City Council Minutes 8-26-25

TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
AUGUST 26, 2025

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

CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Mayor Holmgren called the August 26, 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, Vonk, and Westergard, Assistant City Manager Nessen, and City Recorder Nelson. The following Department Heads were also present: Community Development Director Jeff Seedall, Public Works Director Carl Mackley, and Police Chief Dustin Cordova.

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

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 6:01 p.m.

2. CLOSED MEETING:

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

Motion by Councilmember 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 7:01 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 7:01 p.m. by consensus of the Council.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Mayor Holmgren called the August 26, 2025 City Council Meeting to order at 7:06 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, Vonk, and Westergard, Assistant City Manager Nessen, and City Recorder Nelson. The following Department Heads were also present: Community Development Director Jeff Seedall and Public Works Director Carl Mackley.

Mayor Holmgren said we have had a very somber several days with the loss of two of our officers, Sergeant Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada. As well as Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Allred, and his dog, Azula, who were wounded. Other citizens were involved in trying to bring this situation down. It is hard for me to comprehend, even to this day, what has happened. Our hearts go out to the families involved. This has been a really difficult time for the whole community. With that, I would like to ask for a moment of silence.

1. Opening Ceremony: Prayer – Councilmember Vonk and Pledge – Councilmember Estep

2. Introduction of Council

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None.

4. Approval of Agenda:

Motion by Councilmember Westergard to approve the agenda of August 26, 2025. Motion seconded by Councilmember Vonk. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vonk – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

5. Approval of minutes – August 5, 2025 and August 18, 2025

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve the minutes stated above. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. Vote: Councilmember Estep – yes, Councilmember Lewis – yes, Councilmember Rohde – yes, Councilmember Vonk – yes, Councilmember Westergard – yes. Motion approved.

6. Canvass for the 2025 Primary Election

Recorder Nelson reported that Tremonton has 5,196 registered voters. 1,286 ballots were cast with a percentage of registered voters at 30%. There were 1,028 on election night (18%). She then listed off the candidates for each open seat. No motion is required, this is procedural. Once it is signed, I will send it to the State.

7. Public comments:

Kristie Bowcutt said I have spoken with Chief Cordova and Officer Gailey. I want to be part of the solution, not the problem. Unless you know someone who has gone through domestic violence, it is hard to put into words what they are thinking and why they are not doing what they do. I have watched that firsthand. It is hard. We helped someone get away from that situation because she could not do it herself. She was beaten down mentally and emotionally and threatened. I want to be part of that discussion because I see it from a different viewpoint. People with the State of Utah failed. I ended up getting one fired. People who should have been protecting were pointing fingers. You allowed it to happen. It is your fault. That is so not true and as we go through what we have been through. If there comes a time that we want to come together, I would like to be part of that talking point.

8. New Council Business:

a. Discussion and consideration of approving Resolution No. 25-41 authorizing the transfer of funds from the police fleet budget to the police department budget for the purchase of tasers

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

b. Discussion and consideration of approving Resolution No. 25-42 reaffirming, amending, and enacting new fees and fines including collection fees

Assistant Manager Nessen said the collection company we use when we cannot collect on an ambulance or utilities, charges us an 18% fee. If it is not in our fee schedule, we cannot pass that fee on. We have been eating that 18%. All we are doing is adding language that says if you get sent to collection, we are passing that 18% fee onto you.

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

c. Discussion and consideration of approving Resolution No. 25-43 adopting Hidden Valley development agreement

Director Seedall said this is a development south of the canal, just off the west side of 2300 West. This process started with a previous City Manager and we are finalizing it. Previous administrations were very ambitious to have development agreements with every development in every phase, but I have not found that to be necessary. When I bring developments to the Council for approval, it will be because something needs to be in writing for that agreement. That way we know when something is unique and does not get lost. An example would be any time a PUD gets adopted. We will have development agreements outlining how conditions are met and bring it to the Council.

The special condition for Hidden Valley involved the storm drain basin. This development is part of the watershed for the basin known as Stokes Park along BR Mountain Road. Since the pond is not built and the storm drain infrastructure has not tied into it yet, we have come to an agreement with the developers that three of their lots will be used for a temporary retention pond. That will be until the two provisions are met: Stokes Park is built and the storm drain infrastructure is there. At that time, the Council will make the decision on giving them the first right of refusal to not develop those lots. If for any reason they decide not to then the Council can decide what to do with those lots. That is what these three paragraphs cover in the agreement. Once our master basin is in, they will connect to it and have those lots back. The Development Review Committee has reviewed this and worked with them on this agreement. Our City Attorney has looked through this and is okay with the language. This will be temporary until we get our regional basin built. They will have to meet City standards for a retention basin. Once the basin is done, they will be able to let it flow down to that holding spot.

