05/22/2018 - Work Session - Minutes MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
The City Council met in Work Session on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in
Room 326, Committee Room, City County Building, 451 South State
Street.
In Attendance: Council Members Erin Mendenhall, Derek Kitchen,
Chris Wharton, James Rogers, Charlie Luke, Andrew Johnston, and
Amy Fowler.
Staff in Attendance : Cindy Gust-Jenson, Council Executive
Director; Jennifer Bruno, Council Executive Deputy Director;
Jackie Biskupski, Mayor; David Litvack, Mayor' s Deputy Chief of
Staff; Patrick Leary, Mayor' s Chief of Staff; Lynn Pace, Mayor' s
Senior Advisor; Margaret Plane, City Attorney; Nick Tarbet,
Council Senior Public Policy Analyst; Allison Rowland, Council
Policy & Budget Analyst; Sam Owens, Council Policy Analyst; Melissa
Jensen, Housing and Neighborhood Development Director; Lily Gray,
Housing and Neighborhood Development Deputy Director; Mary Beth
Thompson, Finance Director; Lisa Packwood, Revenue & Finance
Manager; Benjamin Luedtke, Council Public Policy Analyst; Russell
Weeks, Council Senior Advisor; Kira Luke, Council Policy & Budget
Analyst; Elizabeth Buehler, Community and Neighborhoods Civic
Engagement Management; Mike Reberg, Community and Neighborhoods
Director; Nick Norris, Planning Director; Michaela Oktay, Deputy
Planning Director; Matthew Cassel, City Engineer; Jennifer
Schumann, Housing and Neighborhood Development Program Manager;
Nole Walkingshaw, Public Services/Administrative Services Deputy
Director; Jonathan Larsen, Transportation Director; Lisa Shaffer,
Public Services Director; Vicki Bennett, Sustainability
Environment Director; Lance Allen, Waste & Recycling Division
Director; Debbie Lyons, Sustainability Program Director; Karl
Lieb, Fire Chief; Bill Wyatt, Airport Director; Allen McCandless,
Airport Planning Director; Sylvia Richards, Council Public Policy
Analyst; John Baxter, Justice Court Judge; Curtis Preece, City
Courts Administrator; Valeta Bolton, Justice Courts Financial
Analyst; Kory Solorio, Assistant City Recorder; and Cindi Mansell,
City Recorder.
Guests in Attendance: Andrew Gruber, Wasatch Front Regional
Council Executive Director.
Councilmember Mendenhall presided at and conducted the
meeting.
The meeting was called to order at 1 : 11 p .m.
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22 , 2018
AGENDA ITEMS
#1 . 1:11:24PM RECEIVE A WRITTEN BRIEFING REGARDING THE NEW
AFFORDABLE HOUSING RENOVATION PILOT PROGRAM. The Council received
a written briefing about the new Renovation Pilot Program, which
would offer loans to developers to improve existing affordable
housing units in the City in exchange for a guaranteed period of
continued affordability - at least 30 years. View Attachments
Written Briefing Only.
#2 . 1:11:34PM RECEIVE A WRITTEN BRIEFING REGARDING FISCAL YEAR
2018-2019 BUDGET: INSURANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT. The Council
received a written briefing about the proposed Insurance and Risk
Management budget, which accounts for employee insurance plans,
for Fiscal Year 2018-19. View Attachments
Written Briefing Only.
#3 . 1:11:39PM RECEIVE A WRITTEN BRIEFING REGARDING FISCAL YEAR
2018-2019 BUDGET: HUMAN RESOURCES. The Council received a written
briefing about the proposed Human Resources Department budget for
Fiscal Year 2018-19. View Attachments
Written Briefing Only.
#4 . 1:11:48 PM FUNDING OUR FUTURE : SALES TAX INCREASE AND
GENERAL OBLIGATION (GO) BOND. The Council was briefed about the
City's funding needs and revenue options, focusing most on the
recently-approved 0. 5 percent sales tax increase. New revenue from
the sales tax increase could be used toward streets maintenance,
transit, neighborhood safety, and affordable housing. The
Council's discussion included a summary of Senate Bill 136 related
to transit funding, further conversation about budget options for
transit projects, demonstration of the accountability dashboard,
public engagement options for the sales tax and future general
obligation bond discussions, among other things. View Attachments
Kira Luke, Elizabeth Buehler, Cindy Gust-Jenson, Lynn Pace,
and Andrew Gruber briefed the Council with attachments .
