City Council

Copy of the City of Ivins record for City Council, preserved by OwnUtah.com Ivins Meetings. Official source: City of Ivins Granicus archive.

CITY COUNCIL
MINUTES
April 2, 2020

NOTICE: This meeting will be held electronically, with some staff located at City Hall as the anchor location. You may listen to the live audio feed by going to www.ivins.com, clicking on the "Government" tab, clicking on the word "HERE" under the words City Council, and under the "Upcoming Events" at the top of that page, when the meeting is live, it will reflect "In Progress" - click on the "In Progress" link to listen to the meeting live. The direct link to listen to the meeting is below: http://ivins.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2#city

MAYOR AND COUNCIL: The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. and announced there was a quorum present.

All present included Mayor Hart, Council Member Mehr, Council Member McDonald, Council Member Johnson, Council Member Elliott, Council Member Gordhammer, and City Recorder Kari D. Jimenez.
STAFF: City Manager/Attorney Dale Coulam, and Director of Finance Lane Mecham.
EXCUSED: None.

Mayor Hart acknowledged that there was a quorum present, attending via the Zoom platform.

Council Member Gordhammer gave the Invocation

There were no disclosures or conflicts of interest with items on this meeting's agenda.

Benny Sorensen provided a report, a copy of which is available on Ivins website www.ivins.com under this agenda item. Council Member McDonald referred to monitoring of the parks and understood that the Mayor has been monitoring but inquired if Staff has been monitoring the parks as well. Benny Sorensen clarified that he monitors them, Chief Flowers and other Public Safety Officers are monitoring them, as well as Dale Coulam, the City Manager/Attorney. Benny Sorensen commented that there are a lot of people in Ivins who are from out of town. Mayor Hart commented that his observation has been that the young people at the skatepark have been conducting themselves quite well and keeping themselves reasonably separated and not clustering together in large groups. Benny Sorensen agreed and commented that they are doing the same at Fire Lake Park. The parking lot is full but there's enough room out there to spread out. Mayor Hart commented that for the public record, the City has a procedure in place that should the activity level increase to a dangerous point or if the behaviors deteriorate, the City could close down any or all facilities as needed and would happen with the involvement of law enforcement. Council Member Gordhammer thanked Benny for monitoring the parks and inquired if they were also checking the restrooms and if he felt that those were essential to be open. Benny Sorensen commented that they're monitoring those as well and as long as not having problems with the restrooms, they could remain open. He stated that if they do close the restrooms, it would shorten the time people spend in the parks. There are people from out of town who are spending spring break here and closing the restrooms would limit the number of people coming to the park, but Staff does go through the restrooms every day.

Chief Flowers provided a report to the Mayor and City Council Members. A copy of the report is available on Ivins website www.ivins.com under this agenda item. Chief Flowers reported that the Public Safety Department is going through the City Parks approximately every 30 minutes, including the skate park, and they're not noticing anything there. The department is handling what they can by telephone and are pretty well stocked with emergency gear and enough masks for a couple of weeks. He attends a briefing with the County Attorney and the Police Chiefs Association once a week. Mayor Hart stated that one recurring thing he's seeing in emails is the request to usher out everybody who doesn't live here, out of town, but the City doesn't have that authority. Chief Flowers indicated that he'd follow the orders he is given but did not see that working out very well and recommended staying within what the Governor's recommendations are. He has broken up a few groups who were pleasant and apologetic. Mayor Hart inquired if Chief Flowers was seeing that people are listening to the Governor. Chief Flowers stated yes and indicated that it's working pretty well. The Emergency 911 Center has the ability to flag homes where there's been a diagnosis of COVID-19 to help with responding. Mayor Hart suggested that they go through the streets and parks regularly and if there a sense for concern, to make sure that the Council is aware of that and can then act. Chief Flowers indicated that he and Dale Coulam meet daily and go out to all of the parks at least daily and sometimes twice a day. Right now, things seem to be going well. Council Member Elliott inquired if they have been getting any calls from people who are concerned about needing help to get supplies. Chief Flowers stated that he has reached out to a couple of groups and let them know that they can contact the department. The department has received very few calls regarding COVID-19 but they have a lot of information on the website. Council Member Elliott referred to other jurisdictions seeing an increased rate in domestic dispute and domestic violence. She reported that she is on the Board of the DOVE Center and stated that they are still offering their services. Chief Flowers indicated that he will forward that information to SCI's Victims Advocate and the Detective. Chief Flowers referred to Consent Agenda 6)A and inquired if the Council had any questions. Council Member McDonald noted that the expenditure is over by $400 on the expense but commented that likely was not a problem. Chief Flowers stated that it was not a problem and that they are being proactive on the radios with a $10,000 grant.

