City Council Minutes 2-20-24

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
FEBRUARY 20, 2024

Members Present:
Wes Estep
Jeff Hoedt
Bret Rohde
Lyle Vance
Blair Westergard
Lyle Holmgren, Mayor
Marc Christensen, City Manager
Linsey Nessen, City Recorder

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Holmgren called the February 20, 2024 City Council Workshop to order at 5:00 p.m. The meeting was held in the City Council Meeting Room at 102 South Tremont Street, Tremonton, Utah. Those in attendance were Mayor Holmgren, Councilmembers Estep, Hoedt, Rohde, Vance, and Westergard, City Manager Christensen, and City Recorder Nessen. The following Department Heads were also present: Public Works Director Paul Fulgham, Fire Chief Brady Hansen, Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre, Treasurer Sharri Oyler, and Downtown Manager Sara Mohrman.

1. City Council Visioning Workshop and Preliminary Budget Discussions

Mayor Holmgren said a huge role of the Council is to set priorities and directions for the City. An issue we face has to do with downtown and our Main Street. Part of that is Midland Square. I had a discussion with Director LeFevre who said if we can bring 250 people into the downtown area over the course of 100 days with weekly activities—that will make a significant impact. That is a big stretch, but a step in the right direction. Improvements to Midland Square is a way for us to provide a catalyst for downtown. Our downtown is struggling in a major way. If we can bring people into the downtown area then people may want to start their business here and see opportunity. Right now, it is not very inviting. The landscaping is uneven, the trees obstruct the view and it is underused. We need to make it more inviting. We have $405,000 from the Rural Community Opportunities grant with the State of Utah. We have until October to show we are making headway. We need this to help with Main Street and could apply for another grant after this project.

Manager Christensen reviewed impact fees—how they are received and used. This project will be impact fee eligible since we are adding capacity. Instead of a stage, we would have zero entry for multi-purposes. That would have event lighting and power. There will also be restrooms and power pedestals. Anything that adds capacity is eligible for impact fees. Mayor Holmgren clarified that impact fees are paid by new growth. The RDA has money that has been put aside from the Tremont Center project. It has a specific purpose of being used for downtown and Main Street improvements. In the RDA, $120,400 would be applied to this project. The arch donation would come from Nucor and Vulcraft. The total cost of the project would be about $781,000. Manager Christensen said we budgeted $579,000 (the $405,000 grant money and $175,000 matching—30%). The engineer is putting together an estimate based off the final concept we have shown him. He will add alternates that we can discuss if we want them included or not and would deduct the donations. The timeline is the end of this year. We reached out to the grant administrator to see if we could get an extension, but they would not at this time. As it gets close the board could grant the extension. Mayor Holmgren said that is a risk I hope we do not have to face. Right now, they are willing to work with us on future improvements to downtown. We do not want to risk that opportunity by not fulfilling our commitment.

Councilmember Westergard said I think we need to do some compromising. We can make it cheaper. We also must listen to some of the complaints that are valid. Manager Christensen said as the estimate comes out, that would be a good time to have a town hall to address concerns. Mayor Holmgren said some people think the square is the veterans. I want to emphasize it is not. This property was sold to the City. The square was designed and then the memorial was added. Councilmember Vance said we need to somehow save those pavers and use them. Manager Christensen said an open house where we can talk through some of these things would be beneficial. The pavers are in bad shape. I wondered if we could get those names added to a plaque. A nice bronze plaque thanking all donators could be a good compromise. Councilmember Hoedt asked for clarification on how the RDA is funded. Manager Christensen provided him with information on how the Tremont Center is collecting tax increment from the taxing entities during a certain time period. They must reimburse the developer first, who used their own money upfront to develop that area. Councilmember Rohde said after that is paid off, there is hopefully a window, that we get to take advantage of that increment. Mayor Holmgren said we have about $1.139 million in that RDA right now. We want to take $120,000 from that for Midland Square. Manager Christensen said the reason we have a million dollars sitting there is because the Council decided they wanted Main Street to have a facelift. Sales tax dollars were transferred from the General Fund to the RDA budget ($250,000 for four years). That is why we have money there now. Mayor Holmgren said inflation has taken away a lot of the buying power and so the feeling is we need to act. We need to go forward. We cannot risk inflation taking away more. If we do not move forward, we run the risk of losing that money. There are no decisions that are being made at this point, we are just strictly visioning. We should plan to have a town hall to discuss this further and hammer out details.