Councilmember Luke expressed concern that sales tax revenue
might not go toward things the Council did not necessarily promote
or anticipate through public outreach efforts . He said based on
the Administration' s role in the process, he wanted to provide as
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
much clarity/direction as possible for how revenue was spent and
tracked (public accountability) . Discussion was held on utilizing
legislative intent and/or contingent appropriations to direct
revenue allocations . Ms . Gust-Jenson said legislative intents
provided Council direction but were not very effective, whereas,
contingent appropriations could be used effectively to direct/bind
Administrative actions .
Councilmember Mendenhall asked if legislative intents could
be used to provide clarity on contingent appropriations . Ms . Gust-
Jenson they were two separate tools and contingent appropriation
should contain complete details of the Council' s direction/intent.
Councilmember Luke said he wanted to ensure the dashboard
(being prepared to track new sales tax revenue) , clearly identified
all new positions, projects, etc. so sales tax revenue did not get
siphoned into other administrative projects/positions and the
Council would have the ability to keep constituents informed about
how new revenue was being spent (require Administration to update
the Council each year about what projects were being worked on and
how each one related to new sales tax revenue/more accountability) .
1:22:08PM Ms . Luke provided information on the proposal . Ms .
Buehler previewed the dashboard and said it was on the City' s
website which was the first step in ensuring the public process
would be 100% transparent. She said in addition to the main
dashboard, greater detail was provided under each of the four
critical elements (including updates) . She said this was the first
version which included the Mayor' s recommended budget . She said it
was currently static but would be in real time once the City moved
into the process .
Councilmember Johnston inquired about timelines and whether
the dashboard would integrate with the road schedule and relative
interaction. Ms . Buehler said the hope was to have one location
where the public could consistently/accurately review all
information in real time. She said City Staff would take over the
website/dashboard once the public engagement process was
finalized. She said the dashboard would also be connected to other
systems being development by Information Management Services
(IMS) .
1:26:33 PM Mr. Pace and Mr. Gruber provided an overview of Senate
Bill 136 (SB 136) relating to the imposition of a 0 . 25% local
option sales tax for transportation (formerly Proposition 1) .
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
Comments included distribution percentages (40o-cities, 40o-Utah
Transit Authority (UTA) , 20o-counties) , framework/timetable
established by County Council vote (ordinance would become void if
67% of cities did not adopt supporting resolutions by June 22,
2018) , tax would automatically go into effect on October 1, 2018
(if 67% threshold was met) , no current votes against proposal,
intent to have cities share in tax accountability, County funded
projects would be located within cities (collaborative approach) ,
potential for $5 . 5 million annual allocation to Salt Lake City
(from . 01%) , cities could apply to County to fund priority
projects, potential for State to impose tax after 2022 and control
all funding (if cities/counties did nothing) , sales tax
distribution scenarios (50o point of sale and 50o population) ,
creation of a new sales tax task force, transportation reinvestment
zones, and proposed gas tax increase on 2018 ballot.
Councilmember Luke expressed concern about the County' s
approach and thought discussion was needed about how revenue would
be spent (what municipal allocations would look like) . He said he
felt the County needed to have the ability to reward cities that
supported the resolution (added benefit) . Councilmember Mendenhall
suggested including some type of reward criteria language in the
resolution.
Councilmember Wharton asked if funds could be used for
maintenance. Mr. Gruber said there were limitations up to July 1,
2019, but after that, there was a lot of flexibility (for the
. 010) . He said there would also be opportunities to coordinate
significant projects with neighboring cities/counties .
Further discussion was held on various implementation
scenarios (including how revenue would be impacted) . Mr. Gruber
said from a tax-policy/regional transportation perspective, he
thought it was preferable to have the . 25% imposed throughout the
entire County (collaborative effort) . Councilmember Johnston
expressed concern about potential impact/utilization regarding
transportation needs in the Northwest Quadrant (NWQ) .
Councilmember Kitchen asked about bonding against new sales
tax revenue and Transportation Reinvestment Zones (TRZ) . Mr. Pace
said the City could not bond on a revenue stream it did not impose,
however, revenue could be used to pay debt service . Mr. Gruber
said TRZs were a new tool which allowed for the creation of
districts/boundaries/zones related to a transportation investment
and then captured the incremental value in property/sales taxes to
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
either repay capital costs on the investment or ongoing maintenance
or operations costs (had less requirements than a Community
Reinvestment Area (CRA) or a redevelopment area) . He said he was
already working with Zion' s Bank to provide additional information
to the Council (when available) .
