General Information

Government Type

Municipality

Entity

Blanding

Public Body

City Council

Notice Information

Add Notice to Calendar

Notice Title

City Council Meeting Minutes January 26 2016

Notice Tags

Administrative Procedure

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

February 10, 2016 12:00 AM

Description/Agenda

MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BLANDING CITY COUNCIL HELD ON JANUARY 26, 2016 AT 7:00 P.M. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS Present: Mayor: Calvin Balch City Councilmembers: Trevor Olsen Kd Perkins Joe B Lyman Robert Ogle Taylor Harrison City Administrator: Jeremy Redd Finance Director: Kim Palmer City Engineer: Terry Ekker Community Development Director: Bret Hosler Community Members: Kendall Laws, Scoot Flannery, Clayton Perkins, Jeff Montella, Nolan McFarland, Nathan Grover, Jensen Grover, Calvin McFarland, Demarian Benally, Jaden Lacy, Kent Turek, Roma Young, Michael Lee, Neil Joslin, Dresden Seely, William Heck, Weston Laws. Prayer/Thought - The prayer/thought was offered by Kim Palmer. 1. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 2. Councilmember Ogle moved to approve the minutes and financial disbursements of the January 12, 2016 meeting. Councilmember Lyman 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 Lyman Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Olsen Councilmember Harrison Councilmember Perkins Those voting NAY NONE Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. 3. OPEN FORUM William Heck from the San Juan High School National Honor Society approached Council regarding the annual Easter egg hunt. The organization has organized the event for many years and the City has donated funds to help with the event. Council gave advice and consent for a $450 donation to the event. 4. REPORTS/DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS A. Progress Status Report - Terry Ekker. SCADA and metering for the 12' Mountain Line Replacement Project Mr. Ekker reported that staff is working with SKM on the computer replacement at the Water Treatment Plant and other SCADA upgrades. He explained that the SCADA program controls the water system and allows staff to monitor the system from outside the office. The program can send alerts and updates by email or by text message. Backup Power at Water Treatment Plant Mr. Ekker shared that the bid opening for the project will occur on January 27, 2016. The backup power will allow for the treatment of water if the power goes out. A security gate is also being installed. Blanding Power Distribution Project Mr. Ekker told Council that staff is currently working with the project consultant ICPE to put together plans and specifications for the project. A subsequent agenda item will address moving forward with this project. East Side Sewer Trunk Line Mr. Ekker reported that the project is moving forward with the funding and right of way acquisition phases. 2015 Streets Project Mr. Ekker reported that road construction has been halted until spring, but is scheduled to resume in early April. Councilmember Olsen asked how much time would be needed to complete the project. Scoot Flannery, from Jones & DeMille Engineering, responded that approximately six weeks will be needed. Councilmember Ogle asked if penalties were in effect or had those also been suspended. Mr. Ekker responded that when a project is suspended so are the penalties, but they will be assessed if and when the project exceeds the allotted contract days. Financial Report - Kim Palmer Ms. Palmer reported that the finances of the City are in good order. She shared that sales tax revenues are up compared to budgeted amounts. She also pointed out that each of the enterprise funds have a positive net income. Storm Water revenues are up 58% from budgeted revenues, and that is attributed to the December rate increase. Revenues are usually projected lower to account for the unpredictable and uncontrollable conditions that affect revenues, but the City generally receives more than budgeted revenue. 5. AGENDA ITEMS A. Vehicle Allowance Policy Update - Taylor Harrison Councilmember Ogle asked how the vehicle allowance policy compares to other City vehicle policies. Mr. Redd responded that other City staff have City vehicles that they are allowed to use. When they are required to commute using a city-owned vehicle, this use is reported as a fringe benefit to meet IRS rules. The City also has reimbursement policies for those who use their own vehicle on City business. There are also usually city-owned vehicles available for employees to use for work purposes when needed. Councilmember Harrison moved to approve the changes to the Vehicle Allowance Policy. Councilmember Lyman 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 Lyman Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Olsen Councilmember Perkins Councilmember Harrison Those voting NAY NONE Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. B. Sale of Surplus Vehicles - Jeremy Redd Mr. Redd shared that per policy surplus items with a value of more than $500 must be approved for sale by the City Council. The policy allows for items to be sold in any legal manner. He proposed the sale of the 2014 Toyota Tacoma and the 2015 Jeep Cherokee by 'private party'. This means it will be advertised with a price, rather than a bid. The sale will be open to the local community as well as potential buyers from outside the City. Councilmember Lyman moved to approve the sale of the Toyota Tacoma and the Jeep Cherokee at a price Mr. Redd deems appropriate. 