The Council then discussed possible improvements to Main Street that were recommended through the SDAT and other research. It was suggested they add bulb-outs to the road. They have trees and street lighting and the sidewalk. Director Fulgham said all this has to be run by UDOT. They will likely say yes, you can, but we will only plow the main road section, not the bulb-outs. We would have to plow those areas. Councilmember Rohde suggested showing some of these ideas at a town hall meeting and gaining input from the public. Councilmember Vance said the streetlights would be something we could do to unify the City with the same poles, signs and greenery. After some discussion, Manager Christensen summarized that the Council would like to redo the sidewalks with lights first. Then move to the buildings and worry about trees or have no trees and add more lights. Councilmember Rohde said it would be nice to run water and electricity to the poles. Let us just do it right. I am all for the sidewalks and posts. I think that would give us the biggest facelift.

The Council then had a discussion on capital projects and how things have increased in price, due to inflation. Manager Christensen said we are going to talk about capital projects next. That will give you an idea of what funds have money to pay for the next year’s capital projects and which ones we might need to transfer more money into. The other thing is, what do we consider Main Street from what west to what east? Do we do one block at a time? There are many variables. When asked about the cost of streetlights, Director Fulgham said they run about $2,500 each depending on the style and height for decorative lights. We want to get power there so we can do the Christmas lights. Councilmember Rohde said we need to get an engineering estimate on how much it would be. Councilmember Vance said we have a lot of entries into Tremonton and it would be nice to improve those. Manager Christensen said we are waiting for an implementation grant to purchase signs. We were hoping it would be under $100,000 with Yesco. They were expensive so we will continue that search for this wayfinding project. We could possibly get the ones within Main Street while we are redoing the streetscape and phase it in. It takes in arrows to all the main areas around town. We could do the ones just up and down Main Street and then do these welcome signs with it. That was part of the plan as well—putting “Welcome to Tremonton” signs up where we currently have them.

Manager Christensen said this is our five-year capital projects plan. I have taken off the projects we had budgeted for this year and are currently funded. I kept some of the projects that may be moved to next year because we have not had the time or manpower to get them done. Our governmental funds are all funded through general money. The enterprise funds are our business-type categories (water, wastewater, sewer, storm drain—those funded by user fees). There is also the RDA Fund and General Fund. He reviewed the capital projects that are a part of the General Fund. We are trying to get capital projects outside of the General Fund and account for them in a Capital Projects Fund. We are in fiscal year 2024. Finance Director Curtis Roberts went through our funds and told us what we have available to budget for 2025 and beyond as of now. The General Fund has $146,000. He took out what we need to save for a rainy-day. The General Fund is funded primarily by taxes, grants, licenses and permits. BRAG funds a lot of the Senior Center and other governmental transfers. There is a notes tab and I would love for you to add your comments to help me to prepare the budget. This is a working document that will be saved.

Manager Christensen said the food pantry runs on operating expenses. They have requested one item for capital projects—covered parking for their truck and trailer. For parks, we have the Midland Square improvements (budgeted $579,600). We have discussed Stokes Park phase one. We have $870,000 in the Parks and Recreation Fund, but this phase is $1.7 million. We would need a grant if we want to do it next year. Otherwise, we would move that to fiscal year 2026. Another possible project for next year is one phase of our canal rail trail (10-foot-wide asphalt) going north and south through the heart of Tremonton. This is the Rocky Mountain Power portion. They gave us an easement to build this on their property. With that, they require it to be built within the next fiscal year. If we want to keep that easement, it does have to be constructed by then.

