City Council

City of Taylorsville Priorities Planning Meeting January 10, 2020 Utah State University – Taylorsville Campus 920 West Levoy Drive Taylorsville, UT 84123 Minutes ATTENDEES: Mayor Kristie Overson, Council Member Brad Christopherson, PIO Kim Horiuchi, Building Official Steve Porten, City Attorney Tracy Cowdell, Council Chair Meredith Harker, Council Vice Chair Brad Christopherson, City Administrator John Taylor, Chief Financial Officer Scott Harrington, Economic/Community Development Director Wayne Harper, Council Member Curt Cochran, City Engineer Mark Stenquist, Council Member Ernest Burgess, Government Relations Specialist John Hiskey, City Planner Mark McGrath, City Engineer Mark Stenquist, Executive Assistant Jennifer Andrus, City Recorders Cheryl Cottle and Jamie Brooks, and Council Coordinator Kris Heineman EXCUSED: Councilmember Dan Armstrong INTRODUCTION Mayor Overson called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. She stated it would be informal and thanked everyone for coming. She noted the purpose of the meeting was to discuss priorities and long-range goals. Wayne Harper: Mr. Harper discussed various development projects occurring within the City. He addressed: • Projects that were in development, action and the construction phase • Projects in planning and programming phases • Future improvements to transportation in the City • Projects including active transportation, recreation and trail expansions and improvements • In-house actions and operational improvements • Anticipated and likely upcoming projects, development and redevelopment including commercial, office and mixed-use development The Council wished to ensure that there was sufficient staff to handle all the projects on the horizon. It was determined that there would be a separate discussion between administration and the council regarding future staffing needs. Neighborhood Issues and Council Priorities: Mayor Overson pointed out that every problem presented an opportunity and she invited those gathered to share their ideas for addressing various neighborhood issues. Mayor Overson- • Perhaps the City needed to choose which geographical areas to focus on. Or perhaps one specific problem (i.e. parking) to address. • Were more code enforcement officers needed? • She understood that the Council wished to see a presentation from Code Enforcement at some point in the future 1  • Instead of saying what citizens were prohibited from doing, she wished to show what the City was doing to address problems. It was her hope to focus on incentives (positive) rather than punitive enforcement (negative.) • She wondered about the possibility of providing funds for speed bumps in each district to be placed in the most problematic areas. • Regarding the spending of Council funds, what if the councilmembers each chose a neighborhood in their district in which to encourage a “flip your strip” kind of campaign (including sidewalk repairs if necessary) which would result in an incentive or rebate to the property owner. Perhaps there could even be a partnership with Ace Hardware. Councilmember Burgess- • Asked Mark McGrath to address the fact that one was required to have a business license in order to rent out part of one’s home • Pointed out that the practice of renting out living space in one’s house was not only due to the presence of SLCC. It was often done to supplement the property owner’s income as well • Much of the problem stemmed from the high cost of housing • Asked about a future wall along the BRT corridor. He was informed that it was in the works but would not happen in 2020 • Was interested in increased speed enforcement in neighborhoods • Expressed concern about the weeds along 4700 South • Wished to educate the public regarding how best to communicate with the City when problems arose or when they had questions Councilmember Christopherson- • Made clear his desire for better quality street lights in the City—particularly on Redwood Road. He also wished to ensure that several replacements were purchased as well • Stressed the importance of ensuring that Taylorsville had the staffing level necessary to manage the many development projects that were on the horizon • Discussed some of the complex issues pertaining to the rental of rooms within single family dwellings • Mentioned the age of many properties, particularly in Districts 1 and 2 and suggested that the best solution might be redevelopment Councilmember Cochran- • Discussed certain connectivity issues • Trail system • Wished the City to hold some sort of annual event kicking off the holiday season Councilmember Harker- • Were there funds for a sound wall on the west side of 2700 West? (The allocated funds were used on a wall along 3200 West) • Taylorsville City Park • Continuing the “You’ve Been Noticed” program • Expressed interest in improving the placement of the City newsletter within the Valley Journal • Stated that the Parks and Recreation committee was very active and would soon make a presentation to the City Council • Suggested incentivizing the obtaining of a business license in order to rent out one’s property. (Tracy Cowdell recommended having an amnesty period.) 2  • Asked if “Lets Talk Taylorsville” should continue. Mayor Overson wished to continue holding these meetings every 5th Wednesday. Tracy Cowdell suggested perhaps providing a bit more structure to the meetings. • Chair Harker asked that there be a presentation from Code Enforcement placed on a future City Council agenda. She wished for the presentation to include data illustrating the types of issues that division was seeing in the City. John Taylor- • Increased parking enforcement was one place to start. • If the City could articulate the goal, he believed people would get behind it. • Wondered if there was a sidewalk contractor who would be willing to participate in Mayor Overson’s idea of improving one area within each district. Tracy Cowdell- • Explained the idea of issuing permits for on-street parking—at least as a pilot program. Provo already had at least one neighborhood wherein on-street parking was simply not allowed. John Hiskey- • He recommended that the City be able to show the legislature what was being done to address the housing crisis—providing some specific data. Mark McGrath- • Updated the City Council on the Redwood Beautification Project The meeting was adjourned at 3:50 p.m. ________________________________________ Jamie Brooks, City Recorder Minutes approved January 22, 2020 Minutes Prepared by: Jamie Brooks 3