City Council Minutes 1-18-22

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
JANUARY 18, 2022

Members Present:
Connie Archibald
Wes Estep
Bret Rohde
Rick Seamons
Lyle Vance
Lyle Holmgren, Mayor
Shawn Warnke, City Manager
Linsey Nessen, City Recorder

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Holmgren called the January 18, 2022 City Council Workshop to order at 6:04 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 Archibald, Estep, Rohde, Seamons, and Vance, City Manager Warnke, Assistant City Manager Christensen, and City Recorder Nessen. The following Department Heads were also present: Fire Chief Robert LaCroix (left after the Work Session), Public Works Director Paul Fulgham, and Treasurer Sharri Oyler (arrived at 6:38 p.m.). Also in attendance was Sergeant Chad Hayman.

1. Review Discussion of methods to provide more information to Tremonton City residents, branding, and related items- Bret Rohde, Councilperson; Lyle Holmgren, Mayor; and Marc Christensen, Assistant City Manager

Assistant City Manager Christensen said we have talked to a company called Redkor Branding Services. They have helped cities and businesses rebrand. This will show you the deliverables they can give us through their services, which are research based. We would send those documents and what we have as far as logo styles. They would then go out to the public and get a feel for what the town is and what they are wanting of the City. From there they will compile and create a few renditions of a potential brand. They can create a mission statement, vision and pillars. Here are all the deliverables you would have. Through an online portal we would have access to letterheads and envelopes. Any City employee, including vendors, could access that to pull the letterhead, logo, signatures and all sorts of good things. The top-of-the-line package is around $60,000. They will do all the research and compiling, and at the end they help implement it. Here is a list of deliverables that can come out of this if we go through the branding process, along with pricing for the scope of work. I would be happy to continue working with this company if that is what the Council wants or we could add it to the budget for next year.

Councilmember Rohde said I am reluctant to piece mill this like we have in the past. It has not worked. Mayor Holmgren said back in 2013 we had companies provide presentations on branding, but we were not willing to go that far with expenses. Councilmember Vance said in the past we had a study done and did a layout for Tremonton City. Then another group came in and looked at downtown and Main Street. We spent money on those and have not utilized them. Assistant City Manager Christensen said those have some implementation ideas and I feel we do go back to those quite often. We have discussed implementing the wayfinding signage and I am trying to get a grant for that. That was through the ideas of the plans we have had in the past. It has not been as out there in the open as something like this would be for everyone to see all at once. Manager Warnke said the SDAT was done in 2013 and one of the recommendations of that was to go through a branding campaign with the idea we would use the brand and start implementing it with streetscapes. The 2013 SDAT was done pro bono with professionals coming in and doing all the work for free. Based on that study we went to the next step, which was a 30% design of a concept streetscape. Since then we have been saving money to implement it. We have used those plans. One was free and a pretty high quality. The other we spent $30,000 to take those concepts and put it into an actual design that could be implemented. As it relates to Main Street we have spent $80,000 on street improvements and the layouts (the connection of 450 West and the reconfiguration of 600 West). I agree we need to implement streetscape design to see the full scope of work come to fruition and what has been envisioned.

Councilmember Vance confirmed the branding will go hand in hand with the rest of this. Manager Warnke said absolutely. Other studies have suggested wayfinding. If we had a brand we would know how to logo and stylize the signs and sign structure so everything gets a complete look. The SDAT suggested we do branding early. As we start to make progress and improvements, we would use the brand as part of the signature that we would emboss or include in the streetscape. Councilmember Rohde said I would love to see us have a playbook with the mission, vision, and pillars. That would give us some direction when we start doing downtown. When asked where the money would come from, Manager Warnke said probably out of our General Fund. We had a good year with the increase in sales tax and we are in a good financial position.

Councilmember Rohde said we need to get citizens involved and start moving forward to show them we are ready to take on a new level. That is all part of responsible growth. I would like to do the whole playbook. Councilmember Estep asked if they could do a little at a time. Assistant City Manager Christensen said they would do an internal evaluation of the City and reach out to the public. That would give us a start to do the whole thing. There are options and we could say these are the deliverables we want. You could build upon it if you had to. Councilmember Rohde said if we had some good direction on where to go we would move a lot quicker. We have been on this for about six years and have not got anywhere. We need to commit, come up with a playbook, and get to work. Mayor Holmgren said the big plus in my mind is they will reach out to the community and do the surveying. Assistant City Manager Christensen said they do want stake holder groups so we would have to put together a committee that would work with them. They would ask us to do some research ourselves and send that to them. They want to work with the City and community. Councilmember Vance said it is worth talking to them. We could spend $30,000 to get the ball rolling and up to $68,000 for the whole package. Mayor Holmgren said they have the expertise to guide us through that. The Council suggested having them present at the next meeting to see what the options are.

