Richmond City Council July 2024 Summary

APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES FROM JUNE 20, 2024.

Approved.

DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2024-06, A RESOLUTION TO INFORM THE STATE OF UTAH WATER QUALITY BOARD OF ACTIONS TAKEN CONCERNING THE MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER PLANNING PROGRAM REPORT FOR 2024.

Justin presented an annual resolution that the city council must review each year. This resolution is related to the wastewater planning program report, which is a mandatory submission to the Utah Water Quality Board. Justin explained that Madelyn from J-U-B Engineers assisted Bryan and Shane in creating the report, and he also provided the necessary financial information.

The Mayor noted that the city is about halfway through its sewer treatment study and has asked Weston to examine additional aspects as part of the study.

A motion was made by Lyle and seconded by Bryce Wood to adopt Resolution 2024-06, which informs the State of Utah Water Quality Board of the actions taken regarding the Municipal Wastewater Planning Program Report for 2024. The vote was unanimous, with council members Bair, Draxler, Wood, and Black voting in favor. Council member Ervin was absent.  

STAFF REPORTS AND MONTHLY FINANCIAL REVIEW.

Holly provided an update on various ongoing projects in the city. Currently, eight sidewalk areas are being replaced, including two additional areas around the entrances to the Park Community Center building. There is still one section remaining on the list, located at the Wayne Henderson home in Hill Haven, where a tree has severely damaged the sidewalk. Additionally, zoning clearance requests for two more buildings, totaling twelve units in the Richmond Village, have been submitted. The builder indicated plans to submit twelve more units within the year. This week, three pre-occupancy orders were issued. The park bathroom is scheduled for delivery by the end of the month. Holly also mentioned that the youth council plans to undertake a service project, which involves painting the steps at the entrance to the Relic Hall. The generator pad at the Cherry Creek well has been poured and will cure over three weeks, after which the generator will be installed, with the goal of completing the project by September 1st.

The Mayor expressed interest in having the city council tour the completed project. Holly further noted that a local company will handle crosswalk striping before the upcoming school year and will also fog seal the parking lot at the Park Community Center. The Mayor inquired about whether the county will be fog sealing the streets this year, to which Holly confirmed that all roads chip sealed this year would be included. She also reported progress at the Cub River Sports Complex, with a reduction in weeds and successful completion of the baseball season. Regarding the Black & White Days building remodel, the new wall and beam installation is expected to finish next week, with window orders placed and the removal and framing of the sliding door scheduled over the next couple of weeks. The entire project is estimated to take three to four months. Additionally, Troy Hooley is assisting at the MBR Plant as needed.

The Mayor then asked about the status of the search for a new office employee. Holly responded that a candidate had been selected and would soon be offered the job, expressing confidence that the candidate would be a great addition to the city if she accepted the position.

Justin followed up by discussing the anticipated delivery of the park bathroom, which is set to arrive and be installed by crane on Tuesday, July 30th. After installation, the plumbing, electrical, and cement work will be completed, marking the project's end. He also mentioned that advertising for the city party, scheduled for Friday, September 6th, will begin soon. Justin reminded everyone that the property tax rate hearing, due to advertising requirements, will be held at the start of the council meeting on Thursday, August 15th, followed by the rest of the council meeting. He noted that although the fiscal year had ended, work on the financials would continue through the audit period. Reflecting on the last fiscal year, Justin remarked on the impressive number of grants received by the library, including a Wi-Fi access grant, ILL grant, CLEF grant, technology grant, hotspot grant, and a KUED grant. The city also received some RAPZ tax funding, with significantly more expected this fiscal year as outstanding projects are completed. Black & White Days brought in approximately $37,000 in revenue from sponsorships and activities, while expenses totaled around $51,000. The Forsgren land purchase was finalized at the end of June for $18,495, and the Hill and Buttars land purchase transactions were completed that day. Justin highlighted that this fiscal year saw record impact fee revenue, with water impact fee revenue totaling $738,619 and sewer impact fee revenue amounting to $518,188.

The Mayor then brought up the possibility of rescheduling the September 19th council meeting to September 26th. The city council reached a consensus to reschedule the meeting as proposed.

