TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

Members Present:

Wes Estep
Jeff Hoedt
Bret Rohde
Lyle Vance
Blair Westergard
Lyle Holmgren, Mayor
Marc Christensen, City Manager
Linsey Nessen, City Recorder

 

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Holmgren called the February 6, 2024 City Council Workshop to order at 5:01 p.m. The meeting was held in the City Council Meeting Room at 102 South Tremont Street, Tremonton, Utah. Those in attendance were Mayor Holmgren, Councilmembers Estep, Hoedt, Rohde, Vance, and Westergard, City Manager Christensen, and City Recorder Nessen. The following Department Heads were also present: Fire Chief Brady Hansen, Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre, Treasurer Sharri Oyler (arrived at 5:07 p.m.), and Downtown Manager Sara Mohrman. Also in attendance: City Attorney Dustin Ericson (arrived at 6:25 p.m. and left at 7 p.m.).

The following items were discussed out of order.

  1. City Council Visioning Workshop and Preliminary Budget Discussions – (1 hour)

Mayor Holmgren said a big part of the Council’s role is to set the course for the City. This is an overview of things we need to be looking at. As we are launching into our budget season, we need to discuss our priorities and how we are going to deal with issues. Last year, we came up with a mission and vision. Our mission is to create a safe and welcoming community where neighbors feel connected to each other and can enjoy life. Our vision is to be a connected community with a vibrant and welcoming feel. As we make decisions and vote on resolutions and ordinances, we ought to make sure we address our pillars. USU conducted a wellness survey in 2022. Water supply was a huge issue, as well as roads and transportation, affordable housing, public safety and opportunities for youth. We have discussed Midland Square and this really has an economic purpose to draw people downtown. It is to be a catalyst for the rest of downtown to help increase the viability of Main Street. We have discussed lighting, streetscapes and facade grants. Tremonton has secured a $405,000 grant to help with Midland Square and we have RDA funding that we have been collecting for several years (about $1 million). We have aggressively pursued secondary water for several years. Once Service Area 4 is completed, we will have accomplished this endeavor in a big part of the City. We will start our Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) this year. We already have funding secured for Service Area 4 and the ASR projects. The equalization basin on the south end of town is nearing completion. We will begin another on the east canal. We also need to discuss future water sources. The Water Conservancy District has said all the easy water is found. We need to think about creating future water sources. Each year there is a cost-of-living adjustment for our employees. The police department is restructuring their salaries, and we will have additional FTEs. We have needs in terms of planning. We also need to discuss snow removal and our policies there.

When asked about 1000 North, Manager Christensen said there are 11 property owners along there. Our acquisition agent is making headway. Three have signed the agreement. We have eight more to go before we can get the construction documents out to bid. We are on pace to do it this summer. Most people are very receptive and want that road done (2300 West to 2650 West). It will be widened and have sidewalk. Then there is Blake Christensen’s property, 1200 South. We have worked with the canal company and sent them all the documentation they need to sign to widen that road. We do need to get the power poles moved. There is also 1650 West that will be a stub road to open up that section.

Mayor Holmgren said another pressing issue is affordable housing. The State is really emphasizing that. Councilmember Vance said I worked in the banking world and there are people all the time wondering if they can bring franchises and retail to Tremonton. At the bank we never really had any numbers that showed the market area of Tremonton as far as population. Those numbers show Tremonton does not have enough of a population to support a franchise. In the last two years, I can tell you of at least 12 situations where people have been ready to invest $500,000 to bring a franchise in, but they get turned down because the numbers do not justify doing so. That really holds us back. We want to get the Kem Gardner Institute involved, because when they put together numbers it is like gold. They can help us define our market area as far as population from Plymouth south and all the way to Park Valley to include everyone who does their commerce in Tremonton. That would entice and make it easier for people to bring stuff in. Mayor Holmgren said they are putting those numbers together. On March 15, they will have a keynote speaker for the Box Elder County Economic Summit to present this information.

Mayor Holmgren said for parks and recreation, we will have Stokes Park on the west side of town. Manager Christensen said we want the Council to be aware of it and where we are at on our park acreage. Director LeFevre has put together our level of service. The National Recreation and Parks Association, have a standard to factor your number of acres for your population. Their median is 13. We are at a 2.7 when it comes to park space. In the Land Use Plan, the City’s ultimate goal is to get to 5.5. We have a few things in the works that would get us to 4.9. As we discuss the budget, it is important to keep parks in mind as we are growing and developing. The Council should think about setting aside money to develop these parks as we move along. They reviewed the different parks in Tremonton.

