St. George


City Council

Thursday, March 31,2011
Minutes



ST. GEORGE CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
MARCH 31, 2011 4:00 PM
ADMINISTRATION CONFERENCE ROOM

PRESENT:
Mayor Daniel McArthur
Councilmember Ben Nickle
Councilmember Gil Almquist
Councilmember Jon Pike
Councilmember Gail Bunker
Councilmember Gloria Shakespeare
City Manager Gary Esplin
City Attorney Shawn Guzman
City Recorder Gay Cragun

SITE VISIT:
A site visit was made to the Tonaquint Center building at 1506 Silicon Way.

The meeting then resumed at the City Office for the following business:

Mayor McArthur welcomed all in attendance. The pledge of allegiance to the flag was led by Gay Cragun and the invocation was offered by Councilmember Nickle.

AGREEMENT:
Consider approval of a caretaker agreement for a City-owned home at 100 West 100 South.

City Manager Gary Esplin explained the City owns two houses on 100 West, with a tenant in one of the homes. Larry Shane would like to be the caretaker for both homes and do all outside maintenance and be on call for the Arts Building and Town Square in exchange for rent for one of the homes. He recommended approval subject to legal review of the agreement.

MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Almquist to approve the agreement subject to legal review.
SECOND: The motion was seconded by Councilmember Pike.
VOTE: Mayor McArthur called for a vote, as follows:

Councilmember Pike - aye
Councilmember Almquist - aye
Councilmember Bunker - aye
Councilmember Shakespeare - aye
Councilmember Nickle - aye

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.

AGREEMENT:
Consider approval of a financial advisor agreement with Lewis Young Robertson & Burningham.

City Manager Gary Esplin explained a new law prohibits financial advisors from being underwriters, and visa versa. The agreement provides for a 30 day cancellation


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March 31, 2011
Page Two

period with fees to be negotiated based on the project. Legal has not yet reviewed the agreement.

MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Bunker to approve the agreement.
SECOND The motion was seconded by Councilmember Nickle.
VOTE: Mayor McArthur called for a vote, as follows:

Councilmember Pike - aye
Councilmember Almquist - aye
Councilmember Bunker - aye
Councilmember Shakespeare - aye
Councilmember Nickle - aye

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.

EMERGENCY PURCHASE REQUISITION:
Consider approval of an emergency purchase requisition for woody debris removal on the Santa Clara River.

City Manager Gary Esplin explained that FEMA is putting pressure on the City to declare an emergency to get rid of the woody debris that is stacked outside of the river. As a result of the last flood, woody debris has been stacked at the Rogers gravel pit in Green Valley and along the Southgate Golf Course, and FEMA has determined that it needs to be moved now. Staff proposes that JP Excavating be used to do this. They will haul the debris to the old State yard and the City will hire a chipper and grinder, and the resulting mulch will be stored to be used in landscaping. FEMA will pay 75% of the cost to remove the woody debris.

MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Shakespeare to approve the emergency requisition.
SECOND: The motion was seconded by Councilmember Bunker.
VOTE: Mayor McArthur called for a vote, as follows:

Councilmember Pike - aye
Councilmember Almquist - aye
Councilmember Bunker - aye
Councilmember Shakespeare - aye
Councilmember Nickle - aye

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.

UPDATE ON FEMA:
City Manager Gary Esplin explained that he met with FEMA this afternoon and they are looking at the City’s match and how far they want to go with mitigation. FEMA said they will work with the City on mitigation, which means strengthening the City’s ability to control floods in the future by adding extra to the walls along the Santa Clara River. They have approved approximately $325,000 in the Water Department for the Gunlock Reservoir and wells, the water line at Sunbrook and at the Convention Center and the seep ditch. The City will have about a $79,000 match for

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this work. In the Energy Department, FEMA has committed $488,000 and the City’s share is $122,000, which includes some of the work done during the flood, the 69 kV line, the power line at the Dixie Center and Gubler fields. In Wastewater, FEMA approved all protection along the river, which so far totals $525,000, with the City’s match at $131,000. At the Southgate Golf Course and Sunbrook costs could possibly be up to $1.125 million, with the City’s match at 25% of that total. The big ticket item is the rip rap to protect the golf course in the future. Then erosion control on the existing walls between Sunbrook and the Dixie Drive bridge totals about $3.1 million, with the City’s match at $705,000. Protecting the bridges will cost $909,000, but federal highway funds will have to be used. Trails are estimated at $2.137 million, with the City’s non-budgeted match of $250,000.

