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Gilbert City Council Meeting
October 4, 2004
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Basic stuff: The Gilbert City Council
met at 7:00 pm on October 4. It was a long session that covered many
items of business. Mayor Yvonne Wannemuehler moderated the meeting. All
council members were present: Craig Allen, Teri Gallahan, Lynn Henn, Bob
Jaquis, and Jon Popp. City administrator/clerk John Lloyd and city
engineer Scott Williams were also present. There were a few visitors,
including Harold Jensen who came to speak about a bicycle trail, Gazette
editor Helen Gunderson, and other persons.
City's second well:
The construction company (Cahoy) that is drilling Gilbert's new well reported on the
challenges and delays that it has incurred.
Gilbert-Ames bicycle trail:
Harold Jensen, retired county engineer and a resident of the Gilbert school
district, reported on progress that he and other grassroots planners are
making toward developing a bike trail between Gilbert and Ames on the east
side of the railroad tracks. He is particularly excited about a program that
has been proposed as part of the federal transportation bill which would
provide grant monies to help communities develop safe bicycle trails to
schools. However, passage of the bill is being held up due to the elections.
Harold also said that any plans for the Gilbert-Ames trail are contingent on
the willingness of landowners to cooperate with the project. He has already
made initial contact with all the landowners. Harold introduced Jay Walton
of Graham Land Acquisitions of Nevada to talk about the services he could
offer on a near pro bono basis to appraise the land, explain the project
and various land options to the landowners and get their feel for the idea.
It was the consensus of the council to allow Harold and Jay to approach the
landowners on behalf of the city as well as arrange for an environmental
impact review of the area. Harold and his
colleague will report back to the council on October 18.
Middle school construction
plans: Interim co-superintendent of the Gilbert school district, David Ashby,
talked at length with the council about construction plans for the new
middle school. Much of the conversation centered around the challenges
inherent in having an access road from the school onto Mathews Drive. At
least one person at the council table spoke about the area along Highway 69
near Hayden Preserve where there is increased danger due to the installation
of the new park. Neither David nor the council wanted the entrance to the
middle school from Mathews Drive to present a dangerous area similar to that
near Hayden Preserve. David and the council also discussed arrangements for
water and sewer utilities to the school.
We hope the public becomes aware of the potential problems with having
access to the middle school from Mathews Drive and express their opinions at
council and school board meetings.
Hearing to allow vet clinic in a residential
area: The council held the third and final hearing on a proposed change in the
zoning ordinance that is the first step to opening the gate to allow Dr. Tammy Kersting of the Companion
Animal Clinic to build a new clinic the northeast part of town. The area
is designated to be residential in the comprehensive plan that was
approved in December 2003. Helen Gunderson, who lives in the vicinity of
the proposed clinic site, was the only person to speak during the hearing.
The council proceeded to unanimously approve the change in the zoning code.
click on map for a broader image
| Note: During the hearing,
councilmember Bob Jaquis interrupted Helen several times. In our humble
opinion, we feel that at best, his remarks were intrusive and out of
order, especially during a public hearing when a citizen should be able
to express herself unfettered by the council which is supposed to listen. At worst, Bob's
remarks were rude and part of his style at the council table that we
have written about in the past. He is not the moderator of the council,
and if he wishes to raise a point of order, he should do so in an
appropriate manner. It is unfortunate that his fellow elected officials
do not challenge his style. However, it is only fair that people be able to
hear the conversation for themselves as we admit having a biased
perspective.
We went to city hall, asked for the audio cassette recording of the
meeting, cued it to the hearing, and dubbed the hearing onto our own
recorder. Then we made the following files. The conversation is not
edited, but is simply divided into small portions for easier access. You
will need
Real Audio software to listen to the files.
Some of the conversation refers to what Bob and Helen said at the Planning and
Zoning Commission
meeting
on October 18 about the proposed new clinic site.
For those people who don't know, an R3 zone is an
area for multi-family homes. In contrast, an R1 area is for single
family homes.
We also wrote commentary about the matter on
October 18 prior to the meeting and on
September 3. |
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content: |
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| 01 |
Yvonne announces the hearing, Bob moves to
open it, Lynn seconds the motion, etc. |
0:24 |
| 02 |
Helen asks about the city's next steps for
approving the clinic. Yvonne and others respond. |
1:04 |
| 03 |
Helen refers to a question that Bob had
asked her during the second hearing on the proposed ordinance that was
held on September 30. Bob's begins his interruptions, suggesting that
Helen is not addressing the issue at hand in the ordinance. Helen
challenges Bob with the simple question, "Are you the moderator?" Bob
continues to suggest that Helen is off topic. She reminds him they are
in a public hearing. |
1:07 |
| 04 |
Helen reviews a portion of the conversation
between her and Bob at the last council hearing and clarifies the key
intent of her remarks. |
1:06 |
| 05 |
Helen asks for clarity about Bob's comment
at the last hearing after Helen had finished her remarks, when she said
that there should not be commercial enterprises in a residential area.
At that time, Bob asked Helen if the city couldn't start with one
business [in the R3] area, but then he shifted his focus to what she had
said at the October 18 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting about
plans for the clinic. Bob tries to explain himself. Then Helen says
that her point is that at the last council hearing, Bob had essentially
accused her of flip-flopping. Bob agrees that he made the accusation,
but adds that he is not going to argue with Helen and that she can
discuss it by herself.
