City Council Minutes 6-16-26

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
JUNE 16, 2026

Members Present:
Kristie Bowcutt
Brent Jex
Beau Lewis
Sharri Oyler—excused
Blair Westergard
Bret Rohde, Mayor
Linsey Nessen, City Manager
Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Rohde called the June 16, 2026 City Council Workshop to order at 5:00 p.m. The meeting was held in the City Council Meeting Room at 102 South Tremont Street, Tremonton, Utah. Those in attendance were Mayor Rohde, Councilmembers Bowcutt, Jex, Lewis, and Westergard, City Manager Nessen, and City Recorder Nelson. Also in attendance were City Planner Jeremy Lance (arrived at 6:30 p.m.), Zoning Administrator ChrisDean Epling (arrived at 6:30 p.m.), Public Works Director Carl Mackley (arrived at 6:57 p.m.), Finance Director Jami Heiner, Police Chief Dustin Cordova (arrived at 5:40 p.m., left at 6:28 p.m.), and Code Enforcement Greg Horspool. Councilmember Oyler was excused.

1. Call to Order and Declaration of Conflict of Interest

2. Council Reports and Updates

Councilmember Bowcutt said Public Works is on track and making big strides. We all received an email from Planning and Zoning on how much money they are saving. They are doing a fantastic job.

Councilmember Lewis said I have had quite a few economic development meetings and they are going well. Lots of exciting stuff.

3. Presentations:

a. Title: RES 26-34 Utility Write-offs—Treasurer Michelle Rhodes

Treasurer Rhodes said we are writing off billing we cannot collect. It is a little bit higher this year at $13,990.18, but $10,559.14 is from one individual from Deweyville, who has had some hardship and since been foreclosed on. His house is now owned by a bank in Texas. I put a special assessment on it and we are third in line to receive payment. We could potentially get that money. We hope this will just be a $3,000 write-off instead.

b. Title: RES 26-35 Ambulance Write-offs—Treasurer Michelle Rhodes

Treasurer Rhodes said these are all since 2021. This is the final write off we have put into our system, and they have been sent to collections, $357,592.63. I would say 75% of these have gone to collections and had a judgment. We are getting paid for some. Collections will take their percentage. They are going to take 18% right off the top because we did not have the right verbiage saying this is what you are going to be charged if you fail to pay. We have now corrected that. This is now Gold Cross’s responsibility. They are going to send over what they have and we will see the report. We will not have to waste any more time on this, which is budgeted.

c. Title: RES 26-36 Amending 2025-2026 Budget—Finance Director Jami Heiner

Director Heiner said hopefully you have all had a chance to overview this. Overall, the increase for the budget amendment is $1.7 million. A lot of this is geared toward changes going on in the City. There were about $580,000 for development permits and streetlights. We included some reimbursement costs for the railroad. We thought that was going to come in before the end of the year, but it was right at June so we were not sure if it was going to happen in June or July. You will see this expense in both years, but it is not happening for both. We did have insurance proceeds for about $113,000 from the roof leak. The use of fund balance is to ensure we do not exceed 35%. This is really just a plug number. In all the revenue line items coming in, we have no idea what they are really going to be but can speculate all day long. It is just easier to have a plug number to ensure we do not go over 35%. It is better to err on the side of caution than to go over and hear from the State Auditor’s Office about penalties and fines. For the end of fiscal year 26, we are looking at an additional $400,000 that could go into our fund balance. We cannot go over 35%, but we cannot go below 5%. That is why we amend the budget at the end.

Director Heiner said we have discussed doing some audio upgrades for the Council room ($36,000 to $40,000). Some salary expense line adjustments in the Treasurer’s Fund, $10,500. Here is that railroad maintenance, which we get reimbursed for. Increasing the engineering and other professional expenditures in that fund of $35,700. The police department was increased to $276,000. These were for tasers in lieu of buying vehicles. There were other grant dollars that went along with that and some travel expenses. The trip to DC was funded by donations. Then there is the increase in salaries and benefits to ensure budget compliance. We did a reorganization of the building inspection department. That was the increase of $31,000 to close out that contract and bring on a new employee for that department. Emergency management, there was a reduction there, but that has been restored. $1.1 million was transferred to Capital Projects. If we do go over the 35% that money is slated to go to Capital Projects. Then a transfer to the RDA fund for a $25,000 grant for wayfinding signage. It was originally recorded in the General Fund 2024. We are moving it to the RDA. This is new for the Food Pantry. They need some generator repairs so that is a $7,000 increase. We do not think she will need that, but this ensures she does not go over budget. We have increased some of the revenues in the recreation fund just to make sure we do not go over those salary expense and benefit line items ($2,900). In the roads fund, we are increasing $305,800 matching the impact fee revenues of $100,000. Then increase the fund balance of $205,000 to cover streetlights that were purchased and other supplies, maintenance, and engineering costs. Capital Projects shows that $1.1 million that is coming from the General Fund. Then the vehicle fund, there is the new ambulance that was purchased.

