General Information

Government Type

Municipality

Entity

Blanding

Public Body

City Council

Notice Information

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Notice Title

CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES AUG 12 2014

Notice Tags

Administrative Procedure

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

August 27, 2014 04:34 PM

Description/Agenda

MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BLANDING CITY COUNCIL HELD ON AUGUST 12, 2014 AT 7:00 P.M. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS Present: Mayor: Calvin Balch City Councilmembers: Robert Ogle Taylor Harrison Joe Lyman David Johnson Kelly Laws City Administrator: Jeremy Redd City Clerk: Lisa Rarick City Engineer: Terry Ekker General Services Manager: Jeff Black Community Development Director: Bret Hosler Fire Chief: Craig Stanley Community Members: Kendall Ekker, Ilene Black, Terri Laws, Trent Herring, Kendall Laws, Codi Orr, Diane Balch, Clayton Long, Shauna Hurst, Hans Hurst Prayer/Thought - The prayer/thought was offered by Mayor Balch. 1. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 2. Councilmember Johnson moved to approve the minutes and financial disbursements of the July 22, 2014 meeting. Councilmember Ogle seconded the motion. Mayor Balch had a question on the financial disbursements, page 6. Why were the utilities so high for the park at 550 S Main? Mr. Redd stated he would review the utilities. It was possible that it could be due to the water meter not being read for several months. Mayor Balch repeated the motion and asked for discussion. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Voting was as follows: Those voting AYE Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Lyman Councilmember Johnson Councilmember Harrison Councilmember Laws Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. 3. OPEN FORUM None 4. REPORTS/DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS A. Mr. Ekker presented the July 2014 Gas and Water Reports Mr. Ekker reported there was one new gas service installed during the month of July. Mayor Balch asked if most of the new homes are installing natural gas to which Mr. Ekker responded yes. Mr. Ekker reported that precipitation is 66% of average and there would need to be rainfall of two inches per week through the end of September to get back to average. Mayor Balch was concerned that Recapture Reservoir was 900 acre feet below the conservation level. Councilmember Lyman questioned the amount of ditch loss and theft. Mr. Ekker reported that it is normal during the months of July and August to lose significant amounts of water each month due to evaporation. Mr. Ekker reported that the contractors have begun work on the Dry Wash pipeline. B. July 2014 Police Report – No Report C. Chief Stanley presented the July 2014 Fire Report Chief Stanley reported that the month of July was a busy one for the fire department. There were 11 brush/wildland fires and one structure fire. He stated that all firefighting agencies are concerned with the dry conditions and responding quickly to any reports of fire. Councilmember Lyman asked if burn permits are required. Chief Stanley responded that residents are required to get burn permits at this time. D. Mr. Redd presented the July 2014 Recreation Report Mr. Redd informed the Council that Mr. Palmer was absent due to a funeral. Mr. Redd reported that participation numbers are up a bit compared to last year. Soccer was underway and football was just finishing up registrations. Revenue is holding fairly even compared to last year. Councilmember Johnson was concerned with the conditions at Central Park. The grass is looking bad and very dry. Mr. Redd responded that he would have Mr. Palmer assess the situation. 5. AGENDA ITEMS A. July 4th Parade Winner Presentations – Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Ogle thanked the 4th of July Committee for an outstanding job and reported that they will continue to serve for at least one more year. He announced the parade winners as follows: 1st Place Blue Mountain Hospital; 2nd Place Tri-Hurst Construction; 3rd Place Bluff Fort; Honorable Mentions The Flower Shop and San Juan Pharmacy. Parade Chairperson Ilene Black was invited to present the trophies. Codi Orr and Trent Herring were present to accept the 1st Place trophy for Blue Mountain Hospital. Shauna Hurst and Hans Hurst were present to accept the 2nd Place trophy. Representatives for the other entities were not able to attend the meeting. B. Beehive Drive Event Report – Jeremy Redd Mr. Redd reported that the Beehive Drive event occurred on July 30, 2014. There were about 25 luxury sports cars in the group. The City hosted a lunch for the participants. The public was invited to meet the drivers and view the cars. The cars were available for the public to view, sit in, get their pictures taken, etc. The Beehive Drive organization made a $6,000 donation to the City which can be used on any city project that benefits the