And unfortunately.

Test test.

Are we ready?

Okay.

I think we're ready to get started with our meeting.

And um, this is a pause for a minute.

Don't you love it?

I think we're good to go.

Okay, so welcome to the Napa City Council special meeting.

This is a workshop.

And um, we have a tradition that we open our meetings, and we'll go ahead and open this workshop with a prayer and a pledge.

And Brad Daniels.

Thank you, Mayor.

Let's pray.

Lord, thank you again for this opportunity to come together in community to weigh important matters, to make good decisions, and to continue to push NAPA forward.

We're very blessed to live in this city, Lord, and uh we know that your guidance over this uh this leadership in this city has been a uh the main part of why that's been so successful.

So we just ask for your wisdom and guidance this morning as we make decisions, and we again thank you for all the blessings you bestowed in your name, amen.

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

So let's do roll call.

Rodriguez, Jangula here, Bills, here Reynolds, Haverfeld, here online here online.

Six president.

And I you know what, I'm gonna I apologize because only half of our council is sitting in this room.

And Craig, thank you for making the trip here and be willing to start at 7 a.m.

Um we do have half of our council online, but I apologize we're not in person.

So I'll let you get started and thank you so much for coming.

And I don't know if you guys know Craig Rayborn was um hired as the executive director of COMPASS not quite a year ago, and he comes from with a wealth of experience running an MPO.

And I tell you what, he's been a great asset to the Treasure Valley and COMPASS, and so uh look forward to hearing what they're working on.

Right now we that's all right, it's the way it goes.

All right, well, thank you, uh Mayor and members of the council in person and online.

Uh as the mayor said, um I'm Craig Rayborn.

I'm the still relatively new executive director at Compass.

So as she noted, I've been in the role for uh nine months and three days.

Um so um still uh getting to know the region, but you know, I'm I'm getting I think I've got a decent handle on a lot of the kind of the core issues and certainly um what compass does and happy to talk to you today.

So what what we do every year is uh we meet with staff uh from all of the local agencies as we're going through a process, and I'll describe it a bit more.

But it's it's our resource development program uh process where we solicit uh applications for projects, small, generally small, kind of immediate need uh projects and longer term projects and kind of start the process for uh identifying future infrastructure needs and starting to bring those into play.

Um and so we do those meetings, and then every once in a while we also try to come and talk to the governing bodies for each of the local governments as well.

And because I'm new, we we we wanted to do that again, and so I've been going around and doing this.

I'm kind of referring to it as a road show.

Um, but uh it's a really good opportunity for me to introduce myself to all of the elected officials uh around the region, uh as well as um as well as uh get compass uh and and what we do and and our um services that we provide and some of the issues that we're helping uh the region and the jurisdictions around the region address.

So what this slide shows is a little bit about me.

I just wanted to make sure that folks kind of have a sense of where I come from.

Um I have uh been doing transportation planning work now for 25 years, um, also a lot of policy-related pieces in that um too.

I've primarily worked uh in the west and in the south.

Uh so fast growing urban areas that are you know very similar um to what the Treasure Valley uh is encountering right now.

Um and so really excited um to be able to work here and and work with all of you.

So um briefly, so I'm a little bit out of sync because I can't quite see the that's it's fine.

No, no, no, we're good, thank you.

Um so briefly, just a reminder uh as to what COMPASS is.

So COMPASS is this association of local governments, uh the highway districts, the school districts, um, all the city governments, the counties, all of the agencies that are really interested in looking down the road, you know, 20 plus years down the road.

Um, and so uh all of them make up compass.

We're what's called a metropolitan planning organization, so we do 20 year out transportation planning, so basically anything between now and 20 or even beyond that uh time frame is what we're looking at.

So the main takeaway though is that COMPASS is its members.

You can go ahead and oh, okay.

Okay, so probably apologies, there are going to be some animations, transitions in the slides, and I'm expecting that may or may not work, so I'll just kind of try to wing it as we go.

So anyway, the mission of COMPASS to be able to serve our our agencies, our jurisdictions is to is to conduct that regional and transportation planning, facilitate the coordination and cooperation, and that's a very important theme that that you'll hear from me.

We serve as a source of information relating to growth to the transportation system as a whole and other issues as they may come up that affect uh that affect the region, and then we assist member agencies in identifying funding and providing the funding uh to be able to implement their projects uh to accomplish the goals that each of the local agencies have, and then whatever that are the bigger picture regional um goals as well.

So to do that, um we conduct this regional transportation planning, we distribute federal transportation dollars, we provide technical expertise, and then that cooperation and collaborative process that we really try to really try to work from quite a bit.

So I'm gonna talk for uh a few minutes about um some of the issues and challenges uh that are affecting the region and and and why it's really important to be looking not just at the right now and and the next couple years, but looking looking farther out.

So, what this slide is showing is um development uh permits, uh circuit certificates of occupancy, I think, that uh have been uh approved over the past five years.

So you can kind of see there's growth happening everywhere, but it's particularly happening in uh in Canyon County uh right now, and and there's a significant amount of growth that's happening there right now.

As a region as a whole, we're um attracting 15 new households on average every day, and then 16 new jobs on average every day.

And those are you know, they may not seem like much.

You add those up over the course of a year, add them up over the course of a few years, and it really does start to add up.

So the this slide is showing um where we are right now in 2025 for population density, and that's the brown part, the the brown part of the heat map, and then the blue part is showing the higher density jobs, so not like retail type jobs, but more the office jobs that people uh that the people are commuting to doing the the tend to be the longer, the longer commutes.

So um I think are you already yeah, you're already showing okay.

So this okay, actually, I apologize because we don't have the animations working.

Um the uh what you didn't see is the 2025, and you're looking now at the 2050, and um it's unfortunate we can't get that visual working, but um it we may do the handouts as well.

Um the folks online won't be able to see it, but um it's it's a pretty significant gap.

Um in the in the um in the 2025 version of this slide, you can really see there is there are still lines between NAMPA, Caldwell, Meridian, Middleton, STAR, and then as you see what happens when we move to 2055, and this is based on um existing planned development.

So it's not anything that you know it's not a uh black box model working in the background.

This is what's happening in the region right now and continuing those those uh trends out.

Um you can see that everything starts to fill in.

Um we really are turning into one big connected region and trying to find the solutions, the transportation solutions that will work for that are really important.

Go ahead and advance it.

So what this slide then shows is where the center of jobs and people are geographically in the region, and they're not in NAMPA, maybe yet give it some time, maybe give it a few more decades.

But what this is projecting right now is that gradual and continued shift westward of the center of jobs and housing for the region as a whole.

So the reason that those that those are important to understand, so you'll note that the jobs they're the ones that are in red a little bit farther to the east.

So it's you know that that gap explains the traffic, it explains the congestion that the growing size of the region that I showed in the last slide and the one that you couldn't see before it.

Um that's uh that that increase is what explains the the increases in congestion and volume, obviously, more people on the road.

Uh and then the drift to the west explains changing patterns and how some roads that may not have been full in the past, may not have been reaching capacity in the past, do start to reach capacity as well.

We have another set of maps that we're starting to put together that show directionally where people are traveling for their what we call the journey to work.

It's a census, it's based on census data, and all of the arrows over in Canyon County point to the east, and they're big arrows, and so that means a lot of your population, um, a lot of your residents are traveling into Boise and Meridian for work and then coming back.

