11.26.21 Council Minutes

STATE OF UTAH
COUNTY OF SEVIER
CITY OF RICHFIELD

At the City Council
In and For Said City
October 26, 2021

Minutes of the Richfield City Council meeting held on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, 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. MINUTES APPROVED
5. ANNEXATION OF PROPERTY DENIED
6. AGREEMENT WITH ROCKY MOUNTAIN POWER APPROVED
7. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING APPROVED
8. RESOLUTION 2021-17 ADOPTED
9. ORDINANCE 2021-17 ADOPTED
10. ORDINANCE 2021-19 ADOPTED
11. ORDINANCE 2021-20 ADOPTED
12. ORDINANCE 2021-21 ADOPTED
13. PROPERTY PURCHASE FROM CHERYL ANDERSEN APPROVED
14. TRANSFER OF THE CITY’S 401K PLAN FROM VOYA TO UTAH STATE RETIREMENT APPROVED
15. OTHER BUSINESS
16. MEETING ADJOURNED

1. OPENING REMARKS were offered by Councilmember Gleave.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Councilmember Christensen.
3. ROLL CALL. Present: Mayor Ogden, Kathy Christensen, Todd Gleave, Kip Hansen, Connie Nielson, Michele Jolley, Tyson Hansen. Excused: Bryan Burrows

Mayor Ogden stated that he was reminded of the great challenges we have right now as a city to be both welcoming and not to have too many restrictions. In the State, the cities can legislate, create laws and cover about anything the Federal and State government does not. If we do not keep reminding ourselves as to why cities exist, sometimes we get all mixed up in all this other stuff. He does not want to belittle what we have to do, but we just receive the information today that the State has told us things that we have to do. We do not have a choice. He read a couple of things said by David Church a few years ago about what cities are expected to do. He received information today that the percentage of the value of the homes in our City and our County was higher than any other county in the State. That provides great challenges for us.

Land Use control is an important issue for cities and towns, but it should never become the primary purpose of focus of local government. Local control is important if it is used to further the purposes of providing services and building a sense of community. The emphasis should always be about providing services at reasonable costs and building and preserving a welcoming place for the other things will take care of themselves.

We have been a City since 1878 and we have had a lot of challenges, but none greater than what we are facing right now. Our State, our County, our community are bursting. People want to come here. What a challenge for our City to provide housing and yet not change the flavor and the feel of our City.

4. MINUTES APPROVED. The Council reviewed the minutes of the meetings held on September 14 and September 28, 2021. Motion: Approve the minutes of the meetings held on September 14 and September 28, 2021, Action: Approved, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Kathy Christensen. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.
5. ANNEXATION OF PROPERTY DENIED. Bob Bishop is purchasing property located at approximately 481 North Hwy 118. He had asked the Council to deny the annexation of this property. The recommendation of the City Attorney was to go through the process. The Council reviewed the requirements for annexation. The property is contiguous to the City boundary and could be annexed. The other requirement for annexation is the surrender of underground water, 1-acre foot per acre annexed.

Mr. Bishop stated that there is no water with that property and he does not have the funds available to purchase the water. What he is proposing to develop, does not require water.

Motion: Deny a request for annexation because Mr. Bishop would not give water to the City as required. Councilmember Hansen wanted it noted in the minutes that at any point in time, whether by forced annexation or petition, by Mr. Bishop or subsequent owners of that property, water would come when the property is annexed. Action: Denied. Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Kathy Christensen. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave.
Excused: Bryan Burrows.

6. AGREEMENT WITH ROCKY MOUNTAIN POWER APPROVED. There is an underground powerline that sits under two of the hangers that have been constructed at the Airport. A recent developer requested a connection for power, which brought this to the attention of Rocky Mountain Power. They state that the location of the power line is illegal and that it has to be relocated.

Rocky Mountain Power will charge the City $14,941. The City will be doing the trenching, purchasing the conduit, and running the conduit in the trench. Mr. Hansen stated that this will cost about $7,000. The total cost will be around $23,000. Motion: Approve the work agreement with Rocky Mountain Power for $14,491 for the relocation of a power line at the Airport, Action: Approved, Moved by Kathy Christensen, Seconded by Todd Gleave. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.

7. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING APPROVED. It was noted that because we use senior volunteers at the Visitor’s Center, we are required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Six County for those volunteer services. They will refer volunteers to us, but that does not mean that we need to utilize the individuals they refer. Motion: Approve a Memorandum of Understanding with Six County AOG for volunteer services at the Visitor’s Center, Action: Approved, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Todd Gleave. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.
8. RESOLUTION 2021-17 ADOPTED. The Council reviewed a resolution supporting the Utah Main Street Program. To be able to apply for grants in the future for Main Street improvements, the City has to have a community designation. Applying for the designation requires the City to adopt a Resolution in support of the Utah Main Street Program. Motion: Approve Resolution 2021-17 supporting the Utah Main Street Program, Action: Adopted, Moved by Kathy Christensen, Seconded by Connie Nielson. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.
9. ORDINANCE 2021-17 ADOPTED. The Council reviewed an ordinance defining and regulating motels, hotels, and extended stay rooms in commercial zones. Mayor Ogden noted that we have had some extensive discussions about this.

Keith Warburton asked if he could make a comment. He stated that he is the owner of Ville 647. He asked the Council to table this because he felt that this is restrictive on the hospitality industry and they will find that difficult to work with. It not only affects the existing hotels but also those that would be coming in the future. It seems to be infringing on the rights of some of the citizens of the county. He thinks that there is a huge need to support this most vulnerable population of your citizens and they are trying to find places where they can find shelter. If we take away someone’s ability to find that you are creating someone who is in a vulnerable situation into a more vulnerable situation. He heard rumors that he is bringing people in from other communities. He has heard rumors that he is victimizing people. He heard that he is doing this to get rich. They are guaranteed money from the State.

He thinks that this ordinance is problematic. They work with Six County and New Horizons. And Interestingly enough 5 of the people there now were brought there by the police because they are on parole and they cannot find housing everywhere else.

Councilmember Nielson said that one of the problems recognized is that to have them there, there need to be kitchens there. Mr. Warburton stated that it depends on what you are providing. If they are providing apartments, then they do have to provide apartment-type stuff. They are providing and hot plate and a microwave. If you are putting someone in an extended stay motel, then that is a different requirement. He said that he is sure that the Council Is aware of the housing prices in Utah and it is not just here in Richfield. He stated that CARES is providing an enormous amount of money to take care of people who have been affected by COVID or homeless created by that.

Some of those funds can be directed to hospitality properties and some go directly towards apartments. So, under some guidelines, yes, they are required to have kitchenettes. At his property, they have provided a cooktop and a microwave. They are always looking at doing a shared kitchen in the old restaurant. Those hotel rooms won’t allow you to do much, so if you have another area where you can go cook and have somebody over that adds more to it. They are not at that stage yet, but those are solutions to those problems.

Councilmember Nielson understood that it is a fire hazard to have hot plates in those rooms and there was also an issue of cleanliness. The letters received indicated that the conditions of the rooms were horrible.

The issue that has been brought before the Council is that the advertising states that these rooms are no longer being rented as hotel rooms but as apartments.

Mr. Warburton stated that the manager from Gunnison and was just trying to do her best to rent the rooms. The rooms are being rented on a 28-day contract. Councilmember Hansen asked if there is a desk clerk there so if someone pulled off I-70 right now they could pull up in there and rent a room for a night. Mr. Warburton stated that it is his right to run his hotel how he wants to run his hotel. If he is full…

Councilmember Hansen just validated what was said on that sign because it is no longer being used as a motel, correct? Mr. Warburton stated that it is being used as an extended stay hotel, yes. He said if you go to other hospitality places like a bed and breakfast they do not have someone at the front desk, but they have a manager at one of the rooms. He stated that he has a manager on site all of the time.

Councilmember Hansen asked if a traveler could rent a room for the night. Mr. Warburton stated that they could come in and ring the bell and ask to stay in a place and if they have something available, then yes.

