New Meadows Youth Center Updates, Road & Street Committee Appointments
The New Meadows City Council met for their bi-monthly meeting on Monday, February 24, 2025. In attendance were council members Josh Carr, Traci Foster, Jeff Parnett, and Shiloh Ryker (via Zoom) along with Mayor Julie Good, City Clerk Kyla Gardner, and Deputy Clerk Sonya Brodhecker. Also on Zoom were City Attorney Richard Stubbs, City Engineer Grae Harper, and three citizens. Seven community members attended in person.
Mayor Good began the meeting with her report starting with an update on her recent meeting with Shannon McKnight with the Youth Advocacy Coalition regarding getting a local youth advisory board started. Mayor Good also plans to meet with school members about logistics to start the board.
Mayor Good reported that over the weekend the park restrooms were vandalized and are currently closed.
She also reported on a recent discussion with Mountain Community Transit on potential route expansion of the Gold Line route in order to include MeadowCreek as well as possibly the Youth Center between the months of May and September.
The Mayor also communicated that staff is working on getting all current water meter locations entered into city software so they can be located quickly, especially under snow. She also noted that they have received a few inquiries about adding tiny homes as second residences to properties in town and that they may be receiving new Conditional Use Permit requests in the near future as people look for more options to add affordable housing.
Next up, the Council moved to discussion items beginning with updates on the New Meadows Youth Center. Mayor Good reported she had met with Jeff Luff of 4 Corners Communications as well as Joe and Kimberly Dalrymple, Allison and Ian with the architecture firm, Dee Fredrickson, Kirk Kundrick, and Hunter Brown to go over the low voltage plan for items like speakers, cameras, and projectors. Mayor Good also reported to enthusiastic response from the council that R & M Steel Company donated the cover for the outdoor playground.
Mayor Good also said she will be giving a presentation about the youth center and the funding provided them by the St. Luke’s Community Health Improvement Fund at their event in June in Boise. She also said the Blue Cross of Idaho Community Foundation will be taking a tour during their retreat in April.
Mayor Good then noted that they had received a letter from Meadows Valley Rural Fire District stating they had not received a copy of the construction plans. Mayor Good noted it was never the city’s intention to not provide, circumvent, or refuse to give that information. She said the City Attorney has drafted a response for the Fire District and she asked each city council member if they had been approached about the plans by fire department representatives. Since Fire Chief Doug Buys was in attendance and had noted a desire to speak, Mayor Good called on him to reply. He noted that the fire department does not need to ask for the plans, but that it is the responsibility of those involved in the project to provide that information. He said the New Meadows Fire District had contacted the State Fire Marshal about the construction plans. Mayor Good said a fresh copy of the plans was being printed and she would personally deliver them to the station the following day. Chief Buys said they will review the plans internally and then send them to the State Fire Marshal. Council Member Foster asked if the fire district considers the project in violation and Chief Buys replied they will not know the answer to that until they see the plans and stated that building can continue for now.
The Council and Mayor then discussed the Volunteer Policy. Council member Foster put together a document for the Council to review and edit. After much discussion about specific language, length, and necessary details, the council agreed to read through the document, provide feedback, and offer change suggestions.
Next, there was an in depth discussion on Local Option Tax possibilities as well as discussion on how to educate the public on the potential benefits the tax could offer New Meadows. Items that could be taxed include lodging and alcoholic beverages with certain stipulations. The council agreed to review Idaho Code related to Local Option Tax as well as continue looking at Local Option Taxes in nearby cities. A Local Option Tax would be a ballot item for city residents to vote on.
The council then moved to action items beginning with a unanimously approved motion to approve Road & Streets committee appointments for Doug Buys, Doug Deasy, and Ken Crogh.
Next a motion was made to approve a recommendation to have the new Deputy Clerk be a notary. The council unanimously approved this including authorizing payment of fees associated with this certification.
A motion was made and approved unanimously for John Stone to be hired by Ziply as project inspector for the local Ziply projects. Stone previously worked on the city water project. Payment for his involvement in the project will be provided by Ziply.
The Council and Mayor then moved into an Executive Session. Upon return, the council voted unanimously to adjust Clerk Gardner’s wage and status to salary at her current wage rate for 40 hours per week with the understanding that the work week is 35 hours.
The consent agenda was approved unanimously after confirmation that each council member read the minutes from the February 10, 2025 meeting.
Future meeting topics may include Local Option Tax, Volunteer Policy, another Roads and Streets committee appointment, a presentation by the Idaho Child Trust Fund, a fair housing proclamation. There may also be a presentation from Harper about findings by the Roads and Streets committee on potential costs of the road projects and a presentation from Kirk Kundrick.
The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m..
