City Council

Minutes of Regular Meeting of Council of Ogden City, Utah, April 5, 2016 Page Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Ogden City Council held on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 6:01 p.m., in the Council Chambers on the third floor of the Municipal Building, 2549 Washington Boulevard, Ogden City, Weber County, Utah. Present: Chair Marcia L. White Vice Chair Bart E. Blair Council members Neil K. Garner Richard A. Hyer Luis Lopez Ben Nadolski Doug Stephens Council Deputy Director Janene Eller-Smith Council Policy Analyst Glenn Symes Communications Specialist Brittany Griffin Also present: Mayor Michael P. Caldwell Chief Administrative Officer Mark Johnson Chief Deputy City Attorney Mara Brown Project Coordinator Cathy Fuentes Deputy City Recorder Abbie Zampedri At the request of the Chair, all present stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance led by Vice Chair Blair. Chair White then welcomed the following Boy Scout present from Troop #34, who is working on his City Council and Mayor Badge: Isaac Osguthorpe. A moment of silence was observed. Recognizing Ogden-Weber Tech College Student Shawn Owens who was named the 2016 State of Utah College of Applied Technology Student of the Year A memo from Council staff regarding recognition of Shawn Owens came before the Council for consideration. Mr. Owens, Ogden-Weber Tech College Student, was named the 2016 State of Utah College of Applied Technology Student of the Year. Council member Hyer read the certificate of recognition for Shawn Owens issued by the Ogden City Council and Mayor Caldwell. He then presented Mr. Owens with the certificate. Mr. Owens thanked the Mayor and Council for this recognition, which is very humbling for him. He is proud to represent the City of Ogden as well as the State of Utah in Technical Education. He noted that he received a four-year full-ride scholarship to Utah State University and was pursuing a degree in psychology, but his passion was youth counseling. In order to pursue that profession, he needed a four-year degree, a Master’s Degree, and a residency or internship. This would take him up to six years to accomplish and the entry wage for a youth counselor in the State of Utah is $35,000 with the top pay being $55,000. He stated he has siblings who are $30,000 in debt as a result of student loans, some of which pay more for student loans than their mortgage. He stated that one day he saw an article about the top 10 highest paying jobs that do not require a four-year degree; number three was an inspector and in September of 2014 the Ogden-Weber Tech College began offering a program to certify inspectors. He started the program in February of 2015 and received his certificate in October of the same year. The day after receiving his certificate he was contacted by ATK who indicated they wanted to interview him for a position; he was offered the position within the same week of receiving his certificate. He stated the message he is trying to send to people is that technical education is equally as important as university education. He noted that a non-destructive inspector with no previous experience can become employed at Hill Air Force Base with a starting pay of $21.33 per hour or $44,000 per year; the job tops out at approximately $95,000 per year. When he speaks to young people who do not know what career path to choose or others that are struggling to make ends meet, he stresses that tech education is an option and should be taken as seriously as university education. He again thanked the Council and Mayor and added that he is proud to represent Ogden and the State of Utah. A representative from the Ogden-Weber Technology College thanked the City for this opportunity to showcase one of the school’s finest students. She stated when listening to Mr. Owens speak, it is not difficult to understand why the school is eager to showcase its students. Mr. Owens is not atypical of the students at the tech college; there are so many wonderful opportunities and programs across tech colleges. She hopes the opportunities and wages Mr. Owens has access to because of the certificate he received from the school will really help other individuals in the community understand that the tech college is a great place to get started. There are seven tech colleges in the State of Utah and the Student of the Year program was created to help get the word out about the schools and the many ways in which the schools are meeting the needs of local employers. She added the school provides students and local residents the opportunity to take care of their families while taking advantage of growth and great occupations. She thanked the Council for allowing the school to showcase Mr. Owens this evening. Proposed Joint Proclamation of the Ogden City Council and Mayor declaring April 2016 as “Child Abuse Prevention Month” in Ogden City A joint proclamation regarding the declaration of April 2016 as “Child Abuse Prevention Month” in Ogden City came before the Council for consideration. Council member Nadolski read the joint proclamation, after which COUNCIL MEMBER NADOLSKI MOVED TO APPROVE THE JOINT PROCLAMATION. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HYER, ALL VOTING AYE. Council member Nadolski then presented the proclamation to Carrie Jensen, Associate Director of Prevent Child Abuse Utah. Ms. Jensen thanked the Council and Mayor for their consideration of the joint proclamation. She stated that Prevent Child Abuse Utah is a statewide organization, but they appreciate the opportunity to call Ogden home. April is child abuse prevention month and she is working to bring more awareness to child abuse that is happening in the State. Over 20,000 child abuse referrals are investigated each year. This month is about the bright, happy childhood that every child should have and deserve and the placement of bright blue pinwheels at certain locations throughout the State is meant to represent that. She brought enough pinwheels for each Council member to take home with them. Proposed Joint Proclamation of the Ogden City Council and Mayor declaring April 2016 as “Fair Housing Month” in Ogden City A joint proclamation regarding the declaration of April 2016 as “Fair Housing Month” in Ogden City came before the Council for consideration. Council member Lopez read the joint proclamation, after which COUNCIL MEMBER LOPEZ MOVED TO APPROVE THE JOINT PROCLAMATION. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GARNER, ALL VOTING AYE. Council member Lopez then presented the proclamation to Kelly Jorgensen, Field Office Director and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) representative. Mr. Jorgensen noted the HUD office is based in Salt Lake, but covers the entire State of Utah. He thanked the Mayor and City Council for their commitment to fair housing; HUD believes that every person should have the chance to secure and gain stable housing regardless of their religion, race, or other factors. HUD also values its relationship and partnership with the City of Ogden, which has been ongoing for several years. Each year HUD provides over $1 million to the City in community development planning program funds. He stated that Ward Ogden and Cathy Fuentes, as well as other City employees, do a wonderful job administering the funds at the local level and they should be commended for what they do. Ogden is one of only two cities in the nation that participates in the HUD asset control area program. Under this program the City of Ogden can purchase HUD foreclosed homes at half the appraised value, after which the homes are rehabilitated and offered for sale as affordable housing. These projects stabilize neighborhoods and provide safe housing and he is grateful to the City of Ogden for their commitment to that program. Over 120 homes have been rehabilitated through the program since Ogden first began participating. Chair White thanked Mr. Jorgenson for attending this evening. Utah State Legislator Updates from the 2016 General Legislative Session Representative Jeremy Peterson approached the Council and offered a summary of the activities that occurred during the 2016 General Legislative Session. A couple of pieces directly impacted Ogden City. First was legislation dealing with redevelopment tax credits and an effort to create tax credits for investment in blight areas to bridge the equity gap that exists when redeveloping blighted neighborhoods. The legislation failed due to the fact that the funding needed for the program was not available this year; the Legislature also did not have the political will to pursue the legislation. He is hopeful it will be possible to work with legislators to prioritize and fund the item next year. The second item deals with the Utah Retirement System and specifically how public safety employees are compensated in retirement or allowed to re-enter the work force after retirement. The current law requires public safety employees to wait at least one year after retirement before re-entering the public safety field and the goal of the legislation was to shorten that period of time in order to ease the burden of recruiting that currently exists in the public safety sphere. With the current public sentiment regarding police officers, it is a difficult time to be in the law enforcement field and pay has also been historically low. Ogden City has made strides in increasing salaries and the Legislature applauds those efforts. The bill narrowly passed the revenue and taxation committee, after which it was forwarded to the House of Representatives. This was a very controversial topic; the retirement system is going to need further adjustments, some of which will be significant. The unfunded liability of the retirement system has grown during the period of time since the last recession; the liability should be decreasing because it is directly tied to the market, but it has not and there may be a period of market decline in the near future and that unfunded liability will only escalate significantly. If that happens there may be efforts to create a tier three for public employee retirement compensation and there will be greater amounts of money taken to fund the retirement fund and it will be more difficult to compensate people to work in this field. He stated he expects movement on this issue in the next three to four years, depending on how quickly the next economic downturn occurs. He concluded he would be happy to answer any questions the Council may have about the session. Council member Stephens inquired as to the influence leadership from northern Utah has in the Legislature. Representative Peterson stated there is a northern Utah coalition of representatives who held a couple of meetings to discuss issues very particular to northern Utah. Many of the priorities focused on by the group were provided by the Weber County Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Davis County Chamber of Commerce; one big project was the Falcon Hill building. The cost of the project was $21 million, but is expected to spur another $80 million in commercial development at the Falcon Hill site. The idea behind the project is to shield Hill Air Force Base (HAFB) from potential base closure and he believes the efforts made have been successful as the government is locating new or expanded programs at HAFB that