Angie Stubbs stated that the problem here with the code is that it is not clear and that is what the City is trying to do. That is the right of the City to clarify and to protect the vision of what they want the City to be. That is the City’s right.

Mr. Warburton responded that he thinks there is a better way to do it. If you put a lot of restrictions on the hospitality industry, new businesses coming into the City are going to see that as restrictive.

Michelle Olsen stated that she has attended a lot of the meetings and the City Council has published hearings and heard comments and this has been going on for several months.

Councilmember Nielson referred to Ms. Stubbs’ comments about visitors who come to our community and when they rent rooms they expect it to be above board and clean, towels that are not worn out, or dirty sheets. What the City is stating is that we are going to clean up our ordinance and make it so that if you are an extended stay and you are catering to these clients, it needs to be clean and it needs to be safe.
Mr. Warburton said that he has to have it safe because he is governed by Six County AOG and the police department put people there that they wanted there. He stated that they have brought them, 5 different people, that they have asked him to house. He does not think that they would put them there if it was not safe. He thinks the property is in better condition now than it was when it was a Motel 6.

Councilmember Hansen asked what period it is considered extended stay. When does it become an apartment where they live?

Mr. Warburton noted that Rick Mageris lived in a hotel for 5 years when he was running the basketball team at the U. He does not think that the ordinance should be passed to restrict the hospitalities overall because there are a couple of properties are concerned about. Talk to the property owner and try to fix that specific property. Don’t make it restrictive across the board. What if there were a Marriot Extended Stay that wanted to come in and you are telling them that they can only have 25% of the rooms that can be extended stay.

Councilmember Nielson noted that most of the Marriot Extended Stay has a kitchenette or they have facilities. We also have apartments that are being built for those who need help, but the City’s concern is that the police department and the police chief have stated that is a problem. There is a concern about the fire danger with the hot plates and we have been advised about that. There is also a concern about the perception people have when they come into town and it is unclean or that they find it is a scary place to be. We have a lot of nice motels and they maintain those in a way that we can have our tourism industry taken care of.

Mr. Warburton does not think that there is any more danger with a hot plate versus an iron. They are both 110 voltage and they are both in those apartments or those rooms. If 2 calls every 5 weeks is too much for the police, he does not think that is correct. When he has other properties similar to this and you bring people in from the state of trauma and you put them in a place, desperate people do desperate things and the state of trauma is really high and it is crazy for a couple of months. Then as people come out of a place of trauma, their desperate acts reduce and he has seen it here at this property. We are down to 2 calls every 5 weeks. You look at these people and it’s no credit, crime, drug addiction and he knows it is scary to say in a place like this, but that is a portion of the population of Richfield and it is a portion of the population of Six County and they have to have services. Utah is a housing first State because if you can get people out of the state of trauma and get them to where we can provide services…that is who we are trying to fix is the people.

Councilmember Hansen stated that his bigger concern, rather than perception and what it looks like on Main Street or anything, is about those people we are serving and he said Mr. Warburton had mentioned valid points. Those people we are serving, he thinks sometimes we are disserving them in many other ways. If this is supposed to be their escape or their plan to rehabilitate or to get out of this bad situation; let us say that they have lived there for 7 months, they are applying for a job, they probably do not have a bank account except direct deposit, what would they use for a mailing address to have that paycheck mailed to them. They register to vote. Where is their ballot going to come? Do you have pigeon holes or what do they use for a mailing address?

Mr. Warburton addressed a comment made in the paper about these people being victimized and he could promise that they are not. They are actually put in a situation where they can receive service. Before they do not have any options and that forces them into a separate of being desperate. They can go down to the post office and register for a post office box. They could have the mail sent to the address there and the clerk could put it in a box for them. So, there are ways they can receive their post and they can receive their pay. Most of the people there have jobs here in Richfield, they are just of the lowest income earned. If you put them in a spot where they can’t have housing, they do work and they can’t support other industries. It is a really difficult situation. In every city in Utah, including Richfield, you have such a high demand for affordable housing and taking care of that very vulnerable group of people. There is no way in Richfield right now that you could come and build affordable housing and provide services for people unless you are talking millions of dollars.