d. Title: RES 26-37 Adopting 2026-2027 Budget

Director Heiner said I like to think of the budget as a living document. It can be changed at any time. It is never right and gets better as we go. It is not set in stone. The General Fund has an overall increase of $59,735. For the tentative, Manager Nessen put in $100,000 in growth for property tax and it turned out to be $118,735. That was a great estimate. This is due to new growth, not a property tax increase. We do not get new revenue. There was an increase to the Box Elder School District of $30,000. It was originally $135,000 and went up to $165,000. Manager Nessen said they are paying half of the actual wages now for both of our officers’ wages and benefits.

Director Heiner said here are the changes to the tentative budget. We increased court fines to $10,000 based on prior year revenues. The railroad maintenance reimbursement is about $27,000. Our interest earnings have a rate that keeps dropping. I do not rely on interest rates because they are a little volatile. I did decrease that. We are at $325,000. Those were the changes to the General Fund revenues and expenditures. We increased the computer software $15,465 due to our accounting software and support. They did a $5,000 increase over last year. We are looking at possibly adding additional services to take us to a web base. They handle the security and all the updates for a $7,000 a year increase. If we do move forward with the online version, they did say we would purchase two new licenses in May and would give us that for free if we moved forward with the online version. We have a demo next week. The new AI subscription is included. There was an increase to City administration for the new finance director and human resources for education and new computer. In the Parks Fund, we increased for an impact fee analysis study ($80,000). For roads there was not a budget in the tentative for the whole roads department so that is the $1 million increase. This year we are doing a library shed. $25,000 was allocated. They will not finish by June 30 so they will finish that up this year. $2.3 million is in Capital Projects for 1000 West and BR Mountain Road construction. The Water Fund was adjusted for the water rate increase that was passed. There are also adjustments through various expense line items, including some capital projects for secondary water lines. For the treatment plant we have those revenues reflecting the zero-rate increase. For storm drain, we added a capital project there $1.9 million and then the solid waste increase for trash cans. That revenue line item is to match the purchase of those. We also adjusted for credit card fee services, since we are no longer collecting those.

Director Heiner said next is the police budget. The budget amendment of 2026 is columns C and D with a 3%, but not the transition we are making with Garland. This does not include those four additional employees we are bringing on. Because of the 3% COLA across the board, the police fund is actually only increasing 5%. If we were to take out that $100,000, it is 2%. Looking at column I it says 26-27 final budget and with that becomes an 18% increase. That is with the Garland employees. Overall, it looks like the fund is increasing 23%. Chief Cordova explained the agreement with Garland and how it is a great deal for both cities.

Director Heiner said in fund balances the numbers look gigantic ($34 million), but that is broken down to each individual fund. Some funds are doing great, and others can keep you up at night. These balances will be different in three weeks, some will go up and some will go down. We need to do those adjustments at the end of 2026. $3.1 million is sitting in an account for Capital Projects. We have a balance in the parks impact fees, $927,000. What are we doing with the parks? I would like further discussion on this with the Council. Lights need to be replaced at North Park and Jeanie Stevens parks. Moving into the utility funds, we start talking about depreciation and how important that is because that is your sign of how we are doing with replacement, and we need to get into those discussions. We do not want to be spending all the depreciation money because that is supposed to be for future. I think there is a lot of cleanup work that needs to happen. I would like to condense travel and education, making that one line item and making this budget document a bit shorter.

e. Title: RES 26-38 Accepting Certified Tax Rate

Director Heiner said this is what is coming from the County. We are just going to accept what the assessor comes up with. They have a whole formula on how that is determined.

f. Title: Presentation on Fraud Risk Assessment

Director Heiner said this comes from the State Auditor’s Office, making us review it every year. We go through all our policies to make sure they are in place. We can update them or ensure we are in compliance with our meeting minutes and reviewing those, all the trainings that are necessary by the Council and the employees signing the ethical behavior form. We need to be reviewing these things yearly with the team. Last year our score was 355. That has not changed much from year to year.

g. Title: RES 26-39 Amending Fees and Fines

Recorder Nelson said there are just a couple changes. Garbage cans went from $150 to $156 so we are going to increase that fee. For secondary water, we give residents a year to hook up to secondary once it is there, but if they buy a new home that has secondary lines installed at occupancy, then secondary rates will take effect immediately. The next item is cemetery fees. We have always had a weekend rate. When families leave the cemetery, our crew is still there for another hour or two, so we are adding an hourly rate on top of that if people stay past 3:30. We removed rates for cremations because we charge the same rate regardless. It will clean this up a little.

