on all applicable documents, subject to Legal Department review. In response to questions from Council, Alan Evans, Airport Manager, explained that airport lease rates are set by comparing rates at other regional airports to ensure they are fair. The rates are reviewed by the Airport Commission, who provide recommendations to Council on rates. Longer-term leases, such as 20- or 30-year agreements, include a five-year review to adjust rates as needed. Rates are developed to reflect market value, and the FAA requires fair market value, and they have not raised concerns about the City’s rates. In 2026, the City will review rates from other airports again ane repeat the process every five years, but the lease terms allow for adjustments as needed. In response to questions from Council, Jared Johnson, City Attorney, explained that the lease is written to allow the rental rate to be adjusted after the first year for the 2026 evaluation and then every five years thereafter. This adjustment process is built into the lease. Councilmember Rick Cheatum commented that serving on the Airport Commission has highlighted the ongoing challenge of setting lease rates. Each year, the Commission evaluates what should be charged and whether the City is receiving appropriate revenue. Activity on hangars has been limited until the last year or two, and now Pocatello has become a desirable location for private aircraft. The demand for hangars has grown, and staff has worked diligently to navigate the complexities of leasing mostly bare dirt, often without utilities. Comparing rates to other airports is complicated, making the process challenging. In response to comments from Council, Mr. Evans, explained that aviation leases are somewhat easier to manage than industrial leases outside the airport, but determining appropriate pricing remains difficult. He noted that staff has spent a lot of time working on it. He noted that while the community may assume leases are simple to establish, the process is much more complex. Mr. Cheatum’s motion was voted upon at this time. Upon roll call, those voting in favor were Cheatum, Leeuwrik, Bates, Mangum, Nichols, and Paulsen. AGENDAITEMNO. © Tl: ITEMS FROM THE AUDIENCE Nikki Taysom, Pocatello resident, expressed concerns about child safety and criminal activity in the community. She cited various constitutional provisions and asserted beliefs about foreign entities, trafficking, and harm to children occurring locally. Her remarks included numerous allegations presented as part of a larger global issue. AGENDAITEMNO. 12: ADJOURN There being no further business, Mayor Blad adjourned the meeting at 6:28 p.m. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING 6 NOVEMBER 6, 2025 APPROVED BY: BRIAN C. BEAD, MAYOR ATTESTED BY: PREPARED BY: AUBRIANA T. RESENDES, DEPUTY CITY CLERK
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