General Information

Government Type

Municipality

Entity

Wellington

Public Body

Wellington City Council

Notice Information

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Notice Title

Wellington City Council Meeting Minutes

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

June 11, 2025 06:00 PM

Description/Agenda

Wellington City Council Minutes Meeting held June 11, 2025 at Wellington City Hall Located at 150 West Main Street, Wellington, Utah at 6:00 P.M. Present: Mayor, Jack Clark, Councilmember Bill Juber, Councilmember Kathy Hascall, Councilmember Monson, Councilmember Bryan Thayn, Councilmember Barney Zauss Absent: City Staff: Rebecca Evans, George Anderson, Tom Kosmack, Nicole Oveson Attendees: Tim Johnson, Wyatt Hansen, James Thayn, Ed Chavez, Brandi Davis, Matt Perea, Seth Wells, Becky Clegg, Nathan Carlson, Jennifer Clark, Naile Gravett, Chris Gravett, Chris Wells Agenda Item #1 Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call, and Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes At 6:00 pm, Mayor Clark opened the meeting stating that everyone was present. Motion: Councilmember Thayn made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from May 14, 2025. Councilmember Hascall seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Zauss and Councilmember Monson. Councilmember Thayn made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from May 28, 2025. Councilmember Hascall seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Zauss and Councilmember Monson. Agenda Item #2 Public Comment Period Agenda Item #3 Public Hearing - Intent to Apply for CIB Grant for Wellington City Public and Emergency Services Building City Treasurer Nicole Oveson approached the stand and expressed concern for the health of the office staff. The offices do not have windows resulting in both Oveson and City Recorder Rebecca Evans needing to be put on prescription Vitamin D. Evans joined Oveson at the stand and explained that in addition to the low Vitamin D, there are recurring ear and sinus infections. There is no heating in the winter with the temperatures in the offices at around 55 degrees before the space heaters turn on. In the summer, there is no air conditioning and again, without these fans, the offices can reach 80 degrees. Another concern is the water; there has been advisory not to use the water coming from the taps. They both expressed that there has been mold/air quality testing done and black mold was found in a portion of the building that has been sealed off, but now that the weather is warming up - the mold and mildew smell is strong and can make them sick. Fire Chief George Anderson stated that the fire department currently meets few of the NFDA standards set. Their turn-out gear should be stored in its own room, but it is currently being stored with the fire trucks. There needs to be room to expand as there is great need for another fire engine. Some industrial buildings are coming into the area and may require a ladder truck and a foam truck. He states that Price City has a ladder truck that can be used, but we're quickly approaching capacity. Police Chief Tom Kosmack approached the stand and said that their police department has essentially been working out of a broom closet and that for as long as he has known, Wellington has never had a building fit for a police department. He explained that his team also does not have heat or air conditioning, but if they can go sit in their patrol vehicles to warm up or cool down, the office staff does not have that ability. He stated that the building has lived its life and that the city can never grow without moving forward. He closed by firmly stating that a new building at this point is a need and not a want. Brandi Davis, a concerned citizen and former member of the Wellington City Fire Department said that she hopes that the city is considering growth and not thinking about the just now. That the best way to go about building would be something to benefit the community for the next 25 years. She also explained that it should be presented as 'we're growing for the community. To provide better fire, policing and administrative services what they need to better serve the community.' Councilmember Kyle Monson stated that he agrees that a new building is needed, but that we need to build smart. He feels like the city has fallen backwards and wants to consider growth when he sees it happen. He wants to consider building the building with options to build on in the future. Councilmember Barney Zauss stated that it is an attractive nuisance resulting in multiple break-ins in the building and that a new building can help eliminate that. Wyatt Hansen with Jones and DeMille Engineering explained that he has been working with Wellington City to help bring this project to life. He stated that he was very impressed with the council as they started dreaming big but then quickly narrowed it down and reduced it to the city's basic needs. Hansen said that based on the programming study, the potential building design has fewer square feet than is needed for the next 5-10 years, and the Wellington team is continuously willing to reduce their needs to make this achievable for everyone. Councilmember Zauss spoke up again and said that the building design isn't a signed deal. He explained to the other members of the council that if the CIB offers less than requested, the additional new fire department bay can be eliminated and built later. Councilmember Kathy Hascall initially wanted to join the city council to improve the beautification of main street. She feels like the city shouldn't expect the residents to beautify their properties if the current building is in shambles and disrepair. She hopes the city can plan the building to meet our needs for today and as the population grows, we can consider that then. She explained that a new building is needed and the way we can make it happen is with funding from the CIB. Police Chief Kosmack approached the stand again and said that if the CIB does offer what is requested, it is an opportunity and CIB opportunities help the city grow. He also reiterated that there is a need and the time is now. Mayor Jack Clark stated that there are some plans for moving forward and there is currently a mobile building in the back for temporary office space. He explained that the results of the air quality testing showed that the air was better quality outside of the building than inside the building and that is with the building located on a major highway. He is hopeful of receiving the funding to build what we ed and the rest of the growth can come after that. Brandi Davis approached the stand again and she stated that she used to rent the events room for her kids' birthday, but the room is no longer available due to the roof and ceiling leaking. Councilmember Zauss stated that Wellington City was tagged by UDOT and the state as a city that is 'up and coming'. There is a developer coming in to build 100 homes and that there is growth happening in Wellington. Councilmember Thayn agreed that we need a new building and explained that if the CIB denies