City Council Meeting - October 1, 2013

Work Session

Discussion on Blu Line Design for commercial area
Have been working with Planning Commission on design. Last Thursday they presented updated plans to Planning Commission and received approval of concept plan with Planning Commission recommendations. One suggestion made by residents who live in that area was to consider rotating the senior living structure clockwise 90 degrees. Blu Line is working on this and will work with Planning Commission. Other suggestions were to add more brick to the facade, lower height, and different setback. Conceptual drawings also include a movie theater, restaurants, a splash area, and gathering places. Current elevation of the senior living center is four stories on the outer wings and five stories on the middle main portion of the building. CM Zappala would like to see some renderings showing walkways for all residents of the city so we can be sure the areas are safe and work as a walkable area. Blu Line has had several conversations with Amsource, who owns the corner lot, but so far they are not willing to sell this property. Blu Line has started to receive questions from commercial businesses who have heard of this project and are interested in locating to Cedar Hills. CM Augustus would prefer to not rotate the main building. Likes that it faces 4800 West like the other businesses in that area do.

Discussion regarding PG sewer connection on Cedar Hills line
Because this involved price negotiations the discussion occurred in executive session.

Council Meeting

Public Comment
Nobody signed up.

City Reports
Chandler Goodwin - Audit is starting next week. Results should be ready in early December. Submitting documents to GFOA as well. Working with Zions Bank on impact fee study. David is signing a letter of understanding with Siemens to have the free analysis performed.

CM Jackman - LPPSD Board met but many board members were missing so nothing detailed was discussed.

CM Martinez - YCC met today. They've done two fundraisers this past month. October 28th is the pumpkin walk and haunted creek. Cost is 25 cents for each activity. Bake sale and hot chocolate will also be available for 25 cents. Princess Days is coming up soon. Superhero day will be in the spring. Celebrating Family week in November, the week of Thanksgiving. Parks and Trails Committee met and talked about adopt a trail program and lighting up the roundabout during Christmas.

CM Augustus - North Point had a meeting and was unhappy that we are against the buy-in and long term contract. Attorney for North Point and District Manager want to meet with us during a work session to discuss this item. Trent encouraged them to work with David on this.

Mayor Gygi - Planning Commission met. 12 or so residents that live near the commercial area were there and gave their feedback and concerns. Planning Commission did grant a conceptual approval.

CM Rees - City Connection for September went out and we received good feedback. Will work with Daniel on October video.

CM Zappala - Doing next City Connection video on budget application. Meeting with local development group to pitch to them to pitch a Code for America brigade in Utah County. This encourages developers to work together to create applications that help with city transparency.

Review/Action on Ordinance Defining Significant Parcel of Real Property
The City currently holds several parcels of real property. In reviewing the city code, there is no provision or section of city code that deals with the disposal of parcels of real property. In addition, State code requires the city to comply with Utah Code Ann. 10-8-2(4) before disposing of a significant parcel of real property. State code requires a public notice and public hearing be held for the disposal of all significant parcels of real property. The definition of “significant parcel” and the associated value is left to the City to establish.

It is proposed by staff that the City adopt appropriate language and set reasonable values for the disposal of parcels of real property. Many cities we reviewed have set the reasonable value for significant parcels at $100,000. However, to be consistent with the city procurement policy regarding public bid of items greater than $50,000, it may be advisable to set the value for disposal of significant parcels also at $50,000.

Section B of the ordinance needs to be updated to state a public hearing will be held and there will be a notice period. Right now it says public comment. Unanimously approved.

Review/Action on Proposed Parks Curfew
Based on feedback from the September 17, 2013 City Council meeting, staff has drafted a proposed ordinance amending the Parks and Public Properties ordinance 6-8-6: Park Curfew. The proposed ordinance sets a curfew in City parks at 11:00pm, AFPD will enforce this ordinance, and it matches the curfew in American Fork parks, making enforcement consistent for AFPD. In addition there is a proposed amplified noise and sound curfew that has school year hours and summer hours. This states that amplified sound shall be prohibited after 8:30pm, Sunday through Thursday, and 9:30pm Friday and Saturday from Labor Day to Memorial Day. Amplified sound shall be prohibited after 9:30pm Sunday through Thursday and after 10:30pm Friday and Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Summer exceptions may be granted through the city with a special events permit.

CM Augustus asked for a definition of what amplified sound means. CM Zappala meant it to refer to music through our sound system in the amphitheater. Suggestion is to define it as electrically amplified sound. Unanimously approved.

Discussion on Recreation Fees
Alpine School District recently began to impose a new fee structure for the use of their facilities for any outside entity. Currently, we only use their facilities for Jr. Jazz because we don’t have the facilities. This is a new policy that will dramatically impact our fee structure for each of our participants. As such, we will need to increase our fees to cover the costs we now have to pay each school. In the past, we have not had to pay for the use of an elementary school, as long as there was a janitor there; however beginning this year we do have to pay $10.00/hour for a sweeper while we use the facility. The high school we have always paid $45/hour for the facility, however beginning this year the district is charging each city $45 per gym, which will double what we’ve paid in the past. In addition, this year we also received a minimal increase from the Utah Jazz for each participant. New fees would be as follows: Ski Bus from $175.00 to $190.00 (to cover expenses associated with ski bus) and Jr. Jazz from $40-$60 to $45-$65. All other recreation fees would stay the same. Our anticipated cost for Jr Jazz gym rentals would go from $13,723 to $18,670. We have worked with American Fork to make sure we aren't fighting for gym space and created a schedule that works for both cities. The $5 per participant increase for Jr. Jazz will cover the overall increase to utilize these gyms.

Discussion on Resident Fees for Use of Vista Room and Golf
Based on feedback from residents, it is proposed that council have a discussion regarding resident discounts for rental of the Vista Room and discounts for golf. Currently residents receive $50 off for season pass. Also a discount of $3 per 9 holes or $6 per 18 holes is given to residents. Current prices at the Vista Room are $1400 per weekday and $1600 per weekend. The current annual revenue projections of $135,000 are based on the fees established. I would like to see a substantial discount for residents to utilize the Vista Room as they are already paying for the building with property taxes. It isn't fair that non-residents get about the same fee and don't pay the property taxes as well. Greg will look at some options and get back with the Council.

