General Information

Government Type

Municipality

Entity

Blanding

Public Body

City Council

Notice Information

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Notice Title

City Council Minutes 8/27/24

Notice Tags

Administrative Procedure

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

August 27, 2024 07:00 PM

Description/Agenda

CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Mayor Logan Monson Mayor Pro Tempore Cheryl Bowers Council Member Chris Ewald Council Member Charlie Taylor Council Member Erik Grover Council Member Kellen Nielson August 27, 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 POLICY MEETING Call to Order Roll Call A Prayer was offered by Trent Herring The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance. Approval: Consent Agenda and Minutes from August 13, 2024 Regular Session Councilmember Ewald made a motion to approve the consent agenda and minutes from August 13, 2024. 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 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 Reports Mayor The high school has asked that the city get involved with a civics day on September 17th. Mr. Herring said that he talked to Jesse Grover and asked that the city have a booth, the youth city council would have a booth there as well. City Council Councilmember Taylor reminded everyone of the citizens academy. They went over the dates and times and what the academy will include. Councilmember Nielson said that he attended the 100 Years of Silence show that Shaun Ketchum put on. They had some great art work there. Councilmember Bowers wants to restart the Blanding Area Travel Council meetings. She will get with Mr. Herring and Mr. Muhlestien and talk about it. We have to do something to market Blanding. A lot of businesses are feeling the hit this year. She said monthly meetings would be great, but at least quarterly. Finance Report - James Francom Mr. Francom attached the operational budget report to the packet. He said that the baseball revenue was in the negative, but don't be alarmed, it's because the revenue was received last year and these are refunds to the coaches. Same goes for soccer. Mr. Francom said that the insurance shows 100% spent, but we only pay it once a year. City Engineer Report - Patrick Parsons In Mr. Parsons absence, Mr. Herring went over the water report. It's been a good water year. We've stayed pretty consistent with the median. It is believed we will end the year with full reservoirs. The streets project has wrapped up, there are a few things that need to be buttoned up. There was a general discussion about the rain and the problem areas when it comes to flooding. They talked about the city's responsibility and the city's right of way. They talked about curb and gutter and whether or not it would help or hinder. They talked about houses that are built below hills. They talked about where water drains to. They pulled up a map and talked about options to redirect water. Mr. Herring said that it will have to be something that Mr. Parsons will have to have a say in. Planning & Zoning - Bret Hosler Mr. Hosler stated that he and Mr. Herring have been working on the camp trailer issue around town. They have sent out some letters asking people to comply with city and state code. Mr. Hosler said that they are doing inspections everyday at the elementary school construction site. Mayor Monson wanted to make it clear that the city is in no way funding or involved in the building of any of the ongoing projects. They are projects that are happening in the city. We are involved with the permits and the building codes and what not. Mr. Hosler talked about the different permits that are required for building and the permits that have been pulled for the current construction that is going on around town. The main project that is coming up this fall at the airport is the crack and seal and fog coat. There is a contractor lined out to do work on the fuel system at the airport, but he was pushed back because we didn't have the go ahead with the funding, so there isn't a definite date. They talked about the issues with AWAS. Bret said that they were on top of that and contacted our contracted partners, meso tech and Ron King and the issue was resolved by resetting the computer and turning all the breakers off and on. Councilmember Ewald said that it was working well today. Councilmember Ewald asked how the fog coat process will go. Mr. Herring stated that they have a construction meeting and they will go over those details. Council member Ewald stated that he can help with planes when needed. Business Items Resolution - 08-27-2024-1 Blanding Senior Citizen Funding to San Juan County Mr. Herring forecasted some costs of what it might look like for some classes and utilities at the senior center. The city will provide the funding for a county employee to run a few classes a month for the seniors at the senior center. Any funding the county gets, it goes toward meals on wheels. The amount the city is providing is $2000. The Mayor wants the resolution to make it clear to the county what our expectations are. The resolution approves the amount that will be given and then a contract will be presented to the county commissioners. The council discussed the details that they want in the contract. They talked about making it a 1 year contract and seeing how it goes for the year. The classes will have to be approved by the senior center board. Councilmember Grover made a motion to approve Resolution 08-27-2024-1 Accepting the Blanding Senior Citizen Funding to San Juan County with our expectations clearly stated. 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 Nielson Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Bowers Couniclmember Grover Those voting nay: No Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Resolution - 08-27-2024-2 Water & Sewer Rate Increase w/ Standardized Tier Levels Mr. Herring has proposed a 6% increase on water rates and a 1.8% increase on sewer rates. A 10-12% increase was originally discussed. Mr. Herring looked into all the other rates and increases and he feels comfortable with these numbers. Councilmember Ewald made a motion to approve Resolution 08-27-2024-2 Accepting the Water and Sewer Rate Increase w/ Standardized Tier Levels. 