City Council - Regular Meeting

Everybody look at There's still I don't know.

going home. What do you guys

want? All right, welcome to our city council meeting this evening. Thankful that you are all here. So, we're going to go ahead. It's 4 o'clock. We're going to go ahead and get started. Uh we're going to get started off correctly tonight. We have the pastor Daniel Solless here from the Eglacia Monte Zion. if I said that correct. If you'd like to come up and give us an invocation. Thank you for being here. Honorable mayor, city council members, and everybody in here, it's a humbling honor to be here today. As you said, I'm Pastor Daniel. I pastor a small uh Hispanic congregation here in the city of St. George. Again, thank you for the opportunity. If you may bow your heads. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this opportunity you give us. God of heaven and earth, we thank you for this moment, for this special moment, Father, that you give us. As you have granted Solomon the wisdom to govern with understanding, please grant this house of leaders, discerning hearts, that they may judge with justice, serve with compassion, and lead with in integrity. Let your peace be within these walls and within the limits of this city. Your prosperity may be within our borders and your truth be the foundation of every plan this city decides on. Bless the people of St. George all this year that unity may bind us, righteousness may

guide us, and hope may shine upon everybody's home. We commit this council and the city unto your mighty hands in the name of the one whose source of all wisdom, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thank you so much for that. I've asked Councilwoman Natalie Larson to lead us in the pledge. Okay. So, we're going to get right into what we're here for tonight. Unless there's something else I need to do, John, before we get started, for the purpose we're here, let me just say this really quickly. Uh before we get started, I am truly grateful for all of these fine people who are willing to step up and and serve. This is super incredible. It makes me feel good about where we live and uh this beautiful place that we call home. So again, thank you to all of you for being here and that means a lot to me. So I'm grateful for that. Okay. So we're here obviously tonight to uh select a council member for the um empty seat. And I'm just going to read this statement and then we'll I'll kind of give some more instructions from there so that so we all know what's how this is going to work tonight. Okay. So, we're going to have each of you they're going to have three minutes to address the council. The city recorder has qualified 15 candidates who have applied for the vacant city council seat. These candidates will will now be interviewed and are listed in randomized order per the lieutenant governor's ballot in November. This is the order in which the candidates will speak. Each candidate will have three minutes to address the council. In order to move efficiently through the list, the candidates are invited to sit on the front rows, which I can see you are, and be on deck and ready. So, when you have

when you see you're up, if you have to be ready to go as that person leaves, if you come right up. Um, first up is your name and then we'll go from there. Okay. Now the question that we ask you all to answer is please tell us why you have applied for the city council seat and why you think you should be appointed. So again as as we get going here if you'll just pay attention to who you're after and when they are finished come right up to the microphone up on the screens there will be Christina will be keeping the time. You have three minutes and you'll be able to see that timer so you know how much uh time you have left. Anything I'm missing, John?

Oh, yes. Yes. And and be assured that we did receive your packets that you uh put in and we have read your resumes and gone over your uh information that you submitted there and thank you for that. It was really good to get to know some of you a little better, even ones that I thought I knew. So, it was good.

Do we have to change the order tonight? No, the order is uh what's up on the screen that list? Yes. And we do have one candidate that's withdrawn. I think the order is includes that scratch through there. Yes. Thank you, Natalie. Okay. So with that and without any further delay, we'll go ahead starting out with Brad Bennett. Come on up.

Oh, try that one. All right, we good? There you go. Did you want me to state my name for the record? It's always good.

All right, so I'm Brad Bennett. Thank all of you for inviting me to speak about my candidacy today. I also want to thank each and every one of you for the hard work that you put in for this city. I know it's not easy, oftentimes a thankless job. You know, I'm a lifelong resident of St. George, so I care deeply about what happens to this city. I care deeply about the future of this city. I have two children and a grandson who live here. So naturally, I want them to be able to afford to live here. I want them to thrive and have the opportunities that we never had, and I want them to have a wonderful quality of life always. And I want this for all of our community members. At a young age, I had to watch my older siblings and others leave St. George for opportunities that weren't here. And I didn't ever want to leave. I wanted to live the rest of my life here. And I knew that at a young age. So I figured in order to have the lifestyle that I wanted and to be able to stay here that I would need to be a business owner. And that's exactly what I did. Um I had my first bonafide business when I was 16 years old. And you fast forward to today and I've owned a audio video business I've had for nearly 30 years. And during that time, I've founded and managed multiple businesses ranging in areas from manufacturing, finance, food service, retail, and others. I've hired and managed hundreds of employees and subcontractors of all walks of life. I know what it takes to make a budget and have to live within it, to do long-term planning and make goals and reach those goals. I know what it's like to make really difficult decisions that directly affect people's lives. So, I've