Manager Christensen said currently in Fire and EMS, we have budgeted in 2024 this fire truck, but it is not going to be completed. We could pay half of it out of this year and move the other half to next year or move it all to next. From fiscal year 2025 and beyond, the fire balance is $227,000. That should be enough to pay for their capital equipment. However, when it comes to an ambulance, which they would request next year since it takes two years to build, the City must decide if we pay for the ambulance out of Fire and EMS and make them save for it or if we pay for it out of our Capital Equipment Project Fund. That is funded by transfers from the General Fund with sales tax money. Chief Hansen said we are exploring. I assigned a captain to take on grant research. Manager Christensen said the Council has been very good at transferring money into our Capital Projects Fund. We can use money that is available for 2025 and beyond and make some transfers to the other capital projects. We could move up some of the projects or we add others that could be a benefit to the City. We have been contemplating the cemetery expansion. Director Fulgham said we have the design—we just need to get the sprinkler system in and build the roads. Manager Christensen said the parking lots at Jeanie Stevens and the Civic Center have cracks. They have seen their life. That could be part of the road projects we do this year. Director Fulgham said at the Civic Center, we have to rebuild. Before we did not have that big, heavy fire engine. There is not a good base under it, and so it needs to be rebuilt from the base up. Jeanie Stevens can be back filled and repaired. It has good base material. Manager Christensen said there is a portion of 1000 North we are polarizing and repaving. I need to make sure our equipment and capital vehicles list is up to date. 1650 West is one that we applied for corridor transportation funds. This is going to be a stub street in between the freeway and the west side of Stotz Equipment. Councilmember Hoedt asked about the widening of 1200 South. Director Fulgham said part of that is developer driven. That will go from the canal section to where the bridge is. The other will be widened by the developers from first east and roughly four blocks. Councilmember Rohde said I think Iowa string needs to be added. The Bear River Mountain Road has no public. It seems we are building the road in the middle of nowhere. Manager Christensen said that is where Stokes Park is going to go. It just connected to the north by Ashfield Apartments. It is getting used a lot more because it is a wider, nicer, newer road. We will be obligated to do this when Sierra Homes does Phase 9. We need the money set aside because we will be obligated to build the road then. That was in the agreement that we made with them when we got the park land and did that transfer. Director Fulgham said we will wait because it is going to be developer driven—they are on the hook for the normal road section. We have to build the extra wider one. That will most likely happen next year.

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

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

a. Strategy session to discuss the purchase of real property when public discussion of the transaction would disclose the appraisal or estimated value of the property under consideration or prevent the public body from completing the transaction on the best possible terms; and/or
b. Strategy session to discuss the character, professional competence or physical or mental health of an individual; and/or
c. Strategy sessions to discuss pending or reasonably imminent litigation; and/or
d. Discussions regarding security personnel, devices or systems

The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the February 20, 2024 City Council Meeting to order at 7:00 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, Hoedt, Rohde, Vance, and Westergard, 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, Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre, Treasurer Sharri Oyler (left at 8 p.m.), and Downtown Manager Sara Mohrman.

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

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

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None

4. Approval of Agenda:

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the agenda of February 20, 2024. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

5. Approval of minutes – February 6, 2024

Councilmember Hoedt said on page 15 item C does not reference that there were multiple votes on this item. I would appreciate it if the minutes reflected that.

Motion by Councilmember Hoedt to approve the minutes of February 6, 2024 with that amendment. Motion seconded by Councilmember Vance. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

6. Public comments:

Larry Shires said I am going to read this letter I have compiled. I am afraid that emotions may run away with me. I am the adjutant for the American Legion Pulse 76 in Tremonton, Utah. With all due respect for your offices and your tireless work as City Councilmembers, I have been given the daunting task of speaking on behalf of veterans in Tremonton, Box Elder County, the State of Utah, and across the length and width of our great nation. These countless veterans have focused on the microcosm of the entirety of the Midland Square Veteran Memorial. Make no mistake. This small island of patriotism is and always has been dedicated and consecrated for the peace that it offers all veterans and to the connection all citizens feel to their beloved veterans. I feel I have been asked to think the unthinkable. I have been asked to speak the unspeakable. That being the desecration of a veteran memorial for the advancement of economic development. I ask you, is nothing sacred anymore? Gentlemen of the Council, I issue you a challenge. Go to Midland Square. Sit near one of the old trees, the grassy mounds and the benches that have been donated by our citizenry. Will you not hear the voices of young men and women whose lives were cut short? Men and women who witnessed the atrocities of war. All who spent countless hours away from their loved ones to be in harm’s way so that we may be guaranteed freedom. We veterans are resolute in our conviction. Midland Square, this we will defend. For Midland Square is what we consider our Arlington. Midland Square has become part of our hearts. A wound to this heart will never heal. In closing, I ask has this Country not seen enough politics? What we need and want are leaders who are patriots. Regardless of peer pressure, who stand for what is right and not necessarily what is politically correct. Councilmembers, we ask you leave Midland Square unscathed for all time.