Additional discussion included concerns about how the County
would determine/prioritize which cities would receive funding for
specific transportation projects (funding allocation criteria
needed to be developed) , how multiple tax increases would impact
City residents, potential revenue loss based on different
implementation scenarios, and articulating to residents how
revenues would be utilized.
Councilmember Luke expressed concern about how multiple tax
increases would impact residents and the need to articulate what
residents would receive from those increases . He said he did not
want to do anything to jeopardize the GO Bond being proposed for
the ballot this fall (revenue to be controlled by the City and
used exclusively for transportation needs) .
Councilmember Rogers also expressed concerns about the impact
of multiple tax increases and encouraged confidence building
opportunities/discussions with the County to promote the selection
of City projects .
Councilmember Johnston requested information/documentation
about the number of City projects which received County funding
over the past two-three years . He said the information would be
helpful in achieving a balanced perspective and potentially
improving the relationship with the County moving forward.
Mr. Pace said he wanted the Council to be aware of another
transportation funding bill which would be on the ballot this fall
(Joint House Resolution 20 - gas tax) . He said under the B&C Road
Distribution formula, cities and counties would get 300 of that
revenue (approximately $1 . 4 million to Salt Lake City) .
Councilmember Mendenhall said it sounded like further
discussions were needed with the County (for clarity) and she would
work on scheduling a meeting (also potential for small group
meetings) .
Discussion was held on GO Bond outreach efforts . Ms . Luke
said this was a public education campaign to inform people about
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TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
why the City was considering a bond, what specific needs were, and
how tax revenue would be used. Councilmember Johnston said he felt
a lot of outreach/details were needed about the proposal because
many residents were neutral about sales tax increases but not about
property tax increases . Councilmember Mendenhall said there were
limits on how cities promoted bonds and expressed interest in
having conversations with advocacy groups that might be interested
in advancing the issue in the community. Councilmember Luke asked
Staff to help Council Members work through contingent
appropriation options for sales tax revenue . Ms . Luke said
Attachment 6 contained some brainstorming ideas which had already
taken place.
#5. 2:18:23 PM FISCAL YEAR 2018-2019 BUDGET: DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC SERVICES. The Council was briefed about the proposed Public
Services Department budget for Fiscal Year 2018-19. View
Attachments
Allison Rowland, Lisa Shaffer, and Mayor Biskupski briefed
the Council with attachments and a Power Point presentation. Ms .
Rowland reviewed major budget changes . Comments included ongoing
reduction/degradation of services, increase in citizen complaints,
need to complete development of Regional Athletic Complex (RAC)
(loss of revenue) , deficits, maintenance needs on playing fields,
trails maintenance/management, RAC subject to same water rate
increases as general public, pocket parks, lack of maintenance
funding for two new fire stations, asset replacement plan, urban
forestry/pruning, tree plantings/removal, Capital Improvement
Program (CIP) funding, core City services not adequately funded,
public engagement process on sales tax (how four priorities were
determined) , addressing ongoing/unfunded maintenance projects, and
resident perception about service levels .
Council Members said addressing/finalizing the RAC needed to
be a Council priority. Councilmember Rogers requested the total
amount of funding needed to complete Phase I including a
description of missing components .
Councilmember Fowler said the maintenance deficit for public
assets and other issues were concerning and felt Public Services
needed to be a Council priority (think about creative ways to make
this a priority) .
Councilmember Luke said he hoped new sales tax revenue would
be used as a supplement rather than taking care of existing issues .
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TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
He said he wanted to find the $250, 000 (parks deferred maintenance)
somewhere in the General Fund rather than allowing more flexibility
with sales tax revenue . He reiterated his concern about changing
priorities that were touted to the public during the public
engagement process (Public Services should have been part of the
proposal) . Ms . Gust-Jenson said Staff needed help finding ways to
balance core City services with new program implementation.
Councilmember Mendenhall said she thought Parks needed to be
its own department and felt it was unfortunate they had to compete
for critical funding. Mayor Biskupski said during the initial
survey, the public did not rank Parks as a top priority that needed
sales tax funding.
Councilmember Johnston said he supported/appreciated the
creation of dashboards to track projects, goals, outcomes,
revenue, and deficits which would help the Council with policy
discussions/funding allocations .
