City Council - Regular Meeting

Then I I love that. Okay, welcome back from our lunch break. Um, so procedurally, what would be the preference to the council? Do you want to go person by person with concerns or would you like to go kind of review all the different presentations we've had? Which one do you think would be most productive?

Okay. Those things off. Okay. Then let's start. Who wants to start? Lars or Cindy? Lars or Cindy?

I'll be last. So, we had a presentation a couple weeks ago about uh about property tax increases on a regular basis tied to the to inflation and I don't think we made a decision. Um I think this is the right place to to talk about that and give direction to the staff for a resolution. So, we kind of brought that up a little bit ago and then staff looked and I if I have it right procedurally we can't commit future city council member or councils.

So, we can have it as a not a policy but a procedural resolution. Oh, can we? Yeah. But you're right. is that every year you would have have a truth in taxation just like we do with the the judgment levy. Um we have a practice that we approve that and we still have to vote to approve it every year and we don't have to. Okay.

Um but uh but I think it would be wise to make a resolution that that's our intention. Um I was thinking about it. Um there's three main revenue sources for government. You have sales tax which uh grows naturally with with prices. When they raise the price of eggs, they raise my tax on the price of eggs without any resolution needed.

Right. um income tax. When I get a raise from my work, my income tax increases. They don't have to to pass a resolution to to to increase that. You know, our our state says we're going to give you uh our legislature says they're going to give us a tax cut. And when Jim showed us yesterday, the wages went up 5%. Or I can't remember the number. Like, yeah, it's

and and they're talking about a 0.02% cut in the percentage. Well, that's a tax increase. Yeah. They still get more money, right? and and and yet they they say they're giving us money back to to our residents when they're really collecting more for me.

Um with property tax, they've prevented us from allowing that to increase naturally with the value of property. And if and since property tax is our most stable revenue source for our city, we need to put procedures in place that will keep that sustainable so that our budget remains sustainable in the future. And I think it'd be wise to it would be pioneering for us to do that um on a regular basis. And I think that that would that would be good for our residents, for our future. I think it'd be good for the council as well because we all just know that this is expected and uh instead of having that big jump every few years, have a little step that makes sense naturally with [clears throat] with the increase in expenses. Well, and when we were looking at the attacks where we've increased, you know, there was a two and a three, but there was an 18 and a nine. So, I don't know how it you remember how it worked out to what the average

Yeah. was over that time period. We were um see I think I've got that on my computer here. Uh the property tax increases we averaged very very small uh 2% uh over the last it was like 15 years. Let me get this really a little closer. Sorry about that. Okay. We had um absolute damage 2.0%. We had CPI was 2.1 and the MCI was 2.4. And our average was how much? two, we were about 2%. Okay.

Over that same period. And it did have some fairly large jumps. Some were 10%, some were 2%, 7%. Uh when we started doing this, I didn't include this on that chart because it kind of skews things, but we had a 65% increase that was approved. Um and then in 2011 2012, there was 18.6% increase. Uh it's not kept up with inflation what we've done. Uh but it's uh but it's been a good start.

Well, and I think it would be wise to do what Lars is suggesting and have our once we get our parks plan back and have a really Dan has the roads what our capital improvements need to be and be able to either bond and have raise the taxes to cover those bond payments [clears throat] or find a funding mechanism so we're not always behind and trying to catch up. We have a strate a strategic plan to raise taxes this much every year and I'll be able to take care of our capital improvements as well as we go by instead of just waiting for a windfall. So

a couple of thoughts on that. I I think I would rather have a little more informal. I appreciate where finance comes and says here's what we're projecting expenditures to be or eventually facing a shortfall rather than an automatic agenda item to talk about an increase or we could still talk about an increase or the need for an increase but in a more informal fashion. The other thought I had is that the state legislature is already sort of threatening to put guard rails or limitations on what city councils can do in that respect. And if we were to pass a resolution like this, this might even prompt them to put more stricter guard rails because tax res. So,

well, the guardrails right now is if you have over a 5% increase, it has to be Boulder approved. And most mayors have said, well, then we'll just do 5% every year and not get behind and have to do a big increase. But then it makes it hard for them to save for capital improvement and to be able to fund their big projects. And so, yeah, it's kind of a double issue, but

it is. And I just think with a resolution like this could catch a lot of uh eyes or attention and a knee-jerk reaction from our state legislature that would maybe take that although I don't. So, Lars, kind of what would the resolution look like? I think it would be that uh as a practice every year we will have uh a proposed tax increase that that matches the MCI or

I would and um unless the MCI is more than a certain percentage and in which case we would do less than that but but uh as our practice ice and and that that we we would still need to have a truth and taxation hearing and vote to approve that tax increase every year, but but our intention is to is to maintain a sustainable revenue source through our through our property tax. I think I think it's all in the way we message it and and uh and I think that sound minds will see the sense in us and and we won't see push back. Well, and um in our one of our last couple chamber meetings, they were talking about the 14% from the county and they would appreciate a standard. So when they're doing their budgets every year, they know, okay, they're going to raise our property tax city alone, not the whole build, but just West Valley 3%. So, we know to build that into our budget because they said our [clears throat] budgets are getting thrown off because we had this much planned for a property tax and then the countyy's raising it 14% and so that's not going to work with our, you know, anticipated budget. So, just for them alone, that might be helpful for their plan.