h. Title: ORD 26-04 Amending Chapter 3-500

Recorder Nelson said this next one is for City Council meetings. We do not start at 6 p.m., but our code says we start at 6 p.m. for our Work Session and 7 p.m. for our Policy Meeting. We are not doing that. We worked with our attorney and this is his change so we are in compliance and not breaking our own code. Now it says we will post the times and will meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

i. Title: RES 26-40 Disposal of approximately twenty (20) acres and confirming “insignificant” classification

Manager Nessen said the City owns 20 acres on 2000 West. The Development Review Committee (DRC) looked at this first and per our code, decided whether they would classify this property as insignificant or significant. In order to be significant, it had to have historic value or a water feature. There are very specific things. The DRC determined it does not meet this criteria, so we will call it insignificant real property. This resolution allows the Council to accept the DRC’s label and allows for disposal of that property. We are going through this process first in order to do that. Per State law, we have to post a For Sale sign on the property, so everyone has the option to put in an offer. Those offers will be brought to the Council.

j. Title: RES 26-41 Compensation & Classification Plan

Manager Nessen said this is our minimums and maximums. In the budget we anticipate a 3% COLA increase, so all of the minimums and maximums have been bumped up 3%.

k. Title: RES 26-42 Section 18 Leaves of Absence

Manager Nessen said a lot of these policies have not been updated since we went full-time fire. The State recently passed that they are going to recognize Good Friday as a State holiday. It is only a half day, so we would close at noon. In the past, we have followed State and Federal holidays. That is up to you if you want to accept that or not. The biggest one I needed done before July 1 is for our police shift officers and firefighters. They are required to work on holidays. The rest of us get holiday off paid. What we do is we give them a holiday leave balance. They can take the holiday off at a different date or if they do not use those hours, we pay them out. That is the policy we have had in place. We have added to their holiday leave balance two times a year, which is kind of a pain logistically. To make life simpler, we are proposing once a year, on July 1. They will get all their hours for the year to either use or save. It needs to be paid out before July 1. It is nothing different, but we would be doing it one time a year instead of two. Our policy used to allow an employee to use up to five days of vacation and five days of sick leave before accrual. If they do not have the leave and have a medical emergency, we have allowed that with department head approval. It was not spelled out for fire and five days is quite a lot of time where they work 24-hour shifts. So, Chief Jarrow proposed, giving them two days based on their 48/96 shifts. Two days would really give them a week off, basically. We only allow employees to carry over half of the vacation they accrue in a year. This will come back to you with some other potential changes.

l. Title: RES 26-43 Section 16 Benefits

Manager Nessen said again, this had to be done before July 1. It is contemplated in our budget. URS keeps increasing contributions to the retirement system, which is normal. However, for Tier 2 public safety, they have changed theirs to a contributory system. So, the employee is on the hook to pay into their pension plan. This was due to changes when they first started the Tier 2 system. They have to work five years longer than other officers (25 years) and in the beginning, they only get 33% of their pay in retirement. The other officers (Tier 1) get 50%. So, it is no surprise, not a lot of people wanted to be officers at a Tier 2 because they had to work five years longer and get less money in retirement, so legislation bumped them back up to the 50% a few years ago. They still have to work 25 years, but they will get their 50% in retirement. In order to do that, they made the employees be on the hook for part of it. In the beginning, the City did not elect to pick up the employee portion, so employees are currently paying 2.59% of their wages into their pension. We opted two years ago to pick up the increase that was proposed, which was 2.14%. URS has increased that again this year so the total amount is 5.98%. Employees are on the hook. We have it in the budget contemplated that we would pick up that next increase and would be paying 3.39% into their retirement, holding the employee harmless. They will still just be paying that 2.59%, which they have been paying for five years. If they do the 401k plan, we put that 3.39% on top of the 12% into their 401k. Previously, we only had to put in 12% to their 401k, but now we are having to put in 15.39%. They both get the increase rather than only the hybrids. That is the only two changes in this policy. This one will come back to you when we have reviewed it.

m. Title: Present findings on Trip Hazards, Inspections, & Reports, and Infrastructure Complaint and Response Policy

Director Mackley said our insurance is requiring us to come up with an official policy to handle complaints related to trip and fall, slip type hazards. The policy says complaints can be received through various means. When that happens, we are to officially receive the complaint and document the information with date, time, and nature of the concern. We have to have a system in place to receive that information. We use iWorQ, which is our work order system and does amazing things. We classify the complaint as low, medium, or high importance. High needs to be done immediately. Medium is urgent. Everyone has access to iWorQ. The insurance company wants to see not only that we have the ability to track this, but that we are keeping good records over time. We have to keep things for three years. iWorQs does not ever get rid of records so we do not have to worry about retaining unless we go away from that program. We have to have this adopted by June 30. They reviewed the program to show how it works.

