TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Members Present:

Wes Estep

Beau Lewis

Bret Rohde

Lyle Vance

Blair Westergard

Lyle Holmgren, Mayor

Bill Cobabe, City Manager

Linsey Nessen, Assistant City Manager

Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

 

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

 

Mayor Holmgren called the February 4, 2025 City Council Workshop to order at 6:00 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, Lewis, Rohde, Vance, and Westergard, City Manager Cobabe, Assistant City Manager Nessen, and City Recorder Nelson. The following Department Heads were also present: City Planner Jeff Seedall, Assistant Public Works Director Carl Mackley, Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre, and Code Enforcement Greg Horspool (arrived at 6:27 p.m.).

 

  1. Discussion on Strategic Planning/goal setting for upcoming fiscal year

 

Councilmember Rohde provided the Council with a presentation and asked Manager Cobabe to take it to the department heads and start having discussion on where they can support these efforts within their department. He read, by 2030, establish Tremonton as a premier family, friendly community by implementing initiatives that create at least 10 new recreational opportunities. Five neighborhood connection programs and three large scale annual events. Director LeFevre said we are focusing on creating some of these things already. From our branding guide, we recently created a Community Events Coordinator, who has started working. That position has been created to focus on community events and bringing people together. I will get this presentation and review what we are doing.

 

Councilmember Rohde then read, these efforts will foster a safe, welcoming environment where neighbors feel connected, veterans and their contributions are honored, and residents enjoy life while preserving small town charm and supporting thoughtful growth. The City will maintain an 80% resident satisfaction rate measured through biannual community surveys. We would need to first find our baseline to create that official number. Director LeFevre said we do have a baseline. When we did our branding, we got a net promoter score, which was very low. In 2022, we did a community wellness survey where we were a little better. This past year, we did another community wellness survey where we dropped lower. There is a lot of room for improvement. I can create the baseline and will share the latest wellness survey with you in my department head report. Councilmember Rohde said we want to come up with a number and improve that. Councilmember Lewis said according to the survey, personal well-being was 68% and community well-being was 36%. That is our baseline.

 

Councilmember Rohde read the next pillar. Strengthen community bonds, launch five neighborhood connection programs such as block parties and welcome to the community initiatives. Enhance public spaces for connection and relaxation. Develop three multi-use parks with walking trails, splash pads, and family-friendly activities. Designate quiet zones or nature preserves for relaxation and mindfulness, and foster vibrancy and enjoyment. Host eight large-scale annual events. I put some things in here to go with our local businesses and industry to get economic development discussion going. Partner with local businesses to create unique family-focused activities. We can add to or subtract from this so make comments and notes on what we will do. I would also like to get public input.

 

Councilmember Rohde read, community gratitude. Establish an annual Community Gratitude Day with activities that highlight Tremonton’s values and heritage. Encourage resident engagement through interactive campaigns or events. Balanced growth and connection. Implement zoning policies that prioritize community-focused development. Maintain small-town charm by avoiding overcrowding or promoting thoughtful planning. Honor veterans and celebrate their contributions. Maintain and enhance the downtown square memorial as a place of reflection and gratitude. Host annual events honoring veterans and POWs. Partner with schools and community groups to create educational programs about veterans’ sacrifices.

 

Director LeFevre said I feel the Parks and Recreation Department has been always in the position of it is good enough and never in the position of let us be something great. We have never really had the tools to do more. We are getting more tools such as a Community Events Coordinator. I do not want to get this position confused with the downtown manager. They are not the same position. That one was strictly focused on economic events in the downtown area. This new position is based on a lot of these things. Now that is in place, I feel we are in the infancy to do this. We have discussed gaga ball and getting our elementary schools to have competitions and fitness activities to have a party with the gaga pit that we own. Councilmember Rohde said once we establish these goals, our budgeting and everything we do is driven toward this end. We are going to prioritize our budgets and values. Director LeFevre said one of the major benefits of Parks and Recreation doing things correctly is the economic benefit. When we host softball tournaments, we bring in $15,000 into the City. It is a driving factor and we need to strive for more of that.