He does not want to do anything that is outside of the law. He wants to do it the way the City wants it, but he thinks there is a better way to do it than what is being proposed. He has six women living there right now that are fleeing abuse that came from New Horizons. They are fleeing a situation and if the City has an ordinance that tells those women and their children that in 90 days they can no longer find extended stay in Richfield.

Councilmember Nielson asked Mr. Warburton how much he charged these people. Is there no charge because he is taking money from the State to pay for it or do they pay a fee? Mr. Warburton stated that some are 100% paid for by the State. He works with local housing authorities like Six County because they have a system that rates people’s needs or how vulnerable they are. The highest people get housing first, so those people are most likely getting 100% of the cost of their hotel or apartment paid for. Other people have work or social security and the State might be paying half or 25% or something like that. Councilmember Nielson asked how many of the people in his facility are from Sevier County. Mr. Warburton would say that all of them are. She noted that if it is through Six County, then they could be from anywhere in the Six County area and not from just Sevier County. Mr. Warburton generally knows where they are from. Usually, they are brought to him by Six County and they have assessed them.

Councilmember Hansen asked Mr. Warburton when he comes in to license his business, what does he license it as. Mr. Warburton stated that he would list it as a hospitality business. He said he has his hospitality sales tax, which he pays.

Councilmember Hansen stated that he is concerned that we help these people far enough along that they cannot get out of the hole. Even having a proper mailing address or some type of standardized thing. How are we helping them out? Are we just helping them out and keeping them here until the money runs out?

Councilmember Nielson wondered what services are available to help them move forward. Mr. Warburton stated that his property has 4,000 square feet of unused space so the VA will hold meetings there. There are addiction recovery people that hold their meetings there. He is looking at meeting with the suicide prevention group. A lot of these people are very vulnerable and they have to have those kinds of services. There are a lot of case managers who work with these people and that comes back to the whole theory of housing first because if you can get them housed then you can get them sent over to get those services.

Councilmember Nielson wondered if Mr. Warburton is taking their money to stay there and they cannot get out, is it helping them or are they stuck? Mr. Warburton stated that they are under a certain program where the whole idea is to get them housed, into a job, recovering from addiction, or fleeing abuse, whatever it is.

Ms. Stubbs stated that Mr. Warburton is talking about a level of homelessness that we are not equipped to deal with.

Councilmember Nielson stated that she worked for the Crisis Center for 8 years and they were able to help women and children, but men were sent to Salt Lake where they had services for them. The vision of the City is not to create, not to sound harsh, but we are not trying to create areas where there is no lighting, no water, no sewer. We have tried to keep it where we could, because of our limited facilities downtown, we have tried to make it so they are referred to where there are facilities and services available because we are not equipped to do that here.

Mr. Warburton stated that Salt Lake has 1,100 people on their list; people who are approved for housing but have nowhere to go.

Councilmember Hansen said that the City has looked into this and that Mr. Warburton had mentioned lawsuits and the ACLU and those things may follow. This is not just a problem here, but we are trying to deal with it here as the situation is facing us here locally. What he is seeing here because we do not have any regulations for it presently, and we are not precluding Mr. Warburton from running this type of business. What we are doing is setting up a set of rules as to how it can be run. It does not say that you cannot have an extended stay in Richfield. It is saying how it will be managed and how we will do our due diligence. As far as other traditional type hotels/motels never wanting to come to Richfield because we adopted an ordinance defining these things, it is to their good also. It shows how we are going to play here in this City. Six County can still bring them to you, but they know that in Richfield City we can put them here under these terms for this period of time and they will provide whatever services they are going to. Councilmember Hansen does not see that this ordinance prohibits that in any way. If we could find another ordinance that was working somewhere else, we will steal a good idea wherever we can find it. We have extended a tremendous amount of effort crafting what probably will be that model legislation he thinks other municipalities will look at. To do nothing is to do nothing and he does not think that we have that option to responsibly do nothing.

