All present included Mayor Hart,
Council Member McDonald,
Council Member Johnson,
Council Member Roberts,
and
City Recorder Kari D. Jimenez.
STAFF:
City Manager/Attorney Dale Coulam,
Director of Finance Wally Ritchie,
Chief of Police Bob Flowers,
Parks and Recreation Director Benny Sorensen,
and
Building and Zoning Administrator Mike Rodriguez.
EXCUSED:
Council Member Mehr,
Council Member Densley
Audience: George & Linda Elwell, Kathy Nied, Sharon Jenkins, Jared Madsen, Brittany Hollinshead, Becky & Chuck Warren, Pat & Jeff Hart, Paul & Karen Brennan, Hal Jones and others who did not sign in.
Mayor Hart acknowledged there was a quorum present. Council Member Mehr and Council Member Densley were excused.
Council Member Johnson led the Flag Salute
Council Member Johnson gave the Invocation
Mayor Hart indicated that Brittany Hollingshead is Mrs. Ivins, was crowned Mrs. Utah and will be representing the State of Utah in the Mrs. America Pageant. Brittany Hollinshead indicated that she has been competing as Mrs. Ivins for the last three (3) years and her platform is defeating Dysautonomia, which is a condition she has suffered with for the last 12 years. At one point, she was bed ridden, wheelchair bound and unable to eat solid food. She has had several women reach out to her regarding the disease. She is a mother of four (4) and a full time Aeronautical student. She is seeking sponsorship in Ivins and the State of Utah to assist her with the cost of attending the Mrs. America Pageant. Mayor Hart stated that at least $5,000 will need to be raised and he'd like to provide some information in the newsletter for residents to contribute to the cause if they'd like to. Brittany Hollinshead thanked the Mayor and City Council and indicated that anything raised over $5,000 would be donated to Dysautonomia International.
There were no disclosures or conflicts of interest with items on this meeting's agenda.
Chief Flowers recognized Linda Elwell for her association and work provided on behalf of Ivins Animal Shelter. He read the following Letter of Acknowledgement for Linda and the F.I.A.S (Friends of Ivins Animal Shelter) Board of Directors: "On behalf of the City of Ivins, we sincerely want to express our sincere gratitude for your efforts in support of the City of Ivins Animal Shelter. As a Director of the Board of the Friends of Ivins Animal Shelter, you have been instrumental in the adoption and fostering of hundreds and hundreds of pets. You provided the unwavering leadership so needed for this important mission. The City of Ivins adopted the No Kill philosophy over a decade ago with the guidance and support of F.I.A.S. The shelter has been acknowledged for these efforts state wide. The untold stories are the families that have taken these animals into their homes across the state and sometime across state lines to enhance the lives of both. A book could be written about the joy these relationships brought, both to family and the adoptive pets. We are proud of the relationship between the City of Ivins and F.I.A.S. and we want you to know that we stand firm behind the philosophy that began so long ago and will continue to move forward with this wonderful approach to the animals in our community. Warmest regards, Mayor Chris Hart, Dale Coulam City Manager and Bob Flowers Public Safety Director". Mayor Hart presented Linda with a plaque and thanked her for her service. Linda Elwell acknowledged Wade Carpenter (former Public Safety Director) and gave some history of working with Chief Flowers. She indicated that she has a valuable family relationship and respect for him. She recognized Ivins Animal Shelter Manager, Stacey Trujillo and stated that she may have not been able to make the decision for F.I.A.S. to no longer be in existence without Stacey being the Shelter Manager. She recognized the following individuals: Kathy Nied, 1st VP, Karen Brennan, 2nd VP, Jayne Wright, Secretary, Sandi Jensen, Treasurer and Jennifer Guter, Graphic Artist/Owner of Reflections Printing. Jayne Wright was traveling and Sandy Jensen was still at work and unable to attend. She thanked her husband George Elwell, her grandson T.J. Maserang and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
Steve Caplin is the Governing Board Chairman and present representing Dixie Regional Medical Center. He provided a document to the Mayor and City Council regarding statistics and accomplishments. A copy of the document is available by request through Ivins City Hall. He reported that Intermountain Health Care is the largest private employer in Washington County and provided over $31 million dollars in Charity Care for individuals who did not have the resources to pay for their care. Dixie Regional Medical Center is doubling the size of the footprint at the River Road from 500,000 sq. ft. to 1,000,000 sq. ft. They have a Joint Venture with Stanford University regarding Precision Genomics. There will be a joint lab and internships where some Dixie State University students will be able to go to Stanford University on an internship. He congratulated Ivins City for its advancements with the new Rocky Vista University Medical School that will be opening in the next couple of weeks. He stated that they are very thankful to Ivins City and indicated that Ivins residents Janice Brooks and Daren Barney are both members of the governing board.
