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minutes meeting date 2026-03-12 · fetched 2026-09-17 · 18764 characters · official file · plain text
Page 1 of 5 Council Meeting March 12, 2026 MINUTES OF THE City Council Meeting for the City of Menan held March 12, 2026. Presiding: Mayor Nathan Bronson Present: Nathan Bronson, Ben Smith, Danielle Andrew, Victor Cammans, Matt Walker, Kris Meek, Allyson Pettingill, Amy Manning, Lynn Rushton & residents of mobile home park, Colby Christensen, Justin & Alysha Anderson, Blair Hunting, Stephanie Farnsworth, Larry Golden, Megan Cammans, Husk Crowhter, and Crpl. Sevy. INCOME: March 12, 2026 to April 9, 2026: Sewer Payroll 1,477.82 Garbage Payroll 124.76 Jan. 2026 Property Taxes 3,391.63 Motor Vehicle Fines 9.45 Property Tax Adjustment 478.18 Business License-Funk 25.00 ICRMP Reimbursement for Shop Roof 6025.04 Town Hall Rental 150.00 General Fund Money Market Interest 4.39 General Fund Collateralized Money Market Interest 6.08 Sewer Fund Money Market Interest 1.14 Sewer Fund Collateralized Money Market Interest 1.66 Garbage Fund Money Market Interest 1.70 LGIP State Pool 2.53 TOTAL $11,699.38 Income from Sewer Account Apr.: $ 17,046.98 Income from Garbage Account Apr.: $ 2,095.50 Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm. Meeting starts with the Pledge of Allegiance. Welcome: Mayor Bronson welcomes everyone in attendance and he would like to recognize the prayers that have been offered by the community on behalf of the city and its leaders and offers thanks to the citizens for their cares and concerns. Law Enforcement Report: Crpl. Sevy gives the report to the Council. He states that the report is from 1-31- 2026 to 2-27-2026. He states that there were 177hours reported; with 24 complaints, 0 arrest, 0 DUI, 5 citations, and 29 traffic contacts. There is discussion of the report. The Mayor asks about the new stop sign on 630 N and if the deputies could put in some time monitoring that as some are still not stopping. The Mayor and Council thank the Sargent and the Sheriff’s Dept. for all they do. Victor Cammans made a motion to move the III-A Annual Report until after the reopening of the 2026 City Fee schedule discussion as the III-A representative is not present yet. Ben Smith seconded the motion. Motion carried. P&Z Update: Blair Hunting gives the update to the Council as the P&Z representative. He states the majority of the meeting was the Public Hearing on the CUP for the farm/retail stand Call Me Delicious. He states that the P&Z are submitting to the Council to approve the Cup. There is a short discussion of this. He states that there Page 2 of 5 Council Meeting March 12, 2026 was also discussion of a possible request for the city to make changes to the code to allow for ADU’s in the zones. There is a short discussion of this. Public Works Director Update: Matt states that he purchased a trailer as discussed for city clean up day to remove the large items left that he has to dispose of. He also states that he has been working on fixing the bathroom in the shop so it is a little nicer for the seasonal workers. He then states that he has a call into the county to get on their schedule to do paving this summer. He states that he needs an MOU to get started. There is discussion of this. Treasurers Report-Action: There is discussion of the financials provided. There is discussion of the road budget for this fiscal and possibly loading the budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to have some paving done the first part of October as there wasn’t much paving done last year due to the issue of the temporary tax levy with the county. Public Discussion: Colby Christensen asks about the problem with the sewer system and the fact that the survey that was sent out to the residents for the Comprehensive Plan had an overwhelming reply of no new growth wanted, but the city is allowing growth anyway. There is discussion of subdivisions and growth. There is discussion of streets and what streets are paved and what streets need to be paved. Ron Jones asks about tire storage in the city and if there is a law for it. He is concerned about the business by the Post Office and the accumulation of tires that isn’t going down. Kris states that by state law, no more than 200 tires are allowed. There is discussion of this. Victor states that he is in contact with the owners of the business/property and they are still working on it. Ron also mentions that Walkers Produce has a large garbage mound again with trash and pallets and the gate into their two ponds is also down again. There is discussion of this being a hazard, again. Colby asks again about the traffic on the roads and the traffic report the city had done years ago. Discussion of 2026 Fee Schedule Changes to Sewer & Garbage Rates Prior to Public Hearing: Victor shares information about a substance he has found from a company in Canada that could possibly be a way to help the sewer system without the extreme costs. Victor states that he has been talking to and working with the DEQ in hopes of getting it reviewed and approved. There is discussion of this. There is discussion of this technology only in Canada and other countries, not yet in the US. There is discussion of this possibly being the answer that the Council has been looking for to not have to raise prices. There is discussion of the DEQ being ok with the system and being able to regulate it. There is discussion of the cost of implementing the required system for this technology and what the cost would be to maintain it. There is discussion of the length of time the new system would take to have the approval, get it installed and up and running. There is discussion of how this would affect the increase needed now and in the future. There is discussion of possibly delaying the rate increase until June or July until more information can be gathered. Matt states that there are issues that need to be addressed now, and the funds in the sewer account are limited. There is a discussion of this. Mayor Bronson