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Municipality

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Blanding

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City Council

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Notice Title

City Council Minutes 8/13/24

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Administrative Procedure

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Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

August 13, 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 (Virtual) Council Member Erik Grover Council Member Kellen Nielson August 13, 2024-6-7:00 pm - Work Session August 13, 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 Google Training Mr. Herring stated that everyone should download the gmail app and when you login to gmail, it will bring up your google drive. Mr. Herring stated that he is trying to get everything onto shared drives. He told the council that they can have access to whatever they would like. They can look up finance information on the accounts payable drive. There is a city council drive that has a few different folders in it. He showed them how to access the packets for city council meetings. He told them they also have their own individual folders that they can store stuff in. There are recordings and minutes of the meetings stored in one of the folders. Mr. Francom stated that there is a search bar that is helpful when looking for something specific. They can look at specific details on finances. Mr. Herring helped them find the shared drives on their individual ipads. Enterprise Forecasts Mr. Herring had a chart and showed the council what our current grid access rates are and what everyone is paying depending on what services they have. He had forecasts showing what it would look like if it were to raise 10%, 15% etc. He went over numbers according to the percentages and what it would approximately cost residents per year. Mr. Herring showed them what different increases would look like for water according to what tier they are on and depending on what kind of water year it is. Mr. Herring stated that water and sewer rates for out of city limit residents is double what it is for those in city limits. They talked about the different colors of the tiers, and the amounts charged for the certain tiers and certain colors. They talked about electric power and the grid access fee. Mr. Herring stated that right now everyone pays the same whether you are inside or outside of city limits. The proposed rate increase is only for outside of city limits. He again went over some different increases and forecasts by percentage. He said that he talked to the legal team and they told him that as long as there is justification for raising the rates, there's nothing illegal about it, because it is our business. Mr. Herring wants to keep the increases very low. The council agrees. But they do understand that they will have to replace and maintain some of the infrastructure. They talked about numbers if they were to raise fees by 5%. Councilmember Ewald stated that the whole electric market is kind of scary right now. He's seen rates raised by 300% and even 1500% in places. Mr. Herring stated that it is a huge benefit to be partnered with UAMPS for that very reason. Mr Herring stated that he doesn't recommend any increase on sewer. He said that we only have 13 out-of-town customers on sewer and they are already paying double. He talked about some sewer lines that are not up to code and could be a problem and a big project in the future. They talked about the best options and how to keep things less complicated. Mr. Herring stated that soon, we are going to need a dedicated natural gas person as well as power. And they would be cross trained so they can cover each other when needed. Council member Bowers stated that she feels a 10% increase isn't much to incentivize people to annex into city limits. Mr. Herring stated that it would be about a $24 increase per month for customers for gas and electricity combined. If the energy fuels gas line goes through, that will pick up a lot of extra customers. Mr. Herring stated that there is currently a power study going on. He assumes that the study will recommend to increase by a lot. Councilmember Taylor asked if we are keeping gas prices lower than propane prices. Mr. Herring said that was a good question. Councilmember Taylor stated that he doesn't want our gas prices to go above and beyond propane prices. Mr. Herring stated that he will get a cleaned up spreadsheet of what they talked about and present that at the next council meeting. Rain and Flooding Mr. Herring stated that this rain has caused some havoc from the school district construction site. There are houses that are flooding that have never flooded before because of the water that is coming off the construction site and the construction workers are refusing to say that it's their fault. Mr. Herring asked them to build a pond to catch some of the water, but most of the water just ran around the pond. It has flooded houses down the street. Councilmember Taylor stated that he believes the construction company will be responsible for it because of their swift plan, they are supposed to manage the water. They talked about the flooding that happens near the Edge of the Cedars museum and the lack of curb and gutter in the area. It is Councilmember Bowers understanding that curb and gutter is the responsibility of the land owner. They questioned