City Council Minutes 5-1-18

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MAY 1, 2018

Members Present:
Diana Doutre
Lyle Holmgren
Jeff Reese
Bret Rohde
Lyle Vance
Roger Fridal, Mayor
Shawn Warnke, City Manager
Linsey Nessen, City Recorder

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Fridal called the May 1, 2018 City Council Workshop to order at 6:03 p.m. The meeting was held in the City Council Meeting Room at 102 South Tremont Street, Tremonton, Utah. Those in attendance were Mayor Fridal, Councilmembers Doutre, Holmgren, Reese, Rohde, and Vance, City Manager Warnke, and City Recorder Nessen. The following Department Heads were also present: Fire Chief Steve Batis, Parks and Recreation Director Marc Christensen, Public Works Director Paul Fulgham, Police Chief David Nance, Treasurer Sharri Oyler, and Library Director Kim Griffiths.

The following items were discussed out of order

1. Discussion and review of the Annual Implementation Budget 2018-2019 (General Fund, Capital Fund(s), Enterprise Fund(s), and Special Fund(s) and related matters

Manager Warnke said Director Christensen has done a lot of work on the budget and has put together a presentation summarizing what is in it. Utah Code requires us to adopt a tentative budget by tonight and the final budget will be adopted on June 19. There will be changes during that time, but we anticipate this has a lot of the final expenses and issues included.

Director Christensen said all of the slides and numbers are based upon a 17-page memo that Manager Warnke sent out. Councilmember Rohde suggested doing a snapshot of what we budgeted for this fiscal year 2018 and what the tentative budget for fiscal year 2019 is, with the percent change. Councilmember Reese agreed. Director Christensen said the bolded headers are the general funds and the non-bolded ones are departments inside the fund above it and talked about highlights for each fund and noteworthy items that are in the proposed budget.

In the General Fund we have $5,259,000 in expenditures and, as of right now, we are not appropriating any fund balance to that. For General Property Tax, we had an increase of approximately $275,000 that came in from the West Liberty Foods EDA. That is ongoing revenue that the City will realize. It is not variable revenue, but should be pretty consistent. If we take a four-year actual average of property tax, we are $85,000 less than our four-year average and are pretty conservative in that number. Our four-year average of sales tax is $1,457,000 and we budgeted $85,000 less. We are almost to that point now and will surpass it and that average will go up with the actuals of this year. Councilmember Vance asked if we receive the report that drills the sales tax down to each customer and if C&R Auto leaves, what will that do to the City’s sales tax. Manager Warnke said it is proprietary information so we cannot disclose it in a public meeting, but we do have that information. Councilmember Vance said he is just curious because that will swing things, but there are other businesses coming in so maybe it will be a good offset. Manager Warnke said sales tax is also based on a formula and is distributed 50% based on point of sale and 50% based on population. So even if you had no retail sales within your city, you still get a portion of sales tax. The more sales we have in town, the greater revenue we will receive. Also, if there are more sales in general in the State of Utah, we also see an increase in our sales tax.

Director Christensen said we had a health insurance increase of 11% ($70,000), and a proposed 2% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and 1% merit increase for employees ($91,000). As far as accounting and auditing for the past 10 years, we have not paid any additional money to our accountant, but will raise it about $3,000 this year. The salary survey came in and increased the minimums and maximums of levels A-2 to B-1 ($16,500). We are transferring $325,000 to the Capital Projects Fund because we are not doing any current road projects. We are going to realize that transfer so we have money in the future to do the roads.