Discussion on Reimbursement for Little Free Library
Mayor Gygi has requested that the City Council consider reimbursement to resident sponsors who participate in the Little Free Library program. Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” program where sponsors create a local location for communities to enjoy this program. This discussion is to consider reimbursing sponsors for their fee to receive a charter from “Little Free Library.” It would come from the library reimbursement account and would only be paid to residents who build a Little Free Library and haven't yet received a library reimbursement for the year.

Council Meeting - September 17, 2013

Work Session

Discussion on Social Security Options - City has been paying employer portion of Social Security funds but found out recently that we hadn't officially opted into the program. Employees can choose to opt in or opt out and use a different type of retirement program, such as URS. Every employee voted and 75% preferred to opt out and utilize something like URS, but want to first know what will happen with employers share of Social Security that has been paid into the system. Technically, this portion could go back to the City and the City would have to determine whether or not to roll this over into a retirement program for the employees or to keep the funds.  However, if they opt out of Social Security then they also lose disability and death benefits and would need to purchase this coverage on their own. The concern that CM Jackman has is that as a Council, we can determine each year how much to apply to the retirement benefits and have it match what we paid for Social Security, but we cannot bind future Councils to do the same. At least with Social Security there is a mandated employer portion. I feel we should let employees vote on this as they've been educated on the options and I don't feel we are better educated than they on what is best for their retirement. David has said that they have discussed ways to incentivize employees to continue to save through a matching program and only giving the employee the employer paid portion if the employee rolls over the already paid funds into a qualified retirement plan.

Council Meeting

Public Comment
Angela Madsen - Wants to know how to change the noise ordinance for the park with regards to concerts and movies in the park. Her house is two houses away and it gets really loud. Some nights it is so loud the windows shake. Noise can get so loud that they can't enjoy their own yard. Would like earlier end time for school nights for movies and/or concerts.

Shawn Madsen - Enjoy the concerts, but many neighbors have little kids and all want earlier end time on school nights.

Presentation by Siemens on Utility Cost Savings
City staff has been working with Siemens group on potential savings to Cedar Hills by making changes to street lighting, pumping, and the use of secondary water. Mr. Cram presented potential savings and discussed how Cedar Hills should proceed should the City wish to work with Siemens on this project. Challenges faced by the city are limited budget, aging infrastructure, and limited capital. These are challenges faced by all cities. Siemens is obligated to ensure that these projects are cash flow positive and revenue neutral. Siemens can do this because of higher manpower and can set aside funds for improvements instead of having any savings go back into the General Fund, which usually gets used in other ways. Siemens would be in charge of the consulting, financing, and implementation. Life of project is on average 10-15 years. Savings will vary based upon the type of project. These types of arrangements have been made available through State laws to encourage energy saving projects. Siemens will guarantee an annual savings in terms of water usage, energy savings, etc. and if that savings isn't met then they make up the difference. Will do a no-cost feasibility study. Some potential  opportunities are city-wide pressurized irrigation water metering, city-wide street lighting, and secondary water connections to all parks. He estimates we could save $56k-$84k each year. Having a PI metering system would put more accountability on individual water users. Technology has improved quality of PI meters and can be guaranteed for 20 years. Goal is that infrastructure lasts longer than the payment terms. Projects would be financed with savings so we don't have to bond for future projects. Relevant legislation includes HB 116 in 2010, State Code Title 11 Chapter 44, State Contract MA946. City retains ownership of all equipment. Siemens is doing these types of projects nationally and around the world. More than 1,300 successfully completed projects and $3 billion in energy savings. Siemens is meeting their commitment over 99% of the time and are only having to pay out guarantee less than 1% of the time. City will move forward with the no-cost feasibility study. This does not obligate us to anything further.

YCC Presentation
In accordance with the bylaws, candidates for YCC mayor apply and present themselves to their peer group for consideration. The YCC advisor, with the recommendation of the YCC and adult advisory committee, submit the names to the Mayor. The Mayor then appoints the YCC mayor. The YCC advisor has recommended that each year as the YCC members begin their terms, they shall take an oath of office to affirm their commitment. Jordan Anderson is the YCC mayor. Mayor and all YCC members were sworn in by Colleen Mulvey, city recorder. CM Martinez expressed her excitement for YCC and how lucky we are to have these youth serving the city.

Consent Agenda
Minutes for the July 16, 2013 City Council meeting unanimously approved.

City Reports
David Bunker - Had kick-off meeting with Bowen, Collins & Assoc on impact fee analysis. Looking to have an open house in January to go over study results. State of the City has gone out. Timpanogos Special Service District meeting this week.

CM Jackman - LPPSD meeting this week.

CM Zappala - Utah Valley Dispatch met. Want to have LPPSD sign district agreement and want all cities to have to stay with Utah Valley Dispatch unless all cities want to leave. CM Zappala recommended it be a vote of the LPPSD board, which represents the district. City needs to determine what we are going to do with dispatch fairly soon, whether to stay with Utah Valley or use someone else. Issue is that AFPD uses Utah Valley so if we switched for LPPSD then we'd have two different dispatch centers, one for fire and one for police. Budget app is up and running and he will continue to work on it.

CM Martinez - YCC car wash coming up on the 30th at roundabout by Walmart.  2pm-5pm and all proceeds go to Santa's Workshop. Pumpkin walk and Haunted Creek will be October 28th. 25 cents for admission. Golf had another fantastic month financially. Tree Fitness is doing classes downstairs.

Mayor Gygi - Thanks Council for attending ULCT meetings. Wants each member to prepare a report of things learned and present at next meeting. UDOT has said they want to refinish Canyon Road but don't know when and haven't said what they will do to fix it, but is having County be in charge of snow plowing the road. County is talking with city staff regarding reimbursing city to do snow plowing. David continues to discuss with County and will bring to the Council when more info is available.

CM Rees - State of the City went out. Social media doing well. ABC4 picked up story posted today. Parks & Trails meeting this week.

Review/Action on Fire Restrictions
Fire Marshall Bailey discussed adjustments to the current fire restriction policy. With the recent rainfall there may be changes that would be appropriate with respect to policy. However, one of the largest fires in the District in the past was during the month of September. Mr. Bailey discussed the viability of adjusting the fire restrictions east of Canyon Road. Recommendation is to allow open fires west of Canyon Road but maintaining restrictions east of Canyon Road, which states open fires are only allowed with a screen cover. Fireworks restriction would stay in effect until October, and would need to be revisited at that time, but next allowed fireworks date is Chinese New Year. Unanimously approved.

