General Information

Government Type

Municipality

Entity

Blanding

Public Body

City Council

Notice Information

Add Notice to Calendar

Notice Title

City Council Minutes 1.13.2026

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

January 13, 2026 07:00 PM

Description/Agenda

CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Mayor Trevor Olsen Council Member Kellen Nielson Council Member Chris Ewald Council Member Charlie Taylor Council Member Jesse Grover Council Member Chad Moses January 13, 2026 6:00 PM - Work Session January 13, 2026 7:00 PM City Council Meeting 50 West 100 South Street, Blanding Utah 84511 Meetings live streamed when available at: https://meet.google.com/xxg-uefm-yut Work Session Stormwater Interlocal Agreement Review WHEREAS, the San Juan School District has constructed a stormwater retention facility located on the southeast corner of the Blanding Elementary School property, designed to manage up to a 100-year storm event within a 24-hour period; and WHEREAS, under certain rare and limited conditions, controlled release of stormwater from the retention facility into the City's municipal stormwater system may be necessary to prevent overflow and address public safety concerns, including the accumulation of standing water near a school zone; and WHEREAS, infrastructure exists to allow controlled drainage from the retention facility through an overflow valve mechanism; and WHEREAS, the Parties desire to establish clear operational procedures, coordination requirements, and allocation of responsibility for such releases; and WHEREAS, this Agreement is entered into pursuant to the Utah Interlocal Cooperation Act, Utah Code §11-13-101 et seq. Mr. Redd explained some of the specifics of the interlocal agreement. He provided context on a storm water issue concerning the school district's pond, which was originally intended as a retention pond but failed to percolate correctly due to clay in the ground. The city is changing the definition of the pond to a detention pond to allow for controlled release of water into the city's storm water system when it is not raining. They discussed who will supervise the whole thing and especially when water is being let out of the detention pond. A fence will also be installed around the pond to resolve safety issues related to standing water. It was suggested that they put in the contract that they will reevaluate in a year and see how things have gone. They also talked about roads and the school district's responsibility. Annual Schedules The city council went over the city council scheduled meetings for 2026 as well as the city office and holiday schedule. Mr. Redd presented a detailed holiday office schedule to streamline the time-off hours for all employees across different departments, including admin, public works, and police. The goal is to balance the time off for different schedules and provide clarity for traditional holiday closures around Thanksgiving and Christmas. The standardized schedule results in approximately 104 hours of paid time off for most employees, comparable to past practices. Councilmember Taylor expressed concern that the detailed holiday schedule, which provides more time off than standard federal holidays, might create a perception of excessive leave. Mr. Redd defended the plan, noting it reflects a long-standing practice that is now being documented for transparency and to simplify payroll administration. They agreed to put in the caveat of 'upon the mayor's approval' for the time off. The schedule allows for adjustments throughout the year if necessary. Area of Responsibility They discussed the council members' responsibilities over certain departments and what they have traditionally done in the past. Mr. Redd asked if anyone was interested in being involved with anything in particular. Councilmember Taylor will be over parks and rec and the rec board he will also be the mayor pro temp. He would also like to remain over power. Councilmember Nielson will remain with the planning commission and events. Councilmember Ewald will remain over the airport and take on tourism and economic development. Councilmember Moses will be over public health, water, sewer and solid waste. Councilmember Grover will be over natural gas and youth city council. General Preferences & Procedures Mr. Redd went over the logistics of getting the packet ready and when you can add things and when he gets it finalized. He talked about the best meeting times, text threads and emails. Mr. Redd wanted the new council members to be aware of policies and procedures and how things work. The mayor talked about how the meetings usually run. Gemini Training Mr. Redd provided training on digital assets for new council members, including access to the Google Drive for council packets and minutes. He introduced Gemini, an AI tool that records meetings and generates transcripts, video, and summaries, though these are not the official minutes. Mr. Redd also demonstrated a 'notebook' feature for uploading and querying large policy documents like the Utah League of Cities and Towns book. POLICY MEETING Call to Order Roll Call A Prayer was offered by Mayor Olsen. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance. Consent Agenda & City Council Minutes Approval - 12.09.2025 Councilmember Taylor made a motion to approve the consent agenda and minutes from December 9, 2026. Councilmember Ewald seconded the motion. Mayor Olsen repeated the motion and asked for discussion or questions. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Grover Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Moses Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Olsen declared the motion carried. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest - None Public Input Martin Numbers was present at the council meeting. He wanted to express some concerns. He said that he doesn't live here anymore, he lives up north with his daughter. He stated that he has heard that power is cheaper here than other places. He went over some calculations of kilowatts and prices and expressed his confusion of electric utility rates, which seem to decrease with higher usage. Kenyadi Kane was present and she asked that the council reconsider joining up with White Mesa as far as water goes. She feels like it would be a strain on an already limited system to add another township. Mayor Olsen confirmed that as of right now there is nothing in the works. Reports Mayor The mayor stated that he asked Councilmember Taylor to be the Mayor Pro Tempore. City Council Councilmember Nielson stated that the planning commission has been working on the mobile home ordinance and it will be brought to city council at the next meeting or the first meeting in February. Pratt Redd City Manager Report Mr. Redd stated that the company, Lockner, that is handling the airport project is in town and they have been checking in on things and going over some final check lists and things are going well there. He was asked by a citizen about a potential dog park, it has been talked about before and it can be brought back to council and discussed. The county is planning on appointing a judge on January 27th. Councilmember Ewald asked what the plans are for the gates on the wildlife fence at the airport. Mr. Redd stated that there are plans to get proper gates put in. He will confirm with Taylor Francom. Court Report December: Total Traffic Cases: 39 Total Criminal Cases: 12 Finance Report - James Francom Mr. Francom had the operational budget available for the council to look at. He also explained the budget and how to read it to the new councilmembers. He explained how to look things up and what the numbers mean. They talked about the marathon and how much was spent on it and how much was made. They spent less than what was budgeted for. Mr. Muhlestein talked about the revenue and the indirect revenue. Councilmember Taylor asked about the county comfort expense. They talked about bathrooms at the parks. Mr. Palmer stated that he is currently looking into grant funding for some permanent bathrooms at the pickleball courts. Councilmember Nielson asked about the big expense on the fuel system. It was explained that it is the fuel system at the airport. Councilmember Ewald reported that it is working fine as far as he knows. Community & Economic Development Report - Ben Muhlstein Blanding Businesses - We are continuing to get business renewals through City Inspect. A majority of existing licenses have been renewed with about 50 remaining. We are still figuring out all the kinks, but the process is getting much better. Events: July 4th: Plans are shaping up for this year. Our committee will be meeting later this month with the County which also has a 4th of July committee for this year. Marathon: The marathon officially had 159 registrants with 120 showing up to run. We are still waiting on an invoice from the School District but the marathon continues to make money for the city, both through direct costs and through indirect taxes from TRT and Sales Tax. Community Development: Mobile Home updates are coming along. The Planning Commission is meeting on the 8th to vote on sending their current thoughts to the City Council. (To review in February) - Planning Commission is also reviewing the idea of a Water Wise ordinance. They have finalized that ordinance and it is ready for the council to look at and approve that. Visitor Center Data for 2025 - 20,489 Total Visitors for 2025 - $43,532 Total (CNHA) Sales for 2025 (An additional $3,600 in City Sales.) Councilmember Taylor stated that he would like to see the mobile home ordinance as soon as possible so that they have time to really look over it and review it. Police Report - Chief JJ Bradford(Chief Bradford was absent, Mr. Redd went over his report) All officers attended arrest control and vehicle extraction training. December kept us busy with more calls for service than last year. We took an additional five calls for service and our arrests and citations were just slightly lower than last year. This was done while being down a third of our department. Cadets Spillman and Laws spent a couple weeks over the Christmas break riding along with officers and getting some field training. They were able to be a part of a couple DUI arrests, obtaining and serving a search warrant, domestic violence calls and observe a couple other investigations as they were conducted. Chief Bradford is getting one of the three new trucks right now. He drove an old police car up north for the company to take all the assets out and put them into the trucks. Park & Rec quarterly report - David Palmer The 4th quarter of 2025 was very busy, I have listed the highlights below: We Finished up all of our Fall Sports which are listed below We finished Flag Football this quarter We finished Tackle Football this quarter We finished Girls Basketball this quarter and this was the first year we offered basketball to the 1st & 2nd grade girls. It was a great success. We Winterized all of our City Parks and buildings for the winter during the first part of October We finished the registration process for Boys Basketball and started practice in December The Wellness Center this quarter had 7,200 visits during the 4th quarter and 43,794 visits for the whole year of 2025. That is an average of 142 paying customers every day. This does not count the hundreds of spectators that come to watch sporting events at the facility. At the end of December we installed all brand new exercise equipment at the Wellness Center. At the end of my 1st full year with the City we had 736 participants in our sports programs. This year marked my 15th year with Blanding City and we ended the year with 1,031 total participants in our sports programs. That is an