City Council Minutes 7/15/25

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
JULY 15, 2025

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

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Holmgren called the July 15, 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, and Westergard, City Manager Cobabe, and City Recorder Nelson. The following Department Heads were also present: Community Development Director Jeff Seedall, Public Works Director Carl Mackley, Police Chief Dustin Cordova, Fire Chief Jeff Jarrow, Community Services Director Zach LeFevre, and Treasurer Sharri Oyler.

1. Discussion of appointing an individual to fill the midterm vacancy for Councilmember Vance on the Tremonton City Council. (Five minutes will be allotted for each individual submitting their name for consideration to explain why they want to serve on the Council and what they have to offer the city)

Mayor Holmgren said tonight we will appoint an individual to fill the midterm vacancy for Councilmember Vance’s seat on the Council. He resigned to serve an LDS mission with his wife. We have five individuals, who will each present up to five minutes explaining why they are interested in serving. This seat will last until the end of this term in December. In January that seat will be vacated and refilled by someone who is running for a two-year city council office.

a. Bryan Bolingbroke said I have lived in Tremonton most my life. I graduated in accounting and have done retail and a lot of sales. I have seen the ups and downs of Tremonton. I grew up across the street from here and know most everybody. I would love the opportunity to serve. I am going to retire and might as well do something to give back to the community and the people of Tremonton.

b. Ralph Craven said I want to help Tremonton raise their standard of living. I am a BYU alumni and have a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration. I was on the board of directors of ABC. I was president of one of Utah’s fastest growing companies, top 500 in the United States and have worked for 10 plus Fortune 500 companies in solving their problems around performance issues, improving development and training for employees, setting up pay for skill programs, establishing great places to work so that everybody comes to work feeling like they can do great things. I have negotiated contracts for Maytag. I have tested and implemented ozonated water for the meat industry. I have trained leaders in many different programs and companies on how to reach business objectives. I developed an asset management plan in Pocatello and Twin Falls to lengthen their life and reduce costs. I have engineered and completed at least 20 projects a year for the last 40 years. I come with a lot of energy and am excited. I would be the gopher. My philosophy is the best leaders influence people positively. I can help put together a plan and bring a mass of people together. We can talk about zoning and the effects it has. We can identify the things they really want us to do and prioritize those. I suggest we divide Tremonton into five separate areas demographically and assign a councilmember to each of those. You need to get closer to the people. You need to understand what they are feeling and thinking, and make sure they feel heard and respected. People who work for the City need more challenging work to change the culture. Conflict of Interest needs to be such that residents of Tremonton are assured your decisions are not made with personal connections or favoritism. I have heard too much about the Chairman of the Planning Commission and the ordinances that were changed to hang on to him for multiple terms. I have heard about family members and friends working on committees because you have hand-picked them, without asking for volunteers. Nepotism is a form of favoritism for family members or friends in situations where they are based on relationships rather than actual qualifications. My advice is to clean it up. I am available to help. Give me a shot. You will not be dissatisfied.

c. Brent Jex, who was unable to attend, wrote a letter that was read by Recorder Nelson. To the Council, I am sorry I could not be there tonight, but a family emergency caused me to miss. I would be honored to work for this Council for the remainder of the term. I am passionate about public service and the proper role of government. I ask questions and follow facts. I do get emotionally charged at times. Each one of you has had an impact on me and the chance to serve the citizens would be a great honor. I also understand if not being there tonight nullifies the opportunity, but when family calls in great need, I will always choose them first and foremost. Thank you for the opportunity.

