Recap! May city council meetings

 How is it the end of May already?  Time sure is flying.  I think May is when South Weber is the absolute prettiest.  Love this cute, little city of ours!

Below is the recap for the meetings of May 11th and May 25th as well as a special hearing that took place on May 16th.  For May 11th, you can find the packet here, May 18th's agenda is here and May 25th's meeting is here, here and here.  You can also watch these meetings on the city's YouTube channel here.  It is worth noting that the May 18th meeting was not streamed to YouTube, but the recording of the meeting is available to listen to here. 

Alright, let's dive in!

 

•RV PARK AGREEMENT AMENDMENT: The owner of the future RV Park requested changes to his landscaping plan to save on water.  These changes include using a more drought resistance grass, fewer shrubs and plants and other minor changes to the type of gravel rock and bark.  You can see his proposal in the packet linked below.  The council all agreed to the changes of grass and other minor changes, but the vote was split 3-2 in favor of a 15% reduction of plants and shrubs.  The motion passed to have the agreement modified.  

 

•2021-2022 TENATIVE BUDGET: The tentative budget was passed unanimously by the council.  The public will 3 weeks to review the budget before the next public hearing to pass the budget.  This is expected to happen the June 8^th meeting.  I would recommend everyone looking over.  Pages 5-11 are particularly informative, but if you are short on time or attention J pages 13-16 have a simplified breakdown of what changes will be taking place, where funds have been distributed and for what purposes.

 

•ELECTIONS: There are three seats up for re-election, 2 council member positions and the mayor position.  The time to file for candidacy begins June 1-4 and the 7^th at city hall. 

 

•LOFTS AT DEER RUN: The final approval for the Lofts development came before the council on May 25^th.  The council reviewed the recommendation from the planning commission both the preliminary approval that took place in December of 2020 and the final approval which took place last month.  Two commissioners were present and gave comment about the final approval because it was a 2-2 split vote and therefore no recommendation was given to help give the council perspective.   After asking questions and reviewing the plans, the council passed the motion unanimously.  

 

•COBBLESTONE SHORT TERM RENTAL HEARING: The council had the unique responsibility to act as the appeal authority in response to staff denying a business license for Cobblestone Resort, a short-term rental within the city limits.  This was set up much like a court where the council listened to both the arguments both for and against overturning this decision from their legal attorneys.  The council unanimously agreed to uphold the city’s decision to deny the business license.  Cobblestone Resort is also appealing the judicial court case regarding their need of a business license – that process will be ongoing.  

 

•CITY CODE CHANGES: The council reviewed code changes to the CH zone as well as updated definitions.  The code committee, comprising of the mayor, city manager, 2 planning commissioners and 2 city council members, made these changes which updated the specific uses that will be able to come to the commercial highway zones and beefing up the definitions to better align with the city’s desires for development following the feedback of the general plan survey results.  The was recommended to the council from the planning commission.  The council passed this motion unanimously.

 

•CANYON MEADOWS PARK WEST: Due to the rising costs of material, the plan for Canyon Meadows Park has had to be altered to fit within the budget, but still lacked the needed funds to complete a portion of the project.  It was requested of the council to allow a transfer of $182,194 which will be earmarked to pay back into impact fees to allow the project to start moving forward.  While 4 pickleball courts were budgeted, the Pickleball Community has successfully raised enough money to put in 4 more pickle ball courts for a total of 8.  After a lengthy discussion, the council passed this motion unanimously.

 

•REPORTS: Mayor Jo relayed the new digital screen for the city’s sign has been a huge update for staff as far as looks and functionality.   She also reported she met with our new Region 1 director for UDOT and discussed the I84/89 corridor, the box culvert, and the potential of future bike lanes on SWD.   She also said the LPC met and discussed the ARPA funds from the federal government.    

•Councilman Halverson stated the RAB met and OU16 will have a new ROD, new technology and better ways to test all types of contamination.

•Councilwoman Alberts reported the PR committee is working on ensuring all data has been successfully migrated from the old website to the new website, but it is slow progress.    

•Councilman Soderquist relayed the Admin and Finance committee continue to work through the budget and finalizing all the details.  He also reported our sales tax revenue for this quarter hit a new all-time high, which is good.  

•Councilwoman Petty reported they will meet with the contractor for Canyon Meadows and to get started on the work for Canyon Meadows West. 