will need expanded support service. He added the interchange at Interstate 15 and 24th Street is also a big priority for the group and the project is moving further up the list of projects to be funded. Council member Nadolski thanked Representative Peterson for his service and dedication through the session and he also thanked him for his attendance this evening. He then stated four Council members will be attending the Utah League of Cities and Towns conference in St. George this week and they will hear from Representative Gibson regarding making significant strides in addressing homelessness in Utah. He asked Representative Peterson to provide his feedback regarding Representative Gibson’s efforts and the implications they may have for northern Utah. Representative Peterson stated the homelessness issue is directly related to mental illness or substance abuse that induces mental illness. A philosophical shift is occurring relative to the best method for rehabilitating homeless individuals as well as maintaining a standard of living that keeps those individuals out of trouble and from harming themselves. Part of that discussion is focused on the correct way to house homeless individuals. He is not familiar with Representative Gibson’s efforts, but he is familiar with the efforts that are underway in Salt Lake County. He stated one piece of legislation dealt with Medicaid expansion and will offer treatment through law enforcement avenues. He stated that anything that can be done to help the homeless population become more self-sufficient and safe is a good cause. Council member Nadolski stated that information is timely considering the issues Ogden City has been dealing with as of late. Chief Administrative Officer Johnson noted Representative Peterson has been in office for six years and it is wonderful for the City to have access to him and work closely with him on very important issues. He appreciates Representative Peterson and all he does for the community. Representative Peterson thanked Mr. Johnson for the kind words. He then noted that Ogden is very unique; he meets with representatives of other areas that have never experienced the type of things that happen in Ogden because they live in suburban, homogeneous, and newer communities. The problems Ogden faces are usually related to its history and its age and it has been necessary to repurpose the City to become relevant to other cities and economies. The reinvention process is tedious and hard work and no other communities have the same perspective as Ogden. He encouraged those who are concerned about an issue that is important to Ogden specifically to visit with legislators and talk to them about those issues. He added the more people expressing their desires, the better the public process can be. He commented he appreciated the time and attention of the Council this evening and noted he is open to answer any questions they may have at any time. Council member Lopez stated that he is very appreciative of Representative Peterson. He stated he is not sure how many other legislators were invited to attend tonight’s meeting, but it means a lot to him personally that Representative Peterson is in attendance this evening. Mayor Caldwell echoed the gratitude expressed to Representative Peterson; he has always been willing to listen to City representatives even if he did not agree with them. He stated there are many other legislators that are not willing to do the same and he is very grateful that Representative Peterson does a great job at listening and doing everything he feels he can do for Ogden. Chair White stated she also appreciates the representation that Representative Peterson has provided; he has sponsored very important legislation for Ogden and she appreciates all funding sources, even those that may not directly impact Ogden City. COUNCIL MEMBER HYER THEN MOVED TO AMEND THE AGENDA BY MOVING ITEM 5B REGARDING WEBER SPEAKS AFTER ITEM EIGHT REGARDING PUBLIC COMMENTS. COUNCIL MEMBER LOPEZ SECONDED THE MOTION; ALL VOTED IN FAVOR. Approval of Minutes Council member Garner stated he had reviewed the minutes of the Study Session and Regular Meeting of December 1, 2015 and found them to be accurate to the best of his recollection. Council member Hyer stated he had reviewed the minutes of the Work Session of December 1, 2016 and found them to be accurate to the best of his recollection. Council member Nadolski stated he had reviewed the minutes of the Special Meeting of January 12, 2016 and found them to be accurate to the best of his recollection. Council member Stephens stated he had reviewed the minutes of the Work Session of January 12, 2016 and found them to be accurate to the best of his recollection. Council member Lopez stated he had reviewed the minutes of the Work Session of January 19, 2016 and found them to be accurate to the best of his recollection. COUNCIL MEMBER LOPEZ THEN MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER STEPHENS, ALL VOTING AYE. Proposed Resolution 2016-9 adopting Amendment #1 to the Annual Action Plan for the period July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 A memo from the Community and Economic Development (CED) Department regarding proposed Amendment #1 to the Annual Action Plan (AAP) came before the Council for consideration. The memo stated the purpose of Annual Action Plan FY2015-16 Amendment #1 (Amendment #1) is to reconcile the budget to reflect actual carry-over from last fiscal year and update Program Income estimates for the current year. The Public Hearing to adopt AAP FY16 Amendment #1 also fulfils the City's Citizen Participation Plan requirement to hold two public hearings each year for the