Planning Commission Meeting - Blu Line proposal August 18, 2015

Recommendation on Rosegate Facility
Chandler Goodwin presented.

• Blu Line has provided a traffic study through Hales Engineering. Peak traffic is 7am-9am. Level of service was studied for intersections in that area. Current rating for those intersections are at A or B rating. With proposed facility and increase in traffic, levels of service don't change. Each intersection will have wait time of 20 seconds or less. States the traffic impact is negligible. 
• Hales looked at other congregate care facilities and recommends parking ratio of 1 stall per unit. There are an additional 294 stalls in the neighborhood retail zone for the three proposed commercial buildings. Feels parking will not be an issue. 
• Height of building is 29 feet, which is under the 30 feet limit allowed in code. Setback of 30 feet is required. Setback for this building is 90-100 feet. 
• Looked at utilities. Sewer capacity is available and water rights will be obtained and provided to the city to provide culinary water to the facility. 
• Open space has been changed so that open space is visible from sides of the building and pedestrians, not just residents of the facility.
• Lighting plan show that light is contained on the property and should not impact homes to the south of the facility. 

David Driggs asked what kind of an impact it will have on culinary system. Chandler explained capacity is just based on pipe size and ability to deliver water to the facility. The city wouldn't need to upsize pipes to the area. For water supply, the developer would need to give to the city water rights to supply the facility. This is part of the development agreement. Driggs asked if there is enough water in the aquifer to supply to the facility and Chandler said yes. Residents will use mostly culinary water, but not much PI water. 

LoriAnne Spear asked about the lighting and wants to know if the plan is going to be contained, similar to Walmart and the adjoining neighborhood there. Chandler said light will not spill over into the yards to the south of the facility. Developer will follow city requirements. 

Driggs asked about the traffic study and wants to know if it was done under the assumption that this is an assisted living center, or 55+ housing. Chandler said it was performed for a congregate care facility with 291 units. Current plan shows 294 units with space for an additional 3 units. 

Driggs asked if a landscape plan is required at this stage. Chandler indicated that it's not, but developer did provide one. Developer meets the 30% requirement for landscaping. 

For the developer, Cory Shupe presented. Gave his perspective on the history of this process. Says Smarts have owned this property since 1987 and are anxious to move forward. Based on last discussion with Planning Commission, they opened up the building so landscaping can be viewed by pedestrians and those driving by. 

Here are some photos of what has been presented tonight:

Light green area is the Mixed Use Office/Retail zone. Says their building is completely within the zone where assisted living is allowed. Dark green is Neighborhood Retail zone, so there is no portion of the congregate care facility in that zone. There are three commercial buildings planned, but nothing has been solidified. They won't build these buildings until they have tenants, and then will custom build for those tenants.

Open areas has a pickleball court, BBQ area, outdoor gathering areas, putting greens, and a garden area. 

There will be a buffer fence installed on the south side of the building to reduce headlight glare. Will also have landscaping along that border.

Developer showed pictures of some examples of what could be done with the commercial buildings. Those photos weren't provided in our packet so I can't post them here. He also showed some artistic renderings of what the building can look like, but those also weren't provided to us electronically. Here are portions of the drawings that were provided:

Developer feels they have met all of our requirements and addressed concerns that have been expressed. Says they are totally and completely within our guidelines. They are hoping to receive approval to bring plans to the City Council.

John Dredge asked if 4700 West will be built before the commercial buildings are built, and developer answered yes. This is the road that will be to the south of the Walmart entrance/exit. 

Spear asked if retail pads will be three stories high (as soon in the pictures he displayed on the projector), but developer said no, it doesn't need to be three stories. It will be dependent upon who wants to move into those buildings.

Don Steele asked if 4600 West will continue down to road by Harts. Developer said they have already spoken with those property owners and road will be completed to that portion. 

Glenn Dodge asked if additional dormers will be placed to breakup the roof line. Developer said those are additional details that can be worked through at a later time. 

Driggs asked if there is a sidewalk along the south side. Developer said they can incorporate a walk through there, if wanted. After discussion it was determined this wasn't desired.

Driggs asked about existing power lines. Developer went to power company and is suggesting those lines be buried. Hoping to have a conversation with AFCU (coming soon) to see if they will also bury their lines at the same time. Trees in that area are already being cut to accommodate power lines, so feels those lines should be buried soon. 

Driggs asked about coordinating with UTA about possible bus stops for this facility. Developer said working with UTA is another 2.5 year process. Says demand will drive their decision. Until then, UTA won't give them the time of day. They will offer a shuttle service as an amenity.

Driggs asked if any of the parking will be reserved. Developer stated parking in the light green area (above) is for the building itself. Dark green area is for commercial buildings. Stalls for the facility are numbered and will be assigned to units, based on need. There are some parking stalls available for visitors. There are 294 parking stalls for the facility, with 291 planned units. Developer feels they have more stalls than necessary. 

Driggs asked about the commercial pads and asked if these are part of the plans. Developer stated they are asking for approval for location of buildings, but not architectural  renderings. Buildings won't be built until a tenant is ready to move in. 

Driggs asked if a list of services they intend to provide were submitted with plans. Developer stated this isn't a requirement for preliminary plans, so did not. Driggs stated that without knowing what they are committed to provide with regards to services, they can be viewed as a residential facility instead of substantially the same as an assisted living center. Clement said that the City Council already made a finding of fact determining that it is the same, which means they no longer have to prove that they are. Clement feels that decision already has been made. Developer stated that their definition was read and agreed upon by Council as part of the finding of fact made in December. Clement read the developers definition of congregate care.

Spear asked if the services will be provided onsite or through outside vendors, and will it be an additional cost to residents. Developer said it will be a combination of services provided onsite and offsite, based on best price. They will have a kitchen and dining common area. 

Driggs asked if they know what services will be delivered onsite. Developer said they have a plan, but tonight they are just looking for preliminary approval of the congregate care facility. 

Clement said development agreement can spell out many of the details as this is a conditional use and needs a conditional use permit. 

Driggs said he have asked for a list of services provided as part of the application and has yet to receive one. Though it isn't required, in the spirit of full disclosure he would like to see it. Developer says they have provided this and will again.

Clement says he went through Design Guidelines again once he received these preliminary plans. Says some things are suggested, but not expressly prohibited or required. 

Driggs said vision of city is that this area is commercial and intended to generate sales tax revenue. Clement said this is then contradicted later on in description for mixed use/office detail. Clement says this building can be viewed as less intense than retail. Clement feels that laws favor property owner and that the job of the Planning Commission is to make sure the development meets the codes and ordinances of the city. He feels case law rules in favor of the property owner where there are ambiguities. He says he can't find anything in the preliminary plans that aren't in compliance with city code. Driggs says he's struggling with the lack of commercial activity. Clement says an exception was given to Walmart, which is in the mixed-use zone though clearly retail. 

Driggs read from the Design Guidelines with regards to residential units. Clement said the definition for residential doesn't apply to assisted living, which is what this building needs to be viewed as after the Council's finding of fact. 

Driggs stated he doesn't care for what is being presented. Doesn't know how motivated the developer is to build the commercial buildings. Developer said what they are paying for the land drives the desire to get the commercial going. 

Driggs brought up fact that 20% of units could be rented to those under the age of 55. Nearby elementary school may feel some impact. Developer said nobody under the age of 19 would be allowed to live in the building. 

