City Council Meeting and Public Hearing Minutes June 18, 2020

Minutes of the Fairview City Council Meeting and Public Hearing held Thursday, June 18, 2020, at 85 South State Street, City of Fairview, County of Sanpete, State of Utah.

Mayor Dave Taylor called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. City Council Members present were Brad Welch, Mike MacKay, Cliff Wheeler, Casey Anderson, and Matt Sorensen. City employees present were Greg Sorensen, Garrett and Shandi Sorensen, Steve Gray, and Jan Anderson.

The invocation and Pledge of Allegiance was offered by Mayor Dave Taylor.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Councilman Brad Welch moved to approve the minutes from May 21, 2020. Councilman Matt Sorensen seconded the motion. The voting was unanimous in favor of.

PUBLIC HEARING:

Open Meeting for Public Comment on– Mayor Dave Taylor opened the public hearing at 7:39 p.m.

Proposed Transfer of $32,682 from Electrical, Water, and Sewer Enterprise Funds to Help with the Administrative Costs in the General Fund. To balance the general fund budget for 2020/2021 it is proposed to transfer $32,682.

Adopt Final General Operations Tax Rate of 0.001123, Certified Revenue of $73,883

Proposed Fairview City Operating Budgets for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2021

Amended Fairview City Operating and Capital Budgets for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2020

Close Public Hearing and Reconvene Back into Regular City Council Meeting. No public comment was made. Councilman Brad Welch moved to close public hearing at 7:45 p.m. with the second by Councilman Matt Sorensen. Voting unanimous in favor of.

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

Residential Deer Discussion.  Councilman Casey Anderson asked how the application was coming with DWR. In prior discussion, the Council was asked to get a head count or an idea of the number of deer living in town. Councilman Casey Anderson stated that in prior conversation, it was estimated there were 80 to100 deer in town. Councilman Anderson stated that the program is evaluated ever five years, a reasonable target would be to eliminate 15 deer a year which equals 75 deer in the five year-period. Mayor Dave Taylor would like to get a head count before the City moved any further with this. Councilman Brad Welch and Councilman Casey Anderson will get together to come up with a number.

Cemetery

Increase Opening and Closing of Grave Fee Discussion. Councilman Casey Anderson initiated conversation on how the City could bring in revenue to help with maintaining the cemetery. It was proposed an increase of $100 for both weekday and weekend fees. Discussion included increasing incrementally and charge depending on the season. A resolution will be prepared for next month. Note: the current fees were imposed in 2005.

Follow-up Discussion on Cemetery. Discussion ensued regarding the upkeep of the cemetery. The ordinance is clear on what can and can not be planted at the cemetery. The code needs to be enforced. It was said that trees are nice, need to put together a master plan for the layout of trees. The Council is supportive of the removal of new trees/shrubs/flowers that have been planted by those other than the City. Put in Focus the rules of the cemetery. Families need to be contacted before the trees/shrubs/flowers are removed. It was suggested to have an advisory committee where they could do fundraisers and put together a direction of what the cemetery should look at.

Mayor Dave Taylor stated that at a future time he would like to put up a fence and have the poles removed. This is the area just east of the cemetery. The poles were placed there to block the trails that were created by 4-wheelers and motor bikes. County Fire Warden Tom Peterson will bring a crew and come and burn the pile of debris after first snow. The County also has two chippers that the City could use if they would like to get rid of the pile. Not only are there just tree limbs but a lot of junk. Need to curtail the public from depositing items there. It was suggested to put in a gate on the northeast corner. It was suggested that the gate on the south and the one by the shed keep them closed and put up a small fence around the to keep the public out. The lower cemetery needs water. Water repair is needed. The employees are aware of this issue. 

Power Department

Need of Additional Help. Employee Greg Sorensen handed out a map showing new connects and proposed homes that have been built or will be built in the next year. Most of these homes are primary line extensions. Note: 27 new homes or upgrades were done by the end of June 2020. The power department is having a hard time keeping up. They would like to hire a groundman. With an extra person, they would be freer to work on the upgrade in Fairview Heights and work on a second feeder coming into town. This position will be a probationary period of six months. If this person works out, an apprenticeship may possibly be offered. Starting wage will be $15 to $17 an hour depending on experience. The Council was in support of this idea. A job notice will be issued.

