City Council Minutes 12-3-24

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
DECEMBER 3, 2024

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 December 3, 2024 City Council Workshop to order at 5:59 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, Police Chief Dustin Cordova (left at 6:57 p.m.), Sergeant Skylar Gailey (left at 6:57 p.m.), Fire Chief Brady Hansen.

1. Presentation on the findings and recommendations of the Main Street Steering Committee – Jared Lewis and Jeff Seedall

Mr. Lewis said tonight we hope to show you the research. We have tried to see all sides of the argument and present a case from the Main Street Steering Committee. For Midland Square we should design a functional, meaningful, and useful space for all of Tremonton. We can do better than what is currently there. Last meeting, we discussed the streetscape and intentionally left out Midland Square. This time we are taking it on as its own subject. We were asked to look at Midland Square and present our opinions and findings. Our vision from the beginning has been an inviting, vibrant, and functional Main Street through beautification, betterment, and amenities that embolden active citizenship, invite and grow strong, healthy business enterprises and preserve our strong heritage. There has been extensive research for a public square. We found urban squares are a method for increasing economic development. Experts say well-designed public squares have been proven to attract more business for local shops, boost community morale, and enhance public safety. The investment in a public programmed plaza is one of the best ways to attract private development to a downtown. A programmed plaza means things happen regularly at that location. You not only have the space, but you use it. Our focus has been on ways to make Midland Square more functional with programed events. Urban squares are open public spaces, which reflect the city’s identity and cultural background. Where people of the community gather. A plaza should be in the heart of downtown. Everything will emanate around it for several blocks. Turn your downtown parks into a plaza and convert them into activity spaces not just pretty places. They suggest adding music and lighting. Public restrooms are important and something that Tremonton does not have in that sector of town.

Mr. Lewis then reviewed what could be enhanced at Midland Square. There are uneven levels, making it unusable for a lot of things. Plans have been discussed for a better focal point and gathering place in Midland Square, but for budgetary reasons that was omitted. There are no public restrooms and it was not designed with public use in mind. There are a few amenities and no real space for food vendors. It is not as usable as we could have it be. We came up with a preferred concept, which Planner Seedall will discuss. Planner Seedall said we have ironed out the details, but the main focal point was creating a plaza space with open lawn to allow for community gathering and greenery on Main Street. We have opened up the east side for seating. About 50 seats around tables with shade sails and trees. This allows for food trucks and vendors to come in for small events. On the west side, we have expanded and protected the memorial. We added the flag for the new Space Force branch and are going to redo the concrete. We added a memorial in the northwest corner for emergency services, fire, and police. We believe this design opens up the park, creating a better sense of community with the space available. It is generally a small square footage, but I believe this is the first domino to fall as we try to revitalize Main Street and create a community oriented, open space. Midland is our very first step as a City to show that we are investing on Main Street. This is worth the effort and the long-term effect it will have. Mr. Lewis said it has been more than a year since we got the economic opportunities grant. That is $450,000 that can be put toward this development. That is not enough, but we believe, the funding mechanisms are there to push this project along. The design phase and exact numbers are a function of the Council allowing Planner Seedall to start doing that. This square is on City property and we do not have to wait for UDOT permission. This is something we could start soon.

Mr. Jed Abbott, on the committee, said this would make the memorial the centerpiece of a larger effort to remember the stories of many valiant servicemen and women from our community. In this way, we start to work with our veterans to make this compromise between a plaza space and a memorial space. Midland could be more than just a park, it could be the centerpiece of a cultural and economic revival in Tremonton, a place of deep significance and purpose. This is a concept, but we believe it would be advantageous to move forward as quickly as we can.