Manager Christensen said we need to adopt a tentative budget the first meeting in May. Then we need to adopt a final budget, which can be changed between May 7 and June 18. The final budget needs to be adopted by June 18, unless we go through Truth in Taxation, then June 18, the budget would become a tentative budget and we would go through the Truth in Taxation process like last year. This discussion will help us determine the Council’s priorities. As I start to draft the tentative budget, I can make sure those things are included. We can always reprioritize if there is not enough money or add more if there is more money. The Council asked Manager Christensen to provide last year’s budget for their review and to help in the process. The Council agreed to meet earlier at their next meeting to start delving into the budget and City priorities.

  1. ASR Project Update Mark Chandler CRS Engineering – (15 min)

Manager Christensen said we applied for CDBG funding for the ASR project and bid for an engineering firm, who specializes in ASR projects. The City picked CRS based on their qualifications. Tonight’s agenda would approve the engineering services professional agreement with CRS. It has not changed, but I wanted him to give an update to the Council since we have two new members. Mr. Chandler said the City’s primary spring pumps to a tank. The project is two-fold. One is to put a booster station there. The City would get that infrastructure in place so that water could be pumped and injected into the well. The first part is design and construction of that system of valves, pumps and pipes—all the physical and mechanical improvements that need to be made to the system to allow it to function as an ASR well. In the past this well has functioned moderately well, but later in the summer it starts to see significant drawdowns. The intent is to inject more water from the springs into that well and build up a larger store of water rights to be used for longer periods. That becomes an additional source for the City. The second part of the project is to run a full pilot study with that well, start injecting water and observe how the aquifer and well respond. Over time you will see a reduction in efficiency. The pilot study is intended to minimize as many of those as possible for the long-term operations. Once we get to the final operation and submit the permit to the State we are ready. We will go through all the steps so you have the final design and explain how you are going to operate the well. The second part of the project will document and test the characteristics and capabilities of the aquifer so we can finalize the application to the State to have a recharge and recovery project at that site. Those are the primary elements. We must design and construct everything to get the water over there and then we would have to watch it for one hydrologic season—so about a year and a half before everything is to where we should be able to start making those submittals. The cost of putting this system in and getting it up and running is significantly cheaper than drilling a well and trying to find a completely brand-new water source. We are trying to maximize this asset you already have. Mayor Holmgren said this is all funded by a grant. We have the $200,000 from the CDBG grant plus we received $1.1 million from the State for water projects. Part of that will go to the ASR project and the other will go to the equalization basin. Councilmember Hoedt asked if the capacity of the well is such that it would meet our needs for the next five to 10 years or should we be looking for additional resources? Mr. Chandler said based on your projected future growth you will need to look for future resources, but this should get you through 10 years.

  1. Open and Public Meetings Act Training – Dustin Ericson – (20 min)

City Attorney Dustin Ericson was in attendance to provide the Council with training. They watched a YouTube video put on by the State. Attorney Ericson said that was a quick overview of the Open Meetings Act. I wanted to draw the Council’s attention to an ordinance that was passed last year. The State Legislature in Title 10 allowed cities to make order and procedure rules for the Council and other meetings. Tremonton chose to follow and adopt that. This ordinance has an outline of the rules of order and procedure that this Council adopted and is still in effect. Councilmember Hoedt asked for a clarification on social events where a quorum might be present. Attorney Ericson said a retirement or holiday party is when all of you could be present and it would not be an issue, so long as you do not discuss Council matters. There is also training sessions where specific Council business should not be attended to and certainly not voted on. He explained that a quorum is any time there are four members of the Council. Councilmember Rohde said several years ago, we took the stance, that we listen to the public, but do not comment and that was not well received, nor did it feel good. Now we address those public comments. How should we proceed? Attorney Ericson said if a resident addresses something that is not on the agenda, you are allowed to discuss it, but you cannot take any action. Those items could be added to your next meeting’s agenda. The Council can address public comment, but the Council cannot start a new topic on their own.

  1. Report on City Planning Efforts – (20 min)
    1. Contract Zoning and Building Services, Tyler Seaman, Beacon Code Consultants
    2. Contract Plan Review and other Planning Services, Sam Taylor, Landmark Design

Manager Christensen said Mr. Seaman is our contracted building official, as is Mr. Taylor, who has done a lot of work for us with Landmark Design (long-range planning for the City and some landscape). Our previous City Manager Shawn Warnke was doing so much of the planning work in the City. I wanted to update the Council on where we are at. We will do planning by committee until we can get someone fully on board. Mr. Seaman has been the building consultant since April. Mr. Seaman said I have an extensive background in building inspection and plan review. I have enough to be dangerous in land use zoning and help other cities do the same things. The most important thing as a community is to be able to answer the questions that come in daily. I handle the day-to-day zoning questions. This is definitely a team effort. There are a lot of back-end things that happen in the planning and zoning world. Manager Christensen is doing a fantastic job. Since Mr. Warnke left, we have been getting dialed in on what projects are in the City. We have already met with a couple of developers and are making sure the ball is not getting dropped. We are keeping the progress of the City going while you make sure you get the right person. I am in Tremonton every day to do planning and am excited to be a part of the team. Mr. Taylor said our company has been working with the City since 2020 on the Land Use Plan. I have worked with Mr. Warnke and Manager Christensen on a number of planning issues. We have a good handle on what your vision is for the community, which is an advantage.