Director Christensen said next year we have a lot more expenditures than normal in the Food Pantry. Usually it is about $55,000, but the freezer and fridge are getting older and the internal components are failing. We reached out to United Way and asked for $15,000, but they gave us $5,000. The bid to replace those internal components is $15,000. Food Pantry Director Cathy Newman said she is already having issues. If the current budget was amended to replace those, that would drop next year’s expenditures but raise this year’s expenditures a little bit. Councilmember Reese said people need to know how we are budgeting our City funds to maintain the Food Pantry for the valley. Manager Warnke said this is a service that the surrounding communities participate in. The City is providing a bigger burden of support for this service through capital outlay. We built the building and never fully recovered that from other participating communities, but through their participation, there is no gap. Councilmember Reese asked how they participate. Manager Warnke said through food drives, as well as food and cash donations. Councilmember Reese said it is hard to identify where those are coming from. Manager Warnke said a lot of surrounding communities and organizations do participate and can be tracked.

Director Christensen said Fund 25—the Recreation Fund—is pretty consistent with last year’s budget. The Parks Fund has $290,000 in expenditures. We have a $92,000 matching grant coming in and will use $60,000 worth of fund balance, along with a loan from Fund 73, which is the Housing Fund. Noteworthy items are to continue on with completion of the trail loop and landscape the trailhead, along with some engineering costs. For Fund 28—Fire and EMS—this one has a new ambulance that we will pay for with cash. We also bought the fire truck and defibrillators ($87,000 this year for the debt service payment). Fund 40—Capital Projects—has $180,000 in expenditures. This is the fund that the $325,000 from the General Fund will be deposited into for future roads. Noteworthy expenditures for this one are the Animal Control building, new playground equipment at Meadow Park, which is failing, parking lots and the Senior Center roof. The roof was budgeted for last year, but rolled forward because the project will not get done in time. Councilmember Rohde asked about the Animal Control building. Chief Nance said we are going to rebuild it in the same location, but we will raise the foundation and put a new structure on top of that. Councilmember Rohde asked if we would be installing a metal building this time. Chief Nance said no, just a framed building, about the same size as the previous one, with vinyl siding for about $40,000. We will install a ramp up to the door so it will be handicap accessible. He explained that this is just the office area for the Animal Control Officer and that the animals would continue to be housed in kennels at the Public Works building.

Director Christensen said Fund 41 is our Vehicles Capital Projects Fund. The only piece of equipment we will pull money out of this fund for is the side-by-side for the Parks Department. Our four-wheeler has had some bad maintenance issues so this would replace it for $20,000. Councilmember Rohde asked if we are putting money aside for other vehicles. Director Christensen said yes, we would still have $585,000 in the fund balance for future vehicles. Manager Warnke said if you look on the spreadsheet for the Capital Improvement Plan, it shows that next year there are quite a few expenses for vehicles (three police cars, a street sweeper and another truck). It would take the remaining fund balance if all were appropriated. Councilmember Rohde asked if any of these vehicles are old enough that we would want to replace them next year versus waiting two years so we do not have such a big hit. Manager Warnke said the only one this year is the side-by-side. We have asked Chief Nance to see if we could make it through this next fiscal year with the current vehicles we have. Councilmember Rohde asked if it will disrupt that flow as he would rather space it out. Manger Warnke said we will talk about some of this stuff in greater detail later in the meeting. Councilmember Vance asked why a side-by-side has been requested instead of a four-wheeler as the City could save $10k by going with a four-wheeler. Director Christensen said a side-by-side could be equipped with a water tank and sprayer for weeds. Councilmember Holmgren said they need to get ahead of the weeds in the river bottoms and would start working on that.

Director Christensen said in the Transportation Capital Project fund we have $600,000 in reserves and will use it for the construction we are obligated to do for the BR Mountain Road on 2300 West. He explained other noteworthy items for the Water Utility Fund. They have an expense of $100,000 for the Bear River Water Conservancy District, $100,000 to replace meters, $80,000 for the water construction in the BR Mountain Road, $350,000 to acquire water shares and nearly $1 million for secondary water construction. Manager Warnke said on some of those appropriations, we anticipated an over-appropriation. For example, phase 1 and 2 we plan to do with $969,000, but at this point it is only $570,000. We appropriated more money so we could move forward with other projects when needed—such is the case with Chadaz Estates Phase B. Blaine Rupp will be doing the construction shortly and the developer is not required to install those lines. Before they bury the utilities and pave, we would recommend that the City use some of those funds to lay the pipe. That is part of service area 3, which is our next one to be built out after 1 and 2. The Council agreed to do that.

