DUCHESNE CITY COUNCIL
MINUTES
NOVEMBER 8, 2016

A regularly scheduled meeting of the Duchesne City Council was held at 6:00 p.m., November 8, 2016, at the Duchesne City Office Building, 500 East Main, Duchesne, UT. Mayor RoJean Rowley conducted the meeting, and the City Recorder, Diane Miller, took minutes. City Council Members present were Bryce Hamilton, Danny Peatross, Dawnette Browning, Jeannie Mecham and Rodney Rowley.

Others present were: Margie Toone, Chuck Richins, Neil Bailey, Lane Genereaux, Grace Roy, Kris Bird, Susan Hamilton, Steve Rowley, Jamie Park, Clint & Helen Park, Troy & Krystal Fabrizio, Jake Ivie, Austin Ivie, Travis Ivie, Mitchell Lewis, Rachel Evans, Jewelee Ries, Alaina Denney, Petar Vucak, Gigona Vucak, Roberta Nielsen, Jacquel Ketterer, Rebecka Denney, Dale Lamboren, Noah Pottery, Todd & Christy Smith, Cole Swasey, Dakota Tegan, Brytan Hagemen, Joseph Patrick, Britton Rowley, Holden & Kelsey Young, Trina Griffin, Misnay Mecham, Thara Tenney, Mike & Janae Rowley, Julie Hamilton, Bob Ketterer, Arnold Remund, Erin Park, Daniel Potter, Villi Olafson, Justic Fitzgerald, Cris Bird and Dallas Aagard.  

INVOCATION was offered by Council Member Browning.

Mayor Rowley led the City Council and the public in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

MINUTES

MOTION by Council Member Hamilton, seconded by Council Member Peatross to approve the minutes from October 25, 2016.

Council Member Browning - Aye
Council Member Mecham - Aye
Council Member Hamilton - Aye
Council Member Peatross - Aye
Council Member Rowley - Aye

Motion carried by unanimous vote.

6:00 - 6:15 - Open Session

The Duchesne High School preformed a skit for their play they will be performing called 'The Adams Family.'

BILLS

MOTION by Council Member Browning, seconded by Council Member Mecham to pay the bills.

Council Member Browning - Aye
Council Member Mecham - Aye
Council Member Hamilton - Aye
Council Member Peatross - Aye
Council Member Rowley - Aye

Motion carried by unanimous vote.

BUSINESS LICENSE

MOTION by Council Member Hamilton, seconded by Council Member Mecham to approve a business license for MS Toone Enterprises.

Council Member Browning - Aye
Council Member Mecham - Aye
Council Member Hamilton - Aye
Council Member Peatross - Aye
Council Member Rowley - Aye

Motion carried by unanimous vote.

P & Z Update

There were no updates from P & Z.

STATE FIRE INSURANCE

Mayor Rowley stated that she and the State Fire Marshal met with all the Fire Chief's and the Emergency Management Personnel about the State Fire Insurance. This has be discussed at earlier Council meetings where this is just put in the budget but the funds are not disbursed each year. The City just needs to show the State that they are obligating these funds to be part of the program. It is only approximately $1,300 per year and Council Member Hamilton feels this is in the best interest of the City. Mayor Rowley stated this is like having insurance for the City in case of a large fire. 

MOTION by Council Member Hamilton, seconded by Council Member Peatross to join the State Fire Insurance program.

Council Member Browning - Aye
Council Member Mecham - Aye
Council Member Hamilton - Aye
Council Member Peatross - Aye
Council Member Rowley - Aye

Motion carried by unanimous vote.

SUSAN HAMILTON - Variance For Petar Vucak

Susan Hamilton has presented the variance for Petar Vucak to the P & Z board where they recommend that the Council grant the variance. 

MOTION by Council Member Peatross, seconded by Council Member Hamilton to go by the P & Z recommendation and grant Petar Vucak a variance for his garage. 

Council Member Browning - Aye
Council Member Mecham - Aye
Council Member Hamilton - Aye
Council Member Peatross - Aye
Council Member Rowley - Aye

Motion carried by unanimous vote.

