Sandpoint pedestrian committee approves amended agenda, discusses staff liaison, outreach and in-lieu fees

The Sandpoint Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee on Sept. 11 approved an amended agenda and amended minutes and spent much of its meeting discussing a new staff liaison and how the committee should receive project notifications and public outreach.

The committee voted to accept an amended agenda after staff said one of the amendments had been posted less than 48 hours before the meeting and therefore required a vote under Idaho law. "Because at least 1 of these amendments was made and posted less than 48 hours prior to the meeting, per Idaho code, the amended agenda cannot become effective until we vote to accept it," Committee Vice Chair Molly O'Reilly said. Aaron moved to accept the amended agenda; Julie Paczynski seconded. The motion passed by voice vote.

The committee then approved minutes from its Aug. 14 meeting with one amendment to add Bradley Peterson to the development review subcommittee. Erin Billing moved to approve the minutes as amended; Julie Paczynski seconded and the motion passed on a voice vote.

Why it matters: City staff said the committee will be asked to comment earlier in the planning and design process going forward so committee feedback can be incorporated without expensive redesigns or change orders. Eric Brubaker, the committee's new planning staff liaison, said the administration and council have been discussing subcommittee consistency and that he will try to time items to bring them to the committee when they can influence outcomes.

"There are 3 things happening concurrently that will affect this committee ... you will see us trying some things on. And it may impact the way that the meeting is structured and then it runs," Brubaker said. Public Works Director Holly Ellis said the city wants Ped/Bike committee input earlier: "By bringing these projects to you early, we can get your feedback and hopefully successfully incorporate that feedback without any of you acting like an engineer and minimizing design changes."

Members raised several process questions: how the committee will be notified of new projects, whether the committee can subscribe to project notices, and how staff will prioritize which projects to send for committee review. Brubaker said staff will assess notification options and try to socialize a solution that reduces custom work for IT and staff while getting relevant items to committee members.

Outreach and in-lieu fees: The committee also discussed whether to hold an open house to gather public input on pedestrian priorities or to convene a smaller listening session first. Staff and several members said there is an existing body of research (including past safe-routes-to-school work and committee research) that the committee should review before broad public outreach. Committee members flagged the in-lieu fees (developer mitigation funds) as a funding source that needs clearer tracking and objective criteria for spending.

Committee members and staff agreed to prepare a prioritization matrix and gather existing information before scheduling a public event. As one member put it, framing early outreach as a "listening session" might avoid repeating past public comments and help staff focus on actionable priorities.

Next steps: Staff said it will attempt to provide clearer project-notification options, pull together existing studies and data on pedestrian needs, and return with more detail (including a proposed prioritization matrix and schedule for any public outreach) at a future meeting. The approved amended agenda and minutes will be posted with the recorded votes noted as voice votes in the minutes.