Developer again stated they feel they are in 100% compliance with their preliminary plans. 

Steele said there are commissioners who live near that property and should state, in full disclosure, where they live. They must base decision on laws and ordinances. Council can deal with the political aspects of it. Feels they have been diligent in reviewing these plans and doesn't like that some claim they rubber stamp these projects. 

Motion was made by Jeff Dodge to recommend to the City Council the preliminary plans for consideration. Seconded by Steele. Vote was 4-1, with only Driggs voting nay. This will now move forward to the City Council. 

City Council Meeting - August 4, 2015

Work Session
We discussed items on the Council agenda, so my notes are below.

Council Meeting

Public Comment
Ken Cromar - Would like the city to publish a year by year analysis of golf course subsidies. Feels city is afraid to share this information. Says CM Crawley's Herculean efforts to analyze golf course data should also be published. Challenges us to provide that information. Has filed a complaint with the city to adjust the minutes from a meeting in April 2013 to show that Matt Rees was in attendance at that meeting. 

Greg Stowall - Asking for the city to approve Item #7 as they had no idea about the drainage easement until they started the process of selling their home. 

City Reports
Chandler Goodwin - Harvey Well is running and will be in full operation next week. Food truck night is working, a few logistical things will be addressed but has been successful. We will need to clear out the parking lot at Heritage Park in the early afternoon so that food trucks can use the parking lot instead of the school. The summer breakfast will be on August 14th. 

CM Zappala - Has been working on an app to report issues to the city. Students have a working model and will start asking for resident feedback. This will help with improvements and discussions with technology providers. 

CM Rees - The Planning Commission met last week. They approved allowing animal rights in the R1-15,000 zone and also approved changing the zone along Canyon Road from the R1-20,000 zone to the R1-15,000 zone, and changing Doral Park, Cottage Park, and Cedar Run Park to the Public Facilities Zone. This will be coming to Council soon. The Planning Commission also discussed signs in the public right of way and asked staff to do some research on what other cities do. They will discuss this further and make a recommendation to Council at a later time. 

Mayor Gygi - MAG is meeting this Thursday evening. 

CM Crawley - Preparing for the Golf Course Finance meeting. 

CM Geddes - Still ongoing issue with Utah Valley Dispatch as the bids received are significantly over budget. Parks & Trails Committee have put together the summer breakfast and hope to see many attend. Has finished the preliminary draft for beautification of roundabout. 

Review/Action on Use of Community Center
Here is the memo from staff: 

Executive staff met with the City Council in January about usage of the Community Center and direction/expectations for the center. The Recreation staff would like to move forward with plans for the schedule in the Community Center. Staff will act on Council's instructions and directions, however there are constraints based on our current budget for recreation. In addition, there would be ramifications based on potentially replacing revenue-based events with non-revenue events. We have hit an all-time high in revenues and to add specific nights for open usage would negatively affect our revenues in events. Staff takes pride in operating within our budget and exceeding expectations from the City Council. Again, staff is happy to change course on Council's direction,but we will not be as effective and successful with revenue loss and significant labor cost increases by utilizing additional staff after normal work hours for free/discounted rates. Please also recognize that when we open the building up for events/activities it may negatively impact the golf course tournament bookings, they typically book within 30-45 days. Here is a brief summary of what is currently being offered at the Community Center: Boot camp, Karate classes, Dance/tumbling, Celebrations dance/vocal club, Youth theatre classes, Youth City Council meetings/activities, Golf tournaments (meal, raffle, etc.), HOA meetings, City meetings (City Council, Planning Commission, Town Hall), Religious meetings, Baby Showers, Missionary farewell/homecoming events, Club banquets, Lone Peak High School clinics, Scouting court of honor, business meetings, commercial video sessions, wedding proposals, corporate/family parties and more.

Here is the email I had sent, requesting this be on the agenda:

In January at our retreat we all discussed and agreed that the community center should make community events a priority. I've been following some online discussions and many residents feel the resident cost makes renting the facility prohibitive and also feel we don't have enough community sponsored events. 

I'd like to add an agenda item to our next meeting where we formalize a policy with regards to the community center. Specifically, I'd like to talk about: 

• Setting aside specific nights for community events (Santa party, 4th of July, summer breakfast, etc

• Setting aside specific nights for resident uses at a steeply discounted rate (maybe every Monday and Tuesday)

• Reviewing the list of resident suggestions on community events (there have been many ideas thrown out) and tasking our recreation department with researching & implementing many of the suggestions

• Coordinating with MAG on a monthly seniors day or evening

• Setting aside specific nights for resident uses of the basement or conference room for free for things like book club, etc.

I know we only budgeted $180k in revenues for FY2016 even though we expect $250k this year. I realize that making a policy as outlined above may impact revenues, but if this is going to be a community center then we all need to work harder at seeing it primarily used for community events. I, for one, am fine adjusting our budget to account for the decrease in revenue. Let's at least have the discussion.

Staff had scheduled some classes with IFA, but these were cancelled after nobody showed up. A resident has set up classes on landscaping, but the attendance has also been poor. Jill is starting bootcamp classes this fall. There is interest in a Zumba class. Would like to see more volunteers willing to do classes. 

CM Zappala said there is a difference between a community-wide event versus a resident event. We discussed a high priority for community wide events, like the summer breakfast and Santa party. Feels the Council needs to decide if we are willing to give up revenue for greater resident use of the building. Prior Council purposely built this facility as a revenue generator for golf course losses. If we want to go in a different direction, we need to know if this is what residents want. CM Zappala would like us to look at decorating the basement room so it's attractive for residents. Would also like to see much better advertising of resident rates. Possibly a resident only rate sheet given to each household, with a low fee, like $20/hour. We need to rethink our use of the grill space as it hasn't succeeded. We can move food sales to clubhouse and utilize grill space for things like a volunteer library, or something that is always available to residents. Would like to see more community-wide events. 

I would like to find a middle ground. I think we could keep Monday and Tuesday nights open for residents to utilize the Vista Room at a very discounted rate, and leave Wednesday-Saturday open for revenue generating events. I'd like to have quarterly community events, like the summer breakfast, and find more activities for the basement, like merit badge classes. This way we can get more community events happening here, but also have specific days when residents can use the Vista room at a very low cost. It might be a good idea to create another resident-driven committee to look at community events that can be held at the facility.

CM Crawley agreed, but would leave Monday-Wednesday open for residents. CM Geddes agrees, but feels our fees are reasonable. He'd rather a tournament be booked over a cheaper fee for residents. 

Over the past year we've rented the Vista Room on 10 Mondays and 9 Tuesdays to paying customers. 

This item was tabled until staff and officials can come up with a specific proposal on fees, days for residents, etc. that the Council can discuss and vote on.

Review/Action on Approval of Canyon Heights Drainage Easement
The City of Cedar Hills has a drainage easement located on the properties located at 9058 N and 9044 N Silver Lake Dr. The easement is 15’ feet wide on both properties creating a 30’ wide easement and is meant to capture off-site drainage from the hillside. The current home located at 9058 N sits approximately 5’ into the easement, leaving only 10’ for the drainage and utility easement. The adjacent property located at 9044 N is currently vacant. After a review of the site, staff is recommending that the City vacate 5’ of the current drainage easement on lot 23, leaving the remaining 10’easement to continue as a drainage/utility easement. Resident has asked for this so there will not be title issues when they sell their home. The house was built about 15 years ago and we don't know how they received approval to build on the easement. This change would still leave enough of an easement for future utilities or drainage. There are no current utilities in this easement. This was approved.

