City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting - ARCHIVED

SOUTH JORDAN CITY CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLANNING STUDY MEETING November 19, 2024 Present: Mayor Dawn R. Ramsey, Council Member Patrick Harris, Council Member Tamara Zander, Council Member Don Shelton, Council Member Kathie Johnson, Council Member Jason McGuire, City Manager Dustin Lewis, Assistant City Manager Jason Rasmussen, City Attorney Ryan Loose, Director of Strategy & Budget Don Tingey, Director of Planning Steven Schaefermeyer, Director of City Commerce Brian Preece, Director of Public Works Raymond Garrison, CFO Sunil Naidu, City Engineer Brad Klavano, Director of Administrative Services Melinda Seager, Police Chief Jeff Carr, Fire Chief Chris Dawson, Director of Recreation Janell Payne, Communications Manager Rachael Van Cleave, Chief Technology Officer Matthew Davis, IS Senior System Administrator Phill Brown, GIS Coordinator Matt Jarman, City Recorder Anna Crookston, Meeting Transcriptionist Diana Baun, Associate Director of Parks Colby Hill Absent: Others: Marc Halliday 4:40 P.M. STUDY MEETING A. Welcome, Roll Call, and Introduction: By Mayor, Dawn R. Ramsey Mayor Ramsey welcomed everyone present and introduced the meeting. B. Invocation: By Council Member, Kathie Johnson Council Member Johnson offered the invocation. C. Mayor and Council Coordination - None D. Discussion/Review of Regular Council Meeting Tonight’s City Council meeting agenda was amended to remove the Altitude Development Land Use Items. Presentation Items: - Lung Cancer Awareness Month Proclamation 2024 - Small Business Saturday Proclamation 2024 Public Hearing: - Ordinance 2024-24, Amending Section 16.30.040 (Outdoor Landscaping Standards) of South Jordan Municipal Code to prohibit lawn outside of active recreation areas in all commercial, industrial, and multi-family development common area landscapes. South Jordan City 2 City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting November 19, 2024 E. Discussion Items E.1. Strategic Priorities, Revised Strategic Goals and Objectives, and future action items for Fiscal Year 2025-26. City Manager Dustin Lewis noted that the council had chosen not to make any changes to the city’s mission statement, vision, etc., and opted to not review those at this time. He then reviewed options for potentially closing some of the city’s current RDAs and opened a discussion with the council and Director of Commerce Brian Preece. Director Preece agreed that it wouldn’t hurt to discuss options for closing with the taxing entities, while discussing their goals for the future and explaining the effects of closing versus leaving the projects open. He noted that The District was really the only project he could see good reason for leaving it open. Most of the projects were created to deal with infrastructure and to pay off bonds, and those bonds are now paid off. Other than The District he doesn’t see any additional benefits to keeping the existing RDAs open if they are eligible for closure based on current laws. He also explained that closing some of the completed RDAs would not affect the landowners’ taxes in those areas. Manager Lewis gave the council the option to have staff go back and calculate the costs of leaving the projects open versus closing them. The council agreed with staff’s recommendations to look into closing the eligible RDAs, but keep The District open for the future. Manager Lewis agreed to get the council more information on what those details would look like. In addition he discussed the next steps in the budgeting process and asked the council if they were interested in doing a Truth in Taxation this year to help capture some of the inflation costs they have been seeing. Mayor Ramsey noted that there have been bills proposed in the legislature regarding potential changes in how taxing entities handle tax rate changes. The council agreed to assess the budget and see is a tax rate change is needed, but for now they are willing to work on the budget before making that choice. Manager Lewis brought up the option of a Ticket Tax on ticketed events in the city with the new venues being built. Council Member Zander asked if other cities like Sandy have implemented a similar tax on their large venues. Manager Lewis will collect that information and get it back to the council members. South Jordan City 3 City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting November 19, 2024 Council Member McGuire asked about potential limits for those ticket taxes, possible based on how many seats are available, so that smaller venues aren’t subject to the same taxes when they aren’t regular events. Council Member Harris asked about the revenue from interfacility transports. Manager Lewis responded that they are going very well, and it’s a model of service being provided to the community. They plan to continue the program