Report
Report
Benny Sorensen provided a written report, a copy of which is available by request through Ivins City Hall. The playground and shade structure in Desert Rose Park are finished and the shade structure at UNITY Park is in place. The City is waiting on block for the retaining wall at Desert Rose Park to hold the playground chips in place. He reported that someone complained about the shade structure blocking their view but the City lowered the structure by approximately four feet (4") and it is lower than any of the houses built in that location. The City will be installing restrooms and pavilions in Desert Rose Park in the near future. Fire Lake Park/Ivins Reservoir is very popular and has been very busy. Regarding the cemetery, the City has been selling a lot of burial plots and is in need of expanding.
Chief Flowers reported provided a written report. A copy of the report is available by request through Ivins City Hall. Fire Lake Park/Ivins Reservoir is really busy and Public Safety has been out there in the evenings. There have been some alcohol violations and some noise. The Parks and Recreation department are doing a fabulous job keeping the park clean. On July 4th Chief Hannig required the Fire Department to be on patrol. Legal fireworks that tipped over started the bamboo on fire along 100 West. If fire crews had not been patrolling, that fire would have gotten away from them. That situation was pretty close to being a disaster. He reported that DUI's (Driving Under the Influence) are triple what they normally are, with a lot of them being prescription drug related. The Santa Clara Ivins Police Department has received great compliments from Federal law enforcement regarding the work done on the homicide case that SCI worked on. Mayor Hart referred to the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Nevada and inquired if there was any sense that that needs to be watched. Chief Flowers clarified that it's still illegal in Utah and they will enforce the law until there is a change by the legislature.
| D. |
Planning Commission Report |
No report. There was no Planning Commission meeting was held on July 4, 2017 due to the Independence Day Holiday.
Dale Coulam stated that they are watching a rapid and unprecedented change in the Public Safety arena. For the 12 1/2 years that he has been with Ivins, the Public Safety platform of Police Officers cross-trained in Fire and EMS has been successful. Other cities came to Ivins for examples of how we have done things in Public Safety. However, in the last few months there has been a significant change in this area, particularly in the area of training, recruiting and retaining personnel. Ivins City has compensated officers extra for being cross trained in Fire and to be an EMT and, as a result, has been very competitive in compensation its officers when compared to other Southern Utah jurisdictions. However, that has all changed with these other jurisdictions passing significant hourly rate increases and even adopting some form of signing bonus. These other jurisdictions also do not require the crossing-training we do. We have previously noted the difficulty in training and retaining volunteer firefighters and this has become even more of an issue with police officers who already are required to go through extensive police training. It simply has become too burdensome to our police officers who are now being heavily recruited by these other jurisdictions offering more money with cross-training requirement. If the City waits another two (2) weeks to address this, the City may lose another two (2) officers. Chief Flowers clarified that the City has lost four (4) officers recently. One of those officers was Chad Holt. He received a phone call out of the blue asking him to come work for them for $4 more per hour and no cross training or testing required. He has been with Ivins City for 11 years but $4 more per hour can make a difference. Jason Shafer went to Springdale and two more officers are being heavily recruited and it's creating an issue for the Public Safety Department. If Ivins doesn't make a change regarding the additional training that is currently required, they will lose more officers and it will be difficult to recruit