City Council Meeting - November 19, 2013

Work Session

Discussion on Class B&C Road Funds
Started in 1937 in Utah. Based on population and weighted road. Take 30% of gas tax and distribute to cities for road expenditures (UDOT gets 70%). This includes construction, maintenance, equipment that is used to maintain roads, sidewalks, curb and gutter. Class B is a County road and Class C is a City road. There is no time limit on when these funds must be spent. We have currently expended all road funds to date. We allocate approximately $250,000 per year on roads and we receive approximately $272,000 in class B&C road funds. Based upon analysis done, we make sure our roads are on a consistent maintenance schedule. We receive a payment every two months from the State and these funds cover our improvement schedule for this year. Keeping up on surface treatments is essential for longevity. Our software will be updated to provide an updated plan for maintenance and replacement of roads so we can be sure we maintain enough funds to cover these, as needed. This will be started this winter and should be done by the end of next summer.

We continue to face issues with Canyon Road. UDOT wants to deed it to Cedar Hills and PG; however, the amount of money we would receive to maintain it would be considerably less than it would cost for us to actually maintain it. Mayor Gygi has reached out to a lobbyist to get information on helping with this effort as the City wants UDOT to fix and maintain the road but UDOT states there are not funds to fix it.

Discussion on History of 9900 North
In 1997 the Apple Blossom subdivision was created and the Council at the time required an additional street to that subdivision and the street had to be dedicated to Cedar Hills. Cedar Hills owns the right of way for that road. The developer was required to create a two-way street but wasn't required to put in curb and gutter. When Cedar Hills purchased the nine acres in the commercial area, that entire area including 9900 North was boundary adjusted into Cedar Hills. In 2002, Warinski Funeral home and AF houses in that area were built. The original developer of 9900 North held ownership of two feet of both sides of the street and wouldn't let AF have streets that exited onto 9900 North. The AF contractor had to work with developer to get access. As we look at developing our commercial area we will need to understand and address traffic concerns on 9900 North, but there has been misconception as to who owns the road.

Council Meeting

Public Comment
Nobody signed up.

Consent Agenda
Minutes from the October 15, 2013 City Council meeting were unanimously approved.

City Reports
David Bunker - no report.

CM Zappala - Utah Valley Dispatch met to review a study regarding staffing, technology, and space needs. They are now looking at possible sites for a new center. They want to meet with Mayors and  Councils of all member cities to see if they have any support as it would need to go to a vote of the residents for funding.

CM Rees - One press release issued for Family Week. Family Santa event will be December 9th. This is a free event for families, Santa will be there, and there will be hot chocolate and candy canes.

Mayor Gygi - Speaking with Utah League of Cities and Towns lobbyist regarding any issues that need to be addressed in the legislative sessions.

CM Augustus - Planning Commission met for joint meeting, which was in my last update. North Pointe continues to work on a potential agreement for cities to sign in order to be member cities so Trent will send the draft agreement to the Council for review.

CM Martinez - YCC met today. Working on Santa's workshop and need help with advertising. Jr. Jazz also happening now.

CM Jackman - LPPSD met. Budget season will start soon.

Review/Action on Canvass of Election Returns for the 2013 General Election
The Council will add to the total number of votes the valid provisional and absentee ballots, which were opened tonight. 17 valid provisional ballots were received, and one valid absentee ballot was received. The Mayoral seat goes to Gary Gygi, the 4-year Council terms go to Daniel Zappala and Rob Crawley, and the 2-year Council term goes to Mike Geddes. Final numbers were Crosby 397, Gygi 1122, Crawley 721, Martinez 650, Zappala 840, Bradley 691, Cox 469, Geddes 975, For prop #4 631, Against prop #4 900.

Review/Action on Resolution Adopting the Sewer Management Plan
Every five years, the City is required to submit a Sewer Management Plan as part of an overall Utah
Sanitary Sewer Management Program General Permit which is obtained by the Utah Division of
Environmental Quality. Public Works Director Jeff Maag has completed the report and presented to the Council. The City provides sewage collection and maintenance of all of the existing sanitary sewer lines within the city. Wastewater treatment is provided through the Timpanogos Special Service District (TSSD) in conjunction with other communities in the northern portion of Utah County. The Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP) has been established to provide a plan and schedule to properly manage, operate, and maintain all parts of the sewer collection system to reduce and prevent sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), as well as minimize impacts of any SSOs that may occur. This resolution was unanimously approved.