Dale Coulam reported that there were three (3) Final Plats for the Posovi subdivision and all were approved.

3)	CITIZEN COMMENT & REQUEST FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

4)	PUBLIC HEARING AND ACTION ITEMS - NONE

Lane Mecham provided the Mayor and City Council a presentation, a copy of which is available on Ivins website www.ivins.com under this agenda item. The schedule for the Budget began with the Budget retreat on January 15th, followed by the Departments submitting their budgetary needs by February 6th. The introduction of the Tentative Budget is tonight, and the City Council is on track to hold a Public Hearing on the Tentative Budgets on May 7th, followed by adoption of the final Budgets on June 4th. Key assumptions made regarding the budget are a "V-shaped" recovery from the Coronavirus situation which means that the economy decreased rapidly but is expecting the economy to increase rapidly and that is being monitored daily. There is low inflation or deflation and the pool for merit-based increases 2.0% and there's no COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) necessary. If the City property is sold before construction of the new City Hall, there would be no new debt related to construction of the new City Hall. The City is taking a "wait and see" approach as it relates to expenditures. Significant projects in the Budget are construction of a new City Hall, hiring one (1) new Public Safety Officer, one part-time Animal Shelter worker becoming full-time, construction of a trail along Highway 91 and 200 East to Shivwits and Phase 1 of the irrigation project. A portion of expense for the full-time Animal Shelter worker will be offset by Washington County. The budget is balanced, fiscally conservative and department needs are fully funded. There are some uncertain economic conditions currently that the City is monitoring. Council Member Mehr appreciated the conservative approach to the budget and referred to the new City Hall and Irrigation projects and inquired what would happen if those were pushed back a year. He also referred to the sale of the City property and inquired as to the status of that. Dale Coulam referred to the sale of City property and stated that the City received word that Shaun Sullivan had been ill and requested a 2 week extension of the due diligence deadline, to consider the zoning that was determined. Just before this meeting, he received a message from Ivins Real Estate Agent Neil Walter, who indicated that the backup offeror was okay with that, so the City is still in a holding pattern to see if the primary offer goes through. He understood that the backup offeror is still interested as well. Mayor Hart inquired if residents will be able to view this detailed budget. Lane Mecham indicated yes and that it is attached to this agenda and will be placed on the website as well. Council Member Elliott inquired if the City has had people contacting the City regarding being unable to pay their bills or if the City is anticipating that. Lane Mecham stated there has not been an increase in that activity, but the City is sensitive to that. Council Member Elliott inquired how court fees paid to Santa Clara are calculated. Dale Coulam clarified that the fees are divided by a percentage, similar to the law enforcement percentage, although a lot of times it's a net expense.