Councilmember Vance said what is the cost? Planner Seedall said our engineer has put together a cost estimate that is coming. From there, we were going to evaluate the costs with what funding the City has. Councilmember Vance said we ought to know the numbers before we vote for an approval. Manager Cobabe said we are not approving the budget. We are looking for an approval to move forward with this design concept as our preferred concept. This is a thumbs up to move forward, knowing things change. Budgets are tentative. This is where we look at options. Some funds are available already. What we are looking for tonight is are you okay moving forward with us continuing this conversation? Councilmember Rohde said the Main Street Committee presented to us two weeks ago. You recommended working on the streets and Midland was not brought up. What are the priorities? What is number one, two and three? Councilmember Lewis said is this concept worth going forward and the time and expenditure to get real numbers? Once we get that and get further into the process, we can surely determine priorities. Midland Square should be a priority based off the research and how a public plaza can seriously affect the effectiveness of the rest of what we are trying to do. Councilmember Rohde said in looking through the survey I got the feeling that our streets and facades were high priority. Midland was down fourth on that list. Are you trying to bump Midland Square to number one? In my opinion, we need to spend our money, time and efforts on our number one priority. Planner Seedall said the number one priority, for me, from that survey was getting food downtown. Most of our new restaurants are on wheels. By putting seating and accessing the alleyways, we could get food downtown. This would allow people to bring those food trucks in a consistent environment with available seating. Mr. Lewis said it is not a question of one or the other, just a question of priority. Priority does not take place until we have more accurate information. So far, the information has told us that if we want economic development downtown, we need a central place that is both beautiful and functional. It could take a high priority and should be seen as a continuous effort to our Main Street. Our vision is all of Main Street, I would not exclude Midland Square just because we are talking about the streetscape.

Manager Cobabe said as a City we try to set up an environment that is conducive to bringing businesses in and helping them succeed. We act within the sphere we have influence over. In this case, it is the public areas and roadways that are a huge priority. Midland Square is obviously in need of attention. The priorities are met through acting within the sphere. We can put funding into an investment that shows we are serious about our downtown. This can attract businesses. Mr. Lewis said once a development of significance starts, the rising tide lifts all ships. This is a good concept. Literature shows that once we start doing something, there is a spirit of innovation and revival. Councilmember Rohde said what is your temperature on Shuman Park because it has almost all of these categories, apart from being close to downtown. We used to do a lot of events there and then moved them to Jeannie Stevens, which I feel was a mistake. Why are we not taking advantage of Shuman Park and Midland Square. Trying to bolster both areas? Mr. Lewis said proximity to businesses on Main Street is a big thing. Literature shows that a plaza or central gathering place should be paved or have a solid groundwork, not grass. In doing a lot of events, we should have something closer to businesses. Maybe we have not considered Shuman Park because the scope of our committee is Main Street. Shuman Park would be much more expensive to give the flavor we are shooting for. Shuman Park is larger and would cost three to four million dollars to enhance.

Councilmember Lewis asked if they could redirect the grant from the State, using it for Main Street instead and then moving to the plaza later on. I think we all agree that we want both. The question is, what is the sequence we are going to follow to get to both? Mayor Holmgren said the State has granted us more time with a grant to go through the Steering Committee and have citizen input to create plans. They have been willing to work with us. The purpose of that grant is economic development. Based on the research, that is the underlying part of that grant. If we wanted to come up with an alternate plan, then we need to get it approved by the State. They could be open to the idea, but we do not want to lose the grant. We want to show we can perform and increase our economic vitality. Councilmember Rohde said the grant matures on January 25. We need to redirect or ask for extended time. Mr. Lewis said the worst thing we can do is get deadlocked and do nothing. At this point, it is a question of what can we get done quickly. Midland Square is something we can sink our teeth into right now. The streetscape improvements take time and collaboration. A public square is a key component.

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

Motion by Councilmember Estep to move into closed meeting. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

The Council moved into a closed meeting at 6:47 p.m.

3. CLOSED MEETING:

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 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 Council returned to open session at 6:57 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 6:57 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the December 3, 2024 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 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, Police Chief Dustin Cordova (arrived at 7:30 p.m.), Greg Horspool (arrived at 7:16 p.m. and left at 7:18 p.m.), Fire Chief Brady Hansen, Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre (left at 8 p.m.).