Discussion on Communications with City Attorney
Under Mayor Gygi’s direction, a discussion regarding a potential policy regarding how, when, and who is authorized to communicate with the city attorney. With council direction, a policy can be drafted and presented for approval at a later council meeting regarding this issue. 

CM Zappala stated that our original agreement with Mr. Shaw was that we'd give it a few months and see how things go, then discuss a different proposal, if needed. We need to meet with Mr. Shaw and revisit the contract. We've had numerous instances when the Council includes Mr. Shaw on emails and asks for feedback, which impacts legal bill. Proposes the Council and staff go through Mayor when legal opinion is solicited in order to control costs. 

Mayor Gygi feels that the majority of the items on the legal bill were political and had nothing to do with the running of the city. 

CM Crawley says first two months with a new firm we should expect higher bills as attorney gets up to speed. Doesn't think it's a bad idea to have a gatekeeper, though it shouldn't always be a hard and fast rule. We can all do better going forward. Thinks gatekeeper needs to be the city manager instead of Mayor. 

I think we need a written policy so that everyone is operating under the same guidelines.

Council Meeting - July 21, 2015

Work Session

We discussed items for the City Council meeting. My notes are with each item below.

Council Meeting

Public Comment

Nobody signed up.

Consent Agenda

The minutes from the June 16^th Council meeting were approved. The following poll workers were approved for the municipal election: Nicholas Banks, Glenn Dodge, Roberta Dodge.

City Reports
David Bunker - No TSSD meeting this month. Staff met with Principal Bromley to see how we can work together on programs for the youth. Looking at things like chess and robotics. Also talked about having sports teams offer summer classes for the youth in the community. Teen flag football starting this fall. Elementary flag football will also be starting. Soccer sign-ups are still open. Worked out agreement with Stars United to use Mesquite Park. They will do some service for us and will pay a fee.

CM Rees - I'm still working on the State of the City. I sent an email last week to the Council with all of the suggested topics and requested feedback. Asked Council to let me know if there are other items we should address. Cultural Arts Committee sent their org chart and budget for FY2016 and I've sent that to the Council as well. It includes a date night event in September, a Winterfest in January, the Arts Festival in June, a community theater production, the annual summer concert series, and supplies.

Mayor Gygi - MAG won't be meeting until August. None of his other committees have met, other than Golf Course Finance Committee. These meetings will be noticed and open. Next one will be August 6th at 8pm.

CM Geddes - Utah Valley Dispatch opened bids for new building. All bids were much higher than expected. Committee will meet on August 13th to discuss potential cost cutting options. They may have to ask cities for more money and we will have to make a decision then. Parks & Trails committee discussing roundabout beautification and Bayhill Park. Community breakfast will be August 15th at 9:00am.

CM Crawley - Golf Course Committee appointed Rick Stewart as chair. Will look at ways to improve golf course and then look at alternatives to see if anything compares to continuing as is.

Review/Action on Intent to Boundary Adjust Wilson & Day Properties

The city has received two requests to initiate an Adjustment of a Common Municipal Boundary forms; Brent & Neva Wilson, and Gina & Scott Day. The Day property is located at 4495 N 900 W; and the Wilson property is located at 4547 N 900 W. The Day’s and Wilson’s are requesting that their properties be transferred from the municipal jurisdiction of Pleasant Grove City to the City of Cedar Hills. The Day’s and Wilson’s have also completed and filed a request to initiate with Pleasant Grove City.

Both families are on a septic system and want to boundary adjust to have access to our sewer system. The Day's had a septic tank failure and had to connect to a sewer line. We allowed her to connect to the Cedar Hills line with the understanding she would request an adjustment into Cedar Hills. Pleasant Grove will have to approve this as well as Cedar Hills. Staff will contact the City Manager of PG to see where they are in this process. This was approved.

Review/Action on Fireworks East of Canyon Road

Due to fire conditions as assessed by the Lone Peak Public Safety District under the jurisdiction of the Fire Chief Brad Freeman, the fire marshal Ben Bailey has issued fireworks and open fire restrictions for all areas east of Canyon Road within the city limits of Cedar Hills. A resolution has been prepared in accordance with the recommendations of the Lone Peak Fire Chief that fireworks of all types including aerial and non-aerial and open fires of any type shall be prohibited east of Canyon Road within the city limits of Cedar Hills. Also, this year during the 4th of July celebrations and also last year the City identified one location for residents who live in restricted areas to gather to celebrate with legal fireworks. The location selected has been Mesquite Park. Recently the city received a complaint regarding this location from a neighbor regarding the concentrated use of the park for fireworks. City staff including the public works department, recreation department, and fire chief met to discuss the continued use of the park as a location for fireworks display. For the remainder of the fireworks season, it is the recommendation from the various departments that the park continue to be used as a location for the discharge of fireworks. However, modifications to the areas used in the park will be addressed. Public works will designate a safe zone a minimum of 125 feet north of the southern fence line where firework discharge will not be allowed. This safe zone will be identified with signage and cones. Following the evening, public works will clean up any remaining debris from the park and will offer this service to any home that abuts the park. Public Works staff will be made available for clean-up on Saturday. The resident who complained has been made aware of this suggestion. I asked that we evaluate how the buffer zone works and if it doesn't, we may need to re-evaluate whether or not we can designate an area for fireworks. This was approved.

Discussion on Restricted Access at Heiselt’s Hollow and Bayhill

As discussed in the June 16, 2015 city council meeting, modifications to Heiselts Hollow Drive and Bayhill Drive have been installed to limit access beyond the end of pavement of the public roadway. Access still exists at the end of Bayhill Drive for the contractor who will be installing public improvements to install said improvements. The contractor is now starting construction on that project. Heiselts Hollow access is restricted with a gate which allows public safety personnel, water district personnel and municipal access in addition to authorized entry. Several concerns have been identified with continued public access to the terminated street. In addition to the efforts to curb illegal firearms discharge within city limits, fire dangers associated with firearms discharge, and the proliferation of garbage in the area, public works has identified several other concerns including storm water issues, traffic issues, damage to facilities, etc. Here is the list of concerns Public Works identified:

A) Collection of City street storm water on Heiselt’s Hollow Drive carries silt into the inlet boxes and eventually into the North Avanyu retention basin. This dirt is carried onto the street by vehicles accessing the dirt road above the gate. This has been an ongoing problem and violates the City Storm Water Management Plan. The City expends additional equipment hours and manpower to maintain the street and storm sewer system. 

B) Residents living on Heiselt’s Hollow Drive have complained multiple times about the mud tracked onto the street and then into their driveways. According to city ordinance 6-1-3 "It shall be unlawful to place or spill without immediately cleaning up any material or debris on a public street or sidewalk. It shall also be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to track mud or dirt onto a public street."

C) Residences complain about the speed of traffic accessing the hill side.

D) Vehicles using the water tank access road have caused excessive erosion to the road. Staff has provided some measure of restoration and received contractor bids to complete a more extensive repair.

E) Erosion of the access road has caused storm water to flow away from the natural drainage and poses potential flooding of homes in the area. Technicians have been called by concerned residents and they have performed work to divert the water onto Heiselt’s Hollow and into the storm drain. Again, this places mud on the street and silt into the drain system.