the funding, the city will apply again when the CIB accepts applications again. Additionally, the city will continue to look to see what other grants or offers there are for rural communities in need. Resident Michael Wells has lived in Wellington for 65 years and has continuously heard that the city is going to grow, but it hasn't grown despite there being opportunities for growth. He told the council that he went to elementary school in this building and agrees it is old and needs to be torn down. He feels like the city should build for the current needs and expand if necessary. He also stated that he would like to see something finished, and a new building could be just that. Motion: Councilmember Monson made a motion to enter a public hearing at 6:02. Councilmember Juber seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Thayn, Councilmember Zauss and Councilmember Hascall. Councilmember Zauss made a motion to move out of the public hearing at 6:48. Councilmember Thayn seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Monson and Councilmember Hascall. Agenda Item #4 Chief George Anderson - Employment Status Changes Chief Anderson presented to the council that Nalie Gravett, Chris Gravett and Seth Wells have completed their probationary period on the fire department and would like to move forward with taking them off probation. Motion: Councilmember Zauss made a motion to move Nalie Gravett, Chris Gravett and Seth Wells from probationary firefighter to full-time volunteer firefighter. Councilmember Monson seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Thayn and Councilmember Hascall. Agenda Item #5 Tim Johnson - Paid Holidays This topic has been tabled. Motion: Agenda Item # 6 2026 County Music Festival City Recorder Rebecca Evans and Mayor Clark met with Tina Grange from the Carbon County Chamber and Layne Miller from the Price City Council earlier this week to discuss a potential collaborative event to kick off summer 2026. There are currently musical performances planned in Price on Thursday, and an event planned for Helper for Saturday. Grange and Miller invited Wellington to host a concert on Friday. Evans offered to help prepare for this event and Councilmember Zauss loved the idea and immediately offered to contribute. It was discussed that this would be a good opportunity for Wellington and the council would like to proceed with the planning process. Motion: Agenda Item #7 Commercial Account Utility Connections This topic has been tabled. Motion: Agenda Item #8 Wellington City Budget This topic has been tabled. Motion: Agenda Item #9 Wellington City Property Taxes Wellington City financial consultant Barbara Clendennen said that a .005 property tax rate will help the budget. She explained that it wasn't going to cover the entire deficit. Clendennen stated that the rate would go up $600 for folks with a property value of $200,000 and that as a Wellington resident, she doesn't look forward to personally experiencing an increase, but that needs to be done. Mayor Clark expressed that many residents are on a fixed income and that this increase is a tough pill to swallow. Councilmember Thayn explained that he is trying to get a grasp on what needs to be done. He asked to find out how we got to the point and how we can undo the mess. Councilmember Juber said that it isn't going to be popular, but that it needs to be done. There was discussion amongst the members that they can't remember a time when they had seen a Wellington City property tax increase. Councilmember Hascall asked Clendennen if she had any recommendations on how to increase the city's revenue. Clendennen stated that a museum would increase sales tax. If a hotel or motel came in, that would provide more room tax. She also stated that the council needs to seek grants. That there could be funding to help with payroll or to pay off the current loans. Councilmember Thayn responded that the council needs a more solid plan than to 'hopefully find grants and funding'. Motion: Councilmember Zauss made a motion that Wellington City propose a property tax rate of .005 and submit the proposed rate to the Utah State Tax Commission for certification. Councilmember Juber seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Monson and Councilmember Hascall. Councilmember Thayn opposed. Agenda Item #10 Mobile Office Building Mayor Clark stated that the move from the city offices to the mobile office needs to happen sooner rather than later and has asked the council to think about what can be done, what needs to be done and how it will be done. He also stated that the ramp needs to be redone as it is out of ADA compliance. Barbara Clendennen offered some materials that can be utilized to make cubical. It was mentioned that there is a shop in Orem called Restore that might have some materials at low cost that we can purchase. It was also discussed that the old playground equipment should be considered to be repurposed and put out at the pond. Motion: Agenda Item #11 Councilmember Reports Councilmember Hascall stated that Wellington Days is moving along and that it is coming up soon. She also said that there has been discussion about a possible movie night. There were no updates from other council members. Agenda Item #12 Unfinished Business There wasn't any unfinished business to discuss. Motion: Agenda Item #13 Possible Closed Session to Discuss the Character, Professional Competence, or Physical or Mental Health of an Individual. Motion: Councilmember Thayn made a motion to move into a closed session at 8:32 PM. Councilmember Zauss seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Monson and Councilmember Hascall. Councilmember Thayn made a motion to exit the closed session at 8:57 PM. Councilmember Hascall seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Monson and Councilmember Zauss. Adjourn Motion: Councilmember Monson made a motion to adjourn. Councilmember Thayn seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Zauss, Councilmember Hascall and Councilmember Juber. Meeting adjourned at 8:58pm Next meeting will be June 25, 2025, at 6:00 P.M. at the Wellington City Hall.

Notice of Special Accommodations (ADA)

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing auxiliary services for this meeting should call 435-637-5213 at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Notice of Electronic or Telephone Participation

Individuals who are interested in participating electronically via Zoom need to contact the city recorder at 435-637-5213, no later than 3:00 P.M. on the meeting date.

Other Information

A copy of this notice was emailed to the Sun Advocate, a newspaper of general circulation within Carbon County, to Radio Station KOAL/KARB, and Emery TV.

Meeting Information

Meeting Location

150 W MAIN
WELLINGTON, UT 84542
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Contact Name

Rebecca Evans

Contact Email

revans@wellingtonutah.org

Contact Phone

(435)637-5213

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

June 26, 2025 09:54 AM

Notice Last Edited On

June 26, 2025 09:54 AM

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