with no plans to expand in the near future unless there are changes in the marketplace. Mayor Ramsey asked about concerns with possible legislature changes regarding IFTs. Chief Dawson responded that he doesn’t believe those proposed changes will affect the city’s program directly based on their current relationships, but that could change and they are watching. Council Member Shelton asked if the marketplace changes and the city needs to leave the industry, what would the impacts be. Chief Dawson responded it shouldn’t affect them directly, and it has been structured in such a way that everything involved can still continue running. Council Member Zander asked if the SoJo Race Series was running at a loss. Manager Lewis responded that no, they actually had to cap the participants at the last race because they maxed out the allowed amount of participants. He continued his review, noting that the goals for this year are to maintain service levels, maintain infrastructure, and maintain programs currently running. The next step in the process will be the discussion of maintaining staff and keeping wages competitive. He asked if the council had anything additional they’d like staff to focus on when they come back for the next budget meeting. Council Member Harris asked to ensure they aren’t creating a burden for future years by pushing any maintenance or services back to save money. Mayor Ramsey talked about a member of the Boise City Council complementing our city’s roads, noting that the county runs all their roads and that we are so lucky to be able to stay on top of everything. She would also like to know if they are able to maintain services like residential plowing in the budget, and if not, she’d like to know that too so it can be discussed. Council Member Zander encouraged communicating the value of the services being offered and how the city is being good stewards of tax money, so residents are aware this is being addressed in a superior way compared to other cities. Council Member Shelton shared he would like to see more sidewalk repairs and the council and staff discussed the options, noting there are plans to improve the program in the coming year. South Jordan City 4 City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting November 19, 2024 Council Member Johnson asked if any education has been done with residents regarding what types of trees should and should not be planted, as well as how to have problematic existing ones removed. Communications Manager Rachael Van Cleave introduced the Bee City Program for feedback from the council (Attachments A and B). Director Hill discussed how the program would affect maintenance of the parks, noting that manual weed removal requires an intense about of time and additional finances for the upkeep. The volunteer level of support, working to remove all pesticides does allow time for a plan to be implemented, but it would still require additional finances and time to even create that type of plan. In addition, they expect your habitat to grow every year, which requires more and more space each year which reduces current practices and creates the need for additional resources. Council and staff discussed the potential for branding and potential growth of the program through volunteer efforts. The council agreed with having staff do more research on possibly participating as a Level 1 city in the future. Manager Lewis indicated they will continue evaluating programs through priority based budgeting and asked the council if there are any specific programs the council would like them to look at specifically. Staff did not identify any in their research that they would recommend stopping. CFO Naidu discussed upcoming projects, beginning with the water tank. Everything is good to go, and it’s part of the water rate study. The goal is to issue a bond for the tank to fund it. Construction will be bid for the project in the next month or two with construction set to start in July. There will be a resolution brought in February to start that bonding process. The goal is to close on that bond in September of 2025. Council Member Zander asked how much of the tank is being funded by the work done by Congressman Owens. CFO Naidu responded that the funding through the Federal Government was about $1,750,000, and that will be incorporated into the final amount bonded. Director Garrison discussed the necessity of this tank for our community, including the technical reasons for the tank in this location. E.2. Summarize Next Steps: Fiscal Year 2025-26 Strategic Planning and Budget. CFO Naidu discussed a future annex building and additional public works building. There would be increased revenue to allow for those two buildings and he summarized the needs for those. The plan is for the Public Works building to be up and running by July 2027, and have the fire station up and running by July 2028. South