1. Opening Ceremony: Prayer – Mayor Holmgren, Pledge – Assistant City Manager Nessen

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

5. Approval of minutes – November 19, 2024

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the minutes of November 19, 2024. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

6. Presentation

a. Tremonton City Citizenship Award to Elementary and Intermediate Students

Mayor Holmgren said a couple years ago, Councilmembers Estep and former Councilmember Connie Archibald helped the City recognize young people for their citizenship. These youth are recognized for being respectful, responsible, and promoting safety in our schools. They presented those awards and then took a picture.

7. Public comments:

Debbie Brantner said one of my neighbors is trapping cats and killing them. I have lost three. I filled out a report with the police department. Nothing has been done. This is a he said she said situation and only cats, but the one cat I got right after my husband passed away. I realize it should not be roaming, but it has a big area it patrols and comes in my house every night. I am sure he is enticing them. He is adjacent to my yard. I was told I needed to keep my cats inside. I do not have mice in my house, they are in my shop. I talked to this man because I used to hoe beats for him in my younger years. He confessed that he had done this. Even with me crying, he did not really care. He told me the reason he had done this is so his wife can sit in her backyard and look at birds. Something needs to be done about this person. It is illegal to trap cats in City limits. This has been going on for years. After talking to my neighbors there are 12 cats missing since April.

Jed Abbott said I need to talk about Midland Square. The Committee said I agreed to it, but I was forced into agreeing. New drawings all came about almost overnight. It has not been done correctly. As a group we never looked at the drawings until they were brought in and said, here they are. This is the concept. That is not the way it should be done. It seems to keep festering and becoming a problem. I have talked to a few veterans and they say this has to stop. I think something should be done. The Steering Committee has done a good job at coming up with concepts, but we are putting four stars down Main Street with the Borgstrom brothers. This town has huge respect for veterans. Midland Square should be the absolute flagship for them. I think there should be a place for the fire department and law enforcement. We have a lot of veterans who have never been recognized. Nothing has been said or done about them. People ask, why not my family? We have done all this for the Borgstroms, which is amazing, but now they want to know why nothing has ever been done for their families. We should do everything we can to make this happens. A lot of the veterans say it should not be called Midland Square, but Tremonton’s Veteran Memorial.

Jamie Poppleton said when Gil Smart passed away, I read his obituary, which said as mayor, he played an instrumental role in overseeing the highway project that connected I-15 and I-84, a legacy that remains. A memory comes to my mind where someone said mark my words, Tremonton businesses will die, including our produce. Traffic will no longer have a need to exit. On November 18, 1990, Deseret News published an article stating the project was 18 years behind schedule and $1 billion over budget, but the 22-mile stretch connecting Tremonton to Plymouth was complete. I say this because in doing a project that someone is passionate about, like Gil Smart was, I wonder if he realized in doing so, he also possibly helped Tremonton’s Main Street fall into despair. Diverting traffic to simplify the road traveled to get to your destination without forward-thinking ideology could affect so much more in the future, sometimes for the worse. I ask the Council to put aside personal agendas to make a name for yourself or get credit for a job well done that seems perfect now, to pause and think about 10 or 20 years down the road. Ask yourself, will this affect the future in a negative way? With all the studies done on Main Street since 1989, the only fix I see is to get traffic off the freeway and give them a beautiful military monument to see as an attraction. Back in February 2024 and several times between, I have spoken about making Midland Square a veterans’ park and using that as the centerpiece. If you give people a reason to stop, businesses will follow. Do not expect businesses to come in and hope people will get off the freeway to support them. In my opinion, opening the freeway was a negative on Main Street. People will come to Tremonton once and if it is not to their liking they will not come back. People come and do not like what they see or hear and never come back. This is something I hope the Council would think about in making decisions for Tremonton’s future.

