08.25.20 Council Minutes

THE STATE OF UTAH
COUNTY OF SEVIER
CITY OF RICHFIELD

At the City Council
In and For Said City
August 25, 2020

 

Minutes of the Richfield City Council meeting held on Tuesday, August 25, 2020
at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Richfield City office building located at 75 East Center, Richfield, Utah. Mayor David C. Ogden presiding.

1. OPENING REMARKS
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. ROLL CALL
4. REPRESENTATIVE CARL ALBRECHT
5. MINUTES APPROVED
6. PUBLIC HEARING FOR INDUSTRIAL REVENUE BONDS – CSS COMPOSITES
7. OTHER BUSINESS
8. EXECUTIVE SESSION
9. RECONVENE & ADJOURN

 

1. OPENING REMARKS were offered by Councilmember Hansen.

 

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Councilmember Gleave.

 

3. ROLL CALL. Present: Bryan Burrows, Todd Gleave, Kip Hansen, Mayor David Ogden, Michele Jolley, Tyson Hansen. Excused: Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson.

 

4. REPRESENTATIVE CARL ALBRECHT. Mayor Ogden introduced Representative Albrecht indicating that Representative Albrecht is going to discuss some things that are going on in our State that are important to our area. Representative Albrecht stated that he was on a tour with the Five County Association of Governments and the Six County Association of Governments which includes county commissioners, mayors, and others. They talked about federal issues that affect rural Utah. One issue discussed was called the PILT Fund (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) that was created by Congress in 1976. It makes an annual payment to various counties that have public lands within their boundaries. That payment is not always guaranteed. Our county commissioners and others have to go to Washington DC every year and fight for that. The Legislature has tried to come up with a resolution that we could get California, Wyoming, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and those that have a lot of public lands to join with us and put pressure on Congress to increase these PILT payments based on the acreage of land. Sevier County received 2.1 million dollars last year. If you look at the acreage; Sevier County has 232,000 acres of BLM land, 732,000 of Forest Service land, and 45,000 of National Parks Service land, which is 968,000 acres of federal land. Some counties have larger amounts and they do not receive that much because it is based on population.

Another issue discussed was rural Utah timber potential. This has been discussed for a lot of years. Small timber could be used for biochar, which can be used as a soil additive.

NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) was also discussed. It was enacted in 1970 to ensure that federal agencies were analyzing all of the environmental consequences on any job that was taking place. Senator Lee has some bills that he is proposing to reforms NEPA. Senator Lee is saying that the projects and the process for requiring an environmental impact statement should be done within 2 years and it imposes a one-year deadline for agencies to issue categorical exclusions.

As for things happening in the State. They held their 6th special session last week and they will probably have a few more special sessions. The speaker is concerned about this. They have had to meet to take care of COVID related issues. They considered 20 bills that had to do with COVID and budget issues. The other day Representative Albrecht passed a House citation honoring all first responders in the Stated. He felt that it was important that we let our first responders know how much we strongly support them. Almost every member of the House signed it.

The other day the Legislature did not extend the emergency power for the Governor and that evening at midnight he issued another emergency. Representative Albrecht felt that we need to learn to live with this COVID and he hates to see these little kids go to school with a mask, but right now the way the law reads they can be charged with a misdemeanor. At what point does an emergency stop being an emergency. He thought that we are beyond the emergency. He thinks we need to move on, use common sense, social distancing, and masks where we cannot social distance.

 

5. MINUTES APPROVED. The Council reviewed the minutes of the meeting held on May 26, June 2, and June 9, 2020. Motion: Approve the minutes of the meetings held on May 26, June 2, and June 9, 2020, Action: Approved, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Todd Gleave. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Bryan Burrows, Todd Gleave, Kip Hansen. Excused: Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson.

 

6. PUBLIC HEARING FOR INDUSTRIAL REVENUE BONDS – CSS COMPOSITES. The Council held a public hearing to receive comments regarding the issuance of industrial development revenue bonds, series 2020 (CSS Composite project) in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $10,000,000; and related matters. Mayor Ogden opened the hearing at 7:32 p.m. Marcus Keller from Zions Public Finance was present and explained the issuance of these bonds. He stated that there is a federal program called the private activity bond that allows for-profit businesses to get access to tax-exempt financing. Richfield has stepped in and is acting as a conduit. It does not pledge any of the City’s revenue, it is in name only. It allows these companies to get cheaper financing and encourages them to come and build in Richfield and bring jobs into the community.

David Anderson asked when these bonds would be issued. Mr. Keller stated that they have to be issued by the end of the year because the tax-exempt authorization will expire. It does not have to be spent, but it has to be closed by then.

It was asked where the money comes from. Mr. Keller stated that the funds are provided by private banks, but the federal government gives the State of Utah a certain amount of authorization each year to issue tax-exempt bonds through this private activity board. The funds are authorized by the private activity board and then once the company receives the authorization through the conduit of Richfield City, they have to find a purchaser that will go out and buy their debt. Hearing no other comments, the hearing closed at 7:34 p.m.

