City Council Minutes 11-7-23

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
NOVEMBER 7, 2023

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

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Holmgren called the November 7, 2023 City Council Workshop to order at 5:30 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 and Rohde, City Manager Warnke, Assistant City Manager Christensen, and City Recorder Nessen. The following Department Heads were also present: Public Works Director Paul Fulgham, Police Chief Dustin Cordova (arrived at 5:37 p.m.), Fire Chief Brady Hansen (arrived at 5:59 p.m.), and Downtown Manager Sara Mohrman. Also in attendance was City Engineer Chris Breinholt. Councilmembers Seamons and Vance were excused.

1. Discussion on the sizing of Tremonton City’s Central Canal Equalization Basin- Trevor Nielson, General Manager at Bear River Canal Company

Mr. Nielson said the Canal Board of Directors has approved the design for the secondary equalization basin. However, we want to clear a couple things up with the Council moving forward. He read a letter, which walks through what they hope to accomplish with the secondary system. When it goes into service, all your water will be scheduled and accumulated into the basin. As pumps pull water out of the canal, an automated gate at the equalization basin will open and release that same amount of water every 15 minutes. There is a discrepancy between the calculations that were made versus the amount of water that is allowed per share of Bear River Canal Company stock. One CFS is allotted for every 80 shares on a continuous basis and is how this equalization basin is set up. It will provide 5.16 gallons per minute per acre/share. The calculations were done on a basis of seven gallons per minute per acre/share. The City Engineer explained that this was done to ensure the basin was large enough. Some of these numbers are based on peak day use. His numbers are conservative, which means the City can only utilize 5.61 gallons per minute per acre, which is the same as what the farmers in the area get. It should be sufficient flow. He felt through careful management and conservation, it was an easily obtainable number to hit.

Mr. Nielson said we do not dispute the City’s understanding of their own water systems. However, we are required to treat each shareholder the same. In the event the basin ever goes dry, the canal company will shut off the pumps temporarily to allow the reservoir to recover. If there is not any water in the reservoir to replace what is being pumped upstream, then you are taking water out of turn. We are building that into the system. We have no problem with you continuing to move forward with the basins, but we cannot ever have you draw past what you have. From the assessment of your engineer, this is a fairly unlikely scenario, but we wanted to be clear on how the canal company would proceed if the equalization basin does not have sufficient water. Director Fulgham said that is the beauty of our system, we can shut those pumps off if we need to limit or conserve. Councilmember Archibald said as we encourage people to conserve and dry-scape, that will make a huge difference. We just have to continue to educate and have a beautiful yard without a lot of grass. This is a multi-generational type project. We use grant money and such to make sure our future is bright when it comes to water.

When asked about the equalization basin, Engineer Breinholt said this basin is sized per build-out of everything from the Malad River to I-15. We are talking well beyond any of us. In the future this pond could be expanded or another would be built. We do not have much history yet with our system. Over the next five years, we will get a lot better idea of what the use will be and know where we are at. I have been pretty conservative in my design. Mr. Nielson said looking over the data, 2 and 3 p.m. is when some of your pumps are pulling no water. That water just goes downstream, which helps the downstream users. At night, there may be a heavy draw occurring. In the morning hours it will gain until about midnight and then the process will start again. This makes it so the canal remains steady. Councilmember Rohde asked about drought years. Director Fulgham said we will notify our customers that we will have a reduction or shutoff to conserve. It is not just us, but everybody, even those who make a living off the canal growing crops.

Mr. Nielson said the gate that is being installed will not release all the water that is required to build out. It is not large enough. However, the smaller gate allows for more accurate measurement. It is going to be 10 to 15 years at the earliest before you are going to need to utilize the entire basin. We also will not understand the magnitude of this until we get five or six years of data under our belt. We would add just this one gate for now. As the need arose, we would add the second. This goes through the thresholds. Once those are met, the City would dig a hole in the side of the basin and install a second gate. We appreciate you and thank you for letting us come. In their approval, the board wanted me to explain these things so you heard it from the horse’s mouth. We do not anticipate any problems. We just wanted to explain how it would be administered if there were issues. When asked about timeframe, Director Fulgham said it has to be completed and put in place by April 1. It will be operational by May 1.

