City Council Minutes 1-7-25

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
JANUARY 7, 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 January 7, 2025 City Council Workshop to order at 5:08 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, Public Works Director Paul Fulgham (arrived at 5:10 p.m.), and Fire Chief Brady Hansen (arrived at 5:35 p.m.).

1. Discussion of Main Street/Midland Square revitalization

Mayor Holmgren said we have worked on Main Street and Midland Square for the better part of last year. We have had several meetings, town halls, and steering committee meetings. A survey was done to gain citizen input to get ideas from the community as to what direction to go. We applied for and received the Rural Communities Opportunity Grant for $405,720 and given a timeframe to complete that project. With all the input, visioning and survey, we are requesting an extension of that grant. We need to get this project done if we want to apply for further funding that could be beneficial toward Main Street. My recommendation is we move ahead. We sort of pivoted the grant a bit. We have decided to do phases 1 and 2. We would save the pavilion for later but would start the flat work. This first phase would include bathrooms and the purchase of streetlights for Main Street. Those would be stored away until we get the infrastructure in our sidewalks.

Manager Cobabe said after our last meeting, staff and the Steering Committee were a little discouraged by the direction the Council went. Even though you voted to approve the concept plan and move forward with a tentative budget, there was concern that the committee was looking at things the Council did not want. That left them frustrated. They had met for months trying to come up with a good design to present to the Council that was not received well. We wanted to look at the whole thing for Main Street and Midland Square. It felt like the Council was more interested in focusing on Main Street and not doing anything with Midland Square. The Mayor and I have been working with them and have met to discuss the direction we would like to go. Councilmember Westergard said I was discouraged because we have been going through the same thing for a year. The first plan we had was close to the same plan we got. Then they shot themselves in the foot when someone said, they did not really agree to it. What are we supposed to do? It did not feel cohesive. Manager Cobabe said this conversation has been going on for 30 years about Midland Square and Main Street revitalization. This conversation is really frustrating when you think about it in those historical terms. We got to a point where the Main Street Committee felt ready to start and get things done. That included moving trees and replacing broken sidewalk and just making downtown a place of revitalization. The result of open houses was that people want energy downtown and amenities. They want a place of vitality where people can hang out. Councilmember Vance said we want that too. I do not know how it got misinterpreted. The idea we tried to convey and put in a proposal, was that we need to find out the costs of everything so we can prioritize what we can afford. We need more numbers so we can make decent decisions. I do not know how that got construed into, we are not interested in doing anything.

When asked about pivoting the grant, Mayor Holmgren said they are open to modifying the grant to include some of Main Street. We are at the beginning stages. We have the budget laid out and where the funding is going to come from. Councilmember Vance said we need to see these numbers and then we can have educated discussions on which way we want to go. Manager Cobabe said we have been working with the Chamber of Commerce and the grant approving committee to create a pivot that brings one project with different phases. These numbers include most of the flat work, landscaping, restrooms, and the purchase of streetlights along Main Street. The numbers are from our City engineer and therefore padded. It looks like we have the money right now to get started. Mayor Holmgren said we have until next week to get this application in. We do not want to let this one slip so we can prepare for the next grant, which we could submit this summer (up to $600,000). We would like to spend down this grant and be ready to move for the next, which could be for infrastructure or any economic development on Main Street.

Manager Cobabe said there are a couple reasons for this timing. Not only do we have the grant, but the redesign of the sidewalks and things on Main Street involve UDOT. That slows things down. It makes sense to push that into Phase 2. Let us use the money we need to spend on Midland Square and to get the streetlights ready to roll. That way when UDOT says, this looks good, we can move. The concepts we have put forward are acceptable to UDOT, with the exception of inverted crown. Mayor Holmgren said we do not want to forget those who initially invested in Midland Square. Rather than redoing the pavers, which wear out over time, we want to make a large brass plaque with all those names. We added lights to Phase 1 and moved the arches and pavilion to a later phase. We have $405,000 plus $175,000 in the budget right now. We have the funding for Phase 1. This project will get something started and then we can hammer out how we want Main Street to look. Manager Cobabe said we are working on that with the committee, they have not disbanded. We are working through things and have met with UDOT to discuss our concepts. We have preferred ideas and might do that in phases as well. Our priorities are the sidewalks because they are a safety concern and removing the trees. Main Street is just a part of Phase 2.