collected a lot of skills over the years that would be valuable uh to someone in this position. I think it's also important that we have that we preserve the history and the heritage of this great area, which is why I serve on the board of the Washington County Historical Society. One of our greatest strengths in St. George is our unique character and the legacy of our founders and I think anyone in this position uh needs to give good stewardship to that as we grow. I think it's also important that we have someone who has a lot of community support behind them. You know, if you take all the candidates who ran in the last two uh elections for city council, I received more votes than any other candidate who is not currently serving on the council. So, I have that support. If appointed, you're going to have a constructive, collaborative member who will work with you and be an ally in fiscal responsibility, transparency, prioritizing public safety and infrastructure, and smart growth that aligns with our resource capabilities. I will uphold our constitution and make sure our residents feel heard at every decision I make. Thank you for your consideration. Hi, my name is Raphael Capitan and I want to thank you for this opportunity. Uh, these three minutes are just going to be the tip of the iceberg on why I want to serve on this council with you. So, I'm going to read it because I could talk forever. I'm originally from Dallas, Texas. I moved to St. George in 2002 after serving in LDS mission in Buenocitis, Argentina. During my mission, I learned that the more you serve others, the more rewarding life is. Unfortunately, my father passed away from brain cancer towards the end of my mission. And then 911 happened three

months before I returned home. After my mission, I went to visit Provo because my sisters graduated from BYU. Thankfully, I drove through St. George to get there. I immediately fell in love with the small town feel that we have here. I decided to attend Dixie State College and made St. George my new home. I got married in 2003 and nine months later we had the first of our five children. We bought our first home and shortly after I was blessed to manage call centers here where I employed hundreds of people. During the housing crash, I struggled with depression and attempted to end my life after having our third child. I thank God every day that I was able to pull through that time in my life. And a year later, I had my own solo musical number in Singing in the Rain with the St. George Musical Theater. We did lose our home during the crash, and I ended up working for the state of Utah for 5 years. We had to depend on low-income housing and state assistance to support our family. We decided to live with my in-laws for a few years so we can get back on track. During that time, I was able to build a successful home business in sales and I became a motivational speaker, was able to speak in front of thousands of people. We were eventually eventually able to start renting our own home and continue to progress in life. The summer of co our oldest attempted to take his life and we knew that we had to adjust some things to help him. We started a cleaning business so that he could work with my wife while he was off from school every other day. That business took off and it continues to thrive today. All five of our kids are doing great and we're so proud of them. Almost three years ago, I helped open the Brain Health Center here in St. George where we treat people for their mental health challenges. Every week, I meet people from all over the country that have traveled here to get their TMS therapy with us. Hearing the struggles that they're going through helps me uh remember how blessed we are to live here in St. George, Utah.

Last year, we finally became homeowners again, and our house even has a pool. So, we're so grateful. I'm at a point in my life where I'm able to am able and eager to dedicate time and resources to help St. George become greater than ever before. I don't share this to impress you. I share this to impress upon you that I've been in the shoes that a lot of our residents are in right now. A lot of them are struggling, and I know how it feels. It's so exhausting when we struggle, but it's so rewarding when we succeed, and we feel like we're living the American dream. St. George doesn't need another politician. They need somebody that they can they can relate to. And that's why I feel like you guys have also been elected. So, thank you. Okay. My name is Greg Whitehead. Uh, I will try to keep this brief, but if you know me, sometimes that's difficult. So, my wife will vouch for that. But, um, all righty. So, I'm going to start I would just like to start briefly with just some of my resume. Um, I graduated from Dixie College Preschool and I went to East Elementary, Woodward Sixth Grade Center, Dixie Middle School, Dixie High School, Dixie State College, and Southern Utah University. Um, where I went to all of my classes on Dixie campus. Ironically, that was when they were offering an MBA program at the Dixie campus. I've worked uh I worked at the pizza factory in Ancestor Square. I have repelled off the Dixie. I've ridden ice blocks down Sunre Golf Course. Uh just don't tell Reed that I've done that. And I'm about as homegrown as they get in southern Utah. I was a state and county delegate for 14 years. I've um served on the housing authority board for about 12 years now and about 10 of

those years I've been the chairman of the board. I was uh see I grand opened Best Buy back in 2004 and worked there for a while. Um I did started my commercial real estate career in 2007. In 2020 I founded Pho Ventures. It's a uh private equity company that specializes in businessto business tech creation uh real estate development and uh hospitality. We have projects all over the inner mountain west and I told my co-founders that I will be their partners but I will not move out of St. George. So the company is in northern Utah and I am here and we do a lot of video calls with me. So this is where I this is where I want to be. I am proud of where I came from. I recognize that this area is bigger than me and I appreciate all that came before me. And I understand that many generations will call St. George home long after I am gone. Here's my commitment to the city and to the council and to the mayor. I will be prepared for meetings. I will read material. I will show up ready to discuss the topics. I will look for areas where we can a have agreements and when we don't have agreements I will be agreeable and I I will be available to listen to the stakeholders whether that is the citizens the owners staff city council members or the mayor. I have applied because I believe in the Dixie spirit a drive to overcome obstacles and do hard things. I don't have any one reason to be a city council member other than lending my abilities to hopefully keep this city the envy of the state and the country. We have real problems facing us today with housing, water and traffic, etc. Given my background and experience, I believe I would be an excellent assets