 

7. PUBLIC HEARING FOR INDUSTRIAL REVENUE BONDS – SMITH MEATS. The Council held a public hearing to received comments regarding the issuance of industrial development revenue bonds, series 2020 (Smith Meats project) in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $10,000,000; and related matters. Mayor Ogden opened the hearing at 7:34 p.m. Mr. Keller stated again that this bond has to be closed by the end of the year or it expires. They have to spend the money within 3 years. Mayor Ogden closed the hearing at 7:36 p.m.

 

8. FOURTH OF JULY DISCUSSED. Councilmember Hansen read a letter from Kevin Arrington explaining how grateful people were that the City tried to as much as we could with some normalcy given the COVID pandemic. We did not see an uptick in cases following the celebration which we were all grateful for. He had a few ideas and suggestions. He would like to see a separate website be designed specific to the Independence Day celebration. It can be difficult to find general information about the even on the City’s current site and is particularly challenging for some to track down the applications for the parade and booth space on the park. He would also suggest that payment for booth space be provided on-line and those registering for a space be required to pay for the booth at the time they register. It has been difficult for some to get to the City office to make payment, so some have fallen through the cracks over the years. With a new Miss Richfield Director in place, there is an opportunity to get all three local pageants together and discuss important items going forward. That way they could discuss both boundaries and opportunities to collaborate which would be very helpful. Based on expenses over the past few years, Mr. Arrington provided the Council with a proposed budget totally $75,000. Mayor Ogden stated that we have been looking at upgrading our website.

Michelle Olsen if we know what the benefit is for spending that much. Councilmember Burrows stated that it is hard to know. Councilmember Hansen stated that his kids and grandkids always come to Richfield for the Fourth and he thinks it is worth that much money. Councilmember Burrows further stated that this is when family reunions and class reunions traditionally come here and it has been that way for a long time. That question has been brought up many times since he has been on the Council, but it has always been thought of as very important to the community, so it is something that we do. It is something provided that the citizens want. Councilmember Hansen felt that it is the heart and soul of this community. It is different things in different places. What we spend on that as far as the value that does to our quality of life here, our traditional values, our generational connections which are furthered by that, he thought we were doing it on the cheap.

 

9. REPAIRS AND LOCKERS FOR SWIMMING POOL DISCUSSED. Janet Siggins, Pool Manager, explained that the last few weeks the pumps have been having less circulation and when this happens it is usually the impeller that needs to be removed and repaired. A new one was ordered and the date to change it was scheduled. When the impeller was taken out, there was water underneath it and upon further inspection, a crack in the 8-inch main line was discovered. The pool had to be drained to repair the main line.

The impeller was actually found to be still good for at least another year or more and the problem had been the crack in the main pipe. While fixing the main pipe, the plumbers broke the skimmer basket.

Once the pool was emptied, we discovered that the surface of the pool was badly pitted. There are two different ways this can be repaired. The first plan would be to acid wash the pool, patch the holes and then the pool staff will paint pool. Ms. Siggins is concerned about this plan because the plaster layer is old and very weak. The pitting in places is extreme and not ideal for patching. Some of the pitting is still attached, but some is not. This proposal would cost about $12,000. The second plan would be to hire a professional to resurface both pools. The proposed cost for this would be $90,690. The concerns with this plan are the cost and the time involved. She worries about the swim teams and the regular patrons that need the pool every day. It really is the way we should go for a better, longer-lasting pool surface. It should last 10 year.

Ms. Siggins stated that she would also like to get some new lockers because there is not one locker that shuts. She got a bid for $13,000 which would be the same number of lockers that we have now and they will fit in the same spot. This bid does not include assembling or installing the lockers. get another bid before a decision is made.

The company that has bid the resurface is available to come immediately. She does have another company coming to give us another bid on the resurfacing. Councilmember Hansen wanted to know how long it would take the other company to get their bid together. Mr. Siggins stated that it took the first company about 4 days to put together their bid. Ms. Siggins is worried about the second company’s availability.

Councilmember Hansen asked Mr. Hansen about funds to do these repairs. Par tax expenditures has a budget of $123,500 and recreation tax has $190,000. He thought that both of these funds could be used to pay for the repairs. Without knowing what else is going to be grabbing at those figures, there should be enough to cover these costs.

Councilmember Burrows asked why the bid would have $25,000 for travel, meals, fuel costs, mileage, etc. Councilmember Hansen asked how long this is going to take. Ms. Siggins indicated that they are based out of St. George and it will probably take a month to do the project. She stated that there is an additional $14,000 that is not included to upgrade the type of plaster which would increase the life of the product. They are also putting in new lights that they already have.

Ms. Siggins is concerned about waiting until December which is when most pool work is done, is that this would be the middle of swim team season and there are meets scheduled during that time. Councilmember Burrows asked if this is the best time to do it. Ms. Siggins stated that it was because the pool is empty and it is actually the best time of the year for us to have our pool empty because the underground water table is lowest at this time of year. In the winter, that water freezes and expands and could potentially push the pool up out of the ground. In the spring, the ground water is high and it can also do the same thing by making the pool float up.