Kristie Bowcutt said the building to the east of Midland Square needs to be repainted. Maybe something to do with the military. Normandy, Hiroshima, bombing of Pearl Harbor. Think of the faces of the POWs in this town on that wall. Is that more powerful than cowboys and Indians? It really is because it ties the park together. Signage on I-15 and I-84 will bring people in off the roads. Military squares and parks bring people in. The memorial space would be a 365 day a year space and not just a small event plaza. We have two stages in Tremonton, not to mention the fairgrounds, that are not being utilized. Jim Grover said, why not Shuman Park? It has a huge stage, large grassy space, water park and restrooms. Why are they trying to duplicate when they already have it here? The City has other parks to utilize. People think it is a waste of public taxes and money. Shuman Park used to be utilized. There is a difference between what is on paper and what is really going to work. Myself and three veterans sat down with a City employee this last week. In that meeting, he said I have been working on this for seven months. Where have you been? That was offensive. If I had known he had been working on Midland Square for months, I would have been there with a whole gang of veterans. To have an employee talk to a resident that way, I have problems with that.

Jayden Hugie said I own a trucking company in Tremonton and am on the Chamber of Commerce. As a third party looking in, it seems people are very passionate on both sides. It seems there are two trains going in the same direction at the same speed and nobody is going to give. The interstate did kill Main Street. I own trucks and operate logistics companies. I do not want my trucks on Main. That is not profitable or productive. What is productive and profitable is revitalizing Main Street. I think everybody should be open to the fact that it needs to work hand in hand. I want to be more neutral showing there are citizens who see both sides and can only imagine what you guys go through. Some of us are quite confused on what the direction is because we would like to see Tremonton revitalized. We would like to see things change. As a Chamber, we are working on being more involved in Tremonton and showing businesses that this is a joint cooperative.

Deborah Long said my dad’s brothers are the Borgstrom boys. In all the time we have been working on Midland Square and the Memorial, there has never been a time that anyone involved has not been included. Every veteran and every loss matters. There are so many good people in this community who step forward, but we keep having negative comments. We cannot get anything done if that keeps happening. If you have good ideas, bring them forward. Everybody listens. Everybody wants more businesses and community activity. They want people to be able to go to the park with their kids. We want to respect the Memorial, which I have never seen it disrespected. Thanks to anyone in this community who donates their money and time because they want this City to be a better place to live. We have to get rid of the negativity.

8. New Council Business:

a. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 24-64 approving the Final Concept Plan for Midland Square Improvements associated with the Rural Communities Opportunity Grant

Cassandra Merrell stepped in for Mr. Jared Lewis, who had to leave, to answer questions. Councilmember Lewis said I am interested in the Steering Committee’s opinion on the sequence of the most important things. If we looked at them all as a whole, what would be the sequence of events? Mrs. Merrell said we focused on Main Street and then Midland Square. A couple weeks ago we presented a list of priorities for Main Street. Midland Square was its own thing. Councilmember Rohde said Midland Square needs to be part of the total plan. We need to find out where we are going to prioritize it. Manager Cobabe said if given all the money in the world, we would address everything, but because budgets are limited, we have to prioritize and put money where it goes best. That is the question before you now. The item on the discussion tonight is not about facade grants or other beautification efforts that can and should take place. Is the concept that is in front of you acceptable? Can we get some real budgetary numbers associated with it? We need bids so if it comes in over budget, we can pull things back in an effort to get to where we can start pushing dirt. Councilmember Vance said we need to know how much things cost before we make any decisions. Planner Seedall said we still have not met with UDOT about our concept plan. Before we get any engineering on the plans, we need to make sure they are okay with the changes. It would narrow the asphalt portion of the roadway. We cannot start doing improvements without their oversight. That is why we have been pushing for Midland to get something moving. Councilmember Vance said our crutch right now is we are afraid we are going to lose the grant if we do not keep moving. That is why we are putting pressure on Midland Square to make a decision one way or another. I think all of us agree Main Street is the priority and Midland Square is part of that but is secondary. We have to get estimates before we can move on anything. Planner Seedall said we cannot get into the weeds without the Council saying, this is the concept we agree on and go get in the weeds. We are not going to spend money on architects and engineers to dive into every patch of weeds along the way to approve one design. Mayor Holmgren said we have an engineer’s estimate for Midland Square. We are waiting on that for Main Street. We have almost $1.5 million in the Main Street RDA. We have about $580,000, which includes the $405,000 grant, and another $175,000 that was approved back in the day. Funding is available. There is also the possibility of sales tax revenue. Online sales taxes are significant, that could be leveraged to enhance that. We do not want to stumble on the grant. Councilmember Vance said that kind of money does not go far, so it does boil down to priorities. I do not have a problem approving this for the mere fact of getting actual numbers together. We need to get the numbers so we can make decisions to move forward. This has been going on for two years. All we have talked about is Midland Square when we need to be talking about Main Street. That is where we need to spend our money. Midland Square is too small. A gathering place needs to be bigger. The park is nice the way it is. We need to take that grant money and redirect it down Main Street. We need to put lights up, take trees down and clean it up.