increase of 40.1% which is incredible considering the Census data shows the population of Blanding has only increased by 1% over the same time frame. Last Monday they started their new position and he is very grateful for that and they have big plans and goals for the position and hopefully the results will be a noticeable difference. Mr. Palmer stated that they have purchased all the new mowers that they need. The mowing will now be done in-house. It has already been beneficial in that the mowers have been across every inch of the parks and it's brought to light some things that need attention and improvements. Before spring baseball the renovations will be done on the concession stands at the ball park. They briefly discussed the hours of the wellness center. Mr. Palmer stated that they are busy early in the morning and in the evening. Business Items Resolution 01-13-2026-1 APPROVING THE ANNUAL OFFICE AND HOLIDAY SCHEDULE FOR BLANDING CITY WHEREAS, Blanding City establishes an annual office and holiday schedule to ensure consistent municipal operations, employee clarity, and continuity of essential public services; and WHEREAS, City Staff has prepared the 2026 Office and Holiday Schedule, which outlines official City holidays, office closures, and applicable administrative guidance for City departments; and WHEREAS, the Blanding City Council desires to formally approve the annual office and holiday schedule as presented, without enumerating individual dates or hours within this Resolution. Councilmember Taylor made a motion to approve Resolution 01-13-2026-1 approving the annual office and holiday schedule for Blanding City. Councilmember Nielson seconded the motion. Mayor Olsen repeated the motion and asked for discussion or questions. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Grover Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Moses Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Olsen declared the motion carried. Resolution 01-13-2026-2 APPROVING THE ANNUAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE FOR BLANDING CITY WHEREAS, the Blanding City Council establishes an annual meeting schedule to ensure orderly governance, public transparency, and compliance with applicable open and public meetings requirements; and WHEREAS, City Staff has prepared the 2026 City Council Meeting Schedule, which outlines the regular meeting cadence, locations, and associated work sessions for the calendar year; and WHEREAS, the Blanding City Council desires to formally approve the annual City Council meeting schedule as presented, without enumerating individual meeting dates or times within this Resolution. Councilmember Ewald made a motion to approve Resolution 01-13-2026-2 approving the annual city council meeting schedule for Blanding City. Councilmember Taylor seconded the motion. Mayor Olsen repeated the motion and asked for discussion or questions. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Grover Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Moses Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Olsen declared the motion carried. Advice and Consent Items Create Resolution for Blanding Downtown Plan Mr. Redd sought advice and consent to create a resolution for the downtown plan documents, noting that changes have been made, including removing some specific language about a bypass. The plan provides guidance for grant funding and partnerships to make the downtown more walkable and user-friendly, emphasizing it is a blueprint of ideas, not final policy or procedure. The council advised moving forward with creating the resolution. Discussion Items 2027 Budget Discussion & Timeline Mr. Redd outlined the timeline for the 2027 budget, starting with department heads meeting with employees in the first two weeks of March, followed by preparation with department heads in the latter half of March and April. The City Council will begin reviewing the budget in early May. He encouraged the council to bring up any items or any areas of concern or projects that they want in the budget. They plan to dedicate time to discuss budget items during the six o'clock work sessions and encouraged council members to watch a training video on approaching budgets as a guide for city goals and objectives, not just a profit and loss sheet. Closed Session Councilmember Nielson made a motion to go into closed session to discuss personnel. Councilmember Grover seconded the motion. Mayor Olsen repeated the motion. He asked for discussion or questions. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Grover Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Moses Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Olsen declared the motion carried. Adjournment Councilmember Grover made a motion to adjourn. Councilmember Nielson seconded the motion. Mayor Olsen repeated the motion and asked for discussion or questions, hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Grover Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Moses Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Olsen declared the motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:28pm.

Notice of Special Accommodations (ADA)

In compliance with the ADA, individuals needing special accommodations during this meeting may call the City Offices at (435) 678-2791 at least twenty-four hours in advance. Every effort will be made to provide the appropriate services.

Notice of Electronic or Telephone Participation

One or more Council Members may partcipate electronically.

Meeting Information

Meeting Location

50 W 100 S
Blanding, UT 84511
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Contact Name

Pratt Redd

Contact Email

predd@blanding-ut.gov

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

February 18, 2026 02:24 PM

Notice Last Edited On

February 18, 2026 02:24 PM

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