Councilmember Vance said this group was put together to talk about what we need down Main Street without Midland Square being part of it. Somehow after six months, as soon as they got done discussing Main Street, they talked about the park again. This is a lightning rod that causes nothing but frustration in the community. I feel I am getting led down the path on which way I am supposed to vote without even knowing what the numbers are. Tonight, our choice is we have to go this direction to keep that $400,000. We are being forced to vote and I do not feel comfortable with this. I know we need to do something to keep the grant going. We have had plenty of time to get numbers, but all we have are numbers on the park and lights. Manager Cobabe said that is because the design for Main Street has not been finished for review and approval. We talked with UDOT to make sure we were not barking up the wrong tree. That would be our next step. I apologize, I was not here for the original conversation. My understanding was this was all part of the downtown revitalization effort. That is why the conversation went that way. The grant was not for Main Street, it was for Midland Square. I was not part of the grant writing process. Regardless, the Mayor and I have been trying to pivot it to include some Main Street items, which is how we are getting the lights paid for. You feel like your hands are tied and this is frustrating for staff because we feel like we did what we were supposed to. Now we are hearing this is not what you wanted. I feel your pain. The grant was written toward Midland Square. Councilmember Westergard said the grant was written for Midland Square and it was moving forward until we had so much conflict. Manager Cobabe said the more specific you can get with the project, the easier it is for them to buy off on it. If we only say we are going to do something with half a million dollars toward economic development somewhere in our City, the committee making decision, says it sounds a bit half baked. They are going to award the money to someone else who has better detail and a more exact idea of what they are doing.

Councilmember Vance said we are putting the cart before the horse. If we knew the costs, we could prioritize. If there is enough money to fix Main Street and we have excess money, then we could put that into the park. That is the way we should be looking at it, but we do not know the numbers for Main Street. Manager Cobabe said this is normally how things are done. Typically, you form a committee to get the design locked in, you get numbers, and then you start shopping for grants because you know how much to ask for. I am not worried about this extension and pivot, but we still need your thumbs up. No official action will be taken. This is the direction you told us to go last month—to get numbers in front of you. Nothing has been approved until you approve it. Councilmember Vance said it seems you are taking the choice away from us. The park is becoming the number one priority and Main Street is number two. Manager Cobabe said I understand that concern, but funding reflects priorities. So, if we are spending half a million dollars on Midland Square, but $1.8 million on Main Street, Midland Square may be first because of timing, but is not necessarily the priority. The priority is where you spend most of your money. The concept plan we have for Main Street is going to be quite expensive and will look fantastic. We have not brought it to you yet because it is not ready. We want to be careful with how we approach UDOT. The funding with that is through the RDA so we have more flexibility on the timing and are in control of that. We have approved a preferred concept and design for Main Street. We ran that past UDOT a few weeks ago and they are on board. We are now working the plans. When you do a roadway redesign you do different steps, (30%, 50%, 70%). At each of those phases, we are going to come back and say, this is what we are looking at. This is how the budget is being affected. You can say yay or nay. We will have loose numbers and you will see the direction we are going. You will help us stay within the budget guidelines that are set. Planner Seedall said the Steering Committee came up with the concept that we then brought to the Council. With Council approval we met with UDOT and got the thumbs up. It will take time to put those plans together. Manager Cobabe said we would then bring it to you for review and a thumbs up on proceeding.

Councilmember Rohde said we are going down the same path as last year. We do not have the community’s backing on this. I do not think the majority of people feel good about where we are headed. In my opinion, it is a lightning rod and I do not want to be holding it. Manager Cobabe said how is this such a lightning rod? It seems to me that if there is a place in town that needs attention, and people have said revitalize downtown, and Midland Square happens to be downtown, why has it become such a place where people say do not touch it? Councilmember Lewis said he has heard people say the nicest spot in town is Midland Square. The feedback I get is why are we allocating our budget to redoing something there. Also, the veterans feel this would disrupt that space and turn it into an event center rather than a sacred spot for veterans to be respected. Why are we putting this first? Manager Cobabe said the short answer is because that is the funding we got. The grant we applied for dealt almost exclusively with Midland Square. Monica Holdaway, with the Box Elder Chamber, said this grant was for revitalization to a certain area. This was written for Midland Square to promote it. It has to provide economic opportunity and is very specific, the way it was written. Manager Cobabe said things change. Life changes and it hopefully moves toward the better. The veterans will be taken care of. We have talked to them extensively. The westerly side of the square is being designed with an eye toward making sure those valuable contributions and sacrifices will be honored. We are just expanding what is there and highlighting additional things. At the end of the day, it is a City plaza, not a veterans’ plaza. Unless the Council tells us no, we are going to try to make it so it has economic impact and benefit.