Director Christensen said Wastewater Treatment—Fund 52—has a couple really big expenditures, including the nutrient removal and the bio solid handling project to come up to code with State law. Mayor Fridal asked when these projects have to be completed. Director Fulgham said the nutrient removal is 2020. Councilmember Reese asked about another pond in the area. Director Fulgham said there would be a basin. Councilmember Reese asked why we covered the basin. Director Fulgham said that is a whole other basin. It would not be able to be used. That one was oval and slanted, this one will be straight down and will be 17 feet deep. We have to get it down where there is no oxygen left to do the breakdown for the phosphorus. Councilmember Reese asked how it will be kept safe. Director Fulgham said it is just water and will have railings around it.

Director Christensen said we have $40,000 going to the BR Mountain Road for the sewer portion. That will leave $360,000 in fund balance. Everything else is operational. In the Storm Drain fund, after all the projects, we have about $200,000. Noteworthy projects are the BR Mountain Road and finishing up the Main Street storm drain construction. Director Fulgham said we have done our duty and will likely not have another storm like that for another 30 years. It will take in the hillside plus everything toward the golf course. It will handle a lot of water. It is really overkill, but that is how you have to design it. It is square so we can get it wide enough and long enough to get it under other utilities. If not, we would have to do two pipes side by side and they do not carry as much water—that is the reason we went with the box. Manager Warnke said the $534,000 represents the total expense and UDOT has signed an agreement to participate and give the City $130,000, but we had to budget the entire expense. They will pay for the majority of the pipe.

Director Christensen said we have the RDA downtown and there are no noteworthy items, just the public enhancements to continue on Main Street. Most of the expenditures are already realized with the Tremont Center. For the RDA West Liberty Foods, we have $155,000 in capital outlay with a $73,000 loan to the Parks Fund. Manager Warnke said this turns into more of a housing fund. The balance remaining in this fund is prescribed for affordable housing. Councilmember Holmgren asked about UTOPIA and the $27,000 expense. Manager Warnke said that is associated with operational expense. Councilmember Holmgren asked if they are requiring less of us because they are now making a profit. Councilmember Rohde said they are covering their expenses and we do not have to cover anymore. Councilmember Rohde then asked about the UIA and what it would take to become a part of that. With the growth we are seeing in that area and how it is expanding into other cities, it could have real potential to offset our expenses, much more so if we were a part of UIA and asked if it would be advantageous for us to join. Councilmember Reese said we should look into it. Manager Warnke said we could have someone from UTOPIA come and explain it more to us and help us get educated on what UIA is.

Manager Warnke said there are some emerging issues to be aware of, but we do not have the financial resources to take care of all of them. Our budgeting approach is not only a spending plan, but it is also a savings plan. We have built savings based upon our approach in estimating revenues and expenses. That is done by slightly over estimating expenses and underestimating revenue. We are pretty conservative in our approach and that has led to fund balance. The Department Heads have a great role in that too. They do a great job using the funds that are appropriated to them judiciously. In the past, the City has created saving accounts for fund balances. We have always had a Capital Projects Fund, but recently we created a Capital Equipment Replacement Fund, which is where the vehicles are being replaced. More recently we created the Transportation Capacity Fund to help us create and build our transportation network. There is no other revenue source to do that and we have relied upon transfers from the General Fund to provide the ability to do that. Some cities, which are in a high growth pattern, rely upon one-time growth related revenue to fund operation expenses. We can also do this, but it is something we need to be careful with. Budgets based upon those revenues in hard times would require tough decisions.