officers to SCI. For officers to train and maintain EMS, Fire and Police certifications, they are gone to training nearly 2 1/2 months a year and it's getting in the way of their duties as a law enforcement officer. Dale Coulam indicated that the City has been looking at a point system for wages that recognizes and officer's achievements, including cross-training. If Police Officers choose to maintain their Fire and EMS certifications, they're recognized for that. One of the Police Officers that is leaving told Dale that the requirement to be cross trained will be an issue for other officers. They can make more money elsewhere and not have to maintain the cross-training requirements, which takes them away from their families even more. He is asking the City Council for a change in the policy to remove the mandatory training requirements for Fire and EMS. He felt that change was for the City Council to decide. The City recognizes that Police Officers already have the training and equipment in their vehicles as a first responder. The additional training requirements are too burdensome but remains an option for officers. Chief Flowers stated that it was time to modernize the thought process and give more flexibility to stay competitive, otherwise SCI will be a training ground for Police Officers for a few years and then those officers will move on. Mayor Hart inquired if the City has conducted a salary range study. Dale Coulam clarified that the City does that every year but the reporting lags a year behind, but Bob Flowers is on top of it as far as talking to Chiefs of Police in other areas. Historically regarding salary ranges, he has been given the mandate to look at cities that only have a population of 30,000 or less and St. George was excluded. St. George needs to be included because St. George is heavily recruiting Ivins' employees across the board. For being a small City, Ivins is recognized for the quality and professionalism if it's employees. Ivins is a very unique organization and is envied by other cities. Part of that uniqueness is employee loyalty. If the City is competitive with the wages it likely will continue to, retain employees. Chief Flowers stated that if the City Council changes the policy regarding not requiring the additional mandatory training, it will stop the bleeding for a while and they can talk about some other ideas to address this. He appreciated the City Council for treating them well and to Dale for responding to the situation quickly. St. George City has 10 openings, are awarding year for year service and has been heavily recruiting Hope O'Bray. She's college educated, speaks another language and is the Victims Advocate. Mayor Hart inquired if other types of emergencies are better managed anyway with changes that are occurring. Chief Flowers referred to Fire Rescue and stated "yes". Dale Coulam clarified that current EMT's and Paramedics who also are Fire certified could be retained as part-time employees and respond to both Fire and EMS calls. That changes the Fire Department from a volunteer Fire Department to a part-time paid Fire Rescue Department. Dale Coulam clarified that what is being asked for tonight is for the City Council to consider removing the mandatory cross training requirements and have that be included as part of the pay plan. Council Member Johnson indicated that she was highly in favor of that. Council Member Roberts stated that he was completely in favor of this especially because the City invests so much into the officers and now the City is losing them for $2 to $4 an hour and losing that investment. He suggested providing hazard pay or a housing allowance to be more competitive. Council Member McDonald indicated that he was absolute favor of the policy change to remove the mandatory cross training requirements for Police Officers.
MOTION: Council Member Johnson moved remove the requirements for cross training for Police Officers
SECOND: Council Member McDonald
VOTE: The motion carried unanimously.
| Council Member McDonald |
AYE |
| Council Member Johnson |
AYE |
| Council Member Roberts |
AYE |
| Council Member Mehr |
ABSENT |
| Council Member Densley |
ABSENT |
Council Member Roberts had a few questions regarding Consent Agenda item A.
