Town Council Work Session

Town Council Work Session Levan Town Hall, June 26, 2025, 6:00 PM Meeting minutes Present at meeting: Mayor Bruce Rowley, Council member Ray Evans, Council member Chris Chipping, Council member Rachel Goates, Council member Belle Brough Town Clerk Christine Carrigan Meeting Recorder: Chantal Rowley Public attending: Carol Bennett, Rebecca Dopp (Times-News) Welcome Mayor Rowley welcomed everyone to the Town Council Work Session on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Session began at 6:02 pm. Budget Worksheet Christine presented the 2025 budget amendment and the proposed 2026 budget. She explained that the 2025 budget needed amending because revenue exceeded 100% of what was allowed. The solution was to move $228,415 from the general fund to the capital fund. Christine noted that several anticipated grants had not been received in the 2025 fiscal year, including a $100,000 grant for the park and a $50,000 grant for the water aquifer recharge project. She also removed $225,000 that had been budgeted for a potential garbage truck purchase, as this was the easiest way to balance the budget since they had rebuilt the motor in the existing truck instead. A council member asked about what happened with the garbage truck, and Christine explained that the motor was rebuilt and the mechanic had the truck ready within a week. Christine explained that all the changes to the amended budget were highlighted in yellow in the documents. She emphasized that the general fund must balance, while enterprise funds don't have the same requirement. Christine also noted that the gas enterprise fund required amendment due to depreciation costs pushing actual operating expenses to $318,437, which exceeded the budgeted $316,000. She proposed amending the gas budget to $326,000 to provide a cushion. The discussion turned to the possible need for a small increase in gas rates. Christine mentioned they would need to perform analysis on gas costs over the past three years before determining the exact rate increase. Council members discussed that they had been able to avoid utility rate increases during the current mayor's term, with only increases to water rates (to cover new water system costs) and a slight electric rate adjustment. For the 2026 budget, Christine highlighted that employee benefits costs had increased significantly, with a 14.4% increase in health insurance for Travis and Jason. The council discussed whether employees should bear part of the cost increase: Mayor expressed that insurance should come with the job and shouldn't be cut back. Ray Evans recalled that several years ago they had increased the budget for benefits but said future increases could be covered by employees. Rachel Goates stated that to keep quality employees, the town needs to provide insurance benefits, noting that Jason had been offered higher-paying jobs elsewhere. The council ultimately agreed to maintain the full insurance benefit rather than asking employees to contribute to the increase, with the estimated cost being approximately $16,000-$17,000 for all employee benefits across departments. Christine noted that cemetery lot fees had not been adjusted in the budget since no decision had been made yet about increasing prices. Council members discussed the need to address cemetery lot pricing, as their current rates were notably cheaper than neighboring towns. They decided to get a cost comparison with Nephi and Mona and add this topic to a future agenda. They also discussed the need for road improvements in the cemetery. Christine explained how the budget was broken down between enterprise funds (utilities treated as businesses) and the general fund (treated as government money). She noted that to balance the budget, sometimes specific line items needed adjustments. Christine also mentioned that she had reorganized how donations for the 24th of July celebration were tracked, separating actual donations from ticket and merchandise sales to improve financial tracking. The council briefly discussed the upcoming 24th celebration, including activities and expenses. They discussed a potential fish grab activity that would cost over $1,000 for 160 ten-inch fish ($5.50 per fish plus delivery), which was significantly more expensive than the $120 it cost in 2018. Most council members felt this was too expensive. A council member suggested raffling meat packages from a local butcher as an alternative fundraising activity. Adjourn Motion to close the meeting made by Ray Evans, seconded by Belle Brough. Motion carried unanimously. Work session adjourned at 6:32 pm. Christine Carrigan, Clerk