City will seek planning services

By Danica Baker
Herald Staff Writer

March 20, 2008 09:57 am

— CLINTON — The city of Clinton soon will be utilizing planning services through consulting firm Howard R. Green Company.
On Tuesday, the Clinton City Internal Operations Committee approved a motion authorizing City Administrator Gary Boden to proceed with securing a contract with HRG for city planning services. Boden explained that the services could be utilized for one to two years and would allow the city to get “caught up” with planning functions.
HRG Senior Project Manager Jim Halverson and Engineer Gil Janes discussed the proposal with the IOC. Halverson said an individual with the company that currently is completing work on a master’s degree in urban planning could be contracted as part of a “mentoring-type arrangement” at a lower hourly rate than one of the company’s full-time consultants. He said the arrangement would offer the person valuable work experience, as well as reduce the billing rate to the city. Halverson said the services would include looking at current zoning ordinances and planning procedures, as well as prioritization of city projects and how projects relate to the city plan.
Boden said he would expect the individual to attend planning commission meetings and staff development meetings. Halverson said the person would be available to city staff on a regular basis due to the intense interaction necessary to complete planning work.
Boden said the city budget includes $100,000 for consulting services in the planning area, which would be one of two sources of funding and noted administrative funds would be available from the half-cent sales tax. He said the cost of the position is expected in the range of $90,000 to $140,000 per year, depending on the city’s commitment to updating the planning process and policies. He noted the individual would be “backed up” by the staff at HRG.
He said the question to the council is how long the contract should last, remarking the city needs to do a lot of work quickly. Boden commented the firm could help modernize the zoning code, “plug in areas and take care of problems” for the city including work in the areas of land use planning, traffic planning and stormwater management.
Boden said if directed by the committee, he could negotiate a contract with HRG to be brought before the council Committee of the Whole at an upcoming meeting, detailing the costs, timeline and responsibilities involved. At-Large Councilman Ron Mallicoat said he thinks HRG has done much for the city and has proven the company does good work. He said he finds the proposal an “affordable arrangement.”
Janes said there is a need and opportunity for planning right now due to the high volume of projects going on in Clinton. He said that as the city stands on the threshold of instituting a building code, it is important for city officials to set the stage for future success.
Boden said the city also is looking for HRG to generate a process for addressing stormwater management concerns. Janes said there would be three aspects to addressing stormwater management issues, including developing a watershed management plan, dealing with regulatory issues and remediation of any existing problems. He said a watershed management plan would be regulated through Best Management Practices of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program. He stated the program consists of identifying potential pollutants and working to minimize and mitigate runoff and other concerns. Janes added that the city already is working on mitigation with the stormwater separation project and is doing what it can to minimize runoff naturally, including water retention and detention, seeding and wetland creation.
Janes said regulatory issues include review of current stormwater ordinances and oversight of internal processes. He said it is important the city proceed with caution in order to prevent further complications. Janes said external processes include oversight by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Regarding mediation and mitigation, Janes said it is important the city implement a comprehensive plan to deal with potential sources of flooding in a productive manner. He said the company would conduct a full investigation into the issue and then create a hydraulic model of the land footprint through a sophisticated computer simulation, including models for pre- and post-development, as well as speculative models for the estimated future.
Janes the city faces potential complications with stormwater management resulting from possible encroachments which could lead to flooding of areas of the city that are “not supposed to” and for which the city could be held legally responsible. He added that there could be violations of federal FEMA requirements and possible penalties include the agency making portions of the city ineligible for flood insurance or restricting federal funding opportunities.
Boden stressed that the potential complications are more evidence the city needs to concentrate more on planning, because demonstrative policies to mitigate and prevent problems aid negotiations with state and federal agencies.
“I encourage you to address this sooner rather than later,” Janes said.
City Engineer Steve Honse said much of the work “links together” and noted that McClure Engineering has been contracted to work on the stormwater ordinances and Stanley Consultants has performed a preliminary drainage study in the Mill Creek corridor. Committee member and Second Ward Councilman Mike Kearney questioned if the study would identify potential mistakes made by the city. Janes said the study would identify if the federally protected floodway has been encroached. Honse added that FEMA is starting a comprehensive study of the corridor, which should be complete some time next year. Mallicoat commented that with the ongoing thaw and expected rainfall amounts, he believes any mistakes “will be very apparent.”
Janes stated that the point of the effort is making sure processes are in place to protect the future. He warned, however, that standards are based on 100-year storm estimates and any area, at any time, could experience a more significant 500-year event.
He said that while no guarantee can be given regarding flooding prevention, the company follows prescribed procedures. Janes remarked there are some places where people shouldn’t build and at times, builders accept those risks themselves.