City Council - Regular Meeting

Our Heavenly Father, we're grateful to be gathered here together as the City Council and as residents of our wonderful city, Pleasant Grove. We're grateful to conduct some business that helps our city to move forward and to be a great place to live. We're grateful for our community and the support of one another and the differences that we share and the way that that makes our community vibrant and and that it helps us to learn and grow from each other. We're grateful to be able to hear from our residents and help us all to maintain respect for one another and to consider the issues and the it

Mayor, I'll move that we approve the agenda as presented. Second.

Mayor, I'll make a motion to approve tonight's consent items A through E.

So I see, what property are we? It's this one right here. Okay. This one right here. It looked like it was the white one. Yes, my bad.

And it's currently zoned rural residential.

So Daniel, the question I've got is, being on the planning commission for all those years when we were going through that, redesign of the code, if I recall correctly, there were concerns from the city about flag lots in general. maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong, remembering wrong, but maybe can you just address some of the concerns that we have generally from a city planning on flag lots?

Well, I think I already brought it back up where we closed it.

I mean, again, we're not talking about site plan. I think that Daniel and his team will be well aware if there's an easement in that ditch and making sure the setbacks are correct on the lane that goes down and how all that may or may not come back together. So I think the concerns that Ms. Shepard brought up are, you know, real concerns that would come up later if there is an actual development that actually happens. But... As far as I understand, Daniel, with regard to changing this from rural residential to R20, it lowers the lot size ever so slightly just so that the lane can go back and t

It's the driveway. I mean, it's no different than any other driveway.

But importantly for me, and I verify that you said it already, is that the setbacks are the same, whether it's rural residential or R-120. For the flag lot, yes. For the flag lot, they're the same.

Well, Mayor, I'd like to make a motion that we approve Ordinance 2026-028 for a zone change as previously read.

Daniel, can I just ask a question on that? So do you have to change the vicinity plan before you change the plot? Is that a requirement, or is the vicinity plan more of just a... Guidelines.

So because it's adopted, it has to be changed by resolution?

Mayor, I'll make the motion to approve Ordinance 2026-2029 for the Vicinity Plan Amendment as described and submitted by staff.

So is this the, I know we discussed last time it was close to a million, like the final cost.

But by approving this, are we approving the entire project right now?

So how do we get – I guess that's my concern is – I don't know if that's just my concern. I don't know if I'm on board with a $900,000 project right now. I don't know. And by approving this, I feel like I'm committing to that. I haven't seen a rendering. I don't know about these buildings. I just don't feel like I know enough about the project to commit to this. It's going to end up being close to, probably at the end of the day, a million-dollar project, and I don't know if I agree with that amount and what's being proposed. So that's my concern without approving this, without seeing the rest

Well, just maybe a question, because the way this is written is not to exceed 406.922. How does that include the entire $800,000, $900,000, if it's saying?

I just wanted to make an additional comment before. Sorry to cut you off, Scott. But, I mean, we did discuss... and express some concern. I know we've allocated this much for part of the library project, and then I think as we learned that to get what they really are proposing that they need, they needed quite a bit more money, almost double what we originally had kind of contemplated allocating. I know that many on the council, we expressed kind of a little reservation on allocating a million dollars to this project. And which right now we're allocating 400,000, but it sounds like- But all of

We just say, I don't think that's what we're saying is that we have to kill it. We're just trying to get more information. So that's why I don't like that wording is because all of a sudden we look like the bad guys and we're going to kill the whole project. That's not the case. If I'm not mistaken, is this the first time we've seen a rendering?

I'm frustrated by that. And I know we've talked about the pavilion for a couple years. I was on board with the $250,000, $300,000 pavilion. Now we are close to a million. I'm going to tell you right now by the end of the day when this is done, probably close to a million dollars with building costs right now and inflation.

Or more. So I was on board with the pavilion. This is last week or two weeks ago was the first time I heard about outbuilding. I had no clue I have no clue about any of this and tonight I'm basically being asked to prove a million dollars because the 406 is leading to the next phase which is going to be close to a million dollars I'm not comfortable with that this is the first time I've seen a rendering and so I'm frustrated because I don't want to be a bad guy against the library saying well do it all at once we just need to get it done no we don't need to get it done and no I don't even know

The, oh. This rendering that we saw for just a few minutes.

