I share my views on religion, politics and life. They are intertwined! According to George Washington, "Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens."
The fire district board tonight approved a contract with Reed Thompson to be the new fire chief. Mr. Thompson was the unanimous pick of the board plus the fire chiefs of Lehi, American Fork, and Pleasant Grove, who were part of the selection committee. The local chiefs all said that we be hard pressed to find a better candidate no matter how long we looked.
Mr. Thompson comes to us from the S. Jordan fire department where he currently serves the deputy fire chief. He has an Master's of Public Administration from BYU, serves as the chair of the Utah State Urban Search & Rescue Advisory Board (SUSAR), and the vice president of the National State Urban Search and Rescue Executive Board, and He has over 20 years of fire department experience. He will start on or before December 29th.
For those who had or have concerns about the process used to hire Mr. Thompson, we started with national search and received 16 applications from across the nation. As soon as Mr. Thompson submitted an application, his father, Mayor Mark Thompson, resigned from the fire district board. A selection committee comprised of the city administrators from Alpine, Cedar Hills, and Highland, plus board chief Sheldon Wimmer (Mayor of Alpine), and Brian Gwilliam (acting Fire Chief) with some assistance from local fire chiefs selected 6 applications to interview. From these the top 3 were selected to be interviewed by members of the board, the 3 local fire chiefs, and members of the Lone Peak Fire District. One of the top 3 candidates dropped out before the final interviews. Reed Thompson was the unanimous pick of the board members, who participated in the interviews, the 3 local fire chiefs, and was unanimously approved by the fire district board. Note, I did not participate in the interviews due to a schedule conflict (my mother-in-laws funeral).
I am excited that we have a new chief, who has the full support of the board, and look forward to seeing the district move forward in a positive direction. Click here to view Reed Thompson's resume.
Several issues were raised during the campaign that require more than sound bite responses. Here our what I think are the top four issues and my thoughts on them. Feel free to share your point of view.
Highland residents from all across the political spectrum, including some who disagree with me on issues that are important to them, talk about why they support my run for Mayor. So why do they support my candidacy? The biggest reasons are transparency, sharing information, and a willingness to engage.
Renee Braddy
Renee Braddy and her husband Kevin are actively involved in the community. They have made a difference in education, local and county politics as well as simply serving their neighbors. Renee reviews their interactions with me and my efforts to communicate with the residents of Highland..
On Oct 12, 2017, the city sponsored a debate between candidates for city office. The format of the meeting was that each candidate was given time for an opening statement. Then candidates were given between 30 and 90 seconds to respond to questions. Following the question period each candidate was given the opportunity to give a closing statement.
City council candidates (Chris Kemp, Dennis LeBaron, Kurt Ostler, and Scott Smith) went through the process first followed by mayoral candidates (Jessie Schoenfeld and me – Rod Mann).
The East-West or Murdock Connector is a road which has been under discussion for about 40 years. When built, it will connect N. County Parkway (4800 W) with Alpine Hwy (5300 W) south of Lone Peak High School.
The East-West connector and development of the land south of Lone Peak High School continues to be most interesting. Was the meeting Senator Dayton expressed concern (my 15th “Issues and Information” meeting held at city hall on 5-Oct-2017) a violation of the Open Meeting Act? Good question. Let’s start with Senator Dayton’s email:
From: Margaret Dayton <mdayton@le.utah.gov> Date: Friday, October 6, 2017 at 5:18 PM … Subject: USDC issues
Gentlemen ~ I have had a few calls today from Highland residents concerned about a meeting that was held at Highland City last night to discuss USDC land issues.
Apparently you were all there.
I have also been told that the mayor and 3 of the city council were there - so that indicates a majority of the city council was in attendance - and thus a quorum was present. Reports that have come to me indicate that not all the city council were aware of the mtg - and that the meeting was not posted on the Highland City website - thus violating the Open and Public Meetings law.