Businesses and residences, yeah, they they know they can just plan on this. It's not a huge change to to the tax and keep our revenue sustained.

And now we really need to explain. I know that Jim has changed on internet a million times to explain. The only part of the property tax that West Valley controls is that one line and it's less than most people's HOA fees and you get police, fire, sidewalks, roads, all the things, parks for that $600 700 a year. So the messaging is another thing I think that would help us. But I think they're doing this tax bill to control the county, the school districts, different things like that because they're saying, "Okay, now your property tax, any extra property tax you have cannot go into certain funds." And I can't remember if it's the CIP funds, capital improvement,

the and I have followed recently what's happened with the legislation, but they were saying that um property tax that you collected could not be put into a CIP fund and reserved for future projects. Yeah. I think there's a lot of problems with that legislation. It's like, you know, if you put all your money into, you know, a bunch of water in a bucket and one of those drops is property tax, can you pull that that drop back out? I I don't know how they're trying to resolve that or even purpose behind it, but that is one of the things they're considering. Yeah. Because you just say all my extra was sales tax money, not property tax money and Yeah. Because it is just one big bucket. It's a general fund where we by state code have a general fund. Yeah.

To take care of all the operations of the city and and they do put some guidelines on there. But that's piece of legislation that could affect somehow. I don't know how that's going to shake out.

Yeah. Every time at lead, we ask what is the problem they're trying to solve? And 90% of the time, nobody knows the problem that they're trying to solve. But it's usually one neighbor that talked to one legislator that [clears throat] then started a whole chain reaction. So Jim does have a potential resolution drafted independent worked with Eric from we talked about this last last year. So yes an example we were going to have a discussion anyway. We're going to bring it back and show you at some point.

Yeah. The resolution's ready and it could be brought to city council agenda as quickly as you'd like it. [clears throat] So, was it a certain percentage or was it tied to It was tied to um e we didn't nail it down. CBI or MCI they both mentioned. Okay. Um there was a cap put on there from Mr. Pety's request. I think we had three and a half or something like that. I have looked at resolution and that's also it's all up for discussion. Okay. But um and then Mr. Bunderson had that prepared. I think it I think it's ready to go. We take that right to for your consideration if you'd like to take a look at it discuss it

and and we did you're right I mean we did find that it couldn't be binding right so it is soft softer like but it's anyway it's not really just like the judgment yeah it's not a except this is a lot more money that we're talking so what is other opinions on that idea get it in practice rather than well beat it. We're not Jim's running around at the last minute trying to put everything together for us.

Yes.

Yes, she does. shaves her fingers in every pot.

Well, and I think if we can get a really good um capital improvement like parks and the different fire things and that that we start pinching off every year and putting into that tax increase to catch up to where we've gotten behind and deferred maintenance and deferred improvements we should have been making. I think it would be a lot easier for the department heads to figure out how they can move forward with their projects as well. So maybe as you're reading that, a little bit of discussion on what a uh for example a 3% increase in the property taxes would do. It's approximately a million dollars.

Um so it's u you know something that is a continued drop in the bucket. It's not going to solve any major problems any year, but uh that's about how much it is. And then a property tax increase of 3% represents about um 0.5% of the total property tax bill that you're currently paying. So West Valley City's portion is about 18% of the total bill. Another look at it. So at a million dollars that really wouldn't even help us with bond payments for certain projects or would

you be new growth? Yeah, I mean you could it would be that's enough to cover a pretty good project. Okay. Um, you know, if if property tax were our only source of revenue and it were covering the rest of the inflation across the city, that would be it'd be really easy to do the math. But, um, you know, we're talking less than a third of our income right now. We're affecting that by that million dollars. Okay.

Still, it has some real positive effects. Um, one of the benefits that we've had every year doing truth and taxation is it it's an excellent opportunity to educate the public on truth and taxation. What property tax is used for, where it comes from. Um, something like this also acknowledges that, you know, that there are costs that are going to continue and as I mentioned in my presentation, um, things don't go down, our prices continue to go up. Uh we've never had an experience where the cost of running a city decreases uh without a major shock. I mean we did it one time back during 2008. If [clears throat] you remember that crisis uh we actually spent down our fund balance reserves to approximately the legal minimum. Uh we also had furls. We had uh forced um vacancy. We maintained vacancies. We didn't fill positions. uh costs actually went down. It's necessary and difficult. Um those are just the things you do to keep saying stay stay in business and you solve it.

And we do we hold a public hearing for our tenative budget in like April or May?