Consolidated Plan Annual Action Plan process. Regarding program income funds, estimates for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME and Housing Fund Program Income have increased by a net total of $587,353 as a result of unanticipated loan payoffs received. The additional Program Income funds have been programmed to complete viable projects and programs for the period July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. Additionally, in the adopted budget, carry-over funds were estimated prior to the completion of the fiscal year. The Ogden Business Exchange Project (Trackline) made significant progress in the prior fiscal year, and as a result the Trackline project carried-over $871,967 less in HUD Section 108 Loan Guarantee funds than excepted. Also, Infill projects and the HELP program carried-over less funding than anticipated. The decrease in Trackline, infill project and HELP project carry-over funding resulted in a net decrease of $892,729 carry-over funds for the AAP FY16 Budget. The AAP Budget has been updated and submitted as AAP FY16 Budget Amendment #1 to reflect the changes in program budgets. In summary, Amendment #1 proposes a net decrease of $305,376 to the Annual Action Plan FY16 Budget. These changes are reflected in the budget, specifically the sources and uses of funds that are planned in the Annual Action Plan FY16 Amendment #1. A notice in the Standard Examiner was published February 23, 2016 advertising the 30-day public comment period for Amendment #1 to the Annual Action Plan 2015-2016. The 30-day comment period is February 24, 2016 thru March 25, 2016. The Community and Economic Development Department's Citizen Advisory Committee reviewed AAP FY16 Amendment #1 on February 24, 2016 and made recommendations to the City Council. Any submitted public comments will be made available to the City Council prior to adoption. The memo concluded City Administration requests the City Council hold a public hearing and adopt the resolution approving Annual Action Plan Amendment #1 for July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. CED Project Coordinator Fuentes summarized the memo and used the aid of a PowerPoint presentation to provide the Council with information regarding the proposed amendment to the FY2016 Annual Action Plan (AAP) and the subsequent budget amendment. She explained the AAP describes the HUD programs and projects to be funded in the Fiscal Year, outlines the goals and accomplishments for the year, sets a detailed budget for the use of HUD funds, provides narratives on how the city will address regulatory requirements, and serves as the City’s application for CDBG and HOME Entitlement funds. She explained when the AAP was created, it included projected budget numbers and the purpose of Amendment #1 is to bring the budget for the plan current considering actual budget figures; a public hearing is required to meet HUD’s requirement for two public hearings per year. The initially submitted AAP budget was $7,319,468 and the actual budget is $7,014,092; this is a decrease in total funds by $305,376. Budget highlights include an increase in program income of $587,353 and a decrease in carry-over funds of $892,729. The decrease is directly related to the Trackline HUD 108 loan proceeds; the loan actually closed before June 30, 2015 and the funds did not carry over into the current fiscal year. She asked that the Council approve the proposed amendment to the AAP. Chair White called for a public hearing on proposed Resolution 2016-9, entitled: “A resolution of the Ogden City Council adopting an amendment to the budget for Annual Action Plan – July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016.” The Deputy City Recorder presented written notice of said hearing and affidavit of the publication in the Standard Examiner on the 20th day of March, 2016 specifying the time and place of this meeting as the time and place when and where the proposed resolution would be given a public hearing and be considered for final passage. The proof of publication was accepted and filed. The proposed resolution was read by long title. COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR MOVED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND ALLOW ALL INTERESTED PERSONS A FULL AND FAIR OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GARNER, ALL VOTING AYE. There being no persons appearing to be heard, COUNCIL MEMBER HYER MOVED THE PUBLIC HEARING BE CLOSED. THE MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GARNER, ALL VOTING AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER GARNER MOVED THE RESOLUTION BE ADOPTED, AND THE CHAIR BE AUTHORIZED TO SIGN THE SAME. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER STEPHENS, WITH THE FOLLOWING ROLL CALL VOTE: VOTING AYE – COUNCIL MEMBERS GARNER, HYER, LOPEZ, NADOLSKI, STEPHENS, VICE CHAIR BLAIR, AND CHAIR WHITE. VOTING NO – NONE. Proposed Ordinance 2016-16 amending the budget for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 by decreasing the anticipated revenues for a gross decrease of $349,284 A memo from the Comptroller regarding a proposed budget amendment came before the Council for consideration. The memo stated City Administration presented its proposed amendments to the Annual Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2016 on March 1, 2016. The amendments included an overall increase in Program Income of $587,353 and a total net carry-over decrease of $892,729 for a total net decrease in budget revenues of $305,376. The amended plan also shows how the funds are to be expended through the remainder of the year. The amendment to the City’s fiscal year 2016 budget proposed in