d. Norman Kay said I am asking to serve you on the Council. My family roots are from a small town. My family helped found Mona, Utah. I recall growing up how most of that town was somehow related to me. Where going to town meant you went to Nephi and going to the city meant Payson. Even though I have lived different places over the years, when I got married and finished my schooling, the small town is where I wanted to live, which is why in 2003, when I got my first job, we moved to Tremonton. Just because we are a small town, does not mean we have to be limited on what we can do. We can draw on our resources, which includes the residents of Tremonton, to help guide and manage our path to the future. I have had experiences in other places that have shown me the good and bad that is out there. I have had years of schooling that has taught me a lot about how things can go right and wrong. I have worked for 22 plus years over the hill and have extensive experience managing people, defining and balancing budgets, reviewing proposals, participating in change boards, assessing risk, but most importantly, serving my customers. All this experience, along with my desire to serve the people is what brings me here today. I am not here with a personal agenda or gain. I am here to offer my experience, background and skills to the people as we work together to make things better. Growing up, my father managed a gas station and my mother was a cashier. I grew up seeing them serve others and hearing stories about their work. I remember from a young age hearing about some bad days, but mostly about the fulfillment and satisfaction they got from helping others. I heard how people would go to my mom’s line, even if hers was longer because they enjoyed their interactions and trusted her. My father shared similar stories. They interacted and better understood what their customers wanted and how to best serve them. We may not know everyone in town, but we are small enough we see people we know on a regular basis. That personal level helps drive where we go. We need to be seen, known, approachable, and listen. This helps us know their best interest and develops trust. They may have faith that we will do right by them, but our actions are what earns trust. My goal as a Councilmember would be to immerse myself in the details of city government, to learn the wants and needs of the people, develop an in-depth understanding of the issues that exist and, in the future, I bring my background and experience to work toward a better future. I went to school for a very long time and got my PhD in engineering. I wanted to teach and help others. I ended up going into industry, but still work to serve my customers. My career then took me into program management. I have worked budgets of four figures, nine figures and everything in between. I have prepared proposals, negotiated with customers, worked very large and complicated contracts and problems. I had to learn finance contracts and many things that were not covered in school, but I dedicated myself to learning from those who were willing to teach me. I even went back to school and earned my MBA. I am always willing to learn and be taught so that I can be more informed and better execute my duties. None of us know everything, but together we come extremely close. I am not here to talk about my personal beliefs or to tell you what is right or wrong. I am here because I want to serve and work together. I want to have teams, committees and groups, to collaborate with the Council and citizens to work toward change.

e. Brandon Vonk said I have lived in Utah for 23 years. I work for Intermountain Health. For the last seven years I have been the hospital president and chief nursing officer at Bear River Valley Hospital. I have a Bachelor in Nursing and I have a master’s in MBA. My wife and I are both from small towns. When we moved to Utah, we started in St. George and got out of there just in time. We moved to Lehi for several years and got out of there just in time. We are really grateful for what Tremonton has to offer. We like the slow pace and the fact that we get to know people really well. That is important to us. We plan to be here for the rest of our lives. I will retire from Bear River Valley Hospital unless something drastic changes, but I will not leave Tremonton. I have always lived by a budget, which creates a lot of freedom. I have six children and have been fortunate because of my budget to buy houses for them to rent really cheap. It has created that opportunity for them to live nearby. It is getting really difficult for people to live in Utah. We have got to be dedicated as a Council to think about what we can personally do to make it more affordable. I recognize there are a lot of things out of our control. There is only so much we can do. One thing we can do is be smart with the revenue and expenditures and do what is right for our community. I am willing to do this because I am not here to make a lot of friends or a lot of enemies. I just want to do what is right. I am not going to stand here and act like I have all the answers, but if I were voted in, I would be able to contribute at a high level, given my knowledge of budgets and contracting. My request to you is, when you make a decision, I hope you will decide who is most likely to be voted in. I do not know if I want to sit in that seat for just a few months and then not be voted in by the voice of the people.

2. Discussion regarding The Old Grist Mill – Bruce Leishman

Mr. Leishman said after months of discussion, our question is, whether this could be an RDA or a no interest loan to incentivize and help bring this project to completion. We have done two similar projects this way, one in Smithfield as an RDA funding the cost of the parking lot, signage, and exterior renovations (about $180,000 grant). The other one I was involved with was a no interest loan. Councilmember Lewis said we are gathering our Economic Development Plan and it would have to be a part of that. We do not want to slow down the process. Mayor Holmgren said we will work with the Economic Development Committee and get some recommendations for moving forward.