n. Title: ORD 26-05 Repealing Chapter 1.33 PUD, ORD 26-06 Repealing Chapter 2.07 Lot Splits, and ORD 26-07 Rezone of parcel at approximately 500 N 2000 W from MD-B to CH

Planner Lance said we are looking to repeal the entire chapter. The simple reason why staff is bringing this as a suggested amendment is to not have to deal with what staff perceives as the inherent issues of the PUD. Bringing legislative steps before the DRC to set bonus density, the inability for really anyone to be able to follow the PUD code. It is inherently confusing how it is laid out. The attorney reviewed this and found that the language in itself is contradictory. We as staff thought instead of trying to fix the PUD overlay tool, as it currently is constituted in City code, we looked to repeal the entire chapter and bring forth a more effective overlay tool. This item was heard at Planning Commission. Comments made from the public were unanimously in support of repealing the PUD overlay code. There were comments from the Planning Commission expressing concern regarding the removal of the PUD. Some comments included concerns over relying solely on base zoning districts rather than using secondary overlay tools to achieve planning objectives. There were concerns about getting rid of a tool that could encourage development near the core of the City. Other members expressed support for the repeal of the overlay code, citing challenges associated with larger developments in the community and noting the common public sentiment against the PUD tool as they are being perceived as ineffective implementation of the overlay as a development tool. At the meeting, staff clarified that the PUD overlay regulations are currently difficult to administer and interpret. The vote for that meeting was a three to two vote to recommend approval to this body. Members Capener and Miller voted no to the motion to approve the item, with Chairman Van Tassel voting to break the tie. Administrator Epling said their main concern was not having something to replace it right now. We are working on that and want to introduce the Planned Community Zone. That just separates the legislative and administrative processes so what you see is what is going to be developed. It is a clearer path forward; it just needs to be defined better. We have been drafting that. This is a deficiency in our code and would be a step in the right direction. This will standardize how a developer can get additional bonus density and make it uniform, so everyone has the same thing. We want to make it easier to implement. There are some discrepancies that have been confusing to administer with the way it is written.

Councilmember Jex said I am in full support of reviewing it and doing something else. Has anybody ever had their spouse ask for something from the store and you come home with something completely different? I do not like the idea of a development coming before this body and we say, we like that, but then all of a sudden something completely different happens. If they have a plan to do a development in the City, they should bring what they intend to build. Planner Lance said currently they get bonus density by the DRC. That is how it is written and that is an entitlement. Entitlements can only be changed by the legislative process so that ordinance is suggesting otherwise. Councilmember Lewis said there were reasons we put it in, like trying to get some of the capital improvements paid for by developers. That is the intention of a PUD. So, what were the things that were enticing about that PUD when we put it in place? What would we be letting go of? Planner Lance said I would bring those to the table with a new tool. Administrator Epling said when you read through the PUD code, there is no mention of capital improvements or anything that they can as far as infrastructure, that is handled through the development agreement. Those are separate processes. One is administrative and one is legislative. The only thing the PUD code does is sets building and architectural standards. What we are presenting is a way you can have those in a new zoning type so you can combine them together. It can be put together that way, but right now the way the PUD is written, they are not tied together. Mayor Rohde said this has been vetted by the attorney and honestly, we were at risk with the PUD. When asked about timeline for deploying the replacement, Planner Lance said it is our top priority. We are already working on it.

Planner Lance said for lot splits, Chapter 2.07 of the current code says you can take a parcel, use the subdivision system, and create smaller parcels. The subdivision system is where you create lots in a subdivision and it is recorded in the office of the County recorder. This is saying you can just take a larger parcel and divide it. That is not how the State intended this ordinance to be. This code says if there is any discrepancy in rolling out a lot split request, defer to the subdivision ordinance. This seems like an antiquated tool. Again, staff suggests a repeal of this chapter. Administrator Epling said we pretty much have two codes doing the same thing, so we are requesting to go to the one that the State requires us to use.

o. Title ORD 26-07 Rezone of parcel at approximately 500 N 2000 W from MD-B to CH

Planner Lance said the request is to rezone it from MD-B, which is the Manufacturing Distribution/Business Park Zone, to the Highway Commercial Zone, which would allow for retail use in the area. The Highway Commercial Zone exists in close adjacency across the street and south of the property. Planning Commission has recommended an approval.

4. 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 6:57 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Rohde called the June 16, 2026 City Council Meeting to order at 7:01 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 Rohde, Councilmembers Bowcutt, Jex, Lewis, and Westergard, City Manager Nessen, and City Recorder Nelson. Also in attendance were City Planner Jeremy Lance, Zoning Administrator ChrisDean Epling, Public Works Director Carl Mackley, Finance Director Jami Heiner, and Code Enforcement Greg Horspool. Councilmember Oyler was excused.

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Invocation by: Cassandra Merrell
Pledge led by: Councilmember Westergard

4. Approval of Agenda:

Motion by Councilmember Jex to approve the agenda of June 16, 2026. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

5. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None.

