City Council Minutes 5-6-25

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MAY 6, 2025

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

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Holmgren called the May 6, 2025 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, Lewis, Rohde, Vance, and Westergard, Assistant City Manager Nessen, and City Recorder Nelson. The following Department Heads were also present: City Planner Jeff Seedall, Public Works Director Carl Mackley, and Police Chief Dustin Cordova. Also, in attendance was City Finance Director Curtis Roberts. City Manager Cobabe was excused.

1. Operational Budgets Discussion

Director Roberts said I monitor things to make sure the amount going out is only capital related so we are not using our savings to pay for operational costs. This was a fund where I did not make that identification and so there was not enough revenues to cover all the operational expenses. You can only live off your savings for so long before something goes south. I did not catch that and so the operational costs in that year, what we would need to transfer would be another $400,000. So instead of a transfer of $358,000 you transfer $760,000 to cover that. We still have a chance to correct that by amending the budget. Our biggest increase for EMS is switching over to the ambulance billing service ($50,000). Gold Cross is not taking over our previous ambulance billings, they are only taking over from when they started on January 1. I was more conservative on this one because there was the change in the ambulance billing where we cannot bill for supplies. Just $200 per time they take that they would be eligible to bill for supplies. I did increase the write-offs for insurance. The mileage could be underestimated, I was going off our current year stuff. There are a few adjustments we can discuss.

The Council discussed the fire department and then reviewed different areas that had big changes within the budget. Time was spent on the police department. Chief Cordova said this is a necessary adjustment to stay with the market. Other agencies have made that adjustment and for us to stay competitive in the realm of what they are paying we would need to make the appropriate adjustments. They discussed in detail the pay step increases and COLA. Chief Cordova said the step increase is based on experience and education. We obviously want the best and brightest and to develop people so they stay. A lot of departments have moved toward a step scale It is in our policy that they have to meet certain requirements for those advancements. Some of the most successful departments established that scale to create a path for growth within the department. If someone feels stuck, they are going to go to another agency after we have already invested $150,000 and two years of time. It is really competitive in law enforcement right now. I hate asking for more and would not do it unless it was required. I refuse to compromise on quality when it comes to this much liability. When asked about benefits and compensation packages, Chief Cordova said we are not trying to beat the highest, we are just trying to stay in the realm. Councilmember Lewis said I want to make sure we are accounting for that. The bigger we get the more of a factor that becomes. That 90% is a big deal and needs to be recognized as compensation.

They further discussed the department and how it functions. Chief Cordova said we have a really good culture and people want to stick with our department because the Council has continued to take care of them. I think there is a lot of faith in the City, and I want to keep that momentum going. I know the Council is in a tough position and we are trying to make things work. In that spirit we did go through the budget again and tried to find more money to cut. We are willing to compromise on some capital things because none of that matters if we cannot keep our people. There is an increase because we have been behind for quite some time. We have been inching our way to make those adjustments on staffing and pay. We take on one problem at a time. Now that we have appropriate staffing we need to fill and keep those allocations and the way we do that is by paying competitively.

Councilmember Rohde said what concerns me in moving forward with this is that we have a whole bunch of departments that need to be made whole. This could really be a snowball starting down the hill. I do not know that we can take the momentum. Unless we make some drastic changes to our revenues. Chief Cordova said when I presented, I gave a couple options to get ahead of that problem and some of it involves looking at sales tax and raising taxes. If we have to compromise on vehicles and other capital, we can do that, but it is important that we make adjustments so we do not lose people.