 

Councilmember Rohde then read, outcome by 2030, Tremonton will be a thriving family, friendly community where neighbors feel connected, veterans are honored, and residents enjoy a vibrant, engaging, and balanced quality of life. That is what we hope to accomplish with this pillar. I do not want to keep coming back and talking, we need to move. As a City Council, please look at this and make recommendations.

 

Councilmember Estep then read pillar two, connected to each other. Strategic smart goal, by 2030 position, Tremonton is the most connected, accessible, and innovative hub in the USA by achieving 100% reliable high speed internet access, attracting one major industry, and enhancing both physical and digital infrastructure to solidify its role as the crossroads to the west. These efforts will empower residents and businesses to thrive while fostering transparency, inclusivity, and a sense of connection among all citizens. Mayor Holmgren said we have met with site selectors and with the Inland Port, I think we can achieve industrial growth. That is on our doorstep. Manager Cobabe said I would say three industries instead of one. The Council discussed UTOPIA and where that build out and use is currently. Manager Cobabe said we have about 3,900 units available as of November and the total number of subscribers is around 1,600, (45%). Mayor Holmgren said it is their choice to use that resource or not so maybe we shoot for having it available to them. Councilmember Rohde said let us get to 100% buildout and maintain that as the City grows. He then read, develop co-worker spaces and remote-friendly infrastructure. Increase resident satisfaction with Internet services. Digital and physical accessibility. Implement digital tools for government services, healthcare, education, and commerce. Partner with internet providers to ensure reliable high-speed connection Citywide. Transportation and travel connectivity. Strengthen ties to aerospace, railroads and major transportation routes, I-15 and I-84. Enhance infrastructure to attract cutting-edge transportation industries. Mayor Holmgren said add research universities to that. We have three universities within an hour. It would be nice to develop those relationships further. We could say welcoming to all industry, whether major or local. Councilmember Rohde said there are a lot of ways we could measure this and ought to come up with incentives for companies coming and develop promotional campaigns to highlight Tremonton’s workforce potential and connectivity. Then support downtown revitalization efforts. This is where we could build some of our Main Street goals. We want to position Tremonton as a hub of agriculture, manufacturing, and logistics innovation, and partner with aerospace and tech industries to attract investment and talent. Foster community and personal connection, develop vibrant public spaces for social and business interaction, and implement inclusive policies that attract families, businesses and individuals. Big city services with a small-town feel. Expand access to healthcare, education, and recreation while maintaining small-town charm. We would work with our schools and hospital, along with local doctors and recreation. Brand Tremonton as a forward-thinking community with top-tier digital infrastructure. Foster government transparency and citizen engagement, launch a citizen idea board for residents to propose ideas. In 2025, establish a community communication program for citizens to ask questions and receive answers. Conduct regular town hall meetings and digital Q&A sessions. By 2030, Tremonton will be a highly connected, economically vibrant community serving as a model for digital accessibility, industry growth, and inclusive civic engagement.

 

Councilmember Rohde asked Manager Cobabe, department heads, and the Council to go through these first two pillars and wordsmith them. Let us concentrate on these first two for further discussion. Councilmember Lewis said this survey is awesome. It shows the concerns in Tremonton. We should focus on the top ones to improve that score.

 

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

 

  1. CLOSED MEETING: No Closed Meeting 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 6:48 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

 

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

 

Mayor Holmgren called the February 4, 2025 City Council Meeting to order at 6:57 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, Lewis, Rohde, Vance, and Westergard, City Manager Cobabe, Assistant City Manager Nessen, and City Recorder Nelson. The following Department Heads were also present: City Planner Jeff Seedall, Assistant Public Works Director Carl Mackley, Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre, Code Enforcement Greg Horspool, Police Chief Dustin Cordova (arrived at 7:14 p.m.), and Co-Interim Fire Chief Andy McBride (arrived at 7 p.m.).

 

  1. Opening Ceremony: Prayer – Councilmember Lewis, Pledge – Keilani Crawford

 

  1. Introduction of Council

 

  1. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None.

 

  1. Approval of Agenda:

 

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the agenda of February 4, 2025. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

 

  1. Approval of minutes – January 21, 2025

 

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to approve the minutes of January 21, 2025. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

 

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

 

Mayor Holmgren said this is our favorite part, where we get to recognize our students for their efforts and citizenship. You are a good example, and we recognize you for your respect, responsibility, and safety. They then presented certificates and took a picture.