Mayor Holmgren said what I am hearing is let us move forward for the purpose of getting numbers and information so we can start making hard decisions. Councilmember Estep said half are going to want Main Street improved while half will want Midland done, half will want to leave it alone and half want something done. This is a no-win situation. Even with all the money in the world, we are not going to make everybody happy, but we have to do something.

Councilmember Vance made a motion to adopt this resolution approving the final concept plan for Midland Square improvements associated with the Rural Committees Opportunity Grant. We need to adopt this resolution for numbers only at this point to get cost estimates with the idea that down the road we might want to get the grant redirected to Main Street. I want us to use that opportunity grant either way, depending if the committee will approve it or not. I would like to see that money used on Main Street and then when we have extra money, we could clean up the park if needed. Main Street needs to be our focus. Seconded by Councilmember Westergard.

Councilmember Rohde said I do not want to be tied to this plan. Manager Cobabe said where are you feeling handcuffed? Councilmember Rohde said I am leery that in a few months from now we are going to see construction and money being spent on this design. Manager Cobabe said no, I want to reassure you, no money will be spent, and no shovel will be turned without your express approval. This is just the next step in the information gathering phase. Councilmember Rohde said I do not feel like the community is together on this. I am not going to approve this as an event center park, but I am okay with going after costs. We still need to have the discussions and get public input for this area. We need to do what the public wants. Councilmember Vance said why are we passing a resolution? Why can we not just say go ahead and get the numbers? I do not want to be tied to it. Manager Cobabe said we do not want you thinking we are locking you into something that has no flexibility. If there is no money and you feel like the residents are not behind this, that is your purview. Before we do anything, we are going to come back to you with a bid estimate from our engineer based on this concept. Mayor Holmgren said this gives us direction. The whole idea, when the grant was being applied for, was a gathering place to bring people downtown. This would be an area to bring in people and spur economic development. The same sort of thing can be done on Main Street. We are talking about bringing people downtown. This is the same thing. Councilmember Vance said my motion is to keep the grant rolling. I have no desire to pursue that as a gathering place. I want to keep the grant money alive and focus on Main Street. Mayor Holmgren thanked the Steering Committee for all their effort.

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the resolution with the points stated above. 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.

9. Consent Agenda

a. Adoption of October Warrant Register
b. Adoption of October Financial Statements
c. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 24-65 ratifying the substantial completion of River Valley Phase 8

Planner Seedall said there is not a development agreement or master plan community. It is simply Sierra Homes building to City standards. They are simply meeting the zoning standards they are in. They are our most affordable housing product right now because they are bare bones with no garages.