Discussion on Non-Residential Rental Fees
City Council asked staff to explore the possibility of adopting a non-resident fee for rental business licenses. Non-resident rental units make up about 90% of the rental units in the City. Beginning next week, letters will be sent out to all property owners informing them of the code, and what they will need to do in order to obtain a business license. With regard to a non-resident business license fee, we asked Eric Johnson (city attorney) for input. His response indicated that the cost of a business license must be reasonably related to the cost of providing the service. As staff would not be performing any additional service for a non-resident rental unit when compared to a rental unit, staff feels that it would be best practice to have a single license fee for all applicants.

Discussion on City Code Regarding Rental Units
Staff has been asked to clarify City Code regarding the definition of a family. From our current Code 10-2-1: Family: One of the following groups of individuals, but not more than one at the same time: a) an individual living alone; or b) two (2) or more people all of whom are related to one designated occupant of the dwelling by blood, marriage, adoption, or legal guardianship and their foster children and up to two (2) other unrelated persons who do not pay rent or give other consideration for the privilege of staying with the family; or c) up to four (4) unrelated individuals who live together as a single housekeeping unit; or d) two (2) unrelated individuals and any children of either of them living as a single housekeeping unit. A "guest" under this section is defined as a person who stays with a family or a period of less than thirty (30) days within any rolling one year period and does not utilize the dwelling as a legal address for any purpose. For purposes of the definition of family, the term "related" shall mean a spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, great-grandparent, and great-grandchild. The term "related" does not include other, more distant relationships such as cousins.

There are inconsistencies and certain situations could arise that could be problematic legally and as a matter of enforcement; such as our definition of what constitutes being related. Staff would like to receive input from the City Council to help update the code in order to make compliance understandable for residents/property owners, and enforcement consistent for the Zoning Department. Staff would like to change it so that "related" means related to the head of household and that person must be owner of the house. Also suggest no more than one accessory apartment per house, outside entrance is required for accessory apartment and should be in the rear of the building, and cannot share common areas.

CM Zappala would like us to address to real issues, which seem to be noise and parking. How do we enforce these items, because most people don't care how many people are living in a house if they are taking care of the yard and obeying parking and noise ordinances. If we create code it needs to be enforceable. CM Jackman feels we shouldn't create code on the few outliers if it's going to make things more difficult for the majority of our residents.

Discussion on Policy for Public Use of Conference Rooms, During and After Business Hours
With the completion of the Recreation Center basement and conference room addition, a policy for the use of these facilities in addition to the conference rooms at the city building should be discussed. It is currently the practice to allow community groups such as HOAs and civic groups access to public facilities at no charge. At times, these groups wish to meet after business hours, which require staff to return to work to lock the building, clean up, set the alarm, etc. The current/proposed fees for commercial use of the recreation center are as follows:

Vista Room -Weekend $1,600
Vista Room – Weekday $1,400
Recreation Center Basement $30/hour one side, $50/hour both sides
Recreation Center Conference Room $30/hour

I feel that we should charge for groups that want to meet after hours as we will need to pay for a staff member to be onsite and close up. Others feel that we should leave it open for residents to use at any time and we subsidize the cost of usage after hours by finding areas in the budget to cut. We need to come up with city-wide policies with usage of city buildings. Item will be discussed later after Charl determines if there is money in the budget for this subsidy.

Review/Action on Proposed Parks & Trails Code
City Council asked staff to research the provision in the proposed code regarding the prohibition of the use of offensive language in municipal parks. After consulting with Eric Johnson, we feel that any prohibition on the use of any language would be in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Multiple documented legal cases have shown that offensive language is a protected speech under the First Amendment. Staff would like additional input regarding the use/consumption of alcohol in City parks. Staff would like to know if the definition of alcohol needs to be included in the Code. It was determined no, it did not need to be defined. Ordinance was unanimously approved taking out language portion and not defining alcohol (it is already defined by the State).

Discussion on Parks Curfew
The following is the proposed addition to the Parks and Trails code:
6-8-6: PARK CURFEW: A. All parks shall be closed between the hours of ten o’clock (10:00) P.M. and five o’clock (5:00) A.M. It shall be unlawful for any person other than city employees performing their duties to be to loiter in the park when it is closed. Current park rules state that the park curfew is 10:30 P.M., however, City Code states: 5-2-2: It is unlawful for any person to cause noise that constitutes a public disturbance.  d. Sports or other entertainment activities in or adjacent to a residential zone between the hours of ten o’clock (10:00) P.M. and seven o’clock (7:00) A.M. Staff would like direction on how the Council wishes to regulate the use of parks, it has come to our attention that 9:00 has been proposed as an appropriate park curfew, while current park rules state 10:30, and the code states 10:00. Staff would like the various times to be consistent for enforcement purposes.

Discussion is that we have a park curfew but a noise ordinance for concerts and/or movie that is earlier during the school year. If someone wanted to have an event outside of normal hours  (such as family festival) then a special use permit would be required. Discussion will continue at a later date.

Council Meeting - August 27, 2013

I'm at a conference this week and posting during my break so please forgive any formatting or spelling mistakes.


Council Meeting August 27th

Work Session
Discussion on branding. Going through the survey results, focus will be on bringing more recognition to our city to those who do not know who Cedar Hills, to attract and retain residents, build our commercial area, and increase revenue through recreation and events. This will include updating the website with a one page infographic, which will serve as our landing page for those interested in getting detailed information about the city all in one location, meeting with employers in northern Utah County, meeting and maintaining relationships with potential commercial businesses, showing through video and pictures who and what Cedar Hills is.  Also, the survey shows that over 60% of residents stated their preferred choice for city communication is via email so we need to work to collect email addresses and providing pertinent and timely information via email.

Corey Jackson spoke. Wants to know why city is trying to increase traffic to city. Also thinks city should find out why residents don't give email addresses. He doesn't trust government with his info. Wants to know how many items in the budget could be removed that isn't needed. Would like a venue where students could learn skills through city, like graphic design.  Wants to know how are we finding out from residents what they are interested in?

Council Meeting

Public Comment
Judy Arnold - Opened a corner little house library in her yard. Library has been very busy. People are coming from Alpine and Highland as well. Residents are asking for additional little free libraries. Would be delightful if residents could share their books with others. Great location would be  parks. This would be a great Eagle Scout project. Only cost is one time fee of $35 per box to charter with the little school library. No deadlines and no maintenance. Citizens have been very generous with their donations. Would like the city to do some advertising as so many residents don't know about this even though it was in the newsletter.