Councilmember Hansen is not comfortable approving this without getting another bid. Motion: Postpone action on this item until such time as we get a bid from Precision Pools and that we meet as soon as possible after that to make a decision on this item, Action: Tabled, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Bryan Burrows. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Bryan Burrows, Todd Gleave, Kip Hansen. Excused: Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson.

The Council was fine with moving forward to replace the lockers. Mr. Siggins stated that the sand in the filter has to replaced.

 

10. SPRINKLERS AT NEW PARK. The installion of sprinklers at the new park was discussed. We were going to do this in the spring, but we decided against it because the Council was considering building the pool there. Public works would put the sprinklers in and then we would have the seed drilled in. Motion: Approve the installation of the sprinklers and grass, Action: Approve, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Todd Gleave. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Bryan Burrows, Todd Gleave, Kip Hansen. Excused: Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson.

 

11. CARES ACT FUNDING. The amount of money the City is receiving is based on our population. The amount we are supposed to receive is $697,000. We are taking suggestions, but the funds are highly restricted. They cannot be spent on anything that was budgeted for and the expenses have to be COVID related to help use get through the pandemic we are in and prepare for future pandemics. Some suggestions have been a new website. We have had meeting with some website design companies because we will need a website that is state of the art where citizens can go on and pay any fee, fine or registration; all types of communications such as paperless billing, email notifications, etc. It has been an issue, but we can utilize these funds to upgrade it. There is a need to remodel the entrance of police department and this is the perfect opportunity to redesign it in a COVID friendly with dividers, partitions, and waiting areas that are separate from the rest of the department. We do not have a bid on this or a lot of things yet.

Touchless door conversions are something we are looking at. Touchless hand sanitizer dispensers, and touchless soap dispensers for all City buildings. We are also looking at replacing all of the toilets with tankless and touchless toilets and touchless faucets, touchless drinking fountains, lots of disinfectants and disinfectant sprayers at each facility. The parks have been needing another UTV and we were told that if we mount a heated pressure washer inside the UTV that it would qualify, so we have looked into this. Telecommute from home equipment for department heads and office staff and Council members and the Mayor. Touchless hand dryers at some of our facilities. Mr. Hansen indicated that we are taking suggestions too.

 

12. FRAUD RISK ASSESSMENT APPROVED. Tyson Hansen stated that this was something that the State Auditors office is requiring. At the last Council meeting, we approved a Cash Receipting and Deposit Policy that was in writing that we did not have in writing before. There is an annual ethics agreement where each City employee signs that every year. We have implemented that and have it ready to go. Every item that we can check off gives the City a better score for fraud assessment. We scored 320 which puts the City in the low risk for fraud and that is satisfactory. Motion: Approve the Fraud Risk Assessment for the State Auditors office, Action: Approved, Moved by Bryan Burrows, Seconded by Todd Gleave. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Bryan Burrows, Todd Gleave, Kip Hansen. Excused: Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson.

 

13. OTHER BUSINESS. Utah League of Cities and Towns Conference is September 21 thru 25. It will be a virtual conference, so we just need to know who wants to be registered for that.

Mayor Ogden requested a grant from the Highway 89 Committee to fix up the old fountain at Centennial Park. He said that we would need to do something with it to honor the people who came here like the Native Americans. They have offered a $7,500 grant. It is a matching grant so the City would have to put in $7,500. He has thought about having something that people could walk up on have a safe area on top to look out at various things in the valley. He asked the Council to look at it and see what they thought. It has to be used by March of next year.

Sidewalk bids for the sidewalk on 500 East that ends at the Stake Center. Mr. Mogan received a couple of bids for the sidewalk from the Stake Center to 700 North and the other one was for the sidewalk from 700 North to 600 North. The estimate for the first section would be approximately $30,000 and the second section would be about $27,000. Mr. Mogan spoke with Duane Breese who lives just south of the Stake Center. He was very cooperative and indicated that we could do what we needed to there for the safety of the kids. His fence would have to be moved and the one bid included a 3-foot stem wall that would have to be poured along Mr. Breese’s property for the sidewalk. We are going to have to have an someone go out and survey this for us. Mr. Mogan also had a bid on a section on 900 North for the sidewalk that is on the north side of Jiffy Lube. He has seen people come along there in their wheelchairs and have issues. It has settled so it is like a roller coaster. We will have someone come in and excavate that out and we will have to build our road back up. That section with curb, gutter and sidewalk was estimated to cost approximately $9,800. There will probably be another $5,000 for the road and asphalt repairs that would be involved in this project.

 

14. EXECUTIVE SESSION. At 8:49 p.m., Motion: Adjourn to convene an executive session to discuss the sale of property, Action: Adjourned, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Bryan Burrows. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Bryan Burrows, Todd Gleave, Kip Hansen. Excused: Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson.

 

RECONVENE & ADJOURN. At 9:23 p.m., Motion: Reconvene and adjourn regular session, Action: Reconvened and adjourned, Moved by Bryan Burrows, Seconded by Kip Hansen. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Bryan Burrows, Todd Gleave, Kip Hansen.
Excused: Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson.

PASSED and APPROVED this 27 day of October, 2020.