We do. And they changed the law. I think it was last year. We didn't have to hold a public hearing prior to the law change for tenative budget. Now they do. Um there's also legislation um I'm not sure what the status is on to make that even more exciting for us where uh we have to adopt a tenative budget that includes [clears throat] property tax increase and a tenative budget that includes no property tax increase uh as a tenative budget and that has to be done in uh first I think it's first regularly scheduled meeting in May uh or at least in May prior to adoption of the final budget. So, we're still trying to get a handle on that. They're making us jump through a few more hoops, but there is a public hearing on it. And so, the tenative budget at least will go through that process where people can come in provide comments.

Well, and then they want you to I mean, it's going to lower the cost for finance, I'm sure, because besides doing two budgets that shows with and without, you can't spend so year starts July 1. You cannot spend any money that's considered the tax increase until after it's adopted in August. Yeah. And then you can start spending the monies that's the tax increase. Makes our job significantly easier. I mean, that's what everybody's trying to say. It's going to cost every city so much more just to do these extra steps. So,

and it's, you know, like your discussion, not to get into the philosophy of it, but a little bit. What problem is being solved by this? Do we operate more efficiently that way? Yes. Okay. So, is there enough um that wants to move forward with this resolution or wait and see what the leg legislature does? Was kind of a fill from the council. I'd like to know Scott's thoughts. Scott's thoughts.

You're being too quiet, I guess. I'm not federal resolution. That is just a calendar invite. I didn't hear the last part. That's basically just a calendar invite to a meeting to talk about tax increases. I just think it's a resolution that's can just be done on my outlook calendar. So, Oh, instead of having a type thing. Yeah. or a practice. I mean, this this is just so that we think about it a little bit. We're going to think about it every year no matter what.

Yeah. But I I think it prompts good discussion.

There's one other aspect that I I failed to mention and um that's when we do go out for bonding, the uh bonding agencies, the rating agencies uh like to see that we are committed to remaining fiscally solvent and they They love to see regular property tax increases, whatever that means to, you know, the council. That's as you're if you're somebody that's paying if you're somebody that's receiving payments for a bond, you want to know that that stream is going to be protected. So that's it's a gesture that says, "Yeah, we intend to do it, but you're up for [snorts] our bond rating speaks for itself." It's where it comes from, though.

Yeah. Uh Tom raised his hand. Oh, Tom has a comment. Thank you. Thank you. The corner.

Yes. Uh, thank you. I uh I understand um you know about inflation and increase each year or uh from from time to time. I understand that also. uh and I understand about you know uh rules and regulation and try to maintain financial stability in our city understand that but I think that if we increase 3% proper tax I think we should do a bandage job uh for our city uh take example like one good example in our city Costco. The city of Costco, they want to come to our city and they want to have somewhere draw a lot of people and they choose they pick the mall is the one is a location for them so they can have more people there and at that time at that location we have to move elementary school to somewhere and put the cost code there. In order to do that, we need to have a strong financially very strong to back up that project. And uh we did that. And today you see we have a great service a lot of people in our city and adjacent uh city they like our Costco. And if we increase for 3% property tax, we cannot do much. which is basically just a band-aid job. Um, in order to do something like that, you have to go out and purchase a bond and or you increase property tax for 17%

or 20%. That's how I got in the city hall at that time 17% and people were upset about that. So I uh my opinion that my my own opinion is and we need to have a strong financially very strong to back up some kind of project like that we have in our city for example another example I'll give it to you um Haramman and Riveton they way way way way back in the west side and nearby the foot of mountain there but they brought your you know trader Joe grocery store in there and we are here nearby airport nearby I25 nearby I-15 highway 2011 we cannot do that because when they come in they ask for incentive and we don't have that kind of money to do incentive we cannot blame for uh community and and economy I mean community and economy make department in our city like uh what they they doing right now or what why they not bringing big client into our city. No, that's not their fault. Yeah. So I I think we need to have a big budget to do something indoor to u to improve our city. Um the 3% I think is uh just a band day job and it's 17% is too big for the uh for the residents here in our city. I think it's the only option we can do. We just look at around our city and see something we can you know basically to sell them that I I I that why I want to sell the golf courses and also fun center. So what that really that's the only reason

financially strong to back up and to bring more clients into our city and we can have a full service here in our city and we become independent city. They go out they spend money here in West Valley City and we collect the sale tax otherwise they going to go to other city to do this to purchase something they want to purchase. Uh yeah, I don't know what you guys think, but that's all my, you know, my personal opinion. Thank you. Appreciate that. Any other comments on this issue?

So, personally, whether it's a resolution or not, I think it's wise to look at raising at least 3% every year instead of the go four years and then raise it 18%. So that's just me personally. Then you do it three or four or five years in a row. I think the bond companies understand that's what is happening. But I thought that was your hand up for a minute. Well, this one's a head scratcher. Pardon? This one's a head scratcher.