Councilmember Vance said if we are going to pivot, how do we pivot? I do not think we have a choice with the way this is presented. Either we go with it, or we do not. Councilmember Westergard said we do not want to lose the money. Mrs. Holdaway said the cost for restrooms is $120,000. There are no public restrooms on Tremonton’s Main Street. If you look at it as gaining public restrooms, not changing Midland Square, then this helps you develop your Main Street corridor. You would also get Main Street lighting. Those are two big expenses covered ($240,000). I work with public plazas all the time to bring vendors in and it is nice to have electricity available. You have events that are already happening and getting people downtown they just need amenities. I think of it as public restrooms for the City. Until Tremonton uses that money, you are encumbered and cannot apply for another grant. The faster you do get it done, the faster you can apply for a second one to do something else in the valley.

Councilmember Vance said can we make a motion to approve the first phase to get it going and keep the grant, with the idea that the second phase is not going to be approved until we see the whole cost of Main Street? Then we can prioritize. This keeps things rolling. Manager Cobabe said yes, that is the kind of action we were hoping for. Councilmember Rohde said we can do something with Midland, I just do not want to change its function. We can remove the big trees, flatten it and add restrooms to enhances the area. When we start planning things that infringe on the memorial, I do not feel good about that. Councilmember Lewis said I agree with the work that has been put in, but I think the lack of financials is what has led us to say, slow down. Also, the fact that we are working backward makes us say, hang on. That is not us saying we do not like the plan, because we do. It just feels like the cart before the horse.

When asked about the opinion of the Steering Committee, Jared Lewis said the majority of the Steering Committee has voted to approve the concept for Midland Square. We did not develop the phased development. We were of the opinion that the concept should be brought to fruition. We voted and approved that concept for Midland Square and buying street lights in advance.

Councilmember Rohde said can we throw the concept away and start over? Manager Cobabe said no, because we have a recommended concept from the Steering Committee. If you threw it away now, it would be like getting rid of all of their work. Councilmember Vance said the Steering Committee put together concepts. They did not know what the numbers were. Now we know those numbers and can make decisions. Manager Cobabe said the Steering Committee comes up with a preferred concept regardless of the numbers. We cannot just throw the whole thing out saying, thanks, but no thanks. With the bid alternates we have pulled out some things that we want to hold off until Phase 2. If it is possible, we would love to have them in Phase 1, but it could be too expensive. Mayor Holmgren said the basic concept is there, but we are making adjustments and tweaks as we move along. Mr. Lewis said the Steering Committee has considered, to the best of our ability, public opinion. We have collectively read and shared studies between us to come up with these concepts. We have leaned on experts heavily to develop, not only this plaza space, but the concepts you have seen. We were making recommendations to the Council, so you would not have to read the studies until the wee hours of the morning, put out a survey, and do this work. We hope you would consider these concepts and if you want to know more about why we recommended these things, you can talk to us. We would ask that you do not throw out the baby with the bathwater. If it does not work, we were never married to that idea. We just saw it as a way to make the plaza achieve the purpose of having a central space for people to gather and be an economic hub of the City. By all means tweak it, but we did do a lot of study for you to come up with those concepts.

2. Introduction of Economic Development Consultant – Stan Summers

This item will be discussed at a future meeting.