For the fiscal year 2018, which we are currently in, we addressed some of the police officer’s pay. We also did COLA and merit increases so that is not reflecting that $105,000. This year for our base budget, and these represent ongoing expenses, we have added $170,000. We are going to receive some ongoing revenue from property tax ($275,000), which is contributed to a million dollars of taxable value coming into the City’s General Fund that the RDA had been capturing. The purpose of sales tax, according to the State Code, is that this added revenue be used to the greatest possible extent by counties, cities and towns to finance capital outlay requirements and to service their bond debts. We did that with UTOPIA. We pledged our sales tax and we have done capital outlay through sales tax and the fund balance that is created out of the General Fund. In large part, it is the difference between what we estimate for sales tax and what we realize. As of March, we are 9% ahead of where we were a year to date last fiscal year. The question is how sustainable this is and how aggressive we want to be in budgeting and relying upon sales tax. If we budget the four-year average, we would add an additional $86,000. We actually reduced the revenue in sales tax because we wanted to have this conversation with the Council. The Council can consider increasing the level or service within the City through a number of ways. We could extend the library hours, which would equate to $11,000. We could also fund an additional police officer, which would be $140,000 the first year, but then would drop to $80,000. We could also add another public works employee for $60,000 a year because there is very little equipment required for that position compared to a police officer. There are also needs in the Fire Department. These things sort of reduce the amount of money in our savings account, but goes toward personnel costs. These are all emerging issues for your consideration. They are further down the road, but we potentially have some money to do something this year.

Councilmember Doutre said the library hours would be a good start. If the bottom fell out for some unforeseen reason, we can back up on that if we had to. She asked Director Griffiths what she thought about more hours. Director Griffiths said it would be awesome. We have people coming early in the mornings trying to get in to use our testing computers, which are used all the time. It has grown like crazy and to be able to do that in the mornings would be awesome. Manager Warnke said the Library deals with part-time employees, which is easier to reduce compared to full-time employees, in instances where they would need to back off. Councilmember Vance asked how many people use the library. Director Griffiths said they get a lot of visits and she tracks that information, which she could send to the Council. Manager Warnke said they would add 12 hours a week with standardized times from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, with Saturday being open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They also have a grant for that. A police officer would have $76,000 in salaries and benefits, which would be ongoing. They would also need a new vehicle and to have it equipped for a cost of $60,000. There is also a cost of $8,000 for the personal equipment they carry for a total of $143,000. When asked about vehicle replacement, Chief Nance said we replace vehicles about every 80,000 miles, which is about five to six years. Manager Warnke said creating a Public Works entry-level position would cost $60,000 and there are no additional vehicle or equipment costs.

There are potential ways to increase revenue and we can be more aggressive with our sales tax, but there are pros and cons to that. A pro is that we provide more services, but the con is that we would slow our ability to do capital projects and to replace vehicles, depending upon how the sales tax turns out. We could look to increase property tax, something we have not done since 1988. The City Council has not gone through the truth in taxation process to increase the certified tax rate to deliver more revenue than they had in years before. One of the things that public safety does is protects property and citizens understand the value of police and fire protection. We could also institute a road fee, which is something other cities are doing. This fee is based on proportion analysis based upon road trips that are assigned to different land uses. These are tough issues and not everyone appreciates or likes to pay the fees. We could also do business licensing based on demand for police service and services in general. The Library is an easy one because it is such a minimal amount and would be well received. It could also quickly be retreated if needed. Police officers would increase coverage and improve officer safety. We recently lost a really skilled Public Works employee, whom is hard to replace, but an additional employee could help offset that loss. Councilmember Reese asked how the Council feels about the certified tax rate. Councilmember Doutre said if we are adding on the 10-cent gas tax, she cannot see doing that. It is a different thing, but it is more coming out of everybody’s pocket. Manager Warnke said he called the assessor and we do not necessarily need to send the Certified Tax Rate letter. We do not need to make the decision now—we could think more and explore some of these issues until we finalize the budget.

2. Discussion of agenda items listed on the 7:00 pm City Council meeting

Councilmember Rohde asked to move item e. further up on the agenda and introduce Bradley Jansen, who is a candidate to serve on the Planning Commission. That way he does not have to stay the whole time. The Council agreed.

