City Council Minutes 3-4-25

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MARCH 4, 2025

Members Present:
Wes Estep
Beau Lewis
Bret Rohde
Lyle Vance
Blair Westergard
Lyle Holmgren, Mayor
Bill Cobabe, City Manager
Linsey Nessen, Assistant City Manager
Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Holmgren called the March 4, 2025 City Council Workshop to order at 6:01 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, Assistant Public Works Director Carl Mackley, Police Chief Dustin Cordova, Sergeant Skylar Gailey, Co-Interim Fire Chief Shawn Jensen, Co-Interim Fire Chief Andy McBride, and Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre.

1. Police Department market adjustments discussion – Chief Cordova

Chief Cordova said I would like to advise you of what we need to do to stay in line with the current police market. Some of our SMART goals for the police department are retaining qualified officers and keeping staffing healthy. Those are the biggest challenges for all law enforcement right now. Recently, Brigham, Perry and Box Elder County increased their pay. We need to stay within the realm of that market since we all compete for the same, small group of officers. I met with Finance Director Curtis Roberts, Assistant City Manager Nessen, and Councilmember Lewis to discuss some creative solutions. My best solution is to retain. We are in a very healthy place. For the first time since I have been here, we are fully staffed. Most of the officers we have, we have sponsored through the academy. That is a two-year process and an initial investment of $120,000. To keep the staffing we have, it behooves us to stay within that competitive range. He then reviewed a survey. Hourly pay and benefits are equally important to our officers. Next, how do you feel about working with the City? If it takes a couple years to catch up, is that something you are willing to wait on? Everybody was okay with that. I attribute that to the relationships we have built. We have a great reputation as a City and police department. They are open to changing with time. We have a few saints who are doing it for the right reasons, which is the culture and the work. Unfortunately, we cannot function with just 30% of our staff. This is our survey results as far as what is most important. Hourly pay and wage are number one. Number two is healthy staffing. The reason that is so important to police officers is that it correlates with safety.

Chief Cordova said if we were to match other agencies, the bottom dollar amount is $25.37 an hour. This is what I would recommend, but I do not think we will lose people over a dollar or two. In some of these areas, especially at the sergeant level, we are behind quite a bit. Aiming lower saves a couple bucks and I think we could still retain, but I cannot guarantee it. The first option is to adjust over the next couple years. This allows us to have a plan with less impact if we do use taxes to cover that cost. The first year, we could probably absorb it in our budget. That would mean we would have to cut a lot out and run bare bones. It is not ideal but would get us through this coming year. After that, it is about $83,000 per year. Pros, steady increase, not a shock, little to no budgetary impact for this coming fiscal year. Cons, I cannot control the market and cannot guarantee we are going to stay ahead. This will likely require some type of tax or financial support from the City. This could cause us to pause a lot of the things we are trying to accomplish as a department. Number two is to reduce staff to adjust the budget. Our population continues to grow and we are looking at about 16,000. That would give us one officer per 766. That would be a higher number if we end up cutting a position. That is what we are on track for today. The first year I was here our goal was one officer per 650. That is the average for Box Elder. Other cities are closer to one per 550. I feel comfortable with 650 to 700. Once we get past that we are getting pretty far behind. The worst option is not taking action. That would put us behind on staffing and is not as safe for our officers. It is going to cost us at some point down the road and it is terrible for morale. Another option is to fix the problem next year, using property tax and sales tax. This is my preferred method. We can do a good faith adjustment this year within the budget and let people know it is coming. No tax adjustment would be needed for this year and we would stay up to date on that market. I do not personally care how we skin the cat as long as we reach the result together. If we fund this with property tax and made that full adjustment, it would be about $58 per household per year. The other option is funding with sales tax, which has had a steady increase over the years. It would require one month’s dedicated sales tax. I know the City has a ton of priorities, I just want to give you every option. I think our budget can absorb that as well. If we fund this with a combined approach, it would only be about $2.41 per month per household and about half a month sales tax. My recommendation is you decide how to fund the change. I do not want to see us become a training agency for other departments.