3. Presentation on the zoning for the LB Landholdings Annexation – Jeff Seedall

Director Seedall said for the past eight months, the Planning Commission has looked at the zoning and made a recommendation for this annexation. There are five different zoning types with the RR-1 being rural residential. That was given to the existing residential lots in Freeman Farms. The only existing structure that got a different zone was the Wood’s property on Iowa String because of the wedding venue which was given mixed-use to address both the residential and commercial aspect of the lot. A manufacturing zone covers the parcels for the cement plant. We have three different residential zones for agricultural farms right now (R1-20: 20,000 square foot minimum lot sizes, R1-10: the Harris Enterprises property 10,000 square foot minimum lots and the LB land holdings acreage at R1-8 or 8,000 square foot minimum lots). Developer Brodie Calder said the R1-8 is the only property we own in this annexation (38 acres). We do own another piece that is already annexed. Until we get it zoned, we do not know how it will layout. The R1-8 gives the density. The development agreement would come before the Council at another time.

Mrs. Calder said when we bought that first parcel that was annexed into the City it was unincorporated Box Elder County. We bought that thinking we were going to do storage units, but because of the annexation requirements, we had to go to Tremonton to see if we should be annexed or not. The former City Manager said there is a housing crisis and our Land Use Plan calls for housing. Looking at housing could get sewer across the freeway. We asked to have meetings with the people of Freeman Farms, which is not common, but we wanted to get their insight. We got enough signatures to annex. Due to the lift station requirement, we bought the next parcel. We first requested RM-8. That was not received well. We determined R1-8 was the lowest density we could do to accomplish the housing issues and affordability. Mr. Calder said we have a housing shortage. This is an opportunity for us to do smaller single-family lots. Which are more affordable than half-acre or acre lots. We could look at R1-10, but the reality is R1-8 makes more sense. It sounds like most people want the small single-family lots and we do have a lot of townhomes in the area. We have a shortage of small starter homes.

Director Seedall said the only thing more expensive than a lift station to operate for a city is a sewer treatment plant. There is not a very affordable answer, but in the interim, lift stations are the answer. They are difficult to design. There is a balance to strike between making sure the effluent does not go septic, but that your pumps are not burning themselves out. It is a balance of time, power and redundancy. The alternative is adding another treatment plant. Manager Cobabe said Brigham City has six lift stations in town. They work fine. They do not love them because they are maintenance heavy and expensive to operate, but the alternative is a second treatment plant, which is 20 to 50 million dollars. That is unfeasible for a relatively small development like this. Director Mackley said the location of the existing wastewater treatment plant was very ideal for the circumstances that were envisioned. The plant can handle this, with the upgrades we are doing. My concern deals with the storm drain. We need to figure out the details of making a regional lift station. We can handle it but, we really need to figure out the details and how we are going to make that regional.

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

5. 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 6:56 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the July 15, 2025 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 Holmgren, Councilmembers Estep, Lewis, Rohde, and Westergard, City Manager Cobabe, and City Recorder Nelson. The following Department Heads were also present: Community Development Director Jeff Seedall, Public Works Director Carl Mackley, Police Chief Dustin Cordova, Fire Chief Jeff Jarrow, Community Services Director Zach LeFevre, and Treasurer Sharri Oyler.

1. Opening Ceremony: Prayer – Mayor Holmgren and Pledge – Councilmember Westergard

2. Introduction of Council

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None.

4. Approval of Agenda:

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to approve the agenda of July 15, 2025 with the change to item 8. b. to read discussion and consideration of appointing two people to be on the nomination Commission to vet nominations for the new Tremonton Justice Court Judge. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

5. Approval of minutes – June 17, 2025

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve the minutes of June 17, 2025. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

6. Appointment & Oath of Office:

a. Discussion and consideration of adopting Resolution No. 25-38 appointing Michelle Rhodes to serve as Tremonton City Treasurer

Councilmember Estep said she takes pride in her work and has patience. I think she is prepared for this job.

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

b. Swearing in of Michelle Rhodes as Tremonton City Treasurer by Recorder Nelson

7. Public comments:

James Peterson said I am not a Tremonton resident but am very much affected by the decisions and discussions tonight. I would strongly encourage the Council to slow down, take a breath, and put a hold on some of the decisions you are being asked to make and really validate the implicit and explicit cost to the City and the residents.