•Councilman Winsor reported all 52 streetlights city owned streetlights now have power (after giving the rep for Rocky Mountain Power at the ULCT conference a run for his money J).  He requested information on an annual water report from staff and reported the Municipal Utility committee is working on bringing forth all high-speed internet options for citizens and council to review. He also reported the mosquito abatement is hiring for drivers if anyone is interested (at least 17 years old preferred).  Code committee is finishing up new code for internal ADU’s and moving on to cleaning up our conditional use code. 

•City Manager David Larsen reported the dog park grand opening will sadly need to be postponed due to issues with the grass not taking to root well.  He also reported information on use of the ARP funds from the feds will be presented to the council at the June 8^th meeting.  

And that’s a wrap!  You deserve a candy bar and a drink for reading this all!  

Recap! City Council 9.28.2020

 City Council Recap!  9.29.2020 

•The Youth City Council was sworn in.  Advisors this year will be Hayley Alberts, Angie Petty and McKenna Winsor.  We are very excited to get started! ­­

•Coronavirus update:  The cases are continuing to increase within Davis County.  South Weber currently has 9 active cases and a total 55 cases.  Currently there are 12 hospitalizations within the county and no new deaths this week.  Utah is lowest in the country for mortality rate.  

•The city gave recognition to Stacy Whitford who has been taking care of our flags within the city for the past 8 years.  Stacy started this project to help her son with his Eagle project.  She encouraged anyone who has a flag to download the colonial flag app and it will notify you of days your flags should be at half-staff as well as other observations.  We thank her for this patriotic duty she does on behalf of our city!

•Soccer Complex Conditional Use Permit:  The council discussed this permit at great length (read: 2.5 hours!).  Most items included on the CUP were to help mitigate noise, nuisance parking and other barriers.  In the end the final CUP was quite lengthy but included hours of operation for both indoor and outdoor fields, maximum parking of 100 vehicles and paving the temporary parking lot, signs posted on 475 E and South Weber Drive to direct La Roca traffic, no parking signs posted on SWD, Raymond Drive, Kingston Drive & 6650 as well as no soccer complex traffic on streets as well.  Other items included a plan for citations in the event of violations, a masonry wall and others.

•Riverside Place Phase 5:  Council had questions regarding emails sent in for public comment regarding the condition of Phase1 and 2.  Trash on the lots as well as over flowing garbage containers have been addressed code enforcement.  The builder explained why some houses have not yet been completed as well as some other issues.  Phase 5 has outside builders willing to buy lots which will finish the project sooner.  The motion passed unanimously.  

 

•The Lofts at Deer Run: Council was presented with the latest renderings of the new plans for the Loft’s project. The developer is seeking to amend the original development agreement for less commercial and therefore less parking. The council was very firm that the amount of parking is not sufficient and because parking on 2700 E has been restricted this create a big problem. The council also requested the height of the buildings come down to 35’ vs. the 55’ the developer is allowed. Some suggestions made by the developer was to remove commercial all together or remove even more commercial than what the amended agreement was. The council expressed that in order to be able to do so would mean the parking would need to be addressed and suggested more parking stalls and less residential. There was quite a deal of discussion and questions asked. The developer will return after speaking with his staff. At this point in time the developer is looking into two options: 1) either move forward with the current development agreement signed in 2018 and the allowances within the code/agreement or 2) amend the current development agreement with adjustments to commercial space requirements, residential units and parking stalls. As this is a new version of site plans and he was seeking feedback from the council, no decision was made. If the developer chooses to amend the agreement it will need to be approved by the council. If not, he will return to the planning commission when he is ready with preliminary plans or possibly another presentation, depending on his preference.

 

•Cottonwood Waterline: The replacement of the waterline on Cottonwood Drive is being a shared cost between SWC, Uintah and Weber Basin.  After a lot of work and time from staff, the total amount came in well below budget.  South Weber City’s portion will be approximately $282,000.  The amount budgeted was $350,000 in FY2019.  This waterline is necessary to bring pressure up to state code for fire hydrants.  The contract awarded was approved unanimously.  

•Job Corp water re-pipe project: Contract was awarded for this project unanimously.  Job Corp is out of compliance with the state and asked South Weber City to take over management of this project.  Job Corp will be paying for this project with their funds and giving the city a managerial fee to compensate for time spent on it.  