And I mean, we all know this, of course, but being able to see these numbers and being able to see it's not just NAMPA, it's also Caldwell, it's even little, you know, Greenleaf and Middleton are showing this, showing these impacts as well.

And so knowing that that really uh is why we do and why we provide why we do what we do and why we provide a lot of the services that we have.

And so, yeah, we can't get the animation working.

That's too bad because we have a version of this presentation that that works just going through the slides.

And I'm I do apologize for that.

Um but basically what we provide is a seat at the table where all of the decisions in the region are made.

Um, and and those are the ones relating to transportation generally, as but we also talk about other issues like growth and and housing gaps and things like that too.

We're your voice outside of the region, so um our team is very actively engaged with national organizations that deal with regional level issues.

So we look at um uh we're members of what's called the association of metropolitan planning organizations.

Are we online still?

Okay, I just want to okay.

Thank you.

Um so we look at at organizations that are called uh we participate in the association of metropolitan planning organizations, we're participants in the National Association of Regional Councils, and so they both engage quite a bit at the national level, but they're also a really good source of best practices for us to bring back here.

And so I'm active with both of them.

Our team, uh Tony is is one on one of their policy committees, and so we're we're pretty we're pretty tightly engaged with them.

We also provide financial assistance, uh, so that funding source that we do, um, federal dollars channel through the metropolitan planning organizations, uh, and so when project needs are identified, uh we're the ones who either help find the funds or if other entities have found the funds, but they're federal dollars, they still run through uh the metropolitan planning organization.

We do a tremendous amount of technical assistance.

Um we have a whole team that that works on that.

Um we do that includes a bit of uh demographic and analysis, the slides and the data that I have been trying to show, but we do quite a bit.

We collect a lot of data at the local level, we consolidate it, so we take the the individual data from all the local governments around the region, and we pull those into regional level uh results as well.

Um and then finally to to to address these needs, you know, we do long range uh planning and problem solving.

So we're close, and I'm gonna keep going and then uh we'll see what we get.

Um so to do that, um, we undertake a bunch of different regional planning activities.

So, right now uh we we recently adopted uh earlier this year, so actually just as I was starting, um, we adopted a regional safety action plan for transportation, and so we look at those, we look at transportation and safety issues there.

We've been uh undertaking and and uh should have completed um early next year uh the high capacity transit study um that would run you know the the alignments that were under consideration would all pass through, would all pass through NAMPA and serve NAMPA.

Uh we do a bunch of connectivity studies around the region.

See where we are now.

Okay, well okay, so um so we do these uh uh undertake these connectivity studies.

We call them sub regional plans.

We tend um they they focus on solving smaller mobility problems.

Um you know, one of those is the SH 69 extension, state highway 69 extension that would serve a lot of your residents too, and so that's something we're paying attention to.

We recently initiated a resilience plan for the uh for the region as a whole, and and what we're looking at are ways in which um natural disasters might impact the transportation system, both the infrastructure and the short-term operations during those incidents, and trying to find uh ways to minimize those impacts.

Um, and we've got a really strong uh advisory committee from made up of staff from local governments that are helping us with that.

And all those things kind of roll into uh a regional transportation plan that we call communities in motion, um which consolidates all those planning activities but also adds new things every five years.

We're where we're looking at you know, sort of identifying the goals and policies and needs of the region and the projects that will be able to that will be able to address those.

So the communities in motion plan identified four primary um values and and and goals for the region that we're trying to that we're trying to address.

So improving transportation safety, supporting economic vitality for the region, enhancing the quality of life uh for the region, and then maintaining and trying to improve the overall mobility needs for the region.

So to accomplish those, there are a number of activities that we undertake.

One of them we work with all the local governments to conduct a review uh of developments, larger developments that are planned in each one of the local agencies.

Um so we we basically examine those developments, what's proposed, and crosswalk those against the four different goals that we that um we've established with the regional plan.

I'll just note it's not you know it's not regulatory or anything like that.

We don't have any regulatory authority on on things like this.

It's really just to help the local agencies understand uh how the the ideas of the projects and developments that they're considering would potentially then be would be impacting the region as a whole.

So for just uh and just to note uh for NAMPA, we've uh in the past I think five years, we've probably done around 90, 95 of these for NAMPA as you're dealing with um larger rates, uh higher rates of growth.

You've got more bigger projects coming in, and so it's it's hopefully beneficial that we're able to you know to provide this information to you.

The other thing that the plan does, as I noted, is it identifies all the different um transportation investments that will be happening in the region over those next you know, roughly 20 years or so.

So it's all types of projects.

I think you can see it up on the on the slide.

Um and so it's you know it ranges from maintenance projects through transit projects, pathways, um, and then of course uh operational activities, and then finally uh roadway expansions and capacity related projects that are you know, we we try to make those kind of the last resort.

They tend to be really expensive, and when we can handle things with other solutions, um that that tends to be a uh uh an easier financial decision to be able to make doesn't hit the resources for the region as a whole quite as quite as significantly.

So the next couple of images are showing the uh and hopefully the these also will work better when you can see the transitions happening.

Um but what these are showing are the um uh the transportation system as it stands right now, and with these with these pictures, uh basically the darker the line and the wider the line, the worse the peak point of the day, the worse traffic is for that segment of road.

So this is what we're looking at right now, and then after without the plan's investments, this is what we would see for the region, and it's not a very heartening uh view.

And this is without the additional investments that the plan calls for.

So even with the plan and the 11 billion dollars worth of investments that it has identified uh over the over the entire region, what we get is this one.

Okay.

Yes, this is with the improvement.

So it's a little bit better than what it would be without the investments, but there's still a really big gap.

So and the other another element to this is how travel times change.

Go ahead and advance it, yeah.

So with this one, you can see this is a standard measure that we use, and it it doesn't fully affect NAMPA residents who are who are commuting to work, but it certainly does affect in a smaller scale.

Um but right now, basically, if you use the 2023 numbers, um right now the travel time from downtown Caldwell to Boyce uh to downtown Boise is about 30 minutes on average.

Um in 2050, it'll be 44 minutes with all of the investments that are happening right now, but still almost a 50 percent you know uh increase, which is uh not it's one of those bad increases, usually try to get things bigger numbers, hopefully are better, but not when you're talking about travel times.

And another one of the impacts that's happening is with the more more traffic on the roads, is we're seeing more what we call event days, those incidents where there's something that slows traffic down.

Um and so when it slows it down more to the point where the travel on average across the day is more than 30 percent slower than uh than average, those are called event days, and and the number of those is increasing and and it's increasing pretty rapidly.

So we're working with the State Department of Transportation with ITD to be able to address those uh as well.

So as a result of this, um the plan also includes a large number of unfunded needs, so projects that would help address these transportation short shortfalls around the region.

So they vary again from maintenance to road capacity, all those types of projects that can potentially have an impact on overall travel levels and the capacity for the system to be able to handle that.

But the the total needs identified in the plan and what is uh currently funded still leave a gap of um five about five and a half billion dollars.

And when you take that on an annual basis, it's about 193 million dollars.

And and since this plan, the current version of that plan was completed a few years ago, that number is probably closer to 195, 200 million dollars a year.

That's the shortfall in what the region uh you know, Treasure Valley region as a whole needs, and all the individual agencies also have shortfalls that that kind of roll up into that as well.

And so, as a result of that, one of the things that we're trying uh this year that we're gonna be doing uh is uh we're gonna be undertaking a very proactive legislative strategy this year.