Budget and Financial Planning Manager Deanna Brklacich advised that the City will apply for extra funding out of the 15% of whatever FEMA funds are put into the hazard mitigation fund. The City can then use these funds for future mitigation.

City Manager Gary Esplin explained that this year the State has committed to keeping these FEMA hazard mitigation funds in Washington County and the City will apply for these funds at the Millcreek Generation Facility in order to protect FEMA’s $100,000,000 investment. The City will have to come up with $1.3 million. The plan is to probably not do the connection on the storm drain flood control portion of the Main Street project in order to fund some of the match.

Mayor McArthur thanked Ed Burgess and others such as JP Excavating, Rogers Construction and Bryce Christensen who helped in the 2005 and 2011 floods.

LITTLE VALLEY GENERAL PLAN:
Discussion on the Little Valley General Plan and the Ed Burgess property development plan.

Community Development Director Bob Nicholson displayed an exhibit of the Little Valley Land Use Plan with proposed revisions.

City Manager Gary Esplin advised that staff feels it meets most of the objectives desired.

Mr. Nicholson explained that this issue was last discussed in October, 2010 and a lot of consensus was reached. However, one consensus that has never been able to be reached is how to protect the large lot subdivisions. The matter was put on hold in order to give Mr. Burgess time to meet with the neighborhoods and put together a plan. The matter will still have to be heard by the Planning Commission and City Council in formal public hearings. There seems to be less demand for medium density housing and Mr. Burgess has lowered the densities in his plan.

Stacey Young, representing Mr. Burgess, explained the plan is a broad plan at this time without any specific zoning. The basic planning principle was a buffer and feathering approach to match the land use of adjacent properties and then feather into smaller lot sizes. All of the residential elements are designated as low density or very low density. Buffers were created in key spots and the density of the overall parcel has been relaxed. Mr. Burgess wanted to address creation of scale that the

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neighbors have asked for in terms of an agricultural element. Mr. Burgess envisions zoning 100+ acres as Residential Estates which would allow animal rights. This will create the opportunity to bring agriculture within the budget of more people, as not everyone can handle acre lots. There will be a mix of lot sizes, all with RE zoning, to signal to everyone who buys that they can have animals and will be near to animals.
He advised that the meetings with neighbors have been good.

Curt Gordon commented he would like to see a change in the RE zoning to allow people to sell their tomatoes, pigeons, rabbits, etc. Right now they can only be for their own use. He advised that water impact fees are a real challenge in this area. Owners need to be able to water their large lots and they are working on ways to economically work that out by using reuse water and trying to get water rights for the large lots, as it is not feasible financially to pay the water impact fees.

Mayor McArthur commented the City has made it a policy to require secondary systems in this area, even if they are dry.

Mr. Gordon replied the secondary water is near the school and they have talked with the Water District about extending the pressurized irrigation system through Little Valley.

City Manager Gary Esplin commented that there is a secondary water line in the Southern Corridor and there will be plenty of storage area in the Warner Valley when the storage lake is built there.

Mr. Gordon commented that they have to find a way to make the project economical because if the numbers don’t add up, the vision can’t be achieved.

ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION:
MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Bunker to adjourn to an executive session to discuss potential litigation and a property sale.
SECOND: The motion was seconded by Councilmember Pike.
VOTE: Mayor McArthur called for a roll call vote, as follows:

Councilmember Pike - aye
Councilmember Almquist - aye
Councilmember Bunker - aye
Councilmember Shakespeare - aye
Councilmember Nickle - aye

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.

RECONVENE AND ADJOURN:
MOTION: A motion to reconvene and adjourn was made by Councilmember Bunker.
SECOND: The motion was seconded by Councilmember Pike.
VOTE: Mayor McArthur called for a vote, as follows:

Councilmember Pike - aye
Councilmember Almquist - aye

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March 31, 2011
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Councilmember Bunker - aye
Councilmember Shakespeare - aye
Councilmember Nickle - aye

The vote was unanimous and the motion carried.



_____________________________________
Gay Cragun, City Recorder