Combined City Council & Redevelopment Agency Meeting - ARCHIVED

SOUTH JORDAN CITY CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 20, 2023 Present: Mayor Dawn Ramsey, Council Member Patrick Harris, Council Member Brad Marlor, Council Member Jason McGuire, City Manager Gary Whatcott, Deputy City Manager Dustin Lewis, City Attorney Ryan Loose, Director of Recreation Janell Payne, Communications Manager Rachael Van Cleave, CFO Sunil Naidu, Director of Strategy & Budget Don Tingey, Director of Commerce Brian Preece, Director of Public Works Jason Rasmussen, Director of Administrative Services Melinda Seager, GIS Coordinator Matt Jarman, Senior IS Tech Phill Brown, City Engineer Brad Klavano, Fire Chief Chris Dawson, Police Chief Jeff Carr, City Recorder Anna Crookston, Meeting Transcriptionist Diana Baun, Planning Commissioner Laurel Bevans Absent: Council Member Tamara Zander Others: County Council Member Suzanne Harrison, Dan Ramsey, Pam Whatcott 6:43 P.M. REGULAR MEETING A. Welcome, Roll Call, and Introduction to Electronic Meeting - By Mayor Dawn Ramsey Mayor Ramsey welcomed everyone and introduced the meeting. She excused Council Member Tamara Zander who was unable to attend. B. Invocation– By Council Member Jason McGuire Council Member McGuire offered the invocation. C. Pledge of Allegiance – By Council Member Tamara Zander Mayor Ramsey led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance in Council Member Zander’s absence. D. Minute Approval D.1. June 6, 2023 City Council Meeting Minutes Council Member Marlor motioned to approve the June 6, 2023 City Council Meeting as published. Council Member Harris seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. South Jordan City 2 City Council Meeting June 20, 2023 E. Mayor and Council Reports Council Member Jason McGuire discussed his activities with the Arts Council, including a meeting today for the Arts Master Plan which continues to move forward with a lot of community input. Council Member Brad Marlor had no Architectural Review Meetings since the last council meeting. His cul-de-sac has been working to “Flip the Strip,” and he shared some of those photos. Council Member Patrick Harris was able to interact with residents and discuss their needs, taking those concerns to city staff who were quick to respond. Council Member Don Shelton noted that he and Council Member Harris did some golfing with EDC Utah, along with City Commerce Director Brian Preece and CFO Sunil Naidu. He met with the Association of Municipal Councils, where they discussed impact fees and radiofrequency water meters and he was able to showcase South Jordan’s water meters for others to see. After the discussion on impact fees, he spoke with City Manager Whatcott about having a study meeting to discuss different options for public finance. Mayor Ramsey noted this was the first time since becoming mayor she has missed that EDC golf tournament, and she thanked those who were able to attend and represent the city. She attended the National Association of Regional Councils in Detroit, MI, where she spoke and presented as the Chair of the Wasatch Front Regional Council regarding the city’s Urban Center and HTRZ projects. She visited Washington, D.C. quickly after that and was able to bring her daughter home after completing her time as a Senate Page. From there, she went to Toronto for the American Water Works Association Conference where she attended as a trustee for the water district. She learned about new technology and spoke with water experts while there. She attended a Council of Mayors Task Force meeting on the winter overflow homeless shelter. As the Salt Lake Council of Mayors they have to submit their recommendation on that shelter by August 1, and the location chosen will be the location for the next three years. She shared pictures from the past few weeks to include her speaking in Herriman at the Southwest Salt Lake Valley Northwest Utah County Meeting, attending and speaking at Big League Utah’s Play Ball event, speaking to a large group of real estate agents today about the city’s growth and projects and taking a tour of the Pure SoJo Project with the Senior Administration from the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. She discussed recent meetings for The Point and Utah League of Cities and Towns. She discussed the collaboration between our city and Salt Lake County that finally ended in a “yes” vote for funding to expand the pool at the Recreation Center, adding lanes and allowing a place for local schools to swim closer to home. She also introduced Planning Commissioner Laurel Bevans, who is running for City Council as a candidate for District 2, as well as Suzanne Harrison from the Salt Lake County Council. Suzanne Harrison introduced herself and shared her pride in being able to vote for the additional swim lanes. Being newly elected she wanted to let everyone know that she is here to help her shared constituents as an at-large member of the county council. She shared that she was recently South Jordan City 3 City Council Meeting June 20, 2023 able to get funding for an insert that will be in every notice of valuation sent to property owners in the county. With so many struggling with cost of living