Um, admittedly, it's uh it's an election cycle, and so there may not be uh as much opportunity to address some of these things as we hope, but we'll be at least laying the groundwork and and uh being able to address those.

So our board um just a few weeks ago adopted our 2026 legislative priorities, and they include um trying to generate and and find ways to address transportation revenue, trying to support ways that growth can pay for growth, basically.

So as the region, which you know we're rapidly growing, if we're able to find ways to turn that into the revenue to be able to generate and and and uh support uh the development of infrastructure to serve that growth, um, that's important as well.

And then finally, um we added uh an area of priority that's gonna be addressing trying to link uh housing development to underutilized transportation infrastructure.

So trying to find ways that could hopefully make the housing development a little bit less expensive as well as put less of a new additional burden uh on the transportation system and require you know those more expensive transportation investments and hopefully finding ways to address those.

Like I said, because it's uh uh an election year and some of these are new ideas, uh, we'll be taking an incremental approach and trying to find little little ways to move the needle uh this year.

And then um, because of my my own background, uh, we're also in a unique, it's a time right now where uh the federal government is going to be re um establishing their federal transportation policy and funding mechanisms, and um I'll be deeply engaged in that.

And I you know, is I think uh you know, my background showed I've I've worked on the hill on transportation uh in the past.

I was a staffer briefly, and so um I've been engaged on that.

So hopefully I'll be able to uh help engage and and bring you know bring home some resources uh back to back to uh our region as well.

unique it's a time right now where uh the federal government is going to be re um establishing their federal transportation policy and funding mechanisms and um I'll be deeply engaged in that and I you know is I think uh you know my background showed um I've I've worked on the hill on transportation uh in the past I was a staffer briefly and so I've been engaged on that so hopefully I'll be able to uh help engage um and and bring you know bring home some resources uh back to back to uh our region as well so um with all these types of activities the planning and the resource development that we try to do we do like to say that we think compass is really where where transportation projects happen so we make things happen that it usually starts with projects going into the long range transport transportation plan uh where we identify the needs uh and we work with the project sponsors the ones who actually own the infrastructure it's not us we don't we don't own or operate any transportation facilities um or or um any type of of infrastructure like that so it's all the it's all up to the local agencies uh for that but we work with them to identify the needs the best projects and then we work to find the funding um with them um like I said if it's federal it it channels through us if it's a big source of funding it tends to channel through us as well and uh and then we uh then after it's funded and goes through the design activities then it moves into its actual implementation by the local project sponsors and as a result of all of that hopefully the residents uh the region as a whole gets those you know gets to see the benefits so that process starts with what we call the resource development program um every year and that's why we're out um meeting with staff and and why I'm I'm doing my presentations as well every year we go through a cycle of of soliciting these applications for these small activities um and and identifying future needs some of these we're able to fund every year some of them we put onto a list that we call the resource development uh plan um that uh includes all the activities that we know are coming all the needs that we know are coming um the ones that we're able to fund um we can sometimes fund small pieces of infrastructure you know it's a small amount of money in the grand scheme of things but it can help pay for you know sidewalk uh improvements intersection improvements smaller operational type improvements and then um we also can identify and and fund a few smaller planning studies every year as well um we do the bigger ones in house or I'm not not we frequently we use consultants but we do the bigger studies um out of our own uh planning budget um as opposed to necessarily having to be a smaller project it's really being done specifically for the benefit of of the individual agencies so some examples of these um that have happened uh let's go ahead and advance it okay we're getting there or it's frozen up again uh we think it's a technical thing on our end let's go back one so I'm gonna give an example I mean the large projects and small projects basically it really it encompasses everything that we do so as an example of a large project is you know State Highway 16 um it first showed up in compass's plans back in 2006 um and it has undergone you know some fits and starts along the way but then it was really officially funded um in 2018 um and then construction began so we put them into the what's called you know transportation improvement program it's basically our version of the capital improvements plan um and we put that uh we put it into the plan in 2018 construction started in 2022 it's everything's on track for it to open in 2027 and we're already talking about what's next on that corridor both to the north and to the south and so we're paying a lot of attention to that too and thinking about what comes next there too.

We also have you know relatively small projects so you know one that we've that we've undertaken planning activity for the city of NAMPA is this bicycle and pedestrian connectivity study basically is highway 16 has gone in it's looking for the the route for pedestrian connectivity through the highway 16 corridor and so that's something that's pretty important so that's one that I think is completing now and we'll be ready to start seeking funds for those individual projects as we can.

During our meeting with staff from NAMPA it was a great meeting at your I think it's called the Development Services Center that's the common name for those so I hope I got that right we we met with I mean it was a great it was a great meeting.

And so you know what we heard, you know, was there's obviously this increasing interest in funding for infrastructure maintenance, um, the uh clarification on Americans with Disabilities Act, compliance, and exactly how to best accomplish that, uh, better coordination of road and utility projects.

And I'll just say that's been an issue for me and other jurisdictions as well.

When you make a big investment in updating a road, it's kind of demoralizing when a utility comes along and digs a trench down the middle of your brand new fresh asphalt.

And so anything anything that we can do to help coordinate that is uh important, and so we're really supportive of that too.

Um strategies for communicating the impact uh of the development patterns that are happening around around the region uh as well as locally uh are something that we'll uh we're gonna be working on too.

Uh improved development review feedback for those larger developments.

Um we're we're pretty happy with what we have right now, but we know it can be better and be more useful to the local governments, and so we'll be um looking for ways uh to make that happen.

So among the things that we can do uh to help with that is you know, we we assist with grant applications, that's one of the standard services that we provide all of our member agencies.

Um we can search for creative and new sources of funds for the priority projects that NAMPA uh has identified.

Um we facilitate interagency coordination cooperation and and we can always try to do more of that, and we'll be working on that too.

Um, and then update that development review process, like I noted.

So overall, uh COMPASS is here to help.

So um we plan for your future transportation system.

Um we work very hard and we put a lot of effort into improving transportation safety and trying to save lives.

Um like I noted that regional that regional safety action plan that was passed recently, but also this good move safety education uh campaign is something that we're that we are really pushing as well.

We've expanded, we're expanding that so that we're really trying to cover all the modes of people traveling and encouraging safe safe activity when they're out using the transportation system.

So roads, pathways, um we're we're encouraging those too.

Uh we facilitate those regional discussions, the funding activity, you can go ahead and advance it.

Funding activity, then we do quite a bit of of support and work with data for the local governments.

Um we connect, like I noted, particularly for like tracking development patterns and things like that.

We connect local and regional planning efforts, so we have a picture of what's going on at the regional level while also understanding what the what the individual agencies are all trying to accomplish as well.

Uh we provide a lot of free educational resources, and then one thing that we do that is um kind of unique for the region or for this region.

I haven't really seen it in other places, is we recognize uh achievements and accomplishments relating to transportation around around the region.

So we recognize in both individuals who played critical roles over the past year in transportation, and then we uh we recognize the significant projects that have happened, and that actually that that actually that award process is actually coming up uh in mid-December.

We'll be announcing those awards for 2025.

Um so with that, that kind of wraps up the core of the presentation.

If you want to learn more, we do a really in-depth version of this, but it's gonna be uh a little bit different this this cycle around.