community. Commemorative coins for the Beehive Drive organization were presented to each council member. C. Blue Mountain Tunnel Inspection Report – Terry Ekker Mr. Ekker reported that during the first week of August he along with Jeff Black, Jeremy Redd, and Patrick Parsons had inspected the tunnel. Pictures of several areas were provided for the council to view. Mr. Ekker reported the general condition was good with the majority of the tunnel being at least 30 inches wide without obstructions. There were a couple of areas that had some rubble but it was still adequate for water flow. Councilmember Lyman stated he had requested being notified to go when there was another tunnel inspection but was not notified. He wants to be included next time. Mr. Redd stated another trip could be planned if there was enough interest from councilmembers. Councilmember Johnson was interested to know if there was some type of history of what the community did when the tunnel was completed when it was opened in the early 1950’s. D. Surplus Property Policy Discussion – Jeremy Redd Mr. Redd presented a proposed change to the current policy for disposal of public property. He would like the policy to allow the city administrator to declare property surplus valued at less than $10,000 and be able to dispose of it by various means and not just by sealed bid. Anything above $10,000 would be declared surplus property by the city council and disposal of any property for less than fair market value would have to be approved by city council. A discussion ensued with Councilmember Laws and Councilmember Lyman concerned that the public should all have an equal opportunity to purchase surplus property and that it might put the city administrator in an awkward position to make the determination of what should be sold as surplus property. Councilmember Harrison felt the new policy could be used with the exception that the council would make the decision on what would be advertised as surplus property. Mayor Balch felt that anything that had been through the bid process would be properly advertised to the public and those items that didn’t sell could be put up for sale by the city administrator. Councilmember Laws would like to see all surplus property advertised in the city newsletter or insert included in the utility bill to allow all citizens an equal opportunity. Mr. Redd will redraft the ordinance with the recommendations from the council and bring it back for discussion at the next council meeting. E. Appoint Police Chief – Mayor Balch Mayor Balch reported that the city was currently in need of a new police chief. He commended Assistant Police Chief Mike Bradford for the fine job he has provided to the city during the interim. Mayor Balch stated he had reviewed several candidates and made a motion to nominate Lloyd Watkins as the new police chief and asked for support from the council. There were several items that would need to be discussed if council were in favor and if they were not in favor there was no use in pursuing the appointment. He had given council plenty of time to check out Mr. Watkins previous service and no one had expressed that they had any major concerns about him. Mayor Balch reported that Mr. Watkins had ten years of experience as a chief. Councilmember Lyman said he thought Mr. Watkins was highly qualified but was concerned about someone who gave up being a chief and is content with serving as a regular officer and now being asked to be a chief again. He was also concerned with Mr. Watkins being new on the force and his ability to supervise others who had been his superiors. There was also a concern about the fact that he was not currently living in Blanding and his request for some kind of protection for the job. Mayor Balch stated there were four areas that would need to be discussed. He wanted to know if any of the councilmembers had any major concerns with Mr. Watkins being appointed and if not, he would address the four areas to the satisfaction of the council. Councilmember Ogle had no issues with the appointment but had some concern about making deals for the position and changing the contract. Councilmember Laws stated he had talked with Mr. Watkins. He was hired to be a police officer and was content. He had been approached about the police chief job and decided he would do it to help out the community he wants to move back to. He does not particularly like the politics involved with the job and because of that he would not apply for the job if it were advertised. But since he was asked to take the job he had thought about it and decided he would do it. He had the qualifications and would commit to doing a great job for the city. Councilmember Laws questioned him about favoritism. Mr. Watkins responded that he would treat all citizens the same in regards to upholding the law. He would uphold the city’s stance on zero tolerance for drug and alcohol. Councilmember Laws was satisfied that Mr. Watkins would do a good job. Mayor Balch informed the