2. Discussion of use of American Rescue Plan Act funding on water projects- Paul Fulgham, Public Works Director & Shawn Warnke, City Manager

Manager Warnke provided a presentation on the American Rescue Plan Act that was approved by the federal government in 2021 with COVID funds. We received $750,000 and those funds have been expended according to the guidelines. Shortly after that more funding came through ($1.1 million) that the City will receive over a one-year period. We have already received $544,000 and will receive the remaining balance this summer. We have until December 2024 to obligate the funds and until December 2026 to spend them. We have discussed water projects as the preferred way to use these funds. Preliminary conversations have been had with the Division of Drinking Water to determine how those could be used. Our proposed secondary water projects could accomplish that. There are things that could qualify, but we would like to see what would meet those guidelines. If we can do a revenue replacement up to $10 million then we could claim all that for general governmental purposes, which opens up the door to all kinds of options, including road projects. It is still early in the process.

Manager Warnke then reviewed cost estimates for improvements that could come with the Rivers Edge development. That has been suspended until we find out if the referendum is moving forward. If it moves forward, it would be suspended until the actual vote. Feb. 22 is the deadline for those signatures. If they have the signatures then November is the next deadline. These are our engineering estimates. Through the process of negotiations with Rivers Edge we discussed ways for them to provide the City with a secondary water pump station and some utility easements. That value is about $44,000. The developer would dedicate that and the land. They would also provide funds to finance the secondary water improvements, which is the cost of the pump station (two of the three pumps needed). They would immediately install the secondary water infrastructure, dedicate the pump stations, construct the pump station with two pumps and the City could use the capacity that is available in the pump station while the service area is built out. They have also agreed to upsize the secondary water distribution lines for the complete build out of Service Area 9. These are all great negotiated points because it puts the risk on the developer to finance the improvements. We will pay them back through impact fees. The engineer’s estimate for the pump station is about $400,000 with additional items. This is what the developer would take on. This is what it would cost Tremonton if the developer does not pay for it, plus the cost for easements and distribution lines.

Manager Warnke then went through tabulation tables and what it would cost to build out Service Area 9 into the existing subdivisions (Holmgren East, Fridal Heights, and Garfield) and how many ERUs that would free up. The total cost for the City to build out Service Area 9 would be $1.6 million. We would have a $60,000 expense for the third pump. We have $1,089,000 in funds and some impact fees. There is a little bit of funds that could be appropriated from reserves within the water funds as well. The developer would spend $722,000 for all the improvements we have discussed and would be reimbursed through impact fees. They have to front the money, but would be reimbursed. The City’s cost is $1.6 million and 203 ERUs would be freed up. If those homes connect to secondary it would be 406 ERUs. The Council also discussed Service Area 4, along with how many shares the City has currently.

3. Discussion of potential appointees as Tremonton City representative to serve as a member of the Box Elder Mosquito Abatement District Board from 2022 through 2025- Marc Christensen, Assistant City Manager

4. Review of items listed on the 7:00 p.m. agenda

5. CLOSED SESSIONS: No closed session held at this time.

a. 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
b. Strategy session to discuss the character, professional competence or physical or mental health of an individual; and/or
c. Strategy sessions to discuss pending or reasonably imminent litigation; and/or
d. Discussions regarding security personnel, devices or systems

The meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the January 18, 2022 City Council Meeting to order at 7:03 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 Archibald, Estep, Rohde, Seamons, and Vance, City Manager Warnke, Assistant City Manager Christensen, and City Recorder Nessen. The following Department Heads were also present: Public Works Director Paul Fulgham, Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre (arrived at 7:15 p.m.), and Treasurer Sharri Oyler (left at 7:50 p.m.). Also in attendance was Sergeant Chad Hayman.

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 Seamons and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilmember Rohde.

2. Introduction of guests: Mayor Holmgren welcomed those in attendance.

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None.

4. Approval of Agenda:

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the agenda of January 18, 2022, with the correction to Councilmember Rohde’s name. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

5. Approval of minutes – January 4, 2022

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve the minutes of January 4, 2022. Motion seconded by Councilmember Archibald. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

6. Public comments:

Bruce Jeppesen said they plan to do their Mugs and Bananas Drag Night in conjunction with their 50th class reunion.