The Council discussed the proposed proclamations. Deputy Recorder Cynthia Nelson will present the information on Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month, while Recorder Nessen will tell them more about Municipal Clerks Week.

The Youth City Council would be in attendance to take the Oath of Office. The Council asked about their term and they determined they are eligible from 9th to 12th grade.

3. Discussion and review of tasks, policies, strategies, and issues surrounding the implementation of a pressurized secondary water system within Tremonton City’s incorporated limits and related matters

4. CLOSED SESSIONS: There was 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 6:57 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Fridal called the May 1, 2018 City Council Meeting to order at 7:04 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 Fridal, Councilmembers Doutre, Holmgren, Reese, Rohde, and Vance, City Manager Warnke, and City Recorder Nessen. The following Department Heads were also present: Fire Chief Steve Batis, Parks and Recreation Director Marc Christensen, Public Works Director Paul Fulgham, Police Chief David Nance, Treasurer Sharri Oyler and Library Director Kim Griffiths. Also in attendance was Deputy Recorder Cynthia Nelson.

1. Opening Ceremony:

Mayor Fridal 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 Doutre and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilmember Vance.

2. Introduction of guests:

Mayor Fridal welcomed those in attendance including members of the Youth City Council.

3. Approval of Agenda:

Councilmember Reese said they would move item 9. e. to 9. a. and table 9. f.

Motion by Councilmember Reese to approve the agenda of May 1, 2018 with the stated changes. Motion seconded by Councilmember Holmgren. Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

4. Approval of minutes – April 17, 2018

Motion by Councilmember Doutre to approve the minutes of April 17, 2018. Motion seconded by Councilmember Vance. Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

5. Proclamation:

a. Declaring May 2018 as Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month

Deputy Recorder Nelson talked to the Council about Neurofibromatosis and said we did this last year, but I will tell you some new things about it. She then gave some statistics and information on research to prevent and control the tumors that grow in these individuals. She said they hold a camp each year and a walk in August. She and her son Evan, who has NF, have a team and have obtained sponsor money to help research. This is our first year and we are excited to go. This year the Children’s Tumor Foundation is celebrating its 40th anniversary of driving research and expanding care. She then read the proclamation, which explained the need to educate the public about this rare genetic disorder. She asked Mayor Fridal to sign the proclamation and recognize May as Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month. Councilmember Doutre said it is wonderful that you are making us aware of this. Councilmember Holmgren asked if it is a form of cancer. Deputy Recorder Nelson said no it is a genetic disorder and mutation in the 17th chromosome. It can cause tumors anywhere you have nerves—so your whole body—and those tumors can turn to cancer.

Motion by Councilmember Holmgren to declare May as Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

b. Declaring May 6 through May 12 as Municipal Clerks Week

Recorder Nessen said every year our International Institute for Municipal Clerks picks one week out of the year as Municipal Clerks Week. She then read the proclamation and asked Mayor Fridal to sign it. Councilmember Rohde said we have been lucky to have some really good clerks here and we appreciate them.

Motion by Councilmember Doutre to declare May 6 through May 12 as Municipal Clerks Week. Motion seconded by Councilmember Reese. Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

6. Oath of Office – Youth City Council

Recorder Nessen administered the Oath of Office to the Youth City Council.

7. Public Hearing

a. To consider adopting the Tentative Annual Budget entitled “The Tremonton City Annual Implementation Budget 2018-2019 (General Fund, Capital Fund(s), Enterprise Fund(s), and Special Fund(s)”, for the period commencing July 1, 2018 and ending June 30, 2019

The public hearing was opened at 7:18 p.m. and closed at 7:21 p.m. There were 27 people in attendance.

