If you want to comment on the hearing items go to the city agenda and follow the instructions.
Page numbers give below correspond to the page numbers of the packet items.
City Council Regular Meeting – 6:00 p.m.
Welcome and Roll Call
Pledge of Allegiance
Approval of Agenda: (Approved by Motion)
Presentations: Possibly to save itself from further embarrassing comments from Councilmember Bob Thompson, this council meeting will have no COVID update for the first time since March. At the last meeting Thompson said that it was a good thing that more people had COVID.
Public Hearing: You can have 3 minutes to comment here. Go to the agenda (link above) for instructions.
- Robert Zinsli wants the city to annex his 8.52 acres at 771 Shockley Road. The city will designate the zoning as low-density residential which allows primarily for residences but also for neighborhood amenities such as churches and restaurants. City staff assumes 24 units with 2.6 person per household (pg. 27). They have done a cost and benefit analysis that considers roads, fire department and police coverage but nothing about schools. According to Zillow, the owner tried to sell the property last year for $1.5 million. Pg. 20-30
2. Greg Markel of Vantage Way properties asked that the city rezone his 177 acres in Horn Rapids from agricultural to medium density residential which allows for duplexes and possibly townhouses as well as single family housing. He wants the additional 123 acres rezoned from public facility to commercial. This amends the Comprehensive Plan to allow that. In a telephone conversation earlier this year, I asked Markel if he felt that roads in the Horn Rapids area could handle the additional traffic. He said he did and added, “I may be dead before there is development on this property.”
The City of Richland will rezone its own 30-acre property in the Horn Rapid area from industrial to commercial. Pg. 89-98
3. This Amends the Zoning Maps to reflect the changes that have been requested in the above items. Pg.99-105
Public Comments: You have 2 minutes to talk about anything, unlike council members who can go on and on and on and on. No questions are allowed.
Consent Calendar: The Council lumps everything into this category. The items receive little if any discussion and only one vote so that no one can be held accountable.
Minutes
4. The council will approve the almost worthless minutes of the last meeting. It reads like this, “Councilmembers shared thoughts.” If you want to know what was actually said and what actually happened in the meetings go to the tape on City View.
Ordinances – First Reading
5. City Council votes itself a 1.3% raise. The raise will not take effect until 2024 after everyone who voted for it would be up for re-election. City-provided health insurance and other perks more than double the compensation that some city councilmembers make. Bob Thompson tops the list with about $37,000 in compensation in 2019. Pg. 16-19
6. See Item 1 under Public Hearing
Ordinances – Second Reading & Passage
7. This explains year-end budget reconciliation. Money is moved around to make it all balance out in the end. For instance, a police crime van was budgeted in the general fund for $275,000 but state and federal grants paid for it.That $275,000 can be used to cover a shortage somewhere else. At the last council meeting the city manager announced that $500,000 had been found in the budget to use for building a new the animal shelter. Pg. 31-34.
Resolutions – Adoptions
8. The Richland Police Department has received a $45,000 grant from federal and state funding for investigation and prosecution of internet crimes against children. The funds will help cover the costs of forensic hardware and software. Pg. 31-39
9. David Pandzhakidze owner of D&I Investments LLC wants to purchase 10 acres of the city’s property in the Horn Rapids Industrial Park for $400,000. The city has a repurchase right if a building plan is not submitted within 8 months of closing and if building has not begun in 18 months. Pandzhakidze writes to the city council that he already has his first client, Avallax LLC, that will lease at least a 6000 square foot building and bring two good paying jobs. Avallax LLC also belongs to Pandzhakidze. Pg. 40-57
10. This will extend the city’s contract with DGR Grant Construction in the amount of $119,278 for design and construction assistance for the two new fire stations, also known as “Public Safety Response Stations nos. 73&75.” Page 58-72.
Items – Approval
Nothing
Expenditures – Approval
Nothing
Items of Business
11. This proposed revision of the Richland Municipal Code would allow the city council to appoint a replacement for the city manager while they look to permanently fill the position when a city manager is absent for 60 days due to illness, disability or any other reason. Reents recommended increasing the current 14-day limit. When the councilmembers discussed this at the last meeting, Reents assured them that she felt fine and was not sick.
The code will also be amended to allow the city manager to pick an assistant city manager. The city hired Reents as assistant city manager in 2003.
12. See Item 2 under Public Hearing
13. See Item 3 under Public Hearing
Reports and Comments
Blah, blah, blah, curse, curse, curse.
Executive Session
A secret meeting to discuss lawsuits.