Titus Prysbela asked what that building is being made next to the Family Dollar. Mayor Holmgren said they will try to restore that building that burned down this past summer and name it the same. They will build something similar to the original building.

7. New Council Business:

a. Discussion and consideration of accepting the 2021 Audited Financial Statements

Michael Kidman went through the reports. The audit is almost done. This is a draft for your review. There will be some word smithing, but the numbers will not change. We will wrap up the loose ends and file it. It was due December 31, but the State does not fuss if it is in this window. The City is in good shape. This year we added a report for federal money spent due to the COVID money you received. There were no concerns. You have to follow and comply with all the strings attached to Federal money so we looked at the documentation the City pulled together to show what you had done. The City did a really good job to package that up for us to see how and where you claimed those expenditures in a way that qualified you to have those funds. There were no findings, it was all good. Finance Director Curtis Roberts is very knowledgeable about federal funds. All of these are good, clean reports.

Finance Director Roberts joined the conversation via Zoom, which had audio issues on the recording. He went through the different funds and where those ended up (see attached report for further details on those numbers). He discussed the health of those funds, as well as the City’s financial position and Capital Projects. We are working through the capital projects and finding what will come the next budget year. The Capital Project and downtown area funds are healthy. You have money there for parks and impact fees. There are a lot of people working behind the scenes to put this all together. They include your department heads, as well as Recorder Nessen, Deputy Recorder Nelson and Assistant City Manager Christensen, who got us a lot of information. These are great people and it takes a whole team to make this all possible. They are all appreciated as is the City Council for putting the City in a good position. Mayor Holmgren said we appreciate you putting this all together for us. It is comforting to hear a good report. Thank you so much.

Motion by Councilmember Archibald to accept the 2021 Audited Financial Statements. Motion seconded by Councilmember Seamons. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

b. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 22-05 approving Tremonton City’s project list for calendar year 2022 for the Box Elder County Local Transportation Corridor Preservation Fund

Manager Warnke said we are active in trying to identify and submit corridors that are known and needed in the future. This is an updated list. In order for a project to be eligible it needs to be on this list. We are exploring another project, but we are not far enough along to know if a right-of-way will be needed. We are having conversations and trying to address the public’s concern relative to the intersection at the Crossroads. We do have a meeting planned with UDOT to discuss that at the end of March.

Manager Warnke said we are also looking into the 1000 North 1000 West intersection. We would like to create a full functioning intersection for all turning movements. The best way to help intersections function is to make sure each movement has its own dedicated lane. There is right-of-way that would be needed to get all the turn movements in each direction at that intersection. We would need to expand the right-of-way going to the east and relocate the transformer so the center lines line up better. This is a long-term project. We will continue to work with UDOT to improve intersections. This is a good punch list. We are trying to wrap up our other two projects and provide some capacity for the City to submit new projects. The current projects are BR Mountain Road with the Taylors and BR Mountain Road with Sierra Homes. Mayor Holmgren asked if there is anything in the works for 1000 North. Manager Warnke said that is a project that comes up frequently. Our engineer took a look at the topography and grading that needs to occur. We have the right-of-way for that, but we do not have the right-of-way for the fill and slope easements that occur because of the topography on either side of that. We adopted an overlay that pushes those homes that build outside the areas. We need to engage an acquisition agent to go and acquire these properties and work with the owners to secure the easements.

Motion by Councilmember Vance to adopt the resolution approving the City’s project list for the Corridor Preservation Fund. Motion seconded by Councilmember Archibald. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

c. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 22-06 appointing three voting members and one alternate voting member to represent Tremonton City on the Utah League of Cities and Towns’ Legislative Policy Committee

Assistant City Manager Christensen said Councilmember Archibald and Mayor Holmgren were the ones suggested to attend the LPC meetings. This will formalize things so you can be voting members. The Council should look over their website because they track all the bills in the State. What these meetings do is tells them what bills they want to support and go against. The Council was encouraged to log on to watch the meetings they just cannot be voting members. The three voting members are Mayor Holmgren, Councilmember Archibald, and Manager Warnke. I am an alternative.

Motion by Councilmember Vance to adopt the resolution. Motion seconded by Councilmember Seamons. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

d. Discussion and consideration of approving a Major Special Event Permit for Bruce Jeppesen’s “Mugs and Bananas Drag Night” held on Saturday, June 4, 2022

Director LeFevre said this is an application for an event we have hosted in the past. The difference between a major and minor event is that minor events do not affect life or business. They are minor. Major events put a strain on resources so we bring those to the Council for approval. We have hosted it before. It has brought several hundred, if not thousands of people, into the community. This is a major event that was associated with a burn out and cars driving up and down Main Street. It does affect some of the everyday life of the businesses, but the Parks and Recreation Department thinks it is a great event that adds to the community.