stress, this insert shares the various programs available through the county for assistance with things like food and tax relief, and help for rental relief. She also shared the websites available with more information: slco.to/tax relief for the tax relief programs, and slco.to/assistanceprograms where residents can connect with the other services available. F. Public Comment Mayor Ramsey opened the public comment portion of the meeting. Dan Ramsey (Resident) – I wanted to express my gratitude to Gary Whatcott at his last city council meeting, thanking him personally for everything he has done for our community, youth baseball, and championing our cause to make sure it’s successful. I wish you the very best in retirement and hopefully we won’t miss you at the fields. Thank you again for everything you have done. Mayor Ramsey closed the public comment portion of the meeting. Council Member Marlor motioned to amend tonight’s agenda and Action Items as follows: Item G.1., Resolution R2023-26; Item G.2., Resolution R2023-29; G.3., Resolution R2023- 28; G.4., Resolution R2023-30; and G.5., Resolution R2023-31. Council Member Harris seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. G. Action Items G.1. Resolution R2023-26, Mayor Ramsey invited Gary and Pam Whatcott up to the front to thank Manager Whatcott for a lifetime of service to the city. In honor of his service, the Mayor and City Council have presented a resolution to name the current Public Safety Building the Gary L. Whatcott Public Safety Building. Mayor Ramsey read the Resolution recognizing all of Manager Whatcott’s service to the city and thanking him for his years of service. Council Member Shelton motioned to approve Resolution R2023-26 as presented. Council Member McGuire seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. Manager Whatcott thanked everyone for recognizing a portion that often gets left out, and that’s the support of your family, particularly his wife and the countless birthdays and holidays she had with four children by herself while he worked. Those are the people who really sacrificed, not having their dad or husband at home, because he was enjoying the work he was doing. He originally wanted to become a firefighter after seeing an ad in the paper, asking for people to join. They had just barely moved to West Jordan and had been there a few years as newlyweds. He had an overwhelming feeling that he needed to serve the public and be involved in his South Jordan City 4 City Council Meeting June 20, 2023 community. He wanted to give back to the community he lived in and do something that seemed worthy; now he has dedicated his whole life to working and serving in small towns. Those early years in the city were interesting, challenging and fun; but mostly, they were forgiving years for a young professional working his way through a challenging job. It has been a unique opportunity to be on the “ground floor” of building a community, and it has been fun. He has had different roles in different parts of that, and it has been filled with many different emotions and experiences; but overall, it was a wonderful experience for himself. He has grown professionally at South Jordan, being tutored by so many. There have always been great people here at South Jordan, and those are the people who he has stood on their shoulders, and who carried him through it, including those who aren’t here tonight like Melanie Edwards, who always made sure he was where he needed to be at the right time. Also, all the people working in the office somewhere, or riding in a truck, as those are the ones who make everyone look good and he appreciates those people every day. He doesn’t think real public service is something you can measure by value or money, it’s measured by sincerity and integrity. That is the way he has always approached his job, almost to the point that he felt it an obligation to ensure the public felt like they could trust him and everyone else as public servants; that their hard earned tax dollars were used appropriately, in the right places for the right reasons. What an honor to have that building named, he knows what a privilege that is. He loved being out there serving the community, especially back in the early days, and he thanked everyone for this honor. He thanked the public for allowing him to serve, the council for allowing him to work for them; he has never met a finer group of elected officials than those here tonight. They are a great example of elected officials and he admires them for their dedication and always trying to do what’s right; always looking at the bigger picture and being willing to do what’s overall best for the community. Pam Whatcott thanked the mayor and council. She has watched the journey her husband has been on, the many jobs he’s had in city government. It has given her the opportunity to learn what it’s all about, and she has watched him pour his heart and soul into the city. He loves everyone here, everyone he works with, and he loves working here. Manager Whatcott said they moved their family here once he started working here and saw what the city was all about, he knew this was the place for them to move to and stay. Mayor Ramsey shared that when