Manager Christensen said we had a planner that did not work out. We are still looking for an in-house planner. If that planner happens to be a little less qualified, then these guys can continue to help by consulting. The plan is to get a full-time employee in place. It is nice to have one person walking a developer through the whole process. We do have processes in place to make it as seamless as possible for now. We also have our Public Works Director and City Engineer providing their expertise and doing inspections.

  1. Review of the agenda items identified on 7:00 p.m. City Council Agenda

 

  1. CLOSED SESSIONS: No closed session held at this time.
  2. Strategy session to discuss the purchase of real property when public discussion of the transaction would disclose the appraisal or estimated value of the property under consideration or prevent the public body from completing the transaction on the best possible terms; and/or
  3. Strategy session to discuss the character, professional competence or physical or mental health of an individual; and/or
  4. Strategy sessions to discuss pending or reasonably imminent litigation; and/or
  5. Discussions regarding security personnel, devices or systems

The meeting adjourned at 6:51 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

 

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

 

Mayor Holmgren called the February 6, 2024 City Council Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The meeting was held in the Tremonton City Council Meeting Room at 102 South Tremont Street, Tremonton, Utah. Those in attendance were Mayor Holmgren, Councilmembers Estep, Hoedt, Rohde, Vance, and Westergard, City Manager Christensen, and City Recorder Nessen. The following Department Heads were also present: Police Chief Dustin Cordova (arrived at 7:15), Fire Chief Brady Hansen, Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre, Treasurer Sharri Oyler and Downtown Manager Sara Mohrman.

  1. Opening Ceremony:

Mayor Holmgren informed the audience that he had received no written or oral request to participate in the Opening Ceremony. He asked anyone who may be offended by listening to a prayer to step out into the lobby for this portion of the meeting. The prayer was offered by Councilmember Hoedt and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Parker Collom.

  1. Introduction of guests: Mayor Holmgren welcomed those in attendance, including a group of students.

 

  1. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None.

 

  1. Approval of Agenda:

 

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the agenda of February 6, 2024. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye.  Motion approved.

 

  1. Approval of minutes – January 16, 2024

 

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve the minutes of January 16, 2024. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye.  Motion approved.

 

  1. Years of Service Awards
  2. Bret Rohde, City Councilmember – 10 years

 

Mayor Holmgren thanked Councilmember Rohde for his years of service.

 

  1. Citizenship Awards
    1. Tremonton City Citizenship Award to Elementary and Intermediate Students

 

Mayor Holmgren said I want to recognize our young people. They have been examples in their schools as good citizens. They have been responsible and safe. We are really grateful for that. We also want to recognize their principals and the schools for the great job they are doing. Youth were provided with a gift card for their efforts.

 

  1. Public comments:

 

Mayor Holmgren said I assume many of you are here with questions about the Midland Square Project. I see several of you are veterans and maybe there is concern about the Veterans Memorial. That portion of Midland Square will stay exactly as it is. The purpose behind this project is to create an area for people to gather. The idea is for it to become a catalyst for Main Street. Research shows that as we bring people into the area, that has a positive impact on the Main Street economy. We want to make something that is better and more useful, but hold onto the important things, like the Veterans Memorial. Councilmember Rohde said it is important for everyone to realize, this is a concept. We would love to hear your ideas.

 

Marianne Valenta said I was born and raised in Tremonton. I own a home and pay taxes. I have nine family members buried at the cemetery and my husband and I will be buried there. I am here in the hopes that no one else will ever come across the scene like I did at our cemetery. She provided pictures and said I cannot describe the shock and sadness. Seven of my family graves were desecrated. My family plots were used as some kind of a staging area for a full-size backhoe. The backhoe went back and forth over my graves. The graves were dislodged in different ways by the weight and turning of the backhoe. The mud was so deep on the headstones you could not even see the names. There were ruts a foot deep and some places were worse. Mayor Holmgren is my friend and I called him immediately, asking him to meet me at the cemetery. He arrived and was as appalled as I was. He and I both have buried children, and those graves are especially hard to see harmed. He assured me that everything would be repaired and put back in order. You can see in the pictures I have given you how lovely that area had been. It will take a lot of work to get it back. The person that desecrated these graves did it willfully, knowingly and thoughtlessly. These are the graves of my great-grandparents, my grandparents, my parents, and my daughter. The man who was driving the backhoe is also a City Councilman, Mr. Estep. He approached me at the gravesite and did not apologize. He saw what you are seeing. He said it just had to be done. Under no circumstances should any burial do that much harm to existing graves. There is no excuse for the harm that was caused. There were obvious alternative ways this grave could have been dug. Did Mr. Estep have a supervisor that okayed this job? I believe Paul Fulgham is the head of the department. Did he think this was a good idea? I believe people who work in cemeteries should be held to higher standards. They are not digging ditches. Cemeteries are hallowed ground and should be treated with reverence. I am confident that Mayor Holmgren will follow through on the needed repairs. There are rules, regulations and laws regarding burials and how existing graves and headstones are treated. The public works department needs to review this information and instruct the cemetery workers to act accordingly. The City needs a proper size excavator for digging graves. I believe the people of Bear River Valley need reassurance that this travesty will never happen again.

