Friday, December 28, 2007

In Bellevue, police came and annexations went


By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

Blaine County Sheriff?s Office Lt. Ron Taylor was sworn in as Bellevue marshal at the end of November. It was the first part of a contract for service between the county and the city in which the sheriff?s office will provide law enforcement within Bellevue. Photo by David N. Seelig

For Bellevue city officials, much of 2007 was spent deliberating with developers and members of the public on three large annexation proposals that could dramatically change the city.

While the future of the annexations remains unclear, there was little doubt when it came to improving the police department, as the City Council approved a contract for service with the Blaine County Sheriff's Department.

Improvements in other departments should be in the works as well, with Bellevue residents voting for an increased tax levy to provide necessary funds.

The last man standing

Four months after the Planning and Zoning Commission denied developer John Scherer's proposed 280-acre Belle Ranch subdivision annexation, Harry Rinker pulled the application for his similarly sized Woodbridge Village annexation project, claiming that the city's financial demands were too high.

Both developments would have been located just south of Bellevue on the east side of Gannett Road. Combined, they would have included about 560 acres and 1,000 homes. An additional 50 acres would have been donated to the Blaine County School District for a new elementary school.

This left one major annexation proposal before the city. Located in Slaughterhouse Canyon, Strahorn Canyon Ranch could add 100 acres and nearly 200 homes to Bellevue if the details can be negotiated between the city and Ketchum developer Jeff Pfaeffle.

The P&Z approved the proposal in September 2006, and the City Council held a number of public hearings to discuss the density of the project, which would include at least 18 affordable housing units.

Pfaeffle is still working on the annexation agreement and it's uncertain when the issue will be back before the city.

Sheriff takes over law enforcement

After watching the roster of the Bellevue Marshal's Office dwindle over the summer until only Marshal Tim Green and an administrative assistant remained, the City Council looked to the county to improve law enforcement within the city.

Bellevue and Blaine County came to an agreement on a contract for services with the Sheriff's Office that began at the beginning of December.

The city will pay $352,361 for the contract, which is only for 10 months in order to match up with Bellevue's fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

In return, Blaine County Sheriff's Office Lt. Ron Taylor took over as Bellevue marshal. He will be assisted by four full-time officers, giving the city round-the-clock police coverage once the department has time to become fully staffed.

Part of the impetus for the contract was the high incidence of officers in the Marshal's Office departing for higher-paying jobs in other cities.

With the new contract, Bellevue city officials are looking to avoid retention issues in the future.

Residents look to improve city services

Bellevue residents voted in a special election in May to increase the city's tax levy as a way of improving what is regarded as a deficient level of service in a number of departments.

After two failed attempts in the past three years to approve the levy, city officials will finally be able to use this as a means to add to the city's $1.2 million budget.

The tax hike will bring in approximately $200,000, which will be used to increase levels of service in the fire, police and street departments and benefit the library.

In contrast to the previous attempts, this year a citizens' advisory committee—organized to determine the level of Bellevue's municipal services—recommended the tax hike in order to hire full-time employees in each of those departments, and to make other improvements.

Faces to change on City Council

The November election will result in a change from the perfect gender balance on the City Council in 2007 when Vivian Ivie and Beth Robrahn depart Bellevue public office in January 2008.

The two will be replaced by Larry Plott and Gene Ramsey, leaving Tammy Eaton as the lone female on the council.

Councilman and former Bellevue mayor Steve Fairbrother was re-elected to serve his third two-year term on the council.

Plott, who was the was director of the state's law enforcement training academy for 22 years, has also previously sat on the council, having been elected to a two-year term in 1998.

Like Plott, Ramsey, a 20-year resident of Bellevue, has an extensive law enforcement background and is Blaine County chief deputy sheriff. He will be making his first foray into city politics when he joins the council at the beginning of the new year.

The council members will face numerous challenges in 2008, including continuing financial woes, potential consolidation of the city's fire department and a final decision on Pfaeffle's proposed Strahorn annexation.

Cell phone tower approved

Despite the P&Z's negative reaction in May, the City Council approved a height variance for a 100-foot cell phone tower that will be located northeast of the U.S. Bank branch in Bellevue and approximately 170 feet east of Main Street.

In approving the variance requested by the Ketchum-based Idaho Tower Co., the council cited the fact that spotty cell phone coverage could lead to safety issues as emergency services personnel, such as firefighters and police officers, cannot currently depend on their cell phones for communication.

According to Idaho Tower Co. representatives, a cell tower of at least 70 feet would allow for in-building coverage throughout the city, as well as reception in Muldoon and Slaughterhouse canyons.

However, a 100-foot tower would be preferential in order to provide space for up to four different carriers, which would also allow the city to earn around $15,000 per year for leasing the land.

In the last council meeting of the year, City Administrator Tom Blanchard indicated that construction on the project is on track to begin in the spring.




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