they are ready to put the new lettering on the Public Safety Building, there will be a celebration with the family invited to honor Manager Whatcott. G.2. Resolution R2023-29, Appointing a member to the Art’s Council. Director of Recreation Janell Payne gave a brief introduction for Marlene Teter, who the council previously met and interviewed during the study session. Council Member Shelton motioned to approve Resolution R2023-29, Appointing a member to the Art’s Council. Council Member McGuire seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. South Jordan City 5 City Council Meeting June 20, 2023 G.3. Resolution R2023-28, Authorizing the Mayor to sign an interlocal cooperation agreement for the Home Investment Partnership Program for Federal Fiscal Years 2024-2026. CFO Sunil Naidu reviewed background information from the Council Report. Council Member Marlor motioned to approve Resolution R2023-28, Authorizing the Mayor to sign an interlocal agreement as stated above. Council Member Harris seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. G.4. Resolution R2023-30, Authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement with Dustin P. Lewis for employment as the City Manager of the City of South Jordan. Mayor Ramsey discussed Current Deputy City Manager Dustin Lewis’ preparedness for this role and shared how excited they are to have him take over as the City Manager. Council Member McGuire motioned to approve Resolution R2023-30, Authorizing the Mayor to enter into an employment agreement as stated above. Council Member Marlor seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. Manager Lewis thanked everyone and echoed the sentiment that they will miss Manager Whatcott as the City Manager. He has known about this for a year and while he looked forward to it, it meant that one of his best friends would be leaving. Thankfully, Manager Whatcott has been a great mentor, and they have spent the last seven years getting ready for this transition; he is looking forward to it with the city’s incredible staff. He is looking forward to all the great things set to come and thanked everyone again. G.5. Resolution R2023-31, Authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement with Ryan W. Loose for employment as City Attorney for the city of South Jordan. Mayor Ramsey shared that this is not a new hire, he is the current City Attorney and has been with the city for 17 years. They appreciate his expertise and leadership in the Legal Department, as well as his willingness to take on Government Relations. Council Member Harris motioned to approve Resolution R2023-31, Authorizing the Mayor to enter into an employment agreement as stated above. Council Member Shelton seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. Manager Whatcott noted that he works with Manager Lewis and Attorney Loose every day, along with being a part of both of their hiring’s. He is very pleased that we have the kind of professionals we do here, and the city is so fortunate to have the amazing staff they do. Both gentlemen are people of integrity, the kind of people you want to work with side by side. They aren’t afraid to carry their weight and that of others, with no additional expectations. South Jordan City 6 City Council Meeting June 20, 2023 Attorney Loose went to Bingham High School and grew up in the area, discussing some of the memories he has from back in those days. He thanked the council for the opportunity to continue in this position, and shared that Manager Whatcott will be retained for some consulting so he will still be around. Council Member Marlor personally thanked Manager Whatcott, who is leaving but not going very far. He was on the planning commission and city council when Manager Whatcott was still called Chief Whatcott as the Fire Chief. He only heard good comments then, and he has only heard good comments since. He has worked many years with Manager Whatcott and every one of them was very pleasurable. He also shared that he couldn’t have more confidence in Manager Lewis or Attorney Loose, he feels like the city is in great hands with those two and the rest of staff. Council Member McGuire shared that he might be the newest council member, but it didn’t take long after meeting Manager Whatcott to know that he truly loves the city. His decisions were all made based on what was best for the city and that he has always known that Manager Whtcott’s job wasn’t just a job, he made it a commitment to serve every day. Council Member Harris looks at South Jordan compared to other cities, and there is something special here in our city. The city did not evolve this way on accident, there have been critical people in positions to get our city to where it’s at and Manager Whatcott was one of those critical pieces. When he shares that he is from South Jordan, immediately he gets the most positive comments. Even with groups like the League of Cities and Towns, they are always impressed with the City of South Jordan and the staff running the city. He looks at all the things we are preparing for in the future, and the spot Manger Whatcott has left the city in, where the city has only amazing things ahead. He added that Manager Whatcott has done an A+ job in