council that one of the reasons Mr. Watkins came to Blanding was because of political problems. He wants to be involved with city administration, be a part of the community, and be visible and accessible. The reason he wants a contract is to be protected from potential problems when new council members are elected. The salary for the position would be less than what he was making previously as a police chief but he recognized that the Blanding police force was better equipped and he would be willing to accept the offered salary. Councilmember Harrison was concerned with the fact that Mr. Watkins did not want to be the police chief any longer at his previous job and would this put him in a position to burn out quickly. How long would he plan to stay before retirement? Mr. Redd stated that Mr. Watkins would stay in the position for as long as he enjoyed it and that he was well qualified and would be a fantastic police chief. Councilmember Johnson wanted to know if his family was ready to move here and did they support the decision. Mayor Balch wanted to offer him a contract similar to what the council had offered to Mr. Redd. Mr. Redd stated that the contract would include a 6 month severance package and a guarantee to buy out the remainder of his 20 years of service which would be effective in October 2015 if the council were to fire him prior to that time. Mayor Balch indicated the contract would be a protection for both the city and Mr. Watkins. He would be required to have his family moved to Blanding by January 1, 2015. He would also like the city to help with some moving costs in the amount of $1,000. His previous salary with LaVerkin was $70,000. Mayor Balch offered him $60,000. Mr. Watkins accepted but was hoping the city could do more. Mayor Balch recommended splitting the difference and paying him $65,000. There would be room in the budget to pay this amount as that is what the previous chief was being paid and the replacement officer would be hired at an entry level salary. Councilmember Laws suggested there could be an increase after a probationary period. Mayor Balch appointed Lloyd Watkins as the Chief of Police with the following terms: starting wage of $60,000, moving expense assistance in the amount of $1,000, and must have family relocated to Blanding by January 1, 2015. In addition, a formal contract to be in place by January 1, 2015 with an assumed implied contract offering a 6 month severance package and a buy out of the remainder of his retirement through October 2015 in the event the council were to fire him prior to that time. Upon meeting these stipulations prior to or by no later than January 1, 2015 the salary would increase to $65,000. Mayor Balch called for approval from the council. All councilmembers were in favor of the appointment. 6. INFORMATION None 7. OPEN FORUM A. Trent Herring asked if Mike Bradford had been considered for the position of Chief of Police. Mayor Balch stated he would not make public his list of candidates but would say that he considered every current Blanding police officer. Mr. Herring further stated that he was concerned with the severance pay versus paying out the retirement. If he were let go in the next few months he would receive up to 18 months of pay. 8. Councilmember Harrison moved to adjourn to a closed session. Councilmember Ogle seconded the motion. Mayor Balch repeated the motion and asked for discussion. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Voting was as follows: Those voting AYE Councilmember Johnson Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Lyman Councilmember Harrison Councilmember Laws Those voting NAY NONE Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. Meeting adjourned to a closed session at 8:25 p.m. 9. Councilmember Laws moved to return to open session at 8:53 p.m. Councilmember Taylor seconded the motion. Mayor Balch repeated the motion and asked for discussion. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Voting was as follows: Those voting AYE Councilmember Johnson Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Lyman Councilmember Harrison Councilmember Laws Those voting NAY NONE Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. 10. Councilmember Lyman moved to adjourn. Councilmember Harrison seconded the motion. Mayor Balch repeated the motion and asked for discussion. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Voting was as follows: Those voting AYE Councilmember Johnson Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Lyman Councilmember Harrison Councilmember Laws Those voting NAY NONE Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:54 p.m.

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, 84511
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Contact Name

Trent Herring

Contact Email

therring@blanding.city

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

August 27, 2014 04:35 PM

Notice Last Edited On

August 27, 2014 04:35 PM

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