City Reports
David Bunker - Reminder that ULCT annual conference is next month. Geneva Rock staged some material on St. Andrews property. Geneva treats the city well and gives us great pricing. With the staging they were willing to grade St. Andrews and spread fill for  us at no cost. They were there for about four days and are now gone. They cleaned up everything. Wants to know if Council wants to push meeting Sept 3rd meeting as it's next week. Council agreed to cancel next meeting.

CM Jackman - LPPSD had board meeting. Discussed matrix study on sharing services amongst five cities.

CM Augustus - Planning Commission meeting last Thursday. Blu Line (developer) presented on ideas for commercial area. If Council has any ideas then please send to Trent so he can discuss with Planning Commission. Discussed making outer buildings four stories instead of five stories so no issue with setbacks. Right now building is proposed to be 62 feet, but that exceeds maximum guidelines that city has for occupied space. They will continue to work with Planning Commission on this. Developer wants utilities in the ground in December so they can start working in spring. Growth would be a phased approach, but would have certain requirements to complete at certain times so it doesn't sit empty. Will have several public hearings on this to get resident feedback. They have an existing similar development in Farmington, so have relationships with the commercial businesses that developed there. Discussed how Council gets feedback from the Planning Commission. Commission members are concerned that Council doesn't appreciate their feedback. We may have Planning Commission present to Council what their recommendation is and why at future meetings.

CM Martinez - Soccer has started. YCC presenting at next meeting. Doing fundraising car wash soon.

CM Rees - Press release issued for Tree Fitness. State of the City almost complete and being mailed out on September 13th.

Review/Action on Canvass of Election
Verify tally sheet amounts coincide with votes cast. All were correct. Additional votes calculated. Final numbers showed the four candidates who go on to the general election are Zappala, Martinez, Crawley, and Bradley. Canvass results were unanimously approved.

Discussion on Social Media
Continued until a future meeting when city attorney can attend.

Review/Action on Municipal Wastewater Plan
The Utah State Dept of Environmental Quality requires the city to prepare and pass a Municipal Wastewater Planning Program report showing that we have taken steps to maintain effluent requirements. Public Works director Jeff Maag presented on the prepared report. This was unanimously approved.

Discussion on Snow Plow for Canyon Road
UDOT is keeping jurisdiction of North County Blvd and Canyon Road. County says they don't have resources to take care of the roads and they want cities to snowplow Canyon Road. Wants Cedar Hills to handle Canyon to Canyon Heights, PG would take rest to State Street. Would cost the city about $10,000 to $15,000 per year to handle this. PG recommended that the city pay for half and the County pay for half instead of the County paying for all. In addition to the cost, there is the liability involved. CM Jackman feels liability includes bad roads and we have PG residents who live on our portion of Canyon Road. Feels liability is high, though he knows we'd do a much better job of keeping that road clear than the County would. I expressed frustration as we've been unable to get the County or UDOT to make needed repairs to the road but now they want us to pay for plowing roads that they own but won't maintain. Jeff Maag is also concerned it will require additional man hours and we only have one 10 wheeler, which is what would be needed to accommodate this. This was a discussion item only but Council and staff do not feel the city should take this on.

Review/Action on Contract for Impact Fee Analysis
The city requested proposals from companies on doing an impact fee analysis. It is time  that we had this done and it is in 2014 budget. Staff recommends Bowen, Collins, and Assoc., who would team up with Zions Bank to do the financial analysis. Would start in September and should be completed by end of the year. Unanimously approved.

Discussion on Golf Course Driving Range Fencing
A resident reached out to the Council stating that he has an issue with golf balls from the driving range hitting his house or ending up in his yard. He asked that the city make the fence higher or do something to prevent this from happening. Four options were presented. 1-Extend the driving range fencing, 2- Reposition tee boxes, 3- Install fence at resident property, 4- Plant trees at resident property. Options 1 and 2 would be quite expensive.

This isn't a unique incident. There are many homes right next to the golf course and there are some risks. Concern expressed is that this sets a precedent for every home near the golf course. We are going to have to replace nets and poles within next year or so anyway so this is a good discussion to have in next budget season. Council feels we should do nothing at this point and discuss again at budget time.

Discussion on Utah Valley Dispatch Contract
UV Dispatch has proposed new contract to LPPSD. Board members were concerned when we were looking at potentially utilizing a different dispatch. Term and termination would be for five year period and auto renew for five years, if we wanted to get out prior to five years we would have to pay a fee to leave. Right now both AFPD and LPPSD use UV Dispatch. Only LPPSD is being asked to sign, they haven't asked other cities to sign. CM Jackman expressed concern over five year lock down, should be one year so it corresponds with the budget year and we should have the option to give a years notice and change if we want. I expressed concern that AFPD could switch dispatch centers and if we locked down with Utah Valley then we could pay for two dispatch services. Council agrees that nobody is comfortable with five year lockdown or us being the only one being asked to sign.

Discussion on North Pointe Solid Waste Contract
North Pointe wants to lock us in for an 8 year period for two consecutive auto renewal terms of eight years. Buyout would be around $100,000. Orem is biggest proponent, but smaller cities are not in favor as buyout is so high it would be impossible. David is talking to other cities who don't use North Pointe to determine costs of other providers.

Discussion on Name Change for Clubhouse Drive
This has been discussed at several Council meetings. Sammy's and Tree Fitness are opposed and so is staff. No compelling reason to change. Item is tabled.

Review/Action on Branding
See notes from work session. CM Augustus recommended we bid out creative work to other individuals, not just companies. Tagline will be Trailhead to Adventure. Item tabled. Will come back as future discussion.

Discussion on Water Outlook
City is using too much water. Historically, when we've tried to ration PI usage has gone up as people panic. Also, PI meters break easily because it is dirty water and includes pepples. City is going to have to also reduce usage and monitor and fix issues with during watering rain storms and over watering. Residents have been asked to voluntarily reduce PI water usage to no more than three times per week. Watering restrictions may be placed next year.