Councilmember Vance said building inspections went up $72,000. Assistant Manager Nessen said that is the amount we are paying our third party. We tried to hire someone after Steve Bench retired and got nothing. When asked about emergency management, Assistant Manager Nessen said Nate Christensen has been our emergency manager. That budget was moved out of the fire department to him, but the chief will still oversee it. Councilmember Vance then asked about senior programming. Assistant Manager Nessen said she is asking for more employees. A part-time receptionist and a janitor to focus their efforts on their building. Our current janitor can only dedicate an hour a day and that is not enough to clean their kitchen and bathrooms to the standards they have. She would like someone who could spend 25 hours a week cleaning. Councilmember Vance said I would like to request an analysis on Meals on Wheels and what it costs to operate. Three years ago, we figured we were losing $75,000. I think we are losing well over $100,000 a year doing this program. We need to have an analysis done on Meals on Wheels and at the same time what the capital cost is to us. Mayor Holmgren said we also need to know how many residents we are subsidizing from other communities. Councilmember Vance said let us take a look at the whole thing including capital. Other communities need to wake up and start paying their portion. Director Roberts said I will get that information.

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

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

The Council moved into a closed meeting at 6:48 p.m.

4. CLOSED MEETING:

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

Motion by Councilmember Vance to return to open 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 Council returned to open session at 6:58 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 6:58 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the May 6, 2025 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 Holmgren, Councilmembers Estep, Lewis, Rohde, Vance, and Westergard, Assistant City Manager Nessen, and City Recorder Nelson. The following Department Heads were also present: City Planner Jeff Seedall, Public Works Director Carl Mackley, and Police Chief Dustin Cordova. Also, in attendance was City Finance Director Curtis Roberts. City Manager Cobabe was excused.

1. Opening Ceremony: Prayer – Councilmember Lewis and Pledge – Councilmember Vance

2. Introduction of Council

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None.

4. Approval of Agenda:

Motion by Councilmember Vance to approve the agenda of May 6, 2025. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

5. Approval of minutes – April 29, 2025

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to approve the minutes of April 29, 2025. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

6. Presentations

a. Tremonton City Citizenship Award to Elementary and Intermediate Students

Mayor Holmgren said this award is something we have done for a couple of years. We recognize young people for their citizenship in their schools and the community. They show respect to their peers and teachers. They take responsibility for themselves and their friends. They are safe and go about promoting safety, which are all important. Mayor Holmgren presented these students with their award and a picture was taken.

b. Fire Department Presentation

Co-Interim Fire Chief Shawn Jensen provided a bio on Councilmember Westergard. He was presented with an award from the department for his efforts as a Tremonton firefighter. He was thanked for his years of service.

7. Appointment & Oath of Office:

a. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 25-14 appointing Jeffrey Jarrow to serve as Tremonton City Fire Chief

Mayor Holmgren said we are grateful for you. There are challenges before you. We have a department that is made up of both volunteers and full-time staff. We are a team and are all here for the betterment of our City. We are excited about you and the great things you have in store. Jeffrey Jarrow introduced his family and those supporting him in the audience.

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to approve the resolution and appoint Jeffrey Jarrow as the new fire chief. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vance – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

b. Swearing in of Jeffrey Jarrow as Tremonton City Fire Chief

Recorder Nelson lead Mr. Jarrow in the Oath of Office. He read a statement, then said I am proud to be here and to serve in Tremonton.

8. Public comments: None.

9. Public Hearing:

a. To consider the adoption of the proposed Tentative Budget entitled “The Tremonton City Annual Implementation Budget 2025-2026 (General Fund, Capital Fund(s), Enterprise Fund(s), and Special Funds),” for the period commencing July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026.

Mayor Holmgren called a Public Hearing to order at 7:31 p.m. to consider adoption of the tentative budget listed above. There were 14 people in attendance. There were no public comments. Mayor Holmgren closed the Public Hearing at 7:31 p.m.

b. To consider approving compensation increases for Executive Municipal Officers as contained in the proposed Tentative Budget entitled “The Tremonton City Annual Implementation Budget 2025-2026 (General Fund, Capital Fund(s), Enterprise Fund(s), and Special Funds),” for the period commencing July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026.