Chief Cordova reviewed their accomplishments. We have a strong reputation in the Box Elder County area. We have seen a downward crime trend and are doing progressive police work. We do a Know Your Force program. Every time our officers go on a call, people can give a review. We average a 4.8 rating. We are undefeated in our baseball team and our police lemonade challenge. He then showed an example of police department crimes and population growth. Most studies support that as the population grows, crime goes up. We have actually seen an inverse. A lot of these are on a downward trajectory. Sex crimes, burglary and assaults are tapering up a bit. We are working on that with the schools, but family fights and everything in between, are seeing some reduction. In contrast, you are seeing a huge incline on proactive work. We have an incline on search warrants, community policing, and proactive patrol. We are not sitting around waiting for calls. We are going out, interacting, and looking for crime. Crimes usually go up with the population, but we are doing the opposite, which is fantastic. We have made a positive impact on crime, which is attributed to proactive police work.

Chief Cordova said we also presented to Garland City Council and they were really supportive. When asked about staffing, Chief Cordova said we have 21 officers. We are fully staffed for the first time in years. He also addressed turnover. We have lost an officer here and there. On average, it is one per year. This is usually due to a life change and not for problems with morale.

Chief Cordova further explained the ratio and said with Garland, today we are at 15,638 population, which is about 744 per officer. While staffing is important, it is not the most pressing issue. My most important objective is to retain what we have. Where we stay mostly depends on our growth. We are on track to be behind at 766 within two years. It is hard to project the population with a certainty because there are so many factors. Councilmember Rohde said with our goals and where we are headed, I would like to see a shift. Salary should be third on the list. I would like to see other things become more important. Chief Cordova said I would love that too, but it boils down to supply and demand. Unfortunately, there is a lack of supply and a high demand. That is how these agencies are stealing people. You can get a lot of love and loyalty with your team if you lead them right, but when it comes to life-changing money, you are going to lose people, even some of the best, most loyal people. At the end of the day, they are always going to prioritize family. We do take good care of them as far as morale and creating a family-like environment. It is just a different environment.

Councilmember Vance said how many times does the County have to back us up? Or are we always backing up the County? Chief Cordova said I would say it is pretty mutual. We have a great relationship with them. It is nice to be in a position that if we had a catastrophic emergency, I could call the sheriff and get 10 more deputies to help us, and we try to return that. It is a very equal and mutually beneficial relationship. We would not have a SWAT team or emergency support if it was not for them. I know this is a big ask. The last thing I want to do is ask for more support because you have been so supportive. If it was not at the level of importance, I felt it was, I would not be standing in front of you today. I ask for some trust from the Council. I will not ever mislead you. At the end of the day, you get to make that decision. I am asking because it is imperative that we stay on top of this. I do not want to lose what we have. We have made great progress. Mayor Holmgren said we appreciate everything you and the department do and the proactiveness. It is paying great dividends for our community.

Councilmember Rohde said on the strategies, City staff will meet with department heads and button up the last parts. Councilmember Lewis and I are going to pick a Thursday for a town hall meeting to go over the strategies with the public.

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

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

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

The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the March 4, 2025 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, 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, Assistant Public Works Director Carl Mackley, Police Chief Dustin Cordova, Sergeant Skylar Gailey, Co-Interim Fire Chief Shawn Jensen, Co-Interim Fire Chief Andy McBride, and Parks and Recreation Director Zach LeFevre.

1. Opening Ceremony: Prayer—Councilmember Vance, Pledge—Jackson McCullouch

2. Introduction of Council

3. The Dignity Index—this item was discussed after item 7.

The Council watched a video. Councilmember Vance said this is pretty impressive stuff. The presentation we saw at the Utah League of Cities and Towns was very eye-opening. Pretty much if people do not agree with somebody, they blame and shame them. That is how it works in our community. It does not matter if we are talking with our neighbors or as a City Council. Dignity has left the house on this stuff. It is important to respect people’s opinions and listen to the other side with a true heart, and try to understand. Most of the time we have already condemned people. I wish it was something all of us could listen to. We need to change our attitude about how we converse with each other. Councilmember Rohde said Councilmember Lewis and I met with citizens and discussed this dignity index. We are committed on this bench to treat everyone with dignity. We all need to listen and show respect, and give them our attention. We need to be dignified in the way we act up here and we ask the same thing of people talking with us. We are going to set a strategic goal and work on this dignity index within our City. Our goal by 2030 will be to hit a 7.5 on this index. We will have annual surveys to measure that. Mayor Holmgren reviewed those, number five says the other side has a right to be here and to be heard. Number seven we engage with the other side discussing even the values and interests we do not share. Number eight is the highest level. Each one of us is born with an inherent worth. We treat everyone with dignity no matter what. Councilmember Lewis said this is a good reminder for all of us to unify ourselves and listen. Some of the best ideas come from people who disagree with us. Mayor Holmgren said we do not need to agree on things, but we are asking that we can discuss things and treat each other with respect and dignity.

4. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: none

5. Approval of Agenda:

Mayor Holmgren suggested moving item 3. after item 7.

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the agenda with that change. Motion seconded by Councilmembers Estep and Westergard. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

6. Approval of minutes – February 18, 2025

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve the February 18, 2025 minutes. Motion seconded by Councilmembers Rohde and Lewis. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

7. Presentation

a. Tremonton City Citizenship Award to Elementary and Intermediate Students

Mayor Holmgren said about three years ago, one of our former councilmembers and Councilmember Estep came up with the idea of giving out citizenship awards to our students. This has turned into one of our favorite things each month during the school year. They presented them with their awards and then took a picture.

Mayor Holmgren said Councilmember Vance and I had an opportunity to go to the University of Utah and listen to a presentation by Timothy Shriver. He is the nephew of US President John F. Kennedy. He talked about dignity and the dignity index. You students and parents are here because your teachers and principals recognized you for your citizenship—the respect you demonstrate and the responsibility of being safe. This is quite an achievement. We all need to strive for these qualities every single day. You are great examples to your friends, classmates, teachers and families. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing such a great job. By treating others with dignity and respect, you help make your school and our community a better place. I ask you to continue treating your family, teachers, and classmates with respect. Make it a habit. Listen to them and do this without being asked more than once. Finally, find a way to do something nice for someone, especially someone you do not know.

8. Public comments:

Debbie Brantner said I think that was really good what you shared with the children and we ought to do that every month.

9. New Council Business:

a. Discussion and possible action on accepting the LB Land Holdings Annexation Petition for further consideration under Utah State Annexation Law. The Annexation Petition consists of 200.78 acres of real property located in Box Elder County along 6800 West from 10200 North to 9600 North

Planner Seedall said for almost a year, we have been working with existing residents to bring this annexation together. We have worked on meeting some of the needs they have. This boundary was created due to master planning for utilities and infrastructure so that it is economical from the City’s perspective as this portion grows. That central parcel and the one to the Northeast will be under development. We will be able to expand utilities and have a lift station near 9600 North. That will be the backbone to serve both the East and West sides of Iowa String South of Rocket Road. Most of the time you can design a lift station on a 50 by 50 square. Once the annexation is approved, we will work with landowners to get that land. They are aware, but until it was actually in City boundaries, we did not have a lot of right to move forward. The retention pond will be up on LB Land Holdings property while the lift station will be down on the Anderson Farms property. Manager Cobabe said Planner Seedall has been instrumental in making sure property owners in Freeman Farms have had an opportunity to talk to staff and get their questions answered at this stage of the game. It is very early. A lot of the questions they have with regard to sewer, water infrastructure, and drainage have not been answered yet because it is not at that stage. Planner Seedall said to meet State code, we had to get at least one third to support this annexation. We have worked with them to get signatures and support. The annexation can now be processed. This is to accept the petition and that will trigger the public notice period. Then the annexation will be approved. Right now, you are just accepting the paperwork.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to approve this annexation petition so we can further study it and listen to public comment. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

b. Discussion and possible action on accepting the Jeff Lewandoski Annexation Petition for further consideration under Utah State Annexation Law. The Annexation Petition consists of 37.09 acres of real property located in Box Elder County at approximately 6900 West 9600 North

Planner Seedall said the County recently changed guidelines that any single lot development within our annexation boundary does not need to come here. This has two lots so it has to come to the Council for review. Since only two are proposed, it would be my recommendation to deny this annexation because of the large infrastructure costs to connect those to the City. I recommend they be able to develop in the County under their standards. It does not pencil to have two lots carry half a mile worth of public infrastructure. If they would have proposed all 37 acres then we would be having a different discussion. It is just three acres now.