City Council Meeting - August 6, 2013

The good news is school is starting soon so I'll be able to update my blog more timely. The bad news is that my two-year-old deleted all of my pages files from my iPad so I do not have my notes from the July 16th Council meeting. The official City minutes from that meeting should be available within the next few weeks. Sorry about that.

Here are my notes from the August 6th meeting.

Work Session

Public Works Report - Baseball diamond off of Cedar Hills Drive was setup to be a retention basin for storm runoff. It can take a long time for the water to be absorbed into the ground. We’ve added additional drainage but when we have repeated storms then it can build up. We have started to pump some of that water out when it becomes a problem. As for projects, Public Works has been focused on the CoRec basement. It should be completed this week. Tile and brick are slightly different from original building. Street project working on Bayhill Drive to Ironwood is almost ready to go out to bid. Mesquite Park restroom is being modified to stay within budget as we didn't receive a grant we had applied for. Started on Avanyu projects after HOA has listed their priority concerns. Had an employee quit to work for Lehi Police Dept so they will be hiring a new employee. Seasonal employee contracts are almost up for the year. Repaired a bridge at Heritage Park. Working to eradicate poison ivy found in the area of Heritage Park. OSHA recently did an audit of the City and we had some items that needed to be addressed. Public Works is working on these items. These were related to training and documentation we needed on file, no safety violations. Now that school is almost starting they will be working on painting crosswalk stripes and getting flashing lights working. State Division of Environmental Quality is requiring each city to have a sanitary sewer management plan so Public Works is working on this. Created new program to monitor night time PI pressures (not just day time pressures) and issues we had a month ago have been resolved.

Planning & Zoning Report - New zoning official started and is doing well. Working on implementing new rental code that goes into effect January 1st. Working on notifying rental owners. Early voting is occurring. 140 absentee ballots turned in and 16 early voters. Tomorrow night is the Meet the Candidates in the Vista Room. Crossing guard training starts soon. No Planning Commission Meeting last month as there were no agenda items. Working with developers who have stated they are coming to an agreement on the Smart property. Working on moderate income housing plan and updated parks and trails plan. Garbett Homes has started construction in Bridgestone. 

Council Meeting

Public Comment

Nobody signed up for public comment.

Consent Agenda

Minutes from June 18, 2013 and July 2, 2013 Council meeting. Approved 4-1 with CM Augustus voting nay.

City Reports

David Bunker - ULCT annual conference in September. Front doors have been changed on CoRec and basement will be complete this week. Upstairs conference room and offices will be complete in about a month and elevator will go in after that. Have had a lot of interest by various groups in using the basement.

CM Augustus - North Pointe's next meeting is in September and will be discussing whether or not they will require a buy in or a fee if a city wants to leave. Planning Commission meeting later this month and will be talking about commercial zone. Will also discuss how feedback from the Planning Commission goes to the Council. Is upset that he feels he was treated poorly at the last Council meeting and wants everyone to be treated with respect. Mayor Gygi agreed and said that should also include email exchanges.

CM Martinez - YCC had annual retreat and new positions were given and year of activities have been planned. Lacrosse just finished season. Lego League teams are finalized and equipment has arrived. Coaches meeting is coming up. Soccer league schedules are finalized and each player has received a uniform. Tot soccer registration closes this week and flag football registration ends next week. Several events have been booked in the Vista Room and December is already filling up. Golf had another great month with revenue. Parks and Trails committee met and are working on parks and trails master plan.

Mayor Gygi - Spoke with Karen Smart and they are anticipating they will be under contract soon with developer.

CM Jackman - Meeting this week with LPPSD board. It is too late to have the special service district on the ballot this year.

CM Rees - State of the City has been sent to graphic designer and will be sent to residents in September. One press release sent regarding the new budget application. Working on branding goals and outline of projects.

Review/Action on Renaming Bridgestone Plat D

There was an amended Plat D and Utah County let us know there cannot be an amended plat. The three plex, which is the amended plat, is now being called Plat H in order to be in compliance with County. There are no changes to the plat. Approved unanimously.

Review/Action on Interlocal Agreement

Three cities joined together to purchase debris basin, Cedar Hills, Highland, and American Fork as all three had assets nearby that needed to be protected. The basin must be maintained to be a basin for debris and flood control. This agreement determines how the basin will be maintained by each city. Public Works Directors from each city sit on board. This includes clearing out basin, fixing erosion, fixing gates, etc. Cities want to set up annual expense account to pay for these items. All costs are split evenly between cities. The agreement defines the specific provisions for operations and maintenance of the flood control basin. American Fork has already approved and Highland is also discussing tonight. Fund would include $5000 from each city to pay for maintenance expenses. If expenses went over $15,000 then each city would be equally responsible to pay for excess. Approved unanimously.

Review/Action on Changing Date of Next Council Meeting

The next City Council meeting needed to be changed from August 20^th to August 27^th in order to be in compliance with 2013 amendments to the election code, which says that a military overseas ballot is valid if it is received up through 13 days after an election. If there are any outstanding ballots then we cannot canvass the votes until 14 days after the primary election. Changing the date allows up to be compliant and canvass will occur at that time. Unanimously approved.

Review/Action on Appointment of Planning Commission Members

Tonya Edvalson resigned from the Planning Commission so we have an opening. The City received an application from Jeffrey Dodge. CM Jackman has no issue with Mr. Dodge but is concerned that we have so many alternates. Chairman Dodge stated he feels it is necessary as attendance is low at times and alternates are needed for votes. CM Augustus was upset that he just found out a few days ago of this application as he is the Council representative on the Planning Commission. New appointment approved unanimously.

Discussion on Name Change for Clubhouse Drive

Discussed in April but no action was taken. CM Augustus offered to head up this project. The financial commitment is approximately $2000 for new letterhead, business cards, etc. Some events for December have already been booked and have already been advertised. County would need to record new name but staff doesn’t think they would charge us. Staff at golf course would like the name to stay the same. We have not yet talked to Sammy's or Tree Fitness about their views on this. CM Jackman feels it should wait for next budget year as we already cut so much out of the budget and we'd need to find money for this. I don't feel we should move forward as I've heard from a few residents who are adamantly opposed to this, staff is opposed to it, and there isn't a benefit to changing it. CM Augustus and Martinez would like to change it to better reflect the use of the building. I requested that we reach out to Sammy’s and Tree Fitness and see how this affects them as all of their print materials have Clubhouse Drive as their address. This item has been tabled.