•City Council Schedule: The council discussed meeting 2 times a month vs. 3 times.  There was discussion about adding a work meeting into the schedule to allow the council time to work on things that are happening within the many committees the council, planning commission and staff are a part of.  Council will try it out and see how it goes, realizing extra meetings may still be added on busier months.  

•Reports:

•Mayor Jo: Mayor reported increased crime has happened throughout the city and DCSO is advising everyone to make sure to lock up and keep valuables out of vehicles.  Stan Cook, who was injured by a falling tree during the high wind storm is recuperating well and should be able to come home soon.  Jo and Peifen from HAFB visited 14 residences for possible contaminated well water but found none of the residences were using those wells for culinary water or gardens.  

•Councilman Winsor: reported a few trees were still down from the storm and questioned about the process of clean up. 
•Councilwoman Petty: The YCC will be having their first meeting this week.  They will be revisiting the charter and making any needed amendments and bringing it before council soon.  The Parks & Rec committee will meet and discuss a number of items she will report back on.  
•Councilman Soderquist: The Admin and Finance committee will be meeting later this week.  There is also a meeting for Staker Parsons regarding the dust and studying where it is going, how far it is traveling and other concerns.

•Councilwoman Alberts: All of our equipment for live streaming has arrived! Yay! Installation will start happening this week and should be ready by our first council meeting in October.  The PR committee also discussed addressing concerns with live streaming and creating a process to help viewers find the correct stream as well as report technical difficulties.  The Country Fair Days committee met and had a recap of the events for South Weber Days.
•City Manager David Larsen: Liaison Lt. Boydston with the DSCO has been promoted to Captain and will be moving on.  In the meantime, Sargent Pope will step in his place.  

Recap: City Council Meeting 10.8.2019

October 8th City Council Meeting Recap!

Guys this meeting was 40 minutes! It was awesome! Haha.

We had 3 public comments.

•Michael Poff thanked the city for keeping our judge here in South Weber and not going to Layton. Judge Brian Memmott wasn't able to attend last night, but it is my understanding his has made many visits to our city. Council member Taylor commended him on being an outstanding person.

•Julie Losee countered with data that The Lofts project, whose developer Joseph Cook in a meeting a few weeks ago said that the Loft's will sell in an excess of $200k, is inaccurate. The current market can not support that type of housing costs. There is no condos selling in our current market for over $200/sq. ft. At current rates, it will probably be closer to $144/sq. ft. She added all her research and numbers for public record and should be in the packet soon. I would recommend anyone who is interested to check it out when it is available.

•I commented on our available park acreage. It seems that it is possible over 100 acres of dedicated park space has been left out of the number configurations for how many acres of buildable land we have. Another finding was that when determining buildout population, we should be going off of our current census data which is 3.69 persons/household rather than the 4.24 persons/household. If this is correct, it would mean our total buildout population is potentially much lower than the 13,042 number our 2019 plan has given. I will submit more info to our city council and staff for further clarification. We will want to ensure this number is correct as it is paramount in our future decisions for our general plan.

The only item on the agenda was the appointment of Judge Bryan Memmott as a South Weber Justice Court Judge which was passed.

There was some discussion new business and reports. Council member Windsor discussed the 10/22 meeting further and how to best approach so much information in a setting that will work. He felt discussing options for SB 34 should definitely happen as it needs to be decided on soonest. He did mention it is possible the general plan will be delayed until February. A discussion of making a visual presentation took place. This will be a major meeting and I encourage as many people to attend as possible. You will see for the first time our elected officials able to respond to public comment and make changes to our plan. Council Member Petty suggested to change the name of phase 1 of South Bench Drive because it is causing a lot of confusion. Council Member Windsor also directed staff to put signage for thru traffic on 475 to help alleviate confusion.

Mayor Jo reported that she has met with the landfill and they are working on lowering the odors. She discuss highway 89 and learned that the bridge over 89 will have a deck replacement and will have 3 lanes each way. Any sound walls will not be addressed until 89 is finished which currently only goes to 193. She also discussed active transportation on that Bonneville Shoreline Trail is a major trail - it crosses 5 counties! Work will begin on that trail in 2020.

Council member Halverson reported that there is a passing lane on South Weber Drive near 7240 S that was previously a double yellow line. This needs to be corrected immediately as it is a dangerous situation on that stretch of road.