It doesn't hurt us to have it come forward as a resolution to be discussed and voted on. Um, no. No, I don't. I agree with you. So, I I think we should have it come forward as a resolution and and decide for sure. Then it'll it doesn't sound like it's close to know who would vote for it or not, but us let's discuss it and and then decide. [clears throat] Are you comfortable with that when I come on to a agenda? Yeah,

I can't see Tom's head. I can see two now. And or yeses. Um, do you want to wait and see what the legislature do does before we throw it on an agenda or does that matter? Well, legislature will be over before we can get it on agenda. That's true. So, fast. She can get out by this week be three weeks. So, it's over. don't know what they do by that. March. Oh yeah. So that time

so I think I saw enough yeses to put it on the agenda. Okay. Anything else? Lars. Okay. [clears throat] Scott, do you have a list yourself? Yes, we've already noticed. We've already talked about boarding announces and poping and all that. Um, we nailed down pop-up vending because

No, for myself, yeah, I don't think we have. So we received a text or an email saying when you see something let in a full or something but on the weekend you really want us to bombard us and who's really going to go out and shut them down. So I guess I just need an explanation on that and then that's where we see most of it and weekends. Yeah. I mean Valentine's there was something on every single corner and sometimes three things on one corner and home canopy tables canopies everywhere.

Yeah. And is it just going to be the streets that the council visits or is police going to when they're doing their patrols that if they see something, are they going to pull over and issue citations or are they just hoping that the council doesn't drive up and down the streets they're on? So, I think that's my question. Do we need to a weekend coverage? So that's really where we're going to see the majority of the popups is on the weekends. So if we're going to warrant to control and enforce it, then we need to have somebody on the weekends. Yeah. So

that's that's the other thing going on with that is I believe that permits there were 15. Do we need to re look at that? Well, for the food truck

because if we're shutting them down, we need to give them an option, you know, permit. So I think that's a discussion my again I asked about it came about just came about. Well it was I think the first time we talked about it I was on funding commission and it was 12 then and it's just because we were trying to wait the brick and mortars and not give properial treatment to the food trucks that may take business away from the ones that actually pay the property taxes. And are they brick and mortars? I think they said they also have a waiting list, right? That's why I said we need

So we're really not probably helping the popups because there's already a waiting list for those businesses. Leg legit. Yeah. And the pop-ups probably aren't legit. So yeah, I don't think we need to give them an option to to do it legally because I don't think But you're talking. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the popups are one thing. They're not usually, you know, they're usually selling flowers or stuffed animals or whatever. Well, we don't permit that even. We don't even give up. Well, I know. Is that right or wrong?

Yeah. But how many of those do we allow? We're not through our regulations. Holidays. So, we have these problems. You're right.

Yeah. And see, I don't have an appetite for more food truck permits just because I value our restaurants. So, I don't think we have an obligation to open it up for more. But that's just me person. I think the only reason I would want to look at it is just because it was set so long ago, you know, opportunity opportunities for not a whole lot. I may be wrong, but I think a place like Tasa Delta Mall started with a food truck. No, they started in the swap meet across from Harland's property taxes. They were paying property tax through their their rent for the

Yeah, they were paying rent. Yeah. Yes. 15. Do they have like a parking lot invited to a location? Those are still 15.

Can we get a map shows where those 15 are? Sure. Then we can look and see if there's shovel space or need more. But so how many do we have that can move around? That one's tougher because the legislature require students to students license. So So you can tell your license. Oh,

then we should get rid of the 15. permanence and only allow the traveling ones. I guess then we would have less because I don't like that the legislature just is not put a cap on that and we can't put a cap on that. Basically they have to recognize other city so they can just anywhere they want. Do they does the county issue licenses? So those are legit

every night, right? And do they have to be stored there every night? Well, I thought I'd like to see where they're at. The permanent permits. Um, and I I think we need to look at the 15. Do we want to reduce it? to be wanting to be spotted. Me neither. I think you know. Do we have a count of about how many rod ones are just going wherever? I'll take I'll tell them. Okay.

Usually the ones that are like royally, they go to like Fairborn when we have our our summer staff. I I don't see many that are broken that end up in our city very often. It's usually the ones that are there every day. Go to the Smith on 40th and across the street at Brono. There's one on each side there anymore. The Harmon's one, but I thought I have you seen recently. Yeah. Okay. games.

I definitely don't drive, by the way. Yeah. And there's the one in the shop parking lot that's always there, but I've had people say there's some up at the CVS that they don't think are illegal. And now there's one by the auto parts store on 48th and 35th, the Southwest corner. There's one behind the auto store that's there quite a bit. So, it would be nice to know which ones are legal and which ones are moving around. Back to the pop-ups though, I think weekend coverage is probably something.

And do you notice they're mainly on main roads? Oh, yeah. Because I was wondering if one person could drive all the main roads and just catch them all in one day and if they could do it once or twice do like what 31 35th 41 47th and then those main intersections and not do it by complaints just roam them. [snorts] Yeah. It would take two hours to main streets and see a majority of them. Even if you hit half the city one weekend and the other half the next weekend, you're gonna, you know, hit all of them. I mean, there's four within a mile of my house.

