10.22.19 Council Minutes

THE STATE OF UTAH
COUNTY OF SEVIER
CITY OF RICHFIELD

1. OPENING REMARKS were offered by Councilmember Barnett.

 

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Councilmember Christensen.

 

3. ROLL CALL. Present: Mayor David Ogden, Richard Barnett, Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson, Mike Langston, Michele Jolley. Excused: Kevin Arrington, Bryan Burrows.

 

4. WORK AGREEMENT WITH SUNRISE ENGINEERING TO DESIGN THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM FOR THE LION’S PARK TABLED. Trent Brown was present to discuss a work agreement for the design of a new sprinkler system at the Lion’s Park. Mr. Mogan had asked them to look at redoing the sprinkler lines at both areas of the Lion’s Park. Right now it is quite labor intensive because it requires the Parks crew to put in sprinklers in each one of the risers. It will tie it directly to the culinary system similar to what we are doing at the cemetery and the new park. Mr. Brown stated that this would also include some mapping of the park with aerials and GPS along with a cost estimate. Mayor Ogden wondered if there were other ways that the City could save, other than just doing away with the manual setting of the sprinklers. Mr. Brown stated that not only would it eliminate the labor, but it would also eliminate the pump cost because it is only used to water with canal water, so it would be taken out which would help reduce the maintenance. The cost of the design work would be $4,500 and as part of that design, they will come up with a cost estimate for the installation.
Mr. Mogan explained that the system is old and out dated with old galvanized lines and they are always fixing leaks and repairing breaks. It just needed to be updated.

Councilmember Christensen thinks the lawn looks terrible and that installing new sprinklers would be worth it, but she is concerned that if the bond does not pass and we wanted to do something there like an outdoor pool it would change everything at the Lion’s Park and the sprinklers would not work. She suggested that we wait and see what we are going to do.

Mayor Ogden is not ready to say if on the Community Development Center and Councilmember Christensen is not either. Councilmember Nielson noted that they want it to pass, but maybe we would change things at the Lion’s Park. Councilmember Barnett felt that this would be a prudent thing to do.

Councilmember Barnett felt that it would be a wise thing to wait to design the sprinkler system until after the first of the year until we know for sure what is happening with the Community Development Center. Motion: Table the design of the sprinkling system at the Lion’s Park until after the first of the year, Action: Tabled, Moved by Richard Barnett, Seconded by Kathy Christensen. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Richard Barnett, Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson. Excused: Kevin Arrington, Bryan Burrows.

 

5. RESOLUTION 2019-10 TO RENEW THE CITY’S ENTERPRISE ZONE APPROVED. Mayor Ogden explained that we need to renew the Enterprise Zone which allows businesses to receive tax incentives. Motion: Approve Resolution 2019-10 for renew the City’s Enterprise Zone, Action: Approved, Moved by Richard Barnett, Seconded by Connie Nielson. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Richard Barnett, Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson. Excused: Kevin Arrington, Bryan Burrows.

 

6. DISCOUNT ON UTILITY BILLS FOR DISABLED VETERANS APPROVED. Mr. Langston stated that he has talked to a disabled veteran and he asked if the City would consider giving a discount for disabled vets. We allow people who qualify for Circuit breaker, which is a County program based on income, to receive a $3 credit on the water bill and $4 credit on the sewer bill. He would not think there would be very many disabled vets in our community. They would have to provide us with proof that they are receiving disabled veterans’ benefits. Motion: Discount utility bills for disabled veterans by $3 for water and $4 for sewer, Action: Approved, Moved by Kathy Christensen, Seconded by Richard Barnett. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Richard Barnett, Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson. Excused: Kevin Arrington, Bryan Burrows.

 

7. DONATION OF LEFTOVER PAVERS FROM THE VETERANS’ MEMORIAL TO THE WAYNE COUNTY VETERANS FOR THEIR MEMORIAL TABLED. Carl Albrecht called Mayor Ogden and said that his brother is heading an effort to try to get a veterans memorial in Bicknell. They were aware of us having extra pavers and he would like us to consider donating them to them or selling them at a reduced rate. Mayor Ogden spoke with Mr. Mogan who told Mayor Ogden that we ought to keep some of the pavers in case we need to replace some. Mayor Ogden recalled that there were a couple of pallets. Councilmember Nielson stated that we need to keep enough to replace some if we had some kind of a problem. Councilmember Barnett thought that if they want to purchase some that would be fine. Councilmember Christensen wondered if we might be able to use them at the new park or at another park. Mayor Ogden stated that we would have a discussion about this at the next meeting. Mayor Ogden asked Mr. Mogan to determine how many we have left. Motion: Table giving leftover pavers to Wayne County until we know how many we have, Action: Approved, Moved by Kathy Christensen, Seconded by Connie Nielson. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Richard Barnett, Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson. Excused: Kevin Arrington, Bryan Burrows.