Jordan City 5 City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting November 19, 2024 Council Member Harris asked about options for things like a PID or special service district to make sure those benefitting from those services are the ones covering the costs. The council and staff discussed some of the options for funding, including impact fees for the newer areas of the city. Those land owners will be brought into that funding, but they need to work on the finds before those areas come online, so additional funding like bonding will need to be discussed soon. CFO Naidu discussed looking into an analysis of the costs for South Jordan proper versus impact fees for the newer areas being served by these projects. He also mentioned the council already started the discussion on charging a higher water rate for the newly annexed areas to help with those future costs and not burdening the established residents. Council Member Zander mentioned the amenities available because of Daybreak, like the stadium, that they need to take into consideration as well to avoid penalizing them further when they do contribute additionally to the tax base. Council Member McGuire asked about the estimated cost on the Public Works building. CFO Naidu responded that the estimated cost of the Public Works building is about $40 million, the fire station is about $21 million. Manager Lewis recommended amending the agenda to move the closed session to the end of the regular meeting tonight. For strategic planning he mentioned focusing in 2025 on economic development. He would also like to look at how the city deals with flag lots, suggesting the council pass a resolution for a notice of pending ordinance to allow them to visit and review flag lots in detail in the future. He has a draft of that ready to potentially pass tonight to work on that. All applications received would be under the current rules but would put a stay on new applications until resolved, with a maximum of 6 months to make those changes. He also mentioned the future budget meetings planned for January 29, February 26, and March 26 if needed. Council Member McGuire motioned to recess the Strategic Planning Study Meeting and return for Item F after the regular Council Meeting. Council Member Zander seconded the motion; vote was 5-0, unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander motioned to recess the City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting and move to executive closed session to discuss the deployment of security personnel, devices, or systems. Council Member Johnson seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote Yes – Council Member Zander Yes – Council Member Johnson Yes – Council Member Harris Yes – Council Member Shelton South Jordan City 6 City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting November 19, 2024 Yes – Council Member McGuire Motion passes 5-0, vote in favor. RECESS CITY COUNCIL STUDY MEETING AND MOVE TO EXECUTIVE CLOSED SESSION F. Executive Closed Session F.1. Discussion regarding deployment of security personnel, devices, or systems. ADJOURN EXECUTIVE CLOSED SESSION AND RETURN TO THE CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLANNING STUDY MEETING Council Member McGuire motioned to adjourn the executive closed session and return to the City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting. Council Member Zander seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote Yes – Council Member McGuire Yes – Council Member Zander Yes – Council Member Harris Yes – Council Member Johnson Yes – Council Member Shelton Motion passes 5-0, vote in favor. ADJOURNMENT Council Member Shelton motioned to adjourn the November 19, 2024 City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting. Council Member McGuire seconded the motion; vote was 5-0 unanimous in favor. The November 19, 2024 City Council Study meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Council Member Johnson motioned to adjourn the October 15, 2024 City Council Study Meeting. Council Member Zander seconded the motion; vote was 5-0 unanimous in favor. The October 15, 2024 City Council Study meeting adjourned at 6:16 p.m. This is a true and correct copy of the November 19, 2024 City Council Strategic Planning Study Meeting Minutes, which were approved on December 3, 2024. South Jordan City Recorder  Attachment A Bee City USA A New Program Proposal Quick Story 2 3 Why become a Bee City? • Strengthen the city’s identity/branding • Elevate existing programs, including recreation, parks and open space, and economic development • Highlight our commitment to sustainability & quality of life 4 Commitments • Establish a Bee City USA committee to lead the pollinator-conservation efforts. • Create and enhance pollinator habitat by planting native plants and reducing pesticide use. • Add pollinator-friendly practices into city policies and plans. • Host or co-host annual pollinator events. • Publicly acknowledge Bee City USA affiliation with signs and an online presence. • Annually apply for renewal and report on the previous year’s activities. 