mentoring not only Manager Lewis, but others in the organization to be able to take the ball and continue to run with it. Council Member Shelton recalls after he was elected the first time, around 10 years ago, learning that the city council and staff were headed in completely opposite directions with a lot of contention; not just between the council, but between the council and the staff. He was so disheartened as he began to grasp the situation. There was a period of time with Manager Whatcott as Interim City Manager while they went through the selection process, and what was so important to him at the time was that the new city manager really figured out how to line up the staff and the city council, because they were not aligned from his point of view. Manager Whatcott has done an amazing job, bringing this city back from the brink of a serious mess, helping the staff understand their role in moving the direction the city council wanted to go, and that hasn’t always been easy. Council Member Shelton is astonished with the caliber of people willing to work with elected officials, because it is a difficult job sometimes. He is thankful for Manager Whatcott’s patience and leadership, helping him to see the bigger picture rather than the little problem at the moment. He has no doubt that the most important vote he has made as a council member was for Gary Whatcott to be the city manager. He has also had the opportunity to work with Manager Lewis, and he remembers Manager Whatcott telling him along the way how smart Manger Lewis is, and he can definitely vouch for that. There was a meeting with South Jordan City 7 City Council Meeting June 20, 2023 Manager Lewis earlier, and it was again clear how brilliant he is; he has great confidence that Manager Lewis will carry on and put his own mark on this great enterprise we are all involved with. He also appreciates working with Attorney Loose, their relationship and perspective he gets from him on political stuff he is struggling with. He loves working with everyone here, it’s one of the great privileges of his life, being an elected member of this body and serving with good people and staff who are really the envy of the whole state. Mayor Ramsey just wanted Manager Whatcott to know how much she appreciates him, and what a privilege it has been for her to serve with him, learn from him. He has become one of her best friends and it has been an honor to be mentored by him. She appreciates all he has done, more than she can express. He will be missed a lot here, and she is excited to still see him in other capacities around the city. She is grateful for the small hand she was able to have, making sure the state could benefit from his expertise. She is excited to get working with Manager Lewis, and to keep working with Attorney Loose. There wasn’t a roll call vote required on the agenda tonight, but this is the only time she gets to vote so she requested to go back and do a ceremonial roll call vote for both the new City Manager and the City Attorney. Roll Call Vote for Resolution R2023-30 Council Member McGuire – Yes Council Member Marlor – Yes Council Member Harris – Yes Council Member Shelton – Yes Mayor Ramsey – Yes Council Member Zander - Absent Roll Call Vote for Resolution R2023-31 Council Member Harris – Yes Council Member Shelton – Yes Council Member Marlor – Yes Council Member McGuire – Yes Mayor Ramsey – Yes Council Member Zander - Absent Mayor Ramsey also shared that Council Member Zander was sad she couldn’t be here tonight, but that she is supportive and completely onboard with these Resolutions. H. Public Hearing Items H.1. Resolution R2023-27, Amending the Fiscal Year 2023-2023 Budget for the City of South Jordan. The appropriation authority shall apply to the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. (By CFO Sunil Naidu) CFO Sunil Naidu reviewed background information from the Council Report. South Jordan City 8 City Council Meeting June 20, 2023 Mayor Ramsey opened the public hearing for comments. There were no comments and the hearing was closed. Council Member Marlor motioned to approve Resolution R2023-27, Amending the Fiscal Year Budget for the City of South Jordan as stated above. Council Member Shelton seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote was 4-0, unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. Council Member Shelton thanked CFO Naidu and his team for their work put into making this easy for him to read and understand what’s going on; summarizing it in such a way that he doesn’t have to read through hundreds of pages to be able to understand and ask questions. He asked if it would be possible to do a similar type of summery on CIP Projects as well in the future, to include the progress in the project and what is left. CFO Naidu responded that there are so many different CIP Projects on the books, with many being multi-year projects. The council approves the budget, they start the project, and it rolls on year after year until completion. In this setting it’s a lot of information, but when they meet with the council for the planning meetings that would be a good place for his team to bring the list of all of the projects including what stage they’re in, the