6. Presentations

a. Presentation on Affordable Housing – Students Rylee Yeates & Oscar Partida

Mayor Rohde said they gave a wonderful presentation at the high school, so I asked them to present here. Mr. Partida said this was for a college class, but we look forward to seeing how it goes. Ms. Yeates said to be able to purchase a median priced home in the U.S., a household needs an average income of $108,000. The actual median household earns about $75,000. In Tremonton, the average price to purchase a home has climbed to $425,500. The average salary within our community remains $46,000. The local impact is that young adults are struggling to afford homes near their workplaces, forcing them into long commutes or unstable housing conditions. Mr. Partida said Utah in general, has had a population surge. Tremonton is also experiencing this and because of that we do not have enough housing availability, which is contributing to the price increase of homes. Ms. Yeates said another cause is that local inspections for new homes have increased with added administrative fees being passed directly to buyers. Current interest rates create a mortgage range of $2,200 to $2,800. The average monthly cost for basic necessities comes to $3,295. After paying the mortgage and basic survival costs, an average young professional is going to be left facing a $9,000 annual deficit. There are also infrastructure hurdles if water or sewer capacities are maxed out. Developers absorb the cost, which directly inflates the final home price. Mr. Partida said restrictive zoning laws leads to hidden crowding where multiple families are forced to cram into a single-family home out of necessity. Ms. Yeates said one of the solutions is regulated ADU units such as basement apartments and backyard cottages, expand housing choices without altering neighborhood aesthetics or characteristics. This gives homeowners the ability to offset a $2,500 mortgage with roughly $1,200 in rental income. Mr. Partida said we also looked at other cities and solutions within this housing affordability crisis. We need developers to shift from luxurious single-family homes to more attainable options, like townhomes and duplexes. Units must be price capped specifically for this $46,000 to $51,000 income bracket. A deed restriction permanently records the price cap on the property title for decades so we can block people from flipping these homes. Townhomes require about 60% less road and pipeline frontage so it generates a lot more property tax revenue per acre. We can pay for infrastructure upgrades and prioritize to reduce city administrative fees and entry-level projects and pass those direct savings to the first-time home buyers. Ms. Yeates said developers must commit to starter home price points. Residents must actively participate in local hearings to support diverse entry level housing options before our workforce is entirely priced out.

b. Presentation on Civil Air Patrol – Tina Peart 2nd lieutenant Bear River Cadet Squadron

Ms. Peart said I want to let the community know we are here. We meet every Thursday in Brigham City at the National Guard Armory. We work with youth who are 12 to 18 years old. Our program helps build character. We have emergency services, STEM programs, and do service in the community. We help give them positive things to do and teach leadership skills and moral values, along with integrity. We have a lot of programs and a lot of fun.

The next two items were discussed out of order.

c. Report and update on UTOPIA – UTOPIA Representatives Executive Director Roger Timmerman and CFO Jason Roberts

Mr. Timmerman said every year we provide an update on how things are going and provide historical information on our journey to where we are today. In 2002 UTOPIA was created and in 2004 they first bonded for projects. We had a bit of a rough start and around 2009 was a turning point when we were able to finance projects, build out, and get more profitable. It was about that time Tremonton got built out. We continued to build out the rest of the cities. We are the largest open access network in the Country. He then reviewed their statistics and accomplishments and addressed the bonds, which end in 2040. He also reviewed the benefits of UTOPIA to cities and their residents. We are making really great progress. At the end of the day, the community is receiving an enormous benefit and I think the City should be celebrated for doing that.

7. Citizen Engagement – General Public Comment

Bill Roosma said I want to talk about law enforcement. I hear you are looking to maybe cut the police department by one position, and I really hope you do not do that. We do not have enough officers to begin with. It is my understanding that shifts start at 6 a.m. and end at 6 p.m., then at 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. That tells me you do not have enough bodies. 12-hour shifts are long. They have a hard job to do and need to be at the top of their game. They have to make critical decisions in a very short amount of time. We do not have enough manpower. I know we have a lot of drugs and domestics and things to take care of. There is a lot of bad things that happen but let us take a look at the roads. You get on a freeway and there is a lot of road rage because there are not enough officers out there policing people. That bleeds into our City. Everybody gets in a hurry and people get frustrated. Then there are no officers out there policing people, and they take the law into their own hands. That is a problem. We do not have enough law enforcement on the highways or here. The streets are under construction and it is a pain to deal with. I slow down, but the people behind me ride my tail or pass and throw gravel. Nobody likes to get a ticket, but those tickets are behavior adjustments. We need more of it. I oppose high density housing and think it is crap to cram people in a tight space.

8. Public Hearing

Mayor Rohde called a Public Hearing to order at 7:47 p.m. to consider amending the annual budget listed below. There were seven people in attendance.

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

There were no public comments. Mayor Rohde closed the Public Hearing at 7:48 p.m.

Mayor Rohde called a Public Hearing to order at 7:48 p.m. to consider adopting the budget listed below. There were eight people in attendance.

b. To consider adopting the Annual Budget entitled “The Tremonton City Annual Implementation Budget 2026-2027 (General Fund(s), Enterprise Fund(s), and Special Funds),” for the period commencing July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027

There were no public comments. Mayor Rohde closed the Public Hearing at 7:48 p.m.

9. Unfinished Items from City Council Work Session: None

10. Discussion of strategic direction on Pillar 3

Mayor Rohde said this is a strategic discussion on connecting to peace and security. We can identify the challenges like aging facilities, domestic violence, bullying and youth safety, scaling safety with growth, limited economic development and workforce development gaps. Some of the outcomes would be police, fire and emergency preparedness capacity that stays ahead of growth. A multi-year plan for scaling safety services with population and regional risk. I think that is vital as we grow. There needs to be a plan in place to take on that growth and support these safety departments. Other departments can help with community events and help neighbors focus on economic diversification. Councilmember Jex said as we discuss economic development and where we want to move there is a desire to stay a rural community, but still have the things that take us to other cities to shop and play. How do we do that and stay small? We want to court businesses and companies that will bring in people to spend money. There are a lot of things that go into that. Those types of companies look at how the City cares for itself. They look at the parks, streets, and infrastructure. In my opinion, if we are going to attract these businesses, we have to have better facilities. My understanding is the City does not own a building that would pass inspection. That is a problem. We have to spend money to make money to get those businesses. Councilmember Bowcutt said I like linking the Main Street project with this pillar. They discussed how improvements will be made to Main Street including façade grants. Mayor Rohde said I am noticing a real uptick in vandalism in our City. I am concerned. We need to have enough opportunities for our youth. They also discussed ways to bring the community together and to embrace cultural differences so there is not segregation or profiling. Some of their community events have helped in this aspect. Mayor Rohde said we will discuss pillar four in the next meeting and then will compile these to give the City additional direction.

11. Consent Agenda – Any Councilmember may request an item be removed for separate discussion – Roll Call Vote

a. Approval of minutes – June 2, 2026
b. Approval of Resolution No. 26-34 Utility Write-offs
c. Approval of Resolution No. 26-35 Ambulance Write-offs
d. Approval of Resolution No. 26-38 Accepting Certified Tax Rate
e. Approval of Resolution No. 26-39 Amending Fees & Fines Schedule
f. Approval of Resolution No. 26-40 Disposal of Property
g. Approval of Resolution No. 26-41 Compensation & Classification Plan
h. Approval of Resolution No. 26-42 Amending Section 18 of Personnel Policies & Procedures
i. Approval of Resolution No. 26-43 Amending Section 16 of Personnel Policies & Procedures

Motion by Councilmember Jex to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

12. Strategic Business (Ordinances & Policies)

a. Discussion and consideration of adopting April and May 2026 Financial Statements and Warrant Register

Motion by Councilmember Lewis to approve the financial statements. Motion seconded by Councilmember Bowcutt. Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

b. Discussion and consideration of adopting RES 26-36 Amending 2025-2026 Annual Budget

Mayor Rohde said we appreciate the effort that was put into these reports. It made it significantly easier to understand what we are voting on.

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to adopt the resolution. Motion seconded by Councilmember Jex. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

c. Discussion and consideration of adopting RES No. 26-37 Adopting 2026-2027 Annual Budget

Mr. Roosma said I do not like the idea of putting lipstick on a pig. The Civic building is really old, and you should just tear it down and build new. Make it look fresh. If you put lipstick on a pig, you are throwing good money away. If it is that bad just replace it. Main Street should be a four-lane road. I do not know how you do that without tearing down buildings on Main Street or modifying them. That would go a long way toward making this a more attractive area and do not forget about Tremont Street when talking about beautifying the City. There are homes along there that look like junkyards and need to be cleaned up.

The Council agreed that they have top notch staff, who is making the budgeting process much easier.

Motion by Councilmember Jex to adopt the resolution. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

d. Discussion and consideration of adopting ORD No. 26-04 Amending Chapter 3-500

Motion by Councilmember Bowcutt to adopt the ordinance. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

e. Discussion and consideration of adopting ORD No. 26-05 Repealing Chapter 1.33 PUD

Councilmember Westergard said I am in favor of taking it out. I think we need to have changes. Councilmember Lewis said do we need to rush to repeal the entire thing or could we just make adjustments? They still have to bring a development agreement to the legislative body. Planner Lance said as stated in the Work Session, the PUD tool does have some issues. It purports that an applicant could submit a preliminary plat, take it to the DRC to get bonus density. That is a tool that should go away immediately. Councilmember Westergard said our attorney looked at it and thought that was a big flaw. Administrator Epling said the review and application process kind of contradict each other. The application process defines it as a legislative process, while the review process defines it as an administrative process. Those are contradictory. Planner Lance said it is probably better to not waste time trying to fix the tool. We are working hard to bring back a better tool that puts the legislative power back into the hands of the people and the people they have elected. Councilmember Bowcutt said I know you have had long discussions with the attorney and if he feels like this is something we should do, I support you 100%. The PUD itself is kind of a troublesome tool. It has been overused and abused. This way, we get a clean slate and move forward in the right direction. Planner Lance said we can have something in a couple months. We want to have our attorney review the entire new chapter and all of its sections from a liability standpoint and make sure we are doing a good job. That takes time. Administrator Epling said we have drafted an outline and thought of bringing it to present tonight, but it is a really long meeting so we felt it would be best to just repeal it. We do have an outline ready. Councilmember Lewis said my only reservation is not knowing the direction we are headed. I support it, but I would almost be inclined to table until we can see that. Mayor Rohde said we have had several subdivisions come before us to present a certain density. We went through everything and decided, okay, let us move forward with that, but after that, the PUD was applied and density was added. Then all of a sudden, they are coming back expecting this density to be given to them. The problem is that the DRC can start to let them use this density. We need to come in right from the beginning as a legislative body and say, here is the density you can use, move forward from there and then we are not hit with surprises. I do not like the power that was given to the DRC. Councilmember Jex said there are loopholes with the PUD. If you have an idea for a development, I am all about it, but come and lay it on the table and develop what you said you were going to develop. They need to do what they told the public they were going to do. I feel the current PUD gives the opportunity for that sleight of hand and I am going to vote in favor of scrapping it.

Mr. Wilding reviewed a survey from the NPI. You have asked us to provide comments relative to things that are important to the NPI. This happens to be one of the items that the residents are very passionate about. We put a survey together and sent it out to the Tremonton West NPI. I want to share with you what we learned. We are trying to keep you up to speed with what we know. Based off this, I had one person who said no. They are not in favor of making the change, while 14 people said yes. I am going to read through the comments. One, I am of the opinion that Tremonton should be allowing developers to build to the zoning of the Master Plan. I would be very interested to see what Tremonton has planned for the future process for developers to follow. I would hope that we, the residents, will get to have input into the future process. Next comment. I think the repeal would give more time for thoughtful consideration on how this might affect the infrastructure and other factors. Next comment, it seems PUDs can be used for too many different purposes. The fourth comment, the PUD should only be for large scale projects. It must include a minimum land size requirement of 100 acres and separate entrances for every housing type. At least 10% acreage must be developed for public use, recreation trails, parks, schools and so on. The last one is, the PUD is a nice way of saying high density housing with room space to appease the Council and put money into the developer’s pocket and the citizens get left with a mess and community problems. Get rid of the PUDs. This is the feedback I have received. My personal opinion on this is, I believe that the PUDs have been a real sore spot with a lot of residents. As we have had our NPI meetings, they have been very vocal about the use of PUDs and are not happy with it. I am of the same opinion. I, living in the county, knowing the property behind my house will be annexed before long, am interested in how it is going to be zoned and what that process is going to be relative to that. PUDs may play a role in how it gets zoned. Again, I have no idea of that process, and I do not know what is going to happen. I personally would like to be involved in this process and will be interested and want to participate. We look forward for that opportunity.

Councilmember Lewis said I would rather us fix the specific flaws rather than repeal the entire thing. I am not against the direction we are heading. Councilmember Bowcutt said but if you come up with a better process, I think that is what we need to move toward, because the PUD has been flawed. They have come up with a better process and I think we need to explore that rather than staying back here in the mud. Especially if the attorney is saying to do so. Councilmember Jex said loopholes have been found and are presenting a problem. Whether intentional or not, it had the appearance of being exploited and to the detriment of the City as a whole. I say we scrap it and put in intentionally what we want and more importantly, what the public wants. I have not heard a single member of the public, that was not a developer, who said they like PUDs or how the development was going.

Mr. Wilding said the thing that irritates me the most about the PUD process is we, the public, feel we have been left in the dark. The developer says we want additional parks and trails and whatever else, but now we want to put townhouses and condominiums and everything else, but nobody tells us what the tradeoffs are. We have no clue. We understand you need infrastructure, but at the same point we are looking at it and going, hey, I really do not need to have that bike trail. I would prefer to have lower density. We all agree to the master plan zoning, but suddenly the PUD comes in and says, now we are going to do this and this, so now we are going to scrunch all the houses together and make high density. There is no discussion or education as to what the give and take is. To me, the PUD process has been a total blindside from what I have experienced. Mayor Rohde said I think the PUD had good intent and could have done some great things, but there were a whole bunch of missing pieces. These all need to be brought together into a better process.