Councilmember Mendenhall talked about Westside residents
wanting the Council to discuss a compromise regarding the police
proposal for additional officers . She said residents wanted to
feel safe in public spaces like the Jordan River Parkway and
suggested implementing a Ranger Program (if only 27 officers were
funded) . She said Public Services was currently contracting with
off-duty police officers to patrol parks/public spaces . Mayor
Biskupski said the Administration was looking at the Ranger Program
which would require additional study/time to create.
Discussion was held with the Mayor regarding the proposal to
hire 27 vs . 50 officers . Mayor Biskupski said the Administration
planned to hire 50 officers over a two-year period (27 this year
and 23 next year) . Council Members reiterated concerns about
changing the proposal mid-stream and the need to commit/allocate
revenue in the current budget to facilitate hiring 50 officers
(ongoing commitment) .
Ms . Rowland said in the past, the City funded a "residential
survey" about perception-of-services every two years (not funded
since 2015) and thought it might be useful for the Council to fund
one now. Ms . Gust-Jenson said she was aware some non-departmental
funding was allocated but said Staff would do additional research
on the issue . Councilmember Mendenhall said that information would
be helpful in future funding discussions .
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TUESDAY, MAY 22 , 2018
#6. 3:09:08PM FISCAL YEAR 2018-2019 BUDGET: FIRE DEPARTMENT .
The Council was briefed about the proposed Fire Department budget
for Fiscal Year 2018-19. View Attachments
Allison Rowland and Chief Lieb briefed the Council with
attachments . Chief Lieb provided a summary of the budget proposal .
Comments included specialty positions, equipment needed for new
apparatus, additional firefighters, 30, 000 annual calls (fairly
consistent year-to-year) , four-handed staffing model remained a
priority, increase in inspections, decrease in operational
injuries, training issues, pursuing efficiency opportunities, and
one-time savings .
Discussion was held on potentially increasing Community Health
Outreach (CHO) and Mobile Response Team (MRT) programs . Comments
included one-time/ongoing costs, case management, increasing
demand for emergency services, non-emergent services, increased
efficiencies, reduced response times, air quality/lower emissions
(small vehicle vs . fire truck) , unintended consequences, impact of
new Homeless Resource Centers (HRCs) , potential to expand
programs/model City-wide, additional training, public safety
presence/Ranger Program, and increasing needs in the NWQ.
Councilmember Fowler suggested expanding the MRT program south
of 1300 South. Chief Lieb said there would be a total of four
firefighters for MRT and one firefighter for CHO ($530, 000 first
year costs) . Councilmember Mendenhall asked Staff to add the
suggestion to "unresolved issues" for further discussion.
Councilmember Johnston requested data on how additional
personnel would impact current outcome measures/efficiencies
(written update) . Councilmember Mendenhall talked about response
times (above four minutes) at Fire Station' s 2, 10, 11, 13, & 14,
and asked how that data fit into Councilmember Johnston' s request
(where would value be maximized) .
Councilmember Rogers requested information about how the Fire
Department planned to address future needs in the NWQ (increasing
development) .
#7 . 3:55:32 PM FISCAL YEAR 2018-19 BUDGET: COMMUNITY AND
NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT FOLLOW-UP. The Council conducted a
follow-up discussion about the proposed Community and Neighborhood
Development budget for Fiscal Year 2018-19. View Attachments
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22 , 2018
Allison Rowland, Mike Reberg, Nick Norris, Melissa Jensen,
Matthew Cassel, Jonathan Larsen, and David Litvack briefed the
Council with attachments . Mr. Norris provided background
information about the Planning Division. Comments included
increased applications/workload, budget request for two new full
time employees (FTEs) , impact of new complicated/challenging
developments (large increases in historic district construction,
planned developments, and conditional building/site design
review) , code analysis, and challenges with Housing Plan
implementation.
Discussion was held on issues relating to homelessness and
affordable housing. Councilmember Luke said concerns were raised
about Operation Rio Grande (ORG) and asked about continuing
participation/partnerships with the County and Utah Highway Patrol
(UHP) . Mr. Litvack said the budget was built on a two-year
commitment and monthly meetings were taking place with the State,
County, and City. Councilmember Luke asked Mr. Litvack to follow-
up with UHP to address any potential problems/concerns .
Ms . Jensen provided background information regarding
services, goals, and key highlights of Housing and Neighborhood
Development (HAND) . Comments included Growing SLC-Five year plan
implementation, development of a Homeless Services dashboard,
formalizing outcomes (Council/Administrative intent) , progress
reports/updates, vouchers, contract management, define City' s role
in homelessness in order to make appropriate decisions (full
assessment needed) , and HRCs being located in RDA project areas
(participation in community building efforts) .