conjunction with the amended Annual Action Plan budget differs slightly in the total dollar amount amended. The Annual Action Plan budget is a separate budget used for purposes of the Annual Action Plan and the tracking of federal and certain non-federal funds and programs. The City’s budget reflects the amounts in the Annual Action Plan budget but includes other city-funded and city-related items not specifically included in the Annual Action Plan budget. In this year’s proposed City budget amendment, in addition to the adjustments included in the Annual Action Plan budget, the proposal includes an adjustment to the Business Information Center, or BIC, Servicing Revenue. This adjustment is a revenue decrease of $43,875 in revenue. Also, the budget amendment documents as well as the City’s adopted budget, round dollar amounts to the nearest $25 increment while the Annual Action Plan budget uses exact dollar amounts. The differences between the actuals and the $25 increments in this year’s amendment total $33. These two factors account for the discrepancy in totals between the budget amendment schedules and the Annual Action Plan budget numbers. The total Annual Action Plan budget amendment is a decrease of $305,375 while the budget amendment to the City budget is a decrease of $349,284. The memo concluded the purpose of this action is to set the public hearing for the budget amendment that accompanies the amendments to the Annual Action Plan budget. City Administration presented the proposed amendments to the Annual Action Plan and budget during the Council’s March 1, 2016 work session. Comptroller Stout summarized the memo and stated the proposed action is to amend the line item budget to align with the budget included in the Annual Action Plan. The total adjustment is a decrease to the major grants fund of the City budget of $349,284. It is her recommendation that the Council approve the budget amendment. The Chair then called for a public hearing on proposed Ordinance 2016-16, entitled: “An ordinance of Ogden City amending the budget for the Fiscal year July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 by decreasing the anticipated revenues for a gross decrease of $349,284 from sources as detailed in the body of this ordinance; and decreasing the appropriations for a gross decrease of $349,284 as detailed in the body of this ordinance; and providing that this ordinance shall become effective immediately upon posting after final passage.” The Deputy City Recorder presented written notice of said hearing and affidavit of the publication in the Standard Examiner on the 20th day of March, 2016 specifying the time and place of this meeting as the time and place when and where the proposed ordinance would be given a public hearing and be considered for final passage. The proof of publication was accepted and filed. The proposed ordinance was read by long title. COUNCIL MEMBER GARNER MOVED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND ALLOW ALL INTERESTED PERSONS A FULL AND FAIR OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER NADOLSKI, ALL VOTING AYE. There being no persons appearing to be heard, COUNCIL MEMBER HYER MOVED THE PUBLIC HEARING BE CLOSED. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GARNER, ALL VOTING AYE. ON A MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER HYER AND SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GARNER, ORDINANCE WAS PASSED AND ADOPTED AS OGDEN CITY ORDINANCE 2016-16 AND ORDERED POSTED AS REQUIRED BY LAW UPON THE FOLLOWING ROLL CALL VOTE: VOTING AYE – COUNCIL MEMBERS GARNER, HYER, LOPEZ, NADOLSKI, STEPHENS, VICE CHAIR BLAIR, AND CHAIR WHITE. VOTING NO – NONE. The Chair signed the ordinance as passed and adopted and the Chair’s signature was attested by the City Recorder. The authenticated ordinance was then filed with the City Recorder for transmittal to the Mayor for review and consideration. Weber Speaks. Weber State University students will provide persuasive speeches regarding transportation opportunities in Ogden Nicholas Giarman stated he is a new resident and a business student at Weber State University and today he would like to talk about public transportation in Ogden and Weber County. Before moving to Utah he lived throughout the country and has lived in a good number of major cities; each time he moved to a new location he would use the public transportation system in that city as his main mode of travel. A very large and important factor in determining if a public transportation system will be successful in a City is the layout and geometry of the City. He stated he would like to talk about two cities that are quintessential examples of success and failure of public transportation in the United States. The first city is Los Angeles, which has a very expensive public transit system that does not work very well. The City is very large and sprawled out; main city points are spread so far that it is difficult for any sort of public transit system to be effective there. The second city is Portland; the state of Oregon has restrictive zoning laws to protect wildlife land and farmland. This makes it difficult for residential and commercial growth to expand outward and the passive result is that many people settle in areas that are already serviced by the existing transit system. He stated the main point of this discussion is the effectiveness of City planning and planning for the future. He yielded to his fellow speaker. Justin Cypers stated that many people have negative ideas about Ogden, but those that live in the City know that those ideas are not accurate. He commented that through improving public transportation it will be possible