F) PW Technicians have been assigned repeatedly to remove trash dumped on the hillside. Those illegally dumping have been using the access on Heiselt’s Hollow.

G) People using the access on Heiselt’s Hollow have been building fires in areas of extreme fire hazard.

H) Vehicle access has damaged the City Bonneville Shore Line Trail.

I) Vehicle access has potentially compromised the aqueduct paralleling the Bonneville shoreline trail.

J) Citizen complaints concerning shooting firearms in the City limits.

K) Complaints concerning the limited parking, on Heiselt’s Hollow, to access the Bonneville shoreline trail.

L) Complaints from S.L. Metro water that the City permits vehicle access to the aqueduct access road.

M) Discussions with the Forest Service requesting that we do not permit vehicle access in the undeveloped part of the City. This access hinders their efforts to protect the forest service property from vehicle damage.

Jeff Maag (Public Works Director) presented this info. The gate at Heiselt's Hollow allows for ATV and motorcycle access. The gate was provided and installed by Metropolitan Water Association. They don't want access on the shoreline trail that could damage the aqueduct. Stated that anyone going through the private property is considered trespassing.  

Discussion on Traffic Control at 4600 West and Harvey Blvd

Public Comment:
Mr. Curtis - Appreciates time of Mr. Bunker and Mayor Gygi in discussing options. They made a proposal for alterations of fence and a possible chicane. Preferred option is less cost to taxpayers, which is a four-way stop. Realizes this is a collector road; however, until street goes further west across North County Blvd, feels a four-way stop will work and will be a solution until road goes through to Highland. Feels four-way stop is more cost-effective and fixes safety concerns. Will work with the city on whatever decision is made.

Due to concerns residents have raised regarding traffic safety at the intersection of 4600 West and

Harvey Blvd, specifically sight distance and safety concerns, the City has considered various alternatives to modify the intersection. Hales Engineering presented an option for a roundabout installation earlier this year. However, the costs were deemed prohibitive. Mr. Hales also discussed the viability of a four way stop. Due to the disproportionate flow of current traffic volumes through the intersection from east to west, the projected average daily traffic demands, intersection traffic control via a four way stop was considered ill-advised and would not meet the design objectives of the collector roadway. Another option recently discussed would be to modify the location of the stop sign, reduce the height of the fence in the Temple Ridge development to increase sight distance and install a traffic calming device to reduce speeds on Harvey Blvd. The preferred traffic calming device for this location is proposed to be a chicane or also known as a choker. Residents from Temple Ridge have been involved with the City in preliminary discussions and have been invited to participate in a discussion with the city council.

Here is an example of what it would look like:

Here are the anticipated costs:

Mr. Bunker has spoken with residents from Temple Shadows about reducing height of their fence. At this time they also discussed the chicane as a way to reduce speed on Harvey. An advantage for these residents is that it also gives them a pedestrian access point right across from the chapel they utilize, instead of going to the intersection and coming back. Preference of those at Temple Shadows is a four-way stop at the intersection. I asked why staff prefers the chicane and Mr. Bunker stated that statistics show that four-way stops on roads like this aren't as safe. Drivers tend to not stop as they recognize there isn't a lot of traffic coming from opposite direction and also speed up to make up time for stopping. Feels it will cause a backlog for traffic going to Deerfield. Mr. Curtis isn't convinced that there will be a backlog of traffic or that people won't stop at the sign. He drives this every day. Because the city will bear the cost of the chicane and also agreed to replace the fence of Temple Shadows to fix visibility issues, the residents of Temple Shadows feel the four-way stop makes more sense because of cost. CM Geddes understands the concerns as he lives near that area. Hasn't heard of accidents or other issues at the intersection. There are other ways for residents in that area outside of Temple Shadows to get out of the neighborhoods going west instead of that intersection. Suggested we try a 6-month period of a four-way stop to see how it works. CM Augustus feels we need to trust the professionals as we don't know traffic. Having a trial period means drivers are having to be re-trained on using the intersection if it doesn't work. 

Discussion on Signs at Roundabout

Staff has been asked to prepare a discussion on signage in the public right-of-ways. Currently, staff uses the round-a-bout located at 4600 N Cedar Hills Dr to inform residents of the various programs, activities, and events that are happening throughout the community. There was a period when staff was asked to not place signage in the round-a-bout, as a result, recreational activities saw 15-30% declines in participation rates. This decrease in participation revenue totaled over $9,000. Any proposed change to the sign ordinance would need to go through the Planning Commission for review/recommendation as it is in Title 10 of City Code and is considered a land use issue.

Mr. Goodwin presented. Stated 10-25-4b gives an exemption for government use. Code states "Exempt: Signage dedicated for government use including traffic signs, traffic lights, street signs, directional signs, public safety signs and related signage shall be exempt from the prohibition against signage in any public right of way." City uses public land as a way to get the word out regarding city events. He met with Greg Gordon (Community Services Director) to discuss impact of not having signs at roundabout. For a year we did move the signs to the sides of the roundabout and saw a decrease in participation in recreation events. Wants feedback from Council on where to go. 

Mr. Shaw (legal counsel) states that the current ordinance does not allow for recreation and festival type signage. It could be fixed, but we are currently not in compliance with our ordinance. CM Geddes would like to see a more uniform sign so that sleeves stay in the roundabout and the sign can just change. Staff is discussing if there is a way to make signs nicer looking. CM Crawley disagrees that there is a problem with the signs. 

There are several options to consider. Looking at other locations (Heritage Park, Canyon Road, fire dept, etc.) but staff feels these areas aren't as noticeable as the roundabout. I suggested finding a compromise of some sort, whether that be limiting the number events per year or the time frame with a required period of time in between with no signs. This has to go the Planning Commission. A public hearing will be held during the August Planning Commission meeting. They will make a recommendation to the Council.

Discussion on St. Andrews Estates Property

A discussion regarding the current and possible future zoning of St. Andrews Estates would be beneficial for planning purposes. Currently the proposed 22 lot residential subdivision is zoned H-1 residential. Future uses could include residential or possibly commercial aspects. If the Council has interest to investigate the use of the property for commercial purposes, it is recommended that a preliminary plan be developed that would address zoning and land use.  The process to explore possible change of use and re-zoning would include appropriate council discussion and planning commission involvement.

Mayor Gygi feels we should talk with real estate professionals about what the best use of the land is. I am opposed to commercial development here. Our General Plan clearly indicates that we intended for the commercial zone to be in a central location, where it currently exists. This area was reconfigured with the intent of residential lots and is surrounded by residential communities. I feel our current plan keeps the small town feel of having commercial concentrated in one location.

Discussion on Roles and Duties of Mayor, City Council, and City Manager

Councilmember Crawley has asked that a discussion be held regarding the roles and duties of the

Mayor, City Council and City Manager. Mr. Shaw presented. Cedar Hills has a six-member Council form of government. In state code, the Mayor serves as the CEO of the city. In city code, the city manager is the Chief Administrative Officer. Mayor chairs meetings, sets the agenda of the meetings, and responsible for hiring and firing of city manager with advice and consent of the City Council. City Manager reports to the Mayor, but to do those things approved by the City Council. Day to day administrative functions fall to the city manager. He directs staff. City code gives specific responsibilities to the city manager. City Council is responsible for setting broad policies, ordinances, resolution, and anything regulatory in nature. Should not get involved in the management of day-to-day affairs. Council should give direction through the mayor, which then goes to the city manager. Feels the analysis given by Eric Johnson aligns with what Kirton McConkie is presenting. Council may want to enact some protocols for how these things are handled to avoid chaos.

