Residents press council on code enforcement, a stalled hotel remodel and public-records access

Several audience members used the town-hall period to press the council on neighborhood quality, private-construction impacts and transparency tools.

Brett Blair said the Best Western remodel near Applebee's in the Highland area has left trenches open for months and that the intermittent presence of contractors and blocked lanes raises public-safety concerns. Tom Kirkman, public works, said he had limited information, noted problems with passing inspections, and said building-department staff would provide a follow-up.

Christy Lewis raised code-enforcement concerns about property on Monav Vista that she said resembles a salvage yard; she said visible tires, car parts and uncovered rigs hurt property values and urged the council to prioritize code enforcement. Council members acknowledged the issue and said they are working to address enforcement structure.

Heather Disson urged better use and public access to NextRequest public-records requests and asked that meetings of the Pocatello Development Authority and the audit and investment committee be recorded or that audio be available. Council Member Pollson and Rich Morgan (finance) discussed OpenGov and the budget-visualization platform; Morgan said the contract calls for July 6 as the completion date and that budget portions of grants will be visible on the platform.

No formal actions were taken at the town hall; staff offered to follow up with individual callers and to investigate the Best Western site, code cases and records-access settings.