City Council Minutes September 20, 2018

Minutes of Fairview City Council meeting held on Thursday, September 20, 2018, at 85 South State Street, City of Fairview, County of Sanpete, State of Utah.

Mayor David Taylor called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.  Councilmembers present were Cliff Wheeler, Casey Anderson, Kaelyn Sorensen, Bob St. Jacques, and Mike Jarman.  City Employees present were Justin Jackson, Logan Ludvigson, and Greg Sorensen.  City Employee Jan Anderson was excused.  Alyson Lee took minutes for meeting.  Citizens present were Curtis Ludvigson, Wes Mangum, Tyler Christensen, Jason Mardell, Leon Day, and Roman and Erma Lee Aaron.   The invocation and Pledge of Allegiance was offered by Councilman Cliff Wheeler.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Councilman Casey Anderson moved to approve the minutes from June 23, 2018, as amended. Councilman Mike Jarman seconded the motion.  The voting was unanimous in favor of.  Councilman Mike Jarman moved to approve minutes from July 12, 2018.  Councilman Cliff Wheeler seconded the motion.  The voting was unanimous in favor of.  Councilman Casey Anderson moved to approve minutes from August 16, 2018 as amended.  Councilwoman Kaelyn Sorenson seconded the motion.  The voting was unanimous in favor of.

APPEARANCES/COMMUNICATIONS:

Wes Mangum, Sanpete County Deputy Attorney, Introduction.  Attorney Mangum wants to serve as our city attorney. He is the county prosecutor plus does civil cases. Takes care of county court, juvenile court, and a few other courts. Would like to be a city prosecutor for us, though he knows the City uses Chad Woolley as the City prosecutor.  He would like to be competitive with him, and he guarantees he’d be cheaper chiefly because of his proximity. Benefits he can bring: financial decrease, he works steadily with Chief Wright and the surrounding officers know him well and trust him, he can come here without trouble to consult with Chief Wright, he does the justice court at the county level, so he is familiar with the cases that are coming through the cities and would like to be familiar with the smaller court cases. Mayor Dave Taylor said that there are other attorneys who are doing great work for the City on water issues and in other areas, and the City is not looking to replace them.  Councilman Casey Anderson asked if he wants to be the judge, or the prosecuting attorney? Does he want to be on retainer? He answered that he would like to replace the current attorney in his current position, on retainer to run the criminal, civil, and city justice court. He would like to be a good fit for Fairview. He was told by Mayor Dave Taylor that the city may be looking at some civil representation, and he would like to do that as well. Councilman Cliff Wheeler asked how taking on more cities affects what he does for the county? He said that the justice court schedule fits perfectly with his current county workload and workload with other cities. Currently all cities in Sanpete are being represented by one guy anyway, he is confident he could take it on in addition to his county duties.

Branch Cox – Would Fairview City Be Interested in Sponsoring a Boy Scout Troup. Mr. Cox was not present.  Mayor Dave Taylor along with Councilman Casey Anderson, and Branch Cox met and discussed hosting a BSA troop.  The BSA is trying to figure out how to have troops throughout the area that is currently covered by LDS charters. There is discussion about whether Fairview City is interested in chartering and sponsoring a Boy Scout troop. The troop doesn’t have to be a Fairview City troop, it could be support of a financial sort or some other involvement. Businesses, churches, other organizations can sponsor troops. Throughout the USA many cities sponsor troops.  Mayor Taylor asked whether the Council would support a public meeting on whether there is interest in the city sponsoring a troop?  Mayor Taylor is a long-time scouter and sees the benefit of it for boys. He would like to hold a meeting and hear the public’s opinion.  Councilman Cliff Wheeler asked what is the purpose of the public hearing?  It was also asked– does the money have to go to the BSA? Or does it stay right here?  Councilman Anderson answered that it is unknown what the BSA will look like in Utah after January 1, 2020.  He was thinking that a poll could be sent out and see what public feedback is received. Councilman Anderson suggested having a work meeting where a few different issues and ideas could be discussed.  Councilman Anderson was asked to head up the work meeting and choose a day.  It was suggested 6:30 p.m. before the next City Council meeting, October 18.