Craig intervenes to ask if there is a time limit for Helen's input.
Bob says that there is a three-minute limit.
Yvonne told Helen, "Just finish." Jon reinforced what Yvonne had said
and told Helen to proceed. |
1:26 |
| 06 |
Helen reviews what she had said at the P
and Z meeting. She claims that after it was obvious that the commission would approve the change in the ordinance to allow a
veterinary clinic to qualify for a special use permit in an R3 area, she
asked if there were other towns that allowed commercial facilities in an
R3 zone. According to Helen, P and Z member Frank Rydl said that some
progressive areas are adopting village plans, and she replied that would
be an ideal way to develop.
At the council hearing, however, Helen told the council that she had not
meant that a village plan would be ideal for the current situation (i.e.
the area northeast of town that is the proposed site for a new vet
clinic.) |
0:42 |
| 07 |
Helen says that her concern, based on
reliable sources and hearsay, is that the intent of approving the
ordinance is to get a foothold in the R3 area with a veterinary clinic
then put in more commercial facilities. She suggests that Bob's remark
about "starting with one business" reinforces those concerns. Helen
wonders if the people around the table understand that the ordinance is
part of something bigger or if they can confidently look her in the eye
and say [this is simply about the veterinary clinic.]
Bob explains that his remark was all in response to Helen's comments
at the P and Z meeting. Helen reminds him that he had taken her comments
out of context. |
1:19 |
| 08 |
Helen summarizes, saying that if the city's design
is to have commercial facilities in the designated area, it should be
part of a wholistic plan that is thought out ahead of time. She adds
that if there is to be a village or other wholistic plan that the
council should go back to the drawing board and the comprehensive plan
and ask where that would best be for the town.
She also says that she has not heard the council discuss the core
issue regarding the value of putting a commercial facility in a residential
area.
And she reminds Bob of her concern that he took the comments she made
at the P and Z Commission and reported them out of context at the
previous council meeting. |
1:16 |
| 09 |
Yvonne says that in an ideal world, the
council could talk about where it would put commercial but that the
problem is that the city doesn't own the land. She says that Dr.
Kersting, the veterinarian, has surveyed the area and found only one
place to buy land.
Yvonne also said that currently there is no master plan to put more
commercial in the area northeast of town but that, in the near future,
the council and P and Z Commission will need to look at where to develop
a commercial area. But she added that the issue of whether the landowner
will sell the land is another story. Yvonne says that the issue is a
tough one because Gilbert is landlocked. |
0:54 |
| 10 |
Helen says she appreciates Yvonne's
remarks. Helen also acknowledges that if she (Helen) was on the council
and dealing with the ordinance, she would find it difficult to vote "no"
on it, acknowledging the issue is a difficult one. Helen also
suggests that the council activate the P and Z Commission and an
economic development committee in order to be prepared for future needs
for commercial space.
Yvonne says that the problem lies in the difficulty of finding people
who would want to serve. |
0:41 |
| 11 |
Bob moves to close the hearing. Lynn
seconds it. The motion passes. Bob moves to approve the third reading
of the ordinance. Lynn seconds it. The roll call vote was unanimous to
approve the ordinance. |
0:28 |
| Note: The total hearing
lasted about 10 1/2 minutes. Helen spoke for about 6 1/2 minutes, and
Bob spoke for nearly two minutes. We don't understand why there should
have been even a hint of a time limit, especially when only one person
wished to speak during the hearing and when nothing was said about a
time limit to participants in previous hearings about the clinic. The
council should welcome citizens who wish to speak during a hearing. The
mayor and council members should also actively listen to the input
whether the they are comfortable with the speaker or not. To do so is
not only good manners, it probably is what the law requires or at least
that the law would suggest.
Craig's comment sounded like that of a chastising, paternalistic
figure rather than as someone who recognizes the intimidating style of a
fellow council member. He could have instead acted, at minimum, to
protect the speaker during a public forum and, at most, to challenge the
offending council member and hold him accountable for his actions.
Fortunately, Yvonne and Jon intervened and encouraged Helen to
complete her line of thought. |
Main Street parking: The city engineer, Scott Williams of WHKS Company, presented an
illustrated aerial photo of the downtown area of Gilbert showing how the
city might paint the street in order to implement a parking plan. The
council studied the map and discussed the plan. City administrator John
Lloyd will post the map at the post office and give copies to business
owners for the purpose of getting public feedback about the plan..
An affluent town: There was some discussion about the city applying for a block grant to
help solve some infrastructure problems such as adequate stormwater
drainage. However, the conclusion was that Gilbert citizenry is too affluent
to qualify for the grant funds.
A gate for Banford Park: Finally, there was talk about installing a gate on Thompson Drive at the
entrance to Banford park.
The meeting adjourned.
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This unofficial summary provided by Gilbert Gazette
editor, Helen D. Gunderson.
If someone has an eye for proof-reading and finds typos, mis-spelling,
grammar, or other errors, please let
us know so we can make corrections. It's difficult and time-consuming
to prepare the summary, and although it would be wise to find a copy
editor before posting the summaries, we feel it is important to make the
essence of the material available to the public as soon as possible.
Also, the city council tape records each
meeting, and the clerk maintains the cassettes for use in writing the
minutes and clarifying future questions about meetings. Those tapes are part of the public record
and citizens and other persons may arrange with the clerk to listen
to the tapes at city hall. Contact city administrator/clerk
John Lloyd for further
information.
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