General Information

Government Type

Municipality

Entity

Wellington

Public Body

Wellington City Council

Notice Information

Add Notice to Calendar

Notice Title

Wellington City Council Meeting Minutes

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

September 10, 2025 06:00 PM

Description/Agenda

Wellington City Council Minutes Meeting held September 10, 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 Bryan Thayn, Councilmember Barney Zauss, Councilmember Kyle Monson Absent: City Staff: Rebecca Evans, Nicole Oveson Attendees: Susanna Watts, Aiden Mortensen, Barbara Clendennen, Larry McKinnon, Justin Needles, Tom King, Jennifer Clark, Joni Boren, Lynn O'Neil, Cindy O'Neil, Henry Etzel, Susan Etzel 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 Zauss made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from August 27, 2025. Councilmember Thayn seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Hascall and Councilmember Monson. Agenda Item #2 Public Comment Period Barbara Clendennen thanked several individuals for their service to the City; recognizing Barney for improving staff workspace, Nicole for managing construction and preventing overpayments, City Recorder Rebecca Evans for property-tax research, Mayor Jack Clark for his extra time to 'get the City back on track,' and the Council for handling public criticism. She voiced outrage over the recent shooting of Charlie Kirk and urged residents to take greater civic responsibility by volunteering for cleanups, maintaining properties, and supporting community initiatives rather than relying solely on elected officials, concluding with an apology for her emotional tone and stating she felt these points needed to be made. Agenda Item #3 Justin Needles - Ambulance Contract Justin Needles with Carbon County Ambulance, is seeking letters of support from each entity it serves. The garage is requesting relicensure under updated state law. The service provides 24/7 emergency medical response with two staff members on duty at all times and a total workforce of 30 employees (23 part-time and 7 full-time). In 2024, the service responded to 1,866 calls countywide, including about 10% within Wellington City. Despite operating costs of $1,707,393.79 and revenue of $1,637,426.93 (an approximate $70,000 loss), the average cost per ambulance run was $915. Motion: Councilmember Thayn made a motion to issue a letter of support and appreciation of services to the Carbon County Ambulance. Councilmember Monson seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Zauss and Councilmember Hascall. Agenda Item #4 Henry Etzel - Culvert on Property Henry Etzel addressed the Council regarding a culvert at the bottom of his lot that had been in place for over 31 years but was recently covered on both sides without proper approval. He reported that the blockage is causing water to back up onto his property during rainstorms. Mr. Etzel stated the culvert had remained open until the lot was purchased, while the current neighbor, Josh Bates, has since built a garage in a location where reopening the culvert could direct water toward it. Council members agreed the culvert is on City property, acknowledged the need for it to be open and will follow up with Mr. Bates to find a solution that works for both property owners. Motion: Agenda Item #5 J. Berthold Sick Pay Payout The Council discussed paying out Jonathan's accumulated sick hours. Members noted that the employee manual allows sick hours to be paid at the end of the year and that Jonathan had previously presented this request during a work meeting but had not yet been paid. Motion: Councilmember Thayn made a motion to pay out Jonathan's sick time according to how the policy states in the handbook. Councilmember Zauss seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Monson and Councilmember Hascall. Agenda Item #6 Carbon County/Wellington Microtech Easement The Council discussed a proposed easement exchange with Carbon County involving Wellington City granting a 100-foot-wide roadway easement through city property in return for two lots from the County. The roadway would improve access to the property, with the City likely responsible for future maintenance. All agreed it was a fair exchange. Motion: Councilmember Monson made a motion to move forward with the easement and lot exchange. Councilmember Zauss seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Thayn and Councilmember Hascall. Agenda Item #7 Councilmember Monson - Mental Health Speaker Opportunity Councilmember Monson proposed hosting a mental health seminar in Wellington led by an ex-military geologist who has developed a program to address PTSD, depression, and anxiety without medications. The speaker and his team plan to donate their time, with the program becoming publicly available in about 45 days. Council members discussed possible venues such as Wellington Elementary, the high school, or the college. The Council expressed support for the seminar, and Councilmember Monson will coordinate with the speaker to set a date in October while members assist in finding a suitable location