REPORTS/ACTION ITEMS—BOARDS/COMMITTEES/STAFF/OFFICERS:

Planning Commission:

Charles Jackson, Lot Split, 300 South 600 East.  He has met the requirement for buildable lots. There is ample frontage, and they are proposing putting in a road of the correct width of 66 feet to allow access to the back acreage which is not part of this split.  Councilman Bob St. Jacques moved to approve the Lot Split.  Councilman Cliff Wheeler seconded the motion.  The voting was unanimous in favor of.

Continuation of Dance Hall Refund Discussion – Update Rental Contract. The City has had issues where the dance hall has been reserved, and then the person(s) want to cancel the week before the scheduled event. Does the City offer a refund?  Should it be pro-rated? The Dance Hall is a revenue bond, and the bond is being paid by the rental fees.  Councilman Cliff Wheeler stated that if the dance hall is rented a year or even months in advance, and the payment has been collected, the dance hall is totally unrentable in a period of about 60 days before the rental date. Councilman Casey followed up with Moroni and Mt Pleasant. Moroni refunds, and is trying to think of ways to solve the issue. Mt. Pleasant refunds up to 48 hours before, and after that it isn’t refundable.  Councilman Anderson thought a 30-day window, or perhaps half the amount in the 30-day window.  Councilman Mike Jarman liked 30 days, he thinks that’s ample time still to rent it out. 60 days covers the City better.  Councilman Wheeler stated that if someone were to have a wedding, they’re going to rent the building as far in advance as possible. Any event is planned far in advance and rented. Otherwise, the building is not rented on the short-term very often.  He stated that there was a wedding this summer and booked the dance hall as a contingency. When the weather was clear, they wanted to cancel but were not allowed a refund. Councilwomen Kaelyn Sorensen and Councilman Jarman both thought that if there aren’t many events that are booked in the short term, 60 days is the better term. But we need to look at the super quick short term books as well. The language needs to be specific for both long- and short-term books.  Councilwoman Sorensen requested some data for how far in advance it is booked from Jan and Kammy.

Mayor Dave Taylor asked who has time to meet with Jan and give her some wording.  Long term rental agreement: Full refund before 60 days, no refund 60 days from scheduled date.  Short term rental agreement: If your event is less than 60 days from date of signing agreement, they can get a half refund 59-14 days before event, no refund 14 days before event.

Purchase Discussion of New Fire Truck.   Mayor Dave Taylor suggested that the City investigate into a new fire truck to be ready before next spring.  It could be on call 24/7.  The City belongs to the fire community, and cities are jealous and want Nathan Miner to use their trucks to go to fight fires.  The proposed truck would be a 6-passenger brush truck. If you’re going to put together a team, you want the equipment to be able to carry the team.  A few years ago, the City increased taxes, it went up $25 and the City only collected $11,000 in the general fund. This is one direction the City can perhaps go to make ends meet in the future, letting Nathan take this truck out to fight fires.  Councilman Mike Jarman asked– Nathan has the potential to bring in $150,000 this year fighting fires. Can the City then buy this $100,000 truck without financing?  Mayor Taylor said the city could lose by other communities wanting Nathan to drive their trucks. If we get another truck, it allows him to go out and fight fires, and the City still has a full set of trucks. (Right now, we’re down a truck, this truck could replace the one he takes out on fires.)  Mayor Taylor stated that he would like to see the City move in this direction.  Councilman Cliff Wheeler asked how long it takes to get the money from the government for Nathan fighting these fires?  The checks come in quick.  Councilmen Jarman and Wheeler both suggested that the City doesn’t buy the truck until the checks are in the bank, cash in hand.  Councilman Casey Anderson says the Council will still need to approve it before the actual purchase takes place.  So, what we’re doing right now is giving approval to move forward in the process.  Councilman Anderson moved to move ahead and explore the option of buying a new fire truck.  Councilman Jarman seconded the motion.  The voting was unanimous in favor of.