MOTION: Council Member Roberts moved to remove item A from the Consent Agenda
SECOND: Council Member Johnson
VOTE: The motion carried unanimously.
| Council Member McDonald |
AYE |
| Council Member Johnson |
AYE |
| Council Member Roberts |
AYE |
| Council Member Mehr |
ABSENT |
| Council Member Densley |
ABSENT |
| B. |
Approval of City Council Meeting Minutes for June 15, 2017 |
Minutes
MOTION: Council Member McDonald moved to approve item B on the Consent Agenda
SECOND: Council Member Johnson
VOTE: The motion carried unanimously.
| Council Member McDonald |
AYE |
| Council Member Johnson |
AYE |
| Council Member Roberts |
AYE |
| Council Member Mehr |
ABSENT |
| Council Member Densley |
ABSENT |
| A. |
Approve expenditure for Cliff Rose Tank additional improvements |
Staff Report
Council Member Roberts inquired as to why the fence. The tanks in St. George don't have fences and people walk on top of the tanks, roller skate and similar. Chuck Gillette clarified that recreating on the water tanks in St. George was driven by Mayor Mcarthur. There are a couple of reasons the City should use a fence. The first being a big push since 9-11 to improve water security relating to terrorism and the main reason is the tank isn't fully buried so there's a 20 foot drop off on one side of the tank and could be a liability issue. The fence would prevent people from getting on top of the tank. Council Member Roberts inquired about installing a rail instead of a fence. Chuck Gillette indicated that could done but felt that would invite people to see why the rail is there and they don't want the tank to be useable space. There is no a hiking in that area and the private property owners don't want people hiking up there. The fence is a better solution. Council Member Johnson felt that a fence would be the better solution because it says to "keep out". Council Member McDonald stated that the water tanks in St. George are a different situation because of the location. Mayor Hart agreed that the liability is a big deal and indicated that a fence should be used. The City Council members agreed.
MOTION: Council Member McDonald moved to approve item A on the Consent Agenda
SECOND: Council Member Roberts
VOTE: The motion carried unanimously.
| Council Member McDonald |
AYE |
| Council Member Johnson |
AYE |
| Council Member Roberts |
AYE |
| Council Member Mehr |
ABSENT |
| Council Member Densley |
ABSENT |
Council Member Roberts - no report
Council Member Johnson - no report
Council Member McDonald - no report
Mayor Hart reported that he would like to see the City contribute something towards Brittany Hollinshead for the Mrs. America pageant. Council Member McDonald indicated that his company will be donating to it. Mayor Hart stated that his company will as well. Dale Coulam indicated that he has authority to donate $250.00 on behalf of the City but anything beyond that would need to be approved by the City Council. Council Member Roberts referred to the Princess Pageant and inquired what the scholarship amounts were awarded for that pageant. Mayor Hart indicated it was $1,000 to the Princess and $500 to her attendants; and there was no Miss Ivins pageant this year. Council Member Johnson suggested the City use those funds. The Council inquired if those funds could be appropriated for that. Wally Ritchie clarified that the scholarships aren't usually used in the year that the princesses are crowned. The funds can be used in the future for school. Mayor Hart suggested this be an agenda item and discussed at the next City Council meeting. He also suggested that the City Council address Public Safety hazard of bamboo at a future City Council meeting. It is more than just a nuisance. If there's a potential for an entire block to catch fire, that's an issue and owners should be allowed to leave something that volatile in place. Dale Coulam clarified that when the City Council addressed this previously, there was an exception made in the ordinance prohibiting new plants, but it allowed for the plants that were already present to remain. Now that the bamboo is gone from that portion of the property, the code prohibits replacing the burned bamboo. He also suggested that there should be a requirement or a discussion regarding vegetation close to homes, particularly in wildland fire areas, to require a clear zone around homes.
Dale Coulam reported that the City Council needs to go to a Closed Meeting to discuss the purchase, exchange or sale of real property.
| D. |
Items to be placed on future agendas |
Discussion regarding a donation to Mrs. Ivins for the Mrs. America pageant; discussion regarding prohibition of bamboo; discussion regarding the requirement and enforcement of a clear zone around homes.