Work Session
A group has approached the city expressing a desire to build a storage complex at St. Andrews Estates, which is property owned by the city in the northeast corner of the city, right off Canyon Road. Originally they were interested in the commercial area, but this use is not an approved use for that area, so our realtor suggested St. Andrews Estates as a potential option. He feels this is a good use of that area and would be aesthetically pleasing.
Scott, the storage complex developer, presented their concept plan. Said if it is zoned commercial then the city can charge more for the property. One entrance allows the project to be visibly attractive and cuts down on traffic. Because it's commercial, the property tax revenue from this building would be more than residential. Having homes in the area increases risk for the city if homes are damaged by golf balls. The project assists with the retention of the hillside as some of the units are along the back and are known as storage condominiums as people can actually purchase the storage units instead of leasing them each month. Some of the units would be large enough for RV's.
This area is zoned residential and has been since the lots were created. Storage units, or any other commercial venture, cannot be built in this area unless a zoning change occurs. I am opposed to rezoning this area for commercial use.
Next discussion was whether or not we should change the name of Deerfield Park to Harvey Memorial Park. Originally we had offered this as part of the negotiation because the land price at open space rates was less than what they would get from a developer. They rejected that offer and the offer to have it named after them. The final offer we made and that was agreed to was for the city to purchase the land at developer rates. Now they are requesting that we change the name to Harvey Memorial Park. I requested that we send this back to the Parks and Trails Committee to discuss as that is a role they should have with their assignment. However, the rest of the Council felt it was fine to change the name as requested by the Harvey's.
Council Meeting
Public Comments
Nobody signed up.
Consent Agenda
The minutes from the July 18th and August 1st council meetings were approved. Charl Louw was appointed to the Parks and Trails Committee.
City Reports
Chandler Goodwin - Soccer and tot soccer started last week. Flag football registration has closed with 55 children signing up. Starting a new free program called "Mommy and Me Songmaker", which is for kids not yet in school. Karate is going well. We had about 500 people attend our city breakfast. Harvey land purchase has been finalized and recorded on Friday. Next month is the ULCT conference in Salt Lake City.
Mayor Gygi - LPPSD audit was completed. KSL will be reporting on it tonight. There were no financial misdeeds, but did provide some guidance on things that could be done better with regards to credit card use and a few other items. Staffing at LPPSD is low. They will rotate keeping Cedar Hills and Alpine open until staffing issues are resolved. Highland will remain open at all times. MAG is looking into whether or not Utah County can overrule an approval made by MAG and their TAC committee.
CM Geddes - LPPSD audit items were fairly standard and he doesn't see any issues.
CM Anderson - Planning Commission will be meeting later this week.
CM Bailey - Burn season is going to be the month of October. If a resident wants to burn, they need to apply for a free burn permit.
Discussion on Solicitation
Keith Irwin - He is retired and volunteers in various capacities, so he travels a lot. He has neighbors who also travel quite a bit. It's a concern when they come home and see several flyers left on their door as it sends a message that nobody is home for extended periods of time. The solicitation ordinance the city currently has is related to face-to-face interactions. He would like to see an update to the code that if there is a no soliciting sign on the door, flyers cannot be left.
Chandler did research on codes from other cities. Each city has their own rules on business licensing and soliciting. Our code is on par with other cities. His concerns are first, are we infringing on first amendment rights. Second, non-profits generally are allowed to leave notices on doors. He would recommend residents let neighbors know they will be gone and ask the to remove flyers. Enforcement only happens when someone notifies the city.
CM Bailey understands his concern. He has seen vacant homes with piles of flyers stacked up. His only concern is that those handing them out may not know they can't leave them on the door of a house. Asked if there could be a service offered by the city similar to the post office, where a resident asks the city to monitor their home and remove flyers when they are out of town. Chandler said that would be difficult to do as we don't have enough staff to handle that.
CM Andersen said she wants to allow church groups and neighborhood notices to still be allowed, even with the no soliciting sign.
My thought was to keep it limited to only homes with no-soliciting sign and for profit organizations. Non-profit groups such as scouting and neighborhood notices would be allowed. If a resident gets a flyer on their door and have the no-soliciting sign, they can notify the city and the city can follow-up with the business to make them aware of the rules with regards to flyers on homes with a no-soliciting sign.