John McClellan, a Marine Corps veteran and currently serving the community through the efforts of the American Legion Local Poll 76 in Tremonton. There is some confusion about the concept of the memorial, the statues, the nameplates, the clock tower and the grounds. You consider they are two different entities. This book, which is Northern Box Elder County Veterans Memorial that was put together at the conception of that park, suggests otherwise. As the park is mentioned more than once in this book. Donors and contributors, gave money and their time to design, build the clock tower, add bricks and pavers for the walkways, trees and benches that were donated. This park was considered hollowed grounds to pay respect for our fallen and family sacrifice, as indicated by the names on the plates. This memorial park should not be restricted, but rather expanded to honor and reflect the lives and service of the many men and women who continue to serve in ongoing operations and campaigns. Currently, or in the past, Urgent Fury, Granada, 1983. Operation Just Cause, Panama, 1989. Operation Desert Storm, Iraq, 1990. Operation Restore Hope, Somalia, 1992. Operation Bosnia, Kosovo, 1995. Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, 2001. Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003. Operation Odyssey Dawn, Libya, 2011. And the ongoing fight against terror, which started around 2012. Apparently, the whole world never got that memo that World War II was the war to end all wars. Let us take a look at the principal donors on the list and what they came up with. There was an auction that produced over $13,000 to design and create this park. There is not a count of how many people were involved. Principal donors of up to $10,000 gave their money toward this endeavor to create this park and memorial. After a mere 22 years, are you willing to disregard, to be blatantly rude to the donors, that their long-term interests have become devalued and our hard-earned money has no bearing in the say-so of the decisions made concerning the memorial park. A blatant slap in the face. I am a contributor. My wife and I are listed in this book. We are talking over 1,700 other donors. I would encourage you to explore other options and not put the safety of the pedestrians, town people in hindrance of the egress for the fire and EMTs on that main archery in the center of town. Please consider other options.

Kristie Bowcutt said all gave some, some gave all. I ask that you remember that. It has been stated, we hope that this memorial will be a reminder to all who visit this site of patriotism, love of freedom, to realize that freedom is not free. Great, causes are not won in a single generation. The heritage of freedom is as precious as life itself. I asked Mayor Holmgren, what is the real problem with Tremonton City? His response was no one shops downtown anymore. We have no foot traffic on Main Street. I then asked if the Farmer’s Market has added people shopping downtown. His response was no. We have identified the problem. Midland Square is not the problem. You claim you want to have a hub for the community to gather. Shuman Park was set aside and built just for that with a large stage. The mayor at that time had the City’s future in sight, for use for public gatherings. It is just one block off Main Street. The solution is to fill the empty storefronts with businesses that will benefit the community and help it grow. Find out what people shop for out of town. That is a place to start. We all know in December, we lost two businesses due to higher rent, which is a result of 50% higher property taxes and 53% higher business taxes. Residents are upset. The City has divided us. They have known for two years, since August 2022, what their intent for Midland Square is. Why have they not involved the community? Why did they not have a public forum? Why do they not want to hear what we have to say? I go one step farther. Why did you not involve the veterans? You feel you have done your due diligence by meeting the bare requirements, by talking about Midland Square in the Council meetings. You have not. Your job is to reach out and ask. We would not be here today having this conversation if you had taken one step forward to ask public input. Tempers would not be raw. People would not be upset. You say you want to hear from the public, but I do not think you do. Mayor Holmgren sent me a text last week that said we are moving forward with our plans. That is not listening to what the people said on February 6. I applaud each one of the councilmembers who have the courage to stand up and question and say, wait a minute, I am not comfortable with this yet. I applaud you for not just going forward like what has been steamrolled in the past. As I took time to listen to January 2 and January 16 council meeting, it saddened me by the tactics that were taken by Mayor Holmgren and former City Manager Shawn Warnke. We just need you to approve this to move forward. We need to make a vote so that we can get this out for bids. Time is limited. We need to move forward. I feel like that was a bully tactic. Several times this was said. Where is the proof that destroying Midland Square will fix the problem? There is no proof. I reached out to the community on behalf of the military family, and I will continue to reach out to the community. I stand shoulder to shoulder with the military. I am proud to be an American. At least I know I’m free. My husband and I proudly stand with the citizens of this community and the veterans, and there ain’t no doubt that I love this land. God bless the USA and Tremonton.

Ralph Mettmann said I live in Park Valley. Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan—I have served in every one of those. This park was built for the military people and for people who have respect to go there. I am very grateful for those who came before me. I am grateful for those who have respect to go there and see who in their community actually served and fought for this Country. I think it would be a shame to take that park out and put something in there for a profit. That food market can go anywhere. If it works, then you can decide on a good place to put it and make the appropriate building or whatever. If it fails, the park is gone. What do we have? Nothing. Nobody gains a thing that is anything to do with the military. No respect there at all. I hope you guys look at what you are thinking about doing. Respect those that served in the military and leave the dead people’s names there where they should be, where people can respect them and see who actually came from our community who fought in the wars to preserve the freedoms that we have. We have already had enough monuments in this Country taken down. We do not need any more taken down.

Suzanne Mettmann from Park Valley said I am a daughter of a veteran. I am a wife of a veteran. I will come at this from a female’s point of view. There are so many people who are in that memorial that need to be remembered and honored, not minimalized. There are mothers who have lost sons and wives who have lost their husbands through the generations. This Country is tearing down our history, our heritage. I appreciate a really good outdoor market, but to take away our heritage? We would not be here without those guys on the plaques. We would not be here if we had forgotten that. It is easy to forget when you are trying to run a City. That is very difficult and you need to find your financial basis. The library park has trees and tables and is a lovely place. Like my husband said, if it succeeds, then you can find a better, more permanent place for the market. The women who stayed behind to keep the kids raised, keep the families going, keep supporting our husbands or our fathers, whoever, why do we have to be minimalized for the work that we have done to keep our veterans alive and well in their service, wherever they are? This is the first time I have heard about this meeting. It was this afternoon at 5 o’clock, so we came in from Park Valley quickly, because we are very military in our family. We honor our veterans. We honor our ancestors. To put them aside for a market is a little shameful, a little embarrassing that we would do that to our heritage. The people who have the market would be happy under those trees in the summertime. That is a lovely park. Why do we not use what we have and then worry about this at a later date?

Len Nelson said I have been in the State of Utah my whole life. My father, Norm Nelson, has been and does so much with these gentlemen and all of the conflicts we go through. I ride out here several times and stop to have the peace and quiet of that. I am an Iraqi vet, 100% disability through the VA. As of right now, I am unable to work certain jobs because I cannot do it for medical reasons. I am in the military. My dad is in the military. I have 15 cousins who are all in the military. My sister put a book together that was a family’s right, and she went through with documentation. We have had military people in every war basically every year since before this Country was a Country, going back to England. It is nice to go sit with other military individuals who are on the plaque or actually physically there. There is something about that peace and quiet that you just cannot explain to people who have not been in the military. I am here representing. I am part of the DAV, the VFW, and I wanted to let you know that park means more than probably anybody can put on paper. I hope you guys do not disturb it.

Diana Otvos said I see both sides. I have a military husband. My family was military, but I also am a store owner on Main Street. Whenever the market happens, that is when I get business. My understanding is they are not going to touch the memorial, they are going to expand, which in return brings people in. People are going to come in and see the memorial. We have got to increase Main Street. Everybody says use Shuman Park. That is fine, but it is not on Main Street. Whenever they have the market, my business increases 20 to 25 percent that day. It is hard because I am a wife of a veteran and I totally respect these men and what they have done. As long as they do not touch the memorial and build around it, personally I think we need the advancement at the park.

Colleen Johnson and Tamara Zollinger spoke together. Mrs. Zollinger said we were on the original committee for the square. Mrs. Johnson said I am going to ask the councilmembers some yes or no questions with no elaboration. Are you going to touch the memorial? No. Is the memorial going to stay exactly as it is? Yes. I can say I am so glad to see so many people here tonight. It thrills my heart to see so many people involved and interested. Where were you when we were trying to get this thing put together and why was it not put together years before we did? Why was it not put together in 1920? Why did you not have a veterans’ memorial here? Why is the interest so much stronger now than it should have been then? Finally, when we were building the park the veterans memorial was actually an afterthought and we had to fight because so many people wanted this at the cemetery. We felt like the memorial would be better seen and better served in a public place where people would go by and see it and honor it and enjoy it. How many people here, I wonder, go down to the cemetery every day or every week or every month? These are the things we had to make a decision on. It might be in the wrong place for some people. It might be the wrong thing. It might have been the wrong color or shape, but it is what it is. We hope and pray they will get the dedication and the honor that this memorial deserves. The park was put together so that people could gather. Our community needs more social togetherness, not divisions. We do not need to fight one another. If we disagree, so what? We can compromise. It is not a dictatorship here by any means. These people are trying to do a job they were hired to do. Mrs. Zollinger said I am just saying when it was dedicated, the memorial was dedicated as it was. The park was not dedicated with the memorial. They are two separate things.

Jami Poppleton said I have to ask the Council, how many of you have a military background or a family member who has served in the military? Five? Okay. I think we are on a crunch time to get this area of the memorial completed by the end of this year because of the funding and the grant that was received. Is it possible to give that back and go back to the drawing board and actually take more time? This is such a personal issue. I have a brother who is in the military. I have been in this community and know several people who have served. I thank them for their service. If it is used for the purpose it is used for now, what is going to happen in the next 20 years when that needs to expand? What about the men and women who are in the military or their kids or those family members. They need a place to go? Are we going to build another one someplace else? Or is it going to be on this side with the next 30 or 40 years on the east side? If it is turned into something different, we are going to have to build something else somewhere. Two are great, but why not improve the one now that is the memorial and save it for our kids or grandkids. If Tremonton is going to continue to grow, that extra space is going to be needed for additional memorial places. If the memorial has been there since 2001, what has happened to Main Street in the last 20 years? I do not believe it is the simple fact that that area has either improved or unimproved downtown. I think it is the businesses that were here that have pulled up shop and went elsewhere. I think it is the cost of rent on Main Street. I think it is those who have had to close up shop because rent has increased. Find out who owns those buildings. Find out who rented those buildings and see if those people have any input as to why there are no businesses. I guarantee you it is not because of the memorial, good or bad. In all honesty, our downtown sucks. People cannot afford to rent the spaces that are there. Lower the spaces and you will get people. If you build it, they will come.

Dean Anderson said I want to say thank you veterans who stood up and said what needed to be said. Thank you for your services. I thank you two wonderful ladies for putting in your time to make this Veterans Square what it was. I have listened to all of this, and I am having a hard time seeing how you gentlemen are trying to split the memorial from the park itself. To me, that does not make any sense. When President Monson got up and dedicated this wonderful park, he did not say we are going to dedicate these wonderful memorials for what they are and let the park be something else. It was all in one unit, one thing. I am a little bit taken by that. I was there when it happened. I was there when they put it together and helped do all that. I thank you two ladies for what you have done. The Farmer’s Market could be somewhere else and could still bring in the traffic. A Farmer’s Market in Midland Square is not going to make the problem what it is. The market at the town front is not getting any better. We all know that. Do a market analysis. Look and see where it is. See who owns the storefronts. See why everybody is leaving. Then you know what your problem is. You need to address it for what it is.

Mayor Holmgren said we would like to thank everybody for their public comments. Thank you, vets. Thank you for taking time to come out today. We appreciate your service and everything you have done. We will deliberate on this. One thing we talked about in our work session is having a town hall meeting. Once we get a little more information regarding what we are doing. We will invite you and will have a less formal meeting where we can discuss the different issues and everything at hand. Thank you for your comments. We appreciate them and have taken note.

7. New Council Business:

a. Review of City Council Assignments

Mayor Holmgren said Councilmember Rohde is the Mayor Pro-Tem. He serves on the Planning Commission as a non-voting member. As new seats need to be filled, he is the one who finds people willing to serve and brings them forward to the Council. He is also on Arts Council and the Employee Appeal Board. Councilmember Vance is with the Development Review Committee as a non-voting member. He also has financial oversight, to help during budget season and with economic opportunity. Councilmember Estep is over the food pantry, Youth City Council, the Taxing Entity Committee and Tree Board. Councilmember Westergard is over public health, emergency medical services and historic preservation. Councilmember Hoedt will serve on the Library Board. Their bylaws require him to be a voting member. He will help with affordable housing and emergency preparedness. I will help with communication.

b. Discussion and consideration of approving an Off-Premise Beer License for Northern Lodging LLC Hampton Inn

Recorder Nessen said the Hampton Inn has applied to have an off-premise beer license. That means it has to be sold in the original container and taken off-premise to consume. People will not be allowed to drink in any of the public spaces of the hotel. They are looking to have a fridge in their gift shop that has beer for purchase. We are allowed to have one off-premise license per 1,000 inhabitants. We currently have seven. This has to be approved by the Council. The police chief will also have to sign the application. The assistant police chief did the research and ran backgrounds and all that was required.

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve the off-premise beer license for the Hampton Inn. Motion seconded by Councilmember Hoedt. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

c. Discussion and consideration of approving a Special Event Permit for the Mugs and Bananas Classic Car Night on Saturday, June 22, 2024 – Bruce Jeppesen

Mr. Jeppesen said I alternate this event between Tremonton and Preston. Thanks a ton for all the help you have given me. I would like to know if there is anything I can do to improve. The burnouts last 45 minutes. This is like a car show and is free to everybody. We meet at the high school and drag main with our old cars. We have some vendors interested in attending. Mayor Holmgren said there is a concern with safety, Chief Cordova and Chief Hansen will make sure we cover all our bases. Chief Cordova said I love the idea, but have never been present for it. The biggest thing we are concerned about is public safety. We want to make sure there are barricades to protect the public and the vehicles cannot jump those if they lose control. Chief Hansen said I have not been a part of this event. We know that historically it has been very successful in the community. Being the new guys on the block and hearing examples in other communities where things go poorly, our concern is the crowd and making sure things are in place to ensure we do not create problems. Chief Cordova said as long as they do not have the capability of jumping the barriers, I feel comfortable signing off, provided we have enough barriers. We need a plan to see what it looks like. I would like to see what we are talking about with the size of barriers, as well as the layout. They reviewed the plans of how it flows. Manager Christensen said with any special event that is considered major, the Council needs to give approval. If approved, Director LeFevre will work with Mr. Jeppesen. He can do an acceptance letter with conditions the Council may have on the event. Councilmember Hoedt said with Councilmember Westergard’s concurrence, I would offer an amended motion that we approve the permit with the sign-off from the fire and police chiefs and Director LeFevre. Director LeFevre said the permit does require a signature by the police department. I bring this forward as a major event, and recommend it be passed with safety ensured. The approval from the Council includes approval from the police department. As soon as this is approved, we work together to make sure we are all comfortable with it. Otherwise, it does not go forward.

Motion by Councilmembers Westergard and Hoedt to approve this special event permit. Motion seconded by Councilmembers Estep and Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

8. Consent Agenda

a. Approval of the January Financial Statements
b. Approval of the January Warrant Register

Motion by Councilmembers Westergard and Vance to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

9. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar

Mayor Holmgren said there is no Council meeting on March 5, since it is caucus night. The next Council meeting will be March 19. We will try to organize a town hall meeting. We also have the Utah League of Cities and Towns conference approaching.

b. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

10. Reports & Comments:

a. City Administration Reports and Comments

1. 1000 North Easements Update

Manager Christensen said we paid two more of the property owners and a third one signed. We are only lacking three. Once they sign, we can go out to bid. The construction documents are pretty much done.

b. Development Review Committee Report and Comments

Manager Christensen said there is one application for annexation we will discuss tomorrow. It is the Calder property next to Gary Madsen’s subdivision on Iowa String, directly east. They would get their services from the Harvest Acres area.

c. City Department Head Reports and Comments

Director Fulgham said Service Area 4 has started. They are on schedule. They hit a couple gas lines that were not marked and barely under the surface of the asphalt. It was nothing serious and the fire department came onsite as a precaution. We have a kickoff meeting tomorrow to discuss the ASR project.

Chief Hansen said I owe you a report on the County Consolidation Study. I call them chapters and one more was turned in today. I should have two more tomorrow. That takes care of everything that is urgent. We will have four or five more chapters after that.

d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Estep said I really listened to the comments tonight. It gives you a different thought process on Midland Square. I know whatever we do, we are going to make the right decision.

Councilmember Rohde said that $405,000 needs to stay with Midland Square and cannot be used at Shuman Park? Mayor Holmgren said it is specific for that project. Councilmember Rohde asked Councilmember Hoedt about a meeting he held with the public. He replied, I thought it was a decent meeting. Twenty-seven people showed up. The public participated well and I was pleased with the input they offered on a number of issues.

Councilmember Hoedt said I met with some folks in a subdivision along Iowa String next to the church. They are pretty distressed over the flooding that is taking place in their homes. There are two holes that have been dug to retain water. They are muddy and not sloped. There are young children in those homes so this is a huge safety risk. They are not fenced or blocked. Director Fulgham said they are not deep enough to require any kind of fencing. We have enhanced holes that were opened up and designed to take the water away. We will take a look. There is no drainage there, the drainage is taking place off-site. It is not made to handle anything that comes off those surrounding fields. There will be no storm drain until they expand their subdivision. That subdivision’s roads will tie into 1650. We require them to put that drainage in to handle that until they expanded. Councilmember Hoedt said they have been flooded three times with two feet of water in their basement that is coming off those fields.
Mayor Holmgren said I just want to make one comment about Midland Square. That was a hotel at one time and it burned down. It was made into a vacant lot and sat that way for a couple years. Another councilmember suggested the City purchase it. At the time, a tire shop wanted to expand and buy the property. Negotiations were made and the City purchased the property for a park. At that time, there was no consideration of a veteran memorial. The Council appointed a committee and they went to work creating what we have. Ace Christensen, a very notable veteran, had the idea of putting together the veterans’ memorial. We are grateful he was able to do that. He got a lot of support and there was a lot of help from different individuals. Primarily, it was designed to be a park. The veterans’ memorial came later. I feel we can work this out. Our vets want to make sure that portion of the square is maintained. We have maintained it to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. We have updated the names and replaced the plaques that could no longer be read. The City has replaced those, along with flags. We have been very supportive of the veterans to this point. We are not going to abandon the veterans. We have had the Farmer’s Market and many other things there, including the Chalk Art Festival, Santa Claus and Trick-or-Treat on Main Street. All of those things have involved Midland Square. We have not had anybody complain about it until now. We want to do everything we can to maintain the memorial. It is a very bright spot of our City. We need to maintain that and honor the Borgstrom boys, who are a main part. It is a reverent place, but we hope people go there and look at it often. We want to change the grade and make it more user-friendly. I think that will do nothing but enhance the memorial and enhance downtown. This really is a catalyst. The research shows that the more people we can draw into the downtown area the more people will recognize opportunity. I appreciate Councilmember Vance and being able to be a part of this economic opportunity assignment. His experience and knowledge are going to be very valuable to help us get Main Street revitalized. Main Street is really suffering. We can sort of try to provide opportunity and I think that is what we are doing here.

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

12. Adjournment.

Motion by Councilmember Hoedt to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

The meeting adjourned at 8:37 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 19th day of March, 2024.

Linsey Nessen, City Recorder

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