and spreading the word. Motion: Agenda Item #8 Cindy O'Neil - Hillside Annexation Cindy O'Neill presented potential concerns about the legality of the 1979 annexation of the Hillside Subdivision into Wellington City, noting that the area is two miles from existing development, property owners did not receive required notification letters, city records from 1974-1982 are missing or incomplete, and the subdivision uses PRWID water and sewer services rather than City systems. She expressed concerns that the annexation may have been done primarily to increase the City's tax base and requested the missing records be located and the annexation potentially redone. Council members acknowledged the missing records and the long timeframe since the annexation. Motion: Agenda Item #9 CIB Funding Discussion Councilman Zauss reported on the funding application for Wellington's new administration building. The City initially requested $6 million in grant funding and $1 million in loan funding, and the funding board approved $5 million in grants and $2 million in loans at a reduced 0.5% interest rate. Carbon County has offered approximately $500,000 in in-kind contributions for demolition of the existing building. The City will need to finance about $1.5 million over 30 years. Barney noted the board was very supportive due to Wellington's contributions to the state, and Council members discussed potentially scaling back the project by removing the extra bay planned for future fire trucks. Wyatt Hansen with Jones and DeMille advised against that as the City must spend the loan portion before they go to the grant. Anything spent after the 1.5 million is funded by grant. Motion: Agenda Item #10 Lotus Company - Letter of Intent The Council briefly discussed a non-binding letter of intent from The Lotus Company regarding potential development of two City lots. Members emphasized the need to conduct due diligence and obtain references from other cities that have worked with the company, noting resident Tom King's reminder that The Lotus Company is a business seeking profit. The Council tabled the discussion and the Mayor will reach out to the company for references and additional information. Motion: Agenda Item #11 Police Department Staffing and Overtime Mayor Clark briefly discussed police department staffing and overtime issues, expressing concern about officer burnout and noting the county is currently covering shifts from 2-6 a.m. The mayor is in the process of securing a better deal and will meet with Sheriff Wood to discuss staffing solutions and will follow up. Barbara noted that even with a new hire, proper supervision is required, and training would still necessitate at least two staff members. The city will continue efforts to hire additional officers Motion: Agenda Item #12 RESOLUTION NO. 2025-03: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF WELLINGTON CITY, UTAH, ESTABLISHING THE CERTIFIED PROPERTY TAX RATE FOR THE 2025 TAX YEAR The Council discussed establishing the certified property tax rate for 2025. The mayor initially proposed a rate increase to 0.005 but, after hearing from constituents, recommended a smaller increase of approximately 0.0017 (about one-third of the original proposal). Council members reviewed various options, including raising the rate to 0.0028 as done previously, and considered the impact on residents. Estimating a $20 increase on a $200,000 home with a 98% rate increase compared to $40 under the originally proposed 225% increase. Members emphasized the importance of incremental increases rather than one large increase. Motion: Councilmember Thayn made a motion to for the new Wellington City Property Tax rate to be .003. Councilmember Zauss seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Juber, Councilmember Monson and Councilmember Hascall. Agenda Item #13 Unfinished Business Councilmember Hascall stated that she is researching municipal bonds. Councilmember Zauss explained that the building is about ready to go and there are plans to paint over the weekend. Councilmember Thayn touched on the museum options for the town and is continuing to look into that. Motion: Agenda Item #14 Possible Closed Session to Discuss the Character, Professional Competence, or Physical or Mental Health of an Individual. Motion: Councilmember Monson made a motion to enter a closed session at 7:51 PM. Councilmember Thayn seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Zauss, Councilmember Hascall, and Councilmember Juber. Councilmember Monson made a motion to exit a closed session at 8:37 PM. Councilmember Hascall seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Zauss, Councilmember Thayn, and Councilmember Juber. Adjourn Motion: Councilmember Hascall made a motion to adjourn. Councilmember Juber seconded the motion; followed by Councilmember Thayn, Councilman Monson and Councilmember Zauss. Meeting adjourned at 8:37pm Next meeting will be October 8, 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

September 25, 2025 08:35 AM

Notice Last Edited On

September 25, 2025 08:35 AM

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