Motion by Councilmember Vance to deny the annexation petition and it needs to be changed to consist of the two parcels, lot one and two located in Box Elder County at approximately 6900 West, 9600 North. Motion seconded by Councilmembers Westergard and Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

c. Discussion and possible action on accepting the Joshua and Kassidy Eakle Annexation Petition for further consideration under Utah State Annexation Law. The Annexation Petition consists of 14.00 acres of real property located in Box Elder County at approximately 10900 North 7600 West

Planner Seedall said this parcel is located just south of the Miller travel stop. They are looking at doing a house on this parcel. They were open for annexation, just could not afford to get utilities underneath I-84. Once the Inland Port brings it over, we will likely end up having a discussion about annexing this. At this time, I would recommend denying this petition.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to deny the Joshua and Cassidy Eakle annexation. Motion seconded by Councilmember Vance. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

d. Discussion and possible action on adopting Ordinance No. 25-03 amending the Tremonton City Land Use Code Chapter 1.04 Land Use and Appeal Authorities

Planner Seedall said it was brought to my attention that we could round out the members of DRC and put regulations on who could be alternates to ensure a full quorum. The proposed changes would be that our alternate members are the Assistant City Manager, Assistant Public Works Director, and Fire Chief. If any of the regular members listed above are absent, they could be voting members for that meeting.

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

10. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar

Mayor Holmgren said Pi Day is March 14. Bring your favorite pie to the City between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Our next Council meeting will be March 18. The Bear River Shine Your Light celebration at the Hampton Inn is March 20. We do not have council meeting on April 15 as we prepare for the League of Cities and Towns in St. George, April 16-18. We will hold a Council meeting on April 29. Assistant City Manager Nessen said we will discuss the preliminary budget on that 5th Tuesday in April. The tentative budget has to be approved the first meeting in May and the final is approved the second meeting in June.

Councilmember Vance asked about the capital analysis for streets. Assistant Public Works Director Mackley said we are looking at the Capital Facilities Plan. Councilmember Vance said when was the last time we had a roads inventory? Assistant Public Works Director Mackley said in the past two years it has been updated. We have a list of roads that are our priority. Manager Cobabe said there is a bill being considered this session that would look specifically at a transportation utility fee. This could be a step in the right direction. If passed, this would be a transportation utility fee for all residents and businesses. That money would be earmarked for roads—filling potholes, adding new sidewalks, and rehabilitating existing roads. That is something we might want to consider as part of that assessment. Councilmember Vance said it would be nice for the Council to be up to par with what is going on and what projects you have identified that need to be done and the cost associated with it. Assistant Public Works Director Mackley said I will certainly have those discussions as part of the budget.

Planner Seedall provided an update on 1200 South. From my understanding of the development process and working with Rocky Mountain Power, it is to the point we can get the engineering done and send them the construction drawings at which point they will start working on it. That would be one of the projects for next year, just because we have to wait for the canal to be empty before we could do the roadway. There is probably work we could look at getting done before then. We will look at getting that coordinated through the engineering drawings. I personally would like to see a design that goes from Iowa String to the cemetery. Councilmember Lewis said is there a plan for covering up the rest of that canal on Main. Mayor Holmgren said yes, on Friday, we are going to learn more about that.

b. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

11. Reports & Comments:

a. City Administration Reports and Comments

Planner Seedall said Manager Cobabe and I have been working through the first draft of the form-based code for Main Street. It is about 100 pages. We sent our comments to Landmark Design and they are working on the first half. We have reviewed the second half. We are impressed by the speed they have been turning our comments around.

b. Development Review Committee Report and Comments: None.
c. City Department Head Reports and Comments

Co-Interim Fire Chief Jensen said for the sale of the engine we replaced. I sent emails to all the fire chiefs in the County because we want to keep it local. We are shooting for the end of the month to bring their sealed bids to the City. We did do a minimum bid on it. Emergency Manager Nate Christensen has created a flyer for urban interface fire prevention. A scout troop will distribute them on Radio Hill to help with fire prevention this month.

