General Information

Government Type

Municipality

Entity

Elwood

Public Body

Elwood Town

Notice Information

Add Notice to Calendar

Notice Title

Elwood Town Council Meeting Mins

Notice Type(s)

Notice, Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

August 11, 2026 07:00 PM

Description/Agenda

Town Council Meeting Meeting Minutes August 11, 2026 7:00 PM 5235 West 8800 North, Elwood, UT 84337 The Elwood Town Council met at the Elwood Town Hall, 5235 West 8800 North, Elwood, Utah, at 7:00, August 11, 2026. The following members were present consisting of a quorum. Scott Goodliffe Mayor Mark Lay (VIA phone) Councilmember Brian Davis Councilmember Curtis Crouch Councilmember Staff present at this meeting Gina Marble Town Clerk Steve Woerner Public Works Others present at this meeting Erika Bywater Zack Pali Bryan Bywater Lynae Winkler Joan Whitaker Quinn Hamson Mary Lamont Micah Capener Welcome Mayor Goodliffe called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Mayor Goodliffe led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Councilmember Davis delivered the opening invocation. Administration Approve The Minutes For June 9, July 14, & Aug 5 2026 Town Council Meeting The minutes for the June 9, July 14, and August 5, 2026 meetings were presented for approval. Council members were given time to review the documents before a motion was called. Motion by Councilmember Crouch to approve the minutes for the June 9, July 14, and August 5, 2026 Town Council meetings. Seconded by Councilmember Davis. Motion passed unanimously. Action Item-Ordinance 2026-002 Municipal Transient Room Tax-Mayor Goodliffe Mayor Goodliffe presented Ordinance 2026-002, amending provisions of the municipal code to impose a 1% Municipal Transient Room Tax. The ordinance was drafted in anticipation of the RV park being developed west of the Maverick and mirrors the transient room tax ordinance currently in place in Tremonton, which the Planning Commission determined was the most applicable model for Elwood. The tax applies to a broad range of lodging accommodations, including hotels, motels, RV parks, inns, bed and breakfasts, vacation rentals, Airbnbs, VRBOs, trailer courts, campgrounds, resort homes, villas, condominiums, and similar lodging. The tax rate is 1% of the charged rate. A roll call vote was required for adoption. Motion by Councilmember Crouch to adopt Ordinance 2026-002, imposing a Municipal Transient Room Tax. Seconded by Councilmember Davis.Motion passed unanimously. Roll Call Vote:Councilmember Davis - Aye; Councilmember Crouch - Aye; Mayor Goodliffe - Aye; Councilmember Lay - Absent; Councilmember Shimek - Absent. Motion passed unanimously. Discussion Item -Accessory Building Permit-Councilmember Lay Councilmember Lay participated by phone and presented a discussion on accessory dwelling units (ADUs), noting that the topic had been raised approximately three years prior without resolution. He reported observing several apparent accessory dwellings in the community during his morning walks, particularly around the 9600 area, and cited increased housing costs as a reason to revisit the issue. Councilmember Lay outlined key provisions from the Box Elder County ADU ordinance as a reference model, including: owner-occupancy requirements for either the primary or accessory dwelling; administrative conditional use permits followed by a certificate of occupancy; prohibition on selling ADUs separately; no short-term rentals under 30 days; no separate utility meters; a maximum ADU size of 40% of the primary dwelling; occupancy limited to up to two people in a familial or relationship; a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet (0.5 acre); ADUs may not be placed in front of or on the corner side of the primary structure; ADUs may not exceed the height of the primary structure; a minimum of one off-street parking space required; no mobile homes, RVs, trailers, campers, or tents qualify; and owners must sign an affidavit against subleasing, binding on subsequent owners as well. Both Councilmember Davis and Councilmember Crouch expressed interest in discussing the matter further. Mayor Goodliffe directed Councilmember Lay to prepare written information and coordinate with Gina and Talsan for a future council meeting, after which the Planning Commission would be asked to review and provide feedback. Action Item-Town Council Recommendations ToThe Planning Commission Regarding The Town Wide Rezone Mayor Goodliffe introduced this item in the context of feedback following the August 5 work meeting, noting that Planning Commission Chair Britton Hayden had requested whether the Council wished to provide direction regarding the treatment of commercially zoned properties in the town-wide rezone. Planning Commission Representative Quinn explained that the Commission's guiding principle has been consistency and fairness - as the rezone proposes returning agricultural lands from residential zoning back to their actual land use, the same logic would apply to undeveloped commercially zoned parcels, returning them to their actual use as well. Representative Quinn clarified that no intent exists to discourage commercial development, and that Chris Crockett, the town attorney, had been consulted throughout the process and confirmed the approach is legally defensible. Representative Quinn acknowledged the challenge of appearing to downzone commercial properties, particularly since some owners have used that land as loan collateral, and noted that 25 or so formal objections had been received, most of which were straightforward to resolve with only a handful, including the commercial zoning question, still requiring further work. Councilmember Davis raised the concern that commercially zoned land owned by developers carries a different character than farmland, suggesting