Council Meeting - July 7, 2015

Work Session

We discussed items on the agenda and my notes are part of those items below. David and Gary met with residents from Temple Shadows regarding the intersection at Harvey Blvd and 4600 W. The HOA has ideas on ways to resolve the issues regarding visibility and will be presenting those to the Council at a future date. City recommended reducing the height of portions of the fence at that intersection and removing some of the trees that affect visibility. They are open to that, but would also like to discuss a possible four-way stop at that intersection. They understand that, if Harvey ever connects through Highland, then this may no longer be an option for that intersection. Staff will include preliminary cost estimates for all options presented to the Council.

There was a fire near Timpanogos Cove Park, but no details are available at this time as the fire chief was not in attendance. The suggestion was made that we utilize the Parlant phone system to notify residents that no fireworks are allowed east of Canyon Road.

Council Meeting

Public Comment

Andrew Jackson – Executive Director for MAG. Has known Mayor Gygi for a number of years. Has worked with all mayors of Cedar Hills going back 20 years. Mayor Gygi is on MAG’s executive board and transportation committee. One of 40 mayors that sit on executive board. He’s known him to be a fair and honest person and always had the interests of the city. Related a story about Mayor Gygi that was told at a Council of Governments meeting. County Commissioners and Mayors attend this meeting.

Charelle Hagen – Appreciates the work of those on the Council. She served in the past and knows it is a lot of thankless hours. Mayor has taken a lot of heat on AF Canyon issue. While she doesn’t agree with those who support Snowbird, she also doesn’t support the personal attacks. Everyone can do a better job with transparency. As the Mayor, he needs to represent what residents want and be the voice of residents. Problem she has with AFC Vision group was that it felt it was a project only to benefit Snowbird. Fully supports looking at impact that population growth will have on the Canyon, but looking at impact Snowbird will have is a separate issue. Any committee that is to preserve and protect the Canyon can’t look at what can be added to the Canyon, but want to protect what is there. Does not want Snowbird in the Canyon.

Aimee Augustus – Hopes the Council will protect the Canyon. There are enough ski resorts. None of us know what future plans Snowbird has. Also hopes that the Mayor will remove himself from any committees or discussions regarding AF Canyon. Feels he needs to make amends with residents and he isn’t trusted any more. Anyone who has benefited from Snowbird shouldn’t represent residents.

Brent Swanivelt – Has lived in Cedar Hills for 17 years. He also works for UDOT. He served on the AFC Vision committee. He is concerned about Snowbird’s proposal for a land swap. He is against further development in the Canyon. The purpose of the study was to get opinions of the public and had just started to do that. He doesn’t agree with Mayor Gygi’s views of Snowbird, but doesn’t feel Mayor Gygi had any personal gains from his position. He commends Mayor Gygi for being an active member of the committee.

City Reports

David Bunker – Intermountain Farmers have been doing some educational classes at the community center but nobody has shown up. They are going to cancel rest of events and reschedule next year. Lacrosse and karate going well. Attendance is down a bit for summer session of karate. Golf numbers were good and budget numbers were met. Public Works crews have done some work on water system and have encountered several rattlesnakes. Most are in the townhomes area.

CM Rees – The Planning Commission met twice last month. The first meeting was cancelled as a quorum was not present. However, there were several residents in attendance as they received a notice regarding the rezoning that was up for discussion. Chandler explained the purpose of rezoning those portions from the R20,000 to R15,000 zone and reassured residents that animal rights will be addressed so those with those rights now will not be negatively affected. I was unable to attend the second meeting, which was focused on changes to the Design Guidelines, but Chandler was there and provided an update. The Arts Committee feels HONK was a success and is now working on the summer concert series. They will have a proposed budget and committee assignments presented at the next Council meeting. I am working on the State of the City and plan on it being available in September as has been done in the past. This year it will be sent electronically. The Family Festival chair reached out to me and stated they are aware of concerns expressed by residents who live behind Heritage Park. They will reach out to those residents before the festival next year and will let the carnival company know that take down cannot take place any later than 11pm. I received an email from a resident who expressed concern regarding fireworks at Mesquite Park. She lives near the park and her yard is being littered with firework debris and other trash. She requests that we find another location that is not near homes so that these residents aren’t affected.

CM Zappala – Read the following statement:

When I moved to Cedar Hills in 2005, our city had a bad reputation. People would ask, “why are you moving there? They have so many scandals, they can’t seem to run a city well!” Yet as we began to live in Cedar Hills, we found the truth to be the opposite. True, the city had made an unwise purchase of a golf course, but since that time the city had been managing its finances well, had beautiful parks and trails, mountain views, great recreation opportunities, and wonderful people. We discovered there were a few residents who had not been able to get their way politically, so they chose to fight their battles through the press. They sold scandal, and the press was eager to publish the scandal and allegations, no matter how baseless.

As the years have passed, councils and mayors have worked diligently to repair the city’s reputation. In my own time on the council, we have taken a number of steps to help improve the reputation of the city. These include the Cedar Hills Champion program, outreach from the mayor to other cities and his service on regional boards, good relations with the press, tireless efforts to provide increased communication and transparency, an exceptionally maintained golf course, an amazing family festival committee, and well-attended community events. Our city has begun to put past divisions behind us and concentrate on a positive vision and image.

Unfortunately, events of the past year are threatening to tarnish our image again. It is no secret now that there has been an ongoing feud between two council members and our mayor that has become far too personal and petty. What started as a reasonable disagreement over the role of the mayor has become contentious and bitter. Too often, this has affected city business and public meetings have been acrimonious. Too often, this has spilled into online forums and Facebook pages. Too often residents have been pulled into the arguments. This needs to stop.

When you make an accusation in a public forum, you may think you are right. You may even be right. It doesn’t matter. All the public sees is fighting among elected officials. They call a pox on both houses and blame you both. You have not won. You have tarnished your reputation and you have tarnished the city’s reputation. Sadly, you have discouraged civic-minded residents from running for public office, because they don’t want to get trapped in the mess that they see.

I think I represent the will of our residents when I say “enough is enough”. The contention and the fighting needs to stop. We need to focus on what matters most.

I will not personally put up with contention in this or any future council meetings. I will ask those who are arguing to call a recess, step outside, settle their differences, and come back when they are ready. If they are unable to avoid contention on an item we discuss, I will vote to table the issue.

I ask the council to unite with me in calling for civility, respect, and good public relations for our fine city.

Mayor Gygi – LPPSD cancelled their meeting in July. MAG also cancelled their meeting.

CM Geddes – Exciting things are happening with Utah Valley Dispatch. The current office located in Spanish Fork is small and cramped. Bids for the new building will be going out soon. Our city had about 248 calls to 911 last month. New building will provide for better dispatch.

CM Crawley – Agrees with most of what was said by Daniel. The fault is on both sides. Feels there was an intentional dig at certain people. Agrees that things should be civil. There was a fire near Timp Cove Park and we will use Parlant system to get the word out about fireworks restrictions. Has been focusing on different options for the golf course. He has found an alternative he feels makes sense and would like to discuss.

CM Augustus – Agrees with CM Crawley. Feels that this goes both ways. No updates from North Pointe Solid Waste. General Plan Committee is doing some research.

