Subdivison Rule Changes Get Look

Kimball City Council’s vote to approve Ordinance #812 – which includes amendments to the city’s Subdivision Regulations Section of Chapter 11: Zoning Regulations – was delayed at the Nov. 15 council meeting because councilmen Matt Bright and Gabe Ingram said they were uncomfortable voting on the ordinance because they had not received sufficient time to read and digest the information.

They received the amendments on Tuesday afternoon and were expected to vote on the amendments at the 6 p.m. meeting. A special meeting to further discuss and possibly approve #812 was scheduled for Monday, Nov. 21. (See report in next week’s Observer.)

During the public hearing for Ordinance #812, a project planner from Olssons and Associates explained that they added updates and suggestions to the subdivision regulations. The representaive further explained that Kimball is looking at possible growth, and Kimball needs a fair amount of infrastructure to put the city in place for a lot more funding and competitiveness for funding.

The current subdivision regulations are four to five pages long, but Olssons wants them to be 20-30 pages of content. The main edits, according to Olssons, were to beef up the terms and definitions and add suggestions.

The public hearing topics on #812 that were discussed included the possibility of grant money, requirements for grant money, the need for infrastructure updates, deadlines for grants, waterline issues on Main Street, and grant funding for new developments and current infrastructure. Councilwoman Christy Warner said they have started the grant application process for “the soonest deadlines. We have to have some of this done real, real soon.”

An RFP (Request for Proposal) for a new, updated blight study was also on the agenda. Only one vendor, Marvin Planning Consultants returned the proposal for $10,000. It was determined that this firm was competent to do the study and the council approved the blight study.

Another RFP was issued for an updated Comprehensive Plan Study. A previous comprehensive study was done in 2016, but Warner said the city’s future is “looking very different than it did in 2016.”

The RFP went out to firms, and two responses were received.

Confluence and Marvin Planning were recommended by the Planning Commission, and the council approved the study at a base value of $34,000, along with an option of $18,700 for zoning and subdivision regulations update, totaling $52,700.

The city continues to move forward as the council approved an RFQ (Request for Qualifications) from Olsson and Associates for improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. This multi-step process is based on qualifications only, no fees or price was discussed or approved, and the city will enter into negotiations for fees at a later time.

Finally, the council approved Keno funds for the Community Concert Association and for Positive Spaces, and Mayor Keith Prunty appointed Robert Muench to the Airport Authority Board. The council approved the appointment.

The council entered into executive session with no action being taken.

The Kimball City Council planned to have a special meeting on Monday, Nov. 21, followed by its regular meeting on Dec. 6 at City Hall.