 

8. MAINTENANCE OF FLOOD DETENTION FACILITIES AND FLOOD CHANNELS DISCUSSED. The Council reviewed some videos of the Cottonwood Flood Detention Basin. Mayor Ogden noted that there are 12 to 15 feet of fill in the basin. Mr. Langston stated that if we do not get something done with this soon, we will not be able to get equipment in there. Once the City has a disaster mitigation plan in place, we would be able to apply for funds from FEMA to help revitalize the detention basins. Mr. Langston stated that every 5 to 7 years we have had A & D Jensen take a dozer in there to level willows and driftwood and burn it. It has been about that long now, so we need to do this. The spillway and outlet structure are things that need to be taken care of now because there is about 10 feet of material that needs to be dug out of the channel. Mr. Langston stated that to bring the facility back down to the level it originally was, we would probably be talking in the 100,000 range.

Councilmember Christensen asked if we should be doing more every year than what we have been. Mr. Mogan stated that we try, but this year was different. There was a lot more material that came down and the water ran almost all summer. We do not have the equipment to do this.

Mr. Mogan stated that we had George Bauldoff do some work at the Dairy Canyon Basin about three years ago and what the Dam Safety people would cost us about $80,000. We did what we could. Mr. Langston stated that the problem is that we basically have no funding to maintain these facilities. We need to do a rate increase in the water system or a property tax increase or some method where we raise at least $50,000 to maintain that facility, Cottonwood and the other area that we have to maintain and we do something every year, which is the Cottonwood flood channel. Mr. Mogan estimates that it is going to cost around $15,000 to clean out just a section of the flood channel.

Mr. Langston noted that there are some major expenses with this and unfortunately this has been somewhat neglected and it has not been looked at or planned. We need to consider this and hopefully in the next 6 or 8 months we can do what we need to do to be able to ask FEMA for funding to rehabilitate those facilities in the condition that they need to be. Along with our annual maintenance, we should not have to do that very often, unless you have exceptional years like we did last year. You could imagine all of the gravel, rock and driftwood that come down Cottonwood clear until August before it quit running.

Mayor Ogden wondered if we were making a mistake by doing a band aid thing on it now and hoping for their help.

Councilmember Nielson asked when we would need to do this for this year; just before winter. Mr. Mogan stated that the work would need to be done by the first of March. Mayor Ogden asked if there would be an advantage in waiting until the ground is frozen. Mr. Mogan stated that there is not any water in the bottom right now, so it does not matter. Mr. Langston stated that we need to get a bid to clean out the flood channel on 700 East and a bid for the outlet structures. In his opinion, we are going to need to raise rates or property taxes. Mr. Langston stated that if rates were raised by $2 on water bills, which would raise somewhere around $60,000 per year and that would probably do what we need it to do.

 

9. OTHER BUSINESS. Councilmember Barnett stated that with the publicity of the new community development center, he wondered if we are still building a swimming pool for Richfield City that the College is helping with or if we are building a College student center that Richfield City is helping with. The way it is being present everywhere that he is seeing is that this is going to be great for the College and no one is saying anything about the City. The bottom line is that this is our project for our pool. The thing that concerns him about this going forward is that when we get to the point of building and managing it; this is our project that they are participating in. This is not their project that they are allowing us to have some say in. He does not think that we can state that firmly enough.

 

10. EXECUTIVE SESSION. At 7:47 p.m., Motion: Adjourn regular session and convene an executive session to discuss the strategy for the purchase, exchange or lease of real property, Action: Approved, Moved by Kathy Christensen, Seconded by Connie Nielson. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Richard Barnett, Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson. Excused: Kevin Arrington, Bryan Burrows.

 

11. MEETING ADJOURNED. At 8:37 p.m., Motion: Reconvene regular session and adjourn, Action: Approved, Moved by Kathy Christensen, Seconded by Connie Nielson. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 3). Yea: Richard Barnett, Kathy Christensen, Connie Nielson. Excused: Kevin Arrington, Bryan Burrows.

 

PASSED and APPROVED this 12 day of November, 2019.