Mayor Hart commented that he's seen number of emails and comments on social media regarding there being a lot of concern about Ivins Park policy and vacation rentals. Ivins City only has one small legitimate vacation rental project and all of the resort properties have been asked to close their pools and clubhouses. Many HOAs (Homeowners Association) have closed their pools and clubhouses as well. A lot of the concerns are out of the City's control. Snow Canyon State Park is a State Park and Zions National Park is a National Park, although the Town of Springdale has submitted letters to the Federal Government requesting that Zion National Park be closed. State Parks officials have decided to leave the parks open but with access restricted only to residents of the county for which the park is located. The Ivins newsletter went with some helpful information in it and Ivins website is a good source for COVID-19 information. Dale Coulam referred to the possibility of providing additional sick leave to Ivins employees due to Coronavirus and reported that the federal government took care of that. The City took steps to address that and to educate the department heads. For the time being, the City has furloughed some part-time employees and has done whatever it can to keep employees whole. The City is operating differently to include social distancing and some working remotely. The City has tried to immediately implement the directives given from the Governor, including shutting down playgrounds. Other communities who have interpreted the Governors directive more broadly, to include shutting down pickleball courts and skate parks. He was not aware of an order directing the closure of any of those things at this time. The City has tried to be responsive and follow the Governors updates as they occur, as well as from the Health Department and he speaks regularly with the City departments. Mayor Hart commented that the City of Santa Clara closed their pickleball court and public safety officers caught people climbing over the barricades with ladders. He referred to seniors needing to be assisted by essentially being on lockdown in their homes and inquired if the City could or would want to consider doing something to make assisting seniors possible. He understood that there were grocery delivery services and grocery pick-up services but inquired if they as a City, want to contemplate some kind of a response for that and have a delivery provided in some way. Council Member Elliott felt that was worthy to consider and stated that the group she mentioned at the last meeting currently has 60 or 70 volunteers in the Santa Clara/Ivins area. The challenge has been getting the message out to the people who need the help. Council Member Gordhammer referred to the link she provided to the State of Utah website, which is https://coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts/. She felt it was important to put a direct link to the Utah.gov home page on Ivins website front and center. It's on Ivins website now but it's difficult to get too. It is by far the best resource from the State on what's happening. When the City Council met on March 19, 2020, there were no cases in Southwest Utah but there are now 30 and although it is a small percentage of the cases, it is still trending up and looking at the data, it's really important to know that the virus impacts all ages. One of most important duties the City has, is to keep the public as safe as they can and she inquired how keeping the restrooms and parks open, is keeping the public healthy. She felt that the City can and should take as many steps as they possibly can to protect the public because this isn't a normal time. If someone can't participate in their recreation, sorry but that's the price we all have to pay. If the City does keep them open, they should put up big signs making the public aware of their use of the facilities during this time. Council Member Mehr appreciated what's been said and commented that they do not know where this is going and when the curve will flatten. A key measure and perhaps a compromise, would be to have signage reminding people to social distance. This situation is tough because people who have a lot of work, they're home, they have kids and they are trying to home school now. There are issues related to mental health and depression from not being able to do what they normally do. He would hate to put a lock and key on what Ivins has. He liked the approach of being watchful and find a compromise with Chief Flowers, Benny Sorensen and other staff watching and reporting. He felt that signage was a good idea. Council Member Elliott agreed that people need to get outside, and Ivins residents are fortunate that there are a lot of outdoor opportunities outside of the State and National parks. In terms of park facilities, there is now evidence that there is asymptomatic spread and can survive on surfaces for longer amounts of time than originally thought. If the Governor closed playgrounds, it seemed to her that the very least, the public bathrooms should be closed. Council Member Mehr and Council Member McDonald could see closing the restrooms although Council Member McDonald was concerned that kids would run around the backside of the restroom and use the restroom there. Most people, other than the skate park, are families that are together at home, so he didn't see an issue with them being together in the park. Mayor Hart referred to Fire Lake Park and commented that closing the bathrooms there would essentially close Fire Lake Park because it is too far away from homes and that may result in a lot of pee in the pool. Council Member Gordhammer referred to Fire Lake Park and stated that if the City does a good job publicizing that they are closing the restrooms, that would limit the amount of time people spend there and allow more to visit it throughout the day. Council Member Mehr commented that along with signage, the City could provide some kind of hand sanitizer or soap in the restrooms and then continue to monitor and assess the situation. Council Member Johnson had concerns with keeping the restrooms open as well. If the public knows that the restrooms are closed, that would limit the time spent at the parks, but they could still get out. Mayor Hart suggested that the signs be placed at the entrance of the parks so that the public knows in advance that the restrooms are closed. Dale Coulam referred to the suggestion of providing hand sanitizer and stated that in places where that has been available, it was