Work Session
Discussion
on Special Service Agreements
Cedar
Hills is a member of North Pointe Solid Waste, Timpanogos special service
district, Utah Valley Dispatch, and North Utah County Animal Shelter. We are a
member of Lone Peak Public Safety. There are other associations or interlocal
agreements that require fees, such as the Utah League of Cities and Towns.
Special service districts can levy taxes, issue bonds, as well as many other
things. They are all governed by State statute. Each can have an administrative
board and we have either Council Members or staff who serve on these boards.
Special service districts can apply new rules but has to be approved by the
County. All regulations are found in State Code Title 17B.
Council Meeting
Public
Comment
Nobody
signed up.
Review/Action
on Resolution Recognizing Valerie Scott
As
part of the Cedar Hills Champions Program, the city would like to recognize
Valerie Scott. Valerie Scott was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in 2012.
She was determined to outlive her prognosis and has exceeded her initial
prognosis by six months. Valerie’s goal has been to bring more awareness to
lung cancer unrelated to smoking and she has reached out to many businesses and
schools asking for help to raise awareness. Valerie is encouraging insurance
companies to pay for early screenings as early detection can significantly
improve outcomes. A press release was issued and is available on the city
website. This was unanimously approved.
Update
on Siemens Presentation
This
is a follow up to the first presentation made by Siemens. Mark Cram has taken
the past two years of utility bills and calculated the costs associated with
street lighting and secondary water pumping and wells. As a City we currently
consume far too much water than we should; as we look to find ways to curb
usage, Siemens would like to present an option of secondary water metering as a
way to reduce pumping costs and secondary water usage. Currently, the City is
exploring ways to educate the public on water consumption by forming a
committee to explore the issue as it relates to Cedar Hills. As part of this
consideration, the Siemens proposal allows for the City to install the
necessary infrastructure and finance that through the savings related to lower
usage on our secondary water system.
Siemens
guarantees a reduction in energy and associated expenses as well as an overall
financial savings. Once construction is complete and the City is realizing
savings, then we would begin to pay back the lending institution used to for
construction. A bond is not required. It usually takes around 15 years for a
full payback. If the City does not recognize a savings then Siemens will pay it
back. This has only happened for Siemens 0.04% of all projects they've done.
According to State statute, the savings realized must exceed costs. (Title 11
Chapter 44). An illustration showing this:
The
potential for Cedar Hills is a PI metering system, city-wide street lighting,
and PI water to all parks. As far as street lighting, currently Cedar Hills
owns 290 of the city street lights and Rocky Mountain Power owns 152. Updated
lights would be better technology that provides better light pollution, cheaper
costs, and better warranties. The projected savings for PI water is 233,000
gallons of water. We average 309,000 gallons per connection and should only be
using 76,000 gallons per connection. This usage does not include the golf course.
Responsible PI users should not see an increase in PI water bill, but it will
encourage those who are over-utilizing to reduce consumption. There is also the
potential to save on costs of pumping PI water as we should be utilizing less,
therefore putting less stress on the pumping system. The next step if we want
to go forward is to perform an investment grade audit. The City would be responsible
for the cost of the audit only if the City decided to not move forward with a
project after the audit was complete. The City needs to determine what, if any,
of these projects we are interested in pursuing with Siemens. There will be
further discussion at a later time.
Consent
Agenda
Minutes
for the November 14, 2013 joint City Council and Planning Commission work
session and the November 19, 2013 City Council meeting were unanimously
approved.
Appointment
of Lynn Corbett to the Parks, Trails, Beautification and Recreation Committee
Lynn
Corbett has met with Boyd Wilkins, the Committee Chair, and discussed the scope
of the Beautification, Recreation, Parks and Trails Committee. Lynn Corbett is
willing to be an active member of the committee. The appointment will be made
by Mayor Gygi.
City
Reports
David
Bunker - In January we will swear in new city council members. Today is the
last meeting for this year.
CM
Zappala - North Utah County Animal Shelter met. Facilities are being run very
well. Having difficulty filling part-time spots. Looking at expanding use of
social media to help with adoptions. Looking to do more community outreach.
CM
Jackman - Finance Committee met to discussed proposed budget amendments and
will soon start discussing the next budget year.
Mayor
Gygi - On behalf of CM Martinez, YCC met today to work on Santa's Workshop. Dec
11th is the Polar Express reading at the Community Recreation Center. Family
Festival for next year is June 24th-29th. Vista Room is booked every day this
month except this Friday. City Santa Party is December 9th from 6-8pm.
CM
Rees - One press release issued for Valerie Scott Day. We issued our November
City Connections video, which focused on snow plowing, street parking in
winter, and school zone. PTRB committee has planned the Santa party where there
will be crafts, cocoa, candy canes, Santa, and photos. This is a free event for
Cedar Hills families.
CM
Augustus - Planning Commission will be meeting later this month.
Review/Action
on the 2013 Fiscal Year Audit
Review
of the annual financial report and the related audit results. Annually we
contract with independent auditors to review the basic financial statements.