Review/Action on Resolution Regarding AF Canyon

Public Comment:

Paul Sorenson – Sent a letter to Mayor and Council. Read his letter tonight. Mountain Accord and AFC Vision are looking at a land swap for Snowbird. Most Cedar Hills City council members and County officials were unaware of what was occurring. Exception is Mayor Gygi, who was aware. Concern is lack of communication and transparency from Mayor Gygi, and his not disclosing gifts received from Snowbird. Appears Utah County cities are in agreement to oppose land swap. Feels trust with Mayor Gygi has been compromised. Would like Mayor’s role with AFC Vision to be replaced with a council member.

Angela Johnson – Does not support the land swap and wants to keep AF Canyon as is. She asked for feedback on a Facebook page and read some of the comments. Said there were over 100 comments on that thread. All were opposed to the land swap. Wants to preserve the Canyon.

Ken Cromar – Was at a meeting of AFC Vision. Found it interesting that public comment had an impact on the group. Wanted to know how it got this far without public knowledge. Decision was made to give Snowbird their $50,000 donation back. He asked if anyone on the committee had received campaign contributions from Snowbird. Commissioner Ellertson said he had received campaign contributions. At a meeting held at American Fork High School a resident said nobody who had received compensation from Snowbird should be on the committee. Mayor Gygi came up to the front and did not state he had received anything. Found out that Mayor Gygi has received helicopter rides and other things from Snowbird. Wants to know what all Mayor Gygi has received from Snowbird and wants him to step down from those discussions.

Dave Fields – VP of Resort Operations from Snowbird. Snowbird cannot build condos or hotels on land. They protect water and resources in the Canyon. Partnered with others to clean up the Canyon from old mines. Snowbird is interested in an open process and will continue to be open moving forward.

Mayor Gygi spoke. When Mr. Cromar asked if he had received any campaign contributions from Snowbird and he honestly answered no. He has been working on this project for approximately 18 months. Was told by former mayor to reach out to Snowbird to find out their plans. Mayor reached out to Marisa Wright and she put him in touch with Snowbird. He, Marisa, and Stephanie Martinez met with Snowbird. Understood what they wanted to do and felt there should be a process. Met with MAG and discussed creating a steering committee to discuss this and other canyon issues. Recognized that money would be needed for the committee and asked the State Legislature for the funds. Was given $100,000. Created steering committee and invited UDOT, Utah County, every Utah County mayor, Sundance, Snowbird, Forest Services, Parks Service, and others. Purpose was to do research of Canyon issues. He told the Council and has emails to prove he made the Council aware. What he didn’t know, and nobody in Utah County knew, was that Mountain Accord was working on a land swap that involved AF Canyon. That changed everything. Has advocated to Mountain Accord that they should have Utah County representation on their committee. In this process, he feels he’s been trying to do what is best for Cedar Hills and the County. The closest he came to advocating for Snowbird was speaking of their proposed gondola to the State Legislature. He has never advocated for Snowbird or Save Our Canyons, both of whom have proposals for the canyon. In a free society, everyone has rights. Feels everyone should have a right to speak their minds. Mountain Accord has been working for seven years and AFC Vision just got started. They weren’t in a position to make any recommendations. He feels he was being fair in advocating for the process. He went to three events with Snowbird. He ran it through the city attorney and was told that as long as the dinner was less than $50 then he is fine. Feels he was compliant with that. He also disclosed the helicopter ride, but forgot to mention it at the American High School meeting. Answered every question that was asked that night. We can always do things better. He wanted to correct a few things stated in public comment. Has told AFC Vision that his marching orders come from the residents of Cedar Hills and will do what they want. He contacted the Preserve & Protect group and made them aware of this.

Councilmember Augustus requested that the City Council consider a Resolution pertaining to the

Environmental Stewardship of American Fork Canyon. CM Augustus discussed his resolution. It is non-binding, but a good faith effort to show we are taking the issue seriously. Based it on the resolution passed by American Fork city, but made his own changes. CM Augustus read his resolution. He then proposed a few changes. On item #10, changed to the City Council asking the mayor to voluntarily remove himself from any associated boards and committees. #11 would read that any representative would be appointed by the mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council.

CM Geddes thanked everyone who showed up tonight. He loves recreation. He feels AF Canyon should stay the way it is. Snowbird doesn’t need any more land. They’ve done a good job with the land the own, but don’t need more. He disagrees with a few of the points of the resolution. One is the Snowbird ski bus that our recreation department holds each year. This benefits the youth in our community and eliminating that bus hurts those kids who utilize this program. Opposed to the directive against the mayor. He believes what the mayor has said and anything directly pointed at Mayor Gygi is uncalled for. Supports a resolution, though acknowledges it is non-binding and all we can do is encourage. Thanks CM Augustus for his work and his time in putting the resolution together.

CM Crawley believes the resolution is important to pass. Issues with mayor aren’t the crucial points of the resolution. He never heard about the helicopter ride until last week via social media. There are some issues that stem from difference opinions they have. Number one stakeholder is the people. Told Mayor Gygi he should be posting about these meetings. Feels there has been an air of secrecy and has encouraged Mayor Gygi to tell the residents. Isn’t angry with Mayor Gygi, but feels transparency is an issue. Wants to see more of it in the future. Feels Mayor hasn’t represented residents in this. CM Crawley asked the Snowbird representative how long Snowbird has been discussing the land swap. Representative deferred to Bob Bonar as he hasn’t been part of those meetings. Land swap wasn’t part of original Mountain Accord process. As their individual committees presented their proposals to the executive committee of Mountain Accord, and that is when the land swap was discussed. CM Crawley asked Mayor Gygi how many times he met with Bob Bonar, and Mayor Gygi said they met alone one time before the AFC Committee was formed. He feels Mayor Gygi has been more supportive of Snowbird than residents want him to be.

I expressed similar concerns that CM Geddes expressed. I don’t feel that stopping the ski bus does anything but hurt our youth who want to participate in this program and it is something that many other cities do as well. I also feel that we, as a community, need to come together in opposition to the land swap and having language that is accusatory or inflammatory doesn’t help that cause.

CM Zappala – He supports the process we’d like to have with the Canyon. Residents are nearly unanimous in preserving the Canyon and the Council is also unanimous in this. Council wants an open process and open meetings with minutes. The resolution as presented by CM Augustus is too divisive and inflammatory and feels we spend too much time fighting and finger pointing instead of discussing the actual concern of the land swap.

CM Augustus – He made a motion to accept the resolution with the following changes - #10 to ask mayor to voluntarily remove himself from any committees regarding AF Canyon. He is willing to strike #11 and #12.

CM Zappala expressed concerns he still has with the main body of the resolution. Some of these include the requirement for any representative who has voting rights to first come back to the Council before voting, and also that there is no discussion of changing the zoning guidelines in the Canyon.

Council voted 3-2 against the resolution presented by CM Augustus.

CM Zappala then read his resolution, which includes many of the same points but adds some and removes divisive language. You can view his resolution on his blog at http://cedarhillsblog.org/american-fork-canyon-resolution/

CM Geddes feels this resolution is more palatable and informed us that the County did pass their resolution today.

CM Augustus still wants #10 incorporated.

Council voted 4-1 in favor of CM Zappala’s resolution.