2. Police Department Progress Report – Dustin Cordova, Police Chief

Chief Cordova said none of this would be possible without your support, I greatly appreciate you. Our motto is standing together for a safer tomorrow because it is not just about our department. It is also about the fire department and our relationships with both Logan and Cache, as well as Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office. We have been decluttering and been bogged down mentally. There were a lot of internal issues that we have fixed. We also had outdated policy and training that put us in a state of liability. We have fixed most of those issues. We have shifted to more hands-on and realistic training. We had very low morale when I first started. Here is the survey we conducted last year. 100% of our employees said they were considering leaving within that last year. 60% had active applications. Losing 60% of our employees would have failed the department and we would not have been able to provide 24-7 services. There was no chain of command or officer care as far as officer appreciation or wellness programs. When asked if they enjoy working for Tremonton Garland Police, only 42% said yes. When asked if they felt respected at work, 50% said yes. I feel my management cares was 50%. I have actively considered leaving—once again, 100%. My opinion matters, 15%. I feel recognized for my work 0%. For pay and benefits, only 10% felt it was fair with the market. I feel my City cares about me, 50%. That is where we started. Let us now focus on where we went. As a department we focus on community-oriented policing (COP). Our guys proactively went into one of the bars for a check. That is common in larger agencies. They interacted with the public and decided to sing karaoke. People loved it. That is the kind of thing that creates a lasting positive impact in our community. Those little interactions people will remember for a long time. Our model with COP is selfless service. We are really focusing on positive media relations. This also helps us by having relationships so we can represent the facts. I have met with our business leaders around the community to get their perspectives. We have been highly interactive with our schools. We are training staff on active shooter situations and our officers are constantly checking in. Last year our guys donated sick time to buy Christmas for families in need. They amaze me every day. One of our guys wore a Santa suit and delivered presents. We are trying to embrace the ideas that we are the same as our public. We won that lemonade contest this summer. We got to interact with the public a lot, but what is most impressive is that we had a higher call volume with less cops, we still managed to make the interactions we needed within our community. Our officers really care. Sergeant Gailey submitted a challenge in one of the schools that if they raised a certain amount of money for a kid in need, he was willing to get tased, which is very painful.

Chief Cordova then discussed their policing strategy. I have come up with a three-prong design. We start by trying to reduce our crime. We identify issues and prevent crime before it happens, as well as respond to crime. We have had a 300% increase in search warrants. If a home is a narcotic business, it is going to attract crime. We shut those down to get crime out of our neighborhoods. We focused on high crime areas and target fugitives because the worst criminals attract other criminals. We are working on a good landlord program. Matheson Apartments is probably our biggest call load right now. We are working with management to reduce those by evicting problem people and reducing crime. We have a preventative program for crime with young adults. We are focusing on our problem areas and weeding out the issues that have already existed in our community. We have created an emergency response plan and a SWAT team with Box Elder County. We have also formed a relationship with Logan and Cache. They are willing to respond free of cost for us, as well as train with us. He reviewed a few noteworthy cases with the Council.
Chief Cordova said we have rolled out an Officer Appreciation program, wellness program, peer support and fitness. We are going to roll out a mentorship program this year to give people direction with their career. We have created more opportunity by adding positions and being a part of the task force. We have increased our officer safety with staffing and training. He then reviewed the turnover rate. Some people retired and others left. Our average was about three people per year, which is a lot for a small department. We are a bigger department now. We have only lost one officer, which is an increase in retention by 66% over last year. Our funding has also increased. We are close to $160,000 between grants and donations. Grants are really challenging and you have to manage them. We do not really have the resources to go for more.