The independent auditors are expected to obtain reasonable assurance that the financial
statements are free from material misstatement and are fairly presented in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The City received an
unqualified opinion, or clean opinion.
The
audit is available online at http://www.cedarhills.org/sites/default/files/2013-financial-statements.pdf.
Pages
13-22 are a great summary of everything that happened in FY2013. The government
changed code regarding the amount of unrestricted funds we can have in excess
of the total budget amount. It used to be 18% but is now 25% and we were close
to 22%. A significant change was our net position. For FY 2012 it was ($685,300)
and in FY2013 moved to positive $217,200. The audit was unanimously approved.
Review/Action
on FY 2014 Budget Amendments
The
finance team is proposing a new Golf Special Revenue Fund 20 and a new Golf
Debt Service Fund 30, which would close the Golf Enterprise fund 75 and require
the following changes: Green Fees would need to be committed to the new Golf
special revenue fund. (See GASB Statement 54, paragraph 30, “Special revenue
funds are used to account for and report the proceeds of specific revenue
sources that are restricted or committed to expenditure for specified purposes
other than debt service or capital projects. The term proceeds of specific
revenue sources establishes that one or more specific restricted or committed
revenues should be the foundation for a special revenue fund.”) The old Golf
fund would close out its balance sheet amounts, and financial
balances/transactions would be allocated to Fund 20 Golf and Fund 30 Golf Debt
Service starting July 1, 2013.
This
would change the fund so it's no longer an enterprise fund. One of the issues
with an enterprise fund is that looking at inflows and outflows can be tricky
for those of us who are not accountants as the data isn't all in one statement.
Converting it into a revenue fund would be more cash-oriented and would show
revenues of the fund and also a clearer picture of the debt service. This
becomes more transparent for residents and will give a very clear picture of
the actual cash going in and out of the golf course.
The
finance team is also proposing some budget amendments for capital maintenance
and improvements. These are as follows:
·
Moving $24,000 from line 10-36-802 (fund
balance) to line 10-62-470 (sidewalk maintenance). When a developer builds in
our city they are required to give a sort of deposit that is refunded if there
are no issues with the development that need to be repaired. In some instances,
the developer may choose to forfeit the deposit if they feel the repairs would
be more expensive than the deposit. Because of forfeitures we have $24,000 in
that fund for sidewalks. The recommendation is to transfer the entire forfeited
amount to our sidewalk maintenance fund to be used next spring.
·
Moving $12,900 from Capital Projects to
the Golf Fund. We currently have some netting on the driving range that is
damaged and needs to be repaired. This amount was the lowest bid received for
the necessary repairs.
·
Moving $40,000 from Capital Projects to
line 40-80-816 for the Mesquite Park restroom. We originally budgeted about
$25,000 for this project as we were anticipating receiving some County and
State grants. We did receive a County grant in the amount of $11,000 but did
not receive any State grants. We received three bids and the lowest was
$75,000. This $40,000 amendment will cover the additional funds needed.
·
Moving $80,000 from the Capital Projects
fund to the General Fund for Avanyu improvements. Earlier this year we settled
a lawsuit on behalf of residents who live in the Avanyu HOA and the City was
awarded $90,000 for improvements needed for that area. The city has already
expended $10,000 in repairs prior to the lawsuit being settled so that $10,000
will be reimbursed to the City. The remaining $80,000 will be used for the
identified Avanyu improvements needed.
This
was unanimously approved.
Review/Action
on North Pointe Solid Waste Interlocal Agreement
The
North Pointe Solid Waste District acting as administrator of the solid waste
special service district of Utah County has prepared the proposed Interlocal
agreement. Some key points include the following:
·
The initial term shall commence
immediately through a term to December 31, 2019.
·
Twelve 2-year terms will automatically
renew the agreement following the initial term.
·
A 13-month notice is required to withdraw
from the District.
·
Upon withdrawal, cities would forfeit
any interest and pay additional fees to dispose of waste. A fee will be
assessed to rejoin the District at a later date.
It
is also important to note that the contract REQUIRES the city commit its entire
waste stream regardless of our contracted hauler. This may limit some haulers
from giving the city a competitive bid in the future.
The
County has had a lot of input on this agreement. North Pointe would like all
cities to pass this in December and it would start in January. It would
coincide with contract with Allied Waste in transporting waste from North
Pointe. No waste stays at North Pointe, it is all transferred. This agreement
would end December 31, 2019 with automatic renewal terms. If an entity wants to
leave they would have to give 13 month notice because North Pointe is on a
different fiscal year than cities. If a city leaves, all money that is paid to
the district over the years is completely lost, in lieu of the originally
proposed fine to leave. Any contract with a hauling company (right now we use
Waste Management) would have to require that all dumping goes to North Pointe,
not any other dumping station or landfill.
I
would like to see an analysis done showing how much it would cost to utilize
either our current hauling company or a different one to do a direct haul,
bypassing North Pointe, before we agree to this contract. Alpine has left North
Pointe and gone with Ace as their hauling company and are saving approximately
$35,000 per year. This contract locks us down in many areas and it would be
good to first see if we can save money by leaving North Pointe.