5 Benefits • Beautiful landscaping, resilient cities • Help meet city sustainability goals • Healthier neighborhoods • Connect people to nature • Healthier people • Stronger community • Support local farmers • Grow small businesses 6 Strategic Alignment • Providing Desirable Amenities and Open Space (Most Aligned) • Engaging the Community (Most Aligned) • Ensuring Sustainable Growth (More Aligned) • Fostering Economic Development (Less Aligned) • Balancing the Regulatory Environment (Less Aligned) • Creating a Safe Community (Less Aligned) • Alignment Results: Less Aligned 7  Program Costs Program Level Commitments Cost Level 1 Minimal $12,102 Level 2 Moderate $17,887 Level 3 Most $165,095 Recommended Level Stakeholder & Partnership Opportunities Government • City Parks Representative • USU (Bastian Center – Bee Campus USA)* • Bingham Creek Regional Park • Jordan River Commission *Note: • Salt Lake County • American Academy of Innovation Potential Non-Profit additional • Wasatch Gardens financial • Utah Bee Keepers Association support. • Wasatch Bee Keepers Association • Utah Farm Bureau • Hutchings Museum & Institute For-Profit • Daybreak/LHM • Rio Tinto* • Merit Medical* 9 Considerations • Staff alignment/concerns • Capacity 10 Thank You.  Attachment B Bee City USA Proposal Purpose: To strengthen the City’s identity through the Bee City USA program, promoting a healthier, more picturesque community and elevating key programs and amenities in parks, recreation, economic development, and community engagement, ultimately highlighting our commitment to sustainability and quality of life. PBB Assessment Results: Quartile 3 program. Cost: Three program levels are provided as options. The City can choose one option and maintain that over time or phase into program level three over several years (Level 1 – $12,107, Level 2 – $17,000, Level 3 – $165,000). The details of those levels are included in the cost assessment below. Commitments: City staff, private and public partners, and local volunteers work together to: • Establish a Bee City USA committee to lead the pollinator-conservation efforts. • Create and enhance pollinator habitat by planting native plants and reducing pesticide use. • Add pollinator-friendly practices into city policies and plans. • Host or co-host annual pollinator events. • Publicly acknowledge Bee City USA affiliation with signs and an online presence. • Annually apply for renewal and report on the previous year’s activities. • Pay an initial application fee and annual renewal fee ($400-$500). What We’re Already Doing: • Manual weed removal (no herbicides) for City Hall and City Center. • Manual weed removal at Arboretum by fishing ponds (no herbicides), which also serves as a native habitat. • When using herbicides, city employees receive training for and follow pollinator-friendly practices for spraying. • Planting flowering trees every year, which counts toward habitat requirement – “Meadows of the Sky.” Bee City USA Benefits: • Beautiful landscaping, resilient cities: Flowering habitat enhances your community and supports the pollinators vital to the health of our world. • Help meet city sustainability & climate goals: Native plants reduce water and chemical inputs and habitat helps lock up carbon. • Healthier neighborhoods: Reducing harmful pesticides and adopting least-toxic ways to tackle home and garden pest problems makes neighborhoods safer. • Connect people to nature: Increase love and support of the amazing diversity of plant and pollinator species in your community. • Healthier people: Contact with nature improves emotional and mental health. • Stronger community: Bring neighbors together around a positive, shared cause and connect with communities across the country that share the same vision.  • Support local farmers: Raise awareness of how our food grows and improve local food production through increased pollination. • Grow small businesses: Help local businesses including native plant nurseries, pollinator- friendly landscapers, and other bee-friendly businesses. Strategic Priorities Supported: • Providing Desirable Amenities and Open Space (PBB Most Aligned) o DAOS-1. Develops a quality parks, trails, and recreation facilities system o DAOS-2. Maintains and operates a quality parks, trails, and recreation system o DAOS-3. Preserves the community's heritage and culture for today's and future generations o DAOS-4. Offers a variety of park amenities, recreation and art programs, and community events for all ages and abilities o DAOS-5. Partners with community stakeholders to maintain and expand park, art and recreational opportunities • Engaging the Community (PBB Most Aligned) o EC-3. Provides opportunities to