stolen, and some other cities have experienced vandalism of that, soap and toilet paper. Council Member Mehr indicated that would be another reason to close the restrooms. Mayor Hart sensed that as the weather warms and facilities everywhere else are closed, the word will get out that Ivins facilities are open. Council Member Gordhammer stated that the Governors Directive talks about not gathering with individuals that are not immediate family and yet when playing tennis or pickleball, that is done with friends. Dale Coulam suggested that if the City Council goes beyond closing a facility like a restroom or a pickleball court, that would be better coming from an order from the Governor or a Health Department, rather than a City, but if the City was going to do that, he recommend that the Mayor declare an emergency, which gives the City additional powers that may not otherwise be there. Dale Coulam indicated that he previously forwarded what was the current draft of such a declaration to the Mayor in Word format so he could change it as he sees fit. Mayor Hart stated that Ivins may have the highest percentage of the vulnerable population of any City in the County and certainly the emails and social media show there is a big concern among those residents, coupled with people finding out that Ivins facilities are open, the City will likely see spill-over from other communities. He was inclined, with the Council's consent, to sign that order and close the parks and facilities. Council Member McDonald inquired if he intended to close the skatepark and pickleball court as well. Mayor Hart indicated yes. Council Member Mehr was concerned with closing the skatepark because he felt that the kids would go skate somewhere else. Regarding enforcement, he would not support giving out citations under the current circumstances and felt that the City was getting ahead of the Governor. Council Member McDonald stated that he didn't think they're going to stop, and skating is not done in tandem. It is one person at a time, back and forth but that doesn't mean they don't congregate. He suggested the City leave the skatepark open and continue to monitor it and if it becomes an issue, it could be closed down. Mayor Hart inquired as to the pickleball court. Council Member McDonald less concerned because there are only four (4) people on a court but he was unsure. Council Member Mehr inquired if the primary users of the pickleball courts were seniors. Mayor Hart indicated that most were over the age of 40. Council Member Gordhammer stated that the recommended distance for social distancing with aerobic activity should be further apart because one is exhaling and similar so there is more contraction. Council Member Mehr asked if Council Member Gordhammer was okay with holding off on closing the skatepark. Council Member Gordhammer indicated yes because it is the least likely of an area for transmission. Council Member Mehr commented that there are no doorknobs or gates to touch or open. Council Member McDonald stated that there are not many individuals over the age of 40 at the skatepark. Mayor Hart indicated that closing the bathrooms and the pickleball courts would not require an emergency declaration on his part and that the City could closely monitor the skatepark. The City Council agreed that was an acceptable solution for the moment. Council Member Elliott commended Benny Sorensen and his department for coming up with car bingo and providing things like that for our residents. She requested that they think about a possible drive-in movie or come up with other ideas as a City. She also encouraged that resources be put on the website as it relates to health resources, delivery services, unemployment benefits and similar. Mayor Hart commented that it might not be a bad idea to send out an email blast to individuals that clarifies that Ivins is in support of these directives from the Governor. As of tomorrow, the restrooms will be closed, signs put at the park entrances, as well as the bathrooms and the pickleball and tennis courts will be closed. Mayor Hart indicated that he was contacted by an Ivins resident who has secured some N95 masks. That individual would make some of those available to Ivins City if the City feels that they need them, and the cost is approximately $3 each. Council Member Mehr stated that citizens should connect with health care workers and donate them because that's where they're needed the most. Dale Coulam indicated that on behalf of Public Safety, first responders and health care workers need them the most. Mayor Hart inquired if someone specifically in the City made a request for a mask or masks, what their response would be. Council Member Mehr stated no, that isn't the City's job and those masks should be used for first responders and healthcare workers. Mayor Hart requested of Dale Coulam to have the Public Safety Director let the Mayor know how many masks they need. Council Member Gordhammer commented that she saw a post on social media regarding elderly residents looking for masks and someone commented about making washable masks. That is a better solution and to connect people and she agreed that the N95 masks should go to healthcare workers and public safety. Dale Coulam indicated that he will let the Mayor know how many public safety needs. Council Member Johnson agreed with Council Member Gordhammer and stated that the healthcare workers should have the N95 masks. Council Member Mehr made a Public Service Announcement - there is testing available for people who have symptoms and there is a testing site on River Road. Individuals who want to be tested are assessed and if they don't answer the questions to indicate that a test is needed, they will be told that they do not meet the criteria to be rested and will be sent away without having been swabbed. Council Member Elliott referred to the recent recommendation for people to wear face coverings in public now and stated that the face coverings are not as effective as the N95 masks. Council Member Mehr commented that when someone is wearing a mask, they touch their face more because always they're always adjusting it and the N95 masks have to be fitted properly to work. Council Member Elliott requested that they keep the discussion open to who needs the masks but understood that healthcare workers and first responders need them the most but that if those become available, it would be nice to get those for residents in the future. Council Member Mehr indicated that the N95 masks should go to those that are on the front lines.