 

Mrs. Valenta said now I would like to address the Midland Square issue from my perspective. The Midland Square land was in negotiations to be sold to a tire shop when I became involved. The City wanted to buy the property, but could not meet the Holmgren’s asking price. My husband and I asked the City what was the difference in price and we gave them the money, which was considerable. That facilitated buying Midland Square. We had one stipulation in giving the money. We asked that the alley be removed to prevent people from driving along there against the building with the mural. They did put a post there so people cannot drive through. We wanted nothing else. I am telling you my involvement in Midland Square so you can see where my interest comes from in this proposed project. Three generations of my family have had businesses on Main Street starting in 1906. Growing up a block off Main Street, Tremonton was my neighborhood, and I loved it. Jim and I were happy to be able to help Tremonton have a town square. Our vision included trees, flowers, benches—just something pretty on Main Street. We did not know what it was going to evolve to. To build this plan you are planning to demolish the whole square and get rid of everything in it. Progress does not require destroying everything old. It seems to me that some of the existing squares should be kept in honor of a community that came together to create this square by their donations. There were donations such as trees, benches, the clock tower, the lovely statue of the children, money and brick pavers, contributions from organizations, monetary donations from individuals, and time and labor. Some of the things that could be kept in your new plan would be the beautiful bronze statue of the children and the benches that were donated. Out of respect for many donors, please keep the brick pavers. Many of the pavers are in remembrance of loved ones that had been a part of Tremonton’s past. If even a few things could be kept in the plan, I believe it would show appreciation to the original community donors that turned the Midland Hotel ashes into something lovely. I have seen the plans and they are beautiful and include many improvements. I especially like the arches over the entrances. The bathrooms are a great addition and the level ground will make it a more usable square. However, I do not like the idea of replacing the previously mentioned brick pavers with a splash pad. We do not need another. We already have one three blocks away. Why would we want to incur the liability, maintenance and expense. We need to conserve water. Thank you for your time.

 

Kristie Bowcutt mentioned the book, “13 Ways to Kill Your Community,” which addresses a lack of public involvement. She said we need to listen to the public. Let the public have a voice in what is going on. Choices that City leaders make can sabotage their own success. Money does not fix problems. Identify the problem or work to fix it. Adding money to a problem is not the fix. It causes us to lose focus and resolve, which means we will end up right back where we started. When the solution starts with money, we fail. The problem is empty storefronts. While you have said that yourself, we do not have people downtown. The owner needs to take care of that. The owner needs to actively look for occupants in their store and upgrade storefronts. Don’s Furniture did it themselves and it looks beautiful. We are not babysitters for the owners. If you want people downtown those storefronts need to be filled. My husband was in the guard for seven years. It was not until this past year that he would say, I am a veteran. His name is not on the monument, but many others are. I am proud to stand with all the veterans in this world that have given their lives. President Monson said this park is to reflect, to open the floodgates, to allow those who have served in America in times of peace and war, the square is a place to ponder and to remember. I ask that you consider that when you are making your decision. The problem is empty storefronts. Tired old storefronts and not enough parking on Main Street. Move the Farmer’s Market to Shuman Park. There is plenty of parking, large trees and open spaces to do whatever you want. There are two stages in town that are not being used. We do not need a third one. You can amend your bond for Midland Square, to use at Shuman Park. You raised taxes by 50%. This hurt. Each time you have a Farmer’s Market, you close off 1st West. I have been on the receiving end of the ambulance. Time, minutes, seconds count. You do not know how much congestion it is going to add. They are first priority, not a Farmer’s Market. Let us not throw money around. Let us find the solution and fix the problem. It looks great on paper, but I do not think Tremonton needs this.