Councilmember Mendenhall asked about funding allocations for
emergency winter services/Weigand Center. Ms . Jensen said the
funds were not needed during the year due to mild weather, so they
would be carried over (funds would lapse to Fund Balance and a new
funding request for the same amount ($200, 000) would be included
in the 2019 budget) .
Discussion was held on the community' s interest in having a
Ranger Program to address public safety issues in public spaces
like Liberty Park and along the Jordan River Parkway (policy
discussion/determine funding source/utilize social work team) .
Discussion was held on the need to review/define the City' s
role in providing future homeless services . Comments included
determining ongoing funding needs, potential to decrease long-term
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TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
funding, re-evaluate fund allocations going forward, coordinated
effort, new one-year case management program to focus on Rio
Grande, identify existing gaps, and changes in State law allowing
Redevelopment Agency (RDA) funds to be used for homeless services
in RDA areas .
Councilmember Johnston said he supported re-evaluating how
funds were allocated utilizing a process similar to CIP or
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) where there was a clear
set of identified criteria (address outcome measures through a
Request-for-Proposal (RFP) ) . He said a coordinated effort was
needed with the private sector and other stakeholders (be more
all-encompassing) . Mr. Litvack said he thought the City was in the
beginning stages of identifying its role in determining policy,
programming, and funding. He said he thought gaps would still exist
in the new system (after Homeless Resource Centers (HRCs) came
online) . Councilmember Johnston said he felt there needed to be an
expectation of outcomes attached to funding (establish outcome
criteria/accountability, potential policy question) .
Councilmember Fowler said she was also interested in outcomes
and felt RDA and HAND needed to more clearly define/delineate what
housing objectives would be going forward (work collaboratively) .
She talked about a $1 . 2 million transfer from RDA to HAND and asked
if there would be a similar request next year. She said if so, the
Council needed to hold a policy discussion about that. Mr. Litvack
said he anticipated this being a one-time transfer and not an
ongoing revenue source for homeless services (majority of funding
from General Fund) .
Councilmember Kitchen requested additional information about
the "fast pass" proposal for affordable housing ($400, 000) . Ms .
Jensen said the adopted "Housing Plan" contained a provision for
an expedited process including potential for fee waivers . She said
a request was being prepared for the Council to consider approving
a fee waiver policy which included expanding existing impact fee
waivers but also policies related to other fee waivers . She said
this was being done in an effort to expedite affordable housing.
Mr. Cassel provided background information about the
Engineering Division. He said Engineering completed a Pavement
Condition Survey and a Five-Year Plan which would provide direction
moving forward. He said a request was submitted for a "Cartegraph"
tool which would help with asset management, addressing citizen
complaints, and enhancing collaboration between departments .
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TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
Mr. Larsen provided background information about the
Transportation Division. Comments included Fiscal Year 2017-18
accomplishments, ongoing/future goals, key budget considerations,
and HIVE pass marketing/outreach efforts . Councilmember Wharton
asked for design/construction information regarding the 300 North
pedestrian bridge that could be passed on to constituents .
Councilmember Fowler asked about HIVE pass usage. Mr. Larsen
said in the coming year, a taskforce would be created to look at
funding options in cooperation with the Utah Transit Authority
(UTA) . He said they wanted to evaluate what was needed to utilize
the system (make it easier/more affordable) . Councilmember
Mendenhall suggested adding this to "unresolved issues" .
Councilmember Johnston asked about costs to construct transit
bus stops . Mr. Larsen said if construction could be done in
conjunction with other projects, there would be substantial
savings . Councilmember Johnston asked Mr. Larsen to look for those
opportunities with all street reconstruction projects . Mr. Larsen
said implementation of the "Complete Streets" ordinance would be
applied to all construction projects .
#8 . FISCAL YEAR 2018-19 BUDGET: CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
OVERVIEW. The Council was briefed about the City's Capital
Improvement Projects, which involve the construction, purchase or
renovation of buildings, parks, streets or other physical
structures. Generally, projects have a useful life of five or more
years and cost $50, 000 or more. View Attachments
Item to be rescheduled.