Mayor Holmgren called a Public Hearing to order at 7:31 p.m. to consider approving compensation increases. There were 14 people in attendance. There were no public comments. Mayor Holmgren closed the Public Hearing at 7:33 p.m.

10. New Council Business:

a. Discussion and consideration of adopting RES 25-18 approving the Tentative Budget entitled “The Tremonton City Annual Implementation Budget 2025-2026 (General Fund, Capital Fund(s), Enterprise Fund(s), and Special Funds),” for the period commencing July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026

Mayor Holmgren said I want to emphasize that this is a tentative budget and almost certainly will change over the course of the next six weeks. Councilmember Vance said the final budget needs to be approved on June 17. We appreciate everybody who has put time into this budget. Councilmember Rohde said it was guessed we would have $2 million to move into our capital fund and it looks like we are down to $174,000 to transfer. Director Roberts said last year, we set aside almost $1.9 million. We have tried to isolate the various increases. You are going to see revenues coming out that were previously recorded in the General Fund and in the corresponding expenditures. The $1.2 million would have been part of the streets department. That would have been $120,000 of the Class C roads fund. There would also have been some road repairs coming out of the Transportation Capacity Fund. That is accounting for regular road maintenance. Of that $1.2 million, $870,000 would have been in the General Fund last year. I would like to look at the transportation capacity budget to see what we have slid over. Councilmember Rohde said my biggest concern is we are going from $1.9 million down to $174,000. That is a big difference in what we did last year. Director Roberts said it is about $400,000 as we discussed in the workshop session. We had mistakenly included using fund balance for operational expenses, which you could do that one year, but you cannot do it over time. The savings eventually runs out. We had to correct that $400,000. There are a number of departments that are listed on the one-page summary causing some of these differences. Mayor Holmgren said this budget does include 3% COLA and salaries. It also includes the cost of the health insurance, which has gone up 10%. Those numbers are factored into the overall increase for employees. There is also a proposed increase to the budget in terms of the planner department and parks and recreation.

Councilmember Westergard said if it is a big ask it needs to be explained. Councilmember Rohde said I do not mind doing the tentative budget, but I’d love to go back and really grind down to see where we can cut expenses. We need to bring this down. I do not feel like we need to go after people’s property taxes. We have seen enough inflation. We need to find a way to have a balanced budget with the money we have. It is going to take a little sacrifice on all of our parts. Councilmember Lewis said I share that sentiment. I definitely do not have an appetite for raising property tax. We need to live within our means and figure this out. Councilmember Estep said when was the last time Tremonton had their department heads cut their budget. Councilmember Vance said this is the first time I have seen it where the numbers are all open. This is the way it is supposed to be. All the department heads are requesting what they need to run their department and maybe they are doing it as skinny as they can, but it is not a bad idea for us to say instead of having us figure out what they need, they need to go back and cut 15% of their budget. That is one approach versus us trying to tell people what they can and cannot have. That would get us back up to half a million in surplus. We went from $2 million down to $175,000. That is like giving us whiplash. How much surplus do we need? Councilmember Estep said I know in the past our departments turn money back in. I do not think any of our department heads has ever spent everything we give. Councilmember Lewis said maybe there is interdepartmental waste that we are just not seeing.