Planner Lance said we are proposing the Planned Community (PC) Zone. The PUD overlay is a hybrid of the administrative and legislative processes. What the PC zone would prefer to do is to bring elements from the plat process in conceptual form like the PUD overlay does now, but it would be a completely legislative process. We would ask for a robust narrative that includes the setbacks they are asking for, the building height, and architectural standards. It goes through all of that. This is the applicant shooting their shot. It is reviewed by staff initially, but the true review lies with the Council. Then the agreement that is yielded by the legislative process guides the administrative process. They are drawing plans according to what was agreed upon. Minor adjustments could be reviewed by the zoning administrator. Administrator Epling said you would see the process of what the major and minor amendments would be as we present the code to you. Then we can define what you want to see and what do you want the administration to take care of. The PUD right now kind of blends those two things together so it is harder to know what the administrative process is and what is legislative. This would be more clearly defined. It would do what the PUD was wanting to do, but in a way that gives you guys full legislative ability to decide. Planner Lance said with the PUD the negotiation power was taken away from the Council. Councilmember Lewis said I propose tabling it to ask more questions. Otherwise, I will have to say no, not because I am against moving forward in this direction, because I have more questions. Councilmember Jex said I am going to vote to repeal it, but I would ask that the urgency continue to get something in place.

Ben Green said I just want to express my appreciation. I think the NPI has really helped bring to light what is going on in the City and gives people more empowerment and understanding of what is coming. Your staff has been fabulous. I do not think you have had a better staff in Planning ever and I was on the Commission before. I think you should take the recommendation. I have faith they will come up with something better. My opinion is it is not working. It might have had a good vision, but I do not think it works. Throw the trash can and get something better.

Motion by Councilmember Bowcutt to adopt the resolution. Motion seconded by Councilmember Jex. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – no, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

f. Discussion and consideration of adopting ORD No. 26-06 Repealing Chapter 2.07 Lot Splits

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to accept the ordinance. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

g. Discussion and consideration of adopting ORD No. 26-07 Rezone from MD-B to CH

Mr. Wilding said the NPI Tremonton West survey had 15 responses. 10 said yes and 5 were undecided. Not knowing the process, we had nobody that said not to do it. Here were the comments. I agree that Tremonton needs to have more retail businesses that will support the projected growth. Next comment, I would like to know what the specific plans for the property are. Would the developers be slapping down more townhomes that eventually turn into slums? Or would they be developing something more productive and beneficial for the community? Next one, they were concerned about weeds and hopefully that the new owner, will do something productive. The last two were actually very productive comments that should be addressed. There is going to be increased traffic on that road so the City may be looking at putting a stoplight there. Citizens are concerned about the traffic flow and increase there.

Mr. Greener brought up his experience with low water pressure on the hill and how Director Mackley fixed the problem. I just wanted to bring it to your attention. He is a great guy and a fixer.

Councilmember Lewis asked if they would be interested in using the property for flex space. They spent time discussing the possibilities of that. Mayor Rohde said I would really like to hear what the public has to say. Councilmember Lewis said it was even suggested that they build pickleball courts as part of the project. Councilmember Jex said I am interested in looking more at it. Councilmember Bowcutt agreed. Councilmember Lewis said there could be living quarters on top. A short-term Airbnb rental style. Officer Horspool explained there could be issues with State regulations, but it would be something he could look into. Administrator Epling said we could do a permitted or conditional use depending on what you would prefer. We would love any guidance on that. Planner Lance said we can bring a draft forward.

Motion by Councilmember Jex to adopt the ordinance. Motion seconded by Councilmember Bowcutt. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

13. Reports and Calendar

a. City Leadership Report

Manager Nessen said we had a department head meeting last Thursday that went very well. We brought those policies to you and had a good open discussion. There are more changes people want to see, but I was on a short deadline to get those taken care of by July 1. You will see those again. We talked about the organization chart and communicating better. I feel I have lost control a little. We had discussions on communicating with me and letting me know what is going on so I know what is happening in the City. I did turn in one last grant we had out there that needed to be finished. We only have 90% so far, this would be the other 10% for another $110,000 for the equalization basin projects and ASR.

b. Upcoming Calendar Items

Mayor Rohde said Mugs and Bananas is this weekend. Come out and have some fun. Thanks for putting these Neighborhood Partnership Initiative meetings on. They are great. America’s 250th celebration, including the community dinner at Shuman Park is on June 27. Bring canned food for the pantry. There will also be a Summer Concert series from 6-8 p.m. on July 11 and for Hay Days July 24-25.

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

15. Adjournment.

Motion by Councilmember Jex to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Vote: Councilmember Bowcutt – yes, Councilmember Jex – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Oyler – absent, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

The meeting adjourned at 9:24 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 7th day of July, 2026.

Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

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