City Council

Minutes of Special Meeting of Council of Ogden City, Utah, January 4, 2016 Page Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Ogden City Council held on Tuesday, January 4, 2016 at 12:06 p.m., in the Council Chambers on the third floor of the Municipal Building, 2549 Washington Boulevard, Ogden City, Weber County, Utah. Present: Chair Richard A. Hyer Vice Chair Marcia L. White Council members Bart E. Blair Neil K. Garner Caitlin K. Gochnour Doug Stephens Amy L. Wicks Council Executive Director Bill Cook Council Policy Analyst Glenn Symes Communications Manager Amy Sue Mabey Office Manager Mavis Hawley Communications Specialist Brittany Griffin Also present: Council member Elect Luis Lopez Mayor Mike Caldwell Council member Elect Ben Nadolski City Recorder Tracy Hansen Chief Administrative Officer Mark Johnson Executive Assistant Cindy Weloth City Attorney Gary Williams Comptroller Lisa Stout Chief Deputy Attorney Mara Brown Public Ways & Parks Manager Perry Huffaker Assistant City Attorney Mark Stratford Recreation Manager Edd Bridge Public Services Director Jay Lowder Operations Supervisor Andy Lefgren Fire Chief Mike Mathieu Deputy Finance Manager Camille Cook Deputy Police Chief Wayne Tarwater Digital Media Producer Ben Taylor City Engineer Justin Anderson Special Events Assistant Ashley Bockwoldt Deputy Recorder/Records Specialist Julia LaSeure Arts Coordinator Diane Stern Special Events Project Coordinator Robin McCaul Deputy Recorder Abbie Zampedri Marketing & Communications Administrator Cami Orr Special Events Senior Project Coordinator Christy McBride Human Resources/Risk Management Manager Shawn Choate Human Resources/Risk Management Technician Trudi Simpson Chief Deputy Recorder Lee Ann Peterson At the request of the Chair, all present stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance led by Vice Chair White. A moment of silence was observed. Comments from outgoing Council members Caitlin K. Gochnour and Amy L. Wicks Council member Gochnour noted she was recently asked about the best part of serving on the City Council and after pondering the question she responded: first, the unexpected delight of discovering that phenomenal, talented people work tirelessly for Ogden City. Second, the satisfaction she felt when fellow citizens came to her with concerns or problems and she watched with amazement and pride as City staff quickly sprang into action to respond and solve every situation. Third, the fulfillment and relief that came after struggling, brainstorming, and finally reaching sensible solutions on a variety of controversial City issues. She is grateful she had the opportunity to serve her fellow Ogdenites for eight years. She has learned so much, been too passionate about some issues, and tried to use common sense in most instances, but it has always been a privilege and honor to serve. The beauty of the democratic system is that someone like her can be elected, learn the ropes, and contribute to the betterment of the community. She thanked Council staff for their unending patience, mentoring, brainpower, dignity, and grace in honoring seven different and continually revolving Council members. She thanked fellow Council members for their ideas, solutions, and humor through many long meetings and for caring so much about the community. She thanked Mayor Caldwell and Chief Administrative Officer Johnson for their efforts in reaching out and bridging with so many different groups and organizations. She expressed thanks to all the marvelous Ogden City employees who put their hearts and souls into their jobs to keep the community functioning seamlessly. She thanked her husband for his love and support throughout this adventure and for balancing her whenever necessary. She also thanked her three children who have matured greatly over the past eight years and endured her absence on long Tuesday evenings. She believes this has been a worthwhile adventure. Before her first campaign, her family competed to read the sports section and comics of the local newspaper; but during her term as a Council member, that competition has included the editorial page as well. She congratulated Council members-elect Lopez and Nadolski and stated they will bring amazing new energy and ideas to the Council. She finally addressed all the wonderful people who make Ogden special and concluded by saying the future of Ogden is indeed bright. Council member Wicks stated it has been an honor and privilege to serve Ogden City as a Council member for the past 12 years and she has had the opportunity to work with so many talented and devoted people throughout the City, including City staff, Council staff, the Mayor, and many citizens who serve on committees and work to make Ogden a better place to live. It has been a joy to work with everyone and realize what can be accomplished when many people put passion and their brains towards solutions. She thanked everyone for their ideas, support, and civic engagement. She also thanked her fellow Council members and acknowledged the time they spend in Council meetings, which can be more than they spend with some members of their family. She stated she appreciates the fact that many have had the ability to handle issues with humor. She thanked her employer for allowing her a flexible work schedule that afforded her the opportunity to participate on the City Council. She stated it is important to have people on the City Council who are working in and among the community. She thanked her family and her partner, Jeff, for putting up with late nights and time away and she congratulated the newly elected Council members. She encouraged them to take on this opportunity with common sense and transparency and she noted she looks forward to the future of Ogden; she feels the City is truly a better place now than it was 12 years ago and she can only imagine what it will be like 12 years from now. Chair Hyer stated he appreciates the service Council members Gochnour and Wicks