The Connection Report is a biweekly summary of business conducted in the City
Council Workshop and Strategic Planning Session. It reports what was discussed
and decided, what is on the calendar, and what items will return to Council for
action. This report covers the August 4, 2026 Workshop, Strategic Planning, and
City Council meetings.

Virtual Currency Kiosk Regulation (Ordinance 2614)
Council adopted an ordinance prohibiting virtual currency, or cryptocurrency, kiosks
within city limits. The Police Department brought the measure forward after
documented scams in which a caller impersonates law enforcement or a federal
agency, claims the resident owes a debt or has a warrant, and pressures the
resident to send money through a kiosk. Unlike bank transactions, cryptocurrency
sent this way cannot be frozen or recovered, and the scams have most often
targeted elderly residents. Neighboring communities have reported significant losses
to the same scheme.
The City Attorney reviewed the measure and drafted the ordinance modeled on
those adopted in Garland and Brigham City. House Bill 72 sets a minimum standard
but does not prevent a city from banning the kiosks outright, and legal counsel in
Layton, Heber City, Brigham City, and Garland reached the same conclusion, with
no legal challenge succeeding against these ordinances to date. Council noted the
ordinance targets only the kiosks and does not restrict any resident’s ability to buy,
trade, or hold cryptocurrency, and that ordinary cash ATMs are unaffected. Council
discussed the value of revisiting the measure as technology changes and confirmed
it retains the ability to amend it at any time. The ordinance passed unanimously.
Financial Consulting Services (Resolution 2648)
With a full-time Finance Director now hired, the city’s standing financial consulting
agreement no longer fit its needs. The city’s primary requirement is the preparation
of audited financial statements, and the current consultant declined to continue that
work while proposing to move to an hourly consulting arrangement at a higher rate.
Council tabled Resolution 2648 and directed staff to prepare a Request for
Proposals specifying the audited financial statements the city needs, at least for the
coming year. Council acknowledged the value of the institutional knowledge built
over a long working relationship, directed that staff extend a final invitation for the
current consultant to reconsider the audit work, and noted that the consultant is
welcome to submit a proposal.
Public Safety
Ten Years of Service
Council recognized Officer Skyler for ten years of service to the Police Department.
The tribute noted his honesty, steadiness, and character, on the department and
with his family, and Council members shared their own accounts of the respect he
shows residents.
Fallen Officers Mural
The Police Department presented a proposal for a memorial mural honoring the
officers lost in the community, to be placed on the side of a city building and
developed in coordination with the families. The department reviewed several artists
and renderings and gathered bids. Council directed that the project be handed to the
Arts Council, which has funding available for a city mural this year and can carry the
work as part of the broader city mural program, with the families remaining central to
the design.
Sorenson-Estrada Day (Resolution 2649)
Council approved a resolution designating August 17 as Sorenson-Estrada Day in
remembrance of the officers lost in the community. The observance was developed
with the Sorenson and Estrada families, who asked that it remain low-key. The
resolution was modified before adoption to leave the form of each year’s observance
to the discretion of the Police Chief, recognizing that the appropriate remembrance
will vary from year to year. This year the day will be marked by a moment of silence,
with flags flown at half-staff. Staff will post the day to the city website and place it on
the calendar, as no regular meeting falls before August 17.
Staffing and Growth
Council discussed the effect of residential and commercial growth on public safety.
Higher-density housing increases demand on police, and the Fire Department
reported a sharp rise in hospital transfers as the population has grown. Council
reviewed the officer-to-population ratio, currently in the range of one officer per 700
to 860 residents, and set a working target of one officer per 825, balanced against
funding. Council emphasized that new growth must be paired with a funded plan for
police, fire, and infrastructure, pointing to the pending impact-fee reassessment and
new property-tax revenue from approved developments.
Land Use, Planning, and Code Updates
Planning Commission Term Limits (Ordinance 2615)
Council adopted a code amendment setting term limits and cleaning up appointment
rules for the Planning Commission. Appointed members serve three-year staggered
terms expiring in January, amended before adoption so that the terms of no more
than two commissioners expire in any single year. Alternate members serve oneyear terms and may reapply. The change does not alter any current member’s seat,
and members whose terms end may reapply through the standard application and
interview process. The ordinance passed unanimously.