 

  1. Public comments:

 

Mayor Holmgren read a statement. Public comment is not intended as a dialogue. It instead enables the Council, Mayor, and staff to collect input from the community. It serves as a one-way communication channel. These public comments provide feedback for the Council to consider when making decisions. During this time, City leaders do not engage in discussions. You address us not the audience. I would suggest people meet with staff ahead of the meeting to share thoughts and could be added to a future agenda. As you address us, if you have questions that need answers, staff members can meet with you privately. It was suggested in the last Council meeting that we have a public comment follow-up. This is something we can work on.

 

Jed Abbott said we had a discussion about names that need to be added to the veteran memorial. I have come up with a list. This is just a start. If you are killed in action or are a POW, you are a pretty important person. You have changed history and put your life on the line. There are many more names, but people are not sure how to contact us and get their family members on the plaques. Somehow, we have to get this out better. It is just too important. It is really important to do this and make sure these guys are recognized. Director LeFevre explained where the form is found online. All we need is proof that they served. We have space for about 1,200 more. The City has allotted $1,000 a year to updating these names to the Veterans Memorial. Cost is $175 per name. We could add nine a year without going over budget.

 

  1. New Council Business:
  1. Discussion and possible action of adopting Ordinance No. 25-02 amending the Tremonton City Land Use Code Chapter 1.07 Residential Zone Districts and Chapter 1.31 Rezoning of Property

 

Mayor Holmgren explained the difference between 4-H and FFA and that both should be listed throughout. They are separate and distinct programs. Councilmember Rohde said this is a really cool addition to our City. When the fair is over the animals are to go too, not kept as pets.

 

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to adopt the ordinance with the change that anywhere it lists 4H it also lists FFA. Motion seconded by Councilmember Vance. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

 

  1. Discussion and possible action of adopting Resolution No. 25-03 approving a professional services agreement with Black Thorn Media, LLC filling the duties of a Digital Content Creator

 

Motion by Councilmember Lewis to adopt the resolution. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

 

Director LeFevre said Black Thorn is the content creator. He creates the content and then it falls on City personnel to post that and prioritize it. I am the one currently doing that, but do not have the time required. This could be easier when we have the content, but he is going to have to get the content from someone. I use Adobe Illustrator as my content creation platform. It is just time consuming and then posting is another time-consuming portion. Our Community Events Coordinator does have background in marketing so she should be able to help us create this content and push it out in an effective manner. Councilmember Rohde suggested City staff put together ideas on getting help and what the budget might be. Director LeFevre said I will propose our Community Events Coordinator change her title to Communication and Events Coordinator. We could add a .25 FTE to her job title for social media or marketing and then have a .75 FTE for the other.

 

  1. Consent Agenda
  2. Adoption of December Warrant Register
  3. Adoption of December Financial Statements
  4. Adoption of Impact Fees scheduled increase
  5. Cancellation of Economic Development Coordinator contract
  6. Discussion and approval of Interim Fire Chief candidates

 

Mayor Holmgren said Shawn Jensen and Andy McBride have agreed to serve as co-interim fire chiefs. They will share that responsibility and are excited. Mr. Jensen is with the part-time firefighters and Mr. McBride works with the full-time crew.

 

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

 

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

 

Mayor Holmgren said our next council meeting is February 18. On February 13, Senator Scott Sandall has invited the Borgstrom family, veterans and locals to the Senate where they will vote on the Borgstrom Brothers Memorial Highway. Councilmember Estep is retiring from Public Works on March 1.

 

  1. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

 

  1. Reports & Comments:
  2. City Administration Reports and Comments

 

Manager Cobabe shared an experience he had with his daughter’s school. He was able to share with them what is going on in Tremonton. This has been an amazing opportunity to grow personally and work with incredible people. It is an honor to serve with you and the people of Tremonton. I started my presentation with that. I also asked who is the most important person in our City and reminded them of the first three words of the Constitution: We the people. We are doing some great things and it is fun to be a part of it.