Kristie Bowcutt said congratulations Michelle. She is hard-working and honest to the core. One question that keeps coming up is what is affordable housing. No one has answered that. Developers claim they will build affordable housing, but we do not know what that is. Until that is defined take a step back. Who is going to be paying for the lift system once it is in? We all know that is going to fall back on the residents. Can they afford that, no. In the last Council meeting you said you were going to put a pause on building until the General Plan is up to date that has not happened. Developers come and go, but residents are stuck with their problems. There are issues that needs to be taken into consideration when these decisions are made. They are serious and affect lives. We are all stuck paying more fees so just take a step back.

Jami Poppleton said I had a chance to attend the Farmer’s Market. Four people with a booth feel if they were to come here and make a public comment they would not be heard. They have directed some of their questions and concerns to Parks and Rec and have not gotten anywhere. There are only two food vendors on Saturday. I spoke with them and they did not sell much. In a meeting we had discussed mixing that up on Friday and Saturday and nothing has been discussed since. Several would like to pull out of the Farmer’s Market, but they have paid for a year. They are getting nowhere to have a banner on Main Street with an arrow aimed toward Schuman Park. The banner at Kent’s is too hard to read. I had some in-depth conversations with them and that is their concern. They enjoyed it at Midland Square. It was packed with no place to park and it was hot. They have enjoyed the shade, but they do not have the food trucks on Saturday. They are just thoroughly disgusted. I am here on behalf of three of them. It is an issue they would like addressed.

Ralph Craven said I want to talk about a maintenance program for the City. Everybody wants our City to be pristine and beautiful—something to be proud of and one way to accomplish is to have a good maintenance program where inspections are done and corrections are made before failures happen. A few Council meetings ago there was discussion about sidewalks. We were led to believe they are in good repair. State law says that any elevation change greater than an inch and a half between slabs of sidewalk can be considered a liability. As you approach two inches, that is considered negligence. I found many sections of the sidewalk on Tremont Street broken and not level. You might want to think about the last time we did inspections and who is following up on that.

Ben Gudmunsen from Deweyville addressed the Council about some fraud he has faced in building his dream home in the valley. The contractor cheated on the water test in order to get the permit and continued to claim he would fix the problem but did not. This caused me to be without water while I was already living in the house. I filed a lawsuit and am currently on a temporary water system from a spring. We have a preliminary injunction protecting our water for a limited time. Once it expires, we have no alternative water source. We have drilled five different wells all of which have come back inadequate. This is a bad geographical area for water. There should never have been any houses built there. I am living in my dream home with no permanent water solution. The Bear River Water Conservatory District said it could cost me $2 million to bring a water line to my house. Deweyville cannot supply water to the west of the railroad tracks so I talked to Tremonton Public Works, who said that could cause a lot of legal issues since the house is in Deweyville, however, there is a Tremonton water line that goes right next to my neighbor’s house. I am proposing to purchase water from the conservatory and have it supplied to my house through that water line. This was a very unexpected situation and we are seeking help. I started by addressing Director Mackley, who suggested I come here. Mayor Holmgren said we will have you two talk further.

8. New Council Business:

a. Discussion and possible action on appointing an individual to fill the midterm vacancy for Councilmember on the Tremonton City Council

Mayor Holmgren said the mayor does not vote, only the Councilmembers. Each of you has one vote. Your ballot will be handed to Recorder Nelson who will count them. If there is a tie, we revote and if that happens again, we will flip a coin. The Council each cast their ballots. Recorder Nelson said the majority voted for Brandon Vonk (Beau Lewis, Blair Westergard, and Bret Rohde voted for Brandon Vonk; and Wes Estep voted for Bryan Bolingbroke) and we will appoint him as the next Councilmember until January. Recorder Nelson administered the Oath of Office to Mr. Vonk who then took a seat of the dais for the remainder of the meeting as a voting member.

b. Discussion and consideration of appointing two people to be on the nomination Commission to vet nominations for the new Tremonton Justice Court Judge

Recorder Nelson said the State contacted me saying we need to change the language on the agenda. There will be five members that serve on that nomination commission. They are letting Tremonton have two members because it is our judge and we will have the majority of that vote. Brigham is already in the process and will have their person picked by the time ours starts. We just need to appoint two people to serve on that Commission to help interview the candidates. Their input will come back to the mayor for his decision, then he will bring it to the Council for the final approval. Mayor Holmgren said Manager Cobabe and Assistant Manager Nessen are the two nominees.