to draw more people in to see what a wonderful City this is. Three main points he will cover during his presentation include the question of whether Ogden City should be considered a big city or a suburb, the parking problems in downtown Ogden, and ways to better connect Weber State University (WSU) to downtown Ogden. He discussed the differences between big cities and suburbs and stated main differences include density and the availability of parking in downtown areas. He noted that Ogden includes many historic buildings that are located very close to streets; this should be maintained to provide easy access for pedestrians. The question is if the suburban type of development should be kept on the outskirts of the City or be allowed to creep into the downtown. He discussed parking areas in downtown Ogden and stated he feels there is too much parking area reducing the possibilities for businesses to expand. If businesses are allowed to expand or if new businesses can be built, more people will be drawn to the City. Increasing density would also increase walkability. It would be great to bring more people into Ogden, but without their cars and the only way to do that is with public transportation. He compared Ogden to Boulder, Colorado, which is the top transit city among smaller cities. The system serves the local university and only 11 percent of the 25,000 students there own a car. The students use the transit system to connect to the city. He explained what can be gained when people are allowed to connect to their city, with a focus on growth, connectivity, easy access to facilities, and additional benefits. He stated Ogden City has the ability to provide all of these things and an improved public transit system would be greatly supported by WSU students. Chair White asked both students if they were required to research this topic for one of their classes. Mr. Giarman answered yes and noted that their communications class offered public transit as one of the subjects to be explored; he and Mr. Cypers both have a history of using public transit in other cities and would like to see some improvements in the local system. Council member Garner asked Mr. Cypers if he did research regarding the number of parking lots in downtown Ogden that offer private parking versus public access. Mr. Cypers stated he did not. Council member Garner stated parking in downtown Ogden is an issue the Council is very aware of and is working to address. Chair White added that the Council often hears there is not enough parking in downtown Ogden. Mr. Cypers indicated an improved transit system would increase ridership and users would not need to look for parking spots. Chair White asked both students if they have passes to use the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) system in the area, to which both answered yes. Council member Stephens inquired as to the number of students that use UTA. Mr. Cypers stated he does not know the number, but is aware that it is difficult for students to get from campus to other main points in the City due to the manner in which the system is laid out. The system may be adequate to serve the current population, but as the population grows improvements will be needed. Council member Stephens asked if the UTA schedule is adequate. Mr. Cypers stated he has heard complaints that service is not offered late enough in the evening, but that may be because many businesses are closed by 10:00 p.m. Chair White asked if the system is easy to access. Mr. Gierman stated that many people do not understand all amenities available to them through the transit system, but he has found it is easy to access. Council member Garner asked how students could be encouraged to make better use of the transit system. Mr. Gierman stated that transit can be marketed through campaigns and word of mouth about service. Chair White asked if students pay for their UTA passes. Vice Chair Blair stated the students pay the university for their passes, though UTA does not realize a financial benefit. Council member Hyer thanked both students for attending the meeting this evening. Mayor Comments Mayor Caldwell addressed both Mr. Gierman and Mr. Cypers and stated they did a wonderful job in addressing the Council regarding the issue of public transit. He then offered his gratitude to all people that participated on the Brand Development Team, whose work over the past year culminated last week. He stated that the work done will provide the City with a master plan and many actionable items to execute over the past couple of years. Council member Comments Chair White echoed Mayor Caldwell’s comments about the branding project; last week was an exciting week as the work of the consultant and the Brand Development Team was presented. Council member Garner announced Ogden restaurant week, which commences next week. He encouraged all citizens who do not get to the downtown area very often to do so next week to find great deals and sample excellent cuisine. Council member Nadolski invited the entire Council and all others to participate in the Mayor’s Walk, which is scheduled for May 20, 2016. This is an important initiative to bring people to downtown Ogden and participate in Ogden Marathon events. He offered to pay the $10 registration fee for any Council member who agrees to participate. There being no further business to come before the Council, COUNCIL MEMBER GARNER MOVED THE MEETING ADJOURN AT 7:07 P.M. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HYER, ALL VOTING AYE. ________________________________________ ABBIE ZAMPEDRI DEPUTY CITY RECORDER ________________________________________ MARCIA L. WHITE, CHAIR APPROVED: June 7, 2016