Council Member Petty talked about parks and rec and that 3 members of the committee will be attending a conference about how to obtain more grants for parks. The Wetlands at Canyon Meadows were discussed. Dave said NO private property owners are part of the restoration. Currently only city property will need to be restored. Staff is drafting their restoration plan now to submit to the Army Core of Engineers.

There was some other business attended too and then it was wrapped up and we all clapped. We've had lots of long meetings as of late, it was nice to have a short one before we jump back into long meetings again. I would like to thank our city council and mayor for all they do to serve our city!

#SWmorethan20

Public Safety Commission & the Frontage Road

I was able to sit down today with the public safety commission to discuss the agenda item I brought up a few weeks ago about referring to the safety concerns that come from potential parking on 2700 East.  As a recap, it was decided that myself and another resident of my choosing would sit down with this committee to further discuss how we can resolve our concerns while ensuring general fairness for all developments and locations throughout our town.   

We had a great meeting!  We had a couple of council members, two police officers, the fire chief, David Larsen, Brandon Jones, myself and fellow resident Julie Losee as well as a representative for the Lofts.  We came prepared and ready.  Julie had talked to other communities about the times and places where they have had to have parking restrictions and brought her findings with her.  

The city's number one concern is safety, and it was agreed that parking on 2700 E is definitely a public safety concern.  We also discussed other areas throughout the city that have a cause for concern, and how to be proactive about future developments that may bring with them additional on-street parking.  A plan was put into place with specifics about what needs to be looked at.  It was agreed that commercial zones and properties throughout our city should be restricted when it comes to parking on the street.  It was awesome to see the city be proactive to avoid problems of concern on this stance rather than reactive once a problem already exists.  

Guys...this came from us and our hard work!!  It is still so awesome to me that because we as residents saw a concern, put together a plan of action by demonstrating that concern and then having the city work with us to absolve and prevent future concerns just makes me so happy.  I hope that we can all feel that what we are doing matters and it is working!

As far as 2700 E goes, it was decided that the public safety council will recommend red striping both sides of the frontage road from South Weber Drive to Deer Run and potentially further.  This will go before the council in November for their approval.  Because the weather will be changing, and because we already have on-street parking restrictions from November to March, the painting won't happen until the end of March when we can ensure adequate weather for the paint to bond correctly.  

I let the council know that there is a community of volunteers who would be willing to help do this for our city.  When the time comes closer, the council will discuss and move forward with options.  

If anyone who is reading this has witnessed firsthand how parking on the frontage road raises concerns, or if you attended our Park-n-Protest where over 125 cars parked in an united effort to prove our concerns are valid, you should be very pleased with this! We deserve a well earned pat on the back.  When we are united, there isn't anything we can't do, and South Weber is better and safer because of it.  Well done everyone! I am honored to work with each of you!

#SWmorethan20

Town Hall Style Meeting with Mayor Jo and David Larsen

The South Weber Preservation & Conservation Advocates (SWPCA) put together a fantastic town hall style meeting with our mayor and city manager.  I was so happy to be able to be a part of this and am very grateful to Mayor Jo and David for coming.

We compiled questions from members of the South Weber Citizen's United group and chose 4 of the most often asked questions.  This was then stream lived on our Facebook page.  Each question was given approximately 15 minutes of discussion.   The questions were submitted to the mayor and the city before hand so they could come prepared and ready.  We had a great discussion.

Realizing we have lots of residents not on the facebook page we recorded it and uploaded it youtube so everyone could watch and view it.  While it is a bit long, it is worth your while.  However, realizing time is not something easy to come by for most, I have broken down the video into minute segments to better help you find what you are looking for.

Scroll down to see video:

First Question starting at minute 2:55 -18:35

1-     We have heard the statement “there is nothing we can do” in reference to The Lofts Developments more than once. We understand the zoning can’t be changed but that sentiment in the wake of so many citizens gathering to express concerns feels like a dismissal of said concerns. Robert Osborne referenced having a conditional use permit specified for any development on these parcels of land back in 2017 when the rezone was approved (see planning commission work meeting minutes for exact details) Has that conditional use been establish with the PC and CC along with city ordinance requirements for green space percentages, parking, setbacks, asthetic requirments, total number of allowable units for the 2.74 acres they have available to build, etc. If yes, please share what the city is doing to ensure this project doesn’t become the blight and eyesore everyone is suspecting. If no, how do we go about getting the conditions for a responsible development established now?  