Mr. Warburton understood the League of Cities and Towns wants to incentivize cities to make a proactive effort to curb homelessness and there is a fund to get money for safety, for police, and fire, and that will be additional set up for cities and towns that try to do that.

Councilmember Hansen felt that this is a proactive step because we are putting these people on the track where they have to come up with an exit plan if they are going to stay here in this situation. There are programs available, but we are not involved in that because as the City it is not our role, but he sees this as being a proactive step in that direction, not a roadblock to it.

Mayor Ogden asked what percentage of the population of the Six County area is needing this type of housing. Mr. Warburton stated that a local housing area of this size probably has 50 to 75 people at a time on their list that they are waiting or applying for services.

Councilmember Christensen noted that this is just not a problem with Mr. Warburton’s property, there are 6 hotels on Main Street that are doing this same thing. She has had so many complaints around town because our Main Street is starting to look trashy. You can tell that the properties are no longer a motel. They are getting very run-down looking and there is one motel that she has been told is where you get drugs. Our Main Street is going to pot. We have had so many complaints that we need to figure out something to do about it. That is what we have been working on.

Councilmember Nielson reiterated that we are trying to set up something that gives these people 90 days to find other locations because we are not equipped to do anything else. Councilmember Hansen noted that as you move them along, there are other people on the top of that list that still need that same service and you will never run out. At some point in time, we have to take the training wheels off. That is the reality of life. Some of these people we can try to help them, their parents have tried to help them, their school counselors have tried to help them, but at some point, in time we have to hang the training wheels in the garage and they need to go and make better decisions. You would not lack to have a tenant come in and fill that spot today.

Mr. Warburton stated that one of the classifications is permanent supportive housing. This is someone that is on a lifetime voucher and for rural Utah that is the most difficult one to deal with because we do not have the facilities as we said. Those people cannot be transferred from one to the other. A lot of times you end up with someone who has mental disabilities or severe drug addiction or symptoms from the war or something like that and is homeless. You almost cannot manage them. You cannot send them outside your LHC so a lot of times you will see them try to find a place for housing people and for some there is no coming off that list. They have to be able to go somewhere, but the landlords have to pull a credit check, background check, plus the market rate is $900 for an apartment instead of $750 and there is no way to house them.

Councilmember Nielson stated that this is something those people have to deal with. With us, what we can control, what our police department can control, what we feel like we have services for, we have addressed in this ordinance. We feel that it is appropriate for us and that it covers the needs of our City. As far as she is concerned she thought that the ordinance was fair. They have 30 days through the Crisis Center to stay there and 90 days to stay in an extended stay room. She knows that the Crisis Center still has transitional housing as well. Then it has to be up to them to find someplace else.

Councilmember Hansen does not see any reason why we should table action on this. We have spent hours and hours on this, held public hearings, and discussed it. Mr. Warburton is the only person from his side of the equation that has ever shown up at one of these meetings. Councilmember Hansen stated that we follow the law on this and he appreciates the service that Mr. Warburton provides for those people. He is not heartless, but he thinks this is a good ordinance for the overall good and vitality of our community.

Motion: Approve Ordinance 2021-17 defining and regulating motels, hotels, and extended stay rooms in commercial zones, Action: Approved, Moved by Kip Hansen, Seconded by Todd Gleave. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.

10. ORDINANCE 2021-19 ADOPTED. The Council reviewed an ordinance to rezone the property located at 256 North 600 East from commercial shopping (CS) to multi-family residential (RM-11). The Council discussed the location of this property noting that it was just north of White’s meatpacking business. Motion: Adopt Ordinance 2021-19 rezoning the property located at 256 North 600 East from commercial shopping (CS) to multi-family residential (RM-11) based on the recommendation of the Planning Commission, Action: Adopted, Moved by Kathy Christensen, Seconded by Todd Gleave. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.
11. ORDINANCE 2021-20 ADOPTED. The Council reviewed an ordinance to allow commercial kennels in general commercial zoning districts as a C-2 use. It was understood that the individual who had requested this change would still have to relocate her business because her current location is a commercial shopping zone and the change being considered will only apply to the general commercial zones. She could still do the daycare at that location, but she could not board dogs there.