So we um we call it COMPASS 101, um, but one of the things that we're gonna add to it this time is uh more of like simulation and role playing activities, and so people won't just hear someone standing up in front of them like I've been doing this morning, just saying this is what COMPASS is, and here's how these things are, and here are the seven steps of something, but we're gonna create some some simulations where the participants in the training actually can play the role of someone on the MPO board or staff or one of the project sponsors and and be able to really get a sense for how those decisions uh happen and what the factors are that really lead to the best decisions for those.

And so we're we're pretty excited about that uh about that change.

So in summary, thank you, you know, for your time.

Sorry for the technical issues and how it kind of threw me off my game a little bit, but um I'm really happy to be here.

Um I do want all of the members of uh of the council to know I'm always available for questions, um, data information, any needs like that.

Um so again, thank you for your time.

So Councilmember Rodriguez, Mayor Mayor Kling, and Tom Points is also one of our members as well.

And most of your staff also know how to reach us too.

So we're certainly around and willing and able to help whenever we can.

Great, thank you so much.

Thank you for mentioning the board.

Um members from the city of NAMPA that uh that sit on the board, but also the regional transportation advisory committee, our TAC.

Um, Crystal sits on that, and um Clemente, and who's our last one that I'm forgetting, and Mark, Mark Stoyer.

Yep.

So um that in some ways I think is one of the most important groups because those are the people where the rubber meets the road, working right together and collaborating.

Um so I really appreciate their efforts, and we listen to what staff has to say and recommend.

I want for council to understand this is so we have two things that our citizens have said are the top priorities: public safety and transportation.

COMPASS is the most important, this is one of the most important uh organizations that we participate in.

The work that gets done here is excellent.

We can't do what we do as a city without COMPASS.

They play a very, very critical role, incredible staff.

Tony and the the rest of the staff, we have such smart people that have been doing what they're they're doing for some time.

Great experience, great collaboration with our local municipalities, and uh I just want to say what important role and that they play.

And so I hope I just want to make sure council captures that.

If someone as a council member, and I forgot to mention we have an incoming council member, uh Debbie Scog here, our incoming mayor is here today.

Thank you guys for being here.

I really appreciate it.

Thank you.

And so um as I transition out, um, I anticipate Rick Hogeboum will be transitioning onto the board.

He and I have already talked, and so we're good to go.

And um, so it look forward to there not being a moment's gap as we step in and continue to lead.

So I've been the chair of COMPASS a few several years ago, I can't remember a few years ago, and then I'm filling in for six months in just an interim role right now as they needed it.

But um, it's a great organization, does great work, and we can't do what we do without them.

So thank you.

Thank you.

If I could, I'll just um I I do I want to echo the work of uh the staff from NAMPA with the Regional Transportation Advisory Committee has been critical.

Um there NAMPA is is one of the most engaged um uh uh jurisdictions in that group.

And Crystal has been uh chair my entire tenure.

Uh uh she's been the chair of that technical advisory committee and has really kept them on track.

And basically, you know, I mean you're absolutely right.

Everything that the board considers, and COMPASS is its board, um, everything that the board considers runs through the technical advisory committee first.

Uh and so their input and their and their sort of their eyes and contribution on that are really really important for us.

And then again, of course, Mayor, thank you very much for being willing to step in uh when we when we needed a new chair midway through uh midway through the year.

That's not the thing that a new executive director wants to encounter a few months into the job.

Um, but I was really really happy and and excited that you were able to take that role.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council, do you have any questions?

Mayor, yes.

Craig, with the increased revenue legislative strategy that you're looking at, does that include um lobbying to have them the legislators help pick up VRT funding?

We're one of only a few states now that the state doesn't fund VRT.

Um if I could, Mayor.

Um, my understanding is VRT itself is going to be tracking that very closely.

I think COMPASS as a as a board is gonna probably on most of those take us support and do what we can to help, but I I think or VRT will probably take the lead uh in those questions, and I know there are discussions and some some plans um for potential legislative action on on that this cycle, these things that will be introduced.

Thank you.

And VRT sets on the board.

Yes, the Compass Board, and so it is part of the our legislative priorities.

But yes, they'll take the lead.

But it is a priority, and they set on the board.

One thing um, Mayor, one thing too looking at this, we can see that a lot of our population is moving towards Meridian and Boise and they're commuting that way, and we know that.

Um but one thing when I funded when I voted to fund VRT this last cycle, I asked Elaine Clegg if we could focus more on getting our routes centrally here so that we can mobilize and get things going so that people can actually use the tramp transportation here, but we know we got to get them there.

So if we can when you mentioned the highway 16 kind of build out there, if we can think about maybe some bus routes um or bus stops there so that our buses don't have to go all the way to Boise, but can stop there and then Meridian can pick them up from there or something.

So sure.

Just if I could, Mary again.

Um so obviously VRT does their own system planning.

Um, and I don't know how exactly they'll frame it, but I've also in previous roles I've sort of been the de facto transit planner, uh chief transit planner for um for transit agency as well.

Um and so one of the challenges that they're gonna be encountering, and they're and it looks to me from my perspective that they're being fairly proactive in this, is transit because it's so based on ridership and revenue from ridership and and local agencies, they tend to have to follow the development, and it's harder for a transit agency on at least on bus service to get in front of development and and be putting, you know, so they can be identifying what those future plans are, and they're deep into their planning process right now where they're doing that.

Um so they've got a plan that I think they're calling it VRT or can VRT Connect 3 or something like that.

Valley Connect 3, thank you.

Yeah, um so they have a plan, and and as they're working on that, they're they're talking about what those future needs and routes look like, and then as the development as that infill starts to happen, then they'll be able to begin operationalizing those.

Thank you.

Mayor, yes.

Thank you for the presentation and all the details.

I I always appreciate a good slide deck.

Unfortunately, we couldn't see those animations, but it was still good, so I appreciate that.

In consideration to rail transit, how much of a factor does COMPASS have in that and the discussions in that, and what is the status of that when considering uh not only a route from Portland all the way down the Salt Lake, but also across town between Nampa and Boise.

Is there going to be any discussions of that?

What that looks like.

Is that a 20-year plan or is that a 50-year plan?

Um, just in consideration of everything.

Thank you.

And Mayor, um, so yes, um, I actually was just uh I think three or four weeks ago was on a panel um uh for the Pacific Northwest Economic Um partnership, I think.

I'm not sure exactly the names.

I'm again I'm still learning learning all these different new organizations, but I was on a panel with them talking about the potential co-benefits of a rail system here, uh you know, a commuter rail system operating uh in Treasure Valley and how that would benefit um the currently desired and actively kind of under pursuit connection to Salt Lake City.

Um but we've also uh we're starting to have discussions about how considering the connection to Portland as well would let the overall system hit a threshold that could make it compete for a different pot of federal funds, uh, and so that's something that's that's under consideration too.

But there are certainly uh significant co-benefits to being able to um uh bring both of those types of systems online and either in tandem or you know, in in some related fashion and be able to capture some of the economies of scale uh for that because we would be the midpoint in a line from Portland to Salt Lake City, obviously having having something working here and and lines and and and a good station location in this region would be really really important for that to succeed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Craig, thank you for making the drive out at seven o'clock in the morning.

Tony, thank you for doing it.

I've really appreciated it, and it's excellent information.

I believe the entire PDF was in the packet.

So um thank you.

Council, would you like some handouts, hard copies?

They're good because they've got it online, but thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

Okay, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, the next item on the agenda is um a discussion regarding, and these are all discussion items.

We have several uh ordinances that we're discussing.