3. Presentation on special project procedures – Manager Cobabe

Manager Cobabe said I was approached by a couple Councilmembers about the way things have happened in the past. It is uncomfortable for me to make decisions in a vacuum. I like to do things in the light of day and with your knowledge and approval. If we are not on the same page or working in step, I am not doing my job. My commitment to you is to make sure you know what is going on and to keep you informed. I am the City Manager and am in charge of the administrative functions of the city. In a lot of ways, I do not like that. We get a much better product and outcome when we work together. The memo I wrote is a broad stroke of ideas and principles on how a Council should work and how staff should work with the Council. Your responsibility is to set the priorities and funding reflects that. Timeline does not necessarily reflect the priorities. On the wall we have a series of goals and principles—our pillars of what we want our City to look like and what the guiding principles are. These define us and this is how we hold on to our identity. There is a balance between how you handle development and the future. How do you balance that with the need for holding your identity. How do we hold on to what Tremonton is and make sure we stay amazing? There are basically three different worlds you live in. The first is statutory. You set the policies and live within those laws, both on the State and local level. Next is financial. You control the purse strings, and your funding reflects priorities. It is expensive to run a city and you are in charge of that. Third is oversight. There is a chain of command. If you have a need or concern, give it to me, the mayor or a department head and we will address that. Councilmember Rohde said it is up to the Council to set those priorities and work toward goals. I would like to see us as a Council take each one of these pillars and set high level strategic goals and plans. That gives each of the department heads and everyone in the City something to work toward as a common cause. If we are doing that, it is going to take care of some of these gaps we have with communication.

4. Discussion on Strategic Planning/Budget Meeting – Manager Cobabe

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

6. CLOSED MEETING: No Closed Meeting 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 6:43 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the January 7, 2025 City Council Meeting to order at 7:02 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 (left at 8:46 p.m.), Public Works Director Paul Fulgham (left at 8:46 p.m.), Fire Chief Brady Hansen (left at 8:46 p.m.), Police Chief Dustin Cordova (left at 8:46 p.m.), and Sergeant Skyler Gailey (left at 8:46 p.m.).

1. Opening Ceremony: Prayer – Councilmember Lewis, Pledge – Councilmember Estep

2. Introduction of Council

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None.

4. Approval of Agenda:

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the agenda of January 7, 2025. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

5. Approval of minutes – December 3, 2024

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to approve the minutes of December 3, 2024. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

6. Years of Service Awards

a. Adam Tisher, Firefighter/EMT—5 years
b. Linsey Nessen, Assistant City Manager—15 years

Fire Chief Hansen provided a bio on Mr. Tisher, while Manager Cobabe provided a bio on Assistant City Manager Nessen. The Mayor and Council thanked them for their years of service.

7. Presentations

a. Tremonton City Citizenship Award to Elementary and Intermediate Students

Mayor Holmgren said the reason we do this is to recognize students who are exceptional. Your principals and teachers are watching. When you do something special, they take note. We look for youth who are respectful to their classmates and teachers. They are responsible and get things done. They are safe and encourage safety in their schools. This is a good reflection upon the parents, and we want to congratulate you for raising such fine young people. Then the Mayor provided the awards and they took pictures.

b. State of the economy in Tremonton City and Box Elder County – Monica Holdaway

Ms. Holdaway said we are going to start doing monthly updates. We have a legislative preview on Thursday. In February, we will be at the legislature every week. February 26 is our Box Elder County Day at the legislature. Box Elder County will conduct the early morning meeting and then tour the Capitol. We are part of Northern Utah Chamber Coalition and have met with all the chambers north of Salt Lake. We have our Box Elder Business Summit held in Brigham. We will have keynote speakers and breakout sessions. We have a business resource panel and will have our regional economist discuss the top five industries in Box Elder County. We hold the Taste of Box Elder, which samples all the different restaurants in the County. In April, we will have our annual awards banquet. March is the time to nominate for those awards. Last year, the Chamber received a grant helping our rural workers get higher paying jobs. She then reviewed the resources on their website and how to navigate those. She explained that they surveyed over 100 businesses and found that soft or power skills kept people from being hired or promoted. Showing up to the interview, knowing how to interview, how to demonstrate confidence, and how to work with others. We have worked with Bridgerland Technical College and instead of taking a course for six weeks to learn these skills, we created ten videos talking about these points and how they can be applied. We did a Chamber open house in December. My office hours in Tremonton are going to be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays. We are going to use Tremonton as a pilot program for a welcome packet to new residents where businesses can put information in a folder to be handed out.