have provided to Ogden City. Administration of the Oath of Office for Newly Elected Mayor Michael P. Caldwell City Recorder Hansen administered the Oath of Office for Mayor Michael P. Caldwell. Comments from Mayor Caldwell Mayor Caldwell stated it is humbling to be able to serve and work with such great people. He thanked his family for their patience and support as the job of Mayor is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He stated he would also like to thank the outgoing Council members for the sacrifices they have made; 12 years is a long time to sacrifice every Tuesday night and additional evenings, especially during the budget preparation process. The job of Council member is a big one and members are certainly not compensated fairly for the time and energy they put into the position. He appreciates people that are willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the community and Council members Gochnour and Wicks have represented the community well. He addressed newly elected Council members Hyer, Lopez, and Nadolski and stated that two of those officials are new and may not quite understand what they are getting into yet. He appreciates their courage and willingness to serve in this position and he feels the hard work they displayed during their campaigns is representative of the way they will serve the citizens of Ogden. He added his thanks to the great employees and Department Directors of Ogden City; much of what is accomplished by the elected officials of the City comes through the hard work done by the employees. He quoted President Theodore Roosevelt who said “the best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” The employees do great work and he appreciates all they do. He expects the next four years will be very busy and he will continue to focus on economic development. He believes the City will continue to lead the country in outdoor recreation clustering, advanced manufacturing clustering, and aerospace clustering; there are phenomenal opportunities coming to the City in each of those areas. One of the jobs the elected officials have is to develop the pipeline and talent pool to be able to execute on some of those opportunities. The Trackline Business Park will be a new model for sustainable development downtown and will set a new tone that he is very excited about. The Quality Neighborhoods Initiative will set a new standard in safe and affordable housing and will help stabilize many of the older blocks of the City that have unfortunately fallen into disrepair. He is very proud of the fact that Forbes Magazine has recognized Ogden in the last couple years as one of the nation’s 20 fastest growing cities and one of the best places to raise a family. In the last four years the City has experienced a reduction in part- one crime by almost 18 percent and he will continue to work to further that reduction and to provide safe, walkable neighborhoods as well as a robust and engaging downtown to create a sense of place and give residents pride in their community. He added the City has blazed a new trail of establishing a Diversity Council and the Mayor’s Office of Diversity and that will continue to evolve over the next four years. He will also be working on very unique infrastructure and open space issues. He referenced partnerships and stated he believes the City’s partnerships with Ogden School District, Weber State University, Ogden Weber Tech College, Weber County, Hill Air Force Base, and different leaders throughout the state and in the business community will continue to prepare the community and current students for the job opportunities ahead and to help provide for paths out of poverty. He expects Ogden to be recognized as one of the most progressive cities in the State of Utah and the Council will be needed to help lead that charge. He also thanked Ogden City voters for their confidence in him and he assured them that he will continue the hard work and commitment to community building and working in a fair and transparent environment. He stated he looks forward to continuing to work with the entire Council and City employees. Administration of the Oath of Office for Newly Elected Council members Richard A. Hyer, Luis Lopez and Ben Nadolski City Recorder Hansen administered the Oath of Office to Council members Hyer, Lopez, and Nadolski. Comments from Council members Hyer, Lopez and Nadolski Council member Hyer indicated he will reserve his comments for the end of the meeting.  Council member Lopez stated he needs to thank many people and express his gratitude for the support he was given in order to be elected to this office. He believes running for and serving in public office is not only a great honor, but it is essential to keeping the democracy alive and strong. He thanked his wife and children and all the people who supported him with their vote or by contributing their time to his campaign in any way. He addressed those that did not vote for him and thanked them for participating in the election. He addressed his colleagues on the City Council and congratulated those that are newly elected as well; he also congratulated Mayor Caldwell on his re-election, after which he addressed outgoing Council members Gochnour and Wicks and thanked them for their service in office. He thanked Council staff and City staff for the great work they do to keep government running and he concluded by thanking those present today to show their support. He said the Ogden tribe is truly amazing and he looks forward to serving them over the next four years. Council member Nadolski also thanked those present today and stated he would first like to thank Council members Gochnour and Wicks for their collective 20 years of service in the role of Council member; it is an impressive amount of service and is something he will honor moving forward. He congratulated Mayor Caldwell and Council member Hyer on their re-election and Council member Lopez on his election. He stated he is