So who's going to be presenting on behalf of PD?

Brad, is it you?

Okay, good, thank you.

Well, so I think the first one we have here is consider proposed changes to existing disorderly conduct code, including regulations related to fighting.

And you guys are welcome to stay or leave.

If you want to hear it.

Okay, good.

Well, you're welcome.

It's there.

Relieves a little stress, doesn't it?

Okay.

Mayor and council members, thank you very much for this time.

Uh we're gonna be discussing three different ordinances for for the city.

These aren't necessarily changes, they're my opinion, improvements for for the city.

First one we're gonna be talking about is fighting.

Share your name real quick.

Yeah, Lieutenant Brad Childers with the Napa Police Department.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh I was hoping uh Councilman Bills was going to be here because one point I wanted to make on here that there's no cost to the city on this, so I think you would appreciate it and gave me a big thumbs up.

Um the other part when we talk about the influence of and the uh addition to these ordinances is that the training that will take place for the officers is also going to be done while on duty.

We'll focus that on briefing trainings.

We have a dashboard uh smart force that will be putting this in there as well, so these officers can review these ordinances, talk about them during their briefings.

All these have gone through uh legal through here, so I want to thank you for your time pressing on that as well as well as Kirsten, if I pronounce the first name correctly.

Um, and they also have gone to the Canon County Prosecutor's Office for review as well.

Um so the first one we're gonna start discuss is fighting.

How this kind of came about as uh officers were focusing on issues with gangs in the area, uh bar fights in the area.

Oftentimes we get we'll get to these fights, we'll have the subjects that are involved in the fighting, and we don't really necessarily have a willing victim, but the problem is still there for the community, meaning these people are going to continue to fight, they caused a disturbance in a public place, and we're kind of left with our hands tied of what to do with these people.

So, with this ordinance, the idea behind it is that we'll have there will be a penalty for them on this.

They can't just continue to fight in West Park in our in our subdivisions and in our bars, that they're gonna be held accountable for that.

I do have the full um ordinance up there.

Does it allow me to scroll down?

See that, James.

Looks like it's frozen on my screen.

So I'd like to read the purpose and the whereas city council acknowledged the needs of the Pacific Provision address fighting the public place as currently Napa City Code lacks the subsection under disorderly conduct that addresses directly this behavior without requiring a specific victim for disturbing the peace charges, which could be useful in this incident as well, such as bar fights and gang fights.

There's one other portion of this that I think is going to be super helpful, not only to the citizens of Napa, but also to our partners at our hospitals.

For example, we had a call uh several weeks ago where this individual um it was eventually placed on a mental hold.

But what had taken place is this individual had struck uh a neighbor with a belt several times in their driveway.

This individual who was struck um knew that he was going to be a continued neighbor of this and did not want to be a victim, mainly because he was afraid of of consequences for being a victim on this.

Ultimately, this individual that had the belt was taken on a mental hold.

That caused problems with uh between the NAPA police department and uh the hospital.

They meaning the hospital, we're not wrong in saying this individual should probably be in jail, and then seek mental help.

We didn't have that ability at the time.

This would help us with that, so that when this individual, if they need mental um help passed, being with whatever crime they're dealing with that is in place at Cannon County for us to be able to do that.

We just need this middle step to get them there on that.

Could you explain?

And I'm sorry to ask, but I don't know that I fully understand what the change is in the ordinance.

It's moved from what to what.

So and then help me also understand what the change is doing to what exactly is changed to help in this particular situation.

What is that change?

Uh the change for me is an addition.

So currently there is nothing in our disorderly conduct code that would assist with this at all.

So we're adding, we're adding fighting to disorderly conduct.

Okay, so this in that section talks about requiring a specific victim.

That's charging it's disturbing the peace charges, incidents, bar fights, gangfights, and I'm not seeing on this one.

Help me understand.

I'm and I'm probably missing it, and I'm sorry.

So this this would be a subsection to our disorderly conduct.

So that covers a lot of things.

Um that could be drunk in public as part of our disorderly conduct code.

There's a quite a few things that fit under our disorderly conduct code.

This would be addition subsection to that.

By explaining that right, Preston.

Uh Mayor Preston Rutter City Attorney.

What I would add, we have a section in our code six-one-one.

It goes through a list of about a dozen items that are considered disorderly conduct.

It's a little archaic.

So we don't have that here.

That's right.

That's what you're referencing.

This this is bul uh uh bolting on a new section to allow for this type of behavior that's modernized to current trends that uh law enforcement is encountering and really kind of bringing it up to date.

This will be a big improvement.

Okay.

That's why I'm not seeing it in here is because we're referencing a subcode.

Correct.

That's section, yeah.

Okay.

I'd be more than happy to read this entire uh code if you guys would like.

Are there any questions?

You guys want to read it?

I don't think so.

Okay.

Yeah, that's Mayor.

Yes.

Leave it here.

So uh Lieutenant Childers, uh, I would encourage you in your section two, sub paragraph B, that you would add the word pathways.

So it would read sidewalks, parks, pathways, and then parking lots.

Thank you, Councilman Bills.

We'll add that in there.

Good idea.

Thank you.

If there's not any uh further questions on that, I'll move on to the next ordinance.

Well, he's pulling that up.

I have a quick question, maybe it's similar to what you were just asking.

Is this also referencing code that we don't have in front of us?

This particular ordinance.

The next one we're going to.

Right.

I'm assuming let's see, the next one is the uh hotel motel.

Yes, this is this would be a totally new code that will be dropped in to a totally new one.

Okay.

I'm ready with if you guys are.

Yeah, ready.

All right, thank you, Mayor and Councilman.

Again, this is an addition to our City Code 6-1-1 for disorderly conduct.

This one is referencing hotels, motels, uh, long-term and short-term stays to include like Airbnb's.

The idea behind this is we we listened, Mayor, when you came to one of our Comstat meetings and you really wanted to clean up the city when we have visitors to our area, specifically to large events at the Idaho Center when families come in from out of town and stay at our hotels nearby.

Uh, working with uh Corporal Ferrari and Sergeant McCain on this project.

Uh we looked at a what a lot of other cities have done similar to our size or or larger to kind of help combat this.

One of the things that I looked at specifically was Salt Lake City and what they have done.

I think we can grow onto ours, but for a start on this, they gave us a really good opportunity to see what how we can improve our hotels in our area and working with those hotels, meaning the responsibility to go and back on them to keep them nice, looking good, and for lack of better terms, keeping people that do not belong there out of there.

So what we came up with on the idea of this is I'll read the purpose of this.

The general purpose of these regulations to address help to address health, safety, and nuisance activity that often occurs in and around hotels, motels, leased housing by using a collaborative approach to prevent and when necessary, abate nuisance activity.

The intent is to promote a healthy safety and general welfare of patrons by requiring that businesses that offer shelter to visitors, transit guests and other residents provide a minimum level of cleanliness, quality, and security.

One of the things that we often see in these hotels when they're not kind of kept in check is an increase of drug activity, uh, human trafficking, and these are things that the Napa Police Department is is trying to address on a daily basis.

We have Comstat uh goals and missions that oftentimes will focus on one or two hotels, and we do a really good job, and I think are successful with our patrol officers giving them attention.

This also now puts the burden back on the hotels themselves of saying, hey, you're agreeing that you're gonna help our officers in keeping this safe for your visitors and your guests.

One of the things that this also does is allow officers to walk up to the uh hotel or establishment and say, who are your guests that are staying here?