Councilmember Nielson felt that there is a need for this type of business in our area.

Councilmember Gleave agreed that there is a need for this. The Planning Commission recommended this change to the zoning ordinance. Motion: Adopt Ordinance 2021-20 allowing commercial kennels in general commercial zones as a C-2 use, Action: Adopted, Moved by Todd Gleave, Seconded by Kathy Christensen. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.

12. ORDINANCE 2021-21 ADOPTED. The Council reviewed an ordinance that would annex the property located at approximately 1300 South and 550 West, owned by RM24, LLC.

Councilmember Christensen asked if we need to get water with this. We do need either water or cash in lieu of. Motion: Adopt Ordinance 2021-21 annexing the property located at 1300 South and 550 West owned by RM24, LLC and they will bring sufficient water or cash in lieu of, Action: Adopted, Moved by Todd Gleave, Seconded by Kathy Christensen. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.

13. PROPERTY PURCHASE FROM CHERYL ANDERSEN APPROVED. Ms. Anderson owns a piece of property on Main Street between 100 and 200 North and she is willing to sell it to the City for $13,680 with the dedication of the property to be made to the Steve C Andersen Family. Motion: Purchase the property on Main Street from Cheryl Andersen for $13,680 and dedicate the property to the Steve C Andersen Family, Action: Approved, Moved by Todd Gleave, Seconded by Connie Nielson. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.
14. TRANSFER OF THE CITY’S 401K PLAN FROM VOYA TO UTAH STATE RETIREMENT APPROVED. Mr. Hansen explained why we are asking the Council to approve this. The City contributes to two different 401K plans. This has been discussed in the past, but we have some employees who have loans with Voya and if we were to transfer or plan, those loans would be deemed. The annual asset-based fees with URS that each participant is required to pay is about half of what Voya charges, and the City has to pay an administration fee. We have had several individuals who have wanted to transfer their funds to URS, but Voya would not allow those transfers.

It was noted that IRS rules have changed since our plan was in place, and if we choose to do this, we cannot go back to what we are doing now. Motion: Approve the transfer of the City’s 401K plan from Voya to Utah State Retirement, Action: Approved, Moved by Kathy Christensen, Seconded by Connie Nielson. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows.

15. OTHER BUSINESS. Mr. Hansen reported that we have been leasing 4 vehicles from Horsepower Leasing for over a year. All of those leases have timed out and they contacted us and indicated that they would be coming to pick up the vehicles. The 2 vehicles for the police department are not here yet, so to delay this we asked what it would cost to purchase them. The figures they gave us, we would be better off buying new vehicles. However, he thought of our local car dealerships. When you drive by their lots you can see that they are struggling to find vehicles. There is a Ford pickup, a Dodge pickup, and to Jeeps. He reached out to the Ford dealership and the Dodge dealership to see if they would want to buy these vehicles. So, we would purchase the vehicles and then sell them to the dealerships. The Dodge dealership will allow us to keep the Jeeps until the replacements get here. Councilmember Hansen thought that was pretty transparent, so he did not see a problem with it.

Councilmember Gleave said that our City employees and staff are awesome. He attended the Council of Governments meeting on behalf of Mayor Ogden with other mayors around the County. Almost every subject that was brought up, the other cities either did not know about or they had not done what they needed to do. Richfield City has done most of them. He wanted to acknowledge this and let them know how appreciated they are.

Councilmember Hansen needs to be excused on November 9 because his FFA team will be at nationals in Oregon and he does not drive home until November 10.

Mr. Hansen gave the Council the figures for sales tax, recreation tax, highways tax revenues for October. He noted that we look good on all of these revenues.

16. MEETING ADJOURNED. At 8:22 p.m., Motion: Adjourn, Action: Adjourned, Moved by Kathy Christensen, Seconded by Todd Gleave. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 4). Yes: Connie Nielson, Kathy Christensen, Kip Hansen, Todd Gleave. Excused: Bryan Burrows. PASSED and APPROVED this 11th day of December 2021.