Manager Warnke said every fiscal year the City, per State Code, has to adopt a tentative budget and a final budget. The upcoming fiscal year for Tremonton starts July 1 and ends June 30. The City funds, for fiscal year 2019, is $14.8 million for all funds, which is higher than it has ever been. It does, however, include capital projects, which is a little misleading. For capital outlay, this upcoming fiscal year, the City will be working on deploying secondary water. There are some Wastewater Treatment upgrades amounting to $2 million in upgrades to the Sewer Treatment Plant and about $1.3 million has been appropriated for water improvements on secondary. He then told the Youth City Council that they have appropriated $6,000 for their budget, which will be managed by Jennifer Francom, who helps run the program.

8. Public comments: This is an opportunity to address the City Council regarding your concerns or ideas. Please limit your comments to three minutes.

There were no public comments.

9. New Council Business:

a. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 18-20 adopting the proposed Tentative Budget entitled “The Tremonton Tentative Implementation Budget 2018-2019 (General Fund, Capital Fund(s), Enterprise Fund(s) and Special Fund(s)” for the period commencing July 1, 2018 and ending June 30, 2019

Manager Warnke recognized Director Christensen and Recorder Nessen for all their work in preparing the budget, along with Department Heads. We will continue to work through this until we adopt the final budget, making changes and incorporating the changes the Council would like to see. Councilmember Holmgren complimented Manager Warnke and Director Christensen for presenting the information as it was easy to get an overview of the whole thing—it was presented well. Councilmember Vance said he would like to adopt it, but first wanted to talk about the $200,000 for an additional police officer. This is the tentative budget right now and $200,000 on our annual budget is like .01% and asked if we could clean it up a little bit within the budget to come up with that $200,000 instead of coming up with money another way.

Motion by Councilmember Vance to adopt the proposed tentative budget. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

b. Discussion and consideration of adopting Ordinance No. 18-07 amending Title I Zoning Ordinance of the Tremonton City Corporation Land Use Code, Chapter 1.09 Mixed Use (MU) Zoning District

Manager Warnke said last meeting the Council approved an annexation and zoned a property as Mixed-Use (MU). As part of that process, it came to light that there are some things we can do within the Mixed-Use zone to provide flexibility. The essence of this proposed amendment to our Land Use Code is to allow flexibility for different housing products. It would be understood and granted on a case-by-case basis in reviewing specific site plans. So rather than having setbacks or walkways, we would look at those specifically with a proposed site plan and approve them at that point.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to adopt the ordinance as it has been explained. Motion seconded by Councilmember Reese. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

c. Discussion and consideration of approving Resolution No. 18-21 appointing Kurt Fertig to serve as Tremonton City Police Chief

Chief Nance, who has one month left before his retirement, said it has been a pleasure to serve as the Police Chief in Tremonton and work with everybody. I know the City has gone through a good process as far as selecting a replacement and Kurt Fertig will be a great addition to the City. Mayor Fridal said we appreciate your years of service.

The new police chief, Kurt Fertig, introduced himself to the Council. He has been in law enforcement for 18 years with Brigham City and has known and respected Chief Nance throughout the years. I have been able to work with Tremonton a little bit and respect the Department. It is a real honor to be able to end up here and to have this opportunity. Councilmember Reese said we are glad to have you. The Council agreed and welcomed him to the team.

Motion by Councilmember Holmgren to approve the resolution and appoint Kurt Fertig as the new Tremonton City Police Chief. Motion seconded by Councilmember Reese. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

d. Discussion and consideration of appointments to the Tremonton City Library Board of Trustees

Director Griffiths proposed that the Council consider Terrell Shumway and Moroni Agular as members of the Tremonton Library Board of Trustees. Both of them volunteered and will be a great addition. Councilmember Rohde asked if we lost someone. Director Griffiths said we lost two members last year for different reasons and will need to replace two more in June to maintain the nine member board.

