City Council Study Meeting

MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -1- THE WEST VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MET IN ELECTRONIC STUDY SESSION ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2025 AT 4:30 P.M. AT WEST VALLEY CITY HALL, MULTIPURPOSE ROOM, 3600 CONSTITUTION BOULEVARD, WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH. THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AND CONDUCTED BY MAYOR LANG. THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS WERE PRESENT: Karen Lang, Mayor Lars Nordfelt, Councilmember At-Large Don Christensen, Councilmember At-Large Tom Huynh, Councilmember District 1 Scott Harmon, Councilmember District 2 William Whetstone, Councilmember District 3 Cindy Wood, Councilmember District 4 STAFF PRESENT: Ifo Pili, City Manager Nichole Camac, City Recorder Eric Bunderson, City Attorney Colleen Jacobs, Police Chief John Evans, Fire Chief Jim Welch, Finance Director Steve Pastorik, CD Director Dan Johnson, Public Works Director Jamie Young, Parks and Recreation Director Jonathan Springmeyer, ED Director Sam Johnson, Strategic Communications Director Craig Thomas, Community and Culture Director Paula Melgar, HR Director Tumi Young, Chief Code Enforcement Officer Lauren McPeak, Management Analyst Harold Moleni, Management Analyst Travis Crosby, IT APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF STUDY MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 11, 2025 The Council considered the Minutes of the Study Meeting held February 11, 2025. There were no changes, corrections or deletions.  MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -2- Councilmember Whetstone moved to approve the Minutes of the Study Meeting held February 11, 2025. Councilmember Harmon seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken and all members voted in favor of the motion. INTRODUCTION OF NEW EMPLOYEES Chief Jacobs introduced Rebekah Snyder, Police Officer. Steve Pastorik introduced Louise Garcia, Executive Administrative Assistant. Dan Johnson introduced Rain Genis, Operator 1. Ifo Pili, City Manager, also introduced Tumi Young as the new Chief Code Enforcement Officer. He indicated that Tumi has worked for the City but just accepted this new role. REVIEW AGENDAS FOR REGULAR CITY COUNCIL, SPECIAL REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY AND HOUSING AUHORITY MEETINGS OF FEBRUARY 25, 2025 Upon inquiry by Mayor Lang, members of the Council had no further questions or concerns regarding items listed on the Agenda for the Regular City Council meeting scheduled later this night. AWARDS, CEREMONIES, AND PROCLAMATIONS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 11, 2025 A. RECOGNITION OF JEFF RAY, STEVE DALE, AND JUSTIN BEGAY FOR AWARDS RECEIVED FROM THE UTAH CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION Dan Johnson, Public Works Director, indicated that Jeff Ray, Steve Dale, and Justin Begay will be recognized with Awards Received from the Utah Chapter of the American Public Works Association at the Regular Meeting scheduled March 11, 2025. PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 11, 2025 A. ACCEPT PUBLIC INPUT REGARDING THE WEST VALLEY CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S ACCEPTANCE OF A JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT (JAG) THROUGH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS Mayor Lang informed a public hearing had been advertised for the Regular Council Meeting scheduled March 11, 2025 in order for the City Council to hear and consider public comments regarding the West Valley City Police Department's Acceptance of a Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) through the U.S. Department of Justice Programs.  MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -3- Proposed Resolution 25-33 related to the proposal to be considered by the City Council subsequent to the public hearing, was discussed as follows: ACTION: ORDINANCE NO. 25-33, AUTHORIZE WEST VALLEY CITY TO ACCEPT THE EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT Colleen Jacobs, Police Chief, discussed proposed Ordinance 25-33 that would authorize West Valley City to Accept the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. Written documentation previously provided to the City Council included information as follows: The U.S. Department of Justice Program is awarding the West Valley City Police Department the 2024 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (J.A.G.). The allowable expenses of the grant include the purchase of equipment and the funding of training and programs they approve through the application process. The funds are allocated to West Valley City based on a formula that considers the population of West Valley City and our part one crime statistics. There is separate funding allocated to each state to ensure fairness. The J.A.G. Program allows states and local governments to implement otherwise unfunded programs designed to improve the criminal justice system. The West Valley City Police Department is in need of updated software and equipment. Department funds are not sufficient to cover the additional expense of these necessities. With the new or updated equipment, software and the