Well, let's just go through this so that we know what this is about. Sure. Because I don't know what it's about. I'd love to see what this is.

Okay, I just, this is the first time I've heard about all of this. Yeah. I thought we were doing a pavilion literally off the east side of the library, similar to the one in the park. It was like a square pavilion coming out for programming. That's what I thought.

It's not. It's close to a million dollars. And I have major concerns with where kids are going to be going next to 100 East. This is a storage shed. This is a huge pavilion area. This is nuts to me. I didn't think this is what we were doing. I'm sorry, I don't even know if there's a different solution. We haven't looked at options for storage units. What's wrong with the pavilion at the park? Is there a way they can walk across 150 yards to the park and use that pavilion? I don't even know if we've discussed options. I thought that's what we were proving the entire time was just a pavilion tha

The whole scope of the project, the whole like the elevation, the storage shed.

He said there was addition. I mean, the coming up the closeness to 100 East of safety concerns. We have two. We have multiple pavilions in the park. I'm just wondering, like, how this went from like a pavilion off the back to almost a million dollar project. I'm so confused. Like, this is not what we even wanted the RFP for. I didn't think it was just for a simple pavilion. And now we're like storage. landscaping, I mean, I don't know. I'm so frustrated.

Can I ask a question of Denise? I'm sorry if you have this. I'm trying to, I usually keep a record of everything, but once we pass the budget, then I put it in my file at my office. what did we have this as a line item for originally on the one-time monies? Because it was originally asked out of the one-time monies and then we moved it to CARE, right? So I'm just asking, what did we have originally as the amount on the one-time money ask? And how much was the phase one, do you remember?

Is that what it was on the actual sheet? Yeah. Because again, I understand what you guys have on your numbers. I'm just wondering what was handed to me You know what I mean? I understand you had some care money, you had some other things allocated. I just want to know what was handed to me as the number that was asked to be allocated. I remember it being 900. Then there were two phases, and the first phase was an amount, and the second phase was an amount. It wasn't broken down into 250 and 300 and all that. It was just one amount. I'm sorry I'm putting you on the spot. I know. I'm just wonder

She's looking for that, I think. what I'm sensing isn't necessarily the project being an issue, but the dollars. When you say a million dollars is crazy or whatever, I recall specifically discussing the proximity to 100 East, the concern of how do we mitigate the potential of kids going over. I do recall that being part of the conversation. I think the elevation things come up once you start digging in. I mean, there are things you have to mitigate and deal with once you start. planning and engineering, maybe the ADA thing is part of that that came up as far as how would you address ADA requir

I don't know if that it was 600. Do we have the number?

So we allocated, this year, we allocated 300 and something thousand, 350, yeah, 342. That's closer to the number that I was remembering, plus we had some money that we had already allocated. And we thought for that amount, we were gonna be able to get a pavilion. I think once the engineers, who are a lot smarter and more experienced than us, got involved, they said, wait a minute, you can't get a pavilion for that much money.

Maybe a good thing though is you said originally the entire project was 980 something or other? and now it's 100 grand less?

I mean, I really appreciate, Neil, I hope you don't feel like we blame you at all. I think what happens is these things evolve, and then as they evolve, me personally, I look at it and say, okay, well, now we have a lot more information than we did when we allocated the funds a couple years ago, and then even this year, now we have a lot more information, and for me personally, it may come down to, okay, maybe we do need, I think I personally need more time to evaluate whether a million dollar project, 200,000 of it, which is coming out of general fund, which we, you know, directly correlates

I don't know if we even knew that there was going to be another $400,000 ask either, though.

I think I would push back on that a little, Scott, because we specifically talked about the money when the full ask was 900, and we did not approve 900. No, correct. And now you're here asking for 823.

And I think it was pretty clear from our discussion, we weren't ready to do that. We had to have a lot more discussion about what we were getting. And to me, it changed my perspective of the project. And that's where, now seeing the rendering, I'm like, that is a great space. I'm a little curious as if the library needs it. Is this the long-term use for this space that we really want? So now it starts opening a can of worms. If all of a sudden we were at a $500,000 project, and now we're you know, 60% higher than that, and we're trying to comprehend this in real time when it's the first time s

Can I ask you to ask Sherry to maybe just proactively provide the use and what the difference of having this would be rather than being able to do the same type, like Council Member Lamone brought up, the same type of program by walking across the street and using the pavilion that currently exists.