Review/Action on Authorizing Mayor to Sign Interlocal Agreement with American Fork and Highland to Utilize American Fork Canyon Debris Basin
This had been previously approved by the Council; however, minor changes were requested Highland City to the interlocal agreement. The changes were minor and mainly grammatical. In order to have a congruent version of the agreement, it is requested that The City of Cedar Hills approve the amended agreement. All of the parameters for operations and maintenance of the flood control basin remain the same. The cities of American Fork, Highland and Cedar Hills jointly own and operate the American Fork
Canyon Debris Basin for the purpose of flood control and ground water replenishment. The members
of the debris basin management administrative board have drafted an interlocal cooperation agreement to be presented for each entity to approve. The interlocal agreement defines the specific provisions for operations and maintenance of the flood control basin. This was unanimously approved.

Review/Action on Pricing Structure for Resident Use of the Vista Room/Recreation Center
The staff presented a pricing structure to the Mayor/Council for resident rates for golf in September.
They were then tasked with creating a discounted pricing structure for the use of the Vista Room for residents. Staff recommends that the proposed pricing structure be approved so they can begin implementing and encouraging residents to use the center for their wedding/event needs. Staff can typically fill the weekend rentals, so want to continue to be able to capture those full-price revenue opportunities as much as possible. They propose that we offer Cedar Hills residents 10% off any day of the week for the Vista Room. They also propose to offer residents the facility at cost if they want to book within 30 days of their event. The suggested discount for residents is more than 30 days out is 10% off the regular rate (ranging from $1400-$1600) and the cost rate if within 30 days would be $850 for a weekend or $550 for a weekday.  The "cost" amount includes utilities, training, advertising, basic maintenance, etc. that comes out of that budget line item.
I would like to see a substantial discount for residents and not limit it to within 30 days. This facility was purchased with recreation impact fees and continues to be maintained with tax dollars, so in essence, our residents are already paying for it. Out of curiosity, I contacted AF Rec Center, Lindon Community Center, and PG Rec and Community Center to find out what they charge. It ranged from $35-$50 an hour. I realize ours is a nicer facility, but if it’s first and foremost a Community Center then our pricing structure should align with what other Community Centers charge. I also recognize the need for revenue to come into the City so I feel a fair compromise would be to offer residents the at cost pricing Sunday – Thursday with the option to book it up to 6 months in advance. My goal is to get more community and resident events at the Community Recreation Center so it’s utilized more by Cedar Hills residents. I’d also like to see more community events held there, such as Christmas choirs, talent shows, etc. so that it continues to become more of a community center.

The final adoption made was that residents can get the resident rate if they book within 45 days. We will continue this discussion with the new council and determine what the priorities for this building should be.

Review/Action on Golf Course Driving Range Fencing Repair
We have had some issues with the driving range fence at the golf course with regards to a home being hit by golf balls. We have now had some extensive damage from a wind storm to the fence. We have lost 3 sections of the netting on the west side of the driving range and need to get this replaced as soon as possible. We have contacted a company that specializes in driving range fencing and installation. Their estimate is $16,000 to replace the damaged netting and to tighten up the rest of the fencing, however we won’t know for sure until they access it. We are currently on their schedule to come out and fix the net and have asked for it as soon as feasible. Staff recommends approval of funds to be moved from the Capital Improvement Plan to fund repairing and fixing of the existing fence and netting. Item has been continued so staff can get additional information on cost of raising height of fencing 2 feet.

Review/Action on Opt-Out of Social Security
This was previously discussed in July and September. The City of Cedar Hills has never signed a 218 agreement with the Internal Revenue Service; as such the City has not opted into the Social Security program although it currently pays into Social Security for all full-time and part-time employees. Because the City participates in the Utah Retirement Systems retirement plan, the full-time employees participate in a qualified retirement plan, enabling Cedar Hills to not opt into Social Security. Staff conducted an informal poll of the full-time employees after discussing the options with them, and the results were 18-4, in favor of not opting into Social Security. In anticipation of this decision, full-time employees have met with a representative from URS, and have been informed of their options on saving for retirement. These plans included 401(K), 457, and a Roth IRA. Additionally, a life insurance benefit has been set up to replace the death benefit that will be forfeited by opting out of Social Security. This life insurance benefit will be funded by the employer’s portion, with the remainder going to a 457 match being managed by URS. After discussion with staff and the Council, staff recommends that the City Council not enter into a 218 Agreement with the Social Security Administration. Unanimously approved.