the ownership of the right of way and if it's the city's, then maybe they need to do something about it. They talked about a storm drain. They said the Murdock's, Turk's, Lyman's and Palmer's house flood when it rains. Some of them have put in improvements to try and help the flooding. Clock Island Council member Grover asked if we've looked further into closing the road over by Dirty Pop. Mr. Herring said that Mr. Wojcik is doing a presentation tonight and proposing a veterans memorial park in that area, so that will address the road closure question. POLICY MEETING Call to Order Roll Call A Prayer was offered by Nicole Holliday The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance. Approval: Consent Agenda and Minutes from July 23, 2024 Regular Session Councilmember Ewald made a motion to approve the consent agenda and minutes from July 23, 2024. 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 Councilmember Grover Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest - None Public Input Robert Turk and Paul Murdock were in attendance and they spoke to the council about the flooding that happens frequently in their neighborhood. Robert stated when he was on city council he talked with the city engineer about the flooding that happens in that neighborhood. He was told it was on the list as a concern for the storm water. It floods all the houses on the street every time it rains. He's also talked to Patrick and James. Robert has said that he has put in $8000 worth of cement work to channel the river, but that just sends it down the street to the Lyman's and Palmer's. He said that Troy Palmer is at the point where they don't even repair the damage, they just try to pump the water out. The water comes from Jerry Adams house and down to Burdette Shumway's house and there are several rivers that converge in Robert's property. Robert asked the council to consider what is going on with the properties on that street and have Patrick take a look at it. He asks that help with the storm water be budgeted in if feasible. Council member Bowers stated that her hotel also floods when it rains like this. She also stated that she did go look at the neighborhood and there is a whole section behind the Francom's that doesn't have a curb and gutter. She asked who owns the right of way and whose responsibility it is. What makes it a city issue versus a property owner issue. Robert said it's because the water is coming off of city roads and it needs to be taken care of. Council member Bowers said that if the city owns the right of way then we may be responsible for curb and gutter. Robert stated that he doesn't know where the ball lands and who is responsible for it, but he'd like it to be looked at and then let him know what they think either way. He'd like to improve his property, but not if it's going to wash away. Mr. Herring stated that he will definitely look at it. He's been getting several calls about stormwater and flooding. He said they'd come up with a plan and he'll definitely get in touch with him. The Bingham family showed up to address the council about the flooding problems as well. The Binghams have been provided with some sand bags and that water is more than what the sand bags can hold back. Desteny Bingham stated that they have lived in that house for 10 years and this has never been a problem. (There is a lot of water coming off of the elementary school construction site). She stated that the construction workers drive by multiple times a day and laugh and swear at them. They have talked to the construction workers and they say it is not their problem. She said that they have remodeled the house and yard since they've lived there. She stated there were other citizens that drove by and stopped and tried to help. She apologized for barging in but they don't know what else to do. She was very emotional and upset. Council member Bowers stated that coming to council was the right thing to do. She said that it is an issue that has been talked about and the construction site is definitely a problem area and there are other parts of town that are also getting flooded. Mr. Bingham this is the second time this week that their house has flooded. They are doing everything they can and to go to the construction site and talk to the people that are in charge and to be swore at and laughed at is disgusting. And as taxpayers, we are paying these people. Mr. Herring stated that the Binghams have been talking to Westland and he has taken it above their heads to the project manager with BTK and he has a meeting scheduled with them to discuss this in detail. He has a video of the last storm. He said that he is working on it as quickly as he can and he'll get them more information as soon as he can. Council member Bowers asked if we need to take it up to the school board as well. Mr. Herring stated that they will be on that call as well. Mr. Bingham asked if they could get some more sand bags. Mr. Herring said that he'd get them some more by tomorrow. Council member Taylor stated he believes that the contractor is 100% liable. He is sorry that this is happening and he's sorry for the way the construction workers have treated citizens, he wants to know who it was and hold them accountable. He wants to get the Binghams more sand and help out where we can. Council member Bowers stated that she has dealt with flooding as well and it is a traumatic experience. She isn't sure what the city's role is in this as well as the school board's