 

Julia Wardle said I would like to have my voice heard regarding what is being planned to Midland Square. This is personal to me because I have five brothers that are represented on those memorials. I feel this area defines our community and the love and loyalty we have for our veterans. Our veterans, who risk their lives for our Country. Have you ever visited Pearl Harbor or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? I have. While visiting, I have felt very strongly the sacred and solemn feeling that unmistakably exists in these areas. Why can we not create the same environment for our own veterans? I cannot imagine putting a Farmer’s Market or recreational facilities in those memorials of solemnity in Washington, D.C. and Hawaii. Why should our military men not deserve the same respect? Midland Square was set aside and dedicated in our veterans’ honor and for no other reason. I have a lot of respect and gratitude for Ace Christensen who put a lot of time, money and effort into the memorial and who served in World War II. He spent three and a half years in the Japanese prison camp. I think the whole plan would be disrespectful to him and would show disregard for his efforts. I do not feel that any other activity in Midland Square is appropriate and it would completely overshadow the true purpose of the memorial. I attended the veterans’ program at the high school and could not help but notice a few students would not stand for the flag or say the Pledge of Allegiance. This showed the lack of knowledge and respect for our veterans that is taking place in our Country today. We do not need to be a part of this problem of minimizing our veterans and the service they gave. I feel that putting in a Farmer’s Market in the sacred area is not going to bring more business to Main Street. The trend nowadays is to shop online. You can get anything you want and it is delivered right to your door. Midland Square is already the most beautiful place on Main Street. If you are concerned about beautification on Main Street, do not destroy the beauty that is already there. My solution would be to take your plans to Library Park. They would welcome you there. They would love to see this happen to their park and there is more room. I want to thank you for listening to my concerns and hope you will act appropriately in this manner.

 

Rick Jeppesen said first of all, I want to thank each of you for being willing to serve. You have tough decisions to make. I am here to express some of the same sentiments. I have been to Arlington five times. Midland Square is Tremonton’s Arlington. So that is not a splash pad, just a fountain? I understand about tearing up pavements and stuff, but I do not think there should be activities like that there so we can maintain the reverence and serenity, like Arlington. The Farmer’s Market would not have to go there. It could go in a nicer location like Shuman Park. I do not have a problem with leveling areas. The stage and bathrooms are probably nice for when people visit, especially for memorials and programs that honor veterans. My only concern would be, do we need those activities there? I know it is not completely quiet for the reverence that should be there because it is right on Main Street. There are compromises and different ideas in that. I do not think a Farmer’s Market would have to go there. I can see beautifying downtown. This is nice to start with. Again, thank you for your service to the community and I hope you consider a lot of the things that people are talking about today.

 

Harry Gephardt said my family came to Tremonton in 1910. My grandpa and uncles bought a store. We stayed for 77 years. One of the locations we had in town was Midland Square. The Mayor’s grandpa and my uncle were very good friends. The Golden Rule Store is still represented on the east wall. They lived by the Golden Rule and I was fortunate enough to continue the family business until 1987. I would like to borrow from Lee Greenwood a paragraph about how I feel. I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free and I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me and I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today and there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the USA. Thank you.

 

Dave Kilfoyle said I am the commander of the American Legion. How many of you have been to Arlington? There are many soldiers guarding that tomb of the unknown soldier. When that jet crashed into the Pentagon that nearly broke their ear drums because they would not leave. Why would we want kids running around, crawling all over the monument? The library park already has the splash pad and there is more parking. Are you going to block that road? Where is everybody going to park?  Mayor Holmgren said it is going to be full during these events. There is parking to the south. We want people downtown. We want them to come and enjoy this. As far as kids walking around and looking at the monument and touching it, more power to them. Absolutely we want to have kids understand their heritage. The memorial was dedicated not the square. This has an economic purpose. The Farmer’s Market and other activities bring people into the downtown area. It is not just haphazard. We want people downtown and for a Saturday a month we close off 1st West. Mr. Kilfoyle said what is wrong with Main Street the way it looks now? Mayor Holmgren said I have issues with the vacancies. I have issues with not being able to go on Main Street and have a real good selection of restaurants to enjoy. There are things we need to do. We need to encourage people to come into the downtown area. People cannot eat online. We need restaurants. There are different things we can do to bring people into the downtown area to make it more of a community.

 

Colleen Johnson said I wish you all would have been here when we were first putting this square together. I would have loved to have the help. We had zero budget and did the best we could. I traveled through three or four states by car, going to small towns and seeing their developments. I have to take blame for the placement of the Veterans Memorial. As I traveled through these other communities, I saw a Veterans Memorial and how supported it was. Many people wanted it at the cemetery. We felt the public could enjoy it and use it for their own memories and traditions. We put it in Midland Square instead. I apologize to anyone that might be offended by the placement. I asked Ace Christensen to take over the project and he did a tremendous job. When we first started Midland Square it was to boost the economy and get more traffic downtown. There are a lot of shops downtown that we do not even go into. That we do not even know exist. They are trying to make a living and make it a better place. I think that foot traffic, being aware, loving the community enough to get involved—I am just tickled to death to see the involvement. We need more hands to be on the positive aspect of getting our little town to be a destination. It has been a lot of years since we put that up. We had a lot of fun with it. I know that the intent of this is to bolster Tremonton and keep it alive. In this era where we are online, it is hard to keep a storefront going. We need any help we can get to occupy our buildings. We have adequate buildings downtown that are empty. We need to work together for a solution and not be divided. There is always room for improvement. Congratulations on wanting to have a voice about what is going on. We need positive voices and involvement. If you do not have a solution, you are part of the problem. Let us get some solutions and get this going so everybody can be satisfied. There was a heck of a lot of good old fashioned elbow grease that put this thing together. I would hope that we work together and have good feelings among each other.