Discussion on Branding

Radi8 completed their portion of the branding portion. Currenty logo was well liked and will be kept. No specific tagline has been selected. I provided a list of branding goals and discussed the branding standards guide that was provided by Radi8. YCC will be helping gather email addresses and cell phone numbers from residents for greater communication. The purpose of the branding project is to 1) attract and retain residents; 2) attract visitors for recreation and events; 3) change any negative perceptions, and 4) help with commercial development. All of the ideas I generated are available on page 11 of the Council packet, which can be found online at http://www.cedarhills.org/sites/default/files/agendas/city-council-agenda-2013-08-06.pdf The next City Council Work Session will be devoted to a discussion of these branding ideas.

Council Meeting - June 18, 2013

Work Session

Presentation from Chief Freeman from Lone Peak Public Safety District (LPPSD). Gave brief history of how Cedar Hills joined LPPSD. Cedar Hills joined LPPSD in 2000 as city wasn't pleased with services received from Pleasant Grove. Cedar Hills is a partial owner of the district. LPPSD was first agency in North Utah County to combine EMS and fire services and to go to a paramedic service. Now has new transport engine that combines fire and paramedic truck into one. Has ordered an mobile emergency command center. Has created a flex squad program where if they are short staffed they will have a roaming until that unit is needed at any station. There will never be fewer than eight firefighters on duty ready to respond. Working on fire cadet 6th grade academy to work on educating kids on drug abuse and suicide concerns. Went through log for last year. 283 days had three staff members in Cedar Hills facility and only 46 days of two firefighters, 36 days had four firefighters. If we have three people call in sick on any given day then one of the fire stations would have to be closed down. Adopted budget for 2014 is $626,328, which is a 2.4% increase from last year. If we increased staff to four at all times then budget would increase to about $670,000. Eight firefighters from LPPSD live in Cedar Hills.

Council Meeting

Public Comment

Nobody signed up.

Public Hearings

Nobody signed up for public hearings.

Consent Agenda

City Council meeting minutes for May 7, 2013, May 21, 2013, and June 4, 2013 unanimously approved.

City Reports

David Bunker - Construction for CoRec is underway. Foundation has been poured and framing should start next week. Rest of basement has been framed. 3-4 weeks and the project should be complete. County and State working on who should update and maintain Canyon Road. They would like cities to look at snow plow services for Canyon Road and come up with cost. Tomorrow night is a candidate orientation for anyone running for office.

CM Zappala - Working on budgeting app for the city. Has a functional site that is almost ready to publish. Will next be working on ability for city staff to add notes to answer questions on budget issues.

CM Rees – Parks, Trails, Beautification and Recreation committee met last week. July 13th will be community breakfast.

CM Martinez - worked with Greg on Recreation portion of the State of the City. Did YCC interviews for next year. Nineteen applications were sent in. Family Festival committee had wrap up meeting. Success was amazing. Greg has finalized numbers and with all sponsors and other revenue we spent about $20,000 less than budgeted. Committee has recommended that we change date to July.

CM Augustus - Upcoming meetings for Planning Commission and North Point. Looking for slips of paper where ideas were written down for Clubhouse Drive name change.

CM Jackman - Finance committee met to finish budget.

Review/Action on Preliminary Plans for Bridgestone Plat D

Garbett Homes submitted plans to the Planning Commission. Plat D is a three-plex instead of four-plex unit. This change was due to a sewer lateral just west of the building site that cannot be disturbed. Rich from Garbett came to answer questions. Everything else is the same as was previously approved by the Council. Unanimously approved.

Review/Action on Final Plans for Bridgestone Plat F&G

Planning Commission made recommendations to change three items:

• wanted fence along Harvey Drive (staff feels this would hide the changed made to the building to improve look and is opposed);
• wanted to add sidewalk along 4380 West (Staff is opposed to this sidewalk should terminate at crosswalk as we have issues with cars queing up to drop kids off and pickup from Deerfield. There is a sidewalk on the other side of the street on this same road, which serves as the Kindergarten pickup area. Staff is concerned this is a safety issue. This is also private land so cannot build a public sidewalk);
• Wanted to increase setback between two buildings. This was OK with staff and shown on new drawings.

Motioned passed 4-1 with CM Zappala voting nay.

Review/Action on FY2013 Budget Amendments

• Line item 10-40-305: Legal expenses exceeded the budgeted amount by $75,000. Money needed will be pulled from line item 10-31-100 (property taxes of $11,000 that exceeded planned collection rate), line item 10-31-300 (sales tax revenue higher than anticipated), and line item 10-35-100 (Family Festival expenses less than anticipated).

• Line items 10-44-110 (salary and wages), 10-44-150 (employee benefits), and 10-60-150 (employee benefits) were over budget as severance costs and unemployment costs were higher than anticipated. The money needed will be pulled from line items 10-60-110 (salary and wages), 10-60-120 (part time salary and wages), 10-40-510 (insurance prepaid in prior fiscal year), and 10-60-215 (reduction in contract labor as there were less building permits issued than anticipated).

• Line item 10-65-120: Salaries and wages of events staff is being moved to general fund so that golf course items are separate and can be more transparent and line item 10-65-401 for $12,000 is for recreation equipment. Money will come from recreation programs line item 10-65-400.

• Line item 10-69-910: CARE tax revenue will be transferred to the Capital Projects Fund to pay for portion of basement construction.

• Line item 10-69-910, there will be a transfer from the General Fund to the Capital projects fund if our unrestricted fund balance exceeds 18%. This is required by law. The anticipated transfer amount is $300,000.

• Line item 75-80-250: Increase in golf cart rent of $24,800 as we replaced the lease with rented carts. Money will come from line item 75-80-300 (cart lease interest) and line item 75-80-900 (difference between undepreciated asset and liability for golf carts traded in).

• Line item 10-69-913: Additional golf subsidy of $150,000. This will come from the general fund.

• Line item 40-96-115: Transfer of $2,069,385 from the Capital Projects Fund to the Community Recreation Fund to zero out the internal loan. This wasn’t an actual transfer of money as the loaned amount was already being paid from this fund. A more detailed explanation will be provided in the State of the City newsletter.

Review/Action on FY2014 Property Tax Rate

Because property values have increased, Utah County has recommended the tax rate reduce from .003183 to 002873.  With this new tax rate most residents will pay the same amount this year as last year. This item was unanimously approved.