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 Lyman Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Olsen Councilmember Perkins Councilmember Harrison Those voting NAY NONE Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. Community Development Director Job Description - Jeremy Redd Councilmember Harrison moved to approve the Community Development Director Job Description. Councilmember Perkins 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 Lyman Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Olsen Councilmember Perkins Councilmember Harrison Those voting NAY NONE Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. D. Online Building Permit/Approval of Contractor Letter - Bret Hosler Mr. Hosler reported that the first step in acquiring a building permit online is now available. Information regarding building permits and City policies is also included on the website. A letter to all local contractors clarifying the procedures and requirements for obtaining a building permit has been written. The letter also includes a request for contractors to help citizens understand under what circumstances they will need a permit. Councilmember Olsen asked what the procedure was if an individual was found without a building permit. Mr. Hosler responded that a stop work order is sent. Work must be halted until the project acquires the required permit. Councilmember Olsen then asked if a fine was issued. A fine equaling double the cost of the permit can be assessed. Councilmember Harrison commented that those who work unpermitted or unlicensed are hurting those that choose to follow the rules and should be penalized. Councilmember Perkins asked if there was information available online that community members could access for more information. She also suggested putting information on the Facebook page occasionally and conducting other forms of public awareness. E. Yearly Departmental Reports - Jeremy Redd Mr. Redd gave a review of the budget process for Council. He discussed the different funds the City has including General, Water, Sewer, Electric, Natural Gas, Storm Water and Solid Waste. The General Fund is tax dollars. The other funds are municipally controlled and are run much like independent businesses. He informed Council that the bulk of property taxes citizens pay do not flow to the City, but rather fund other areas such as the school district. F. Yearly Department Report - Terry Ekker Mr. Ekker told Council that it was not uncommon for cities to have a storm water utility. The storm water system has been designed to regulate and manage the water and protect residents from flooding and other damages associated with storm runoff. Most of the City's system handles the water on the surface rather than beneath the ground. One of the challenges associated with the system is large properties. These larger properties such as churches, schools, and subdivisions contribute a large amount of water off their finished surfaces. This water travels mostly down the curbs, however if there is nothing regulating the flow it may run heavier than the system can handle, resulting in flooding to those below. Large properties should have a place to retain or detain the flow of water into the system, however many of the larger properties are old enough that it was not required at the time they were built. Another issue with the system is the inlet capacity, where the water might enter a pipe. Sometimes those openings are just not large enough to handle the large amount of water. The system was designed to handle the demand of a 10 or 100 year storm, which is about 2' in a 24 hour period. Mr. Ekker then stated that the December approved increase in the storm water rate will allow for the completion of some much needed projects. There is a total of $2,238,500 in needed projects. A priority list of those projects has been developed. The top three projects on the priority list are estimated to cost a total of $511,000. These are locations that have seen flooding quite regularly and need to be completed. Councilmember Lyman asked what the life expectancy of a project would be. Mr. Ekker responded that it depends on the project, but many have lifespans that can exceed 50 years. Councilmember Lyman then commented that it would be important to prepare for repairs that might occur within the system. Development may have an effect on how the system handles the runoff. G. ICPE Engineering Service Contract Approval - Jeremy Redd ICPE is the engineering group working on the design for the power distribution project. ICPE is the only identified group in the area that has the experience and ability to design these projects for Blanding. City Attorney, Kendall Laws, has been working on the contract with ICPE to ensure it is appropriate for the City, and he has approved the contract language. The cost of the engineering contract is not to exceed $88,860. When the design is completed the construction portion of the project will be bid. Councilmember Lyman moved to approve the ICPE Engineering Service Contract. 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 Lyman Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Olsen Councilmember Perkins Councilmember Harrison Those voting NAY NONE Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. 6. INFORMATION A. Shopko Grand Opening - Mayor Balch Mayor Balch shared that the Shopko Hometown open house is scheduled for February 12th at 8:30 a.m. He has been invited to attend and encouraged any council members or staff that could attend to do so. 7. OPEN FORUM A. Clayton Perkins asked if a handyman license was available for small construction jobs. Mr. Hosler responded that applications and information regarding the license is available on the DOPL website, and that a handyman license is a legal option for smaller projects. B. Michael Lee stated that his contractor insurance is costing him about $3,600 per year. On top of that are continuing education and licensing requirements. It concerns him that there are many that are working without licenses, permits, or insurance. Their ability to do this allows them to complete projects much cheaper than the licensed contractor who is following the rules. This results in an uneven playing field, and can cause substandard and even dangerous construction. 8. Councilmember Harrison moved to adjourn. 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 Lyman Councilmember Olsen Councilmember Ogle Councilmember Perkins Councilmember Harrison Those voting NAY NONE Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Balch declared the motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:50 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

Pratt Redd

Contact Email

predd@blanding-ut.gov

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

February 10, 2016 09:00 AM

Notice Last Edited On

February 10, 2016 09:00 AM

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