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 Ewald Councilmember Bowers Couniclmember Grover Those voting nay: Councilmember Nielson Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Resolution - 08-27-2024-3 Outside City Limit Rate Increase for Power & Natural Gas Mr. Herring went over the cost of propane versus natural gas. His proposed increase for natural gas and power is 8% on each service. There are 149 customers on natural gas that are out of city limits. They discussed Rocky Mountain Power's prices and possible state legislation that could increase prices in the future. It is unsure how it might affect us, especially since Blanding City owns their own power company. Mr. Herring compared our electric prices to Rocky Mountain Power's prices. Rocky Mountain generally has higher prices. There are 279 customers on city power that are out of city limits. The possibility of separating the natural gas and power into two resolutions was discussed. The gas company is currently making a profit. They discussed the need to look into other resources. UAMPS will have options, and the city will need to have money to fund those options. They discussed the need for staff to maintain the gas lines and infrastructure. Our staff, who does it now, also takes care of power. They discussed the cost of maintenance on lines outside of city limits and making some incentive to incorporate into the city. It was mentioned that the more gas volume we sell, we'll bring in more money without having to raise rates. Councilmember Taylor made a motion to table Resolution 08-27-2024-3 and separate power and natural gas into separate resolutions and bring it back at a later date. 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 Couniclmember Grover Those voting nay: Councilmember Bowers Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Resolution - 08-27-2024-4 Travis Shumway Airport Land Lease Agreement Travis Shumway wants to add a hangar at the airport, after the contract has been made, there will still be more steps that will need to be done before construction begins, such as an archeological study, biology studies, we have to work with the FAA. The contract states a rate of 25 cents per square foot for the first 10 years of the contract. There will be no payment due for the first 3 years. It's a 25 year lease agreement with 3 renewals. The contract has not been reviewed by legal yet. Archaeology studies are good for 10 years. Our archeology study that has been done at the airport is less than 10 years. Biology studies are good for 3 years. Mr. Herring stated that any studies that need to be done at the hangar site, Travis is willing to pay for. They talked about what lot he will be building on and having him extend his power to the far side of his lot so that the next lot can easily connect to power. There is a section in the contract that addresses this very issue. Councilmember Taylor made a motion to approve Resolution 08-27-2024-4 Accepting the Travis Shumway Airport Land Lease Agreement. Councilmember Ewald seconded the motion. Mayor Monson repeated the motion and added that he thinks it would be wise to have legal look at the contract and fill in the blanks, he then asked for any additional 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. Advice and Consent Items ATV Safari Donation - Lynne Shumway Mrs. Shumway thanked the council for all the work that they do on behalf of the city. Mrs. Shumway came to request sponsorship for the ATV safari for $500. She said that sponsors are welcome to come and ride the trails. This is the 22nd year of the ATV safari. She has worked for the safari for 21 years. Councilmember Grover asked if vendors ever come to the event. Mrs. Shumway said that there have been a few in the past. Mrs. Shumway talked about the permits that they have with the BLM. Their current permit goes to 2025 and they will apply for another permit by the end of 2024. Mayor Monson suggested that they work with the state. Sept. 18th is the night ride and kick off dinner, then rides continue on Friday and Saturday. The council gave advice and consent for the sponsorship. Swallows Nest Repair - Trent Herring Mr. Herring said that the repairs for the Swallows nest have yet to be done. The door needs repaired, there is some mortar repair that needs done and a french drain that needs to be put in. The repairs for the door have already been paid for. The people that put in the bid for the door said that they can restore it to its historical status. Council gave advice and consent to move forward with those repairs. Bathrooms for 3 parks with Portable Bathrooms - Trent Herring Mr. Herring wants to look into the costs to build bathrooms at the parks that currently have portable bathrooms. The parks that have portable toilets are the pickleball park and the main street park. The portable bathrooms cost $2000-$2500 per bathroom per year. Council gave advice and consent for Mr. Herring to look into the costs of building permanent bathrooms. Discussion Items Cemetery District Water Proposal - Trent Herring The Cemetery Maintenance District Board has requested that the city sell them 50 acre feet of water at the rate of $175 per acre foot. This request is similar to the water purchase agreement from 2015, the difference being 50 acre feet instead of 40 acre feet. The cemetery has expanded their grass area and therefore needs more water. The board hopes to maintain a cemetery that is beautiful, dignified and an appropriate resting place for loved ones while making it as affordable as possible. The council agrees that they don't want to see the cemetery go dry. They discussed the possibility of raising the rate. The current contract with the cemetery goes through October of this year. Part-Time Employees as an Elected Blanding City Official - Trent Herring The Blanding City code concerning political activity states: 1. An employee shall not be coerced to support a political activity, whether or not funds or time are involved or not. 2. An employee shall not engage in political activity during work hours, unless on approved leave. 3. An employee shall not use City-owned equipment, supplies or resources, and other attendant expenses (paper, computer online and access charges, etc.) when engaged in political activity. 4. An employee shall not use, discriminate in favor of or against, any person or applicant for employment based on political activities. 5. An employee shall not use the employee's title or position while engaging in political activity. 6. A full-time permanent employee may not hold an elected Blanding City political office while employed by Blanding City. Any full-time permanent employee running for a Blanding City elected office, and winning that election, must resign from City employment prior to taking the oath of office. The code does not say anything about part-time employees. They discussed the different positions that are considered part-time and seasonal. They discussed different scenarios that could get awkward and some situations where someone could be making policies for themselves. It was agreed that something be added to the code and run it by legal to make sure it's all legit. Adjournment Councilmember Taylor made a motion to adjourn. 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 Grover Councilmember Nielson Councilmember Ewald Councilmember Bowers Those voting nay: None Constituting all members thereof, Mayor Monson declared the motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:58pm.

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

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

September 27, 2024 04:43 PM

Notice Last Edited On

September 27, 2024 04:43 PM

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