Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days Royalty
The PG Royalty came with an invitation to Strawberry Days and also brought a delicious strawberry cheesecake. Strawberry Days occur the week after our Family Festival. Councilmember Martinez asked each girl to talk about the pageant and what entailed. Each girl said the main focus was on the service provided to their community. These service projects were focused on providing education on a variety of topics such as healthy eating, breast cancer, and the dangers of distracted driving.
Review of Location of Sheds on Corner Lots and Fencing Requirements
At a previous Council meeting two residents came to discuss a change in the ordinance that would allow them to place a shed in the setback of their property. Mayor Richardson explained that corner lots have a larger setback so there is less usable space under the current rules. The Council has asked the Planning Commission to come up with suggestions on ways corner lots can better utilize these setback areas and to present their suggestions to the Council.
The fencing discussion came up after a resident on Sugarloaf asked to build a privacy fence in their backyard. Currently these homes have a wrought iron fence that goes along the walking trail. There is some confusion as to whether this is due to a development agreement, CC&R's, and/or city ordinance. Greg Robinson will do some research to determine what is currently setup for this street and come back to the Council. This may also be something that goes to the Planning Commission for additional suggestions.
Council Meeting
Public Comment
Craig Clement - Mr. Clement came to express his appreciation to the Mayor and Council for the work being done.
Rob Crawley - Mr. Crawley came to discuss the golf course financials analysis he put together last year during the election and to defend his work. He feels his numbers were and are accurate based on the information he has been provided. He recently became aware of Konrad's rebuttal to his analysis and says he has not seen any new numbers that change his analysis. He is happy to be serving on the Golf Course Finance Advisory Committee and feels clarification will come through this committee.
Consent Agenda
Minutes from the April 3rd, May 1st, May 8th, and May 15th meetings are continued until the next meeting as it has been requested that the public comment from the May 15th meeting be transcribed verbatim. The resolution indicating the intent of Cedar Hills to adjust the boundary with PG for one residence was approved.
City Reports
David Bunker - A water report was sent to every resident with their June utility bill. Ames Construction has been awarded the project to put in an underground pedestrian walkway under Canyon Road as part of the canal project. They are starting this week (I believe they have already started) and this will require some closing of Canyon Road. Canyon Heights Road will also be closed and residents in that area will only be able to access via Box Elder.
CM Martinez - Asked Miss Northern Utah County to discuss her pageant experiences and her service projects. She will also be helping with the Family Festival. Rec center classes are going well. YCC is having elections soon. Family Festival begins this week.
CM Jackman - LPPSD met and approved the budget but it doesn't include changes on handling rent. The revenue loss from ambulance services will need to be addressed within the next few years. The Finance Committee met and decided to close the snack shack at the golf course so golfers will be directed to the grill at the rec center.
CM Rees - Beautification Committee announced five yard of the month winners and pictures are available on the City website. City Facebook page will be up soon now that the Council has agreed to how it will function. City newsletter will be available in the rec center. We will start a content to obtain resident email addresses for better communication. Contest winners will receive a credit on their utility bill.
CM Augustus - Planning Commission has not met since last report.
Review/Action on Acceptance of Audit by Squire & Company
This item was continued as the audit was not yet complete.
Review/Action on Approval of Final Utility Rate Study
No changes were made to the final utility rate study and details of the recommendations made at the May 1st meeting can be found on my blog at http://jenneyreeschcc.blogspot.com/2012/05/city-council-meeting-may-1-2012.html. Some important points for this approval:
- Adopting the study does not formally adopt the fee changes, this is done at a later meeting if it is decided to go that direction
- The 2013 budget revenues assume the rate increases recommended are approved
- Suggested fee increases do not take into account any TSSD increases, which the City has no control over
Public Hearing on FY 2013 Budget
Nobody signed up to comment at the public hearing.
Review/Action on Resolution Adopting FY 2013 Budget
Final approval was not made as changes are still being made to the budget and we are also waiting on property tax numbers from the County. Items discussed at this meeting:
- Line item 10-33-400 (LPPSD rent) - This shows more rent revenue coming in from LPPSD as all city employees are moving to the Public Works Bldg. However, this hasn't been approved by LPPSD.
- Line item 40-95-200 - Money needed for phase 2 of the recreation center, which will finish the basement
- Line item 40-95-201 - Money needed for phase 3 of the recreation center (discussions are to build a splash pad at the CoRec)
- Line item 10-60-120 - This increase is for two part-time employees. One for business licensing and one for zoning enforcement.
- Line item 75-35-300 - This is an estimated subsidy for the golf course in the amount of $65,000. Previously the City was accruing what was considered a loan from the City to the golf course. This seemed to cause confusion so a dollar amount will now be shown on the budget as transferred from the General Fund to the Community Recreation Fund to show how much is subsidized each year. The Council has asked the Finance team to change the wording for this line item to clearly reflect it is a subsidy.
- Line item 10-40-305 - Legal services are projected to be $75,000 for 2013. However, the actual amount spent in legal fees for FY 2012 to date are closer to $115,000. Since we are continually threatened with additional litigation there is no reason to believe that our legal expenses for 2013 will be less than 2012. The Council has asked the Finance team to revise this number to $115,000 in anticipating of further legal proceedings.
- The Council has asked the Finance team to come back with suggestions on what should be cut from the budget if expected revenues are not met. Preliminary suggestions from the Finance team include the 2013 Decisions Survey, park maintenance, library reimbursement, Family Festival parade and carnival, and communications.
The Mayor and City Manager did a walk through with Walmart to inspect the improvements that have been made. The suggestion was made to authorize the release of the durability guarantee. This was approved.
Discussion on Completion of the CoRec Basement
Phase two of the CoRec is the completion of the basement for additional classroom space and cardio equipment. There is currently $180,000 of recreation impact fees left after phase one as well as $70,000 in CARE tax revenue. A final approval has not been made on how to spend these funds; however, the Council does agree that finishing the basement is a high priority. Each Council meeting has consisted of a lot of discussion on what will be included in the basement and how it will be funded. Mayor Richardson suggested the Council agree to work on a budget for the construction now and the equipment at a later point. The goal is to have the basement built by Labor Day. CM Augustus and Martinez will work with staff on designing the layout of the basement and to determine construction costs.
Discussion on a Civic Center
There is currently $500,000 in unrestricted funds that have been set aside for the building of a new Civic Center. This is another item that has been discussed a number of times. The Mayor recommended, and the Council agreed that these funds should not be used for a Civic Center but instead on community wants, such as a splash pad and for the CoRec.
Goals and Focus for City Council and Staff
Mayor Richardson asked me and CM Martinez to work together to come up with a plan for the goals and focus for the City.
The Council did have an executive session. The meeting was then closed.