North
Pointe has stated if any city is unwilling to sign the agreement then they will
go to the County to reorganize the special service district and exclude those
cities from having a seat on the board. They are also planning on some major
restructuring in the near future that may require a bond, which would raise
costs for our residents.
This
item has been tabled so staff can put together an analysis of costs or savings
by leaving North Pointe.
Review/Action
setting time and place for 2014 City Council meetings
In
accordance with UCA 10-3-502, the city is required to set by ordinance the time
and place for holding its regular City Council meetings. This item will be
tabled until the first meeting on January 7th as we may move the meetings to a
different night of the week.
Review/Action
on amending ordinance relating to portable utility sheds
Planning
Commission has reviewed the ordinance regarding sheds. Currently we have codes
regarding sheds that are considered Portable, meaning they are under 120 square
feet, they can be built in a setback and can be easily moved. Sheds over 200
square feet are considered accessory buildings as they need footings,
inspections and permits. However, our code does not address sheds from
120’-200’ SF. The proposed changes include the following:
Portable
Utility Sheds:
·
No portion of the shed’s structure is
permitted to cross the property line or to drain onto a neighboring property.
·
Where the property is located on a
corner lot, the portable utility shed
may be located within the optional enclosure area.
·
Portable sheds will be limited to 120 sq
ft floor area, maximum eave height of 10’ from the finished floor surface to
the bottom edge of the main roof eave, a roof pitch not to exceed 8/12, and
will not have a traditional type footing or foundation and will be built upon a
hard surface.
Utility
Shed:
·
No portion of the shed’s structure is permitted
to cross the property line or to drain onto a neighboring property.
·
Utility sheds may be located on the rear
or side lot area, no shed over 120 sq ft may be built in a setback area.
·
Utility sheds will be limited to 200 sq
ft floor area, maximum eave height of 10’ from the finished floor surface to
the bottom edge of the main roof eave, a roof pitch not to exceed 8/12, and
will not have a traditional type footing or foundation and will be built upon a
hard surface.
Because
CM Augustus is in the process of building a shed he recused himself from this
vote. There was no longer a quorum available to vote so this item was tabled to
the next Council meeting.
Review/Action
to amend ordinance updating job titles
Staff
recommends the council approve the proposed ordinance amending Title 1, Chapter
6, changing the text to provide for appointment of appointed officers pursuant
to state code provisions, and updating descriptions of office created. These
updated titles include finance director, public works director/chief building
official, assistant city manager/city planner/zoning administrator, and city
manager/city engineer/city treasurer. Also, the code would change that the
Council would only need to reappoint the city recorder and treasurer every
other year instead of all executive staff.
Because
this has not yet been reviewed by the City Attorney is was tabled pending his
review.
Review/Action
on Golf Course Driving Range Fencing Repair
Staff
recommends approval of funds to be moved from the Capital Improvement Plan to
fund repairing and fixing of the existing fence. Staff recommends option 5 to
replace the entire netting as we have already reached our life expectancy of
the original netting. We have additional areas that are starting show signs of
tearing currently so as to prevent addressing this again shortly we would
recommend taking care of all the netting at the same time.
Five
options were presented:
1. Replace
the 4 sections that are damaged. The cost is $12,900.
2. Replace
and install 5 new wood 95’ poles. These would be taller than our existing poles
and would include the new netting. Our existing poles are currently at the end
of their life expectancy. The cost is $84,000.
3. Install
all new wood poles at 95’ (17 total) with new netting. The cost is $160,000.
4. Install
all new steel poles at 95’ (17 total) with new netting. Wood poles average 10
years while steel poles have a life expectancy of 30-50 years. Cost would be
$204,000.
5. Replace
all netting but not any poles. Cost is $17,800.
After
discussion we determined it made the most sense to only replace the netting and
have a discussion about replacing poles in the next budget year so we can
budget for it after looking at all Capital Improvements on the list. The Council
unanimously agreed to go with Option 5 on the condition that if we decided to
get new poles next year we could keep and use the new netting and only pay for
the extensions that would be needed. If not, we will go with Option #1.
Review/Action
on Creation of Water Conservation Citizens Advisory Committee
Due
to the water conditions and outlook for ongoing demand of resources of the
City’s pressurized irrigation system, Mayor Gygi has proposed to create an Ad
Hoc Water Conservation Citizens Advisory Committee. The committee is proposed
to be comprised of residents of Cedar Hills with particular interest or
background in water conservation, city leaders, and city staff as appointed by
Mayor Gygi. This was unanimously approved and Mayor Gygi will bring committee
member recommendations to the Council next year.
Discussion
on Decisions Survey
As
the City prepares to complete the Decisions 2014 Survey, staff has asked the
council to review and update the survey questionnaire. The most recent Decisions
Survey was completed in 2011. Many of the questions were geared toward the
completion of a recreation center or projects that may be complete or not in
the Capital Improvement Plan (CFP) at this time. All Council Members will go
through the survey and weigh in on what questions should be included in the upcoming
survey.