Director Roberts said if you pass it the way it is it becomes the starting point for the Council to say, here is what our goals are. Over the course of the next six weeks, we keep refining this budget, adding in the capital to where we have a final for the Council to vote on for our June 17 meeting. The Council has about $9.3 million for general projects. You would be able to satisfy those, but you would only be setting aside an additional $175,000 to pay for future capital projects. Councilmember Vance said you have $9 million sitting in savings and are just breaking even this year. You are not saving for future purchases. That is scary. We need to be able to have a surplus just in case we stub our toe in the middle of the year and something happens. Councilmember Rohde said can we get that $175,000 up to $500,000 or a million? We could ask the departments to hit that target. Councilmember Lewis said I would propose an interdepartmental workshop with that goal in mind to come up with X amount of money. Director Roberts said that would be asking the departments to make a 9.5% reduction across the board. Councilmember Rohde said let us ask them if they can find 10%. Chief Cordova said the long and short is we are going to pay for it one way or another. We can look at attrition and not backfilling allocations. If we are going to lose somebody, I would rather lose them to natural attrition and go a little shorter staff to make up the difference than lose multiple to other departments that we have trained. That way we can retain the majority. Another option is, we built in that 3% COLA and sacrifice ours for the adjustment. Most people will come out ahead, but then we are going to be slightly behind other agencies. Another idea is making our insurance coverage 80% across the board. I would sacrifice that to retain my employees. They just need to see progress and good faith. When we look at cutting the budget, it is almost like kicking the can down the road. We do not spend recklessly. We are pretty efficient. There is not much fat to cut and some of those cuts set us behind. Pushing vehicles out is going to create more operational costs in the form of repairs and eventually we are going to have to buy new vehicles, which will be more expensive. These are all things we are constantly working on. I have no intention of wasting money. I am a taxpayer myself and hate that as a solution, but I also understand the importance of what we are looking at. I do not have much more I can personally cut. I can help brainstorm, but now we are going to start looking at attrition, sacrificing our personal COLAs, and looking at the benefit adjustment or adjusting over time.

Director Roberts said our property tax revenues are $3 million. That amount is constant except for whatever allowance there is for new growth. There is no inflation accounted for in that number so if there are other inflationary costs within your expenses, that property tax is going to stay constant and it will fall behind. The Council asked Director Mackley his thoughts for his department. Director Mackley said I am with the chief, if I have a choose between equipment and keeping people, I am going to keep my people and we will repair equipment as needed. In the Public Works, if I have to cut 10%, I am going to cut a project. Roads in particular gets overlooked. We just do not do a road even though it needs it and then we get behind. Mayor Holmgren said how long did it take us to generate $9.2 million? Director Roberts said that has been built up over the last decade. If you are trying to cover $70 million worth of expenses in the next 10 years, we should be dropping $7 million to the bottom line. That is not realistic. Mayor Holmgren said we have some hard choices to make. We have six weeks to come up with a final budget.

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

b. Discussion and consideration of adopting RES 25-19 to award a bid to Landmark Construction for the Midland Square Improvement Project

Mayor Holmgren said the bid is for $540,286. We have $405,720 from the grant and $174,000 was budgeted. We will cover the costs with this. Councilmember Vance said have we got numbers on the rest of Main Street? Mayor Holmgren said they are working on those. Some guidance could be helpful. What we have on the table right now is Midland. Councilmember Vance said it seems premature to approve this part not knowing the game plan for the rest of it. When asked about plans for Midland, Mayor Holmgren said the memorial will stay exactly as it is. They will do the flat work around it and there will be fresh new pavers and sidewalk. They will flatten out the uneven landscape to make it more useful. They will also add a restroom. There will be an increase in the area that the veterans can use for future monuments. The tower will be relocated to another area. The names on the pavers will be added to a brass plaque making that more permanent. We also have another branch of the military, the Space Force, so we will add another flagpole. They continued to discuss Main Street and the proposed LED sign outside the City offices.