role. Desteny stated that they have gotten more help from Trent and the city than anyone else and when they have talked to the construction workers, they are putting the blame on the city. Mr. Herring stated he is aware of that and he has a lot more information than they know that he does. He talked to someone about a study on that property and how the water flows with full vegetation and how it flows now. He's been in discussion with a lot of people, mainly the project manager, who is not from the same company as Westland. He is acting as mediator and he is happy to do so and he will follow up with the Binghams as soon as he has more information. Mr. Herring wants to have a central location where people can get sandbags if needed. He will talk with Preston and Westland construction to make that happen. Mayor Monson said he has talked to the state and the county and everyone is willing to help. They discussed how many bags will potentially be needed. Reports Mayor City Council Council member Nielson stated that he attended the planning and zoning meeting and said that they discussed options for mobile homes areas and other housing options, so it is on their radar. Mr. Herring said that he has a phone call scheduled that pertains to subdivisions and he will add council member Nielson to that call. He said that a company looked at all our subdivision ordinances and they have some recommendations and possible improvements and changes we can make. Finance Report - James Francom Mr. Francom has included the check register in the packet. He said that some things that they are working on is to use less and less paper checks and pay bills online. It's been nice, but there is still a lot of work to do. He said that they just went through their financial audit and it's gone well. Economic Development - Ben Muhlestein Mr. Muhlestein stated that we had a few new business licenses and a few renewals. Mr. Muhlestein stated that we are hard at work to make sure we have everything we need for the fall festival. We have started to create flyers and advertisements. We are working on a way to encourage travel from around the county for the event. Vendors have started booking, we are around half way full currently. We will need volunteers to help run events, so if you or someone you know is willing, please contact him. This should be a good event. It will be on Sept. 18th. Marathon - Our current rate of growth puts us at around 250 registrants for this year, which is about what we were expecting. Preparation continues for the marathon. Mr. Muhlestein stated that they are working on the newsletter for September, if you have stories, events, or other items you would like added to the newsletter, please send it to him before the end of the month. Parks & Recreation - David Palmer Mr. Palmer stated that they have a preconstruction meeting this Thursday for the shade structure. Soccer season is underway, we ended up with 24 teams this year, that is the most we have ever had. Flag and Tackle Football registrations will end August 10th. The pool is running great and September 2nd (Labor Day) will be our last day. The parks are all in great shape. Wellness Center numbers: We had 8,208 recorded 'member' visits during July and 2,446 visits from patrons without a membership. (Adults 978 - Child/Seniors 1,468). Total visitation for July is 10,654 which equals an average of 409 visits per day (So Busy). Year to date total recorded entries is 34,471. Mr. Palmer stated that as a citizen of the county he appreciates that the city is willing to listen to concerned citizens. He wouldn't even bother to go to the county with this issue. His basement is flooding as we speak. Business Items Resolution - 08-13-2024-1 Annexation Declaration of Restrictive Condition Mr. Herring stated that he took the contract that is already in place for water and he applied it to all utilities. It's a contract that is signed when someone wants Blanding utilities outside of an annexed area, it states that if the city wants to annex the area, the land owner can't fight it. Councilmember Ewald made a motion to approve Resolution 08-13-2024-1 Accepting the Annexation Declaration of Restrictive Condition. Councilmember Grover 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. Resolution - 08-13-2024-2 Fraud Risk Assessment Approval Mr. Herring said that we had our audit last week and as part of the audit we have to do a fraud risk assessment. This is something that we have to do every year. We are in good shape and scored in the low risk level. Councilmember Nielson made a motion to approve Resolution 08-13-2024-2 Fraud Risk Assessment Approval. 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. Discussion Items Tony Wojcik - Blanding Memorial Proposal Mr. Wojcik said that he calls the piece of land in question, clock island. He said that it is flooded right now because of the rain. He hopes to do something positive for the city. He wants to enlarge the area and keep it a right of way for walking. He wants it to be a veterans memorial. He said that the veterans memorial at the visitors center is kept locked because it's been defaced and things have been stolen. So if you want to see it, you have to go get a key. He said the city will have to reconfigure the area and it will help with the traffic issue. He went over, in detail, his sketches of what he has in mind for the area. He wants it to be a beautification project and to honor the veterans. He said that he has $200,000 to put