Fencing Provisions (Ordinance 2616)
Council adopted amendments to the city’s general fencing provisions. The changes
add definitions for site-obscuring and non-site-obscuring fencing, clarify property-line
installation standards, and place responsibility on the property owner to verify
boundaries, including hiring a survey where a boundary is unclear. The most
significant change addresses fencing within recorded utility easements: rather than a
blanket rule, the city will evaluate each fence case by case, will neither approve nor
deny a fence based solely on its easement location, and any denial requires
reasonable cause such as protecting a water main. Earlier draft language making
owners responsible for replacing a city-removed fence was struck following resident
and Development Review Committee feedback. The changes apply to new fences
only and are not retroactive. The Planning Commission recommended the
amendment 4-0, and the ordinance passed.
Growth and Development Update
The Land Use Department presented a quarterly update with new resident- and
Council-facing reference materials and reported that it has submitted a Request for
Proposals to the state to update the general plan, with draft Planning Commission
bylaws to follow. Approved residential projects awaiting building permits total roughly
240 apartments, 460 townhouses, and 218 single-family homes, which will build out
over time rather than all at once. Three commercial site plan applications totaling
nearly 100 acres are under review. Because commercial growth places heavy
demand on the sewer system, staff is preparing a contract aimed at pursuing
Community Impact Board funding so capacity is in place before these sites break
ground in the spring. The department also reported that the state found the city’s
2025 moderate-income housing report compliant with Utah Code Section 10-21-202.
Council directed that the Police Department be included more consistently alongside
Fire in the internal development-review process.
Strategic Planning — The Connection Plan
Council held a Strategic Planning session to finalize the city’s goals and vision
framework. Council chose to keep the existing mission and vision statement rather
than create a new one, and reaffirmed the connection theme at the center of the
city’s pillars. Council reviewed the city’s 15 strategic goals and elected to keep all
15, noting they are distributed across department leads and tracked on the new city
website dashboard, which will combine goal tracking and public transparency in one
location through a partnership with Citizen Portal AI. Council favored the term “open
book” over “transparency” for the public-facing dashboard.
Council set aside a proposal to extend the Dignity Index into an employee
accountability tool. While the concept was well received, Council cited the risk of
misuse if the tool were tied to evaluations or promotions, and a conflict with
Council’s role on the employee disciplinary appeal board, and concluded that
fostering the right culture is the better path than adding another goal at this time.
Council set targets on several goals during the session: one improved city gateway
with signage in the first year, coordinated with the Main Street program; five positive
community stories published per month; quarterly town halls with agendas posted at
least two weeks ahead, with a remote-attendance option under review; seven
economic development prospects in the pipeline; the officer-to-population target of
one per 825 residents; completion of the utility rate studies within approximately six
months; a household water-use reduction of about 5 percent over the year; and a 20
percent cumulative savings target, with the baseline still being finalized. Council also
reviewed a strong year of events, including a record 700 people served at the
community breakfast, and chose to maintain or grow the schedule as part of being a
city of connection.
Administrative and Department Updates
Council was informed that the new city website will go live Saturday, August 15. The
project was built largely in house and is estimated to have saved the city roughly
$70,000; it will serve as a digital front door with a built-in resident communication
platform and the goals and open-book dashboards.
Council supported disposing of the surplus city ambulance to Willard City for
$10,000, consistent with its earlier direction to surplus the vehicle. Staff also
reported the city will bill Elwood Town for fire rooftop-coverage services, including
prior years, following confirmation of the needed data. On a request that the city
sponsor a charitable donation, Council raised the broader question of using taxpayer
dollars for charitable causes and where the line should be drawn, and chose to bring
the community-relations sponsorship budget to residents at the next town hall for
direct input rather than decide the individual request.
Public Comment — Topics Raised by Residents
A resident spoke in strong support of the Police Department, urging Council to hire
more officers rather than reduce staffing and to limit shifts to ten hours, and drawing
on his experience in demanding, safety-critical work to underscore the risk of
running short-handed. He emphasized that ensuring the department is adequately
staffed is a core responsibility of the city’s leadership.
A resident who lives in the county, with two city water mains crossing his property,
spoke to the fencing ordinance. He thanked staff for revising the earlier language
that would have made property owners responsible for replacing a fence removed
by the city, and asked how the requirements apply to county property. Council
clarified that the ordinance applies within the city or upon annexation, and noted that
the case-by-case approach is intended to let the city and property owners plan
easement fencing together. The staffing and budget concerns were carried into the
Strategic Planning discussion and the upcoming town hall.

Closed Session
Council convened in closed session on August 4, 2026 to discuss economic
development and personnel and staffing matters, as permitted under the Utah Open
and Public Meetings Act. No action was taken in open session following the closed
session.
Residents with questions about utility billing or city services are encouraged to
contact City Hall. The city’s ordinances, maps, and the new website are available
online for public review beginning August 15.