Discussion/answers for question one:

•Once plans for The Lofts is submitted we will go through city code with a fine tooth comb to ensure the well-being and safety of all resident.

•The difference between about conditional use and permitted use

•Agreement for the Lofts length and when it starts 

Second question starting a minute 18:40-35:45

2-     Canyon Meadows initial investment was $1.5 million and the city currently has itemized improvements of 3 future phases totaling an additional $3.15 Million to be spent on Canyon Meadows (sources received this week from City Manager Larson). While the greatest percentage of citizens currently live in the central and east side of the city, the majority of the other parks are grass only detention basin parks, or several are old and dilapidated in need of significant improvements.  So why has the city budgeted items putting such a huge percentage into one single park impact fees have been used?  

Discussion/answers for question two:

•Impact fees are all we really have for park budget

•Wetland issues for Canyon Meadows

•Impact fees - what are they are and how they are used

•Grants and funding

•Trails

•Dog Park

Third question starting at minute 35:50-1:07:45

3-     Even though South Bench Drive was not formally adopted to the general plan by the public, the city has already begun financial Investments for it including buying property, diverting traffic to it with a median on 475 and starting on phase 1. In light of the 99.9% tax increase to address the desperate need our city has for improvements to our current infastrucutre and our safety why are you spending tax payer dollars speculating on future develpment in our city by funding a Road the public has never approved?   If the public opposes this road in all its phases, what then will be done?

Discussion/answers for question three:

•Road was approved in 2014 general plan but changed in 2018 and renamed South Bench Drive

•New plan for road (South Bench Drive) is a better alignment

•Why they are doing South Bench Drive

•What if the majority oppose it?

•'Sweeping T' on 475 E

•Lack of public involvement/comment

Fourth question starting at minute 1:07:46-1:44:00

4- Water increase, transportation fee, 100% tax increase, The Soccer Complex, The Lofts, Rays HDH Re-Zone, South Bench Drive... So far the public has pushed back on everyone of these issues and our elected reps and their appointees have ignored us every time. What is the most effective way for us as citizens to get our voice heard, and ensure the city government is working toward our goals and making decisions based on our wants and needs without us needing to become a citizen watchdog group?  How can we implement citizen groups who would be able to represent their immediate neighborhood during meetings?

Discussion/answers for question four:

•We are listening - changes have been made

•City needs to be proactive with information

•Discussion on citizen's committee, getting public more involved

•Give us time to prove ourselves.

#SWmorethan20

No Parking...it's on the Agenda!

I have heard from our city manager that the agenda I submitted to have a discussion to add no parking on 2700 E (in front of the lofts) should be able to go forward for the September 17th city council meeting! Please come and let your voice be heard! #swmorethan20

Park-n-Protest = SUCCESS!!

We did it!!! You guys!! Thank you thank you for coming up! We had an AMAZING turnout!  I was so happy to meet so many residents tonight and get to have face to face dialogue.  Tonight we proved that we are way more than 20.  And more important than that - we are UNITED! Together we are going to do great things!! More news stories to come! 

Watch the news clip here!

Live video recap here!

Stop 74 Park-n-Protest

Tomorrow!!  We will have the maps for the new general plan up and ready to answer questions.  The mayor and city council has been invited.  Share with your friends and neighbors.  Please swing by! #swmorethan20

Stop 74 Online Petition

Did you know that the South Weber Preservation and Conservation Association has been sending a petition around to stop the proposed development of The Lofts at Deer Run? Citing numerous concerns, the SWPCA has a goal of 1,000 signatures and have reached nearly 700.  There are roughly 1500 register voters in South Weber, so 1,000 signatures would be over %65 of us. #swmorethan20 

Would you like to join the cause?  Sign the online petition here (donation is NOT required) or I have paper forms I can bring to you.   Signed it already? Share it with friends and neighbors!!  What happens on either sides of South Weber effects all of us.  #SWPCA 

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop74-petition?fbclid=IwAR3C_3j-yIHKkuFhqcL07_lT8B5sTmZhwJ0RW5PWgI0mwypRfyT0AOtFhW0