Here are the things I have done to improve myself both on duty and off duty said Chief Cordova. I recently completed the FBI Executive Command College. Now we have resources I can access. I finished a 100-hour course on leadership, specific to law enforcement and overcoming the issues we are facing. I have done multiple leadership courses through the Harvard Business Certification Program and am scheduled to attend a Public Information Officer (PIO) training. We have created really good relationships, which is a work in progress.

Chief Cordova said here is our most recent survey. I feel the department has improved in the last year, 100% said yes. I enjoy working for the department, 98% said yes. I feel respected at work, 86% do now. I feel my management cares, 98%. I have actively considered leaving, 33%. I feel my opinion matters, 85%. I feel recognized, 100%. I feel our police department has fair pay and benefits in today’s market, 46%. I feel my City cares about me, 84%. The fear going forward is we may start to lose people based on economic challenges. When someone comes out of the academy, they are highly marketable and sought after. They are actively recruited by multiple agencies because they are the asset. They are in low supply and high demand. Basically, every police department in Utah is not fully staffed. Officers are seeking the best pay, benefits and community. We had 18 applicants recently, which is fantastic, but maybe two were certified and only five were ones we believed could go to the next phase.

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

The Council discussed the public hearing. Manager Warnke said our wastewater engineer has done a great job. We engaged them to construct a Capital Facility Plan and Impact Fee Facility plan. The Capital Facility Plan looks at a longer planning window where the Impact Fee Facility plan is focused on six to 10 years. They look at what kind of improvements we need within that time period. This table summarizes the improvements, the estimated time and the number of ERUs it would serve. It also looks at what is impact fee eligible. The wastewater treatment process is highly mechanized. It is expensive to create and maintain. The maximum impact fee that is allowed to be collected is $2,600, up to $2,700 (single-family). Everything is in order to be adopted. There is a three-month waiting period. Once you adopt this ordinance, this new rate would not go into effect until then. This is what State law allows us to capture, for new growth. Director Fulgham said it is the buy-in to our system.

The Council then discussed Service Area 4. Director Fulgham said this is to award the bid. Our engineer estimate was $1.7 million and the low bid was $1.35 million. Our two local contractors were neck and neck. I think they are going to work together on the project. We will use that extra money to help with purchasing the meters and new connections. Mayor Holmgren said several months ago, we applied through the Department of Water Resources for a grant for $2 million dollars. Service Area 4 is paid for entirely through grant funding.

Assistant City Manager Christensen said the fees and fines that Tremonton charge need to be updated. First are our development fees. That is the cost of the applications and City staff reviews. We are trying to compare so it is fair and developers are paying for the time and effort those reviews take. Next is business licenses. A few years ago, the State enacted a law that home occupied businesses are not charged a fee if they have no impact. The City has used that method, but there are a lot of administrative burdens on home-based businesses. We did a study in 2020 stating what we can charge for those. We set the price at what that study said. If they feel they have no impact other than their residential impact that fee could be waived. All home-based businesses, who are currently operating would, just pay a renewal fee.

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

The Council moved into a closed session at 6:45 p.m.

4. CLOSED SESSIONS:

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

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

The Council returned to open session at 7:01 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 7:01 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the November 7, 2023 City Council Meeting to order at 7:06 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 and Rohde, City Manager Warnke, Assistant City Manager Christensen, and City Recorder Nessen. The following Department Heads were also present: Public Works Director Paul Fulgham, Police Chief Dustin Cordova, Fire Chief Brady Hansen, and Downtown Manager Sara Mohrman. Also in attendance was City Engineer Chris Breinholt. Councilmembers Seamons and Vance were excused.

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

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

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None.

4. Approval of Agenda:

Motion by Councilmember Archibald to approve the agenda of November 7, 2023. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – absent, Councilmember Vance – absent. Motion approved.