asset and helping this city be exceptional. Thanks. Honorable Mayor Jimmy, sorry, and honorable council members and everybody who has joined us today. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for this opportunity. It is truly a pleasure. My name is Christian James Albbachi. I have grown up here in St. George, Utah. I earned my Eagle Scout here. I went to high school here. I have learned to read books here. I've started college. I left to go on a church mission here. I've come back here. St. George's home. After graduating, I came back to St. George to pursue my career early on. I work at One Health as a chronic care manager. It's a great time and it's allowed me to learn more about medicine. So much so that I've decided to pursue med school. And so I've attended many other med schools and interviews and checking out campus tours and have received plenty of offers. However, I love St. George. And so I've decided to stay here and attend Rocky Vista University over in Ivans while maintaining residence here in St. George. Medicine should be very exciting. While I'm excited to stay here in St. George, I have seen a lot. I have seen the roads grow. I have seen roads go from one lane to two lane to three lanes. I have seen buildings come up. I have seen this new city council hall grow. I have seen new buildings and new schools. I have seen people come in from all over. I love St. George. But with that, there have been some problems that have arisen. One which has already been touched on and everybody already knows. I'm sure we all

talk about inside and outside of this very office. The one that I'm referring to is being able to get a job and buy a home. Okay, it's no secret. It's kind of difficult. The median age here in Utah is 33. The average age in which somebody is able to buy a home is between 38 and 34. Meaning that it is very difficult to buy a home, putting the American dream just out of reach for the average Utah resident. That is a problem with urgency. That is a problem that is growing as St. George grows. So you might ask yourselves, why me? Many high school students, many college students even have left St. George simply because it is too difficult to live here. It is precisely why I have stayed. Now I have been trained in analyzing data and finding solutions that are sustainable. I work with real people every day with real problems and find real solutions. I've given hundreds of hours in St. George and southern Utah communities in which I have been honored by our own lieutenant governor. I believe that we can solve this problem. I'm ready to link arms with each of you, the senior and more experienced leaders of this community. I'm grateful for your time. I am grateful for your service. And I believe that together we can do this. Thank you. Good evening, Mayor Hughes and council members. I'm Austin Anderson. I appreciate each of you and the sacrifice you have made to serve our great city. St. George has been good to me and my family. And although I'm a transplant here over 30 years ago, St. George is my home and will be as long as I'm alive. I was born in Provo, Utah and raised in Idaho Falls. I have many pioneer ancestors here from southern Utah. And it is in that pioneer spirit that I'm applying to serve. This land was settled and developed by people who left it

better than they found it. Through hard work and perseverance, St. George has become the envy to many. I believe the city is in a good place right now. I'm not applying to make major changes or settle old scores. I'm applying to give my time to the betterment of the community, for my children and my neighbors children, and to leave this great city better than we found it. As we prepare to celebrate 250 years of independence this July, I think of our founding fathers and believe as they did in civil discourse, common sense and governance, and strong involvement in local government. That is why I've applied. As to why you should appoint me, that is a harder question. You have 15 great candidates here, all of whom would likely do an excellent job. I can't stand better than anyone else, but I do believe I bring a unique perspective to the council. Having served almost six years as a planning in the planning commission, the last two as chairman, I've overseen development and land use at the planning commission level, and I preside over public meetings with civil discourse and treating all citizens with respect. I have owned and operated AJ Construction Pier for the last 32 years, a local company that creates jobs and constructs both residential and commercial buildings. I'm an expert in construction development and balancing budgets. I've also served on the Washington County Water Conservancy Conservation Committee, advocating for responsible use for this allimportant resource we call water. After being married to 30 years to my beautiful life, I have learned patience and compromise as well. I'm committed to fair governance, economic progress, environmental stewardship, and keeping the Dixie spirit here alive and well. I'd be honored to serve and bring my experience to the council and represent what I think is best for our community. Thank you for your time and

consideration. Congratulations, Jimmy, Michelle, Natalie. Run a good race. I'm Greg Aldrid. Probably your meet me for the first time. I will be serious. My wife's favorite color is purple, so I do this with respect to her. Thank you, Carol. I have spent my career solving complex problems and building infrastructures that last. Combined with my extensive background in community service, I believe that actions speak louder than words. I'm glad you got to look at my resume. I tried to trim it down. I didn't want to be too full of myself. But those Rotarians on the board, it's always service above self. So I believe that the balance with me brings a technical expertise with a deep commitment to the people of our city. As a retired general contractor, I understand the building codes and working with my father's engineer company, we built many of the roads, the piping, the underground that still exists today. I have expertise in thermal and solar energy. Dabbled a little bit in that during 208 and I have developed many relationships with other elected officials which I think bring value to us. And I thought about a little bit. I've served some work in some capacity with every other mayor, whether it's Crest Daly refereeing his basketball game or Jared with Santa Clara serving with the Dixie