 

Chann Poppleton said I am a vet and I grew up in Tremonton. I participated in a lot of the traditions that happened in this town, including dragging Main Street in the 80s. That has been recreated in an event that happens once or twice a year. People come out in droves to watch those guys with their old hot rods and the burnout contests. I see people walking through that memorial all day long. That can be an important part of what Tremonton is in the future. We can incorporate that memorial into what this town will become. There is plenty of room for Farmer’s Markets at Library Park. I think you have a community consensus of where something like that should go. The murals in this town are nationally known. Let us not screw those up. There was an old hotel and bus stop before it burned down and the City turned it into something wonderful. Let us not ruin that. Let us build around that. I do not know many small towns that have a memorial like this. We need to protect that and turn it into something we can broadcast nationally. Thank you.

 

Sara Mohrman said I am a Main Street business owner. I work closely with our Main Street businesses. I also run our Farmer’s Market and was part of this project. From the beginning, we never even contemplated moving the Veterans Memorial. We know it is extremely important. We have done the Farmer’s Market for two years now very successfully. We have not seen anybody do anything to cause harm to the memorial. If anything, I have noticed people actually sitting there reading the names and paying attention to it more. My business is directly across from the square. During the Farmer’s Market is when people are noticing it. Very rarely do I see people there otherwise. The point of this is to bring people downtown to support our businesses because they are dying. We recently did our leakage report. We are only collecting 17% of the revenue we should be for retail in our community. That means most people are shopping outside of town and that is why we have empty storefronts. It is because people are not supporting local. We need businesses here to support our tax revenue so we can continue to do things. We need to attract businesses that are unique to our community that you cannot go online and shop for. That brings people from outside our community to help with our tax base. That is what we are trying to do and that is what this is for. We need this to get people here and to be aware of our businesses. I really hope people can understand this is much bigger than just redoing the square. Thanks.

 

Jamie Poppleton said the turnout here is amazing. People have approached you in the past with their voices, feelings, concerns and people quit coming because they do not feel like they are heard. I ask that you really take into consideration everybody here and what this town means to them. Our business was on Main Street. It was on East Main Street. We provided food for all of Box Elder County. Tremonton and Main Street has the businesses, but you also have Tremonton on the North and South. I worked for Aspen Pine Video for years. I watched the Tremonton Cleaners go down the drain because they were not getting business. They are one block off North and South. The businesses that are on the North and South streets of Main Street do not see a lot of the traffic. You need to expand it in both directions, not just East and West. That would be huge for Tremonton. Beautifying just Main Street is one thing, but do not forget about the little people on the side streets. If you can expand it all directions, that would be huge.

 

Darlene Hoedt said I have a planning department background. I wanted to encourage you to do a TRC meeting (technical review committee) so that you get your other departments involved in your review of your site plans. If you had an area that involved our National Park Service, they could review those plans so that the planner is not the one who has to know all the ordinances and regulations. People in different departments are the ones who have to know those ordinances and that is why they should be reviewing the plans also. They put their comments on the site plan, send it to the planner, who is reviewing it and then they can put it together and approve it or go back to the applicant and tell them what they need to revise. I would also ask you regarding Midland Square that you take into consideration the comments people have made today and not blow it off. It is very important to the community as you can tell and I think it warrants a reconsideration of the concept plan. I want you to know that I think these comments that have been made are very important and are from the heart. Thank you.

 

Deborah Long said my dad, Eldon Borgstrom and his four brothers are at Midland Square. We are working on getting something at the cemetery too. People want to know about the Borgstrom boys. I send them to Midland Square, the museum and the cemetery. I am glad you are not thinking of changing that part, but people need to have room to really respect and ponder. We need to teach people a little more about respect and what everybody has lost. Let us get some businesses in. Thank you for every one of you that have put up Midland Square in honor of everyone. Thank you.

 

Mayor Holmgren said you brought up a lot of concerns and issues we need to address. Nobody is trying to desecrate something that is great with the Memorial. I think we can work something out that will make this a better place for everybody. If any of you would like to come forward after the meeting, we can further discuss this.

 

  1. New Council Business:
  1. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 24-14 approving a professional services agreement with CRS Engineers for engineering services associated with the design of the Cedar Ridge Well Aquifer Storage and Recovery

 

Manager Christensen said we were granted the funding for this project. These engineers have the expertise to be project managers for CDBG funding, which requires extra oversight. They are well versed in what it takes to do an ASR project. This is the agreement we would enter with them to provide this engineering service and oversee the project. It is all paid for through the CDBG funds as well as $1.1 million from the State.