Mr. Jeppesen said this will be in conjunction with our 50th class reunion. We want this to get bigger all the time. People come from all over to participate. Cars will be parked at the natatorium with our reunion across the street. There will be 60s music and a car show. If there is anything we can do to make it better let us know. The police and fire departments have helped make it a safe event. Reo Ramsdell said we receive comments about what the town looks like. They like the murals on the buildings and people are impressed by that. Those from out of town have really enjoyed it here.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to approve the major special event. Motion seconded by Councilmembers Vance and Estep. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

8. Continuation of Workshop Agenda Items (if necessary)

a. Discussion of methods to provide more information to Tremonton City residents, branding, and related items- Bret Rhode, Councilperson; Lyle Holmgren, Mayor; and Marc Christensen, Assistant City Manager

b. Discussion of use of American Rescue Plan Act funding on water projects- Paul Fulgham, Public Works Director & Shawn Warnke, City Manager

Director Fulgham discussed the project of drilling a well. If we were to pick a property to explore we would hire a geologist to help us pick a site. We know where there is water or wish there was, but we do not know if it is there. Part of the problem with wells is you can do all the geology work you want and still not be 100% sure what you will get. The Bothwell Pocket is inviting because we know there is water out there. If we knew there was water by our existing storage reservoir it would be a perfect site because we would cut down on the cost of getting power up there and having to pipe the water to our City because that is where our storage reservoirs are already. Exploratory well drilling would allow us to have more information before we invest $2.3 million. That cost is $100,000 to put a four to six-inch hole in the ground that will tell us the water that is down there and its quality. We would have to do some things before the State will let us develop a well for a culinary source. You have to have quality water and do a source protection plan to ensure nothing in the vicinity could cause issues in the future with contamination. In the Bothwell Pocket there are existing wells for sale. What we are buying is the water rights because all of those are for irrigation purposes and they do not meet the standards for drinking water. We would have to recondition it or drill a new well and have it developed for future growth and all possibilities for contamination upfront. Councilmember Vance asked if we have talked about working with the Conservancy District to trade irrigation water for culinary water. Director Fulgham said we have had those talks and they are open to it. It is just a matter of coming up with the source. They have a need for irrigation water and we have need for culinary water. The problem with the Conservancy District is their pipeline is to the max. We would need a bigger pipe line across that valley. The existing one is 10-inches and for every two inches you go up you double the flow capacity in that pipe. We need at least a 12-inch to get across the valley. Maybe a pipeline is something we do as a joint venture with them in the future. They need to get more water on this side of the valley as they grow and we need more water to Tremonton. We can discuss those costs and options in the closed session. Manager Warnke said the cost is $2.6 million. Here is the City’s matching amount and the grant fund request. The State legislature made funds available, but it was very competitive and Tremonton’s project did not get funded. They are trying to do additional funds since there were so many projects. We will try again if the opportunity presents itself.

c. Discussion of potential appointees as Tremonton City representative to serve as a member of the Box Elder Mosquito Abatement District Board from 2022 through 2025- Marc Christensen, Assistant City Manager

Assistant City Manager Christensen said David Jones has been on this board and served two terms (four-year terms). He is done with it. Typically, an elected official would be on the board, but their meetings conflict with our City Council meeting. They need a replacement for the Tremonton area. We advertised the opening but received no requests. I talked to the office and they suggested James Walker, who has worked with them before. They said they would be thrilled if he was the representative for Tremonton. He said he would be more than happy to do that if the Council approved it. Both the chairman and secretary of the abatement board both had high remarks for him. The Council agreed he was a good choice and that would be formalized in the next meeting.

9. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar: None.
b. Review of past assignment: None.

10. Reports & Comments:

a. City Manager Reports and Comments: None.
b. Development Review Committee Report and Comments: None.
c. City Department Head Reports and Comments: None.
d. Council Reports and Comments: None.

Motion by Councilmember Archibald to move into closed session. Motion seconded by Councilmember Seamons. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

The Council moved into a closed session at 8:18 p.m.

11. CLOSED SESSIONS:

Motion by Councilmember Archibald to return to open session. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

The Council returned to open session at 9:05 p.m.

12. Adjournment.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by Councilmember Seamons. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

The meeting adjourned at 9:07 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 1st day of February, 2022.

Linsey Nessen, City Recorder

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