Update on Loan with cache Valley Bank for Electronic Water Meters. The City applied for a grant/loan, because the City did not qualify for a grant, Mayor Dave Taylor went ahead with Cache Valley, payment is $30,000 annually, and it can be paid off as quickly as possible. Installation is moving forward well.

Approval to Finish Restrooms at Sports Park.  The City has money they received from the National Park Service, a $200,000 grant.  It has been set aside to make the bond payment over a period.  Mayor Dave Taylor is asking that Council allow him to dip into that fund about $60,000, to purchase a twin pump, complete the sewer line, and finish the building that should house the restrooms.  This project could be used as Eagle projects, this would be donated labor.  Councilman Cliff Wheeler asked: you already have the cash?  The cash is in the bank. There is about $156,000 earmarked for the sports park. The doors are in, the locks will soon be installed.  Councilman Wheeler asked if there has been any damage to the building?  Yes, weather damage, but no vandalism.   Mayor Taylor doesn’t want to use stainless toilets and sinks like at this city park. He’d like to minimize the effort it takes to winterize as much as possible. Councilman Cliff Wheeler moved to spend the money set aside to finish the restrooms.  Councilman Bob St. Jacques seconded the motion.  The voting was unanimous in favor of.

Approval to Sell Truck Parked at Wastewater Plant, 1977 Chevrolet.  Mayor Dave Taylor’s idea has been to keep the truck and put in a rebuilt tranny but as time has passed, the truck has value but not to the City.  He asked if a minimum bid be put out there?  The other trucked parked at the sewer plant is an older digger truck, the motor works, the boom works, the winch works, but there’s no more digger.

Councilman Cliff Wheeler thinks it should be put out to bid because it isn’t being used, and it looks terrible.  City Employee Greg Sorensen stated that there is an air compressor that has never been used in the entire time he’s been here.  Councilman Wheeler suggested that a list be put together of items that need to be disposed of.  Mayor Dave Taylor suggested that City employees Greg Sorensen and Justin Jackson work with Jan Anderson, City Recorder and put a list together of items that are not being used and that can be disposed of.  Then put out for bid.  Mayor Taylor wants to wait for a motion on the truck and have a single public sale.  Tabled until next month.

INTRODUCTION AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTIONS, ORDINANCES, AND POLICIES:

Ordinance No. 2018-02; An Amendment to the Fairview City Zoning Ordinance, “A Land Use Ordinance of Fairview City”, Ordinance No. 2008-01, Amending Part B, Adding Chapter 21, Light Industrial adding Chapter 21, Light Industrial (I1) Zone.  The Planning Commission took the Business/Commercial section and added in light industrial verbiage. The county has asked from time to time how the City buffer zone is zoned? Right now, it is all agricultural.  Right now, the Planning Commission is not identifying any specific area just adding a zone that the City can use.  Councilman Casey Anderson asked: we’re just creating a designation, rather than identifying an area? Alyson Lee, chair from the Planning Commission answered: we do have areas in mind and are slowly creating a plan for how we want the City to expand. It will probably not be long after we create the definition that we will create our first Light Industrial zone.  Mayor Dave Taylor pointed the Council to the document which gives examples of the sorts of businesses the Planning Commission thinks are defined as light Industrial.  Councilman Cliff Wheeler thinks it is a good idea. He doesn’t see anything in the ordinance that would be objectionable.  Councilwoman Kaelyn Sorensen wants to know where the zone would be located?  Aren’t sure yet.  Councilman Bob St Jacques thinks this is important, and the City needs to go forward with this. Many cities have this and have more. Councilman Bob St. Jacques moved to approve Ordinance No, 2018-02.  Councilman Cliff Wheeler seconded the motion.  The voting was unanimous in favor of.

COUNCIL REPORTS:

Mayor David Taylor.  Mia Love was here yesterday, she met with some of the fire bosses.  Mayor Taylor had a meeting with the fire bosses who are setting up their operations in Indianola for the current fire. There will be about 200 people. The city building will again be housing some of the fire fighters. They will be using some culinary water, it’s the same team that was here prior.  Mayor Taylor mentioned that he was paged last night to evacuate the NW portion of Indianola. If the wind does not cooperate, the fire is headed this way. If it comes, it will be fast and hot. They are doing all they can to prevent it.