And and we don't need much more information other than who is staying there, who's assigned paying for that, and what vehicle they're driving if they have one.

So those were some of the requests from that.

This one's pretty lengthy when we first started out with this project.

I think it was eight to ten pages long, and we've narrowed it down a little bit so it's a little more specific and uh cleaner for for the city to use.

Um I don't know if you guys had a chance to look at this.

If you have some questions about this, I'd be more than happy to answer them.

I want to say thank you.

Thank you so much.

This was very important to help us, and I really appreciate the initiative.

Thank you.

Gee, for taking the initiative to get this done.

Is it it um and I'll just say candidly, we have some properties in our city that are an embarrassment and a concern, and as uh Lieutenant Children shared, when people come in to a sporting event somewhere in the in the Treasure Valley, um, and they're looking, and our hotels are all booked and they end up here.

It's an embarrassment if someone comes into Napa and it is a very bad experience.

And we have a couple properties that are very challenging properties that have crime and and we know that they're challenging.

So uh thank you so much for the initiative to get this cleaned up and to add some teeth to what you're doing for enforceability.

Really, really appreciate it.

I will apologize that it took this long.

The the chief as well as the rest of the administration, they they constantly asked where is this at?

Where's this at?

How's it come along?

We wanted to get it right, so that's why it took a little bit longer.

Thank you very much.

Any other questions or comments from council?

Great job.

Thank you.

So, and as a just as a reminder for council, this is a discussion item, but these will be are they gonna be on the next agenda?

I hope so.

I hope so too.

I'd like to get it done before I'm gone.

Yeah, I hope.

Thank you.

Okay.

So our next discussion is related to vehicle racing speeding competitions and other dangerous and reckless driving activities.

Candidly, I listened to this.

It is crazy when I what I hear where I live in the late at night in the summer, the and the speed that some of these people are going is I can't imagine how fast they're going, but it's fast.

So it is I think that's the right one.

Okay, Mayor and City Council.

Again, this is another one that uh we wanted to partnership with our community on.

What really brought this attention was uh originally when Kmart went out of business and that parking lot came open, we had a large group of individuals that would gather up there.

As soon as we would shut that down, they'd find a different location to participate in, gather up uh behind the old Edwards Alpha Gardi.

And most recently is the new businesses that have been constructed and now being used along Ten Lane as well as Madison.

We'll have large groups of individuals that will commute from Boise into Napa, gather up in their vehicles, and essentially just tear apart the parking lots in those areas.

It's not only bad for the business there, it's also very dangerous for individuals that are participating and watching these reckless driving events happen.

Like you mentioned, sometimes you hear it at night.

Last night I heard it as well.

Um drove in my personal car to try to find them and then grab the phone, but I was a little late.

So where's a where's a cop when you need one, I guess, is the funny joke about that.

Um the idea again behind this is to give officers an opportunity to do something when they arrive on scene and catch these individuals there.

We're being proactive about it, meaning we're following uh on Instagram and Facebook these club cars uh when and where they're gonna meet.

So we've shut some of them down before they even started by having officers in the parking lot waiting for them, waving hello as they arrive, and then they U-turn and leave and go somewhere else.

So that's been helpful.

However, they're getting a little more creative and finding ways to circumvent, maybe straight calling each other on the phone and saying, hey, we're going to this parking lot in Nap instead.

So this tool allows us to have teeth again when those people are are on scene and arrive on scene.

Not just the people driving the vehicle, but the other participants.

If you're gonna grab a cell phone and you're gonna videotape this and and help in participating in this, you're also gonna be held accountable for that.

Um, this is putting the public at at risk as well as the property owners for the money they vested into the city.

So that's the idea behind this.

Do you have any questions for me on the reckless driving city ordinance?

Yes.

Uh Lieutenant, um, one of the things I've noticed uh uh increase in is these electric motorcycles and 10-year-old kids screaming down the sidewalk at 35 miles an hour.

Um is there a way to put something in this particular ordinance that we could address that because you know they're probably saying that it's not a motorized vehicle or something.

I don't I don't know what how that falls, but uh um there it's these kids should not be operating number one on the sidewalk, and sometimes I see them riding down the middle of the street like it's no big deal.

And uh the other day I had a guy in my uh subdivision on an electric bicycle, and he had uh like a three, four-year-old kid on the front of it, and he was probably going 50 plus miles an hour, no helmets on either one of them, you know.

And I'm like, I don't know what the regulations are we can do about that, but I'm just thinking this this poor kid's gonna die.

And uh obviously the dad didn't care.

So yeah, I'd be more than happy to look into that and see if we can add into this one or do a separate one for electric vehicles or bikes and scooters.

The state I know is just now recognized that uh individuals can get DUIs on those.

So before it used to be under anything under 50 CCs, um, you couldn't take onto the roadway.

Um, a lot of that has changed with uh higher powered electric scooters and stuff, so the state has recognized that we need to address that now at this point.

There's nothing that is saying that they have to register register them, so they don't have to have a license plate on them.

So we can put something in there that they can't be on the roadways and maybe on sidewalks we could have designated paths that they're allowed to ride on, and I'd be more than happy to look into that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes, David.

Uh so Lieutenant uh pathways are a real issue.

That the this summer we've had uh numerous incidents where uh the scooters and motorcycle electric bikes are doing at least 30 to 40 miles an hour on the pathways around us, and there's been the green belts, is what I'm talking about.

Um so we've had people walking their dogs, and then you have a scooter coming 30 miles an hour past.

There's been a couple of times when there's been near misses.

So I think we got to include the pathways slash green belt uh language in each of these type of issues trying to address that uh overuse on the on the electric bikes, uh scooters, small motorcycles.

Some of them are starting to do racing.

They leave from one spot and they're racing, you know, their friends down the pathways.

The other part is it's not only daytime, it's night time.

Uh they've been running on the pathways uh at night with their headlamps and lights on the on the scooters as well.

That's been our experience here is heavily the last uh three to four months or this summer going back to late spring.

And we have two of the pathways that surround where we live, and so we we notice it uh quite a bit.

Thank you, David.

And I would um our councilman bills, I would concur with that because I live on a pathway and I watch it all the time, and it's exactly as he noted.

So it is a safety issue.

So I guess the question would be uh would you like to go ahead and move forward with this ordinance to go ahead and get it in place now and then come back with at a later time with an amended ordinance or an ordinance specific to electric vehicles on paths.

I think I would recommend you go ahead and move forward, bring these three ordinances before council and to get this done, and then work on the separate one as quickly as possible.

Yes, Mayor, and and Councilman Bills.

Thanks for bringing those to the attention.

I I agree.

I think those are related issues, however, they're separate and can be addressed in uh in a different subsection.

Um it's interesting as we continue to evolve as a society.

You know, we didn't have those opportunities as kids to jump on electric scooters and vehicles and stuff, otherwise, there might have been something in place already, but we'll continue to uh address the issues as they come to us.

Thank you.

Council, any other questions or comments?

Hopefully, you have the direction you need, so look forward to these coming before council and we'll get this done and then we'll continue to work on the pathways and electric fee.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you very much.

Okay, the next item we have two um action items on the agenda today, and I'll just mention so on Monday night at City Council we um approved a resolution for a rate increase a one percent to our water renewal and a ten percent to um our domestic water utility.

Um those uh the date, the effective date on that was reflected differently than it is, and so we needed to update the resolution with the accurate date on both of those.