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve these appointments to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Councilmember Doutre. Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

e. Discussion and consideration of appointments to the Tremonton City Planning Commission

Councilmember Rohde said Planning Commission Chairman Robert Anderson has resigned and that opens up a spot for another person. He presented the name of Bradley Jansen to the Planning Commission and they have approved his name. He is willing to serve on that committee. Mr. Jansen was in attendance and told the Council a little about himself, his family and his accomplishments. The Council welcomed him and thanked him for his willingness to serve.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to present Bradley Jansen as the City’s new member of the Planning Commission. Motion seconded by Councilmember Holmgren. Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

f. Discussion and consideration of authorizing Mayor Fridal to sign a letter of the City Council’s intentions to either raise or maintain tax rates and notifying the County Auditor of their decision

The Council tabled this item.

10. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar

Recorder Nessen reminded the Council about Chief Nance’s retirement dinner on May 31, as well as an open house on June 1, for both Chief Nance and Chief Fertig.

Manager Warnke said the dedication and ribbon cutting of the Jazz basketball courts at Meadow Park will be Tuesday, June 5, at 11 a.m. He also mentioned Open Enrollment meetings on May 30. There are two sessions, which are not mandatory, but will require some paperwork. We are keeping all the same service providers for medical insurance.

The summer reading kick off party will be on June 4.

An emergency preparedness expo will be held May 11-12 at the fairgrounds with training and vendors. Tremonton is participating, along with others from throughout the County. Mayor Fridal said we have a generator that is hooked up and ready to go in case there is a crisis. It has been started and it is working. If the power goes off it will turn on and things can go on.

b. Review of past assignment—none at this time

11. Reports & Comments:

a. City Manager Reports and Comments
b. Land Use Authority Boards Report and Comments

Manager Warnke said we did not have a Land Use Authority Board meeting this past week, but there has been ongoing discussion and conversations with developers. He and Engineer Breinholt had a conversation with Craig Adams, who is annexing 66 acres, which the Council approved contingent on finalizing a development agreement. We spent time working on some of the issues we need to resolve for development to go forward in a meaningful way in the near future.

We also talked to Carl Liljenstolpe, the owner of Aspen Grove RV Park. He let me know that things are moving along and they are hoping to have a grand opening in August. There will be a few things that fall in line after that opening. We are working on the development agreement and that will be coming to the Council in the near future. Developers have their design engineers to help them get the documents they need to submit and that trickles down to the contractor to do the work. It is a busy season and there is a lot of activity going on in our region. Councilmember Holmgren asked if Land Use could hold weekly meetings when it is busy until we catch up a bit. Manager Warnke said we could as in the past we have done them as needed. Everyone has reserved that time to meet so we would just have to coordinate.

c. City Department Head Reports and Comments

1. Water Production and Usage – Paul Fulgham, Public Works Director
2. Tremonton Garland Wastewater Treatment Plant Usage – Paul Fulgham, Public Works Director

Director Fulgham said this item was put on here in case the Council has any questions about the reports he sends at the end of the month. He has always sent the reports to the Mayor and the last few years to the Councilmember that is over water and wastewater. Since the first of the year, he has been sending them to all the Council so they can see what our water and wastewater usage is. He has not got any feedback so he is assuming the Council is reading, digesting and understanding them. If the Council has any questions, feel free to give me a call or ask in this meeting. The revenues are shown from one year versus the next, especially when we went to the tiered rate versus water usage. The water usage went up about 1.8% to 2% and revenues went up about 24%. It did not drive the usage down. It will be interesting to see what this year brings.

Rupp’s Excavation is working on the storm drain and the 480 West road. The 480 West road will wrap up by mid-June. We are hoping the storm drain will too, but we did give them until November. Councilmember Vance asked if we are getting bids back from the contractors on secondary water. Director Fulgham said it has not gone out to bid, but will mid-May. It is moving forward. Manager Warnke said part of the reason this is on the agenda is because this is a good opportunity for the Council to be aware of where we are at with capacity for different utilities. We want the Council to be aware and have an opportunity to ask questions. Mayor Fridal said the Ogden Standard had a water conservation article that could be beneficial to put out in the City bill. Director Fulgham said he would do that.