Sunshiners and then also Clark Fost when I was the chamber president serving over there in Hurricane. And I only did it over there because I had grandkids and I could go to our Chamber of Commerce meeting here and they thought I was so smart because I just take what I got from here and took it to Hurricane for them. So anyway, I understand how to navigate a budget zoning laws and the essential need for quality control. I am running to ensure that we build the St. George of tomorrow because I know the growth in Abram. It's not we're not going to stop that and we don't want to lose the quality and the enjoyment that we have today in our city. I am ready to bring the boots on the ground expertise to our council to bring a resilient, sustainable and prosperous St. George. And I add one more thing because of my background. if I select me to the team, I'll bring just one more little layer of protection to make sure that I protect all of you. And with that, I just got back from Florida and my group, we actually had our display on Dixie Boulevard there. So, I'll finish traditionally with Arato Gazioa. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Brandon Yoast and I am grateful for this opportunity to speak to you today and share why I have applied for the city council position and why um I should be appointed. The truth is I have no hidden agenda and honestly I'm not a politician. Uh I'm here because I love the city of St. George. I've lived here for 20 years and it has been a blessing to my family and I want to ensure that

this blessing continues on for the generation to come. Many of you already know me through one of my public service roles in this community. Many know me as principal Yoast at Pine View Intermediate School. Others know me as bishop in my local church congregation. To several dozen kids, I'm known as coach on the football field, basketball court, and soccer field. and on Wednesday nights, I'm an adjunct professor at Utah Tech. I've also had the pleasure to serve as a county delegate. In every one of those roles, I have been and am a public servant. My agenda has always been the same. How do we help the person in front of us? But my connection to St. George goes deeper than my resume. My wife and I have raised our six kids here in St. George. All six of them play the violin. You may have heard them play their fiddles with Utah oldtime fiddlers at the arts festival or playing in the talent show contest at the St. George Fourth of July celebration. You may have even seen us covered in dust at the Dixie Jr. Livestock Show where all six of my children raise lambs and show them every year. Whether it is supporting our vibrant arts community or honoring our agricultural heritage, you can see that my family is interwoven during these last 20 years, the fabric of this community. We also keep our international ties strong. We've had the privilege of hosting the Japanese delegation at our house every year uh for several years and just had them over for dinner just this last week. I believe the council has done a great job in taking St. George on a positive trajectory. My goal to serve on the city council would just be to continue that responsibly. I want to help our city grow in a way that will welcome all the newcomers. St. George is a great place to live. We've come and we haven't left because this is a great place to live. We want to continue that. But I also want to

fiercely protect the traditions and the values that make St. George what it is. I want to help us grow responsibly. Again, I'm not a politician, but what I am is a neighbor. I'm a neighbor that's connected in the schools, in the faith communities, in the sports leagues, in the arts and the music programs, and at the university. If chosen to serve on the city council, I don't see that as a new commitment, but an extension of what I'm already doing. I am already at the games. I'm in the schools. I'm at the city events. And serving on the city council, I would be able to bring the conversations that I hear to the table. That's why I would like to serve on the city council and I offer you my experience, my energy, my deep love for this city. Thank you for your consideration. Sorry, I wanted to sit by my wife. My name is Matt Metaf. I'm a local architect and uh I was also born and raised here and this is where I choose to raise my family. Um in my lifetime I've seen St. George grow from 25,000 to over 100,000 now. And I understand that that growth is is just going to continue. And I I understand the importance of of ensuring that it it grows in a responsible and manageable way. Um and the decisions that are made in this room directly impact that growth. Um what I bring to the table as an architect is I have practical experience uh in designing and building that growth in in the form of buildings and new projects uh within the city. Um one particular is is your neighbor right here next to the electric theater. Um and it's super fun to have a project that's part of the the fabric of downtown St. George. Now, um I've been

directly involved with working with the city uh both the staff and I've I've appeared before planning commission and city council trying to get uh projects through and I've loved my experience especially with the staff. Um I've worked with uh uh just recently with Carol and Wes on a project and they uh were kind and spent time trying to work through different issues and we were able to find a solution. Um and I am here because I I want to continue that. I want to continue that uh uh that spirit of working together and finding solutions, being open. Um and I believe that uh I come with with practical experience that that would help that. Uh the other reason that I'm here is I want to ensure that uh growth includes our our future generations, especially my kids, young families, professionals, as well as long-term residents. Um St. George has has been the leader in in reforms that have that have provided uh new opportunities uh a new changes uh live work opportunities. Um and in fact uh I'm actually in the process of of taking advantage of those and putting my money where my mouth is and moving my family downtown and having a live work in ADU as well as our personal house. So we want to be a part of of St. George's fabric and and I'm excited to make that project happen. Um, I value collaboration, uh, trans transparency, listening, um, especially to different opinions, uh, that bring bring other things and ideas that I may not have seen. Um, I believe it's it's important to be a good steward in the community, to be be out serving. Um, I've noticed in my service, I've seen Uh, I've seen council Larkin at trail builds and maintenance and I just I I

love the opportunity that the city council would bring to serve the community. Um, so in closing, I just I just express my commitment to serve and to to to do my best for this community. And thank you.

