Town Council

MINUTES BUDGET COMMITTEE VIRTUAL MEETING ALTA TOWN COUNCIL VIRTUAL MEETING Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 3:00 PM Alta Community Center (virtual), 10351 E. Highway 210, Alta, Utah BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING BUDGET COMMITTEE: Mayor Roger Bourke Councilmember John Byrne Councilmember Elise Morgan Treasurer, Craig Heimark STAFF PRESENT: John Guldner, Town Administrator Mike Morey, Town Marshal Chris Cawley, Assistant Town Administrator Jen Clancy, Town Clerk Molly Austin, Deputy Clerk ALSO PRESENT: Councilmember Sheridan Davis 1. CALL THE BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER AND DECLARATION 00:00:00 Mayor Bourke called the Budget Committee meeting to order pursuant to his May 2, 2023 determination. Mayor Bourke said that it is in the community’s best interest to hold this meeting virtually without an anchor location. 2. APPROVAL OF THE APRIL 12, 2023 BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 00:00:26 MOTION: Mayor Bourke motioned to approve the April 12, 2023 budget committee meeting minutes. Craig Heimark seconded. VOTE: All in favor. The April 12, 2023 budget committee meeting minutes were unanimously approved. 3. BUDGET DISCUSSION FY24 00:01:10 Craig Heimark said that the budget was being approached using three categories of spend, which are 1) outsourced contracts with outside vendors 2) salary and personnel budgets and 3) projects. Earlier in the year we spent time on outsourced contracts and there isn’t much change there. The bulk of the last budget committee meeting focused on the salaries. He added that we have now completed the project Alta Town Council Meeting May 10, 2023 1 review and Chris Cawley would be walking us through that today. He called out that there is a new format and feedback is welcomed. Chris Cawley explained that until the December 2022 amended budget, that we have accompanied budget documents with a Capital Projects Plan (CPP). The purpose of that plan was to allocate funds in the Capital Project Fund to specific projects. Over the last couple months, the Capital Projects Committee has been working on a new document that will replace the old CPP. The new format shows all project expenses funded by the General Fund, Capital Project Fund, Sewer Fund, and Water Fund. The document summaries the total projects by fund and has a 10-year outlook. Chris walked through the grouping of projects based on decision levels. Chris said they were proposing the Town spend a net of $26k on the Resort Shuttle program in FY24. Chris reviewed the three shuttle program services including the operations and funding structure for each respective service in detail. Chris said the proposal for next year is to fund all three service programs through a contract with a transportation company (Town will go out to bid). For budgeting purposes, the assumed cost per hour is $76 with the total projected cost for all three services in FY24 being $230k. Chris explained the uncertainties with future UTA service. Craig highlighted that the total cost to provide the shuttle service was about $230k funded by a combination of sources including the Town, local businesses, residence, and ACVB. He noted that the ACVB contribution will not be available in the future. Mayor Bourke highlighted Tom Schneider’s report that 12,000 riders per month had used these services and that was a good indicator of the great value of these services to the community. Jen Clancy walked through the FY23 Budget as compared with estimated FY23 year-end totals. On the revenue side, she said interest and sales tax offered the greatest variance, and on the expense side the change was due to rolling over a substantial portion of the water projects from FY23 to FY24. Jen indicated that, she and Craig have been working to report on similar categories as to what the audited statement uses. Jen walked through a comparison of the FY22 actuals, estimated FY23 year-end numbers, and proposed FY24 budget. She called out the proposed $120k property tax increase and higher projected sales tax revenue. Jen further explained that on the expense side the biggest variances are due to personnel increases and rollover projects from FY23. She summarized the truth in taxation process as well as assumptions made for both revenue and expenses in the FY24 proposed budgets. Craig highlighted the total spend for projects in the proposed FY24 budgets is a significant increase mainly due to project readiness. He also mentioned he feels the Town needs to spend more on infrastructure to address the increased use of the canyon and demands on the Town’s infrastructure. 4. MOTION TO ADJOURN 00:54:45 MOTION: Craig Heimark motioned to adjourn, and Mayor Bourke seconded. VOTE: All in favor. The meeting was adjourned unanimously. Alta Town Council Meeting May 10, 2023 2  TOWN COUNCIL MEETING PRESENT: Mayor Roger Bourke Councilmember John Byrne Councilmember Sheridan Davis Councilmember Elise Morgan (joined at 4:15pm) STAFF PRESENT: John Guldner, Town Administrator Mike Morey, Town Marshal Chris Cawley, Assistant Town Administrator Jen Clancy, Town Clerk Molly Austin, Deputy Clerk ALSO PRESENT: Polly McLean, Legal Counsel Cameron Platt, Legal Counsel Craig Heimark, Treasurer NOT PRESENT: Councilmember Carolyn Anctil 1. CALL THE REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING TO ORDER AND DECLARATION 00:54:50 Mayor Bourke called the regular meeting of the Alta Town Council to order for May 10, 2023. Pursuant to his May 2, 2023 determination, Mayor Bourke said that it is in the community’s best interest to hold this meeting virtually without an anchor location. 