David Shaw (city attorney) said this isn't a new issue. Can put up a sign saying "no commercial soliciting" to allow for church groups, eagle scouts, etc to still leave flyers. City can have an ordinance such as what is being proposed.
Discussion on Canyon Road
Peter Henderson - Representing himself and Scott Ceraso. With the Canyon Road plans going on, there has been a lot of discussing among residents. Scott's main objective is to get Mayor Gygi and all council members to provide a written statement on their views for the future of Canyon Road. Peter's perspective is that he moved where he is because he wanted a large piece of land that nobody was going to bother him about and that nobody would take. He doesn't care what happens with Canyon Road as long as his property isn't taken. He has fixed the safety issues that affect his land. It would be great if Canyon Road improvements were made but he also understands the cost and practicality of doing so.
Mayor Gygi said he has stated his position to Scott and has nothing new to add.
Chandler presented on the 60% plans. He's been asked if there is an equitable distribution of the MAG funds between Cedar Hills and Pleasant Grove. He feels it is not equitable. Intersection of 2600 North in PG is getting a significant reconfiguration, which includes curb and gutter along Canyon Road. The County has said they don't install curb and gutter on county roads, but yet they are in this section. South of that area, eminent domain is being used to widen the road, add shoulders, and add curb and gutter. At the area where it changes from PG to Cedar Hills, the type of road also changes. They are doing a full depth reconstruction on the PG side and just an overlay on the CH portion. That means in a few years we are going to have many of the same issues that we face now as it won't fix many of the issues. The intersection of 4000 N is also getting a reconfiguration (located in PG), which is getting a turning lane and curb and gutter. On 9220 N. in Cedar Hills the county is adding a catch basin manhole to address some of the drainage issues that exist there. There will also be some re-configuring of the intersection at SR-92. While there are some items that benefit Cedar Hills, most of the money is being spent south of the canal.
CM Zappala agrees and said this is what the residents who are meeting are concerned about. Many residents don't want the size of the road increased as it increases speed. Would rather like turn lanes, lower speed limits, and long term planning for things such as crosswalks, sidewalks so kids can walk safely on the road.
Chandler said a turning lane heading south and turning on Box Elder would be helpful as cars just stop there. Also, with a shoulder it gives more space for bicyclists.
Jeff (our public works director) said he met with the county last week. They are going to make some changes within the Cedar Hills section. The area between Bayhill and Morgan will be improved to address gutter issues. The widening of the road was based on feedback from bicyclists. It doesn't give them a bike lane but more space in the lanes. They are looking at cutting costs in some areas as they feel the current plans will exceed the funds available. He expects the 90% plans will see some cutbacks.
Discussion on Subsidizing the Bookmobile
Utah County has notified municipalities that they will no longer be funding the Bookmobile going forward. Should cities want to have the Bookmobile stop in their jurisdiction, they will need to pay a fee to the County based on the number and duration of stops desired. The following is from the County:
Total Bookmobile Checkouts: 5,277
Total Active Cardholders: 141
Cost to continue Bookmobile (two stops per month)
1.0 hours per stop = $2,808
1.5 hours per stop = $4,212
2.0 hours per stop = $5,616
2.5 hours per stop = $7,020
3.0 hours per stop = $8,424
Chandler looked at current library reimbursement program and we generally do about 300 reimbursements per year. Feels there are three options available. 1) Fund the bookmobile at some level; 2) Increase library reimbursement amounts instead of bookmobile, or 3) Do nothing. The decision was made to not continue with the bookmobile.
Discussion on Park Reservation Policies
I requested a discussion on City Park Reservation Policies, specifically a requirement to provide a $500 deposit for any event that involves large tents, vehicles, bounce houses, etc. The policy is put in place to collect for any damages that should occur as a result of the event. To date, staff is unaware of any instance where the deposit has been forfeited as a result of damage. Some suggestions from staff include 1) reduce the deposit amount, 2) allow using a credit card for the deposit, and 3) altering the agreement stating the city can seek damages, when necessary.
Direction to staff was to make it easier for residents to reserve the park. This could include reducing the deposit amount, not requiring a deposit to be made until 7 days before the event and then we just hold the check instead of cashing it, etc. This will come back for further discussion when staff has some ideas drafted.
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