Are they in main street? No, they're on 40th. They're on 41. Are they in the middle of or 47? Those are the only places I are they like 41 to 35th on. So 41 to 47 on 4,000. On 4,000. Okay. So Home Depot right by Home Depot. Okay. Right by the car wash, the flying frog car wash many times on 40 or 48 47 right on 48. And then I just saw last week the empty lot next to Bangar and 41

on the south side. They made like three canopies and lights and they were up all night looking something probably on the side of the house.

So So that's with staff we can come up with a a good plan. Just so you know, um, this is helpful for me. I'm seeing all your not so this means we got to turn it up in a different way. Um, so this is good direction for me. The way I've instructed our staff is, you know, handle it with the property owner. Um, I I really don't want our police officers, if if at all possible, if we can maybe we can look at hiring others to come in and do that. It's just my experience. I just see more opportunity for use of force um viability and as well as you know our officers are weekends are pretty busy for them

but you know us finding maybe other opportunities to to have somebody hire somebody to go out on a weekend. The way I've instructed our staff is really to handle it through, you know, like for example, Home Depot, you go and talk to somebody from Home Depot, tell them that it's not legal and let them manage it that way. And I think Ricardo's done a really good job in using that framework, those parameters. Um, and I know Steve and his team's come to me and ask me, okay, do we turn this up? And, um, you know, of course, I've come from a whole different council, right? uh where they have different view on that, but understanding where you guys see this. I I kind of I think I know where to go. We can um and a lot of it was like I said um with police not having having to do that. I can just bleed police out of it. Um now if things get you know where they're trespassing and of course police could be involved but for them to have a primary responsibility to go um but chief wants that you want that too. So they they have directed that if if they get dispatched call or if they have free time it's a priority.

Okay. Thank you. So they I think it's great for them to like they'll always always be able to respond. I mean a primary duty to go out and you know yeah probably not the first prior priority but we can we can meet with we'll get we'll turn this up and we'll [clears throat] turn the heat up on it. But that's how we've been handling I think like Ricardo I mean he has some good statistics of how many he's he's you know shut down. One example was that full-on swap that they were having with the Aztec parking lot. You went in

was bad. Two Sundays ago. So there's there's like four days four how many I don't know how many days they are allowed a year. So we came up with the process. The problem is not

we turn it up. We'll go and if we need to hire individuals to go out on the weekend because we're safe. I think normally this time of year we wouldn't because wow but we pass a mild bumpus we still see a swim but come May I think it's going to be full and you're excited

I so I don't know when we pass the ordinance that you can't have use a commercial truck and park it around the city as advertising that's plastered with your logo on it and everything and when I've been driving home from city council on Tuesday nights because that's the only time I'm not that late. Um there's a truck in that same parking lot across the street from Harmon's that's lit up like an electronic billboard. And so the first time I called EO, he didn't make it there. So last time I just went parked and took pictures and followed him out, got his license plate. But has anybody seen him anywhere else? Because what he's advertising for isn't even close to that. Is that the one that says Scott?

Somebody has a Steve. Oh, I hear your thing. No, I don't remember who it's Steve has a picture of it, too. So, I think that one they're going to issue a ticket to, but I didn't know if anybody had seen him anywhere else or knew that they were illegal. Boost Mobile is who they're advertising for long. So, 4,000 west and 46 16 south. Yeah. So, I didn't know if there's another spot that they're moving it to or if they're only just dragging around. Yep. I haven't seen it.

And he knows he's not supposed to be there because once I parked there, he shut it down and left. So, it made it easy to get his license plate number. But nobody else is seeing us. It's not just going everywhere. [clears throat] Okay. So, you're going to Oh, good. Steve, I don't know if you have any comments on this discussion to add to this discussion.

Just a pop pop. Like I said, we can talk. We'll talk and see how we turn it up. But anything to add? It's it's a ongoing issue where it's both educating the members just given the sort of transit of the trail. It's just it's constant location. It's the same as a contemporary what costs could be

and what kind of temporary signs are you talking about? But things like the frame signs or where we meet air those kinds of things that we have regulations clean those up just

so we have at the greenhouse on 35 500. We have a developer who's selling lots to the west of us that keeps putting signs in the park strip. So legal told me I can take those down without being in trouble. I don't even touch people's campaign signs. I don't want to get in trouble for taking things. But so I'm hoping if I take it enough, they'll think it doesn't it costs too much to do it and it's only up 30 seconds. So that is getting on. But are we worried about those? I mean, we are. So, you can't have any kind of signage into Friday unless stops, right?