#9 . 4:50:45 PM FISCAL YEAR 2018-19 BUDGET: SUSTAINABILITY
DEPARTMENT AND REFUSE FUND . The Council was briefed about the
proposed Sustainability Department budget and Refuse Fund for
Fiscal Year 2018-19. View Attachments
Sam Owens, Vicki Bennett, Lance Allen, and Debbie Lyons briefed
the Council with attachments . Ms . Bennett provided background
information about Sustainability/Refuse . Comments included
explanation of fees, rate increase structure, three-month
operating capital reserve, no revenue generation from recyclable
materials (potential for policy discussion) , new processing
facility, homeless clean-up costs ($33, 000 placeholder) , Call-2-
Haul program, request for 3 . 65 new FTEs, find new ways to fund
programs, carbon reduction initiatives, renewable energy goals,
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TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund, urban agriculture study
(local food production) , sustainability incentive study, rollover
projects, and concerns regarding increase of special event fees .
Councilmember Fowler requested additional information about
the $33, 000 for homeless clean-up. Ms . Bennett said the funding
was never used and was there as a placeholder. Ms . Bruno said Staff
would check with Finance and provide follow-up.
Councilmember Wharton said he received a number of complaints
about the Call-2-Haul program and thought residents did not
understand the sustainability component . He asked what could be
done to educate the public. Mr. Allen said postcards, flyers, phone
calls, and Community Council (CC) meetings were utilized.
Councilmember Wharton asked Mr. Allen to inform him when
presentations would be scheduled for Avenues and Capitol Hill CC
meetings so he could pass the information on to constituents .
Councilmember Fowler said the website provided information
about how to use the program but did not provide any information
about why people should participate. She asked Staff to include a
list of "whys", promoting program benefits .
Councilmember Wharton expressed concerns about proposed
special event fee increases . He requested follow-up from a prior
Council request for the Administration to contact user groups and
create a phase-in model . Mr. Allen said new fees would take effect
January 1, 2019 . He said there was a lot of discussion about right-
sizing service levels (reduce the impact of fees on services) .
Discussion was held on Policy Question No. 8 (Page 3) regarding
the Landfill' s dividend structure . Ms . Bennett said there were
productive conversations with the County about basing dividends on
"tonnage" or "profit" . She said she thought a profit model might
incentivize the County to pursue efficiencies . She talked about
the City' s ability for control and said she would explore options
for an outside operator (through RFP) and for alternative fee
structures . Councilmember Mendenhall requested ongoing updates .
#10. 5:09:41PM FISCAL YEAR 2018-2019 BUDGET: JUSTICE COURT. The
Council was briefed about the proposed Justice Court Department
budget for Fiscal Year 2018-2019. The Justice Court handles
misdemeanor criminal citations, small claims, traffic citations
and traffic school for moving violations. View Attachments
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TUESDAY, MAY 22 , 2018
John Baxter, Curtis Preece, Valeta Bolton, and Sylvia Richards
briefed the Council with attachments . Mr. Preece provided
background information about the Justice Court. Comments included
unique/strong court model, equality/accountability, indigent
representation, public safety, alternatives to litigation,
multiple language interpretation, access/fairness survey, caseload
management (45, 000 new cases/46, 000 disposed) , performance
data/measurements, flat budget, paperless environment, Driving
Under the Influence (DUI) data/issues, effectiveness of
homeless/veterans courts, potential implementation of a low-level
drug court, human trafficking, and social worker participation.
Discussion was held regarding impact of Operation Rio Grande,
current reduction of cases, compensation issues, caseload
management, update on homeless/veterans courts, potential of
reinstituting low-level drug court, potential of reinstituting
prostitution/rehabilitation court, and leveraging resources .
Councilmember Mendenhall said compensation issues relating to
judges and staff needed to be added to "unresolved issues" . She
asked Staff to work with Mr. Preece to determine appropriate
recommendations . She asked Staff to work with the Administration
to start conversations with the District Attorney, Salt Lake
County, and others to explore options to reinstitute a Prostitution
Outreach Program (POP) .
Note: Councilmember Rogers was absent for the remainder of
the meeting.
#11. 6:20:22PM FISCAL YEAR 2081-19 BUDGET: GOLF FUND FOLLOW-UP.
The Council will conducted a follow-up discussion about the
proposed Golf Fund budget for Fiscal Year 2018-19. View Attachments
Lisa Shaffer, Nole Walkingshaw, Allison Rowland, Mary Beth
Thompson, and Jennifer Bruno briefed the Council with attachments .