 

  1. Development Review Committee Report and Comments
  2. City Department Head Reports and Comments

 

Director LeFevre reviewed their annual Daddy Daughter Dance. We had nearly 600 in attendance. This was our 9th year hosting and it has grown almost every year. If it continues to grow too much, we will have to find a new location. With Junior Jazz at 800 participants, we are on seven courts each Saturday. We use every gym in northern Box Elder, except for the Garland Armory and Fielding. We start at 8 a.m. and go until 3 p.m. Every gym in our area is used every night of the week, except for Sundays. Karate has started at the Public Works building. Spring youth and adult soccer, and volleyball registration are open. We are bringing back our adult fitness program. I would like to meet with each Councilmember to go over your goals and perspectives on the community. Our wellness within the community and how Parks and Recreation fits with that. Also, what we can do to improve on that score. A year ago, I presented our level of service on the parks, which is our acreage to the number of residents. It was at 3.6. In 2022, when we did the Integrated Land Use Plan, we were at 3.7. A year ago, we were at 2.9 and currently we are at 2.5. The low standard is 6 acres per 1,000 residents. We are currently at 2.5 acres per 1,000 residents. We have three proposed parks, but that only gets us up into the fours. We need to continue to expand our park service and to elevate the acreage of leisure and recreational space within our community. We do want the public’s engagement. Our first Parks and Recreation director started in 1998. In 2008, when he left, he was planning a rec center and did a feasibility study. Since then, there has not been any talk of it, but I hear it from the community all the time. Several years ago, BRAG did a community needs assessment. I have reached out to Sam Taylor and we are currently trying to get a proposal and figure out funding so we could move forward. We would hold open houses for input, as well as community involvement and surveys. We are also working on a facilities condition assessment. This will determine how well the current facilities we have are serving the community. This would help us determine how we address needs. It will take about nine months from when we get started to get those deliverables and present to the Council. When anybody in the community talks about Parks and Rec, it is usually why is there not a rec center? What can the youth do? We are already programmed out quite a bit. When it comes to passive leisure time, there is not a lot of opportunity for the youth. There are several grants we can apply for, but funding is going to be a major issue. We have never had a RAP tax, which is for every $10 spent, one penny gets dedicated to Parks, Arts and Recreation. In my 10 years here, we have missed out on $3 million by not having that. This tax is voted on by the taxpayers. Every 10 years they can decide to renew it to continue to better their community or they can decline it. That is something we should look at implementing. As our downtown continues to grow out, connections through walking trails and parks will be vital. That helps with traffic and other issues.

 

Assistant Public Works Director Carl Mackley said we are in the permitting process for our aquifer storage and recovery project. This is where we are going to pump water from our springs to the well on the hill. We believe we will have approval around October. That will be the beginning of our three-year pilot study. That will give us an opportunity to draw conclusions and learn important information about expanding in the future. We should hold a pre-construction meeting within the next two weeks for our 14-inch pipeline in Deweyville. We met with the engineers who are designing the water treatment plant. We are having contractors propose designs for that and bidding ahead of time. It will save us money and allow the design process to be more complete. We should be completed with that process and have an updated design in May. I will become the Direct Responsible Charge (DRC) for our water and wastewater permitting. I have obtained two of the three certifications needed so far. I hope to obtain the third one in St. George at the end of this month.

 

Co-Interim Chief McBride said I want to thank everybody who came to our push-in ceremony last Friday. We had a really good turnout and it went well. We will be out quite a bit doing training with the engine. With some equipment, we just need to figure out what is going to work best as far as hose loads and those types of things. Otherwise, we are moving forward as normal. We are very optimistic about the future and hopeful for what we have to come. Thursday and Friday, we are holding a mental health check for our firefighters and police officers. This is something we like to do annually, if not more to give them and their families opportunities to reach out to therapists or counselors. We see and deal with a lot of horrible things. Unfortunately, we take it home to our families. It not only affects our members, but families too. This is something a lot of organizations throughout the Country are doing.