 

Motion by Councilmember Vance to adopt the resolution. Motion seconded by Councilmembers Rohde and Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye.  Motion approved.

 

  1. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 24-15 approving a Water Infrastructure Project Grant Contract in the amount of $1,107,302 between the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Tremonton City

 

Manager Christensen said to pay for Service Area 4 we hired a professional, who writes grants. We were awarded this new water infrastructure grant for the maximum amount of $1.107 million. That grant application was twofold, paying for the ASR project and to construct the east canal equalization basin. Both will be fully paid for with the acceptance of this grant contract.

 

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to accept this. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye.  Motion approved.

 

  1. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 24-16 approving a Mutual Water Supply Agreement with the Bear River Water Conservancy District

 

Manager Christensen said this was a 30-year agreement previously. In 1995 we had a 30-year agreement to purchase 150-acre feet of water at the rate of $51,750 per year. For this agreement we would still purchase 150-acre feet of water. Director Fulgham and former Manager Warnke hashed this all out with the Water Conservancy District. This agreement will go for 10 years instead of 30. The County recently approved the same agreement. All of their wholesale buyers are approving it.

 

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to table this item until we find out the difference in the old rate versus the new rate. There was no second.

 

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to pass the resolution. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – nay, Councilmember Rohde – nay, Councilmember Vance – nay, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion not approved by a 2-3 vote.

 

The Council debated the item and decided to get Director Fulgham on the phone to see the timeline for approving it and how confident he felt about the agreement and rate. Director Fulgham said we were paying 98 cents per thousand on the other and it is going to go up 35% so that would be about $1.30 per thousand. It has been 13 years since they raised their rates. I suggested a yearly adjustment. This contract is basically the same. We will still allow them to will their water through our pipes and feed others in exchange for a willing fee. It is the same, just more or less going up. It is giving them a long-term agreement that says we are willing to transport their water. They will pay the same wholesale rate that we pay for the water that they will to us. Our agreement is not up until the end of the year so it is not imperative. The rate change has already taken place because they have that right. This is just extending our agreement.

 

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to pass the resolution. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – nay, Councilmember Rohde – nay, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye.  Motion approved by a 3-2 vote.

 

  1. Discussion and consideration of adopting Ordinance No. 24-04 amending provisions from Title 3: City Government, part 3-1024 creation of position of City Manager – appointment and qualifications of Manager of the revised ordinances of Tremonton City Corporation modifying the residency requirement of the Manager

 

Motion by Councilmember Estep to pass the ordinance. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye.  Motion approved.

 

  1. Consent Agenda
  2. Adoption of Resolution No. 24-17 formalizing the completion of impact fee reimbursement to Sierra Homes Construction, Inc. & Heritage Land Holdings, LLC for the dedication of 3.1 acres of real property and 3.1 water shares for a Regional Storm Drain Basin for the Harvest Acres/Village Development by recording a Notice of Completion and Release
  3. Adoption of Resolution No. 24-18 ratifying an interagency agreement with the Department of Workforce Services for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $200,000 for a Ground Water Recharge System

Manager Christensen said land was dedicated to the City for the trail, park and water shares. Once they started building their units in Harvest Acres, we were able to reimburse those impact fee credits. This just says they gave us all the stuff they promised and we fully reimbursed them for that. We can record that formalization. The next one, we signed the agreement for the CDBG grant for the ASR project. We put it here at the consent agenda to ratify it.

 

Motion by Councilmember Vance to adopt the consent agenda. Motion seconded by Councilmember Hoedt. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye.  Motion approved.

 

  1. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment
  2. Review of calendar

 

Mayor Holmgren said there will be no council meeting on March 5, because of the caucus night. We have our mid-year conference April 17-19.

 

  1. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

 

  1. Reports & Comments:
  2. City Administration Reports and Comments
  3. Last report of the City’s low to moderate-income housing numbers

 

Manager Christensen said at our last meeting, Councilmember Rohde asked for the number of households in the City that fall under low to moderate income households (80% of the area median income). We have 766 households and should have 1,541 as of October 22. Councilmember Rohde said I do not think those are accurate numbers because I am not sure how they came up with the data. I think we need to address that and get that more accurate so we have a better picture. Manager Christensen said we could commission another study be done to give us a better idea of where we are. Councilmember Rohde asked if the State is pushing for more, low to moderate income housing and will hold us to that deficit? If so, we need better data. Manager Christensen said they are not pushing that—it is more about the strategies and what we are doing to implement those. Councilmember Vance asked how much Zions Bank charges to do this analysis? Maybe this ought to be part of the study they are doing so we have current numbers. We just went through the highest growth we have ever seen and now it is back to normal. It would be interesting to see where we are at.