2. CITIZEN INPUT 00:57:45 Cliff Curry said he wanted to make a comment about the current budget proposal. He reflected that there had been an hour-long budget meeting presentation but no conversation amongst the council members regarding some of the proposed revenue items. He feels the idea of a 1% transient room tax increase is outrageous. He said, Alta’s lodging sales tax is already about a half percent higher than Park City which directly affects the competitiveness of the lodging properties that support this community and already contribute the lion’s share of the town’s revenues. The good news is there is no need to do this, he is sure with the rate increases that the lodges have made, are making, and will be making in combination with the ski area’s increases it will make it so the revenue will take care of themselves. He assured the council that if they keep the current tax rate it will all work out. Jen Clancy reported there was no written comment. 3. ALTA SKI AREA UPDATE – MIKE MAUGHAN 01:00:20 Mike Maughan did not attend the meeting. Alta Town Council Meeting May 10, 2023 3  4. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA: APRIL 12, 2023 MEETING MINUTES, STAFF AND FINANCE REPORTS 01:01:10 MOTION: Mayor Bourke motioned to approve the consent agenda including the April 12, 2023 meeting minutes, the staff, and financial reports. John Byrne seconded. VOTE: All in favor. The consent agenda including the March 8, 2023 meeting minutes, and the staff and financial reports were unanimously approved. 5. QUESTIONS REGARDING DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS 01:04:30 Jen Clancy reported that there is a municipal election coming up on November 7, 2023. The filing period will be from June 1 – 7 and candidates must come to the Town Office in person and file a declaration of candidacy. She also announced that the town would be sending out letters to water customers shortly regarding the remote water meter program installation. She also said there would be some public hearings coming up in June before the council meeting on the budgets and encouraged the public to participate. She also reminded everyone of the truth in taxation public hearing on August 9 regarding the proposed certified tax rate. Mike Morey reflected on Alta Ski Area’s closing day, commenting that it was a record setting day with 7,500 skiers. He added that the marshal’s department staffed up with folks from UPD and the state to help monitor the parking lot festivities. He is happy to report the day ended without incident. Mike thanked the ski area and Trainor Mahon from Goldminer’s for their efforts. 6. MAYOR’S REPORT 01:10:16 Mayor Bourke said the weather continues to be unprecedented, 75 feet (900”) of snow is a bit over the top. He reported warmer spring temperature resulted in wet slides and mud slides causing the road to be closed. He expressed kudos to all those responsible for keeping everyone safe on the road and in the Town. Fortunately, the Governor is going to recognize people in public safety and transportation by holding an event to thank them at the Governor’s mansion. The Little Cottonwood Canyon road committee meeting was held May 2. Chris Cawley arranged for 1,000 sandbags (not all filled) to be delivered to the wildcat lot. The Mayor encouraged people that need them to take them and asked that others not needing them, not take them. Mayor Bourke reported he met with District Ranger Bekee Hotze. She reported the Forest Service was expecting more funding to hire staff, they would employ a summer ranger in Alta, and that there is a wildfire landscape project happening to reduce fuel. Additionally, that same day a UTA ski bus service planning meeting was held. UTA will not return to previous year’s schedules but do the same reduced service as this past season (2022/23). Mayor Bourke expressed there will be more damage that surfaces as the snow retreats. He encouraged folks to check and repair structures in the coming months. He’s not aware of any building collapses in Alta but is aware of some in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Mayor Bourke reflected the unexpected Alta Town Council Meeting May 10, 2023 4 emergency events come along in the form of rain, snow, fire, earthquakes or whatever. The Town is going to pull together an emergency drill this summer with the help of various agencies. Mayor Bourke reiterated that there are two town council positions expiring this year. With no criticism of the current office holders, he encourage people to run so that voter could have a choice. Jen would be at the Town Office from June 1 – 7 for people to declare their candidacy. Mayor Bourke reported the Town Manager hiring committee is recommending an offer be made, but he is aware he needs Town Council authority to do that. Craig Elliot, who was one of the architects for the 2003 community center proposal has been working on an update including a cost estimate. Mayor Bourke also shared that the Town’s bank account had been hacked again by cyber criminals and that the Town was taking steps to remedy the situation. He reported a dog drawing had recently taken place in a transparent process for two annual licenses. He finally reported that the town has a contract with Salt Lake County that allows us to apply for CDBG funding. The next meeting would be held June 21, on the summer solstice. 7. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT 2023-R-7 FIREWORKS 01:21:25 Cameron Platt stated this was an annual resolution that state law requires to prohibit fireworks before and after the July holidays. A resolution has to be passed annually before June 1, and we need to provide maps to county and fire service to designate the areas that are restricted. MOTION: Elise Morgan motioned to adopt Resolution 2023-R-7 and Sheridan Davis seconded. VOTE: All in favor. Resolution 2023-R-7 was unanimously adopted. 8. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE FOR FY 23/24 01:26:00 Mayor Bourke said Jen Clancy had drafted a tentative meeting schedule with all the meetings starting at 3:00 pm. MOTION: Mayor Bourke motioned to adopt the FY23/24 meeting schedule and Sheridan Davis seconded. VOTE: All in favor. The FY23/24 Town Council meeting schedule was unanimously adopted. There was a conversation about changing the time of the June 21, 2023 meeting so that John Byrne could attend. The other council members all said an earlier time would work for them. MOTION: Mayor Bourke motioned to change the June 21st town council meeting to start at 10:00 am and John Byrne seconded. VOTE: All in favor. The June 21st Town Council meeting was unanimously rescheduled for 10am. Alta Town Council Meeting May 10, 2023 5  9. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT THE 2023-2024 TENTATIVE BUDGETS 01:33:00 Craig Heimark reported the purpose of today’s meeting was to present information and allow for questions. If issues are raised, we can start that discussion. He suggested comments might be made regarding the budget increases we have suggested and/ or any expenses they don’t feel we should be authorizing. Craig asked what questions the council members have. Mayor Bourke commented that while the property tax increase seems large, it would only have a roughly 1% increase on an individual property owners tax liability which would be swamped out by the reassessments of the property values. John Byrne inquired about being able to afford the budget and commented he looks forward to seeing starting and ending account balances to make these decisions better informed. Sheridan Davis said she would like to continue looking at the three options for increasing tax revenue and that she was extremely hesitant to think about going forward with the Town Shuttle program. She doesn’t feel it’s in the Town’s best interest to take over the program. She added she joined John Byrne in being concerned there isn’t much wiggle room in the budget for a bad sales tax year. MOTION: Mayor Bourke motioned to adopt the 2023-2024 Tentative Budgets as published, and John Byrne seconded. VOTE: All in favor. The 2023/24 Tentative Budgets were unanimously adopted. 10. DISCUSSION ABOUT OFFICIALS ETHICS POLICY AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE FORM 01:48:30 Mayor Bourke asked Polly McLean to speak to why we need these policies. Polly responded that it’s good government to have an ethical and conflict of interest policy. She said we are obligated to follow the policies under state law and added that it helps with our audit rankings. Jen Clancy said that the edits to the policies are to reflect state code. John Byrne said the state code is readable and is in depth enough. He reflected that elected officials are already subject to the state code, so it’s not an added burden, and formalize one’s pledge to honor the state code. John said it’s the conflict of interest policy that he has the most issues with, and that it was his intention when he sent in the suggested edits to refer to state code that we would drop the old policy. Jen articulated that council could provide direction to the Mayor and that the Mayor could adopt new policies. The Mayor brought up the concept of changing the language in #5 on the conflict of interest policy to say will instead of may - “When a conflict of interest exists, the officer shall publicly declare the nature of the conflict and will recuse him or herself.” Polly informed the Mayor that we could do that but state law doesn’t require it. Sheridan Davis questioned why the Town should vary and be more restrictive in setting its policies compared with the state. The Mayor said he preferred a more restrictive ethics code and that it would reflect positively on us. Sheridan reflected that there were a number of votes that would have ended differently had council members been required to recuse themselves. She added it is also reflective of Alta and that it’s almost impossible in a small town to not have conflicts. Elise Morgan supported copying state code. She also reflected it was her understanding that based on state Alta Town Council Meeting May 10, 2023 6 code, a councilmember discloses when there is a conflict of interest and then makes a personal decision about where to participate in the discussion and vote on a specific matter. Mayor Bourke reflected that the consensus is that we adopt policies referring to state code. The Mayor requested that the conflict of interest could be a sworn statement (using state language) and not be notarized as it follows the state code. John Byrne requested that the full code language be printed with the forms to increase the readership. 11. NEW BUSINESS 02:24:15 John Byrne suggested there is a lot of room for improvement and that the council should prioritize review the Fraud Risk Assessment and compliance with more sections. John suggested adding an audit committee. Jen Clancy reflected that the council had considered an audit committee a few years ago but it wasn’t adopted; she said she would find the proposal and share it with Craig to start the discussion process. Sheridan Davis asked if she could present on substantive on the ground ideas on how we might work on affordable housing. Craig Heimark said Friends of Alta and some other organizations are thanking UTA and UDOT at an upcoming event at Golden Hills Park. He encouraged people to attend and share appreciation. 12. MOTION TO ADJOURN 02:31:40 MOTION: John Byrne motioned to adjourn, and Sheridan Davis seconded. VOTE: All in favor. The meeting was adjourned unanimously. Passed this 21st day of June, 2023 _____________________ Jen Clancy, Town Clerk Alta Town Council Meeting May 10, 2023 7