November 9, 2022 | General Meeting

Voting

• 5-0 approving the Consent Agenda, which includes the monthly financial summary for September 2022
• 5-0 approving an amendment to City code regarding action levels for environmental contamination

General Meeting

City Council recognitions

The Council formally recognized the FBLA group at Herriman High School, who recently qualified for national competitions in Chicago, Illinois, and won or placed highly in many different categories. HHS Principal Todd Quarnberg emphasized the achievements of the minority students at Herriman High and within the FBLA group.

The Council noted and commended the City's staff on the opening of the new Juniper Canyon Recreation Area's first phase.

Public comments

• A comment advocating for homelessness awareness and noting that it's not a problem specific to any one city, county, or state, and there are no universal solutions. He asked the City Council to keep an eye on what's happening in the city and county and to help solve the homelessness issues.
• A resident commenting about the Crescent piece of the auto mall project and the contaminated soils on the site. He asked the City Council to reduce the allowable contamination levels to an amount recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency.

City Council board and committee reports

• Councilmember Hodges, representing the South Valley Sewer District board, reported that the district's budget is being raised by 3% but is not raising customer rates.
• Councilmember Ohrn, representing the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District board, noted the recent snow storms have been beneficial for Utah's water situation. However, she said that the drought is still serious and the need for conservation still exists.
• Councilmember Shields, representing the Council at a recent Wasatch Front Regional Council meeting, noted a conversation about projected growth on the Wasatch Front and the effects of water limitations on that growth. He said the WFRC is going to review how goals and priorities are set to help make sure that the western side of Salt Lake County.
• Mayor Palmer noted a recent meeting with the Salt Lake County Conference of Mayors and a conversation about homeless shelters and how cities can more efficiently and effectively provide needed services. He also mentioned a recent City video on YouTube that highlights the community and the positive ways it is growing.

Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling District budget report and fee increase

Pam Roberts, the executive director of the WFWRD reported on the district's proposed budget and an upcoming fee increase of $2.50 per month. She noted the district has not had a fee increase in the last 5 years, but that costs are increasing due to new CDL driver regulations, increased fuel prices, the pandemic, and other factors. She said the feedback from residents has been to maintain current pickup services, dump rentals, and cleanup programs. Roberts also commended Councilmember Ohrn for her service on the WFWRD board, including serving this year as the board chair.

Environmental contamination action levels

Aligning with current recommendations from the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies, the City is amending the mitigation threshold (action levels) for contaminated soils. For residential property, the action level for lead will be 1,200 parts per million (ppm) and for arsenic, 100 ppm (stays the same). For nonresidential property, the action level for lead will be 4,000 ppm and for arsenic, 300 ppm.

Work Meeting

Game Pointe Properties update

The developer who owns the "Game Pointe" property adjacent to the auto mall presented an updated conceptual plan for a commercial center that includes possible retail, restaurants, entertainment, and office space. The Council generally liked the plan but emphasized its desire for a unique destination as part of the property's development.

Internet Broadband Task Force update

The City sent out a Request For Proposals for broadband internet infrastructure/service and received five. The best identified option of the five was from Strata Networks. The Council discussed how to begin contract negotiations with Strata and start to launch the project. One key element maintained by the Council is that taxpayers shouldn't financially be on the hook for the infrastructure. The Council asked to see in a future meeting what benefits and cost savings are available to the City as it pursues the project. 

Herriman Towne Center infrastructure reimbursements

The development company HTC Communities sent a reimbursement request to the City for infrastructure that has been constructed in the Herriman Towne Center roughly the area between Main Street and 13400 South near the city hall). Typically, a developer and city will sign a reimbursement agreement for such projects which bind the parties to a fund payback system. However, with this development, no signed agreement exists. The City stopped reimbursing HTC several years ago when the Finance Director realized there was no agreement in place. The developer has re-approached the city to request the two parties negotiate an agreement for infrastructure reimbursement. Both parties expressed a desire to be good partners and, to the best of their abilities, honor the intent of the understanding. The item will come back in a future meeting when City staff members can go through the infrastructure project list and make recommendations on which items should qualify for reimbursement.

Park ordinance updates

After a presentation from the Parks Department, the Council discussed opening all park facilities at 7:00 a.m. and closing at 10:00 p.m. instead of a wide variety across the city. There are also some text efficiency changes and adding a prohibition of private or group instruction or classes without reservations. The Trails section of the code will also be adapting to prohibit all motorized vehicles on City trails except Class I e-bikes, motorized wheelchairs, and City-authorized vehicles.

The Council was also introduced to a few Blackridge Reservoir parking solutions, including paid parking. The Council will continue discussing the options at a future meeting.

Meeting video:

• Work Meeting 1
• Work Meeting 2
• General Meeting