5. Approval of minutes – October 17, 2023

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve the minutes of October 17, 2023. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – absent, Councilmember Vance – absent. Motion approved.

6. Presentation

a. Tremonton City Citizenship Award to Elementary and Intermediate Students

Councilmember Archibald said in the room tonight we have the leaders of the future. These are the children in our schools who have demonstrated three, if not dozens of reasons why we can be hopeful. These students have been respectful, responsible and safe, and they have been recognized by their schools as being exemplary students. Our principals are here supporting us and so are their parents. Thank you for teaching your children important things. Mayor Holmgren presented these students with their certificate and gift card and took a group photo.

7. Years of Service Awards

a. Josh Kearl, Police Sergeant – 10 years
b. Lillian Florez, Assistant Librarian – 5 years

Chief Cordova read through a bio on Sergeant Kearl and a list of his accomplishments. Sergeant Kearl said when I first applied for this job ten years ago, I had no idea where Tremonton was. Coming here was a new experience and I have grown to love this town. I found a girl who lived here and married her. We have absolutely loved it and leaving this position is probably one of the hardest things. Thank you.

Mayor Holmgren read through a bio on Lillian Florez and explained her achievements. The Council thanked them for their years of service.

Mayor Holmgren called a Public Hearing to order at 7:27 p.m. to consider the adoption of the plans listed below. There were nine people in attendance.

8. Public Hearing

a. Ordinance No. 23-07 adopting a Capital Facilities Plan and Impact Fee Facilities Plan for the Wastewater Treatment Plant

There were no public comments. Mayor Holmgren closed the Public Hearing at 7:27 p.m.

Mayor Holmgren called a Public Hearing to order at 7:28 p.m. to consider adopting the impact fee listed below. There were nine people in attendance.

b. Ordinance No. 23-08 adopting Wastewater Treatment Plant Impact Fee Enactment, including, but not limited to, adopting an Impact Fee Analysis

There were no public comments. Mayor Holmgren closed the Public Hearing at 7:28 p.m.

9. Public comments:

Resident Jeff Hoedt said I am compelled to say when I am wrong. At an event two weeks ago for the candidates I mentioned that the largest primary user of water was domestic use. I was wrong. I went home and looked at the papers I had. Without a doubt agricultural use (75-80%) is. What has come out repeatedly is climate change and the population boom could dry up the Great Salt Lake. That is what I should have referred to and not who the biggest user was, my apologies to those who were there. Thank you.

10. New Council Business:

a. Discussion and consideration of approving the September Financial Statements

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve the September Financial Statements. Motion seconded by Councilmember Archibald. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – absent, Councilmember Vance – absent. Motion approved.

b. Discussion and consideration of approving the September Warrant Register

Motion by Councilmember Archibald to approve September Warrant Register. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – absent, Councilmember Vance – absent. Motion approved.

c. Discussion and consideration of approving Ordinance No. 23-07 adopting a Capital Facilities Plan and Impact Fee Facilities Plan for the Wastewater Treatment Plant

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

d. Discussion and consideration of approving Ordinance No. 23-08 adopting and enacting impact fees for the Wastewater Treatment Plant, including, but not limited to, adopting an Impact Fee Analysis

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

e. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 23-66 awarding a bid to Rupp Trucking & Excavation to construct the Secondary Water Service Area 4 Expansion Project

Director Fulgham said the City applied for and received a federal grant that comes through the State Division of Water Resources for $2 million. That is earmarked for Service Area 4. Our engineer’s estimate was $1.7 million dollars. We had eight bidders. Our low bid was Rupp’s Trucking, which was $1,351,682 up to a high bid of $3,621,000. Our recommendation is to award the bid to Rupp’s Trucking. Grover’s was the second lowest. They will likely work together.