Review/Action on Public Safety Contracts

The City received bids on four different scenarios. Option 1: Status quo with AFPD as police, LPPSD and fire, and Utah Valley Dispatch. Budget would be $993,100. Option #2: Lone Peak fire and police with their dispatch. Budget would be $1.085 million. Option #3: Pleasant Grove police, fire, and dispatch. Budget would be $1,125,682. Option #4: Our current setup but with an additional firefighter paid for by Cedar Hills and community policing efforts. Budget would be $1.085 million. CM Jackman explained that there is no concern with quality of service. Board meetings show that the board is not in agreement on public safety issues. Dispatch is also an issue now that LPPSD is leaving Utah Valley Dispatch but AFPD is staying with them. One of the benefits of Option #3 is that is solves the border issue with Pleasant Grove with regards to dispatch calls. Concern is that Highland always gets better quality of service. He has concern that us adding our own firefighters will just break down the board. If we did add a fourth firefighter to our building the funds could come from increase in property tax due to growth and increase in sales tax revenue. We left revenue numbers the same from the FY2013 budget yet we know revenue is coming in higher than original estimate. Additionally, there has been discussion to move Family Festival to July, which would mean for FY2014 there would be no expense for Family Festival. Franchise fees are also increasing. From an expense side we could reduce sidewalks by $2500, parks by $2500, and legal expenses by $5000. If we have three firefighters in the building (current situation) and have roaming unit then response time is 60 to 90 seconds longer than always having four firefighters on site.

Some board members do not view this is a district but are focused on just the needs of their individual city. LPPSD is trying to become a taxing entity so that budget goes directly from line item in property tax and not through each city. Current average response times are less than four minutes. After discussing each option and the pros and cons the Council unanimously approved Option #1.

Review/Action on Adopting FY2014 Budget

After meeting with the finance committee, Mayor Gygi had staff go back and change revenue numbers to be more consistent with actuals for the past several years. We also increased the expected subsidy to the golf course. The LPPSD fees are accurate based on their recently passed budget. YCC has a new line item so that we can better track donations made to the YCC program. The FY2014 budget passed 4-1 with CM Augustus voting nay.

Review/Action on YCC Fundraising

In order to be compliant with governmental accounting yet have the ability to properly track and utilize YCC contributions, a new line item has been created to track these revenues and expenses. This allows YCC to keep fundraising money for Santa's Workshop program. This item was unanimously approved.

Review/Action on Business Licensing for Residential Rentals

Staff recommended a business license fee be required for all non-owner rentals in the City. Currently we have 225 rental properties, many of them owned by corporations. Problem we are having is that homes are not being maintained per zoning ordinances. We have a hard time finding some of these owners to fix these issues. We would notify landlords through notices and newsletter over a period of months letting them know of the new fee. Would be enforced January 1^st and license would be valid for calendar year. CM Zappala recommended we look to see if we can charge non-residents a higher business license fee since these are the main owners causing us issues. Chandler will discuss with Eric Johnson. Add to Application of License section that we add wording “and other items required by the City” so we don’t have to change ordinance if we make changes. This will also help us more quickly address zoning issues since we’ll know who owners are. Approved 4-1 with CM Jackman voting no.

Review/Action onResolution Regarding Restricting Open Fires & Fireworks

Because of dry weather conditions, LPPSD recommended that the city prohibit aerial fireworks and open fires on the east side of Canyon Road. This was unanimously approved.

Discussion on Roles of Council Serving on Boards (Added Item by CM Augustus)

Councilmember Augustus had concerns on how members of the Council were voting on boards they are assigned to. Are they supposed to vote based upon their own thoughts or the desires of the Council. This is a complex issue because many times members don't know what items are going to be discussed on these boards. We determined that each member should always vote based upon what they feel is in the best interests of the City and we have to trust that is happening as these issues can’t come back to the Council each time.

Council Meeting - June 4, 2013

Council Meeting

Public Comment

Melissa Willie - Issue with soccer games at Mesquite park. Cars are being parked on both sides of the street at corner of Mesquite and Cottonwood. Wants to know if there is protocol before we paint red on one side. It gets crowded and very dangerous. Has seen that there is ample parking in the parking lot during these times.

City Reports

David Bunker - Sent an email to the Council regarding the purchase of some used fitness equipment - spin bikes and audio system. Recommends we purchase these in this fiscal year. Money that has been sent aside for Mesquite restrooms could be used for this as this restroom won't be built until FY 2014. Had a request from a resident who lives on Timp Cove to purchase some property next his home. Will get us more info. Insurance company is giving a one-time equity distribution to its members. Have to be a member at time of distribution, which will be in October. Could be up to $10,000. Working with Sam Schultz to do a summer concert series. Would be held the second Saturday of each month July - September. Need sound equipment in order to do this. Would be about $325 per event to rent equipment. Recommends we budget for this in FY 2014 budget.

CM Rees - One press release issued, one city statement, working on another press release. Working on State of the City and need to have to graphic designer by August 9th. Will send all articles to Council by July 19th and need feedback by the 26th. Please share City Facebook statuses as it greatly increases the number of views.

CM Zappala - Continuing to work on budget app for the City.

CM Martinez - Family Festival started this week. About 300 people showed up to swim night. Today we had 27 teams for golf tournament. Thursday at 8pm is the Fun Run at Cedar Ridge Elementary, this is a free event. Tot soccer ended last week. Tball and lacrosse have started. Currently taking sign-ups for K-2 soccer league. Basement addition at CoRec has started.

CM Augustus - Had Planning Commission meeting and some info was discussed regarding Bridgestone and will come before Council. Working on info to rename Clubhouse Drive.

Discussion on FY 2014 Budget 

• Staff recommends we charge a business license fee of $65 for a non-owner rental of houses. We are finding that corporations are purchasing properties to rent. We do have paperwork associated with this and there are some zoning issues so these fees will cover these increased expenses. This is common in other cities. Line item 10-32-190 shows this increase in revenue. Will come before the Council at next meeting. 

• Parks, Trails, Beautification and Recreation committee items of $3000 added to line 10-64-240.

• LPPSD fees were reduced for FY 2014. 

• Administrative departments went up slightly as one full-time employee was added to the benefits plan. 

• Line 10-40-350 includes funds for community events such as the Christmas event held last year. 

• Line item 40-30-700 shows grant revenue but we won’t know until July if we receive that grant. 