engage and serve, informing and involving the community through a variety of methods o EC-4. Fosters a feeling of community pride, acceptance of others, and a sense of shared responsibility • Ensuring Sustainable Growth (PBB More Aligned) o SG-2. Creates and supports environmentally sustainable programs including water conservation, recycling, energy conservation, and air quality improvement to ensure the financial well-being and long-term sustainability of the community • Fostering Economic Development (PBB Less Aligned) o BRE-3. Educates and engages the members of the community, developing a sense of shared responsibility and community pride • Balancing the Regulatory Environment (PBB Less Aligned) o ED-2. Promotes the community as a safe, attractive, and quality place to live, work, and play • Creating a Safe Community (PBB Less Aligned) o SC-5. Engages the entire community to share in the responsibility for its safety, health and well-being. Proposed Timeline: *The Xerces Society gives the city 2 years to meet the bulk of requirements. • January 2025 – Send Resolution to Xerces Society for approval • February 2025 - Bring Resolution to City Council (2 weeks after they receive the signed resolution, approved application, and application payment we become a Bee City)  • February 2025 – June 2025 - Build plans, program integrations, and budgets (Recreation, Communication, Parks, IPPM) for Bee City USA initiatives • July 2025-January 2026 - Create Pollinator Council and find ways to begin meeting Bee City requirements in current budget cycle • February 2027 - Submit IPPM plan to Xerces Society and annual Bee City USA form. Cost Assessment Key – (N)= Cost Neutral, (+) Additional Cost, (-) Cost Savings *Amounts are annual. Program Items Department/Division Requirements Current Personnel Hard Cost Status Costs Program Level 1 – Minimum Program Requirements Habitat Parks Providing New Doing (N) (N) Habitat Every Year Reduce Pesticide Parks -Reducing Not doing (+) (-) Use - Volunteer pesticide use Manual Removal every year $1,292 $35 Event Events – Staffed Recreation -Pollinator- Not doing (+) (+) Booth at Existing oriented Event (ex: Farmers event every $7,000 $1,500 Market, Spring year Spectacular) Outreach Admin Services -Create web Not doing (+) (N) page -Communicate $1,575 pollinator education Administrative Parks -Developing Not doing (+) (+) IPM $240 $500 -Filling out $30 form every year -Paying annual fee Sub Totals $10,137 $1,965 Total $12,102 Program Level 2 – Intermediate Program Habitat Parks Providing New Doing (N) (N) Habitat Every Year Reduce Pesticides Parks Not doing (+) (-) - Parks Staff Manually -Reducing $1,577 $35 Removes Weeds pesticide use from one City every year Building Events – Added Recreation -Pollinator- Not doing (+) (+) Activity to existing oriented event event every $11,000 $3,000 year Outreach Admin Services -Create web Not doing (+) (N) page -Communicate $1,575 pollinator education Administrative Parks -Developing Not doing (+) (+) IPM -Filling out $240 $500 form every $30 year -Paying annual fee Sub Totals $14,422 $3,465 Total $17,887 Program Level 3 – Significant Program Habitat Parks Providing New Doing (N) (N) Habitat Every Year Pesticide Use – Parks -Reducing Not doing (+) (-) Hire FTE to pesticide use Manually remove every year $119,550 (first year) $1,800 weeds from each $79,041 city building once (following years) a month (includes cost of truck needed). Events Recreation -Pollinator- Not doing (+) (+) oriented event every year $35,000 10,000 Outreach Admin -Create web Not doing (+) (N) Services page -Communicate $1,575 pollinator education Administrative Parks -Developing IPM Not doing (+) (+) -Filling out form $240 $500 every year $30  -Paying annual fee Sub Totals $156,395 $8,700 $115,886 First Year Total $165,095 Following Year Total $124,586 Program Cost Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Personnel Costs $10,137 $14,422 $156,395 Hard Costs $1,965 $3,465 $8,700 Total $12,102 $17,887 $165,095 Program Cost: $12,102-$165,095 Potential Pollinator Council Members: • City Parks Representative • USU (Bastian Center – Bee Campus USA)* • Daybreak/LHM • Rio Tinto* • Merit Medical* • Bingham Creek Regional Park* • Wasatch Gardens • Community Members • Utah Bee Keepers Association • Wasatch Bee Keepers Association • AAI • Utah Farm Bureau • Salt Lake County • Jordan River Commission • Hutchings Museum & Institute *Have reached out to these entities to feel out interest and there is generally enthusiastic support and willingness to participate/provide someone for the pollinator council and potentially funds. Potential Grant/Financial Opportunities • USU Bastian Center 4H Grant – They are applying for a grant from 4H for bee habitat creation and said they could include the city in their grant application. • Rio Tinto – They have conservation funds/sponsorship funds they may be able to use for this.