Mayor Hart stated that banks, businesses and most of the other communities donating to this. The City of St. George has committed $250,000, Washington City has committed $200,000, Santa Clara has committed $20,000 and Washington County has committed $500,000. This fund is designed to be administered through the banks, to provide loans to local small businesses and inquired if the Council would like to contribute to the fund. Council Member McDonald inquired of the Director of Finance regarding where the City would get the money from to contribute. Lane Mecham indicated that this is not currently budgeted for so a budget amendment would have to occur and that requires a Public Hearing. That Public Hearing could be held at the City Council meeting on May 7th. Council Member McDonald stated that there are a lot of Ivins residents that have businesses in the County, and he felt that it would be great to contribute. Council Member Mehr referred to the loans and inquired what that meant. Mayor Hart indicated that the money is granted to businesses and are not loans. Council Member McDonald commented that the flyer put out by the fund, says that this is a loan program with a five (5) year term for payback. Council Member Mehr did not want to give the money to the banks. He'd rather give the money to the businesses. Mayor Hart suggested that the City obtain some expertise on this fund and make a decision at the Public Hearing on May 7th. The City Council agreed.

MOTION: Council Member Mehr moved to continue this agenda item to the May 7th meeting
SECOND: Council Member McDonald

VOTE: The motion carried unanimously.

6)	CONSENT AGENDA

MOTION: Council Member Mehr moved to approve the Consent Agenda
SECOND: Council Member McDonald

VOTE: The motion carried unanimously.

7)	CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION

Council Member Mehr reported that he was okay with holding or not holding a meeting in two weeks and that the electronic meeting seemed to work tonight. Dale Coulam stated that as the City continues to test meeting electronically, it is trying to mesh the Zoom technology with Granicus, which is the software that records the meetings and the minutes are then transcribed. For the record, the public cannot see the raise of hands when voting so an audible response is preferred. The City is continuing to work with IT Services and has ordered some equipment to help make that merger even better and the City is grateful for what they've done so far. A camera will be installed in the Council room for use when the City Council attends these meetings on-site. Council Member Mehr inquired if the Council was hoping to meet on April 16th. Dale Coulam indicated that they can hold the date and be flexible and cancel if need be. The next meeting is not legally required to be held but he did not see a reason in to not leave it as scheduled. Mayor Hart favored that because this is the critical stage of the epidemic and it has been nice to convene electronically. The City Council agreed.
Council Member McDonald referred to this Zoom meeting and commented that it would be nice to find a way to make the video stream visible for people that might be tuning in. Dale Coulam indicated that the public would not be sent the link by email. Council Member McDonald inquired if the public would be able to speak. Dale Coulam stated that they would not, unless it was a Public Hearing. Lane Mecham indicated that the City received some information today that the City may be able to tie Zoom into Granicus so the City working with Granicus and IT Services to try and do that. The City is working on this and it continues to evolve.
Council Member McDonald reported that it is looking grim for recycling but that is still up in the air. With people staying at home, they've had more free time to do a lot of cleanup and because of that, the landfill has been very busy and bringing a lot of people in contact with the employees but if needed, the landfill is prepared to lockdown accepting residential material and only accept materials from commercial entities only, but it depends on how the pandemic situation progresses.
Council Member Johnson noticed that the City's dumpster service was cancelled this past weekend and inquired if the City is going to continue to offer the dumpster service. Dale Coulam indicated that it has been cancelled through April.
Council Member Elliott thanked Dale Coulam, Lane Mecham, Kari Jimenez and other City staff for all this adaptation and helping them continue to meet and provide services. She requested that if staff hears things from residents, she would like to know about that. She reported that the Southwest Mosquito Abatement District is continuing as normal.
Council Member Gordhammer echoed Council Member Elliott's thanks and commented that she thought this electronic meeting has gone really well. She reported that Snow Canyon State Park has ordered signs for both entrances. The park is extremely full, and the Manager and Assistant Manager are manning the gates and checking every ID to enforce entrance restrictions.

Mayor Hart reported that he attends video conferences with elected officials almost every day and commented that it is expected that this month is going to be extremely stressful for a lot of people, with an anticipated increasing number of infections. It is important that as information becomes available, that the City send a blast email out to the residents as best that the City can because there is a lot of misinformation out there.

Dale Coulam reported that the Mayor and City Council may see a name on the Zoom meeting screen of Chris Reed. He is a St. George News reporter and was listening at the beginning of the meeting and then requested to join in. He will be included in the link inviting him to these electronic meetings in the future.

Dale Coulam indicated that discussion regarding issues, policies and/or procedures related to coronavirus (COVID-19) will continue to be on the City Council agendas.

9)	CLOSED MEETING

10)

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION: Council Member McDonald moved to adjourn
SECOND: Council Member Johnson

VOTE: The motion carried unanimously.

The meeting adjourned at 7:57 p.m.

Respectfully,

Kari D. Jimenez, MMC
Ivins City Recorder

Council Member Mehr	AYE
Council Member McDonald	AYE
Council Member Johnson	AYE
Council Member Elliott	AYE
Council Member Gordhammer	AYE