8. Public comments:

Chris Danvers said I am going to let you know how big of a lightning bolt Midland Square is. I was working to pay some of those extra bills I have now because of the last cycle in the last Council. I heard the talk, because I listen on YouTube on what is going on. I travel a lot for my job. I cannot be here for all the meetings. Before I leave for my next job, I wanted to say how upset I am about how you guys are willing to spend money because you are afraid to lose it. It reminds me of the federal government and how they work. I lived in Maryland and worked on Capitol Hill. It is not just about a veterans’ memorial. It is about a waste of money. You guys have a quarter of the land at Midland Square compared to Shuman Park. You have all the same amenities that you are planning to squeeze into this one little plot of land that you already have at Shuman Park. At the last committee meeting, I heard questions like why are we not doing more like we used to at Shuman Park, instead of spending all of this money. If you guys have to grab on to $500,000 and spend it just for the sake of spending it then you are wasting the money and you are damaging our town. Frankly, it is a waste. I hope you guys take note of it.

9. New Council Business:

a. Discussion of RDA grant rating and ranking system for applications for affordable housing/housing projects in the City

Manager Cobabe said the RDA has a requirement to set aside a certain amount of money each year for affordable housing. We now have about $2.4 million. Over the next three years we are looking to distribute some of that money. The Council asked me to put together a rating/ranking system for applicants who apply for those funds. We have a rubric setup to evaluate those applications based on the criteria set forth. This item is for discussion only. This is a lot. I mostly wanted to introduce it to you so that you have a chance to chew on it and then we will take action in a couple weeks. Councilmember Rohde asked for a summary of this. Manager Cobabe said he would send that to the Council.

b. Discussion and possible action on adopting Resolution No. 25-01 appointing Karen Ellsworth, Ashlee Phillips, and Jack Stickney to serve on the Tremonton City Planning Commission and reaffirming and appointing existing Planning Commission Members

Planner Seedall said last month we decided to expand the Planning Commission to have two alternate members. This will help us create a full quorum. We are nominating Karen Ellsworth to fill a vacancy left by Kaden Grover, who has decided to leave the Planning Commission. We are going to ask Jack Stickney and Ashlee Phillips to be our first alternates. The long-term vision with this structure is that as we have vacancies, we will promote the alternates to full-time seats. This should create less turnover and make that transition easier as they already have knowledge of the issues.

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

c. Discussion and possible action on adopting Ordinance No. 25-01 amending the Tremonton City Land Use Code Chapters 1.21 Accessory Dwelling Units and 2.02 Concept Plans

Planner Seedall said with accessory dwelling units, we have attempted to merge the process. Internal accessory dwelling units had a different permitting and review process than detached units. I wanted to blend those together. I talked with Manager Cobabe and Director Fulgham about the impact accessory dwelling units have on our infrastructure and we came to this agreement. This took a few meetings with the Planning Commission to vet the changes. I feel it will help take quite a few of the procedures out of the ADUs and help us get more of them as part of a moderate-income housing strategy. I feel this loosens the amount of effort it takes for an applicant. We tried to rein that in a bit, so it is not as expensive of a process. Manager Cobabe said it is good planning practice to not require a conditional use permit for something that is a permitted use. What you should do is create performance standards, so the impact is mitigated through code, not the requirement of a conditional use permit. We streamlined the permitting process and made it the same for any ADU. Planner Seedall said the last section in this chapter states how the City can revoke these permits if they find the guidelines or codes are being violated. If there are complaints, that is within the City’s power to revoke. Parking was one of the topics that kept this at the Planning Commission. We outlined how they have to meet parking guidelines and show that in the permit process. It is supposed to be a casual application process because this is the one stage of the development process that does not trigger the State’s timeline for review processes and getting information back. We tried to make the changes to allow flexibility.