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve these nominees for the justice court judge search. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vonk – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

c. Discussion and consideration of appointing Brian Mickelson and Stephanie DeFilippis to the Arts Council

Mayor Holmgren said we are trying to get the Arts Council up and going again. These individuals have been contacted and are willing to serve and be involved with projects and ideas.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to appoint these individuals. Motion seconded by Councilmember Westergard. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vonk – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

d. Discussion and possible action on adopting Resolution No. 25-39 reaffirming, amending, and enacting new fees and fines in a schedule entitled Tremonton City Consolidated Fees and Fines schedule including, but not limited to EMS fees and Sampling Fees

Recorder Nelson said EMS fees are updated every year by the State. We are adopting those new amounts as the maximum fees we can charge. The sampling fees are what we pass on to developers and industries. They have increased so we are recommending the Council raise those rates and update those fees to stay current with what we are being charged. This includes a note saying we will update the fees as our rates change and not have to bring it to the Council each time.

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

e. Discussion and possible action on adopting Ordinance No. 25-13 zoning of tax parcels referred to as the LB Landholdings Annexation

Director Seedall said a development agreement will be required with any development that happens on this parcel and will come back through. That is a document the DRC and LB Land Holdings will work out. That document would answer any remaining questions. Once the zoning is in place, we can start working with the developer for the approval process. It is hard to start designing a development with a moving target. There is flexibility to put larger lots along existing residential areas to buffer between uses.

The Council spent some time addressing tile drains and how things would flow. Mayor Holmgren reminded the Council they are only considering the zoning at this time. The development agreement and specific details will be discussed later. These are critical concerns that will be addressed in depth through the process. Manager Cobabe said there is no question this would be an ongoing legacy cost associated with new infrastructure. Residential development is expensive and never pays for itself. That is why we need a commercial center and other sources of revenue to help offset expenses. We have to find the balance between having the revenue to pay for the services that are demanded and required, and the maintenance of those things. How we pay for things is a valid question. Several funds can be used for capital projects. The real question when it comes to any rezone or development is, is this the right time and place. Those are the two questions you are answering tonight. The technical questions can be addressed along the way.

Councilmember Rohde said I went to a school board meeting the other day and realized we may not have control over their decisions to raise taxes, but we have an indirect effect on schools. One of the things they brought up in Planning Commission, in our General Land Use Plan, is that the number one priority is to preserve and enhance Tremonton’s agricultural character, peaceful lifestyle and rural atmosphere using carefully considered zoning ordinances, preserving environmentally sensitive lands and providing high quality, open space. Use careful consideration zoning ordinances to ensure the compatibility of adjacent land uses and apply appropriate buffers and transitions between conflicting uses. Is this a time and place to make a change to that direction we set in the 2023 plan? Director Seedall said the long-term vision for most of this acreage was industrial. Councilmember Lewis said this would pivot more to residential rather than industrial use. Those paragraphs conflict with the 20 to 30 year vision of industrial. Councilmember Rohde said we have discussed how outdated our General Plan is and we need to update that so we have better direction as to how the City is going to move. When asked about the widening of Iowa String, Manager Cobabe said it is a question of timing. A traffic impact study will be done as part of this project. We would have them develop it out to the point where that impact is mitigated. If it cannot be mitigated, they do not get additional units. There is a whole list of things that are involved in these kinds of questions. The traffic impact studies look at everything from car trips per day to the carrying capacity of the road and the level of service. Those are things that can and should take place. The other thing is the Transportation Master Plan. That will indicate what this road is supposed to look like. These are great questions and will be answered as we go through the subdivision process. We are limited as to what we can require a developer to do offsite, but there are exactions related to the development that are expected and legal. Councilmember Vonk said we discussed how expensive impact fees are. I am struggling with how do we afford to do this? Can we afford to do this? Manager Cobabe said can we afford not to? Councilmember Vonk said based on the budget from last month, it seemed pretty doom and gloom. It seemed like we were in trouble and things were really tight.

Councilmember Lewis asked about the impact fees to those in Freeman Farms. Mr. Calder said in the pre-annexation agreement, we had come to an agreement on those, but that was canceled when you decided not to take in the pre-annexation agreement. There is no agreement at this point. We would have done that with the RM-8. The R1-8 is a different zone. Due to the challenges of the community and their concerns we dropped it to R1-8. Councilmember Rohde said is that something you still plan to do? Mr. Calder said it depends on what we get as a zone. If we can get the R1-8, then we plan on it. If we drop down to R1-10 I cannot guarantee anything. A woman in the audience said that is how they got people in Freeman Farms to sign the agreement to be annexed. Director Seedall asked in the meeting, if we pay your impact fee will you sign and more people agreed to sign and that is how he got the signatures needed. Councilmember Rohde said I understood that most cities do not apply the impact fee to homes that are already built when they come into an annexation. Why are we applying an impact fee to these people? Director Seedall said we brought that to the Council for discussion about being waived and the Council said no. Manager Cobabe said some communities look at the impact of a new home on their system and say that is an impact and we are going to charge it. Others, might massage it. It is not going to be the same as a full impact fee, but there is still an impact. We are acknowledging that a new home on our system has a $17,000 impact. We could meet somewhere in the middle or just say we are glad you are here. Here is your $17,000 waiver. However, the rest of the taxpayers will pay for you. We discussed this at length in January. Director Seedall said this could be vetted out in the development agreement.

Mayor Holmgren said all these questions are really good and will have to be dealt with at a later time. This gives us a chance to move onto that next step. Councilmember Rohde said by setting the zoning at R1-8, we as a Council are not obligating ourselves? We will still be able to get the information on costs? Manager Cobabe said these are the constraints the developer takes on when they buy a property. There are risks involved. Tonight, if the Council decides to vote this way, it establishes a base density on the property, which is what the developer is entitled to. This is about five units per acre, 8,000 square foot lots on roughly 40 acres. You are looking at about 200 homes. That is the number he starts with. If the developer chooses to ask for an additional overlay, the PUD, he could get density bonuses of additional units up to 50%. There could be a total maximum of 300 units. There are provisions in the PUD. If these are affordable homes, they do not count against that maximum density. This is a tool that may or may not be of value to the developer. It also helps us meet our State requirements for affordable housing. In exchange for the additional density, he would have between 200 and 300 units. The developer would give open space, trails, parks and other fun things that are over and above what is required on a base level development. That is decided during the development agreement process at the developer’s discretion. If you give the zoning as requested, the base density is established at R1-8 (five units per acre). Director Seedall said I did not want Mr. Calder’s development to look so out of place with five units an acre and that is why we came up with the other proposed zoning around it. When asked about that proposed zoning, Manager Cobabe said we could zone those RR-1 as a holding place. They could request a change to a denser zone at a future time. Mayor Holmgren said we are looking at the zoning change for the LB Land Holdings to R1-8. The Wood’s property would multi-use, the Freeman Farms and the Barfuss subdivision would be RR-1.

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to approve the ordinance, but exclude Anderson Farm and Harris Farm so they can be discussed and zoned at a later date. Motion seconded by Councilmember Estep. Roll Call Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vonk – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

f. Discussion and possible action on adopting Ordinance No. 25-14 rezoning parcel 05-060-0088 from RR-1 to R1-10

Director Seedall said this parcel is at the end of 110 South, almost behind Ron Keller Tires. The property owner is relocating. There is no development application associated to this rezone, but he feels he could sell it for a bit more. Councilmember Estep said that is a private road. That is a real cut-up piece of property and dead ends. Director Seedall said we could work on that. The zoning for the lots are RR-1. The zoning for the houses in that area are all R1-10. That is the zone the landowner is hoping to get. Everything north is zoned commercial. This is about two acres. The next owner of the house could keep the agriculture with the horse pastures, it would be fully permitted and grandfathered in. The only thing that would trigger new standards would be actual development of the property to match the R1-10 regulations.