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

d. Discussion and consideration of approving Resolution No. 25-44 adopting a professional services agreement with VCBO for architectural services for Phase 1 of the Sports Complex

Director Seedall said we had eight proposals. The selection committee shortlisted three and interviewed each in person. We selected VCBO. This is their bread and butter. This would fill 10 out of the 12 team sports that were listed in the survey, along with a handful of classes we could do. Pickleball will be addressed here with some of the multi-use courts in the interior. This sports complex is hopefully going to fill a large need in Tremonton. I knew what this fee would likely be and it is part of the budget or a line item in the planning department. Councilmember Rohde said the point is not are we going to approve the $45,000 or not, because that has already been approved. What the public needs to understand is that just because we are doing this does not mean we are building it. How will this move along and when will that include public input? Director Seedall said Phase 1 is simply fact-finding. It is bringing professionals in that will help refine and create a more economic layout. VCBO will bring in a lot of expertise in seeing how we can make this work and what the price tag will be. We will understand its service capacity and present it to the public and have some answers. The end of Phase 1 will start the ability for us to begin conversations for fundraising. It is not my intention for the City to pay for this building, there is money to be found and it will be my job to go find it. This will have huge economic development to the City. Councilmember Lewis said there has been mentions of offers from organizations, but they are asking for this part to be done, the economic studies. They need to understand that we are at least that far along before they start offering up donations. Director Seedall said there are plenty of private equity out there that can help us get this going, but we need to know first what it is going to look like. My hope is that, economically, this will be used on the weekends to host events and have that revenue source. During the week, when things are slower, the public will be able to utilize all of its facilities and our recreation leagues, too.

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

e. Discussion and consideration of approving Resolution No. 25-45 Aging Services Contract for FY26

Mayor Holmgren said we do this every year. The contract is about $106,000 that we will receive from BRAG. I suggest we go ahead even through there are still issues with communities paying their fair share. We will continue to work on that, but I feel this is something we need to continue. Hopefully we will get the other communities to come around.

Motion by Councilmember Estep to approve the resolution. 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. Discussion and approval of Linsey Nessen as interim City Manager

Mayor Holmgren said with previous City Manager Bill Cobabe taking a position elsewhere, Assistant City Manager Nessen has agreed to step in and help. There will be a stipend that will compensate Nessen for this responsibility.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to approve the Consent Agenda and approve Nessen as the Interim City Manager. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. 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 our September 2 meeting is cancelled, but there will be a meeting on September 9 after Planning Commission. The Main Street Committee has been busy putting together an Open House. That will be Monday, September 29, at the fairgrounds. The Utah Leagues of Cities and Towns will be October 1-2. Our City party is September 18. Our Farmer’s Market and GET OUT events will go through October.

b. Unfinished Business/Action Items: None.

11. Reports & Comments:

a. City Administration Reports and Comments

The Council asked about power issues being resolved in a few areas. Director Mackley said Rocky Mountain Power will do that in September. It is fully in their court and moving along. The Council asked Director Mackley to get back with them regarding the bridge over the canal at 1200 South.

b. Development Review Committee (DRC) Report and Comments

Director Seedall said we are working on updating Title II and Title III of our code, which covers subdivisions and development standards. We talked about it at the last DRC and it is something we will take care of. We think there are ways to simplify and make clarification to our hillside standards so as we get development on Radio Hill, we have better design standards in place. They are industrial standards, but having them in writing helps with enforcement.

c. City Department Head Reports and Comments

Director Mackley reported on culinary water. There are a lot of needs we have and a lot of signs that we have let things go a bit long. We have had several breaks on Tremont Street and 100 West. We are replacing water lines that are very old and keep shattering. That is something I am looking at pretty closely. We had a sanitary survey a couple of months ago. The State comes out every three years and evaluates our water system. Our water system is safe with clean drinking water, but they have cracked down on infrastructure. We have a lot of old things and they have issued us points for them. If you are assessed 150 points, you are out of compliance. We were assessed 815 points. They are all minor things that are really subjective. We have 120 days from the date those points are assessed to address them. We can clean up those points and get under 150 within the 120 days. It is probably going to cost us about $50,000. We have old and aging water infrastructure and need to start replacing things. Luckily, we had enough budget to address these current concerns. We ought to do some tank inspections, too.