funds under this grant award will assist with this immensely. This equipment and software will increase the department’s ability to respond to, prepare for, and/or prevent crime or disorder in our community. The City Council will consider Resolution 25-33 at the Regular Council Meeting scheduled March 11, 2025 at 6:30 P.M. RESOLUTION 25-34: AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTION OF AN AMENDMENT TO A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH GODFREY WEST INVESTORS, LLC FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT APPROXIMATELY 6048 WEST BEAGLEY ROAD Steve Pastorik, CD Director, presented proposed Resolution 25-34 that would authorize the Execution of an Amendment to a Development Agreement with Godfrey West Investors, LLC for Property Located at Approximately 6048 West Beagley Road  MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -4- Written documentation previously provided to the City Council included information as follows: Back in 2020, the City entered into a development agreement involving two parcels highlighted in blue on the first slide of the accompanying presentation. After the agreement was executed, the City secured right-of-way for the extension of Beagley Road which cut through the south parcel involved in the agreement. The result was the creation of two new parcels that are also highlighted in blue on the second slide of the accompanying presentation, one of which is a remnant south of Beagley Road. The owner of this parcel would like to sell the parcel to VanTrust, the new owner of the property to the south. Before selling the remnant parcel, the current owner would like to amend the development agreement so that the remnant parcel is excluded from the development agreement. Councilmember Nordfelt asked if the development agreement for the larger orange piece would be modified. Steve explained that it would not, as the strip of land in question would only contain landscaping and a canal, with no buildings. He also confirmed that the required 10-foot walkway around the property was already included in the existing agreement. The City Council will consider Resolution 25-34 at the Regular Council Meeting scheduled March 11, 2025 at 6:30 P.M CONSENT AGENDA SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 11, 2025 A. RESOLUTION 25-35: ACCEPT A WARRANTY DEED FROM SWIFT REFRIGERATED SERVICE, LLC FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 5175 WEST 2100 SOUTH Mayor Lang discussed proposed Resolution 24-52 that would accept two Conveyance and Quit Claim of Easement Documents from Brighton Canal Company, LLC Written documentation previously provided to the City Council included information as follows: The Swift Refrigerated Services, LLC, formerly known as Central Refrigerated Services, LLC property located at 5175 West 2100 South is the site of the proposed building addition at the Midwest Motor Express property. As a condition of approval for a building permit, additional right- of-way was required along the frontages of the SR-201 Frontage Road and 2400 South.  MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -5- B. RESOLUTION 25-36: AUTHORIZE THE CITY TO ENTER INTO A RIGHT-OF-WAY PURCHASE AGREEMENT AND ACCEPT A WARRANTY DEED WITH AND FROM NELZON MACHA INGA FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 2924 SOUTH CONSTITUTION BLVD Mayor Lang discussed proposed Resolution 25-36 that would authorize the City to Enter Into a Right-of-Way Purchase Agreement and Accept a Warranty Deed With and From Nelzon Macha Inga for Property Located at 2924 South Constitution Blvd. Written documentation previously provided to the City Council included information as follows: The Nelzon Macha Inga property located at 2924 S. Constitution Boulevard is one of several properties affected by the required removal and replacement of ADA ramps for the 2025 Asphalt Overlay Project. As part of this project several residential streets will be roto-milled and overlaid. Any existing ADA ramps which do not comply with the current ADA standards and regulations must be removed and replaced. The Warranty Deed will allow for construction over a portion of the property currently owned by the property owner. Compensation for the Warranty Deed in the amount of $300.00 was based upon land values for property in the area. The City Council will consider Resolution 25-35 and 25-36 on the Consent Agenda at the Regular Council Meeting scheduled March 11, 2025 at 6:30 P.M AUTHORIZE CONSENT AGENDA FOR REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 11, 2025 The Council authorized all resolutions to be added to the Consent Agenda for the March 11, 2025 Regular City Council Meeting at 6:30 PM. COMMUNICATIONS A. MODERATE INCOME HOUSING PLANS Brandon Hill, Legal, provided a PowerPoint presentation summarized as follows: - Moderate Income Housing Plans o Required by state law. Changes coming this year and definitely next year o The Housing Authority is included in strategies “C” (rehabilitate housing) and “O” (partner with an entity to apply for and administer federal funds) o Strategy “C” will remain unchanged: the Grants Division will remain with the City, although restructuring is possible  MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -6- o Strategy “O” will be a partnership with Housing Connect. We will also include victim advocate services to provide housing opportunities o This information will be updated in our 2025 report The Mayor and Council had no further questions or concerns. B. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Brandon Hill, Legal, presented a PowerPoint Presentation summarized as follows: - Ten Days to Go! o Housing bills taking shape o Most homelessness bills moving toward consensus…but HB 465 o Property tax bills are…..in the air o Executive vs. legislative vs. judicial vs. local Brandon discussed the following : • Housing bills: Bills like HB360, HB368, and SB162 are taking shape and are generally acceptable. More problematic housing legislation has fallen by the wayside. ● Homelessness legislation: Most bills are not problematic, except for HB465, which is aimed at Salt Lake City but could potentially impact other cities. The bill requires cities to enter into a contract with DPS for a rapid response team to clean up homeless camps at the city's expense or risk losing BNC road funds. ● Property tax bills: These are complicated and unlikely to move forward this session. Discussions are expected to continue during the interim period. ● General legislative trend: The legislature is asserting its authority in various areas, including the judiciary, executive branch, and local government matters. ● Potential new authority bill: A rumored bill, unofficially called the "Beehive Development Corporation," may create an overarching state authority to govern entities like MIDA, Point of the Mountain Authority, and Inland Port. The potential impact on land use authority is a concern for West Valley City. Brandon also addressed questions about the county's decision to get rid of their justice court and the potential impact on West Valley City's court. He explained that justice court reform remains an ongoing issue.  MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -7- The Mayor and Council had no further questions or concerns. C. ON-STREET PARKING Steve Pastorik presented a proposed program to determine when on-street parking restrictions might be considered. He explained the methodology, which involves measuring the total curb length along a street, subtracting driveway lengths, and then calculating available parking spaces—60% of the remaining curb length divided by 22 feet per stall. Steve used Treasure Isle as an example. In this case, the total curb length was measured at 1,550 feet. After subtracting the driveway lengths, the remaining space for parking was calculated to 980 feet. Using the method, the calculation of available parking spaces resulted in 26, which matched the actual count observed during two evening checks. During the discussion, Councilmember Huynh stated that it was essential to work with residents to identify which side has more renters who might require more parking. Steve explained that the policy so far didn't factor that, but the majority of homes were initially believed to be owner-occupied. Mayor Lang pondered if issuing one parking pass per home might be fairer in addressing the uneven parking due to neighbors parking in each other’s designated spaces. The discussion expanded to various options, including restricting parking to one side of the street, implementing a permit system, or prohibiting overnight parking in general. Councilmember Harmon favored banning overnight parking from midnight to 5 AM as a more straightforward solution for keeping street parking manageable. After extensive discussion considering various impacts and efficiency, the Council decided to move forward with a test project in the Treasure Isle area. The agreement was to restrict parking to one side of the street, specifically the south and east sides, to see if it alleviates the congestion and issues associated with boarding houses. It was recognized that homes in the area feature three-car garages, potentially providing off-street solutions for larger families or multiple renters. The trial period is set until the end of the year, with a plan to revisit and review its effectiveness in managing on-street parking and addressing neighborhood complaints. The Mayor and Council had no further questions or concerns. D. CODE ENFORCEMENT POLICY MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -8- Steve Pastorik, CD Director, presented a PowerPoint Presentation summarized as follows: o Inoperable Vehicles ▪ Policy: Enforce against vehicles in front yards that are readily observable as mechanically inoperable unless covered by a vehicle specific cover. License and registration status are irrelevant. ▪ Code: Inoperable vehicles, which include unregistered, unlicensed, unsightly, or deleterious vehicles, are prohibited anywhere on the property unless covered by a vehicle specific cover. (Sections 24-2-101 and 24-2-111A) o Residential Landscaping ▪ Policy: In front yards, enforce against grass and weeds that exceed 6 inches in height. ▪ Code: In front yards, at least one tree and a minimum of 30% live plant material is required. Artificial turf can substitute for live plant material. Weeds are not allowed as an acceptable groundcover. Grass or weeds exceeding 6 inches in height are