 

Chief Cordova said there is an issue at the schools right now with five individuals who are causing most of the problems. We have met with the school to sort it out. Our philosophy and how the law works with juveniles is when they are at school, we want to address at the lowest level possible. We like the school to take care of those problems. We did have a meeting with them today. They are open to fixing those issues. We made some recommendations and now the ball is in their court. In the meantime, we will have extra officers there to keep the peace. We are also working with the juvenile judge to create a long-term solution. That is being addressed. I want to give Co-Interim Chief McBride a shout out. I cannot emphasize how important peer support is. We appreciate your support in that. You guys actually put up the funding for that last year and it has made a huge impact. It is good for them to have a resource to address those issues. If they are not addressed, they do fester and create a lot more problems. I have been working with the fire department to help them with their administrative stuff and managing the budget. There are just minor things to fix. I pulled stats for the last couple of years. This goes by year, from 2020-2024. You see the different crimes on the Uniform Crime Report. We do not have the technology to analyze these in a computer, but I did it manually. Tremonton and Garland both had an incline. As population grows, we want stability. This shows that even though our population is going up, we are in control of our crime. We have actually outperformed that. Even though our population increased around 6,000, we have seen significant reductions in crime. Narcotics was reduced by 59%, burglary went down by 54% and our sex crimes went down by 23%. Everything else was stable. Also, our search warrants. We picked that up by a significant amount, 166%. I attribute a lot of these stats lowered because we have been proactive in addressing issues. Community policing went up 127%. The Council was a huge part of this because you gave us what we needed to be successful. My hope is we can continue to see those trends or at the very least see some stability as we move forward and the population grows. I want to thank you all for your support, because it really does make a difference and we can see it statistically. We are also going through all of our court cases that do not have statute of limitations. Some of these cases were not solved because they did not have the technology and ability we have now with DNA. We are on track to solve a couple of those. It is pretty great bringing these offenders who may have thought they got away with it to justice. I am overall super proud of my guys and gals. We will keep doing what we can. We have our new hire who is doing training and drinking through a fire hose. She is going to be doing evidence records and administrative stuff. She is busy and our hours are now open more frequently. Mayor Holmgren said thank you for everything you are doing and keeping us safe.

 

  1. Council Reports and Comments

 

Councilmember Lewis said I think economic development and parks and rec absolutely go hand in hand. You bring in tournaments. I would love to see a lot of those things stay here. From an economic development standpoint, I think it is a critical component and will continue to be a key part of that. We have to be focusing on parks and rec facilities.

 

Councilmember Westergard agreed with Councilmember Lewis. The last couple weeks have been pretty rough on all of us, but I commend the Mayor and Manager Cobabe for all their efforts.

 

Councilmember Vance said the next time we meet we are likely going to be discussing Main Street. How are we doing with meeting with UDOT and gathering these numbers so we know how much it is going to cost. Planner Seedall said I was able to talk to our engineer this past week and his survey team should be getting that out soon. Our first design deadline package should be ready the end of next month. My hope is that the Council and UDOT will be able to see it in April and be able to move into further design. We should have all the design done by the end of October. Manager Cobabe said the Council will have continual updates along the way. Planner Seedall said UDOT was very open, but I presume their comments will become more detailed as it goes on. I expect they will have good feedback, but that will extend how long the design period takes. Manager Cobabe said when we met, they seemed amenable and positive like we are headed in the right direction. This was based on the concepts we brought to them based on input and discussions with the Main Street Committee. The budget is in the back of our minds, but we are making decisions on how we want it to look and then we can phase in and do bid alternates to get there—maybe over the course of several years. The priority will be safety and sidewalk replacement, as well as lights. Those are really low hanging fruit.

 

Councilmember Rohde said I do not want to lose economic development in the future. I would suggest we put together a steering committee with business people in our community that could fill that and start to move us along economically. I would like us to get going on that sooner rather than later.

 

Mayor Holmgren said I have watched the water for quite a while. I compared our 2020 culinary use per household per ERU to 2024. We are using about 12.5% less culinary water per household, which would be expected because we are on secondary. What was not expected was if we look at the total water use, we are becoming more efficient. We are starting to become people who are more careful with water. Comparing 2020 to 2024 and the total water use, we are using about 5.5% less water per household. We are going in the right direction. The grant for Midland Square has been extended until November. We hope to get started on that project soon. One of the changes was to add that sign. I also want to tell our employees and the Councils how much you are appreciated. We work together really well. We have great things in store. Shout out to Councilmember Rohde for these pillars and goals. We are looking forward to moving on that.

 

  1. CLOSED MEETING: No Closed Meeting 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 – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes.  Motion approved.

 

The meeting adjourned at 8:24 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                                       , 2025.

 

 

 

                                               

Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder