City Council minutes 3-19-24

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MARCH 19, 2024

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

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Holmgren called the March 19, 2024 City Council Workshop to order at 6:00 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, 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 (arrived at 6:11 p.m.), and Downtown Manager Sara Mohrman. Councilmember Vance was excused.

1. City Council Visioning Workshop and Preliminary Budget Discussions (20 minutes)

Mayor Holmgren said with the new year, we want to look at areas to be focusing our efforts. One of these efforts has to do with downtown and Main Street. We recently went to 25th Street in Ogden. They have shops and lots going on. It is an inviting place. We walked up and down the length of it and had lunch. We are envisioning something similar for Tremonton. Their shops and restaurants were well taken care of with awnings and different things. Councilmember Rohde said I talked to a store owner who had moved there 35 years ago. They said they are constantly busy and it has been a wonderful environment. I noticed they have done a really good job of updating and making it look nostalgic. When you fix the outside of the building, people naturally start fixing the inside. Mayor Holmgren said I think there is something we can learn from this. We intend to create a committee of residents, veterans and merchants. We want them to look at the whole picture for Main Street and help revitalize it. Manager Christensen said although 25th street is bigger than Tremonton’s Main Street, we could enhance the sidewalk, trees, lighting, and planters. I tested out a couple of spots on our Main Street and we have about 10 feet to work with. They also have angle parking, which allows for more parking. There are some natural obstacles that are going to differentiate us from them. Bottom line is we could do a lot to help the business owners on Main Street to clean up the fronts. The power overhead could be put underground, we could add lighting and then water for planters. We want to make it a better atmosphere with a better feel for our residents.

Mayor Holmgren explained that a public meeting was recently held. We listened and there were lots of comments about Main Street. Everybody seemed to recognize that something needed to be done to our Main Street area. There have been lots of ideas, but no consensus. The purpose of this committee will be to help us determine that.

2. Discussion on public notices and public involvement – Led by Councilmember Rohde (20 minutes)

Councilmember Rohde said public notices prevent official action from occurring in secret. Our public notices need to be where people can see them. They are easily available on the website, but it would be nice if people had the opportunity to see them in their everyday travel. I have talked to a local business, who has an LED sign. We could test that by putting up public notices there. That would be a start to see if a digital publication of public notices will help people feel more informed. If so, I would like to move toward putting up our own board that would be dedicated to communicating with the public. Also I would like to see the City redefine our standards on when we involve the public. The public has a right to be involved. I would like to get them involved in the process sooner rather than later. We need to define that standard and process better. What is the trigger to say, we need to get public input? We would then use that input to move forward with those projects.

Manager Christensen said he would be interested in hearing what kinds of things the public wants to have input on. Resident Kristie Bowcutt said development would be important. Anything you think is going to affect the public. Councilmember Rohde said I agree with you. Hopefully people are reading through our agendas for different meetings. Mrs. Bowcutt added, anything that is going to directly affect the public. Residents have a right to have it put out in front of them and then they can decide for themselves if they want to say or do something. Midland Square was one line on the agenda. Councilmember Hoedt said spread the word and if you have ideas, share them with us. Encourage others to share with us, too. We want to develop a standard that is totally transparent with the public so they feel involved and heard.

3. Update on Countywide Master Water Plan – Mayor Holmgren (20 minutes)

Mayor Holmgren said I was invited to participate in a water workshop at Utah State University. Communities joined to discuss ways to be more water smart. We can be better at putting together a Water Master Plan, which is something the State is requiring all communities to work on. We have come up with a plan for Box Elder County. Water is important to us. Growth in Utah is significant. The key is how do we grow and stay smart with our water plan. A wellbeing survey was put out by Utah State University. It asked what some of the major concerns for Tremonton are and 91% of Tremonton residents expressed moderate to major concerns about our water supply. The Council has been working on this for some time with secondary water. We are also finding ways to leverage our water supply and have purchased water shares. We also have many springs and wells. Director Fulgham does a good job reporting on all of that. We continue to look at various options. We are looking into an aquifer storage and recovery project to better utilize our springs. Those run year-round and currently just run into the Bear River. We are looking at ways we can pump and store that water to recover it in the summertime when the demand is high. On April 11, at 7 p.m. at the USU-Brigham City campus they will host a kickoff meeting for the County Master Water Plan. The public is invited. Water is important to everyone and we need to protect it. One of their goals will be to protect commercial agriculture as growth comes since it is probably the largest economic engine in the County. However, people also have property rights. Growth is coming and we need to prepare for it. We have purchased water shares just like the farmers. Those represent agricultural land that has been taken out of production. All we are doing is keeping it on the land and repurposing the water.

4. Review of the agenda items identified on 7:00 p.m. City Council Agenda if time allows

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

The Council moved into a closed session at 6:29 p.m.

5. 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 Rohde to return to open session. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – absent, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

The Council returned to open session at 6:51 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 6:51 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the March 19, 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, 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 8:30 p.m.), and Downtown Manager Sara Mohrman. Councilmember Vance was 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 Recorder Nessen and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by student Mallory Hart.

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 Estep to approve the agenda of March 19, 2024. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – absent, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

5. Approval of minutes – February 20, 2024

Councilmember Hoedt provided an amendment on page three. The first full paragraph at the bottom beginning with the Council, 10th line down. It says Councilmember Hoedt said, but that was actually Councilmember Vance.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to approve the minutes of February 20, 2024 with the change stated above. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – absent, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

6. Citizenship Awards

a. Tremonton City Citizenship Award to Elementary and Intermediate Students

Mayor Holmgren said our citizen awards is our favorite part of the meeting. We have been doing this for about a year and are recognizing young people from our two elementary schools and intermediate school. These students are doing great things and being good citizens. They are being kind and making life in their school better. There are real positive things going on and we want to recognize that. The students were given a gift certificate and had their picture taken.

7. Public comments:

Jed Abbott said a few people and I have put together a concept drawing for Midland Square. We decided that leaving the clock tower would be a good thing. We could mount the constitution on the front of that. An archway on each side of it would be good so people knew where to enter. Down the sides, we added monuments for the wars we have not added yet. We would like to add a new, much larger flag. We could add another monument to the west side and as people drive around, they could see that. This would make this a much greater place for people to come and see. Panels along the sidewalk could be interactive. When people push a button, it would tell them who these people are. We have never had anything that documents the women so we thought that would be a good thing. We also want to do a list of the POWs and MIAs. We would have to have more lighting. An ADA accessible restroom could go in the back corner. The monument that is there of the children, could be moved closer to where the existing monuments are. He then provided the Council with a copy.

Kristie Bowcutt said as stated in the October 2023 newsletter, transparency promotes accountability and provides an opportunity for residents to be informed about what is going on in their community. You started the Midland Square project about two years ago. The public really was not informed. It was on a one-line agenda on City Council meeting. After finding out January 2 and then seeing the rendering January 16, I found it to be rather one sided and self-serving. I obtained a copy of the grant. There was no mention of the Memorial. I called the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and spoke with the person who approved the grant. I stated the grant is falsified and misleading. He said, I agree with you to an extent. He says, let us call it an intentional omission because if we call it falsifying, we have to get lawyers involved. We went through the grant application for the Veterans Memorial. I said do you see it there? He said no. We leave it up to cities to give a full spectrum of the site. Many things were brought up in that conversation. I told him how Midland Square came about and that the City will not be leaving room for the veterans to expand. He said why were these comments not brought up in a public forum or open house? I said because we did not have one. He asked if there was another place? I said yes, and he did a search of Shuman Park and said this is a perfect place for what is being proposed. I said it is, but it was stated it is too far from Main Street. I also contacted KSL for an article. I do not regret calling the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. It is very unfortunate that the truth was not stated in the application from the first.

Jami Poppleton said if you want something to change, you have to help make that change and in order to make that change, you cannot give up. I cannot give up on helping the Veterans get a spectacular Memorial that everyone could be proud of. I recommend the Council amend the approved grant application to allow the Veterans and residents to have a say in where the money from the grant is used. The grant does not mention the Memorial because the City never included it in the application. City staff says the Memorial is separate from the park. It has been stated in the newsletter and on social media. If that is the case then why is the children’s statue and pavers located elsewhere in the park and not by the Memorial? One would assume that would be part of the Veterans Memorial. City staff has assumed this would not bother the Veterans to leave them out, even though the Veterans and some residents assume the Memorial was the entire park. No one really knew the truth. City members assumed since hardly no one attends the meetings that we do not care. This is what happens when we assume. Assuming does nothing but cause things to become hidden. Those hidden things become omitted in documents and when it comes to something so personal, it creates a backlash and hate as we have all seen. Did the City or all parties involved with the grant application assume it would not bother the Veterans? Was it an opportunity to assume they knew the entire park was not a Memorial and Tremonton City will do what it wants without input from others? In my opinion this should have been handled differently. I contacted FOX 13 to break the story. I was hurt that our elected officials turned the other cheek after several conversations and were going to dig in their heels and start the project without even talking to the Veterans or getting feedback. I believe the Veterans deserve some or most of the grant money to help construct a beautiful centerpiece for our City. I obtained a copy of the grant and budget ($405,720) to construct a stage, build restrooms, landscaping, removal and installation. In addition, there is $75,000 for seven officials and City workers who are a part of the project. Do they not already get paid to do their job? Should everyone involved not get paid for their time and participation? Shuman Park, has a very nice stage and bowery with restrooms. It has beautiful landscaping and marvelous trees. What it does not have is power upgrades. Shuman Park could use $100,000 and the rest could go to the Veterans Memorial. I think it would bring people from all walks of life and help get people involved. This is on the National Historical Registry. The memorial is part of downtown Main Street. It is or can be the centerpiece of Tremonton.

Councilmember Rohde said what did you say about $75,000? Mrs. Poppleton said the budget says there is $75,000 for administration and planning. Manager Christensen said they allow us to add some staff time. The staff is not getting double pay, it would be time we were working on the project as well as planning. We do not have the expertise to put the architecture or the concept plans together. Our engineer would put the construction documents together. That is where that money would go. This is for the planning and administration of the grant.

John McClellan said I am a local veteran and have two requests. I would like to get a cleanup day at the park. It is overdue. Christmas decor is still there. It would not hurt my feelings if the two big spruce trees were taken out entirely. We know it is a safety hazard and would open up the park. We would like to have a flag raising ceremony there if we can get the trees trimmed. Manager Christensen said Director LeFevre can coordinate with you. He has ordered flags. Mr. McClellan said we would like to incorporate the children statue into the Memorial so they are not being dismissed.

Bill Roosma said the average lifespan of an infantryman when he hits the beaches is 7.5 seconds. Businesses want to draw people in, but I do not think the park changes will draw people to the businesses. We need better parking to draw people to businesses. Things are expensive and a lot of people are not buying. They cannot afford it. They are trying to feed their families and pay rent. There are lots of factors. I am also here to discuss trailers. Having trailers parked on a City street, dropped or hooked up, is a major safety hazard. Last time I was in here, I suggested we drop it to a 10-hour maximum. The first warning is just a warning and does not cost anything. The second time is a $100 fine. Third would be $200 and for every violation after that $300. You have to hold people accountable. I believe trailers should not be allowed. People need time to unload and load or clean their RV, but it should be a limited. No trailer should be allowed to park on the street after 10 p.m. This would be easier for law enforcement to address it because it is an obvious violation. We have to do something before somebody’s kid gets killed. This needs to be enforced. If there are no consequences, there is no deterrence.

Kim Bowcutt said my husband, Bruce, and I have been assigned as the Just Serve area specialist in Tremonton and surrounding communities in Box Elder County. Our task is to combine volunteers with projects. The Just Serve website is available for organizations or whoever needs a helping hand to get volunteers and projects together. I have a few business cards I have left with Manager Christensen. The Global Youth Service Month is April. We would love to get some projects on there for the youth to help with. Mayor Holmgren said thank you we will be reaching out.

Dean Anderson said I hope this Midland Square deal can get resolved. The proposed grant funding is for infrastructure, a permanent stage, power pedestals and public restrooms. In order for this to work, Tremonton has to have 30% matching funds. They will get that through an RDA grant that comes from a local developer. That has to be paid back and that has to come from your tax dollars. In 1994, the building burned down and the City purchased that land. Midland Square is on 0.6 acres. We have a Main Street Manager who is in the process of creating promotions and events. In 2022, they had a Farmer’s Market with 30 vendors selling produce, baked goods, handcrafts and food. Hundreds of people showed up to participate. You embellished, implied and mislead in order to get the grant. The Midland Square Farmer’s Market was successful and demonstrated a need to improve the space for several events throughout the year. I would be interested to know what the fire department says is the capacity for people on 0.6 acres. The City’s decision to focus on downtown investments has increased property values. Currently three buildings within the downtown area are being restored. One of those buildings is adjacent to Midland Square. The owners intended to renovate the historic building to include townhomes and an upscale restaurant employing 10 to 20 employees. Again, an embellishment to get the grant. The building is still vacant.

Scott Mohrman said it frustrates me that the City Council is considering postponing or stopping the renovation to Midland Square. To many of us, it looks like that they are catering to the loud, angry minority rather than the entire community. Many of these angry residents have told me that I have not lived here long enough for my opinion to matter. I believe the majority of the residents support this project. They simply do not have the time or patience to show up to the meetings. They are spending their time making a living and working multiple jobs. My wife and I have talked to countless people over the years about this project and they are all very excited about it. It is important for the Council to focus on the long-term needs rather than the short-term praises of residents. My wife and I support the veterans and are eternally grateful for their sacrifices. My grandfather was in World War II. Both of my wife’s grandfathers have served, both of my grandfathers have served and many of their families serve today. I understand the sacredness of the memorial and the importance of it. I believe updating the square will bring activity downtown and will allow for more people to learn about the memorial and the veterans of our community. Tremonton is the crossroads of Northern Utah. Midlands Square has always been a central gathering place for the community, especially when the hotel stood in its place. This project is the next step in preserving the atmosphere and helping to revive the dying downtown. A booming economic downtown is not just for the benefit of the businesses, but for everyone who calls Tremonton home. We will all benefit from the increase in sales tax revenue and ideally new businesses we could attract. We need leaders to put future generations above ourselves and ensure the opportunity of prosperity in our community.

Dale Nicholas said I hope you repeal this. If you make improvements to Midland square, add bathrooms and expand it to make it better. Make it part of the square improvement. Tear some buildings down and create parking. You have to have parking to attract people. That would be a good way to start.

Sara Mohrman said over the last several weeks, my husband and I have been verbally attacked by people sitting right here, spreading lies about us while insinuating this project is being done solely to prop up myself and my business. That cannot be farther from the truth. I could close my business tomorrow and would still fight for the completion of this project. I understand firsthand its importance. Downtown businesses, not just mine, have been anticipating this for quite some time. It has also been suggested that my husband and I should have no say in what happens in this town because we were not born and raised here. We had no choice in where or when we were born, but we choose to call Tremonton home. We chose to purchase a home here. I chose to start a small business here and invest in revitalizing our downtown. We have both chose to serve this community in many ways through our time and talents. How long somebody has lived in this town should not disqualify their opinion. Midland Square was created to drive economic opportunity to the downtown area. Events and activities have taken place here from its inception. There are no plans to stop that, even if this project fails. It is essential to move forward in Midland Square, the heart of our downtown. The goal is to take the original vision for the square and complete it. That showed a stage or pavilion in the back, just as proposed in the new plan. Adding bathrooms will allow more people to linger downtown. Experts say that the number one priority for revitalizing a downtown like ours is creating a gathering place that will draw people through programmed events and spontaneous activity. Making the buildings, landscaping and lighting, look pretty comes after that. Doing that first simply puts lipstick on a pig because that does not drive people downtown. Once you have activities and people downtown, you gain business buy-in. They see an uptick in foot traffic and revenue. They will start to invest in their businesses and building. The City will have increased revenue and attract new business. Businesses downtown are struggling significantly. We are all trying to figure out how to increase foot traffic to survive. We all agree that the lack of revenue is a foot traffic issue. When people come to our businesses, they are buying. Only having one or two people daily is not sustainable. We all see increased foot traffic and revenue when there are events in the square. Many downtown businesses are discussing whether or not to keep their doors open or to relocate. Many of us are losing hope that this community even cares about the downtown. Why should we keep pouring our finances, times, talents and souls into businesses that are not supported? I challenge you to visit these businesses and converse with them. I attended the Box Elder Business Summit where the keynote speaker quoted our former governor, “Change is going to happen. You can fight change and lose, you can accept change and survive, or you can lead change and prosper.” We need leadership that leads change so we can all prosper. Lastly, I want to quote Socrates, “The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” I challenge you all to follow those words when making decisions, lead change and focus on building new.

Debbie Brantner said everybody who is for this thinks that if you build it, they will come. If you build a stage and swing sets in a memorial park, that is not going to help businesses. You need to build businesses in order for people to shop downtown. Having secondhand stores and little cutesy stores is not what we need. We need to find things that are going to bring us into town for shopping. I was sad to see Kings and Alco go. These were places we shopped all the time. That has forced us to go out of town. We need to bring things in that people are going to stay in town and shop for. The park is not going to bring people into town. We have Shuman Park, Jeannie Stevens, North Park and Park Meadows. How many parks with swings and stuff do we need? We do not need to be putting it where a memorial is. Let us keep that sacred to remember people who have died and served our Country. Let us not ruin that by having kids going in there and skateboarding and throwing trash all over. Let us keep it sacred for what it was for.

Kelly Hill said I can appreciate the passions and views regarding the proposal and people with an entrepreneurial spirit, who take risks and build their dreams. That is an American ideal. I also have a very deep respect and gratitude and reverence for those who have sacrificed to the ultimate degree, fighting for and protecting the freedom and ideals and foundation of this great nation. I suspect we may share personal connections to names etched in the service memorial on the square. My wife’s father, served in World War II. We rarely spoke about it. When he did there were very few words, but it was impossible not to recognize the pain and loss in his voice and his eyes. Her uncle is also etched in one of the panels and he sacrificed to the ultimate degree. I witnessed the pain and tears from his mother and sister many years after that day. That sacrifice and loss were still just below the surface. I had the opportunity to meet Gail Halvorson in person at a Hill Air Force based. Foot traffic and Midland Square maybe can coexist. There is already a self-guided tour. I think building on that might be an opportunity to utilize QR codes at each location to create a walking tour. There are enough in this community who are interesting and worthy of learning about their history of those who have contributed so much to this area. If you have not had an opportunity to look at the pamphlet that talks about the walking tour, I think that could be integrated. I encourage people to look at other opportunities. Businesses could utilize that to introduce their business or new businesses. I hope that the memorial exists as close as possible as it is now and if it can be improved in support of veterans and maintain the dignity and the reverence that it currently has.

Mayor Holmgren said thank you very much for your comments, we have taken notes.

8. Public Hearing (Please keep your comments to under 3 minutes):

a. To consider amending the Annual Budget entitled “The Tremonton City Annual Implementation Budget 2023-2024 (General Fund, Capital Fund(s), Enterprise Fund(s), and Special Fund(s)”, for the period commencing July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024
Manager Christensen said budget amendments are common as cities have to run on a balanced budget. Each department cannot expend what they have been allotted. Budgets are the best estimate we can provide at the start of the year. As we go forward with business, sometimes unexpected expenditures arise. Most of these items provide a safe guard so the City will have funds in each budget. He then provided an overview of City funds. There was extra time for the building inspector. Since there was no history on that we did our best guess and it turns out that he is doing more inspections than estimated. The revenues for building permits helped offset that. Other things include internet in the parks for security cameras. That price was higher than expected. For the Capital Projects Fund we had a big chip seal project this year. We do have money in our fund balance to cover that. We have the K9 vehicle purchase from Garland. We are appropriating fund balance to pay for that. For the treatment plant, we thought we were going to do a big project with the aerator basin, but that has been delayed. This will be in next year’s budget proposal. The East Main sewer line came in at more money, but we had money for that. These are some of the things to safeguard against over expending.

Mayor Holmgren called a Public Hearing to order at 8:01 p.m. to approve the budget. There were 42 people in attendance.

Resident Capree Austin said I wonder where the police fall into this budget. I know their building has mold. What is the Council doing to resolve some of those issues and where does that fall in the budget. Manager Christensen said that falls under the General Fund. Mrs. Austin said I am hoping that is on your radar to help them, especially with all our tax increases. Manager Christensen said they did get some increases. The furnace also went out. We put an insurance claim on that.

Mayor Holmgren closed the Public Hearing at 8:03 p.m.

9. New Council Business:

a. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 24-19 amending the budget entitled “The Tremonton City Annual Implementation Budget 2023-2024 (General Fund, Capital Fund(s), Enterprise Fund(s), and Special Fund(s),” for the period commencing July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024

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

b. Discussion and consideration of repealing Resolution No. 24-01 which approved a final concept plan for Midland Square Improvements associated with the Rural Communities Opportunity Grant Award

Mayor Holmgren said this would repeal the concept the Council had approved, a month or so ago. We plan to go back to the drawing board with a citizen committee. This grant is from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. We cannot just beautify some other part of downtown. It has to have an economic purpose. Councilmember Hoedt said I enjoyed the opportunity to hear from the community and put together a committee that can represent different interests. I think this is an excellent idea and will help us make a more informed decision. Mayor Holmgren said we will keep everybody posted as we move along. Councilmember Rohde said as mentioned earlier, I think we need to develop a standard that this becomes the norm for certain projects. We need to involve the community earlier. We still need to define what that is and use that so our department heads can move forward and continue the process. We are just stepping back a bit and then moving forward again. Councilmember Westergard said somewhere we have to compromise. We need to get a little more informed.

Motion by Councilmember Hoedt to adopt the repeal. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – absent, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved.

c. Discussion and consideration of accepting the Calder Annexation Petition for further consideration under Utah State Annexation Law. The Annexation Petition consists of 35.045 acres of real property located in Box Elder County at 6590 West 10000 North

Manager Christensen said the County has adopted a policy that anything within a certain distance of our annexation boundary requires the landowner to come to the City to petition for annexation. They feel development should happen within the City where there are more services. Brody Calder is the petitioner. He has reviewed our annexation policy and went to the County who sent mail to those within 300 feet and any entities involved, such as the school district and City. He then filed an annexation petition, which is like an application. The Council can either accept or deny that annexation petition. I would encourage the Council to accept this knowing there are still multiple steps. If accepted, the public noticing starts and the recorder has 30 days to give notice of certification. The clerk gives public noticing and then certain entities or people can file a protest. The Council can deny the petition at that point then the County Boundary Commission, can either give approval or disapproval. We would then have a public hearing for the annexation and at that point the Council can accept or deny. If it is approved, then we give it to the lieutenant governor and adopt an ordinance of annexation. It would be finalized by recording it with the County. There are a lot of steps moving forward. Councilmember Hoedt said I am definitely not prepared to support this at this point in time. I think this is incredibly premature in the process. We have not been offered a great deal of information that would help to make an informed decision. What are the fiscal impacts to the City short-term and long-term by doing this. What is required and how will this be handled. We have had a lot of months where we have been over capacity for the water treatment facility. Director Fulgham tried to explain the water report. Councilmember Hoedt asked how this will relate to the modern income housing needs for the City? There are relevant statutes that might pertain to this and other current permits that are either already given out or are currently in the finalization process of over 1,900 more housing units that are coming to town. All of this information will help me make a more informed decision. Councilmember Estep said I think we have done well so far expanding. Our City has been growing for the last 40 years. A lot of people would not have a house if we did not expand. We need to keep that opportunity going for everyone who wants to come to Tremonton. We will make sure we have water, sewer, fire and police protection. We need to offer people who want to come here opportunities just like we have for everybody who is here.

Manager Christensen said the City has reached out to the health department to come up with a resolution on how we can stop development right outside our City limits that have septic tanks and developments that would go in with less standards than what the City requires the developer to provide. The County does not have the standards we have. We have come up with this resolution for those developing next to the City and wanting to annex. The County sends them to the City because we can provide services. The developer will pay the cost to add the infrastructure to handle their development. This allows us to require these developments to follow City standards. Councilmember Hoedt said I would like the information I have requested before I can make an informed decision. Manager Christensen said we will have time to give this information. If we deny it, the petition is dead and he can reapply. There will be multiple steps to address these issues. If the Council tables it tonight, then by State law, it is an acceptance of the annexation. This is because of a timeline in the State law. The developer has a concept of what he would like to do, but we still have to go to the Planning Commission to get zoning for it. We can then negotiate terms with the infrastructure. We would not allow him to create the subdivision without providing the infrastructure. Councilmember Hoedt said this does not fit our Integrated Land Use Plan, which was adopted seven months ago. The population levels have already been exceeded. We have exceeded the 2030 population. Mayor Holmgren said this is a consideration of the Calder annexation petition, no action means action. We are considering accepting or denying the petition.

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to accept the annexation proposal. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – aye, Councilmember Hoedt – nay, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – absent, Councilmember Westergard – aye. Motion approved by a 3-1 vote.

10. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar

Mayor Holmgren said the League of Cities and Towns Conference is April 17-19. We will not have a Council meeting on April 16.

b. Review of past assignment: None.

11. Reports & Comments:

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

Manager Christensen said Jack in the Box has been approved for a site plan. They had to amend that so they will come in again tomorrow to be re-approved with an amendment. They tore the old Denny’s building down. The fire department did some training there. We are also working on an overlay zone for Envision Estates. It is a hybrid between a townhome and house. They are called cottage style homes and are all single-family. They have their own garages on smaller lots. Currently there is nothing like this here. It is going through Planning Commission, who will make a recommendation for the Council.

c. City Department Head Reports and Comments

Director Fulgham said I owe Councilmember Hoedt an apology, but I give you guys data every month on water and wastewater. If there is something you truly do not understand, please come to me before things get misquoted. We knew our effluent out of our treatment plant was part of our secondary program in the future. Courts have ruled that the water belongs to the entity until it is put to the very last beneficial use. If we want to reuse the water, you have to have mitigation with it. That means we would have to buy canal shares to trade for the State for using our effluent. If we are going to buy canal shares, why would we want to put the infrastructure in to reuse it? I think that law is going to get challenged. I know we have had plans to reuse it, but if we have to mitigate it, it is not of any value to us. Secondary is going in Service Area 4.

Chief Cordova said we are handling the mold in the basement. My hope is the insurance will cover most of that. We will work with Manager Christensen to get that resolved. We did have the furnace and AC replaced. It was 35 years old. Most of our people are off FTO now. We have two left who are going through training. We have been doing in-service training, giving them experience before they hit the road. Overall, things are going well. Lastly, we have the first in the history of Box Elder County, an officer was chosen as Officer of the Year by the Utah Chief of Police Association.

Chief Hansen said I wanted to give a really sincere shout out to the Public Works department. I was struggling with a method to replace our front apron and trying to come up with a budget to have the concrete removed where it was broken. They found out we were looking and four days later it is all done. I have met with the contractor who is doing the fire department consolidation study for Box Elder County. We had some good discussions. They took a tour of the station and asked me for more information. The meetings were really positive. I told them our focus is to do what is right for Tremonton.

d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Hoedt said the library board has graciously moved their next meeting so I will be able to attend that. For emergency management, I met with the County and was educated a great deal. I toured around and saw the equipment that is available for different emergency responses. Each town is required by State law to designate an emergency manager. We have one, but I do not know how they can possibly do it all. There needs to be better support for this department. That should be a full-time administrator. We have to have an emergency operations plan by State law. I look forward to getting educated on those. Also, in looking at affordable housing or moderate-income housing, I met with Neighborhood Nonprofit and Habitat for Humanity. I am impressed by those organizations. Councilmember Hoedt went into detail about what each of these programs are doing.

Councilmember Rohde said I enjoyed the tour of 25th street. I thought that was fun. At North Park park on the south end there is a bunch of junk in the alley. That seems like a safety issue and I wondered if we could remove that.

Mayor Holmgren said I would like to thank everybody for participating. I appreciate the Council’s insight and comments.

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

13. Adjournment.

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

The meeting adjourned at 8:52 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 2nd day of April, 2024.

Linsey Nessen, City Recorder

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