Comments included majority of users did not live in the City, no
more subsidizes, status quo outlook ($8 million gap in 10 years) ,
meaningful corrective action needed by Council, surcharge not
being used for intended purpose (capital projects) , no viable
revenue proposal, find revenue stream for Rose Park, utilization
rates, increase surcharge, add non-resident surcharge, operating
models, make public spaces more profitable, cost saving measures,
community amenities, Jordan River Par Three study, General Fund
model vs . hybrid model vs . business model, diversify revenue,
multi-use trails, accounting practices, have a plan in place before
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TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
taking action, contingent appropriation/strong directives, ongoing
capital needs/deferred maintenance, capital improvement revenue
stream, and limitations imposed by City constraints .
Councilmember Kitchen said he was not interested in providing
any further subsidies and thought the Council needed to take some
meaningful/corrective action to address ongoing issues . He said
serious consideration was needed about doing something about Rose
Park (large contributor to deficit) .
Discussion was held on finding workable solutions to address
annual operating expenses along with deferred maintenance and
capital improvement needs . Ms . Shaffer talked about the need to
diversify, create more revenue streams, and make public places
more profitable . She said she felt removing Rose Park from the
conversation would only add to the General Fund problem.
Councilmember Mendenhall talked about the $1 surcharge which
was not being used for the intended purpose (capital improvements) .
She said she felt the Council needed to take some type of
additional action whether it was increasing the surcharge or
increasing golf fees (viable revenue proposal needed) .
Councilmember Fowler said she thought it was important to
have Councilmember Rogers present for any conversations about Rose
Park. She said the Administration needed to look at a proposal
that would provide a revenue stream for Rose Park. Councilmember
Kitchen said he would support increasing the $1 surcharge and
adding a non-resident surcharge. Councilmember Johnston expressed
concerns about moving golf course land into the Parks Fund where
deficits already existed. He said a holistic concept was needed
about golf.
Ms . Shaffer said they were realizing some successes from a
previous plan but were struggling with not having a clear path on
whether or not there should be a General Fund model, a hybrid
model, or a strictly business model . She said an aggressive
approach was being taken with Nibley through an RFP to try and
diversify revenue. She said philosophical discussions were needed
about the value of having community assets like Rose Park/Jordan
River Par Three which included access to trails, etc. Councilmember
Johnston said he supported having discussions about some type of
hybrid model for Rose Park.
Councilmember Wharton requested information about how golf
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
operating shortfalls were covered through General Fund subsidies
(last year and current year) . Discussion was held with Ms . Thompson
about the request.
Councilmember Luke talked about ongoing struggles with golf
and cautioned the Council about taking action without having a
specific plan in place (re: Wingpointe) . He said he agreed
transferring Rose Park to the General Fund would only increase the
burden on Parks . He said when Councilmember Rogers was available,
he wanted to discuss a General Fund subsidy with very specific
contingencies/directives . He said he thought the Council needed to
look at every possibility including privatization and closures .
Councilmember Mendenhall asked Staff to work with the
Administration to determine an appropriate surcharge based on the
average amount of rounds played over the past three years or
something that would cover operational costs projected for 2019
(capital needs and ESCO (Energy Savings Companies) still needed to
be addressed) . Ms . Shaffer said they would provide the information
but wanted to caution that raising fees could have a negative
impact/unintended consequences (City courses already more
expensive than others) .
Councilmember Kitchen requested information (should the City
close Glendale and/or Rose Park) about what the cost would be to
maintain those properties until either the courses were reopened
or until there was a concrete plan/funding in place to repurpose.
Councilmember Fowler asked if Tracy Aviary sustained itself
through revenue generation. Ms . Thompson said she was aware of
some City/County subsidies and would get back to Council with
specific information.
Councilmember Johnston said he thought the Council needed to
review analysis/options that were previously prepared by the
Administration to avoid duplicating conversations/efforts . He said
existing data would provide a framework for discussions moving
forward. Ms . Shaffer said a lot of work went into preparing
data/scenarios which attempted to include the Council' s guiding
principles/budget realities . Councilmember Luke said he agreed
existing documentation could provide some direction should the
Council elect to utilize contingent appropriations . Ms . Shaffer
said she would provide an electronic copy to the Council .
Ms . Thompson said earlier comments were made about
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
Administrative constraints tying the Department' s hands and asked
if the Council wanted to receive information showing expenditures
and potential savings . Councilmember Mendenhall said she wanted
the information to show all expenditures including what was spent
on the retail component.
Councilmember Wharton said he previously requested data about
the economic/financial impact of golf on the City (estimated
value) . Mr. Walkingshaw said he thought data from the 2016 National
Golf Foundation (NGF) study was still relevant at approximately
$18 million in annual economic impact . Councilmember Wharton asked
if other sources of information were available (not just NGF) .