 

  1. King Farm Trucking annexation letter

 

Manager Christensen said Mr. Hancock did a trucking site on the canal bank road next to I-15. They improved the whole site. The north portion was Hancock’s, and then the southern portion was for Brandt King. Hancock’s building permit was approved in the County. We discussed making sure the roads were big enough for his truck traffic since it was going to impact our roads. He did a lot of the work for his site and also participated in bringing the water line down. His building permit lapsed so he went back to the County. Since then, the County added an annexation policy that says if you are contiguous with another incorporated city, you have to go ask if they want to annex you in. If they are okay with you not annexing, then they write a rejection letter saying they can continue the project. This letter would state it is okay for the County to approve this building permit and that we do not want to pursue annexation of the property. They get water from Garland. The canal is a good boundary and because of the infrastructure they put in with Hancock’s property the DRC thought it made sense.

 

  1. Development Review Committee Report and Comments

 

Manager Christensen said Saylor Townhomes is moving forward with their site plan and getting recorded. Jack in the Box is moving forward as well.

 

  1. City Department Head Reports and Comments

 

Chief Hansen said Chris Scothern ran our year end numbers while I was gone. I did not compare them to the previous year. Next time I will have a trend of where we are headed. Last year we ran 1,355 medical calls. Tremonton has become a fairly robust, busy system. We are managing it well with the staff we have. The crew is wonderful.

 

Chief Cordova said there is a house bill, which will require us to have software to basically predict problems with officers ahead of time. We have a grant we should qualify for. That is about $20,000 and is an ongoing expense. Essentially, if someone contacts an officer, they get a business card with a QR code. People would review that interaction. Obviously, some of those are going to be negative reviews based on the nature of our work. We can determine if those are valid complaints or not after reviewing body cams. I have worked with Manager Christensen to draft a case study and a market plan for the department. We have a new lieutenant who is doing a great job. We are now getting money from our grant for the schools. It is a lot of work, but worth it. As search warrants and crime go, we are on track for the biggest year of our history. We have a ton of open cases and some are high profile. Now that we have the resources, I think you are going to see a lot of proactive work. We are going to directly influence the community that way. This week we have two coming off FTO and we will have one coming out of the academy to starting FTO. Business is good, we are busy, but we are getting a lot done.

 

Director LeFevre said this past weekend we had our Daddy-Daughter Dance with about 500 participants. We had a great time. Junior Jazz Basketball is starting to wrap up. We had 800 participants this year, which was on par to last year. Manager Christensen updated you on our level of service for our parks. As our number of residents increase, naturally that decreases. As we continue to grow, that is something to keep looking at. With our current population, if we added all three parks that have been discussed, our level of service would be 4.9%. However, as population rises that will bring it down. We need to keep looking for opportunities to grow our parks. Our goal is to get to 4.9 by 2030, and 5.5 by 2050.

 

  1. Council Reports and Comments

 

Councilmember Estep said I want everyone to know there was a lot more about the cemetery thing than was spoken tonight. I can take criticism, but there was a lot more than what her side of the story was. I would be more than happy to talk to anybody about it because I know all about hallowed ground. I have buried 140 people and there is more remorse and lack of sleep about things like that.

 

Councilmember Rohde said I would like to thank the public. There were wonderful comments that were constructive and well thought out. It was a great night for comments. I appreciated those who came with solutions and civility.

 

Councilmember Vance said amen to what Councilmember Rohde said. Manager Christensen your report was a good idea. Thank you.

 

Councilmember Hoedt said thank you all for being here. A lot of the comments touched me personally. Our son is a combat veteran and 13 months ago he was in Syria under fire regularly. Thank you for all your service and the great things you have done.

 

Mayor Holmgren said it is a compromise. We want to make sure the memorial is respected, but we also recognize that we have an opportunity as a catalyst to help the downtown area. I would just like to thank everybody for coming tonight.

 

  1. CLOSED SESSIONS: No closed session held at this time.
    1. Strategy session to discuss the purchase of real property when public discussion of the transaction would disclose the appraisal or estimated value of the property under consideration or prevent the public body from completing the transaction on the best possible terms; and/or
    2. Strategy session to discuss the character, professional competence or physical or mental health of an individual; and/or
    3. Strategy sessions to discuss pending or reasonably imminent litigation; and/or
    4. Discussions regarding security personnel, devices or systems

 

  1. Adjournment.

 

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by Councilmember Vance. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye.  Motion approved.

 

The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.

 

The undersigned duly acting and appointed Recorder for Tremonton City Corporation hereby certifies that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes for the City Council Meeting held on the above referenced date. Minutes were prepared by Jessica Tanner.

 

Dated this              day of                                       , 2024.

 

 

 

                                               

Linsey Nessen, City Recorder