Okay. So, and they only show up on Saturday morning and then they're gone by Saturday night. So, that could be something else the vendor person takes care of. And and I guess Steve maybe was thinking of his current I know Ricardo has gone out on weekends but that hasn't been his normal schedule to do that. So moving from there to somebody to weekend maybe an extra part-time person or extra like said we could talk through probably

what else oh you don't have another one yeah I'm not just for a basis

you may want to take a right before I go with this. No, I'm just kidding. I don't really have that much, but uh and I'm sure we'll hear more, but with the Olympics coming, um it would be nice to focus on 35th and Maverick Center area and uh places that we can spruce things up over the next seven years and get ready for that. um had a wild brain idea one just one but uh and you know only except the springire [clears throat]

it it would be cool to contact the boring company Elon's company the boring company and see if we can get a tunnel from the Maverick center to city center a walking a walking path for a car path to travel just to connect to connect connect the mall connect city center connect Maverick center we have the Olympics that would be I mean how are people are going to walk to the center the mall or single in that

you want to drive in this tunnel walk this tunnel like the magic carpet path. I I don't know. I saw a video. I think they just built one in Las Vegas. So, we can do some more opinion about that. I just think that would be a cool thing for the Olympics to have more connectivity with not just the Maverick Center but West Valley City on downtown, you know, and it's not just the Olympics, other events at the Maverick Center because it's a nightmare in and out of there. We're working around.

Yeah. I mean, the sleep token, I'm sure it took us days back there. Having having been a driver for the Olympics VIPs during 2002, they had the area around the Maverick Center. I went to three parking lots, finding a parking space for the VIPs, and I was following somebody all the way. So something [clears throat] like this where I could take the VIPs to one point, let them walk in on their own be

and I think most of the Boring Company tunnels have have tested are just shuttling people back and forth. Oh, okay. So you're just getting on fire and get Okay, there is something like that in Vegas. Yeah, pretty cool. Just a airplane. But who wants to do it just for the publicity? And I I think boring company will like right now they they they're offering to do it for free. They can just get the language rights to build. So So do they just have to go around utilities or do they go below the utilities? They go way below the utilities probably.

Yeah, I think it's good. That one's never came up, has it? That's awesome. That's awesome. That's That's all from me. I think I've said my part to support some of these

projects that are going on or plan to get them going and get the funding for the staff to build the project. Well, I said public

Cindy. I have a couple of other things. Um, everything's been great and I think we're on the same page on so many of the things. Um I know last year over five things you know one was prosperity and was each one of them reputation.

Yeah reputation that type of so when we had the meetings about the general plan we had the one with the council and the planning commission. Then we had the ones with the community members and Don and I went to both but you know everybody was at the first one. Um something that came up a lot of course was our image and particularly um especially with the residents. How can we make our elevate our neighborhoods? How can we make them nicer? You know, we can't force people to I can't force someone's yard to look like my yard. But, you know, that was something they were concerned about. And we've heard that too, you know, throughout everything. So, I just I mean, this is the world of Cindy. We we build these nice subdivisions. We want we want the nice homes. We want the new farms. We want all these things. We put in the improvements and we put up these street lights and then we don't maintain them. So, it's again back to maintenance. So, in my neighborhood where you all know where I live now, 500 steps from Carl Sandberg, but um one street got brand new street lights because apparently they were one short. Dad's already heard all this, but Dad, just nod your head. I've heard it. But further in the neighborhood, I have the most atrocious street lights that we're looking at because the paint is gone. So this black light pole looks awful. So we want our neighborhoods to be maintained, to be elevated, to be welcoming, to say, you know, this is who we are. But yeah, we're letting other things fall to the wayside. And I know everything comes down to money. It

really does. A lot of the other concerns with the residents was sidewalks. And of course, we're doing a lot of sidewalk sidewalk repairs. So, I'm just wondering if there's something that we can do to to not only encourage our residents to maintain and, you know, elevate their property and their image, but also things that our city can do. Um, when I was on Planning Commission, there was the the church, the um the Sunrise Church there on 44th, and they've sold a piece of their ground to do town homes. and their uh their pastor, whoever it is, he doesn't live in West Valley, but he commented on how our streets are becoming elevated because 4,100 with the street lights and 35th and 47th and we are and I know it takes time and money, but um I think we need to just continue to project that throughout the city. Um how can we continue to elevate our city? Centennial Park, you know, I I go down there a lot to walk and we we improve that. We try to keep that up and running and looking great. So, that's something that I'm wondering what we can do as a city, as a council to not only encourage our residents to elevate and uh maintain and [clears throat] and want to make it nice, but also us as a city. Does that make sense? require ourselves to do what we're requireing

other people to do. Yeah. So,

so that's and I know it's a process and it takes time but I just I I would as I throughout my career I never asked someone to do something that I hadn't done or wasn't willing to do myself. And so I always said okay I'm asking this person to do this. Do I know how to do that? I should know how to do that. Um, so that's just something that I think as a city, but is that something that is good? And it's nothing that you can really quantify or but maybe you just target something. You know, what can we do this year to maybe help that? And I think it will will help our residents gain more pride. Uh, I'm thinking I mean it already has when I drive down 35th or 4100. And I love that we've gone away from the billboards that we've gone through the monument signs. Um, so we're trying to to bring things up the level. So that's that's something and I don't know how we tackle that. So it was brought up in years past the same issue is keeping our property up like we're asking the residents to. And at the time we hired two new people to just work on city property and keep the weeds down and maintained. But I don't know if they're still doing that if that's if they're busy 247 they could fit in painting street lights. Any comments from that department?