Review/Action to Award Contract for Street Work

This project involves the streets of Sage Vista and Morgan. There will be milling of the gutter line and doing an overlay of the street. Several bids were received and Kilgore was the lowest bidder. The City has received qualified bids for the 2015 Asphalt Leveling, Edge Mill and Overlay Project. The apparent low bidder is Kilgore Companies with a low bid of approximately $85,580. The contract being used is our standard contract but still needs legal approval. Door notices will be placed on affected households, and a notice will go on the city’s website and in the newsletter. This work will be done in stages. Work will be done by middle of October but do not yet have a start date. CM Geddes recused himself as he has hired Kilgore to work on his project. This was approved.

Review/Action on Food Trucks

As a follow up to the 6/16/2015 City Council meeting, staff has met with Tom Karen, a food truck owner to develop a plan for a food truck rally that would take effect beginning 7/23/2015. According to the proposal, starting Thursday nights from 5:00-9:00, Heritage Park will begin hosting a food truck rally, consisting of 4-5 food truck options. The rally will be coordinated by Tom Karen, who will schedule the food trucks that will be participating each week. Other cities operate in this same fashion where the food truck vendors coordinate nights and govern themselves. Food trucks will be responsible for set-up, clean-up, and maintenance of adjacent park areas. Additionally, each vendor will be required to set up a Cedar Hills business license, and show proof of a Utah County Health Permit. Staff is proposing that Cedar Hills follow this model that has worked in other cities, and evaluate how it is working for Cedar Hills. Following an evaluation, City Code may be modified to allow for food trucks to operate under the guidelines approved by the City. Staff proposes that the trial period last through September. There will be a proposal at the next City Council meeting to modify city code, which currently restricts the parking of vehicles for sales. Chandler will also follow up with other cities to find out what has worked and what hasn’t. Discussion was held and food trucks do need to be on a flat surface, so the parking lot of Heritage Park would be where the food trucks need to be parked. Food truck season will be April through September. This was approved.

Review/Action on Subdivision Improvements for Bridgestone Plat C

Perry Homes has requested the acceptance of the public improvements construction and the release of the performance guarantee related to “Bridgestone Plat C”, except that portion to be held as the durability retainer.  The requested release amounts equal $208,005.69 and $6000.00 for a total of $214,005.69. The durability retainer amounts equal $41,601.14 and $1200.00 for a total of $42,801.14. Staff has done the inspection and recommends the release of the performance guarantee. This was approved.

Discussion on Fireworks

Fire Marshal Bailey stated that the Fire Chief wants to restrict all fireworks east of Canyon Road. This will need to come before the Council at the next meeting (July 21st). I also requested that staff look at a new location as opposed to Mesquite Park for fireworks (see email above in my city report from resident).

Council Meeting - June 16, 2015

Public Comment

Cory Shupe – Cory is with Blu Line Designs. On April 16^th he presented to the Planning Commission their conceptual plans. Planning Commission tabled the item to discuss some suggested architectural changes. This meeting was held at city offices with a few members of the Planning Commission, a few members of the City Council, and staff. They updated plans to include feedback received. Planning Commission recommended a finding of fact that the building be allowed to traverse two subzones. He would like the Council to weigh in on this and wants it on the next agenda. Mayor Gygi explained that public comment isn’t a time for discussion and referred Mr. Shupe to staff for follow up.

Darin Lowder – Thanks the Council and staff for everything that is going right in the city. Thanked everyone involved for a great Family Festival. Has a concern about signage put up in the roundabout on Cedar Hills Drive. Feels like there is always a sign there. A lot of thought went into the sign ordinance. This is a small issue but matters to him and others in his area. Some may prefer there aren’t ordinances in the city. These things are put in place for the better of the community. Read from the sign ordinance. Feels that signs in that area are a distraction and doesn’t meet intent of sign ordinance.

Shannon Lucas – Showed picture of parking violations occurring on his street. Vehicles are parked on the street for weeks on cinderblocks while it was being worked on. Reached out to code enforcement but was told that if the car is moved an inch then it counts toward the requirement of the vehicle needing to be moved at least every 48 hours. Would hope for stronger enforcement.

Public Hearing on 2015 and 2016 Budgets

Nobody signed up for public hearing.

Consent Agenda

Marilyn Buckner was appointed to the Parks, Trails, and Beautification Committee. Elizabeth Paul was appointed to the Cultural Arts Committee. The minutes from the May 5 and May 19 City Council meetings were approved.

City Reports

David Bunker – YCC has 41 members this year, which is the highest participation rate we’ve ever had. Emily Cox and Nicole Allen are doing a great job with this. Golf is doing well this month. A tournament was held every day the first week of June. Monthly community classes have been held at the community center regarding lawn care and gardening. Invites the public to attend the next meeting. Lacrosse starts this Saturday.

CM Rees – Family Festival was very successful. We had a great carnival company and each event saw greater attendance than prior years. We will have dates for next year in November as that is when the carnival company is able to schedule. HONK is starts this Thursday and will run every night except Sunday. This will be at Heritage Park.

CM Zappala – LPPSD meets this week but he will be unable to attend. Will be attended by Mayor Gygi.

Mayor Gygi – Finance Committee met and discussed budget. Has been talking about metering PI water; however, received an update from ULCT that the State is discussing PI metering and recognized they may have some obligation to help pay for it if it is mandated. He feels we should wait and see what happens with this. Brown Amusements (carnival company) is looking for a location in Utah County where they can store equipment and rides. Interested in our nine acres for this.

CM Augustus – General Plan Committee continuing to work on updates.

Review/Action on FY2015 Budget Amendments

10-65-600 Family Festival Celebration and 10-35-100 Family Festival Income $15,000 increase to capture higher participation rate for all-access passes and the new carnival.

10-65-601 Cultural Events increase of $2,375 for participation in the theater production HONK with

Highland. The subsidy may be less than $2,375 depending on ticket sales and donations. Anticipating subsidy may be closer to $1000. The Arts committee’s intent was to offset the costs with donations, but they have not been able to get the donations they were anticipating as the it conflicted with Family Festival also seeking donations at the same time. This was offset with sales tax revenue that came in higher than anticipated.

10-65-120 Events Salary Wages will need to be increased approximately $18,000 to offset the growth of activities at the Community Events Center. 10-35-112 Event Rental revenues will also be increased by $80,000 based on the revenue earned this fiscal year.

10-65-605 Youth City Council expenditures would like to utilize the donations they raised in the current year for various activities, which amounts to approximately $1,300 in the revenue account 10-35-105 Youth City Council donations.

20-30-600 Season & Punch Passes at the golf course were traded in exchange of $1,300 in 20-50-330 financial software, $21,236 for 20-70-600 advertising, and $10,900 for concrete and retaining wall work for the course.

51-38-380 sewer impact fees collected for Timpanogos Special Service District (TSSD), and 51-74-471 sewer impact fees distributed to TSSD exceeded $32,000 in May, so an adjustment of $40,000 is recommended for the rest of the fiscal year to these impact fee accounts.

This was approved.

Review/Action on Tax Rate for FY2016

After golf course bonds were refinanced, the annual amount being paid out for debt was reduced. Some motor vehicle fees were also used for debt fund as the motor vehicle fees we receive are partially based on our debt levy. Based on the amount needed to pay the debt on the golf course and to stay consistent with property tax collected last year, the County has recommended a certified tax rate of .002315. This equates to .001594 for general operations ($685,065) and .000721 for the bond payment ($309,970). This new tax rate is down from 2013 (.001922) and 2014 (.002410). Any increase in property tax revenue collected is coming from new construction. This was approved.