It is February one, and so I would stand for a motion on one five to authorize the mayor to sign the corrected resolution 28 2025 of the already approved fiscal year 2026 increase to water renewal utility rate of one percent with a corrected effective date of February 1, 2026.

So a question, yes.

So I had in my mind that the uh irrigation was I thought one was at the 10% requested, and another one was at 5%.

This you're saying one percent.

This one was on the one percent was on the consent agenda.

It was not oh with the sewer, yes.

I'm sorry.

No, that's a good question, and I it candidly it's an it's a exactly uh because it wasn't one that was a public hearing that was before us.

So okay, there's been a motion to approve us to uh to sign the corrected resolution.

Any other question discussion?

Okay, so it's been moved and seconded.

Roll call.

Rodriguez.

Yes, Bills.

Yes.

Haverfeld, yes, Griffin.

He's offline.

Oh okay, Reynolds?

Yes.

Jingular?

Yes.

Motion carries.

Okay, one six is the same thing.

It's to authorize the mayor to sign a corrective resolution 31 2025 of the already approved fiscal year 2026 increase to domestic water utility rate of 10 percent with a corrected effective date of February 1, 2026.

No move.

It's been moved and seconded.

Is there any discussion?

Roll call.

Rodriguez, changula, yes, bills.

Yes, Reynolds, yes.

Haverfeld.

Yes.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Okay, one seven.

This is a discussion item, and um Clay, thank you for presenting to us this discussion.

It's an important discussion regarding the Hispanic Community Center and the future of that center for the short term.

So we've had a lot of discussions around this over the last few months, and Clay will present it to us, and I look forward to some robust discussion.

Perfect, thank you, Mayor.

Is it good?

Thank you, Mayor and Council for the record, Clay Long Chief of Staff.

Um this morning I wanted to visit a little bit as Mayor indicated on the uh Idaho Hispanic Community Center.

As we went through the FY26 budget, uh, we did budget fully for operational costs uh for the facility.

At the same time, over the summer, we worked with the advisory council to talk about some initial next steps on best utilization for that property.

As organizations could express interest on how they felt we should best and how we could best use that property.

Over the last several months, we've continued to have conversations.

We did meet with the advisory committee this week, and when we met with them, we we shared a proposal and let them know that this was the conversation that was going to come forward to council this morning.

And that is around an intent or request to hang on to the property for the next couple years as we go through from the city's perspective a more comprehensive facility need for our city, as well as being able to best make a decision on how to and what to do with the facility long term.

What we did share with the committee is on a on a monthly basis, we recognize and an annual basis that there is a cost to the city to operate the facility, and currently that cost is being used to make it a public available building and space for folks to rent and use, as well as some tenants that we have that are leasing spaces for the a long more longer term period.

The proposal would be that we keep the facility so that we could also house some staff in part of the building upstairs.

It would remain available for the majority of the building for folks to be able to rent and use.

But we have some some pinch points in several of our buildings already.

We know there's a lot going on from a facility's perspective in building when you look at the fleet building, when you look at the water admin building, the remodel over at water uh renewal.

Um, and that's why we're saying a two to three period of time to hang on to it because those buildings, when they're completed, will allow us to make other changes to existing properties to better meet the needs of what our staff have for space.

So it also will give us time to come back with a more comprehensive proposal and plan and what that next step forward looks like.

Um we do have capital projects that that we anticipate needing done at that building currently in the FY26 budget.

Council did approve the replacement of the boilers.

Um that is going on right now.

We're um council should be seeing that out for bid as a request to go out for bid and then to get the work completed.

Um there is some stucco work that was on the budget for last year that we didn't do.

Um there's some roof repair that that needs to be done.

So there are some items I I want to be clear that that those are needed.

We would obviously be coming back to council for that request.

But we also know over the last couple years, as we've had the building as it's been transferred back to our custody or to our custody, I guess, initially.

Um we've kind of been on the fence of what what is going to happen with that.

And because of that, we haven't done uh what I would consider a long-term plan for that facility individually, and we've been operating unfortunately with the passing of Jose, we we had a drastic change in the management and operation of that building as well.

So the team has done a great job doing what we can do.

It's really hard when we don't know for certain what the game plan is to look too far in the future on how to best utilize it.

Um we have we've limited the availability for leasing the space that we won't lease or rent the space unless it comes back as a net positive for the city.

Uh we did have some events previously where it would cost the city for us to host them, so we have discontinued that practice, making sure that it's not a cost directly to the taxpayers for someone to have a private event in the facility.

Um so that is a positive.

Um could you clarify those were very small events?

Sure, yeah.

So like a if you could explain.

So we would have folks that wanted to hold a baby shower.

Um, and during the day, it's not a huge issue because there's already staff there.

But in the evening hours or on the weekends, we would have to pay someone to come in, open the building, secure the building, clean the building, take care of it.

Uh, and so it would cost us 150 to 200, and we would get 60 dollars in rent.

So those are the types of things we've discontinued.

We continue to have um Kinsenaras, uh wedding receptions.

There's there's other venues or or events that do take place that rent out the multi-purpose or even the whole space.

Um, and again, we're focused on those that will provide a net positive to help combat and bring in and meet the revenues that we projected in the FY26 budget.

So with that, that's the that's where we are this morning.

Recognizing that would be an annual budget allocation process that council would have to do at that point.

But we don't anticipate needing to increase operational costs for the current year.

It is budgeted already.

So I think I'd like to maybe discuss a little bit more detail about the why and how we would utilize the space.

So right now we've got the fleet, we've got a we've got the fleet building, excuse me, the streets building, right?

And fleet building, it's really it is a fleet building coming online.

With where the NDSC building is extremely tight on space, down the road when the fleet building comes on, the sign division that does is anticipating moving over into the current fleet building, correct?

Correct.

Because it's a little larger area.

We need, and we have been discussing a place for facilities for several years.

We don't have a place.

I I don't know if you guys remember several years ago there was a building that we were possibly gonna purchase, and we've been trying to figure it out.

Well, I think the long-term plan is that the facilities department can move into that former uh sign building, and it meets the needs long term, but that can't happen for it could be up to three years, two to three years, and so this is an interim time, but we also have um legal trying to figure out we are sitting on top of one another on space.

So uh we also have the prosecuting services.

We don't know where that's gonna come in.

So we've got a little bit um we've got a season that we've got a real space issue, and I think one of the things that was important to me was that we actually fulfill the vision of the Hispanic um IH2C, Idaho Hispanic Community Center, the original vision, and by doing this, it allows us to operate the lower floor and continue to operate as we have operated, but we've got underutilized space upstairs, and we have a serious demand for space.

So we can um I think we have a use, and so as Clay is suggesting that we maybe come back and say this is how we would do it, but I think it it provides for a solution short term, and it gives us a little bit longer ramp in our functioning.

And Mayor, just to add, I I think one of the as was shared, the facilities team.

Part of the reason for looking at them first was we know we have a space for them down the road we anticipate.

Um they also primarily occupy cubicle space, and so there wouldn't be the need to go construct a whole bunch of offices or space, especially on a temporary basis, which wouldn't be a responsible thing to do.

Um we could simply move the cubicle spaces that they're occupying now, which are in a storage room, um, and then the other part of the team that's upstairs and it you know, from an immediate perspective, council did approve uh several positions for the GIS team, and this was repurposing instead of outsourcing, bringing those positions in source, so it wasn't new positions from the Gen Gov budget, um, but there's no space to put them.