prohibited anywhere on the property. (Sections 7-11-205 and 24-8-106) o Outside Storage, Surfacing, and Fencing ▪ On these violations, the only discrepancy between policy and code is the policy limits enforcement to the front yard while the code does not. ▪ Outside storage: Outside storage of materials, equipment, household items, etc. is prohibited. (Section 24-2-112) ▪ Surfacing: Vehicles must be parked on an approved surface. (Section 7-9-114) ▪ Fencing: Standards exist on materials, height, and maintenance. (Section 7-2-114) o Administrative Citations ▪ Policy: Administrative citations are only used for residential parking violations (i.e. not parking on an approved surface) ▪ Code: “Any person violating any minor provision of the City Code or applicable state codes may be issued an administrative citation by an enforcement official as provided in this Part.” (Section 10-2-402) o Enforcement in Backyards  MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -9- ▪ Code enforcement officers do not need a warrant when they can observe an otherwise-protected area from a location they may lawfully occupy. ▪ Examples: • Code enforcement officer observes an ordinance violation in an unfenced backyard while driving on a public road. • Code enforcement officer inspects a backyard from the vantage point of a neighbor’s property if the officer is given permission to be there. • Building inspector uses Google Earth imagery to enforce against unpermitted structures in a backyard. Ifo stated that the goal here would be to provide clear guidelines, especially for the new Chief Code Enforcement Officer, Tumi. He noted that some policies given to code enforcement officers did not align with the code, or the code had not been updated to reflect them. Ifo stated that Steve was tasked with identifying discrepancies and working to align policies with the existing code. The discussion was focused on ensuring that if policies needed to change, the code should be updated accordingly, or if the code was sufficient, conflicting policies should be removed. The Council agreed to schedule a separate, longer meeting to discuss these issues in detail and align the policies with the code or vice versa. They also expressed interest in hearing from code enforcement officers about their experiences and suggestions for improvement. The Mayor and Council had no further questions or concerns. E. COUNCIL CALENDAR Mayor Lang referenced a Memorandum previously received from the City Manager that outlined upcoming meetings and events. Councilmember Whetstone mentioned the upcoming Gerald Wright ribbon cutting. Members of the City Council had no further questions regarding the Council Update. NEW BUSINESS A. POTENTIAL FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS  MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -10- N/A B. COUNCIL REPORTS N/A MOTION FOR CLOSED SESSION Councilmember Christensen moved to adjourn and reconvene in a Closed Session for discussion of disposition of real property and deployment of security. Councilmember Huynh seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken and all members voted in favor of the motion. Councilmember Wood Yes Councilmember Whetstone Yes Councilmember Harmon Yes Councilmember Huynh Yes Councilmember Christensen Yes Councilmember Nordfelt Yes Mayor Lang Yes Unanimous. THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS OF THE WEST VALLEY COUNCIL THE STUDY MEETING ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2025 WAS ADJOURNED AT 6:01 PM BY MAYOR LANG. I hereby certify the foregoing to be a true, accurate and complete record of the proceedings of the Study Meeting of the West Valley City Council held Tuesday, February 25, 2025. _______________________________ Nichole Camac, MMC City Recorder  MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -11- THE WEST VALLEY CITY COUNCIL RECONVENED IN CLOSED SESSION ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2025 AT 6:04 P.M., IN THE MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM, WEST VALLEY CITY HALL, 3600 CONSTITUTION BOULEVARD, WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH. THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER BY MAYOR KAREN LANG. THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS WERE PRESENT: Karen Lang, Mayor Lars Nordfelt, Councilmember At-Large Don Christensen, Councilmember At-Large Tom Huynh, Councilmember District 1 Scott Harmon, Councilmember District 2 Will Whetstone, Councilmember District 3 Cindy Wood, Councilmember District 4 STAFF PRESENT: Ifo Pili, City Manager Nichole Camac, City Recorder Eric Bunderson, City Attorney Lauren McPeak, Administrative Analyst Harold Moleni, Administrative Analyst John Evans, Fire Chief Colleen Jacobs, Police Chief Steve Pastorik, CD Director Jonathan Springmeyer, ED Director Jim Welch, Finance Director The City Council met in Closed Session and discussed disposition of real property and deployment of security. THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS OF THE WEST VALLEY CITY COUNCIL, THE CLOSED SESSION OF FEBRUARY 25, 2025 WAS ADJOURNED AT 6:26 P.M. BY MAYOR LANG. MINUTES OF COUNCIL STUDY MEETING – FEBRUARY 25, 2025 -12- __________________________________ Nichole Camac – City Recorder