More so than just we have an outdoor space now is why specifically do we need this outdoor space as opposed to just setting the program to be at downtown park and that's where people meet.

And I think what we're saying is, is there options? I mean, I'd be willing to spend some of this money and hire a crossing guard separate than anyone in the library to help kids walk across the street. I'd like to go walk this and see, based on the rendering that we just saw, I'd like to walk it in person. Neil, if you could be there and show me so I can get an idea about how close they are to 100 East. the where the building's gonna be, so I wanna get a better idea about that and just is there options if they need storage? Is there a storage facility we could, is there ways that, can we get t

Thank you. Can I maybe clarify just on the budget item, too, that was brought up? Because it sounds to me from before, prior year, we approved the $200,000 that was budget general fund money. that has already been allocated to this. And maybe I'm wrong, but in my mind, that doesn't affect the tax increase that we just did because this is money that was pulled out from maybe a prior year that's essentially setting aside and reserved for this project specifically. Am I understanding that?

To me, a dollar is a dollar. And if we're asking for people to come up with 600K, then we've got to be very careful about allocating where we allocate our money. And so I get what you're saying, Dustin. This is a one-time money allocated somewhere else. It's not ongoing like we needed the tax increase for. And I feel comfortable with doing that. But what I think comes down to my personal conviction then is I want to make sure I know that we're using the dollars that are going to benefit the greatest good in our city. And so that's what I want to know is going to happen with this project.

Are you comfortable if I move to continue this to be put on a future agenda as staff?

So Mayor, I'll make a motion that we continue action item 10A that is listed on the agenda tonight without date.

So this is additional time to what would be sick and vacation?

I'm so glad we're doing this, I think that's great.

Yeah, I was gonna say I appreciate the conscious effort to make sure we're acknowledging the employees and recognizing their value and it's a good thing.

Is this in line, is this policy in line with American Fork, Lehigh, is it comparable in, you know, I wanna make sure that as we look at our benefit packages for our employees that it's comparable in similar cities.

I make the motion that we approve Resolution 2026-042, amending the personal policies and procedures regarding maternity leave.

Mayor, I'll make the motion to adopt Resolution 2026-43, declaring the intention to reimburse ourselves as was explained by Director Roy.

And for the record, I have researched this, so even though I was missing there for a minute.

Mayor, I'd like to make a motion that we approve Resolution 2026-044, authorizing you to sign the recommended amended interlocal agreement.

I did have one thing in regards to an open session.

Okay I share the same concerns with that resident regarding the stop sign and I know we did a study but I think sometimes the studies can be wrong. This is a third party study whereas he and the 36 families that he petitioned to live and drive in that area every day are seeing the dangers that removing the stop sign the crosswalk crosswalk could cause myself being one of them because that's in my neighborhood. I share his concerns with, and Steve said earlier, with sliding down the hill on Nathaniel and on a wintry day, the speed coming off Nathaniel, heading west, and that is a crosswalk area

Can I just add? I'm sorry, Scott. I just kind of piggybacking on Council Member Lamone's statement. Is there... I saw him bring in the petition back, the copy that we asked for. I don't know, Scott and Neil, if you guys can maybe go through that and give us a report on your thoughts on whether that shifts our thinking as a city, just kind of with our... knowledge of that stop being a little different than maybe just a cold, hard analytic, you know, analyzing the facts, but whether there's maybe a reason to reconsider. I don't know. I'd just like to have... Council Member Lamone's statement, it

Can you guys also just consider the understanding that, I mean, I think Neil, you talked about how people are gonna have to go up and cross at different places. Sometimes people aren't as proactive as we want them to be in finding new places to cross the street. So I don't know if there's other solutions regarding crossing the road there, if there's alternatives to that. Alternatives to a stop sign, I don't know. Maybe just something that comes back to us.

Because I understand what you're saying. There's consequences to a warranted study not being implemented, but there's also consequences to changing it. and I think it can go to both ways as to what the resident was speaking about. And what his concerns are, I think, are pretty significant concerns, especially moving that crosswalk. I know there's youth that cross to go to the church, families that cross on Sundays, and then just coming down Nathaniel. Like Steve said, that is a raceway. Yeah. And I know what you're saying as far as, but again, this is analytical, but at the end of the day, you

I actually would love a copy of the study.