General Information

Government Type

Municipality

Entity

Blanding

Public Body

City Council

Notice Information

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Notice Title

City Council Minutes 7/9/24

Notice Tags

Administrative Procedure

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

July 9, 2024 07:00 PM

Description/Agenda

CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA Mayor Logan Monson Mayor Pro Tempore Cheryl Bowers Council Member Chris Ewald Council Member Charlie Taylor Council Member Erik Grover Council Member Kellen Nielson July 9, 2024-6-7:00 pm - Work Session July 9, 2024-7pm City Council Meeting 50 West 100 South Street, Blanding Utah 84511 Meetings live streamed when available at: https://meet.google.com/ymf-jwqo-rjs Work Session Housing & Zoning Mr. Herring stated that he wants people to go to the city website that has the current codes and ordinances. Although they are current, they are outdated. In order for a zoning ordinance to be changed, there has to be 5 acres of land for that zone to be changed. We can change the amount of land needed if we want. They talked about the year of trailer houses that are allowed to be moved. They discussed someone who wanted to develop a trailer park on 500 south, but there were too many hurdles and they abandoned the project. They discussed the different zones and what is allowed in the different zones. They talked about a piece of property that had trailers on it and they were removed and now that it's been more than 12 months and you can't put trailers back on it. It was said that there is a need for housing, but we can't just plot out a spot for a trailer park anywhere. Water Rate Study Mr. Herring stated that we had a free water study done with the rural water association. They proposed getting rid of the winter shoulder rates. He said that the water rates change four times a year. They discussed the different rates and the gallons used. They talked about the water lines and the maintenance that is required. Mr. Herring came up with a spreadsheet of numbers and showed what it would look like if we had a base rate across the board. They discussed different amounts and the different revenue it would bring in. Council member Grover said that essentially we are raising the taxes on ourselves. Council member Taylor asked what is driving this change. Mr. Herring stated that as the system gets older, things are going to need to be replaced. They talked about the importance of using the revenue for maintaining the water system. They talked about total operating expenses. There was a loss of about $250k. The city doesn't make money selling water. The cost of everything is always going up. It was asked if most years we've lost money on water. Mr. Francom stated that it's hard to tell because there was some covid money that was specific to water, but most likely, yes, we've been taking a loss in the water department. They discussed the increase in prices depending on if it's a green, red, yellow or orange year. Most of the council is in favor of having one rate and not changing it multiple times a year. Other cities have a base rate that is a lot more than what we charge. POLICY MEETING Call to Order Roll Call A Prayer was offered by Mayor Monson The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance. Approval: Consent Agenda and Minutes from June 25, 2024 Regular Session Councilmember Bowers made a motion to approve the consent agenda and minutes from June 25, 2024. Councilmember Taylor seconded the motion. Mayor Monson repeated the motion and asked for discussion or questions. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Bowers Councilmember Grover Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest - None Public Input - None Public Hearing Council member Nielson made a motion to enter into a public hearing for the Preston Palmer Annexation. Council member Grover seconded the motion. Mayor Monson repeated the motion and asked for questions or discussion, hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Bowers Councilmember Grover Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Preston Palmer Annexation Preston Palmer has a piece of land on 300 west that he wants annexed. This has been discussed in previous meetings. Preston Palmer was present at the meeting. Council member Grover made a motion to leave the public hearing for the Preston Palmer Annexation. Council member Ewald seconded the motion. Mayor Monson repeated the motion and asked for questions or discussion, hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Bowers Councilmember Grover Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Reports Mayor The 4th of July was successful. People appreciate the work that was put into keeping the parks clean and looking good. He thanked all the staff that made that happen. City Council None Finance Report - James Francom Mr. Francom asked if there were any questions on any expenses. Council member Bowers asked what the $7000 cost was for LNE at the ball fields. It was for the 3 phase transformer upgrade. Mr. Herring stated that there is a grant to change out the actual lights at the ball fields. Economic Development - Ben Muhlstein Mr. Muhlstein stated there are a few new businesses that have come in over the last month. He's had a lot of positive feedback from the 4th of July. The fire department did a great job with the fireworks. He said that suggestions for improvements are welcome and now is the time to consider those suggestions. An issue that is always a concern is the kids getting close to floats. Dirt bikes are also a concern and dangerous. There were a couple kids that were told to get off the route with their dirt bikes. Mr. Muhlestien said that when people sign up for a float, there is a process and they sign a waiver. He talked about options for floats and dirt bikes and such and having them all go through the correct channels. Council thanked all the staff and the committee that played a part in making the 4th a great day. Mr. Herring has sent cards and thank yous to those who played a big part in the day. Parks and Rec. - David Palmer Mr. Herring stated that David and his crew, Clint and Dustin have done a great job in getting the parks ready and keeping it nice for the 4th. There was a good variety of vendors this year. Soccer and Football are coming up. Baseball and softball are done. Monticello was kind enough to let us use their fields when ours got rained out. Fire Report - Chief Corey Spillman Chief Spillman stated they had the same amount of calls in the second quarter as the first quarter. Nothing major. Some people got stuck in the elevator at the college. Mayor Monson asked what the protocol is for houses that have burned. Chief Spillman said that it depends a lot on insurance. He said the one that is sitting now is in deliberation with lawyers and contractors. Once the fire department turns it back over to the homeowner, it is their responsibility. Chief Spillman said that doing the fireworks was very nerve-wracking. He said that he had a lot of help from Monticello. They did a run through of how to do it and where to angle them and tying fuses and lighting fuses. Council said that they have had good feedback from the fireworks show. There was a discussion about the fire department updating their radios and being compatible with the rest of law enforcement and EMS and dispatch. Business Items Resolution - 07-09-2024-1 Deep Well Submersible Pump & Temporary Power Mr Herring said this is a continuation and the next step on the Deep Well project. It went out for bid and Tri-Hurst won the bid, they are still working on getting it even lower. They plan on using local contractors. Mayor Monson stated that the deep well project will be paid by Blanding City and then will be reimbursed to us. Councilmember Taylor made a motion to approve Resolution 07-09-2024-1 Accepting the bid on the Deep Well Submersible Pump and Temporary Power. Councilmember Ewald seconded the motion. Mayor Monson repeated the motion and asked for discussion or questions. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Bowers Couniclmember Grover Those voting nay: No Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Ordinance - 2024-6 Preston Palmer City Annexation Mayor Monson stated that this is for the annexation of the property that we had the public hearing for. The address of the property is 1106 S 300 W. Preston's plan is to develop townhomes. It is zoned R2. Councilmember Bowers made a motion to approve Ordinance 2024-6, Preston Palmer Annexation. Councilmember Nielson seconded the motion. Mayor Monson repeated the motion and asked for discussion or questions. Hearing none, he called for a vote. Those voting aye: Councilmember Taylor Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Bowers Couniclmember Grover Those voting nay: No Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Discussion Items UAMPS Presentation - UAMPS Mason Baker and Jackie Coombs did a presentation on UAMPS. Mr. Baker talked about the history of UAMPS and the different projects they have worked on. He went through a variety of slides with maps and graphs. He showed what projects Blanding participates in and pulls energy from. He talked about the different sources of energy that are being used ie. coal, hydro, natural gas, solar, nuclear, wind, etc, etc, etc. He talked about certain power sources shutting down and retiring which brings change but can also bring new opportunities. One of the biggest resource increases will be batteries. It was asked what will charge the batteries. Mr. Baker said that it will be solar. He talked about the balance and reliability that has to be maintained with all the change that they are encountering. He talked about a variety of projects that are in the works and moving forward, some of which Blanding is included in. He talked about implementing a new membership program. The council thanked them for all the great information and work that they do. Mayor Monson said that UAMPS has been very beneficial for us as a city and Jackie is very helpful in making sure we are doing what we need to be doing. July 25, 2024 Employee Celebration - Trent Herring Mr. Herring said that we will have an employee and family celebration at the pool on July 25th at 6pm. Several council members volunteered to help cook and do whatever is needed. Natural Gas Price Lock - Trent Herring Mr. Herring said that a few months ago we locked in a gas price at 5.89 per decatherm and the council had asked to continue to watch the prices for the final 50%. The price stayed above $6, then it dropped to $5.60 and they went ahead and pulled the trigger on the final 6 months of the contract. We will continue to watch the prices for the third year of the contract. Mayor Monson asked if there was a time frame that we needed to keep for that third year. Mr. Herring stated that we will continue to watch it and get closer to that time. Natural Gas Farm Taps - Trent Herring Mr. Herring said that this is a continuation of the discussion that we've already had. He asked if we wanted to pursue customers that want taps. Council agrees that we want to sell gas. New customers would pay for the construction, we would pay for those who have contracts. It was asked if we could save money and be beneficial by doing multiple farm taps at the same time. It would reduce mobilization costs. Yes, that is the plan. A few people that have contracts have reached out to get tapped in. Any contracted Farm tap, the contract states that they get it at the same Blanding City rate. Outside Rates for Natural Gas & Power - Trent Herring Mr. Herring asked if we want to have higher rates to those that are out of city limits for gas, like we do water. In the next 2 or 3 years we will need a dedicated gas person. Council agrees that there should be a small fee for those out of city limits but not an amount that would drive them away to another source. It was asked if people who tap into city utilities have to sign annexation agreements. Those agreements are only in place for water. Not the other sources. The city makes about $200,00 a year in selling gas. Mr. Francom suggested raising the base rate instead of the cost of gas. Council agreed that there should be an annexation agreement in place. Mr. Herring stated that he will do some forecasting on raising gas prices. Dog License Success - Trent Herring Mr. Herring said that with the changes we just made, there were more dogs licensed in the past month than in all the previous years put together. It's a one time fee for a lifetime license, no required vaccinations for rabies. They discussed the website to license dogs, there seemed to be a problem with it, but now it is fixed. Account Collections Success - Trent Herring Mr. Herring stated that they went over delinquent accounts, 90+ days, they did place a couple liens on properties and they were able to collect $1800 that was due 10 years ago. It's been a great success. It worked and will continue to work. Thanks to Mr. Francom for going through the lien process. Pickleball Court - Trent Herring There will be a final walk through tomorrow. It's painted. The nets are up. It's not the greatest workmanship. They had them redo all of the green area. There is a group that is planning a tournament. There was a question about the fences. Mr. Herring said that we will see how it goes how they are. He's seen other courts that have shorter fences and they've been just fine. Closed Session Councilmember Grover made a motion to go into closed session to discuss litigation. Councilmember Ewald seconded the motion. Mayor Monson 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 Bowers Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Adjournment Councilmember Grover made a motion to adjourn. Councilmember Taylor seconded the motion. Mayor Monson 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 Bowers Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:07pm.

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

Trent Herring

Contact Email

therring@blanding.city

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

July 25, 2024 01:40 PM

Notice Last Edited On

July 25, 2024 01:40 PM

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