My name is Brian Smiths. Thank you for the opportunity to uh regarding this open seat today and I want to thank you all for your service to this beautiful city. I was raised in a serviceoriented family. My biological father served 30 years in the United States Air Force. my stepfather Joe Bokeut. They both instilled in me the responsibility to serve both city, county, community, and state, nationwide. Through my years of service to my country from an early age, throughout my life experience, I believe this exper I have served the nation and state and city and I believe that this experience prepares me to step into the mayor into Mayor Hughes's seat vacated in the city council and continue the work that's already started. I approach my responsibilities with the seven core values that I strive to live every day. Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. My service includes as as an EMT St. George, the Lions Club member and two years as a city councilman. In addition to the 36 years as a soldier in the United States military, these roles have required sound judgment, teamwork, the ability to evaluate complex issues from multiple perspective.

They have sharp shaped how I approach decision making. thoughtfully, collaboratively, and long-term impacts in mind. If selected, I will work closely with you, the city staff, and the community to preserve what makes St. George unique while supporting responsible, and well planned growth. I have already demonstrated my commitment through my involvement designating the Sugarloaf and the D as a historical site and helping place the Gold Star Memorial in the city center. Projects require cooperation, balance, respect, and both heritage and progress. Honoring our past while strengthening our future. I understand that effective council service does not require unanimous agreement, but it does require mutual respect, open dialogue, and willingness to the workable situation. Thank you. And I I will be would be honored to sit next to you. I'm Paula Smith and I am grateful for this opportunity to be here right now and I understand the the responsibility you have in making this decision. I respect the work of this council and the role of the staff. Some of you may not know me well other than running for one of the seats that Mayor Hughes has now vacated. During that campaign, we didn't always

see every issue the same way. Some that know me well, even now, we still don't see issues always the same way. But that is not a weakness. Councils are stronger when different perspectives are brought forward and ideas can be challenged respectfully before decisions are made. What matters most is making careful informed decisions in the best interest of the residents and I know that is something we all agree on. My background in accounting and business management brings an experienced approach on budgets and fiscal responsibility. My work keeps me connected to neighborhoods across the city, working with families at various income levels. I see firsthand how council decisions affect neighborhoods, infrastructure, and cost of living. I am seeking to serve, to show up, to do the work required, to ask thoughtful questions, to challenge each other and respect the expertise of the team and to work with each of you. Financial discipline, experience, and professionalism is what I will bring to this council. If selected, I'm ready to get to work. Thank you.

Hey gang, my name is Zach Stoie. Uh, I grew up here in St. George. Like most of the other candidates, I went to West Elementary, which is no longer there. Um, I graduated from Dixie High School and then Dixie State University. I've seen St. George at its best and I've seen what happens when growth outpaces planning. I've lived outside of southern Utah and I've worked in other cities, including one of the largest cities in the country. I've learned that good outcomes don't come from ideology or slogans. They come from fair rules, clear direction, and leaders who are willing to take responsibility when decisions get hard. Like a lot of families in this community, my wife and I work hard to raise our kids and build a life here. Now, look, I'm not here to lob grenades or build a political platform. I want to serve this community because I want St. George to remain a place regardless of size where ordinary families like mine can thrive without paying a lifestyle penalty just to live here. Now that only happens with growth, which to some is a dirty word. But growth only works when local government is fair, predictable, and trustworthy. Growth brings opportunity, but it also brings pressure. Families and businesses feel that pressure and how we govern determines whether that growth lifts people up or pushes them out. I approach governing with three simple principles. First, fairness. Applying clear and predictable rules evenly across all people is the foundation of

trust and real economic growth. When people know the rules and believe they're enforced fairly, communities thrive. Second, foresight. Housing, infrastructure, water, cost of living. These are not small problems, nor are they unconnected, but thoughtful planning today will reduce the crises of tomorrow and preserve promote preserve and promote livability as we grow. Now, third is responsibility. I had a mentor who told me once, when you believe in something, you have to believe in it all the time, even when it hurts you. That means owning your decisions and why you made them, even when they're they're difficult or unpopular. It means acting in the long-term interests of the people we serve. Now, I don't want this position to debate national politics at a local level because just because this is a political office doesn't mean it has to be ideological. I'm your neighbor. I'm a parent. I'm an entrepreneur. I'm here because I want ordinary people like me to have a fair shot at building a life here. And I think that that uh my approach of fairness, planning, and responsibility will be an asset to the council. Thank you.