into the project. Council member Grover asked how much he wants to expand the area. Mr. Wojcik said that he isn't sure yet. He wants to find someone who has a high tech landscaping program that he can hire to help out with the project. He talked about people buying pavers and being sponsors for the park. They discussed some different options for electricity, lights, materials and the layout, etc. Mr. Wojcik stated this is why he wants a committee, to help with ideas and thinking through the whole process. He wants the city's blessing to move forward with this. The council members all like his idea and want the project to move forward. Mayor Monson stated that Trent and Ben and staff will work with him on moving forward. Andy Miksell was also in attendance. He and Mr. Wojick are both veterans. Citizens Academy - Charlie Taylor Trooper Brian Robinson had a powerpoint presentation on the citizens academy. The dates are August 29: Highway Patrol, September 5: Blanding City, September 12: San Juan County, September 18: Graduation/BBQ. Council member Taylor stated that it would be a couple hours per night, it would give the opportunity for law enforcement to be engaged with local leaders. Each department would teach a different night and it would be specific to what they do. The highway patrol will do what is called a wet lab, you will have the opportunity to do field sobriety tests on impaired people. There will be K-9 demonstrations, and you will get to search a car. You will be put in a scenario with a sovereign citizen. You will have to solve a conflict between a reckless driver and complainant. It will happen in different locations depending on what department is on for the night. It's also an opportunity for leaders to have some insight into their everyday interactions with the communities. They will have some real life training and build trust with local law enforcement. Couniclmember Taylor stated that he is pitching it for Trooper Robinson, the powerpoint slides asks that they go into it with a positive attitude and participate in the program, get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Ask yourself what is something I can learn from the program and have fun. Council member Taylor stated that this round of the program is for city and county leaders specifically. Mr Herring stated that Trooper Robinson will send them all an email with the exact details when they are nailed down. Streets Project Update - Trent Herring Mr. Herring stated that when this topic was put on the agenda, paving was supposed to happen next week, but as some may have noticed, they are pretty much done. A lot of the streets look a lot better and they are ahead of schedule which is good but there are definitely some things that don't look good and need to be fixed and aren't acceptable. Mr. Herring hopes to do the walk-through with Jones and deMille. Councilmember Taylor asked if Mr. Herring was able to follow up about the trucks that are destroying the city streets. Mr Herring has requested a meeting to discuss that specifically. He said there is a portion of 700 North that is completely caved in. Councilmember Taylor stated he understands the importance of trucking but having trucks this size and this heavy is destroying the streets. Senior Citizen Center Blanding - Trent Herring & Cheryl Bowers Council member Bowers said that she was approached by several seniors in town. She asked Mr. Herring to set up a meeting with commissioner Stubbs and Mac McDonald. They were able to have the meeting. It's been a long drawn out issue that's been happening for a long time, there are upset people on both sides. It's become quite a mess and it's sad. She hopes that we as a city can help our citizens and the seniors, although it's a county program and a county building. The actual building is quite small. The county created a rule that says seniors have to participate in the lunch program for 70% of the time for 6 months to have any input or recommendations for the use of the building. Lunch happens twice a week. And once that rule was in place it kind of ruined any chance of input from the seniors. Council member Bowers said that the county has absolutely zero money that they are willing to put into this issue. If they get any money it will be put into meals on wheels, because they have a waiting list. The grant that they have to cover the program only covers the meals and the staff that manages those meals. She said that we are the only city in the county that doesn't have a part in the program or share responsibilities. In the meeting, they recommended that we as a city, hire someone at a flat rate and run some activities. It would start little and see how it goes. The staff would have to be employed through the county but funded by the city. And they said the city would have to pay for electricity for the extra time that is spent there. It was asked if the 70% rule can be changed. Council member Bowers said that they did discuss it. She said that they felt like it was poorly done and it was a rule that shouldn't have been passed. They discussed using the library, and Council member Bowers questioned why use the library, it's a county building and so is the senior center. It was asked if someone could volunteer to run some activities. That is a good idea, but they would also have to have an employee there as well for insurance purposes. Mr. Herring stated that it would likely be structured like the classes at the wellness center, a staff would be paid