City Council Meeting - May 21, 2013

Work Session

The Pleasant Grove royalty and Rodeo royalty presented. Invited the Council and residents to Strawberry Days. They will have a parade, concert in the park, strawberries and cream, carnival, Huck Finn Days, baby contest, princess party, and more. Rodeo is June 19-22.

Council Meeting

Public Comment

Larisa Powell - Loves the Family Festival and thinks it's a good opportunity for residents to come together. Her children sell popsicles at parks and at festival. She is being told now she has to pay $50 to get a booth in order to sell popsicles at the festival. She feels that bringing in outside vendors makes it more commercialized and less family friendly. Kids aren't allowed to participate because they don't have ability to pay vendor fee. They've been doing this long before festival started. Wants city to bring it back to more of a family outing and give kids opportunity to sell items and participate.

Dave Latham - Running in walkway under Canyon Road and neither tunnel is lit. Feels this is unsafe. Feels that lights should be added.

Consent Agenda

Minutes for the April 23, 2013 Council meeting were approved.

City Reports

CM Rees - Working on State of the City and need feedback from Council on any items they want included.

CM Augustus – Planning Commission meeting this week. Working on renaming of Clubhouse Drive.

CM Martinez – Parks, Trails, Beautification and Recreation committee is meeting this week. Yard of the Month starts in June. YCC applications are due this week. Tball begins June 4th. Lacrosse starts June 13th. Soccer registrations are happening now. Family Festival committee doing a fantastic job. 19 kids are signed up for Lego League. We have 100 volunteers signed up for Family Festival. Community has really embraced call for volunteerism.

CM Jackman - LPPSD board met and approved budget, which should have lower cost than we originally planned on.

CM Zappala – Utah Valley Dispatch board met and approved budget. Looking at building a new dispatch facility.

David Bunker - TSSD not yet able to bring east side processing online. Continuing to work on this.

Review/Action on Ordinance Adjusting Earl Property into Pleasant Grove

In April the Council adopted a resolution the Earl property to be boundary adjusted into Pleasant Grove. Public hearings were held in both cities and there were no protests filed. This ordinance was unanimously approved.

Discussion on Commercial Zone

Blu Line Designs approached city regarding commercial zone by Walmart. Presented plans to Planning Commission, which was really receptive to it. Has worked on large projects in other areas, such as Draper, Herriman, and South Jordan. Has one of the largest residential communities under development right now in Daybreak. They are interested in the Smart property and city property. Want to build a multi-use facility where bottom floor is retail and upper floors are housing for 55 and older community. Would like to put a movie theater on city property. Wants to create a family-friendly retail community. Center would have splash park and gathering area for community. Would need buffer behind movie theater so as not to affect those residential homes. Would also meet with those homeowners to talk about ideas for buffer and landscaping. Similar to Gateway Center in Salt Lake City. There are about 300 residential units. Would like to start this fall. Start with multi-use building, which would attract businesses to also build in the same area. Would be a phased approach.

Discussion on FY 2014 Budget

• Public Works projects for 2014: Street maintenance - estimated costs are above what is budgeted but we won’t know actuals until bids are received. Sugarloaf, Ironwood, 3900 West are big projects. Resurfacing Bayhill and parts of Cottonwood, Ferguson, Harvey, Cedar Run, 4000 West - these portions are smaller projects. 

• There is $30,000 budgeted for a restroom at Mesquite Park, but this is contingent on receiving grant money to pay for a portion. If the grant is not received then the amount will do down and the restroom facility will need to be redesigned to be smaller. 

• Funds were not allocated to the Parks and Trails committee, but members of the Council asked for $3000 to be added into the budget so this committee can complete some of their requested projects. 

• Added in $10,000 for a Decisions Survey to be performed this fiscal year as it was skipped in 2013. 

• Planning Commission funds cut as some committee members have chosen not to be compensated for serving. 

• Training funds were cut from every staff department. 

• Library reimbursement was cut by $3,800. 

• Golf course maintenance was cut by $20,000 as most of the sand traps that needed repairs were completed in two years instead of three.

• Legal expenses were cut $35,000 in anticipation of less litigation this year.

If additional items need to be cut from the budget then staff suggested the cuts come from the following areas: the State of the City newsletter, Mayor & Council training, library reimbursements, and the Family Festival.

Review/Action on Polling Place for 2013 Elections

The recommendation was made to the Council to have all polling places in one location and at the Community Recreation Center. This change saves about $450 per election and would allow the City Recorder to be at the voting site during the election. If we were to change we would use all communication options to get the word out about new polling places. YCC would be at elementary schools giving out maps and directing to people to the Community Recreation Center. Also encourage early voting. There were some concerns about this change. 1) Is there enough parking at the CoRec to handle this? 2) With having one big room how are we going to accommodate 5 different lines that may get very long? 3) If the County still requires us to use the schools for non-municipal elections then this is going to cause confusion and frustration to residents when the voting location is different every other year. The vote was 3-2 with Rees, Jackman and Zappala voting nay and Augustus and Martinez voting yea. A new motion was made to keep polling locations at the schools. This passed 3-2 with Augustus and Martinez voting nay.

Review/Action on Contract for Fitness Coordinator

Increase in pay from $15 per class to $20 per class. Rest of contract will remain the same. Unanimously approved.

Discussion on Family Festival

Jerianne Conroy doing a great job as chair of the volunteer committee. In good shape for volunteers. Training meeting scheduled for next Tuesday for volunteers. Macey's and Sammy's will donate treats. Melissa Willie, Michael Stuy, and Angela Johnson have done a great job assigning volunteers. Michael has also lined up photographers for each event. Magazine went out this week.

Discussion on Conditional Use Permit Process

The current city code requires that conditional use permits go before the Planning Commission, including items such as business licensing. Staff created a list of suggestions on what should go before the Planning Commission and what should be handled solely by staff, such as business licensing and zoning issues. Staff will work to get input from Planning Commission as well.

Review/Action on Ordinance Regarding Alcoholic Beverages in Public Parks

Mayor Gygi feels there is a sharp distinction between a private party event and allowing alcohol in public parks. Feels Cedar Hills should create a policy that prohibits alcoholic consumption in parks. CM Zappala looked at ordinances for other cities and all prohibit alcohol in public parks. This item is being sent to the Parks, Trails, Beautification, and Recreation Committee for review and to create a suggested ordinance.