Hi there. Um, thank you for the opportunity to be here, mayor and council members. Over the last several months, I've knocked on thousands of doors in every corner of St. George. As I knocked, I noticed something really interesting. People don't answer the door to talk about ideology. They answer the door to talk about life, their neighborhood, their water bill, how frustrating the traffic has become, how fast their street is changing, and whether their kids can afford to stay here with the rising cost of housing and fleeting access to good jobs. And they want to know that city leaders are really listening to those concerns. I ran for city council and I'm applying now because I think we're at a hinge moment. The pace of change demands leaders who will step up, do the homework, make hard choices, and be accountable. The choices ahead will shape this city for decades. And I want to represent every single resident in those decisions. And that's why I'm here tonight asking you to appoint me to the open seat on the council. I'm prepared to step in on day one with steady leadership, strong communication, and a clear read on what the community is asking this council to deliver. I want to acknowledge something that you all understand. This job is earned. None of you took the easy route. You all ran. You put your name on the ballot. You answered hard questions from the public. You took criticism. You asked for trust. And you won it. So, as you consider who should step in this seat, I'm asking you to factor in the same standard. The voice of the voters and the test of a real election because we just barely had one. Thousands of residents had the chance to vet candidates in real time. How we show up, how we handle pressure, how we treat people, and what we'll prioritize. I ran a clean solution focused campaign, advanced through the primary into the

general election, and earned the third highest vote total in the race. More than 9,000 residents supported me across neighborhoods and across the political spectrum. And they did so with the clear understanding that a vacancy could very well become before this council. That matters not as an entitlement, but as evidence that I understand the issues residents care about right now. Public safety, water, growth, housing, traffic, our economy, and protecting our quality of life. I also want to address plainly but respectfully a theme I heard repeatedly. Residents want independence. They want to feel confident that decisions, especially those concerning land use and zoning which shape housing and neighborhoods are made considering the entire city without the perception of being tied to one single interest. And that's the lens I'll bring. I'm a small business owner, a mom, and a community volunteer. And I can step into the work immediately and focus on practical solutions that expand attainable options while protecting our quality of life. I appreciate your consideration. Thank you. Hi, my name is Brett Tally. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be considered for membership on the city council. During my brief presentation to you, my hope is to accomplish accomplish four things. Tell you a bit about myself. Two, why I why I would like to be considered for a seat on city council. Three, why I love St. George and believe city officials have generally made very good decisions. Four, some issues I

would like to help with. about myself. I was a business owner for 30 years and learned how difficult it was to do so. I understand how how important it is for cities to enact policies, regulations, taxes which enhance business opportunities rather than impede small business success. For the last seven years, after partial retirement, I have worked part-time for the city of St. George. So I am familiar with some of the positive aspects of the city operations as well as some of the inefficiencies within the city. I believe strongly that some of those inefficiencies can be improved. I'm a Sun River resident and could give Sun River a needed voice on all the growing uh projects that are coming up. I believe these experiences can be of value to city council. Furthermore, I love St. George and simply desire to help improve it. Each day I marvel at the aspects of St. George which the good elected officials of St. George have created. We have wonderful art museums, galleries, theaters, a terrific botanical garden, beautiful landscaping throughout the city. some of the best recreation facilities and opportunities in all of Utah. Uh terrific best-in-class parks, a worldclass walking and biking paved trail system, quality police and fire services and on and on. Our city residents can certainly be proud of our city and of government officials who have created this great place. However, there is room room for

continued improvement and we face some serious problems which will take significant work to resolve. The problem St. George faces among others include one traffic congestion, two balancing the needs of adequate taxes with the need of many residents on a fixed income and having other financial challenges. Three, water. Four, protecting the Oldtown history of our city. Five, housing availability and affordability. Um, again, I love St. George and as all you do and would love to assist in its progress and thank you for your service. Oh, I guess it starts when Okay. Hello, mayor. Uh, members of the city council. My name is Brian Theuriat. I am, uh, the oldest of six boys that grew up here in St. George, and none of us ever, uh, had any problems. But, um, I just want to say the fact that I loved that St. George is such a patriotic community. And what I mean by that is I can still remember with my family living just off of Main Street when we had a soldier who died in a foreign land from St. George and he drove up with his body uh through Main Street. I'll never forget our family going out with our neighbors and honoring our respect for him for service to our country and also that a classmate of mine had American flags and everybody had a flag that we were able to hold. That is a patriotic

community that I want to continue to to be a part of and have my family be a part of. And I also have two brothers that have served in the military. And to continue on with this patriotism, I think it very important um when you have 47 members or ancestors of your family that live in the St. George Cemetery is where they're entered and not Tonoquin. 47. Uh that's a lot of community and time and generations. Um we have sheep ranchers that have contributed to this community. Uh cattle ranchers, but most importantly is that it's patriotic. We love God, country, and family. And that's how we work and do every day. I also love the fact that I can call my city, St. George City, the main line, and I can say, "Hey, there's a problem. Somebody dropped all of their buckets of nails and screws in the street on Main Street. And guess what? I didn't have to call the mayor. I didn't have to call the city council. The city went out there and took care of that uh because it was a traffic hazard. I also love the fact that um as a young boy growing up here in St. George, I had the opportunity to to be able to get on an old green fire engine right here over at Vernon Morland Park back in the day when the old armory was across the street. Now it's the rec center, but the volunteer firefighters at that time actually were able to take kids and I love that you have Dixie Days back again. They were able to take kids on that fire engine and go around.

And in conclusion here, I'm experienced. I have 12 years of public service, 27 total, and I'm committed. I will listen and do my best to serve on the council. Thank you.