per class. Mr. Herring will put together a cost analysis of what it would take to run a few activities a week for the seniors. He will have it ready for the next city council meeting and then they can take it to the county commission. Council member Bowers stated that the seniors are willing to talk to the county commission as well. They just feel like they are at a stand still and they don't know what to do. The county seemed open to the idea of an employee funded by the city, just as long as they don't have to put any money into it. Electric Vehicle Fleet Grant - Trent Herring Mr. Herring said that he was approached by someone who grew up in Blanding and does some grant writing. She talked to him about electric vehicles and wondered if the city would be open to having an electric fleet. They first talked about police vehicles and then possibly the public works, parks and recreation vehicles. The more they talked, the more he liked the idea. He reached out to Chief Bradford and he is open to the idea. This could make sense for Blanding because of the size. It would only be possible with 100% grant funding. The grant would cover the cost of vehicles, charging stations, maintenance, and training someone to maintain the vehicles. And Mr. Herring wants to look into training a shop in town to do the maintenance. He thinks it's worth looking into but not jumping in 100%. Mr. Herring has requested some references specifically from Utah to see what they think of it. Council member Taylor expressed some concerns about having law enforcement using e-cars. It scares him to have an officer in an emergency where he needs power and his car doesn't have the power needed for whatever situation he may be in. There are times when city police have to go outside of city limits. He doesn't want our police department to be the first to try this. He wants to talk to the Indiana department and ask them what's wrong with the program, not just what is good about it. He likes the idea of using it for parks and rec and public works. He also pointed out that it can be any e-car, not just the Tesla brand. The miles that they say you can go in an e-car isn't realistic when it comes to law enforcement, because they have so much idle time. He said that they make it look good but he really wants to dig in and do some research on it. He does believe it will save on fuel. Councilmember Grover stated that from the fuel industry stand point he doesn't think he is interested. Mr. Herring suggested that we continue to budget for new cars and if needed then the money will be there and if it's not needed then there is a chunk of money that can go elsewhere. Councilmember Bowers stated that her initial response is similar to council member Grover's. She believes there could be some savings if it's truly an all grant process, but she's skeptical when they say it's an all grant and then you end up having to come up with additional funding. She stated if they're savings in purchasing the vehicle and savings in fuel, then she can't be opposed to it, if it saves our citizens money, she can't be opposed to it. She's not thrilled but she is open to it. Council member Ewald suggested that we find out what the real life problems are that could arise, like cold weather operations, distance driving, rain. It can't all be pros. Council member Taylor asked what the long range maintenance looks like, can we even afford that kind of maintenance. Mr. Herring stated that the benefit of the majority of e-cars, specifically Tesla, are 100% cover up to 120,000 except for tires, brakes and windshield. Council member Taylor said that a patrol car would never get to that mileage, but what about hours. His patrol car has 3,000 hours of idle time. Mr. Herring said he will ask those questions. Food Truck Park - Trent Herring Mr. Herring said that one of the first things that Mr. Muhlestien said to him was to make a food truck park in one of the vacant lots that the city owns. There are towns all over that have food truck parks. There are multiple trucks that are in town and park in different areas. They talked about putting in a charging station in the same lot as well. They discussed parking and the impact it may have on the neighborhood. Mr. Herring said that we could put some renderings together. A big benefit we have is that the city owns half that block. Council member Bowers said that his same topic was brought up about six years ago and council was not open to it, but if they are now, she would love to get something like this. Council member Grover asked how it would affect her little food shop, she said she is totally fine with it, we need more food establishments, and to get everyone in one spot would be great. Mayor Monson stated that multiple people have approached him about this very thing. Mr. Muhlestein stated that what council member Bowers is doing at her motel is a great thing. She said that she talked to the pizza truck and they told her, the more that is available the more people come and the better we seem to do. Closed Session Councilmember Nielson made a motion to go into closed session to discuss land. 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 Bowers 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 9:48pm.

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

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Notice Posted On

August 28, 2024 04:34 PM

Notice Last Edited On

August 28, 2024 04:34 PM

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