Building and Grounds Maintenance.  Councilman Casey Anderson stated he has received several complaints from citizens regarding City properties. Citizens are expected to maintain their yards. The City needs to be a better example. There are several areas that need addressing, i.e., park(s), ball fields, cemetery. The issue with the spring line has not helped. He suggested putting a calendar together the first of the year so that the seasons or holidays do not sneak up on the City. Need to have an annual plan in place–  spray weeds, trim trees, replace woodchips, maintain lawnmowers, etc. Need to pick up after projects are compete.

24^th of July Update. The rodeo was cancelled last month. The derby committee just had a meeting. Their thought was to cancel the derby- this includes not holding one in the fall. Discussion was held on sport events, and after discussion, it was decided to cancel those events except for the golf tournament. It is best to adhere to the health department regulations regarding Covid-19. Fireworks will be the only event held. Chief Gray stated that the numbers of those who have Covid-19 have gone up in Sanpete County. There is some concern.

Clarification of Comp Hours. Mayor Dave Taylor has been working on the personnel handbook. Per State statute comp hours start after a person has worked 40 hours. There is no difference between full-time vs part-time. 

INTRODUCTION AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES:

Resolution No. 2020-09R; A Resolution Approving and Adopting a Budget for Fiscal Year 2020/2021 and Amending the Fiscal Year 2019/2020 Budget. Councilman Brad Welch moved to approve Resolution No. 2020-09R knowing that the Council will have to amend the budget. Councilman Cliff Wheeler seconded the motion. The voting was unanimous in favor of.

Resolution No. 2020-10R; A Resolution Setting the Real and Personal Property Tax. The tax rate is 0.001123, property tax will come in at $73,883. Councilman Casey Anderson moved to approve Resolution 2020-10R. Councilman Mike MacKay seconded the motion. The voting was unanimous in favor of.

Resolution No. 2020-11R; A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Implementation of a New Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual. The new policies and procedures manual are complete. At a prior City Council meeting, the Council received a copy. This item was tabled until next meeting after the employees have had a chance to review it.        

MAYOR REPORTS:

Mayor Davie Taylor – General City Business Update. Mayor Dave Taylor had Police Chief Steve Gray introduce himself. His career started in South Jordan, then Pleasant Grove and worked there until the department split creating the Lindon Police department where he moved with Lindon Police. Prior to coming to Fairview City, he worked for Moroni City. He has 16 service years.

Mayor Taylor is working on putting together a 24^th of July light show. He has music prepared. Looking for a few donations of lights and extension cords. He can do the show for $320. He has bigger transmitters. This show will be displayed from the 4^th of July and run until the 25^th of July. The City Council was in favor of the light show. Prior to Covid-19, the City sent out donation letters to the businesses. Donations did come in. Would like to send out another letter to those who contributed and ask them if they would like their donation back or if they would like the City to keep it to help pay for the firework show. The tollgate spring project is going well. An inspection was held on the 16^th of June. Hoping to have it up and going next week. In prior years, past mayors have had the City transfer money when able into the PTIF account. This has created an accounting hardship deciphering which money belongs to which department. He is working with Kyle from Pelorus on this. When finished he will have a true statement of who has what money sitting in the PTIF account. He would like the Council to consider purchasing a new lawnmower. The cost would be around $5,000.

Mayor Taylor mentioned that he is experiencing some health issues. He is not sure he can continue being mayor. He is still contemplating staying on. Need to think about another full-time employee.

APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS:

Councilman Brad Welch moved to approve the vouchers from May 20, 2020 to June 16, 2020. Councilman Cliff Wheeler seconded the motion. The voting was unanimous in favor of.

ADJOURNMENT:

Councilman Mike MacKay moved to adjourn meeting at 9:42 p.m. Councilman Brad Welch seconded the motion. Motion carried in favor of.