Finally, the Mayor inquired about the remaining loan balance on the MBR Plant bonds, to which Justin responded that the outstanding amount is $961,000. He added that the balance on the water tank bonds stands at $2,243,179, with the sewer bonds at zero percent interest and the water bonds at 3.75%. 

COUNCIL MEMBER AND MAYOR REPORTS.

Daryl mentioned that the irrigation company had met last week and reported that there were no major issues currently affecting them.

Bryce Wood then introduced a project by the youth council, specifically mentioning that the youth council mayor had created a video about signage. Alia Mecham, representing the youth council, explained that they were asked to create a video that was both entertaining and informative about temporary signs in the city, and she felt they had succeeded. The video was then shown to the council, highlighting what is and isn’t allowed regarding temporary signs in the city. Alia mentioned that they enjoyed making the video.

Following the video, Bryce Wood announced that Kassy Greer had joined as an adult leader for the youth council, but they were still looking for one more adult advisor.

Joel expressed his excitement about the progress on the land purchases on 500 North and the upcoming construction easement. He mentioned that he frequently travels on 500 North by both vehicle and bicycle and recognized the road's poor condition. Joel is looking forward to seeing the road improvements, which are scheduled for next year. He also mentioned that the planning commission hadn't met recently but would meet in August, where each commissioner would have an assignment, including discussing multi-family housing zones and high-density housing.

Joel also shared information on behalf of Amber, who was not in attendance. He reported that 146 people were served at The Park Bench last month, and 1,161 food pantry items were distributed, which he found to be an impressive number. Kassy Greer added that they prepare around 10 to 15 to-go meals each week.

Joel went on to list upcoming activities at The Park Bench, including events on July 19th, August 15th, August 23rd, September 6th in conjunction with the city party, October 5th for Halloween, and November 1st. He also mentioned that they are considering hosting a Festival of Trees event for Christmas. Joel noted that many community members have expressed surprise and admiration for how busy The Park Bench always seems to be.

Lyle expressed his satisfaction with the ongoing sidewalk improvements, particularly noting that the sidewalk on 100 North 100 East had been in disrepair for decades.

The Mayor then asked Justin to explain the upcoming property tax hearing and the reasoning behind the proposed tax increase. Justin explained that the city's property tax rate had remained unchanged from 1978 until around 2018, at which time a significant increase was implemented. Since then, the city has aimed to implement small, incremental increases each year to avoid the need for another large increase. By maintaining the same property tax rate annually, the city has managed to achieve this goal. The proposed increase for this year is 3.35%, which translates to an average increase of $8.62 per home. This would generate an additional $11,000 in revenue for the city. Justin pointed out that inflation from July 2023 to January 2024 was around 4.1%, meaning that the proposed increase does not even keep pace with inflation.

CLOSED MEETING TO HOLD A STRATEGY SESSION TO DISCUSS THE SALE OF REAL PROPERTY AND THE PURCHASE, EXCHANGE OR LEASE OF REAL PROPERTY. UTAH CODE ANNOTATED 52-4-205 (1) (D) & (E).

The city council meeting transitioned to a closed session after a motion was made by Bryce Wood and seconded by Lyle to close the regular council meeting. The purpose of the closed session was to hold a strategy discussion on the sale and purchase, exchange, or lease of real property. The motion was unanimously approved, with council members Bair, Draxler, Wood, and Black all voting in favor. Councilmember Ervin was absent.

The closed meeting commenced at 6:58 P.M. and included Mayor Erickson, council members Lyle Bair, Joel Draxler, Bryce Wood, Daryl Black, as well as HollyJo Karren and Justin Lewis. Lewiston City Mayor Jeff Hall was also present for a portion of the meeting.

After the strategy session, a motion was made by Lyle and seconded by Bryce Wood to close the closed meeting and reopen the regular council meeting. This motion also passed unanimously with no opposition and council member Ervin still absent.

The closed session concluded at 8:22 P.M., and the regular council meeting was then reopened. Shortly thereafter, a motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Joel, seconded by Bryce Wood, and passed unanimously. The meeting officially adjourned at 8:22 P.M.