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

d. Discussion and possible action on awarding a bid for the Pump Line Replacement Project

Director Fulgham said we received a $1 million grant for a project. We had 11 bidders. We threw out the low bid because it was incomplete. I recommend going with the second lowest bid for $774,161.30. Our estimate was $1.25 million. With it being a winter project with no snow, they can really go to work quite rapidly. Our goal is to have it wrapped up by June 30. Most of it has to be in before the canal system comes in and before our water usage goes up since it will be impacted by a pump down in the river. This 14-inch line will replace two lines (a 6-inch cast iron line that was installed in the 50s and an 8-inch PVC line, installed in the 70s). This will up the capacity and benefit us 60 years down the road. My recommendation is to award it to Forefront General Contractor. We have never worked with them but have done research. They are in North Logan, and we have good feedback. This will create a new alignment, so we are not going through fields. This will come directly up the road, making things easier to repair.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to go with Forefront as the contractor. 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.

e. Discussion and possible action on awarding a bid for a new 10-Wheel Dump Truck

Director Fulgham said I budgeted $200,000 and sent this to four providers. Two opted not to bid. I received bids from Rush Truck (International) and Premier Truck (Freightliner). The prices of the bids were $252,000, $217,000, and $226,000. My recommendation is to go with the higher bid because that truck is available. It is a larger truck and is more truck than our existing one. They have to have a bed put on it and the plow, but it is ready to go. It would be ready by February. My recommendation would be to go with that larger International truck from Rush Truck Centers. We will modify our budget to take that in. It would come out of the composting operation. We only run one 10-wheeler at a time because that is what we haul the biosolids with. It would have a plow on it, but no sander because its main job is to go from the treatment plant to the compost facility and back. We would keep the other one in our fleet because it still runs, and we can push snow with it.

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to approve they buy the truck recommended by Director Fulgham. 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.

f. Discussion and possible action on approving an On-Premise Beer License for Western Billiards

Mayor Holmgren said there are new owners for Western Billiards and per State law, we have to reissue the beer license. Assistant City Manager Nessen said the Council has the ability to transfer it where nothing is changing. We would have to get it approved through the State, too.

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to transfer this to Josh Buck. 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.

10. Consent Agenda

a. Advise and consent City Manager’s appointment of Carl Mackley to the position of Assistant Public Works Director
b. Adoption of November Warrant Register
c. Adoption of November Financial Statements

Director Fulgham introduced Carl Mackley, saying he is by far the best qualified of any of our candidates. He is a licensed engineer, who is from Brigham and lives in Collinston. He was the manager of the Bear River Water Conservancy District for five years. Before that he worked in the State Engineer’s Office for water rights, which will be a benefit to the City in the future since he knows the water laws. I think everything will work out great as we make a transition. This does not mean he will get the Public Works Director position—he would be the assistant helping fill in the interim. That decision would be up to the Council in the future. Mayor Holmgren said I had the chance to work with Mr. Mackley and I second that. He is a great person and very capable. He has his water certificates. It would be nice to get the wastewater part as well. Mr. Mackley is currently working on that. Councilmember Vance said we are excited to have Mr. Mackley, but I am more excited to see Director Fulgham excited about it. Director Fulgham said I really feel good because it has been a big worry. We will get him trained. It is nice that he has dealt with agencies we have to deal with. I am excited to have him learn. Manager Cobabe said Director Fulgham has made an enormous contribution to our City over the last three decades. Anyone who helps out in that kind of a role, has big shoes to fill.

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

11. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar

Mayor Holmgren said our next Council meeting will be January 21. We will be meeting at 4 p.m. for the visioning workshops. We will possibly meet again on January 28.

b. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

12. Reports & Comments:

a. City Administration Reports and Comments

Manager Cobabe said I am consistently impressed with the quality people I get to work with. Their dedication, professionalism, and service are second to none. We really have the best employees. Their devotion to our City and the public is inspiring. I am grateful and humbled at the chance to work with such amazing people.