Review/Action Adopting FY2016 Budget

·         General fund budgeted revenue and transfer increase $69,625 or 1.82%

·         Propose adopting certified property tax rate for operating levy

·         Propose debt levy $51,300 less than golf bond debt service, or $309,120

·         Budgeted $40,000 increase for 10-35-112 Event Center rentals or $180,000 total. This is conservative as revenue is projected to reach $250,000 for FY 2015-2016

·         Sales tax revenue changed down from a flat projection to a three-year average $1,159,000, and is projected at $1,209,870 FY 2015-2016

·         Propose adopting Bowen, Collins utility rates, to fund long-term water & sewer projects

·         Net paperless billing and “State of the City” savings approximately $24,500

·         Legal expenses increase $20,000 or 25%

·         Financial audit expenses decreased $9,000 or 36%

·         Street related expenses decreases $27,000 to help comply with the new minimum funding requirement based on budget effective January 1, 2016 by HB362. Basically, we will be required to spend the same amount of funds from our general fund in future years for street projects as we will in 2016. We want to be conservative so we don’t reduce the amount of Class C road funds the city is entitled to.

·         Event staff, supplies, and maintenance increase approximately $54,838 to keep up with growth

·         Other increases — Family Festival $5,000 or 12.6%, Library $586 or 3.7%, Parks Committee $800 or 19.0%, Cultural Events $900 or 17.6%

·         Police Services $18,049 or 3.5% increase

·         Every other year election expenses $15,000

·         Employee merit increases 3%

·         Planned golf course operations subsidy down $70,000

Please see my notes from previous meetings for additional information on the FY2016. Many of the items are discussed in more detail in notes from meetings held over the past few months. You can also find a PowerPoint presentation given by our Finance Director with the Council packet at http://www.cedarhills.org/sites/default/files/agendas/city-council-agenda-2015-06-16.pdf. It starts on page 14.

CM Crawley was unable to attend the meeting tonight but asked for a comment to be read into the meeting. He approved the budget but asked the city to delay the golf maintenance shed project until he has finalized his analysis on the golf course.

CM Augustus requested that the Arts Committee be organized with a chair, a vice-chair, a member of staff assigned to the committee, and a budget prepared and presented to the Council with anticipated expenses before any of the funds for this budget are spent.

This was approved.

Review/Action on Updating of Fee Schedule

Modifications are proposed to the City Fee Schedule in order to implement recommendations from the utility rate study as prepared by Bowen Collins & Associates and adopted by City Council in 2012. Additionally, some changes have been made to fees and charges for rental rates for the Vista Room, and the service charge for postage and paper statement fee for those who wish to opt out of paperless billing. Resident rate for the Vista room has not changed but rates for non-residents is increasing as demand for the facility is high. Greg Gordon and his team also looked at rates other facilities charge and feel our rates should be increased. This was approved.

Discussion on Food Trucks

Public Comment – Tom Karen (lives in Alpine). He runs a family business and encourages the city to allow food truck vendors in the city. Food trucks provide food options and variety. Food can be available at events. Alpine has a food truck rally on Monday nights and it is well attended. Food trucks can work in the city. He is happy to help provide guidance on what other cities are doing and what works well.

Council has requested to have a discussion on how to coordinate food trucks operating in Cedar Hills. Staff presented a list of available food trucks in Utah County, as well as when other cities are doing their food truck “roundup.” Items that would need to be decided on would be items needed for application (Business License, UT Co. Health Cert., agreement on trash clean up, etc.)

This is something I would love to see occur in the city. It provides a variety of food choices for our residents, especially as there are not many restaurants in the area. Mayor Gygi received a phone call from Mr. Richardson with Elev8 last night stating they have struggled and will be closing the grill at the end of the week. Food trucks can be another option for the community. Staff will do some additional research on what other cities have done and come back to the Council.

Discussion on Gates at Heiselt’s Hollow and Bayhill

Public Comment – Daniel Torriente – moved here 8 years ago. Accesses the hillside for recreation. Only areas where Forest Service needs to close would not be very difficult as there is only one trail and it’s very steep.

Ben Bailey (LPPSD Fire Marshal) – There are irresponsible people going up there. Fire department responds often to out of control fires. Area is very dry and wildfire could get out of control quickly.

For the past several months the Mayor and staff have been working with several residents including Mr.

Keith Hansen regarding shooting and large amounts of littering along the east bench of Cedar Hills. Mr.

Hansen presented information during a city council meeting requesting the city to enforce the No-Shooting laws within the city limits. The city limits were added to an aerial image and it was determined that the majority of the shooting locations along the foothills are indeed within the City limits. Shooting is however allowed on Forest Service property, yet it is inaccessible for vehicles due to closure by the Forest Service. During a discussion with the U.S. Forest Service, Mr. Jon Stansfield and Ms. Cheryl Butler relayed that vehicular access to the Forest Service properties along the east bench interface were discouraged. They have closed several “off-road” access points and intend to make sure all points are closed. If vehicles can drive to the point of shooting, they are within city limits. In March staff presented a 5-point plan to Council to assist in efforts to curtail illegal shooting activities within city limits. They include the following:

1.       Install signage.  This will include signage at the entrance points to the trail and hillside area.  Also signs at the boundaries of city-owned properties.  The signs will include the proper phone number to call to report gunfire.

2.       Collect garbage from shooting locations.  If the target shooters don’t have items to shoot, they are less likely to “practice”.  Targets being shot now include wood panels, TVs, boxes, etc.

3.       Access Control.  In order to limit the amount of targets being taken to these practice areas, we would install gates at strategic locations.  Specifically the end of Heiselts Hollow Drive. This is the main access point to the majority of the area.  Another point of entrance is the end of Bayhill Drive. With the proposed development, this access will also be eliminated.  It will not stop all hillside access but limit it greatly.

4.       Enforcement. The key will be to have law enforcement respond immediately when a call is received. The call will be placed in priority according to the P.D. calls at the time, but they will respond as quickly as they are able.

5.       Fire Department assessment.  Due to the dry conditions, the fire department may assess the hillside for potential fire danger which is expressly present when fire arms are discharged.  We will coordinate this with the Fire Chief.

One resident expressed concern that the right-of-way to Forest Service land was being closed. Mr. Stansfield with the Forest Service weighed in on this and indicated the Forest Service does not maintain any right-of-way access through Cedar Hills as they have no system roads above Cedar Hills. Another issue is that those access Forest Service land are going through private property to access the hillside. The gate installed at Heiselts Hollow allows for pedestrian traffic, ATV’s and motorcycles.

CM Zappala asked how we communicate to residents that the Forest Service doesn’t want vehicles on their property. Forest Service did install signage letting people know that all motorized vehicles are not allowed on Forest Service land. They also installed rock barriers to prevent vehicle access. Many of the signs have been shot.

Intent was to restrict access for those who are bringing up large pieces of garbage and materials to shoot in the foothills. Things such as couches and washing machines were brought up and left in that area. Only allowing ATV’s and motorcycles prevents some of the bigger trash from being brought up. Looking at photographs provided, most of the shooting is occurring within city limits, which is illegal.

Mayor Gygi recommended that Mr. Torriente and others who access the hillside meet with staff to discuss ideas and possible solutions.