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

10. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar

Mayor Holmgren said our Holiday Extravaganza is on December 7. We invite everybody to attend. December 10, is our Christmas dinner for the Council at Maddox at 6 p.m. There is no Council meeting on December 17.

b. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

11. Reports & Comments:

a. City Administration Reports and Comments

Manager Cobabe said we have met with folks about annexation. This is a question that will continue to come up as we develop the west and southerly portion of the City. Stay tuned for more conversations. It was a very productive conversation. We have met with representatives from Habitat for Humanity. I have prepared a ranking system for the $800,000 the Council set aside for affordable housing and moderate-income housing. That will be discussed at our next meeting.

b. Development Review Committee Report and Comments

Planner Seedall said DRC is a little bit slow. We will start looking at annexations and we anticipate a large outcome for BR Mountain. The developer is getting preliminary stuff done before he submits his first plat.

c. City Department Head Reports and Comments

Chief Cordova said thank you Councilmember Lewis for volunteering to help us in a use-of-force board. We had an incident and needed to have the board review it. We are all clear on that so thank you for your help. We are working on our sub for Santa where officers donate sick time. We are hoping to help a couple of families in the community. We are working with Brigham to improve dispatch issues. Once we make a move, I will keep you in the loop. We have talked to Garland about an option to combine the courts. They are not getting their money’s worth out of their court. It would also help offset some of our cost. We are always looking for ways to save money and add back to the budget. We are collecting the data and seeing how much it will save both cities to see if there is an appetite for that. We will leave it to the Council to decide if it makes sense. We will be fully staffed as of January—the first time in the last two years. We are pretty excited.

Chief Hansen said I sent a message about a couple of incidents. It was a busy holiday weekend for the fire department. We had a moderately significant structure fire. The family will be out of their home for months while it is renovated. We had another structure fire the next day that turned out to be quite small and contained to a furnace unit. We had a really successful response. Our off-duty personnel helped carry us. Off-duty members are responding in an emergency to back up the on-duty crew to help us carry through those kinds of incidents. We have backed up Brigham City because they have been limited. It has been busy, but everybody is stepping up and doing a really good job. Our new engine is in Salt Lake. It has been really challenging to get all of our pagers working. I have sent dispatch a sternly worded message saying they have to get this fixed so our off-duty people get the pages. We are still in the process of working on our ambulance billing. It will be a few weeks before we get it turned over to them. We are aligning our billing practices and software.

d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Estep said another great meeting. These committees really show us the kind of people we have in our community. The Christmas lights are great, and Lynn Green has done such a good job. The police are looking for trailers and cars, or basketball hoops on the road as we get ready for winter. Winter is coming. It is not here, but it is coming, so be prepared.

Councilmember Rohde asked about a ham radio that the County donated to the City. We need to find it or let them know we do not have it anymore. I got bids back on our signage for Main Street. This would help us better communicate with the public. This would take the place of the Marble Motel sign. I am waiting on another bid, but our budget was $45,000 and was put aside last year. This one came to $40,000 for the 3×6 sign. The 4×8 was $60,000. This bid also includes taking it down, putting it up and getting everything ready. Thank you to the Main Street Committee.

Councilmember Vance said shout out to the Steering Committee. We appreciate all of you—for your input and being involved.

Councilmember Westergard said Midland Square has been a bad taste in my mouth since we started, it is just a big circle. I can see both sides. I have seen a lot of people come in and look at the memorial that would not have done it had it not been for the Farmer’s Market. Thanks to those voicing their opinions.

Councilmember Lewis said there are a lot of differing opinion, with the same intention, and it is fun to see people come together through communication and be able to arrive on something like we did tonight. Hopefully we can get moving and get this to take traction.

Mayor Holmgren said I want to second everything that has been said and express my appreciation to the Steering Committee. We have met, sometimes weekly, to come up with plans and direction. I appreciate the efforts. The whole idea is to revitalize downtown. Now that we have direction, we can hopefully use some of this funding to help. I would like our sales taxes to be invested into our Main Street to make it something better. Great opportunity lies ahead, and I am very excited.

12. CLOSED MEETING: No Closed Meeting.

13. 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 8:30 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 7th day of January, 2025.

Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

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