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

9. Consent Agenda

a. Adoption of May Warrant Register
b. Adoption of May Financial Statements

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

10. Calendar Items and Previous Assignment

a. Review of calendar

Mayor Holmgren said Hay Days is July 25-26. The Council will serve breakfast Saturday and a community dinner on Friday. Suggested cost is $5 that will be donated to the food pantry. The Primary elections are August 12. Councilmember Rohde said can we cancel the Planning Commission meeting that night? Mayor Holmgren said this is 100 years for the Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo. The posse wants to do an all-horses parade on Monday, August 18. August 19 is City Council, but we are going to move that to August 26. For the fair parade on August 20 the Council is going to ride in side-by-sides. The Farmer’s Market and GET OUT will be the second weekend of August.

b. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

11. Reports & Comments:

a. City Administration Reports and Comments

Manage Cobabe addressed affordable housing and some details associated with that. We really do have an incredible team working at the City. There are a million fun things going on all the time. It is a privilege and honor to serve with these people who give of themselves every day to make sure we are safe, happy, and clean. What an amazing time and amazing place. I am grateful every single day to be a part of it.

b. Development Review Committee Report and Comments

Director Seedall said I submitted our Moderate-Income Housing report to the State to meet their deadline this month. Manager Cobabe and I have a meeting next week with the superintendent and business administrator at the school district. We are going to discuss coordinating efforts because we know we have large developments coming. If we can get the school district involved with the land uses and planning, we can ensure they have space for schools as the City grows. We feel it is important to get the school district involved sooner. We are working to be more proactive.

c. City Department Head Reports and Comments

Chief Jarrow said we have had 832 calls this year and are on track to hit 1800 like last year. We probably will exceed that. We are working on training and developing relationships with other departments, including the hospital for transfers. Brycer Compliance will help us with inspections. This is a program that lots of departments in the State are using. This costs the City nothing. We could actually make a small amount of money by charging contractors a fee through Brycer. Brycer does all the groundwork and behind the scenes stuff, but we are doing our own inspections. The Council discussed denials and transfers and how is the best way to handle that with the hospital. It was suggested they have drivers who could help. Chief Jarrow said they are doing what they can with the manpower they have. I am willing to do it if that is what you want, but we do open ourselves up to liability. We can put this on a future agenda for discussion.

Director Mackley said I want to recognize all our Public Works employees. They do an excellent job. A lot of guys are getting certifications and taking tests. We promoted Dusty Dean to the treatment plant manager. That has been a long time coming. He is doing an excellent job. He is working with our industries and their pretreatment program. I am really grateful to have Andrew Beecher hired on as the assistant public works director. He is developing a database for the roads and sidewalks using previous studies and information. Even though public works is out and about, we do not see everything. It is helpful to get comments, but it is more helpful to do something about it and that is what we are doing. That process will take time and be ongoing. Our water quality is good. Every three years the State inspects every piece of infrastructure in our water system. It is very thorough. There are some findings for improvements, but nothing major or that would impact our water quality. We do have a lot of aging infrastructure in our water system. These sanitary surveys are a good opportunity for us to look in depth at our infrastructure. We are looking at making some changes to our composting program. We do not want to decrease the level of service, but there is a lot of cost savings and improvements that can be made by centralizing that to the composting facility. Probably the majority of what gets dumped comes from outside of City boundaries.

d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Rohde said Councilmember Lewis and I finished up those strategies. I sent a copy to all of you. Go over that before the next meeting so we can have a discussion. I was on a walk in my neighborhood and a sidewalk is missing. Can we get that repaired? Councilmember Lewis said we also need to finish the rock at the trailhead. Public Works would look into those concerns.

Councilmember Lewis said some good businesses have reached out and want to move to Tremonton. We are working on that. We have a lot of excitement for Main Street, which is going to help economic development. I am really excited about what is to come.

Councilmember Vonk said thank you for your trust. Hopefully I am here past December.

Mayor Holmgren said we appreciate everybody and your patience. We had a long discussion tonight.

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

The Council moved into a closed meeting at 9:35 p.m.

12. CLOSED MEETING:

Motion by Councilmember Estep to return to open meeting. Motion seconded by Councilmember Rohde. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vonk – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

The Council returned to open session at 10:23 p.m.

13. Adjournment.

Motion by Councilmember Estep to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by consensus of the Council. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vonk – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

The meeting adjourned at 10:23 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 5th day of August, 2025.

Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

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