very eager and excited to work with all elected officials in this new role and, as Mayor Caldwell indicated, he likely does not know what he is getting into, but he will be discovering that soon. He would most importantly like to thank his best friend and wife, Janie Nadolski, for helping to him get in to office in Ogden and for supporting him. He stated the highlight of this experience so far was watching his two daughters lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the meeting. He takes this responsibility very seriously; he was raised in a home where he was taught that community building is a process – a process that changes, but that also never ends. He is proud of Ogden and all it has become and he is also proud of everything it will become in the future. Community building never ends and many difficult decisions lie ahead and he can promise the citizens of Ogden that he will work hard to understand the issues, get to know people, and make the best decisions that he can. He thanked the voters for the opportunity to serve and indicated he looks forward to serving with all elected officials, City Administration, and the Council and City staff. He hopes he has made his family proud and hopes to increase that pride over the next four years. Comments from other Council members Council member Garner addressed Council members Gochnour and Wicks and stated it has been an honor to serve with both of them; they helped the Council understand the importance of community and they each took their positions very seriously. Council member Wicks taught the Council the importance of being engaged, doing research, and to truly look into all aspects of an issue and she truly amazed him with her ability to find information and provide it to the rest of the Council as they worked through very serious issues. He will always appreciate her dedication and her willingness to help everyone; she always looked out for the ‘little guy’ and helped the Council think outside of the box. He remarked that he appreciates Council member Gochnour’s mentorship, insight, and guidance through City Council issues and personal issues alike; she is a true lady and it has been a pleasure to work with her. He then addressed newly elected Council members Lopez and Nadolski and stated he looks forward to working with them; he watched them as they campaigned for office with dignity and their love for the community and he is excited to see how they bring that in to Council meetings. Council member Stephens congratulated Council member Hyer and Mayor Caldwell on their re-election; he is looking forward to another four years of working with them for great progress. He stated he is also excited to work with Council members Lopez and Nadolski and the knowledge and talent they will bring to the Council will add a great deal to the body. He stated that the City is made up of many entities; he looks at the City as a blanket with many contributors that serve as the fabric holding the blanket together. Two Council members are leaving that have served as the fabric in that blanket. He stated that their tenure on the Council was long and there are several aspects that come to mind when he thinks of each of them; the first to come to mind is service. Council members Gochnour and Wicks served with their hearts and mind to make Ogden a better place. Second is commitment and each of them were very committed to their position and attended meetings every week to see Ogden progress and become better. There were some tough times, but they helped to lead the City to a more promising future. Third is their insight into the issues that were presented to the Council on a weekly basis; these issues formulate the lives of the individuals that live in Ogden. He stated Council member Wicks always raised issues that the Council should be thinking of and that was a great help. Council member Gochnour always made the Council think of the consequences of their decisions. It has been an honor to serve with both of them and he said they are very special to the community and are still a part of the fabric of the blanket that is Ogden. Council member Blair congratulated Mayor Caldwell and Council member Hyer on their re-elections and commented they have done a great job for the City over the past four years. He looks forward to working with the newly elected Council members as well and he is excited to see what they will bring to the Council and the City. He addressed outgoing Council members Gochnour and Wicks; Council member Wicks was the first Council member who reached out to him during his campaign for City Council. During that time the politics of the City were much more contentious than they are now and he was having a hard time with that contention. Council member Wicks was the first to reach out and offer her support and wisdom. He has been in awe of Council member Wicks; he watched her more than any other Council member to see how she handled certain situations and to gauge her reaction to certain decisions and he has been amazed. He truly admires her and thinks she is brilliant. He has sat next to her during Council work sessions and it amazes him the amount of information she retains. She has the ability to conduct research on digital devices will remaining engaged in discussion and she does that to make sure the Council is not leaving anything uncovered. He remembered one of his first Council meetings when he was not sure how to vote on an issue and he ended up voting in support while Council member Wicks voted in opposition; she was the only one who voted in opposition and she provided her reasoning for that vote. She does that as well as anyone and she represents the people that put her on the Council and she fights for them with everything she has. She also had the ability to move on after a decision is made without holding hard feelings or a grudge. He stated he wants her to know how much that mean to him and how much he admired that and that he will miss her. He