Well um heating street light week. So is the maintenance in the street light feed? There are some. Yeah, there definitely. Okay.

But it basically keeps the lights. We've also spent our past several years with projects focused on putting street lights where street lights of our students are going. So replacing or repairing the suit 199

and are we taking off replacing them or are we just painting them and maintaining trying to maintain them? We've done all the both. We took we painted them. We changed the shields that color to glass a fresher look on some of them. And there's a handful of things we can reference different,000.

Yeah, I've talked to about it. So 4,000 that need to be maintained that have a fiber bus. So when you paint them, how long does that last? Five year. Five years maybe. Five at the most. Not a long term great solution. So I probably should have been siding for this, but I did do black spring paint and I did all the high.

You get your ladder so you get to the top. Oh, I'm just kidding. But yeah, but that's just something. It's not just the street lights. It's it's other things as well. And I know some of our parks, um, you know, there's weeds everywhere. In fact, someone out of Sunset Hills about the weeds and I said, I think that's what it's meant to look like. I think was natural grass or something. But, um, anyway, um, again, education of our neighborhoods. But I, you know, I just think that's something again uh [clears throat] what can we do as a city to to not ask residents to do something that we don't do ourselves? Yeah.

So Dan, is there a need for more employees? I mean, can they take care of everything that's being asked of them? Well, there's definitely things that we aren't doing this to $300,000 a year for capital rights and then $100,000 for A lot of that goes to to human and a lot of those old fiberglass pred. So when the wire breaks or hit almost impossible for us to find the conductor so that's where most

we've looked at the solar lights or they really not practical. I think we can certainly explore that but that's well I mean to keep I mean to move forward and replace sections like that

so on the two or four however many guys we have maintaining sitting property are there enough of them to go out by village and burn back all the puncture wheat every year and force that pardon are Now you're talking about well the image for the city owns properties. Yeah. I think we actually have resources. We see stuff that that if we see a patch of we

I don't want to say that we have the resources that we need. We never have everything we need but but we have fun. We have a handful of of people. We have a um temporary employee budget. kind of a year that we hire under high school kids to come and work on our rideway through helps weeds and the challenge that we face is that they all grow at the same time. So yeah, we get overwhelmed those first few weeks and months of time. But I wouldn't recommend it as more resources right away from city. I mean, we we focused on contracting some of the bigger like a lot of the the properties that we mow and maintain instead of pulling our own off of we contract with those types of things out pretty economical to do on the private market. We definitely love any feedback we can get from you on on what we see as a priority especially during that time those street trees are start uh the dead trees that where we planted trees and the rightways.

Yeah, we've been working with the parts to find them and then I just have my last. Sorry, I have a little touch and feedback, please. But I talked a little bit about this with various people, but I feel like um there are sections of the city that feel so disjointed from being a part of the city, specifically Sunset Hills and Diamond Summit. Um I' I mean I'm I'm trying to reach out and make contact out there, but um and there might be other areas of the city too that feel like they're not they're not on the city's radar. Um I think Chesterfield likes being who Chesterfield is. Um they're their own unique community, but and as as time changes and maybe we have the potential to annex other areas into the city, maybe that will help. But um but they feel a real disconnect and they don't really feel a part of of West Valley. And I don't know, maybe it's the WBC and me, maybe we can somehow make an effort to get to those communities a little bit more. But the one person in Sunset Hill said, "Yeah, my zip code is even a West Jordan zip code." So, um they they just kind of feel that disconnect. And I'm going to really make an effort this year to try and, you know, go to their nights out and things like that, but and maybe I'll invite some of our city uh council and staff to make an extra effort to help them out there. Um, so that's just another thing is how can we and it kind of goes when Carol was

talking about the WBC views, how can we can continue to build that and include people to feel more of a part of plus. So, if anyone has any ideas or any connections in areas that I don't know if you've experienced it, you've been out talking to residents, but I know it means a lot to them if someone pays attention to them and I feel like sometimes they just don't get that attention and but some of them might not want the attention. I was going to say how many make the effort too.

Yeah, true. And like if you look at the election results, I mean they don't vote. So how can we how can we change that? Very few of them vote because I think they don't feel that connection. What are they going to do for me afterward until they need something? So that's just something else is as we kind of try to improve our image and invite and promote ourselves to include uh areas that might not feel included. Have we done any show what the chief event went out there in those areas?

Um I don't know that um we could do something like that. Yeah. I mean they have one area out there that's an HOA. The rest is just is not HOA. and their pair of boards. So, they got something that's good.