Okay. Great job being on time. Exciting, right? You nervous? Yeah,

I just like to say like I said in the first, even more so now after hearing you all speak, how impressed I am. Thank you so much. Okay, council, now you have a task ahead. Do you have are there questions or discussion you want to have? I don't necessarily have any questions, but a comment. I just want to say how much I appreciate every single one of you being willing to even apply and being willing to serve. And as we heard from each of you, you truly each bring assets to the community and would be an asset on the council. So, you know, I consider most of you actually personal friends, which makes this decision even harder. I just want you each to know that, you know, I think none of us take this decision lightly. I know that even the ones that I know well, I poured over your applications. I read every word. I prayed. I pondered. I meditated. I, you know, talked to multiple people. So, this is obviously a really important role, but I want you to know that I truly would be honored to serve with every single one of you. And unfortunately, we can only vote for one, but again, thank you so much for being willing to serve. Mayor, um I agree with everything Michelle just said and I just wanted to share. I just spent the last few days in Salt Lake with our youth city council and listening to each of you come up and speak. I just thought this is why we have such a great youth city council because they're being raised by people like you who care, who love their community, who

love their country, who love their families. and our youth city council went up and did a mock debate and I just have to brag about them because their debate topic was incredibly well researched. I told them at the end of the debate that it's actually I shared their debate with our city manager. I said we should actually think about implementing this. It was a great idea and the other kids um that were debating opposite of them did not their their topic was not as impressive. So St. George really shine bright um up there at youth city council. But I agree with what Michelle said and I just wanted to highlight Brad got up first and really um said how much it would mean to him to maintain opportunities for his kids. Then Raphael talked about mental health and how important it is to protect that. Greg Whitehead talked about loving Dixie. Um, Christian has the excitement of youth and is so excited to go forward and serve in the medical community. Austin said he wants to leave it better than he found it. Uh, Greg Aldrred said Argato. I love that, Greg. Uh, he said service above self. And that's wonderful. Brandon reminded us um of how much it matters to serve the kids in our community through education. Matt talked about how aesthetics around our community matter and the things that he's done to contribute. Hope I don't skip anyone. Justin Brian, I loved serving with Brian and he's not kidding. He gives it everything and his service in the military I think is what trained him to do that and his love for his family. Paula talked about how well she would contribute with her financial discipline and that's always something we need. Zach, I've had a lot of

conversations with Zach over the years. Um, and he's very passionate. He's very intelligent. He's very educated and I love that he talked about fairness, foresight, and responsibility. Jamie talked Jamie just went through a grueling election. And if you've never run, you don't know how hard it is to have um you you you're putting yourself out there, right? And so you love your community, but sometimes you're like, "This is scary. What if my family's not safe?" And there there's just all sorts of things that go into um being brave enough to put your name out there. Uh Brett told us about his many years of learning in a profession and then coming down here and being part of the Sun River community. and we love our retirement community and it's a very important voice for us to have on this council seat. And then Brian Theurat talked about the patriotism of our community. I I took those notes because I just wanted to be really clear like Michelle was that every one of you would be amazing on this council and it means a lot to me that we have such a wonderful community and that people like you would come and be part of this um this opportunity for this appointment and it's difficult for us to decide but we'll do our best.

I'll go last because I can do that.

Okay. You know, I sat in these seats five years ago, so my hands are sweating for you. I just commend each one of you for putting yourself out there and your willingness to serve your community. I I can't say enough good about your comments today or your resumes. I'm the one who had the question. I proposed the question and council went along with it of what has city council got right and what has city council got wrong because that's what we have to do and feel comfortable with it each week as we deliberate and come together and align for our community and I just wanted to know what you knew what was going on in our community and it was a real educational moment for me as each one of you thoughtfully came up with different things whether it was when I was on council or 10 years ago of things we got right and things we could do better and really coming off that campaign season which you do get to know your community in a whole new level and people are so free to talk to you at that point. I just wish we can continue that. Hopefully that's the trajectory you're on as with the mayor and the council that you still feel that open door. But back to you people sitting here tonight. I just want to let you know how much I appreciate you, your willingness, how heartfelt each one of your comments were, and I've taken notes, so I'm not going to go over that, but there's another deep dive to these conversations I would like to have with many of you as I continue to learn from you.

I also um was very impressed with all the candidates. So much so that I printed off everybody's resume so that I could have hard copy and that so I could take notes in the margins and and uh I guess I'm old school that way. Uh I was many of my notes that I took on each of the candidates um many of them mirrored what uh Councilwoman Larkin said uh as far as what what were what things that were highlighted. The thing that came out overall for me was the diversity that we have among these candidates. We've got 15 candidates or 14 candidates now with um very diverse backgrounds and they they all bring something special uh and a unique perspective to uh the community that they live and that they work in. And um I it's going to be very difficult. My hands are sweating too, Natalie. So, um, but I I thank you all for for, uh, coming out and for and putting yourself out there and applying. Um, this has been, you know, we've we've had some pretty significant or or complex issues that we've had to dive into and and do a lot of research, but, uh, this was probably the one that was the most important so far for me. Um because uh I wanted to make sure that we were doing our best to uh to add someone to the council uh that could uh get going right from the start and and uh represented their community. Well,