b. Development Review Committee Report and Comments

Planner Seedall said we have been working with Brody Calder on annexing 200 acres along Iowa String. We have met with the residents and held a handful of meetings. They brought up a concern, which I felt was justified. A lot of the residents were asking that we talk to the Council about waiving their impact fees because of the money they have spent on septic tanks and West Corinne water connections. They feel it is quite a bit to swallow to ask them to pay another $17,000 when they built in the County. That is just something to consider. We would like to give them an answer. We have worked to help them understand this process of development. They have already spent $30,000 and only had these water connections for two or three years. They have not appreciated that much. Manager Cobabe said that $17,000 is the worst-case scenario. We also presented the fact that we do not speak for the Council. We do not set the policy or fee schedule. There is the opportunity to waive impact fees for buildings that are already constructed. Planner Seedall said this is 200 acres of annexation and 147 of it would be ready for development. This is 3% of the amount of impact fees we would get off the acreage. We are looking at almost $11.9 million worth of impact fees, where this would cost the City almost $400,000. These people are going to deal with construction for the next 10 years and this is something they did not ask for. It seems like a small ask when there is so much else for the City to gain because of this. It would cost a lot more than $400,000 if the City had to put sewer in. Manager Cobabe said I have said it is unfair to existing residents to subsidize their homes coming into the City. They have an impact on the existing system and there is no other way around it. The impact fees are designed to offset that. Planner Seedall said it did cost them money to get those connections so unless it has appreciated enough to cover their costs it is a burden. Councilmember Estep said we cannot make them connect, they can stay on septic and West Corinne water. Director Fulgham said State law says when they are within 300 feet we can. We have never done that though because usually they come to us when they start having failures. Councilmember Vance said how far south are we going? Planner Seedall said 9600 North, the lift station would be almost to the church. The Council discussed the drainage lines in the area and how developers are required to maintain their integrity.

c. City Department Head Reports and Comments

Chief Cordova said this year we broke 11,086 cases over the last year, which is up from 8,032. This may sound like a bad thing, but it is good. It just means there are that many more cases we are catching and seeing through. It has been really positive. The Know Your Force, where people give us surveys, we are 96% positive, a 4.8 out of 5-star rating. Thanks to Lieutenant Gailey we were awarded $25,000 for our body cams. That will offset costs. I was recently awarded federal training, which we will send one of our investigators through. That is a $6,000 to $10,000 value and fully paid by the Department of Justice. We are interviewing for new records in evidence positions. We had about 20 candidates. We are going to have to vary our hours for a week or two. I am hopeful with the candidates and their qualifications.

Chief Hansen said I am delighted to report that our new fire engine is in, but not in service yet. We have to get brackets to mount the tools and move equipment over from the other engine. We are super excited and appreciate the Council for prioritizing that as a need for the fire department. It has been on order for almost two and a half years and has finally arrived. We host Toys for Tots every December. They use the fire station as a hub to deliver the toys to people in our community. I spoke to the vendor about an ambulance on order for just over two years. It is another six months out. When we ordered that ambulance, the bid was based on a 2022 chassis and that truck will be built on a 2025 chassis. The chassis price is not locked in. I am anticipating a $15,000 overrun. The price of the box was locked in, but the price of the chassis is separate. I do not know yet if it will arrive in June for this budget year or if it will arrive in July and the future budget year. It is wintertime, so all of our shifts are covered. It is a little easier to cover shifts in the wintertime because people are not on vacation. Staffing is going well. Nate Christensen is up and running as the City Emergency Manager. I am delighted with the things he is working on and areas he is helping with. We are dismantling our storage room and converting it into a conference room. We are setting him up with a couple of phone lines and a conference table for emergency management meetings. For our ambulance billing, our plan was for them to start billing January 1. We are still working on a couple of small details, but they will start covering that. They have a team of 20-something people and the ability to specialize and focused on ambulance billing. They will be able to improve our billing. Their cost to us is 6% of total revenue, but we expect the collections to go up by well over 6%. Essentially, they will pay for it. That is a big step for us.

d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Vance said I have been so worried about getting Director Fulgham’s replacement for the last year and am so happy and relieved to have Mr. Mackley here. We appreciate all of you and how things are running smoothly. Thanks for all you do for us.

Councilmember Rohde said I would like to move forward with our sign on Main Street. A 4×8 will cost an additional $15,000 over the budget. Our sales tax revenues have been up at least 4% this year. We had $45,000 in the budget and it came out at $60,000. I think it would be easier to communicate with the public if we have a bigger sign. Assistant City Manager Nessen suggested adding the sign to the City offices where it would be more relevant and possibly easier to read since it would be eye level and slower road speeds. The Council agreed to the bigger sign but were still unsure on the best location. Councilmember Rohde said that may bring the cost down if we put it on the ground. Especially if the City could build a platform for it.

Councilmember Estep said thanks everybody. We are going to miss Director Fulgham. We have a great City.

Mayor Holmgren said I want to also thank all of you. I second everything that has been said and I appreciate the opportunity to work with you.

13. CLOSED MEETING: No Closed Meeting held at this time

14. 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 8:47 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 21 day of January, 2025.

Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

Archives