PUBLIC HEARING

Mayor Rowley opened the public hearing at 6:22pm. Mayor Rowley stated the sewer lagoons need to be dredged, so the Mayor had Horrocks look at the situation to determine what it was going to take. They went to the Division of Water Quality for financing but the Mayor felt their financial package wasn't as good as it could be. Rural Water sent out letters to all the residents to gather income information to help show that the City's average income was low so that the Division of Water Quality would give the City more grant than loan, but not very many of the letters were returned, so the City had to except what the Division was offering. The loan from the Division included $400,000 hardship grant and $2,700,000 with a .25% interest rate. Mayor Rowley stated that the City does not have to start paying on this loan until 2021, so the rate will be increased a little at a time until it reaches a total of $44.94. The City has worked hard to keep the price of the project down and it's not something the City wants to do, but it is something that has to be done. Council Member Hamilton stated that he is not happy about raising the sewer rate either, but the loan cannot be paid from any other fund besides the sewer fund. Council Member Rowley stated that if the bids come in lower, then the City won't have to borrow the entire $2,700,000. Todd Smith asked how many years has the City know this had to be done. Mayor Rowley explained that the City started looking at the issue approximately two years ago. Rural Water and the State came out and got into a canoe to measure the sludge. From there, the City starting working out a plan to see what needed to be done. The problem was not cause from lack of maintenance, sewer lagoons have to be dredged every so often. Eric Park stated that the City should have been setting money aside all along if it was known that the sewer lagoons were going to have to be dredged at some point. Susan Hamilton stated that it isn't just the residence that contribute to the problem with the sewer ponds, it is also those who have septic systems, the tourist, the forest service, etc. She feels the City should be able to call on national emergency funding to solve this problem. Mayor Rowley stated that Moab is a prime example of tourism and the forestry usage and they had to go the same route for their lagoons. Kelsie Young asked if the City knew about it two years ago, why it wasn't addressed then. Mayor Rowley explained it has taken this long to get the design and funding package together. Council Member Hamilton stated the City just spent $5,000,000 on a new sewer system because the infrastructure had failed. The City has put in new water and sewer lines, then new roads and now the City has to deal with the lagoons. After that, the City should be in good shape for quite a while. Jamie Park stated that it is not just those that are on fixed incomes that it will effect, it is also the ones who work really hard for their money and Duchesne County has been on a wage freeze for the last three years which effect a lot of people. If more people start to leave, will the sewer rate increase more or if more people start moving in, will the sewer rate decrease. Mayor Rowley stated that as far as she knows it wouldn't change. Janae Rowley stated that she just needs some things clarified. Horrocks was hired just to do the design, but how is the bidding process handled. Mayor Rowley stated now that City has the design work done, then it will be advertised for bid in the spring. Cris Bird stated that the City should have gone door to door to explain to the residences what the letter was about and what the purpose was because she feels the City would had a lot better response then what the City got. Mayor Rowley explained that the State would not let the City influence the residences in any way. Arnold Remund stated that what worries him is how much more sewer will go up over the next 30 years to maintain the sewer lagoons. Mayor Rowley stated that as far as she knows, this increase should take care of it over the next 30 years and hopefully beyond that. Daniel Taylor asked why the City is holding a public hearing after the decision has already been made that the City is going to move forward with this project. Mayor Rowley stated that the Division requires the City to hold these public hearings, in fact this is the second public hearing that has been held on this issue. Mike Rowley stated that he wanted to thank the Mayor and Council for all their hard work that has gone into putting the funding together for this project. If your car breaks down, you're not happy about it, but sometimes you just have to fix it. He is not happy about the rate increase either, but it is time to fix the problem. Mayor Rowley stated that she appreciates the public turn out for this meeting and everyone's comments. She just wishes that more people would attend more often. There were no more comments, so Mayor Rowley closed the public hearing at 7:25pm. 

RESOLUTION 16-5

MOTION by Council Member Hamilton, seconded by Council Member Peatross to adopt Resolution 16-5

Council Member Browning - Aye
Council Member Mecham - Aye
Council Member Hamilton - Aye
Council Member Peatross - Aye
Council Member Rowley - Aye

Motion carried by unanimous vote.

BOOK OF COMPLAINTS, CONCERNS & COMMENTS

There were no new complaints.

MAYOR AND COUNCIL REVIEW OF OLD BUSINESS

Council Member Browning discussed issues that she has been seeing with the new cross walk by the Burger King. The cars are still not stopping when the lights are flashing. The lights need to be red and not yellow. Mayor Rowley stated that she would talk to the State about it. 

WORK SESSION

There was no work session called.

EXECUTIVE SESSION - Personnel  

MOTION by Council Member Browning, seconded by Council Member Mecham to at 7:45pm.

Council Member Browning - Aye
Council Member Mecham - Aye
Council Member Hamilton - Aye
Council Member Peatross - Aye
Council Member Rowley - Aye

Motion carried by unanimous vote.

All in attendance was: Mayor Rowley, Council Member Hamilton, Council Member Rowley, Council Member Browning, Council Member Mecham and Council Member Peatross.

MOTION by Council Member Browning, seconded by Council Member Mecham to closed the executive session and return to the regularly scheduled meeting at 7:59pm.

Council Member Browning - Aye
Council Member Mecham - Aye
Council Member Hamilton - Aye
Council Member Peatross - Aye
Council Member Rowley - Aye

Motion carried by unanimous vote.

Motion to adjourn by Council Member Hamilton at 8:00pm.