states he is enthusiastic about this new information and technology, but he doesn’t want to put all of the City’s eggs in one basket. There is discussion of this. Victor would like to wait to raise the rates until he can gather more information. Danielle states that she understands the excitement and is very hopeful that this could be used, but she can also see the need to raise the rates now to get things done while the information is being gathered. She further states that there will need to be funds to set up whatever system is required if this new tech is agreed upon and approved. It is discussed that raising the rates today is necessary, but raising again down the road and bonding may not be. There is discussion of the amount to raise the sewer rate to. It was discussed in past meetings to raise to $65.00. Discussion of going lower than the $65. There is discussion of Rigby’s sewer rate being $90.00. There is discussion of this. The amount to take into the Public Hearing is decided on as $65.00 for sewer rate and $12.00 for the garbage. Mayor Bronson explains how the Public Hearing will proceed. He states that those wishing to make statements must be signed up on the provided sheets. Those wishing to speak will have 5 minutes. After the public comments, the Council will answer any questions brought up by those making the comments. Enter Public Hearing for the 2026 Fee Schedule Changes to Sewer and Garbage Rates-Action. Mayor Bronson asks if there are any present who would like to speak that are Opposed. Mayor Bronson reads an email submitted by Rand Watson as Opposed. (Statement attached to minutes) Mayor Bronson asks if any present who would like to speak that are Neutral. Page 3 of 5 Council Meeting March 12, 2026 Lynn Rushton: Lynn states that he is Neutral, but he would like to address what is going to be fixed and why it is needed in order for him to explain to his tenants at the trailer park. He understands the City hasn’t made increases in quite a while, he would just like to know how to explain what is needed to facilitate the rate increase. Ron Jones: Ron states that he is Neutral, he understands it needs to be fixed. He has a concern about how his funds would be used. He is ok with raising the rates to do the updating and fixing, but he is not ok if the funds are used to take on other people’s sewer or septage. Justin Anderson: Justin states that he knows the seepage can be a big issue. He states that some other cities that have a high water table have pressurized systems. He also states that he thinks that injection wells were discussed in Menan at one time. He also thinks that outsiders are customers and could create a new revenue stream. Colby Christensen: Colby states that he is Neutral. He is concerned about the city not making people pay their sewer and garbage bills. He also has questions about the Town Hall informational meeting and why Victor wasn’t there and why he didn’t present the information about the new technology he has discovered at the Town Hall. City of Menan rebuttal/answer to questions asked. Matt starts by going through the issues that need to be addressed at the lagoons and the sewer system. He states that the aerators are no longer working at the lagoon, which leads to the water not being treated properly. This also creates a problem with the good bacteria the city adds to the lagoon as they are not getting enough air to do their job right. There is also infiltration that goes along with the high-water table. The city needs to have another lagoon to store water. He further states that the DEQ required the study, and when the deficiencies were discovered, they want the issue fixed. It is stated that there has to be the collection system, no matter what. There is a short discussion on why the rates haven’t been raised to anticipate problems that might arise in the system. It is discussed that the system is 40 years old and previous employees chose not to spend the money to invest in the system and that they kicked the can down the road for someone else to deal with. Mayor Bronson states that Matt has put in the time to receive all of his certifications and worked with the professionals to help to guide him in the proper way. Matt states that he would need more information regarding the injection wells. He also states that the land application of the treated water makes us money from the crops produced. Mayor Bronson states that concerning the outstanding accounts in the sewer are under review and a plan is in place to proceed to identify those who are the worst offenders and there will be service that is terminated. He then states that even when services are disrupted, the city still can’t make people pay. He also states that the city will have to notify the Public Health Department that the service has been shut off and its possible the property could be condemned, but the resident can still choose not to pay their bill. Also, even if the city collects all of the delinquent accounts, it still won’t solve the problem. It is states that the city will work with charitable organizations to help those in desperate need. Mayor Bronson states that Victor couldn’t attend the Town Hall meeting as he was recovering from surgery, and the information he presented as a possible new way to process the sewer wasn’t available then. There is a question to Victor about whether he will try to discharge his septage from his trucks through this new system, and he says yes. There is discussion of how much dumping the septage companies are doing. There is discussion of how long the aerators have not been working. There is discussion of the increases in cost due to inflation and how to make the system run in a more stable financial way. There is a discussion of the sewer funds and why there isn’t a large amount for issues like this. There is a discussion of the land purchase the city made a few years back that took the funds saved for issues. This was viewed as a very good investment as the land will be needed for future land application and it was