addressed Council member Gochnour and stated each time the Council meets with the Mayor for an update on projects throughout the City, Council member Gochnour asks for his ‘top five’ priorities at the moment; for that reason, he will offer his top five memories of Council member Gochnour. He stated that, first, he and everyone in the City thank her for her care for and love of this City; Council member Gochnour truly loves the City and each of its citizens whether they feel she is doing a great job or not. Second, Council members work in small sub-committees to examine various issues and it seemed for the first two years he worked with Council member Gochnour on sub-committees and that time was very valuable in helping him feel that he was learning and getting up to speed. Council member Gochnour was mentoring him and was always so welcoming of his comments and ideas. Third, is the grace with which Council member Gochnour handled everything. Fourth, he is going to miss the wisdom that Council members Gochnour and Wicks brought to the Council; he knew something would never slide past the Council with them in office and there will be a void there that each Council member is challenged to fill. He stated that finally he will miss Council member Gochnour’s smile; he does not know anyone that can do this job and smile as much as she did. He thanked both Council members Gochnour and Wicks, expressed how much he loves and admires them, and wished them both nothing but success on whatever they choose to do in the future. Vice Chair White stated she also wants to thank Council members Gochnour and Wicks personally for their patience with her as a new Council member; she asked a lot of questions and they were always so patient. They have a good understanding of what is going on in their local community as well as the entire City and she has appreciated their perspective on various issues. It has been fun to listen to them and talk to them about their perspectives and to witness their financial acumen when dealing with the City budget. She added they have always given a voice to those that may not otherwise have a strong voice and that will be missed. She knows the entire Council will miss her and they know that Ogden is a better place because of them. She then addressed the newly elected Council members and congratulated them. She offered an analogy, indicating serving as a Council member is like playing golf: sometimes the player will get a par, a birdie, or a bogey, but sometimes it will take all seven players on the Council to find the ball in the rough. The Council is a team and she knows that Ogden will be a better place for their service. Closing remarks from Council Chair Hyer Chair Hyer saluted all those that ran for office; it takes courage to put oneself ‘out there’ and run for office. He is excited to serve with those newly elected officials after watching their campaigns with keen interest. He knew Council member Lopez a bit better than Council member Nadolski, though he thinks of both of them as his friend. Both are very thoughtful and qualified to serve in this position; they are sponges and eager to learn and he feels their learning curve will be very short. He thanked those that have supported him, particularly his wife who was very supportive of his decision to seek re-election. The amount of time that Council members must dedicate to their position is great and families are left picking up the slack and he appreciates his family for having done that. He also thanked outgoing Council members Gochnour and Wicks; so many things have been said that he also planned to say, but it is important for him to mention Council members Wicks’ nickname: Wicks-epedia. The nickname truly fits as Council member Wicks was able to find data on any issue in a heartbeat. He also very much appreciated Council member Gochnour’s smile and welcoming attitude, especially when he was new and timid; she helped to set him on the right path as a Council member. He very much appreciates both of them for their example of dedication of service to the City. He considers them to be friends as well and hopes to rub shoulders with them in the future somehow. It is interesting that the City goes through seasons associated with different leadership; change is usually good and the changes the City has experienced over the past four years with Mayor Caldwell have been very positive for the City. He has appreciates his leadership on the administrative side of the City and he appreciates his colleagues on the Council for the work they are able to do together to reach a consensus. He noted he was raised in a home where his mother was a staunch Democrat and his father was a firm Republican and the way they approached their differences was with respect, consideration, and selflessness; they counseled with one another to decide candidates that best represented their family and they would cast their ballots avoiding cancelling each other out. He learned how to do that from his parents and he is grateful for them teaching him how to negotiate. Ogden is entering into a new season and newly elected Council members will bring new things to the Council in the wake of the great loss of the experience of Council members Gochnour and Wicks. Council members Lopez and Nadolski have much to offer and they will aid the City in progressing in a new season. He appreciates the bright outlook the City has going forward and he is honored to be part of it. He then noted everyone is invited to attend a reception honoring outgoing and newly elected Council members immediately following this meeting. There being no further business to come before the Council, COUNCIL MEMBER GARNER MOVED THE MEETING ADJOURN AT 12:49 P.M. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER STEPHENS, ALL VOTING AYE. ________________________________________ LEE ANN PETERSON, MMC CHIEF DEPUTY CITY RECORDER ________________________________________ RICHARD A. HYER, CHAIR APPROVED: March 15, 2016