Assistant Public Works Director Mackley said we are excited to have three offers in our department for new employees who are in the process of accepting and having their background checks. Two in the water department and one in the roads department. We collected applications for a couple months and then did interviews. The Division of Water Quality will be here next Thursday for a treatment plant inspection.

Parks and Recreation Director LeFevre said I am the conference chair for our State organization URPA (Utah Recreational and Parks Association). We will have our annual conference next week. I have one more year on that board. Our Junior Jazz basketball program wrapped up. We had 820 participants, anywhere from three years old up through seniors in high school. Our karate program had 20 participants and was maxed out due to lack of facilities. We had another 25 on a waiting list. For spring soccer, we have 610 participants. Adult soccer is also starting. For youth volleyball we have 68 participants and are maxed out on facilities. We hired a new parks employee who started yesterday. He came from the water department and has a lot of experience in the parks. He will be a great addition to parks and recreation. We also revised our family fitness programs and started new ones. The slothathlon registration is open. We are pushing family fitness and getting people fitness minded to become a healthier community. A recent hire is our Community Events Coordinator. She is planning this year’s Farmer’s market and has done some great things working with 4-H and FFA. We plan to bring more produce, baked goods, and perishable items to that market and make it more about farmers. It has been moved to the second and fourth Friday from 4-8 p.m. We want to provide more opportunities for youth to have summer projects. All youth can have a booth at the Farmer’s Market for free to learn entrepreneurial skills. The new market is called Get Out Tremonton. It is an acronym that stands for Gather Everyone Together in Our Unique Town. This will also be an opportunity for youth to come together and show off their skills with other entertainment at Shuman Park. We have started working with Blackthorn Media. A contract was approved a month ago to help with our community engagement and get the word out better. We have also started discussions for our Parks and Recreation Master Plan. We are going through our facility conditions report and the state of our parks.

d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Lewis said thank you for all the hard work that is going into the capital schedules and getting that ready. One of the hardest things to do is predict the future. Having good data is helpful when we make financial decisions. Chief Cordova, thank you for bringing that today and getting it on the forefront of our minds. For helping us understand what the future might look like and giving us data we can work with. The more we can do that as department heads, the better off we are going be. The Economic Development Advisory Committee has been assembled. Our first meeting is March 10. There are currently seven, two pending invitations. That committee will be very helpful in getting a game plan. Mayor Holmgren and Councilmember Vance have set the groundwork for a lot of future potential economically in setting the framework for businesses. We are coming into an exciting time where a lot of businesses rely on 25,000 residents in the area. We are coming up on that. We are going to see exciting opportunities start to arrive. We are trying to gather the perspective of a lot of successful business owners who represent the people we want to lure here. Building this committee will help steer the vision of the economic game plan and lure businesses in and increase revenue.

Councilmember Westergard said are we getting rid of the trees on Main Street trees. If so, we ought to do that before we have leaves. Mayor Holmgren said they are diseased and causing property damage. Councilmember Vance said we should put it on the agenda? Assistant City Manager Nessen said the Tree Board could meet first and then make a recommendation to the Council.

Councilmember Vance said I am excited that Councilmember Lewis has come on board. Within the next couple of years, we are going to start seeing really good things happen. A lot of people in the community want to see more retail and franchises, which have been impossible until we hit that 25,000 population mark. We are almost there when you add up the zip codes who do commerce in our area. Is there any way we can contact Old Grist Mill and get them in here? I would like to be a part of that.

Councilmember Rohde said I am excited with where we are heading on our goals and strategies. While driving the streets of Tremonton I noticed two roads that are quite bad; 550 West and 600 West by Rocket Road are choppy. I would like us to look at them. I appreciate Chief Cordova bringing that information to us. Other department heads, if you have needs you need to come sell them to us.

Councilmember Estep said there were good flyers in this month’s water bill. Great ideas and thank you to everybody. It is crunch time with the budget.

Mayor Holmgren said I want to thank all of you for your hard work and input. This has been a great meeting. We got a lot accomplished. Be sure to let us know who is planning on going to the mid-year conference on April 16-18.

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

13. Adjournment.

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

The meeting adjourned at 8:36 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 18th day of March, 2025.

Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

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