Mayor Taylor has asked Donna and Phillip Seager to respond every few months to let the City and let us know how the grant money is being used and what the results are. They’re looking for possibly a part-time employee that would be part of the Easter Seal program.

Councilman Cliff Wheeler stated that last week Mayor Taylor was out of town last week, so he attended the Mayors meeting in Wales.  Representatives from Mike Lee’s, Chris Stewart’s, Mia Love’s offices were present. Opioid epidemic summit on Oct 12th, the State has secured funds to bus kids up for the morning. utahsolutionssummit.com.

Councilman Casey Anderson stated that we need to have a work meeting with the power group to discuss how we work with Mt. Pleasant, perhaps in November. Maybe 1.5-2 hours.  He attended UAMPS Board Meetings, things are going well with Fairview’s investments.

Councilman Mike Jarman stated that Mt Pleasant City is jealous of Fairview’s flower arrangements on the power poles. They would like to know where we get them. Horseshoe Mountain Hardware is where they get their flowers, they want to know where we get ours. Councilman Wheeler said the flower pots are different, and that’s the secret. We get our flowers from Skyview Nursery.

There is a hill in the parking lot of the sports park with funny pipe in it right now that has never been completed to sprinklers.  He recommends that the City abandon that mound from sidewalk east, not sprinkle, gravel, and make it a parking lot. It would eliminate some sprinkling issues.  Mayor Taylor suggests he gets together a game plan for the spring.  Councilman Anderson adds it would keep water off the tennis courts, so they don’t peel and need resurfacing quicker.  The original plan was a walking trail, but we don’t have the funding. Councilman Wheeler asks why we haven’t followed our master plan? Why do we still have projects like this undone?  He says we can’t just decide to throw gravel down somewhere, to level berms, without having it planned. He also wants to move the Welcome to Fairview City sign to our new boundaries.

Jan is still getting him numbers for the 24^th.  Next month he wants to bring in a revenue/expense comparison per event and have a visual. He thinks the 10-12-day celebration has got to go. Simplify and reduce, have a celebration from Monday-Wednesday in 2019, don’t spread it out so far. If there is an event that isn’t making money, let’s move it to Labor Day, Memorial Day, or some other time. We’re trying to cater to too many visitors, and the citizens are being left out because it is too chaotic.  Up until this year, we never charged for Fairview Idol, people just came and sang and won. We give out $600 in prizes, so he has offset it with an entry fee.

Next month may be Councilman Jarman’s last month on council; they will be taking applications and next month there will be an open vote. Also taking applications for recreation director.

Councilwoman Kaelyn Sorensonthank you to the employees for what they do, and to the citizens for attending the meeting.  Lock vehicles overnight, there are many car thefts.  She is concerned by a trailer that is just moving around town sleeping in random places.

Councilman Bob St. Jacquesmentioned that the farmer’s market is still going, there are consistent people setting up every week, and it is getting a fair amount of traffic.  Shout out to Planning Commission for putting this ordinance together, he really does think it is important.

APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS:

Councilman Cliff Wheeler moved to approve the vouchers from August 14, 2018 to September 18, 2018. Councilwoman Kaelyn Sorensen seconded the motion.  The voting was unanimous in favor of.  Councilman Mike Jarman asked about the unemployment payment, if it is coming to an end? Mayor Dave Taylor explained that the City doesn’t pay unemployment and workman’s comp monthly, so when there is a claim, the state tells the City what to pay, and then the City pays it.  The School district agreed to pay 50% of the repair on the water repair at the elementary school.  The scholarship money went to whom? The girls have to bring in a receipt, and the check is written by the city right to the creditor rather than to the girl

ADJOURNMENT:

Councilman Mike Jarman moved to adjourn meeting at 9:15 p.m.  Councilman Bob St. Jacques seconded the motion.  Motion carried.