Chief Batis provided the Council with an article that addresses the concerns of small fire departments. He said our turnover rate is about 35%. We had five people leave last year and we only gained two. A year later, one of those individuals is just barely getting fully trained. Our call volume has gone up drastically and we are pushing 100 calls a month. Our older members are getting burned out. Saturday we had 10 calls and we were out almost all day. At midnight we were paged on a fire and were out there for five hours. The volunteer sector of our community is really diminishing. We accept applications year round, but we do not get many. It has been a year since we have interviewed anyone. The officers have tried to stimulate employees and give them a percentage of calls they need to make monthly, but most of them came to us and said they are making all they can. Nowadays, families have a ton of things going on, which cuts into the time they have for us. Our daytime is really hurting and we have had more double pages, which means they wait seven minutes and if we are not out the door, they re-page us. We are covering everything, but it is not even summer yet, which puts more strain on us. We have tried to get to about 40 employees and we are pushing 30. Mayor Fridal asked if the employees are all active. Chief Batis said there are 10 employees who are way active, but they are getting 40 hours or more in a two-week period. They all participate and we appreciate everything we can get.

Councilmember Rohde asked Chief Batis what his solutions are. Chief Batis said we could go part-time, especially in the daytime, but we do not have any simple solutions. If we went part-time with calls during the day, they would mostly be for transfers. We could hire transfer people and could get EMTs a lot easier than we could get fully trained firefighters. We pay our volunteers a pretty good salary while they are on the ambulance, but we could get part-time people for way less. We are open to any suggestions to try to get more participation. Councilmember Vance asked if paying them more would entice them to come out more often. Chief Batis said a lot of employees are not doing it for the money. They want the pay, but we look at it as family comes first, their full-time job is second, church is third, and we are fourth. A lot of our employees have positions in the church and that takes up their time. Councilmember Rohde said volunteerism is not as highly sought after and asked Chief Batis to put together proposals and scenarios for full-time versus part-time services and get back to us because it is not going to get better. Chief Batis said we could get by with part-time for a while until things increase more. He is not sure we are to the point where we could hire full-time people yet. Brigham City was over 2,000 calls per year before they started hiring full-time. Councilmember Rohde said it will hit us soon and we need to stay on top of it and address it sooner rather than later. The Council agreed.

d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Rohde said we had a good time and learned good things at the meetings in St. George—it was worth it. Thanks for letting us go.

Councilmember Holmgren said tomorrow we have a meeting with the County Commissioners during their work session to talk about secondary water. Councilman Vance, Mayor Fridal, Director Fulgham and I will discuss our needs and proposals toward secondary water.

Councilmember Doutre said I appreciated the opportunity to go to St. George—it was very enlightening and I appreciated the speakers.

Councilmember Vance said I appreciate Councilmember Holmgren for keeping on top of the Commissioners with water shares and asked how things are coming along with the Canal Company and if we are giving them reports. Director Fulgham said the canal is barely coming in so we do not have data yet. All the new meters are in on our pump stations and we will start testing weekly as soon as the canal gets flowing and will rotate locations. Councilmember Holmgren said these tests will allow us to show them the colony count and compare them to what the Treatment Facility is.

Motion by Councilmember Doutre to move into closed session. Motion seconded by Councilmember Holmgren. Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

The Council moved into a closed session at 7:58 p.m.

12. CLOSED SESSIONS:

Motion by Councilmember Vance to return to open session. Motion seconded by Councilmember Doutre. Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

The Council returned to open session at 8:07 p.m.

13. Adjournment.

Motion by Councilmember Reese to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Doutre – aye, Councilmember Holmgren – aye, Councilmember Reese – aye, Councilmember Rohde – aye, Councilmember Vance – aye. Motion approved.

The meeting adjourned at 8:07 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 15th day of May, 2018.

Linsey Nessen, City Recorder

Follow-up items for the Council and City Staff

Director Fulgham will add a water conservation article to the water bill.

Councilmember Rohde suggested that Chief Batis put together proposals and scenarios for full-time versus part-time services for the Fire Department and report back to the Council.

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