purchased at a very good price. Exit Public Hearing at 8:22 pm. Discussion and Decision Regarding the 2026 Fee Schedule Changes to Sewer and Garbage Rates-Action: Mayor Bronson asks what the Council thinks after the Public Hearing. Ben Smith states that he still likes the rate set at $65.00. There is a discussion of the new technology Victor presented, but there is concern of not knowing how long the process could take to get the approval to use and then how long to get the new system up and running. There is discussion of the current system and the fact that it will fail in the near future and it needs the repairs now. Danielle states that she doesn’t like having to raise the rate, but she sees it as necessary. She is hopeful for Victors option, but she sees the need to start something now. Victor Cammans made a motion to increase the sewer rate, septage rate, and garbage rate as specified in the discussion, which would be: Sewer rate/EDU=$65.00, Garbage=$12.00, and septage to increase to the Page 4 of 5 Council Meeting March 12, 2026 percentage equal with the sewer rate increase. Ben Smith seconded the motion. Roll Call vote: Victor Cammans-aye; Danielle Andrew-aye; Ben Smith-aye. Motion carried. There is a short 10 minute break. III-A Annual Report-Amy Manning: Amy introduces herself as the Executive Director of III-A, which is the health care trust that the city employees have for their health insurance and benefits. She passes around the information book she has brought. She states that she goes around to all of the member agencies as a way of showing transparency in rates and insurance. She explains that there are currently 136 agencies in Idaho that are a part of the trust and that it is required to be a public agency to join. She takes the Council through the informational book. Amy asks if there are any questions she can answer. The Mayor and Council thank her for coming and the information. Victor Cammans made a motion to table the discussion on City Authority by Justin Anderson. Danielle Andrew seconded the motion. Motion passed. Discussion & Decision on Conditional Use Permit Application-Call Me Delicious, Alysha Anderson-Action: The Mayor and Council look over the application and the information provided. Mayor Bronson states that he would like to have a condition to the permit be that the venue require cottage license from all vendors. He would like to see it set up like the farmers market. There is discussion of this. Victor states that he feels like a lot of what the city is asking for is unnecessary. He would like to not have any restrictions or conditions. Mayor Bronson reads from the Public Health information papers regarding cottage industry venues and states that he feels the city would be the venue and could require the licenses. Victor disagrees. There is discussion of requesting the licenses as a condition of the CUP. There is discussion of how the farmers market and the 4th of July vendors work as they require the cottage permit papers. There is discussion of reasons for requiring the permits and how it could be a hassle for the city to regulate. Danielle states that she doesn’t want to be bothered with policing it if it is not needed. Ben states that he agrees with Victor and Danielle, that because it is not a law, he feels it is hard to require it. Kris states that he is unsure about liability if someone is injured or sick because of a purchase at the stand. He would need to check with ICRMP. Alysha states that no where else is the process so hard. She states that no one would sue the City of Rigby if Broulims food made someone sick. She further states that the vendors are mostly stay at home moms who are trying to make a little extra money and healthier options for people. She also states that whatever is required should be required for everyone. Larry Golden states that he works with the Rexburg Farmers Market and they don’t ask for any permits unless it is required for what they are selling. There is discussion of the Cottage Law not requiring anything. Blair Hunting stated that the only thing on the CUP that should be a condition, is that the stand would be allowed to operate in that zone. Danielle Andrew made a motion to approve the Conditional Use Permit for Alysha Anderson, Call Me Delicious, and allow it to continue to operate. Victor Cammans seconded the motion. There is an addition of adding the language that there are no conditions other than it is allowed to operate in the Light Industrial Zone. All aye, motion carried. Review of Assignments from Last Meeting-Action: There are no assignments to review. Public Discussion: No public discussion. Mayor’s Thoughts: Mayor Bronson states that he has no further thoughts. Updates from Civilize Engineering-Action: Husk states that he is going to try to set a time to get with Matt to go to Rupert to look at the aerators they are selling. He hands out some informational packets and sheets for any of the residents if they have questions regarding the sewer rates and the Field Study. He also reports that he put together an application for Congress Appropriation and sent it to Senator Simpsons office. They will have left over funds and can appropriate them to different agencies in their state. He says its worth a try. Bills-Action: There is discussion of the bills from last month. Ben Smith made a motion to accept and pay the bills. Victor Cammans seconded the motion. Motion passed Minutes: There is discussion of the minutes from last meeting. Page 5 of 5 Council Meeting March 12, 2026 Victor Cammans made a motion to accept the minutes from the February 12, 2026 meeting. Danielle Andrew seconded the motion. Motion carried. There is a small discussion of what is to be placed on the agenda for next month. There will be a public hearing for the April meeting. Ben Smith made a motion to adjourn. Victor Cammans seconded the motion. Motion carried. Council Meeting ended at 9:35 pm. ______________________________ Allyson Pettingill, City Clerk/Treasurer
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