Motion by Councilmember Archibald to adopt the resolution and award the bid to Rupp’s Trucking. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Archibald – aye, Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Seamons – absent, Councilmember Vance – absent. Motion approved.

f. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 23-67 reaffirming, amending, and enacting new fees and fines in a schedule entitled Tremonton City Consolidated Fees and Fines Schedule including, but not limited to, Development Fees and Home Occupation Business License Fees

Councilmember Rohde said I am for tabling this because I am not comfortable with the home license fees yet. There needs to be a checklist that is objective. If that is left up to one person’s judgment, we may get some discrepancies. I would rather have a succinct checklist. If we have that I can move forward. Assistant City Manager Christensen said I agree with you. I wrote it down in my to-do list. There is also an appeals process. Councilmember Rohde said I can go ahead with the motion if you will apply that to the motion—that we have a checklist with the appeal process.

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

g. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 23-68 approving a Professional Service Agreement with Zions Public Finance, Inc. for updating the Impact Fee Facilities Plan (IFFP) and an Impact Fee Analysis (IFA) for Parks, Trails, and Recreation

Assistant City Manager Christensen said this gets the process started to update the impact fee analysis and the Impact Fee Facilities Plan. We have to do that to adjust our costs. Since May of 2022 there has been a few major updates with parks. We want to capture all the changes we have made for parks, trails and open space to make sure we are capturing the correct impact from those who are building. Zions has helped before so they would update their plans. The City has tracked those updates and so it will be easy to pass along. After Zions gets their work done there is a 90-day waiting period before we can enact it. Cost to do this is $4,000. Manager Warnke said that is a reimbursable expense. Right now, we have a credit of $200,000 in our Park Impact Fee. Our engineer will put together an estimate for improvements to the Stokes Park (13 acres) that was recently purchased. It is a combination park and storm drain basin. We hope to add pickleball courts in one of the first phases. It would be within the City’s best interest from a service offering and for the collection of future impact fees to make sure we have applied as much of the impact fees that we have collected to improvements. Nothing would be approved until it is brought back to you. On a staff level we are working toward preparing that information for your consideration.

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

h. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 23-69 directing the County Optional Sales and Use Tax for Highways and Public Transit received by Tremonton City be receipted into the Transportation Capacity Capital Projects Fund 42

Manager Warnke said a tax has been adopted by the County Commission to benefit transportation. This is a tool the State legislature has given local government to make sure it is able to meet ongoing road demands. There is a list of things the tax can be used on related to transportation. On Main Street we are changing streetlights, sidewalk, curb, gutter and other safety features like traffic signs and signals. All those things should be eligible. Several years ago we created a Capital Projects Fund specifically for the purpose of accumulating funds to make improvements into our transportation system that creates capacity. That is what we are proposing. We are actively working on 1000 North and trying to acquire right-of-way and easements. Another project is 1650 West. We acquired that right-of-way through the Corridor Preservation Fund and we made a contractual commitment to fund that project within a certain time period. We are getting closer to that time period where we need to construct that road. We also have BR Mountain Road, which has some obligation we will discuss in a future meeting. Rocket Road is also a priority There are a lot of projects and some funding. This certainly will help and could generate up to $170,000 a year.

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

11. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar

Mayor Holmgren said Election Day is November 21 at the Senior Center. Our City holiday open house is from 2 to 5 p.m. that day so we will not hold City Council meeting. The lights are going to be up and going on November 22 and the Christmas Light Festival is December 2 at 3 p.m.

b. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

12. Reports & Comments:

a. City Administration Reports and Comments:
b. Development Review Committee Report and Comments

Manager Warnke said we are actively working with developers on recording plats. At our next meeting you should see a few development agreements associated with subdivisions that have previously been approved that are now recorded.

c. City Department Head Reports and Comments

Director Fulgham said Box Elder County is doing a county wide water plan update. On Thursday there is a meeting at the fairgrounds. Tremonton was slotted to do some storm drain, secondary water and trail upgrades with that money. This meeting is one of the requirements for the grant, but we are still five years away from seeing any money.