They then had discussion on potential culinary water sources. When asked if they have enough water, Director Mackley said yes. Mayor Holmgren said as the secondary water system is developing within the City, demand for culinary is starting to level out. We are actually creating quite a bit of capacity with our culinary water as a result of our secondary water system. That is making a difference. Director Mackley said there is a lot we can still do to conserve and protect the water we have. We will need to develop some other culinary sources. We might be going into a heavy drought again. I sure hope not, but it has been a dry summer.

d. Council Reports and Comments

Councilmember Estep said I am proud of our employees with the tragedy that we have had. I have seen them pull together everywhere. I really believe that it has pulled our community together. Our employees have been outstanding. The City sent a truck and backhoe to that house to haul stuff off, but there were lots of volunteers helping clean things up. I want to thank everyone for what we have done and are going to do. We have to bond together and not have divisions. We still have a lot of healing to do.

Councilmember Rohde said ditto, thanks for everything. He then asked if Director Seedall could provide a summary of what Landmark Design has done over the past year and their scope of practice. Can we leverage the existing planning staff to develop more in-house? What are the benefits or drawbacks of continuing to use Landmark Design versus our own planning? Director Seedall said Landmark Design started working with the City years ago and their initial service provided expertise with the Water Conservation Plan. We had that fully done and adopted before the State started hosting trainings. That really encapsulates what Landmark has provided the City—extra capacity and expertise to a new department. I know quite a bit about land use, but I do not know everything. Since I have been hired, Landmark has been on a project-by-project basis. The four projects we have going on right now are for Main Street revitalization and Midland Square. Over the past year they have put in about 1,000 hours of work, which I do not have the capacity to add into all that Greg Horspool and I have been trying to do as a planning department. We spend a lot of our days updating codes and handling day-to-day business. It is great to have Sam Taylor’s team and support. They bring value into vetting our ideas. We have been working with them for about six and a half years. They have a lot of institutional knowledge. I value their opinions. Councilmember Rohde said explain PUDs. Director Seedall said we used to use overlay zones and there was no consistency between how these developments came to be. One of the first things I worked on when I got here was the PUD ordinance. The purpose behind it was to standardize how developers could get extra houses by creating a point system. That point system is put into the development agreement and would be added and brought to the Council. It also goes through the Planning Commission. This has helped the City because it is now a chapter of zoning code. It has standardized this process and lessened the City’s liability. Every one of our zones is equivalent to some units per acre. The PUD allows for developers to take that units per acre and create a variety of housing product until they max out those units per acre. This allows for us to diversify the housing products. The approval process starts with DRC and an application. We review it and then it goes to Planning Commission. The final plat comes to the Council. Councilmember Rohde also asked about making 600 North safer, especially during school hours. Director Seedall discussed a safe route to school grant on 600 North. they will have further discussion on this in another meeting.

Councilmember Westergard said I wish our community could, without having something like this happen, have the same priorities we have now. All of us have experienced death and your prioritization changes, but then it kind of goes back to normal. I appreciate everything that has been done and I am proud to be from here.

Councilmember Lewis said on Monday night we had the procession and I stood there very proud as I watched the citizens turn out. We have a lot of people in the City who do their jobs well and go unrecognized. We owe a lot of gratitude to you guys for all you do. Please know you are appreciated. Also, there has been a lot of stuff teeing up for a really bright future. Economic development is going to be fun over the next five years. We are just getting started with the Main Street project and I think that is going to spur a lot of economic development. We can set the vision for the sports complex. Having that study is going to give us the ability to leverage that vision. I am glad to see those pieces starting to come together.

Mayor Holmgren said I want to second everything that has been mentioned tonight with regard to the police. Our hearts go out to their families. We could not be more appreciative of the service law enforcement provides and all of the departments. We appreciate you so very much. Our City Attorney Dustin Ericson has applied for the judgeship for our County. We are excited about that. I know there has been a lot of people reaching out wanting to do something in recognition of Officer Estrada, Sergeant Sorenson, and Deputy Allred. Midland Square could be the area for that. We are planning to dedicate a section to our armed services. There has already been a lot of money collected for this so maybe we could do a monument or mural in honor of them. Midland Square should start coming together fast now that work is underway and should wrap up in October.

Motion by Councilmember Estep to move into closed meeting. Motion seconded by Councilmember Lewis. 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 8:33 p.m.

12. CLOSED MEETING:

Motion by Councilmember Rohde to return to open 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 returned to open session at 9:33 p.m.

13. Adjournment.

Motion by Councilmember Rohde 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 9:33 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 16th day of September, 2025.

Cynthia Nelson, City Recorder

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