remaining budget, etc. Manager Whatcott added that Director Tingey’s group, along with Associate Director of Strategy & Budget, Katie Olsen and Strategy Budget Analyst Abagail Patonai, have been working very hard on the exact issue Council Member Shelton is talking about. The goal is to be able, at any time, to look at any project and understand exactly where they are financially on the project. He believes they are really close to having that ready to go, so in the coming years and going forward they will always have that available to discuss at any time. Council Member McGuire motioned to recess the City Council Meeting and move to Redevelopment Agency Meeting. Council Member Marlor seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. RECESS CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND MOVE TO REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING H.2. Resolution RDA 2023-03, Amending the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget for the Redevelopment Agency of the City of South Jordan, Utah. The appropriation authority shall apply to the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. (By CFO Sunil Naidu) CFO Naidu reviewed background information from the Staff Report. Board Member Ramsey opened the public hearing for comments. There were no comments and the hearing was closed. Board Member Harris motioned to approve Resolution RDA 2023-03, Amending the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget for the Redevelopment Agency of the City of South Jordan, Utah, as stated above. Board Member Shelton seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote was 4-0, unanimous in favor. Board Member Zander was absent from the vote. South Jordan City 9 City Council Meeting June 20, 2023 Board Member Shelton motioned to adjourn the Redevelopment Agency Meeting and return to City Council Meeting. Board Member Marlor seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Board Member Zander was absent from the vote. ADJOURN REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING AND RETURN TO CITY COUNCIL MEETING I. Staff Reports and Calendaring Items Manager Lewis shared some upcoming events, including the ribbon cutting ceremony for the splash pad on June 28 at 10:00 a.m. The following day on June 29 at 3:00 p.m. will be Gary’s Retirement Party, with a ruck the next day to celebrate as well. Manager Whatcott is glad to see the regional park is finally being opened. It will be nice to have the Park Authority making decisions for the park in the years ahead, and he believes that will serve the park well. Director Tingey added that all the paperwork for the regional park has been signed on the city’s side, they are just waiting for the county to sign everything on their side and record the documents. Mayor Ramsey noted there are lots of amazing, long-term projects coming online that we have to look forward to, including Pure SoJo. The council and staff talked about the Pure SoJo project and a desire to have a field trip in the near future to see all the progress. Manager Whatcott said South Jordan is setting the bar for water reuse in the state. Anything happening in the State of Utah, from a regulatory standpoint going forward, is going to come from this project. It was really rewarding for him to see one of the largest water wholesalers in the state finally recognize the value of this program. This city isn’t afraid to take that first step or be the pioneers to stumble along the way to break the trail; that’s what sets us apart from other communities. Our residents will pay less money over time in the future for things like this because of the hard work being done now. Mayor Ramsey noted Director Rasmussen will be presenting on the project at the National Reuse Conference, and the city will be putting together a video for that which includes the Governor’s endorsement for the project. Manager Whatcott said Governor Cox was the Lieutenant Governor at the time they started this project, and he was the one that really helped the city open the door by listening and understanding what they were talking about. Attorney Loose was asked to set up a meeting with Representative Teuscher and any council members that are available, regarding transportation priorities. He and the council discussed their available times and dates for that possible meeting. He also encouraged the South Jordan City 10 City Council Meeting June 20, 2023 council members to meet with our legislators whenever possible, as it gives them a chance to share the city’s needs and concerns with them. Mayor Ramsey noted that Speaker Wilson reached out asking if he could come and bring one of his House Leadership Staff members this Friday, which is a great opportunity to talk with him about what the city is doing. Council Member Harris motioned to adjourn the City Council Meeting. Council Member Shelton seconded the motion; vote was unanimous in favor. Council Member Zander was absent from the vote. ADJOURNMENT The June 20, 2023 City Council Meeting adjourned at 8:26 p.m. This is a true and correct copy of the June 20, 2023 Combined City Council & Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes, which were approved on July 18, 2023. South Jordan City Recorder