Chief Cordova said some of the economic challenges we are facing as a department is less police coming into this career. It is harder to hold onto employees because they are actively being solicited from other areas. Losing good officers could be the trend. He discussed officer pay in local areas. Brigham City sets the tone on our economics with our police department. We all have to play catch up. I spoke with the Sheriff earlier this week and his intention is to ask the County Commission for a 12% bump to stay competitive. One of his sergeants stepped down to an officer position and got a $9 an hour raise with less responsibility. We do the best we can with what we have. We have officers making more than some of our sergeants, which is crazy. We have new officers making equal or just under our more experienced officers because it is not a step program. Frankly that causes failures down the road. There is really no incentive to promote into a sergeant position. It is more liability and a tougher job. It is a leadership position, but we are paying them just about the same. It is a very slight bump. We do not offer the same benefits as some of our competitors. Some agencies offer an incentive for not using our insurance. I understand that might complicate our benefits, but could be looked at. Most agencies also have sign-on bonuses. This is what we are up against. I would like to see us have a step program. That gives you a pathway and an incentive to stick around. This is what we should be moving toward. We should consider matching or being close to these things. Our culture and community attract people to our organization. I can keep people here for a couple dollars an hour difference. Once we get into the $10 range, which we are in, you are going to see some seasoned officers leave. That would really hurt us. They essentially run all the training and are mentoring new officers. This is a tough market. A lot of agencies sponsor officers, but we do not want to train officers just to go somewhere down the road. That is not very efficient financially to have constant turnover. We have to stay on top of things so we do not lose our best and most seasoned officers.

Chief Cordova said we also have a strike force update. Brigham recently added a sergeant position so it does not make sense for us to keep our sergeant in there because we do not need two sergeants supervising two people. They have kind of taken over the strike force. My recommendation is we pull from that. We would have to donate a detective to do most of the work in Brigham. That is good for their city, but it is kind of a disservice to ours. They are supportive and will allow us to stay in and have access to all the equipment, as well as the training, which is like $10,000. It is a very good program, but the direction it is going is not in our best interest. We will now have to address that vehicle issue. I would recommend we purchase another vehicle. I have kept that last allocation open because I do not want to negatively impact the budget and that should offset the cost of the vehicle. Turnover is rapid in this profession. We are just trying to compete with the County and their possible 12% increase.

Chief Hansen said we are doing new hire testing for a vacant position. That will include an interview panel and medical scenario to see how they perform. We will also have a strength, fitness, and agility test. We have done some training with Hill Air Force Base on the movement of the Minuteman missile project. Those are being retrofitted and will be traveling down I-15. This training really put my mind at ease that things are done in a safe fashion that does not put our community at risk.

Mayor Holmgren said we appreciate all of you very much for everything you do to keep the City running and operating the way it needs to.

d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Archibald said I was able to learn more about what the library is doing. They have some major focuses in the upcoming year and are planning to partner with USU extension to provide classes and activities. They will hold monthly STEM activities for youth. They will teach a self-defense martial arts class, too. They also have family programs. They plan to increase awareness of library resources. I was impressed with what the library is offering to our community. In the coming years Tremonton is going to need to expand our library so we can offer all the services we need for citizens. I appreciated all that is happening in the library and the leadership there.

Councilmember Rohde said Chief thank you for letting me ride with your officer, I had a ball. I planned on two hours and ended up doing four hours because I was having so much fun. It was a good experience. I appreciate the officers and all they do. I would like to try something similar with the fire department.

Mayor Holmgren said we want to thank everybody for being here with us tonight. I would like to give a shout out to our Youth City Council. We set up the lights along Main Street and they did a great job of putting all that together in a short amount of time.

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

14. Adjournment.

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

The meeting adjourned at 8:14 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 5th day of December, 2023.

Linsey Nessen, City Recorder

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