thank you. So, just a couple of final thoughts for me as I these uh fine people have reminded me a few things and I know you're saying get on with it blah blah blah, right? But just a couple things that came to mind. First of all, I have sat in your seat as well and was not selected. Just so you know, I've also sat in these seats and I would much rather be in those seats than these seats and I'm glad it's them and not me sitting in those seats. Something that was mentioned tonight that brought something to my mind as well and Natalie will appreciate this. I I've had all my children participate in livestock showing as well. And to me, they're just and I'm not comparing you to livestock, although you may be called worse names if you get this job, but um you'll see these beautiful animals and I'm sitting there going, I love them all. And the judge will get up there and it drives me nuts. You have these beautiful animals and they'll say invariably on any given night any one of these animals could be selected. So, just know that I truly feel that with you animals that any one of you on any given night could have been selected.

May I add something into that? You did you did have the grand champion last year. Yeah.

I wasn't going to say that, but yeah. Uh, anyways. Okay. A couple things and I'm just going to make sure. Do you council, do you have any questions of how this is going to work as far as the voting? I know we've talked about this. Do I need to read any of these instructions or We can if it comes up we can read them. Basically we do have some scenarios that can happen here and I will address each scenario if they happen. The bottom line is we have a ballot with all the names on it. You're each's going to mark the ballot and pass them to Christina. Right. And then Christina will read them off and then we'll go from there and see where we're at. Yeah. We need names on the ballot. Correct. They need to put their names on the ballot.

Oh, nice. See, legal is one step ahead of me. And as you've noted, I don't have one. Yeah. Vote for only one. But remember on any given night.

I'm nervous, too. You can just go in seniority. Starting with Danielle. Okay. Um, Council Member Larkin votes for Jamie Levit. Council member Larson votes for Austin Anderson. Council member Tanner votes for Austin Anderson. Council member Kemp votes for Austin Anderson. Yeah, a round of applause is appropriate. Um, just making one little notice. It appears that I'm going to have to let my facial hair grow if I can fit in on this DAS. Right. So, at this point, as we've made this selection, it's time to be sworn in. So Austin, if you want to come up there to the Is that where down there? Yeah. She's going to come down there to you. So,

and just so you know, we'll be having a speech after short one. I didn't plan for that. Okay. So, you'll need that microphone near you. So, raise your right hand and repeat after me. I state your name. I Austin Anderson. Do you solemnly swear? do solemnly swear that I will support, obey, and defend that I will support, obey, and defend the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Utah and the Constitution of the State of Utah and that I will discharge and that I will discharge the duties of my office the duties of my office with fidelity

with fidelity. be before you say too much, there's I think a few people here that you should introduce that we could all know. Okay. Well, I guess better start with my wife, Leilani.

I'm not impatient. and my my mom here, Debbie Anderson, and my daughter, Ella, and her friend, Ian, and my youngest son, Cyrus. That's my family. So, thank you. I really didn't prepare I didn't even think about preparing a speech for this. So, I just want to say thank you to all of you. I respect all of you. I've watched it for years. I think we have a great council. I'm looking to add to that. I look forward to working with you and I represent all the cities of St. all the citizens of St. George and thankful for my family and and just appreciate this opportunity and I won't let you down. Thank you. We have a seat for you right over here.

Okay. That's where we always put the news person. So, come on up and have a seat. And congratulations. We look forward to it. Okay. All right. Thank you for that. Now, right down to business. We actually have a an item, at least one item in here we need to take care of as a council. Uh John, you want to go through that?

Yeah. Item number four is uh consider approval of resolution number 2026-00002R to approve the designation and appointment of representatives to the administrative control board of Washington County Special Service District. Do you understand everybody pretty Austin that means you're on the garbage board? Yeah, all of us have a seat on that board. So that's just making sure we're appointing this new council which adding your name to the list. So do you want to make the motion? And if you would like, do you want to make your first motion? Make make the mo. You want me to make the motion? Go ahead.

Uh, I'd make a motion to approve Austin Anderson for the consider the approval of the resolution number 2026-22R. I'll second. So even see even I have to learn so I have to learn to say this. So we have a motion by Austin and a second by Steve. This is a resolution requiring a roll call vote. We'll start with Michelle. Michelle Tanner I. Daniel Lurin I. Natalie Larson I.

Steve Kemp I. Austin Anderson I. Motion carries unanimously. Do we have any reports that we need to have from council members? Michelle, Danielle, I guess I will actually give a quick report. My palms were sweating up here for multiple reasons. I did start having contractions earlier today, but I was not going to miss this meeting. So, it's probably a false alarm, but uh we may have a council baby soon. Nice.

Nothing, Steve. Okay, we have no need for a closed session. And so we need a final motion. I'll make a motion to adjurnn. Second. Motion by Natalie, second by Danielle. All in favor say I. I.

Motion carries. We are adjourned. Thank you all for being here. I like that. It's great.