Councilmember Lewis said I am going to vocalize my struggle with the priority of putting that first. This feels like a trip to Disneyland when we do not have the money. Mayor Holmgren said we have the money. It has been budgeted. Councilmember Westergard said I will make a motion to approve the resolution. We have talked and talked and it is time to do something. We have the grant money that is only good until December. Councilmember Vance said I vote nay because I think we should have the whole plan put together with numbers before we start deciding things. We have a committee we need to answer to. We need to know what we are doing. Councilmember Lewis said I am nay on the premise of the feedback I have had from constituents. They feel it is out of order. Rather than spend the money to get the $400,000 we should put $178,000 back into trees or facade grants, other things for Main Street that would have a larger impact on stimulating the economy. Councilmember Rohde said nay. We need to have the whole plan. I am not against moving forward with it, but the people need to see that we are doing this together. We need to table it until we get the numbers. Mayor Holmgren said we have until December to complete this. The whole purpose of this grant was to start with economic development. It was to enhance the downtown area and create a gathering place. This is not just putting a pretty face on something. It is for economic development. We are getting something started and revitalizing the downtown area. This is just the first step. We will do Main Street as soon as we have something to show the Council. Councilmember Lewis said I am not against the project. I am against it right now because the context for the whole thing is not clear. I cannot approve something I do not have the full context for. Mayor Holmgren said I see this as part one. This gets something going so people can see there is activity in the downtown area. The Council needs to determine how far we want to go with the Main Street improvements. Councilmember Vance said we need to get a bid on replacing all the cement or just fixing the cement. The light poles need to have greenery with water and electricity. A lot of infrastructure needs to be added. If there is any extra, we could do facades. We need to have an entire game plan to announce to the community and then start the phases. Councilmember Estep said if we do not get started on Midland, we are not going to get the grant and will have to pay for it out of our own pocket. The contractors are not going to wait around.

Planner Seedall said if you want more information, we will have to put it out to bid again. We would have to ask for new quotes. There are also discussions that need to be had with UDOT. I know the numbers could fluctuate a lot. Even when we have those numbers, they still have quite a contingency attached to them. Councilmember Westergard said we have to do what we can afford. I would personally like the sidewalks, lights and facades to make the buildings look better. We would not have to get UDOT’s approval if we are not messing with their right-of-way. Planner Seedall said the Council will also have to decide if we want to focus on one side or go block by block? There may also be other grants we can look into. Mayor Holmgren said the RCOG grants are opening again in August. It would be nice to get this money spent so we can get more funding through that. They are not going to give us any more money until we have spent this money. I would like to see us get this project done and then reapply for additional funding. Councilmember Lewis said if we have the rest of the project outlined in so we can understand what phase one looks like, I could feel comfortable with spending $178,000 on that project. Until then I cannot. Mayor Holmgren said time is of the essence. We have talked about this for a long time and it is time for us to get something done. We are going to come back with numbers for Main Street from 200 East to 200 West with costs.

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to approve the resolution. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – nay, Councilmember Rohde – nay, Councilmember Vance – nay, Councilmember Westergard – yes. The motion did not pass by a 3-2 vote.

c. Discussion on possibility of doing interlocal agreement with Box Elder County for court

Mayor Holmgren said as you know, we do not have a municipal judge at the moment. The proposal is to have an agreement with the County until we figure out where we are going with that. We do not want to give away the possibility of having a judge because it takes work to get one back. This interlocal agreement will give us time to figure things out. Assistant Manager Nessen said no motion is required. We will bring back an interlocal. We are working on one with the County now. Planner Seedall said we want to discuss this with our Attorney. We had a discussion with the County and they gave us good terms to look at. We will have it to you by the next meeting. We have to let the State know by the end of the month.

11. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar

Mayor Holmgren said the next Council meeting will be on May 17. May 10 is the Stamp Out Hungry Food Drive. The Special Olympics is on May 15. May 28 is open enrollment for insurance. The Farmer’s Market begins on the second and fourth Fridays through October. GET OUT is the second Saturday. Both are held at Shuman Park.

b. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

12. Reports & Comments:

a. City Administration Reports and Comments: None.
b. Development Review Committee Report and Comments: None.
c. City Department Head Reports and Comments: None.
d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Lewis said we are meeting for economic development. There are some fun businesses we are looking at for the valley.

Councilmember Rohde said May 29 will be our next Town Hall meeting.

Mayor Holmgren said all I have is appreciation for everybody. These are hard decisions and you guys are doing a great job with the budget. We are going to make it through this.

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

14. Adjournment.

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

The meeting adjourned at 9:27 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 20th day of May, 2025.

Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

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