And so when we talk about long-term facility need, we're we're currently going down the path of a facilities condition assessments.

So, how do we maintain best proactively?

Um we also want to make sure that when we and and I met with Leslie yesterday and Peter, when we talk about staffing needs, um, we have to account for facility space needs.

Uh we get positions approved, and then we say, hey, we need a couple spaces for these people, and that's great, but we don't have them.

So that's that's the reason for looking at facilities to start with.

We can get we could get them moved over.

Um and when we met, and I I'd ask you know, councilman if if there's any comments you want to make.

When we did meet with the advisory council on Tuesday, um there seem it seemed amenable that this would be a shared facility in use.

Uh we recognize that the the facility as it was built and intended uh was intended to provide that access to the community for entrepreneurial stuff or services, those pieces, and we want to make sure that we can hold true to that, um, but at the same time recognizing that the city needs space for staff.

So I don't know if there's anything you want to add from that meeting.

Um I have a question.

Um facilities would be a temporary move, is that correct?

So it can uh a while back we talked about moving uh economic development down to our building downtown uh when fire moved out, and it seems like that's uh something that really needs to happen for economic development with what they do, and they should be downtown anyway.

Um is there a way you could put economic development there and maybe GIS and then uh have fire go to the upper floor of IH2C.

There's I mean there's a ton of things we could do.

Uh my I do believe that if we're gonna move economic development back downtown, that would be the best place for them to be, especially when we think about the downtown Nampus stuff that's going on, um, as well as there's equipment in the basement of that building that run stuff downtown.

Um moving GIS to a different location is it it is much more entangled with the public works function that's on the second floor of NDSC, that I think separating them out would would not be a wise move.

Um, but the space that that for the facility staff are using right now is upstairs right next to the GIS corridor, which would be part of why moving facilities.

Um fire again that that that could be an option.

Um I do know that that they continue to be actively looking for space.

Uh we recognize that you know we let them know in April that we would be we gave them that year of of notice that we would be charging um lease if they're still in that property.

I know they want to get out.

One option could be is um working with fire, and and even if it's not vacating that entire building, if there's the ability for economic development to move into the bottom floor of that building on the temporary and have fire admin find space for for the admin people.

Um I think that's a conversation as well.

Um the long-term use of the space at IH2C is really what I think we want to have additional time to focus on.

Uh when we work on the budget this year, we're gonna ask staff to look at a five-year plan from a staffing perspective, so we can also use that to calculate space.

Um, but we also know you know PD's looking at additional substation.

Um there's just need across the city.

Um, and I'd hate for us to make a decision now to uh that that we may regret down the road uh of of getting rid of what could be a great asset for for that internal focus or internal serving space.

If you got um economic development moved out at uh in development services building with that free up your space you need for GIS.

Um possibly the configuration of that, which is on the on the bottom floor, um all of the development services team is down there, whereas the public service or the public uh public work stuff is all on the second floor, not that they couldn't be multi-level, but it is something we could look at.

The the structure and where the facilities team is on the second floor right now, there'd be no need for remodel um or changing because there's office space for the supervisor position.

Um so and and then thinking long term, it actually would still leave two spaces, one space available for down the road, which I know there's additional need um from the development and uh project management side.

So the goal that as I've talked to um Tom as well, long term is to the best of our ability keeping our teams together and allowing that synergy to be able to flourish as we're working on projects.

Having to go a couple floors up and down, I think that's one thing.

Going to a different building, um, I think it's much more challenging.

That makes sense.

Uh and then as far as IH2C goes, if we need the space and absolutely uh we should figure out a way to keep it, but it needs a lot of work and uh we need to start planning that deferred maintenance, like the building envelope and things like that that need help because the EVIS is failing on it, so we need to take care of that before we lose the rest of that envelope.

That that's very true.

Originally we didn't have the IH2C on the list for the facilities condition assessment uh because we weren't anticipating that we'd still have it.

I have worked with Brian on making sure that when we look at our square footage, that's what the contract is based on, that we prioritize that building to ensure that we get that thorough review of the facility so we have those accurate costs of what needs to be done.

Thanks.

Um the last two years and it looks that it's pretty evident that the revenue for that facility is not coming in.

And so since this would mayor came up with this idea, I I firmly back that 100%.

It it allows us to use that building as we want to use it as well, and work in conjunction with the Idaho Hispanic Foundation and what they bring.

So uh it's a great idea.

I we discussed it the other day with our advisory group, and they seem to be pretty pretty acceptable to it.

And uh I I think it's a good move for us.

So I support it.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Mayor Councilman Bills.

Mayor, thank you.

Uh I guess what I see is is uh uh fires and in use of the downtown buildings becoming a real impediment to what the city needs is and I guess I would encourage uh you know whether long-term facility, uh building that's coming forward in two to three years, uh is one thing, but whether facilities occupies the ground floor and put economic development on the second floor and whether that goes in stages, um it seems important to get econ moved.

Um I guess I look at that it'd be better to have fire occupy temporarily the I2C upstairs, let them set up cubes and and so forth uh for space uh as they continue to look for what they're gonna do and get economic development moved.

Um and then uh frees up space to uh for GIS to be upstairs, facilities could move where econ is right now is a temporary, and then uh continue to look towards facilities moving.

I think to continue to have the downtown building occupied with uncertainty of when that's gonna become vacant is a real impediment to uh Clay's planning and the team's planning, and we need to somehow cordially uh encourage some moves to take place.

I think they have space in fire stations for some of their personnel, and it seems I2C could be uh transition space for them while they figure out what they're gonna do.

But in the meantime, the city is able to reoccupy the downtown building for its long-term use.

Those are my thoughts.

David, thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Um I think my recommendation would be that Clay that you begin a facility assessment discussion.

It's gonna take a little bit to decide who needs to go where.

I think I fully agree with you that the continuity of working together uh with teams, and I would just say so economic development, it's critical that they work very, very closely with development services.

They're right across the hall from one another when they host their clients, not clients but people coming in to meet.

There's a synergy there.

Um so uh but I think what we need to do is just do an overall assessment of where we are tied on space and which departments and what we're anticipating.

We do have some unknowns right now.

Um that probably the biggest unknown is prosecution, those services and where that's gonna land after this year.

Uh but I think these are all really great ideas that we need to discuss.

And so with um Clay, it would be you putting together a team to have a discussion about space, the best allocation of space, and then come back with a proposal.

But I think what I'm hearing today is that city council does agree that we uh work with the Idaho Hispanic Foundation.

We would be moving them downstairs and creating a longer term plan with them.

The intent is that they actually are the ones booking the building, that we free up staff, that we're not trying to book the building, the foundation.

Initially, their lease was three thousand a month, and then a thousand for the um community center.

We have discounted that to two thousand for them to fill the role at the front desk, but they're not booking the facility.

We are booking the facility.

So we've got to come up with that plan.

So that would be the next step is working with the foundation on what that uh really and seeing what their longevity is too with our funding and the grants that they've had and did not continue.

So we'll visit with them and and come back Clay you'll be doing it and through our incoming mayor and council this will probably get come back before council in hopefully in January because we do need to move pretty quickly with the foundation and figure that out.

So okay.

Any other questions, comments?

Okay, Clay, do you feel like you have the direction you need yep appreciate it.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That concludes our workshop this morning I would stand for a motion to adjourn.

I'll move all in favor?

Thank you.