Yeah. Um, for the zip code, I know I don't know how many years ago, we made a big effort to make sure on all of the online platforms that instead of when you put in your address, instead of coming up Hunter, Utah or Granger, Utah or it said West Valley City and um made sure that like those areas that think they're in West Jordan, make sure it comes up. We need to double check that and make sure they're coming up West Valley. Does anybody remember whose department did that last time?

It was ours with the website all that work Google where they had a check box address. They're not easy to work with, but I know that they did correct a bunch of residents. We can go outside and check those various post office. Yeah. Just a little thing that we can do to because is that what their complaint is? It's coming up as a West Jordan on. They just they just fill our zip codes even West Jordan. Why are Well, that's why I'm trying to figure out why they think their zip code is West Jordan. Because it's the 84081 is a West Jordan. I mean, most of that is West Jordan.

Okay. It's just that little Sunset Hills because it's like Diamond Summit. One street's West Valley, the next street's West Jordan. Yeah. And where we connect with Favorsville. I know that's a thing, too. I mean, right through neighborhoods. Yeah. It's kind of like congregation, people in four different congregations that live on the same street. So, yeah, we can look at some of the events we're planning this year. Okay. I think that yeah, look at doing about there. That'd be great. Yeah, that'd be a great idea.

And I think everything else, pop-up vending, boarding houses, parking, all that type of thing. So, I think that's always on our minds. Yeah, everyone's doing a great job. Well, and that's it. I've was curious how the contracts uh mowing on the parks would go and yes, I did watch some of the parks get mowed and they do go over them twice and cross them. That's more than I do in my own yard. So, um I thought they've been doing a great job. I don't know if anybody else has had any issues if there's a part that's getting missed, but the ones I've watched by Lowe's, but so 41 and 6,000, that's the one I drive past the most and still walking on.

Brian watches the one uh city park right there by the animal shelter because that's where he wants the dog all the time. And so we've been impressed by that. I don't know if anybody else has had an opinion, but I thought they've done a great job. So, I didn't notice a huge change. Oh, didn't you? No. And

I I will I will say that in the fall all they did was spring frame because they we awarded their contract pretty late and so they didn't they didn't have the capacity to do the full job that we awarded to them in the fall. So, all they did in the fall was bow and stranger and edge. uh starting now um with with the you know additional notice they they will start the extra fertilization and and a lot more of the spring cleanup and all the all the other things that are in the contract for them to do. So I think this year we'll see a lot a lot more difference in the in the turf and the and the curb appeal of the parks as a result of that contract. I'm glad to know that you're seeing things with the moment, but I think we'll see a lot more positive change as we go through this this calendar,

right? So, all of my things were I went through my list on my phone and they were all covered by everybody else. So, because mine is a lot of the vending and then that guy in that truck. But I will chase little out of the city for good. Got a ticket now. Yeah, we'll see if it was enough to stop him or if the company pays him more to be out there, but I think he knows we're watching. So, who knows? Okay. Anything else? Tom. Oh, yeah. Tom, are you still there? He said he got I think he text.

Oh, okay. Okay. He said no. Okay. Yeah, I'm I'm I'm still here and I uh I don't have anything to say today. I think you guys uh cover very much everything. So uh yeah, so none for me. Okay, thank you. Um, so our my hometown program are we going does anybody know we're expanding more this year or are we just going to keep what we have and work on getting it perfected? to reach out east.

Okay, we are going to start.

That was great. Because I heard in one community they kind of put my hometown on pause even McInness. So it's Mad Maga actually just purchased.

Yeah. And he said they're not moving forward right this week. They have a pause on So Okay. Yeah. Okay. But yeah, I just didn't know if it was affecting us or maybe just them. So, okay. And then any other programs anybody would like to see started? We need a geriatrics social media. Plus, what did you say? How much? Plus, you know, maybe 45.

I mentioned to my wife last night that, you know, we had a presentation on our Instagram website. We've got an Instagram page. She said yahoo. Yep. Don't call it the gerry. [laughter] I'm fine with the one they have, but it's just expanding our reach. Yeah. Well, and it is I know for certain things we want that

those are our future kids. Those are our future leaders. And so having them involved but then the ones that have been established here for a bit. So all the established and the upcoming established. Yeah. So they establish [laughter] they go to Facebook, right? They don't go on Instagram. So I was going to say Facebook. I know it's the Facebook Instagram every now and again. The only reason I started Facebook was during the campaign, never really did. I have Facebook for my high school friends and then everything else is on

just to see who's at that point. [laughter] That's why I say yes. So, do we want to finish up? Yes. There's no sense to stay around and stay around. Does anybody Oh, I brought if anybody said they want to play games. We could spend time talking about this property. Oh, you want to? Okay. We could go on Washington. So, is there any staff that's wants to add?

No, no one knows. Okay. Okay. So I don't see you sticking out for no reason. So do we have a motion to adjurnn? Motion to adjurnn. Okay. All in favor say I. And we stand in. Thank you. And thank you so much for all the work we put in our presentations. Happy.