that a developer's ownership may itself reflect intent to develop. He also noted that two residents had raised concerns about lenders potentially calling loans if the perceived value of their commercially zoned properties declined as a result of the rezone. Mayor Goodliffe expressed his personal concern about sending a message that the town is unwilling to welcome commercial investment, stating he did not want to 'slam the door' on businesses or make the process more cumbersome. Representative Quinn suggested a possible path forward: returning properties to actual land use for consistency, while adopting a formal policy statement affirming the town's intent to promote commercial development in those areas and to facilitate the rezoning process back to commercial when owners present concrete development plans. After discussion, the Council did not adopt a formal recommendation but directed the Planning Commission to continue exploring solutions with Town Attorney Chris Crockett and to research how other municipalities have addressed the same tension. The Council's primary concern - avoiding any appearance of discouraging commercial investment - was conveyed to Representative Quinn to carry back to the Planning Commission. Discussion Item-Planning Commission Report Planning Commission Representative Quinn reported that the town-wide rezone was nearing completion, with only a small number of outstanding objections still being worked through. Representative Quinn highlighted two additional ordinances the Planning Commission intends to advance following the rezone: a 'cherry picking' ordinance that was near completion prior to being reprioritized, and noise and light pollution ordinances. The noise and light ordinances were noted as a particular priority because, without them, the town lacks the standards necessary to apply meaningful conditions to conditional use permits. Discussion Item-Sheriff's Department Report Officer Kennedy was not present. Water Steve reported that, accounting for all approved developments, the town currently has zero remaining water connections available. The ongoing secondary water project may free up some culinary connections, but the extent of that relief will not be known until the system is operational and demand can be assessed. Sewer Steve reported that the town's sewer treatment plant will also be at capacity once all currently approved developments are built out. No plan is currently in place to expand the sewer system. Steve noted that the town-wide rezone had prompted several developers to move forward with residential development inquiries, and that those developers had been informed no water or sewer services could be committed. A formal statement - short of a moratorium - affirming that the town cannot provide services for additional developments had been in preparation by Talsan Schulzke but was not yet ready for Council approval at this meeting. Steve emphasized that the infrastructure constraint effectively halts further development regardless of zoning changes. Mayor Goodliffe added that Elwood faces an estimated $30,000,000 in unfunded infrastructure needs, including water tanks, sewer expansion, equipment, and roads, based on figures reviewed with Steve. This figure does not include the cost of revisiting the town's 40-year water plan. Parks And Recreation Etc. Steve reported that the MPC subdivision of approximately 40 lots is expected to be nearly full by the end of the year. The Clearview 12-lot subdivision has 3 lots remaining, and River Bend has 4 homes under construction with 2-3 more awaiting building permits. Approximately 28 homes are currently at various stages of construction across Elwood. A new park associated with the MPC project is nearing completion, with playground equipment installed, sprinkler installation underway, hydro-seeding scheduled for the end of the month, and a bowery nearly finished. Town maintenance staff Jason has incorporated mowing of the Cedar Ridge and River Bend green spaces into his regular park maintenance schedule. Roads Steve reported that 9600 North and 6000 West are both open following completion of road work, including fencing work for Scott Hunsaker. Work on the 8800 North bridge is ongoing, with one side complete and the pile driver expected to return; the contractor indicated a target completion date of approximately mid-September. Mayor Goodliffe noted that the bridges currently lack approach guardrails, as UDOT designed them without guardrail approaches to the parapets. A letter from UDOT confirming this design decision was directed to be filed by Gina for the town's records. Emergency Preparedness With Councilmember Phil Shimek absent, no formal report was delivered. Other No additional items were brought forward. Adjournment Councilmember Davis made a motion to adjourn. Councilmember Crouch seconded the motion and the remaining council members agreed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:50p.m. The undersigned, duly acting and appointed clerk for Elwood Town Corporation, hereby certifies that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the Town Council meeting minutes held on the 11th day of Aug 2026. Dated this the 8th day of September 2026. ________________________________ Gina R Marble, Elwood Town Clerk

Notice of Special Accommodations (ADA)

Contact Gina Marble @ 435-257-5518

Notice of Electronic or Telephone Participation

N/A

Meeting Information

Meeting Location

5235 W 8800 N
Elwood , UT 84337
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Contact Name

Gina Marble

Contact Email

elwood@elwoodtown.com

Contact Phone

(435)257-5518

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

September 15, 2026 11:21 AM

Notice Last Edited On

September 15, 2026 11:21 AM

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