Councilmember Johnston talked about the potential to leave
Glendale and/or Rose Park unused for a period of time (no golf
operations) . He said he understood some revenue was better than
none but was interested to know what the financial impact would be
if nothing was done with those properties (potentially some
maintenance) . Ms . Shaffer said she thought the Administration
needed to have some expectation of what the Council and/or
community would expect to see if golf operations were suspended.
Councilmember Johnston said he understood there would be some costs
but wanted to know what the bare minimum would be to do nothing.
Further discussion was held on subsidizing something that very
few City residents utilized vs . a park which was utilized by a
majority of residents . Ms . Shaffer said she thought a philosophical
discussion was needed about removing barriers to exclusive uses
and finding ways to make subsidies more palatable.
Councilmember Mendenhall said she recalled from prior
discussions, there were more aggressive ideas/models that were not
presented for Council consideration. She said she wanted to see
that information even though there may not have been Administrative
support at the time.
#12 . FISCAL YEAR 2018-19 BUDGET: UNRESOLVED ISSUES . The
Council was briefed about unresolved issues relating to the
recommended budget. View Attachments
Item to be rescheduled.
#13. 7:46:50 PM AIRPORT PROPERTY ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT. The
Council was briefed about an ordinance that would rezone property
adjacent to the Salt Lake City International Airport terminals and
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
runways from Open Space (OS) , Commercial Corridor (CC) , and
Business Park (BP) to Airport (A) . The nearly 489 acres of land
located south of the Airport includes the former Wingpointe Golf
Course, which was closed in 2015. The Airport Director had not
specified the intended long-term use for the property. If the
zoning amendment was approved, the entire property could be used
for any use allowed in the Airport Zone. The Planning Commission,
which reviews all requests for rezones and text amendments,
forwarded a negative recommendation to the City Council. View
Attachments
Bill Wyatt, Allen McCandless, Nick Norris, and Russell Weeks
briefed the Council with attachments . Mr. Wyatt provided
information about the proposal . Comments included airport audit,
Corrective Action Plan requirements, inappropriate use of airport
funds, revenue diversion, special airport zone, property could
still be used as a golf course (public or private) , director' s
ability to declare certain airport uses (Re: Chevron Gas Station) ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) discretionary grants, ensure
compliance, Planning Commission' s concern about loss of open
space, and intent to maintain the trail running through the old
golf course property.
Mr. Weeks said a public hearing was scheduled for June 5, 2018 .
He said all land uses would be closely reviewed during the upcoming
master plan process (prior master plan was 1996) .
#14 . 7:59:18 PM REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR. Report of the Executive Director, including a review of
Council information items and announcements. The Council may
provide feedback or Staff direction on any item related to City
Council business, including but not limited to:
• Inland Port Board Appointment
• Request for Research on Alley Preservation, and
• scheduling items.
See File M 18-5 for announcements .
#15 . REPORT OF THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.
Item not held.
#16. 7:22:31PM CONSIDER A MOTION TO ENTER INTO CLOSED SESSION,
IN KEEPING WITH UTAH CODE §52-4-205 FOR ANY ALLOWED PURPOSE .
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018
Councilmember Wharton moved and Councilmember Johnston
seconded to enter into Closed Session to discuss Attorney-Client
matters that are privileged pursuant to Utah Code §78B-1-137, and
for other lawful purposes that satisfy the pertinent requirements
of the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act. A roll call vote was
taken. Council Members Rogers, Luke, Fowler, Johnston, Kitchen,
and Mendenhall voted aye. Councilmember Rogers was absent . See
File M 18-1 for Sworn Statements.
In Attendance: Council Members Johnston, Kitchen, Wharton, Fowler,
Luke, and Mendenhall .
Absent: Councilmember Rogers .
Others in Attendance: Cindy Gust-Jenson, Jennifer Bruno, David
Litvack, Margaret Plane, Patrick Leary, Nick Norris, Bill Wyatt,
Allen McCandless, Lehua Weaver, Russell Weeks, and Kory Solorio.
The Closed Session adjourned at 7 : 42 p.m.
The Work Session meeting adjourned at 8 : 09 p.m.
COUNCIL CHAIR
CITY RECORDER
This document is not intended to serve as a full transcript
as other items may have been discussed; please refer to the audio
or video for entire content pursuant to Utah Code §52-4-203 (2) (b) .
This document along with the digital recording constitute the
official minutes of the City Council Work Session meeting held May
22, 2018 .
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