Open Meetings Act is defined “meeting means a convening of a public body with a quorum present to discuss, receive public comment about, or act upon a matter over which the Pubic Body has advisory power.”
Some of the citizens took copious notes - and sent them to me re discussion of selling all the USDC land, changing the master plan, reconfiguring the road plans, etc Apparently no motions were taken - but public input and discussion were certainly part of the meeting.
The recordings I received were not voice recordings, so I do cannot argue about the proceedings of the meeting.The violation of the open meetings act is apparently being referred to the County Attys office.
Those in violation of the open meetings act are not any of you - it would be the city council members and at the mayor - but the optics of layering all of you on top of that mtg is not good - so I wanted to let you know what I had heard.
Just a heads up -
Enjoy this glorious fall and the long weekend.
Margaret
There were indeed three Highland City council members at this meeting. However, what the senator perhaps did not realize was that:
This meeting was organized by me.
The meeting room was paid for by me.
The agenda was set by me.
The purpose of the meeting was to provide a forum for residents to interact with our state legislators on the issue of the East-West connector.
I used the same notification process I have used for my other meetings which includes: creating a Facebook event; inviting Facebook members who live in the Highland area; sharing the event with multiple Facebook Groups and Pages; sending an invite to those who signed up to be notified. I did do something extra this time and paid to boost the Facebook invite to residents in Alpine, Cedar Hills, and PG.
The elected officials who attended the meeting came of their own volition with the exception of Representative Mike Kennedy and Senator Dan Hemmert who were invited to discuss the steps that will be taken by the legislature with regard to approval of the East-West connector.
She need not worry about the notes she received being inaccurate as the meeting was recorded and posted. For those brave enough to watch a meeting some evidently believe violated the Open Meeting Act, here it is .
It is also interesting to note that the only previous “Issues and Information” meeting that I have held where three council members and the mayor were present was on May 26th 2016. That was promoted as “The East-West Connector and State Land, a Discussion with Senator Dayton." Click here to read my notes from the meeting (which includes an excellent summary by Tammy Hodson) and here to see the Facebook invite. Elected and state officials who attended that meeting include: State Auditor John Dougal, Senator Margaret Dayton, a state attorney whose name I don’t recall, Representative Mike Kennedy, Highland City Council members: Rod Mann, Brian Braithwaite, Dennis LeBaron, and Highland Mayor Mark Thompson. During this meeting many of the same topics discussed as were Thursday night. This includes:
The east-west connector road
Use of funds generated from developing the land
Potential configurations of land under development
State owned land and property tax revenues for the city
So why was May 2016 meeting not an Open Meeting act violation and the Oct 2017 meeting was? The truth is neither were. Those public officials who attended both meetings did so of there own volition (see chance meeting below in the public meeting act). Both agendas included no items that the city council would be voting on and the intent was for our representatives to inform residents about the East-West Connector and state lands as well as provide a forum where residents could ask questions and get answers.
So what’s next now? My understanding is that the state attorney’s office deals with Open Meeting Act violations so the county should forward the referral to the state attorney’s office. State Auditor John Dougal may get to weigh in (and probably should since he was in attendance). I will be happy to respond to any and all questions from state attorney’s office.
Elected officials who were in attendance include:
Dan Hemmert, State Senator
Mike Kennedy, State Representative
John Dougal, State Auditor
Mark Thompson, Highland Mayor
Gary Gygi. Cedar Hills Mayor
Sheldon Wimmer, Alpine Mayor
Rob Shelton, American Fork City Council
Jenney Rees, Cedar Hills City Council
Brian Braithwaite, Highland City Council
Dennis LeBaron, Highland City Council
Rod Mann, Highland City Council
Rather than this being an occasion where the “optics of layering all of you on top of that mtg is not good” I believe it was wonderful to see so many leaders being willing to engage with constituents on an issue that is important to them. Thank you to each of the leaders (elected officials and staff) for taking the time to be there and share your thoughts!
By the way this was another great “Issues and Information” meeting. Lots of questions were asked and answered. Representative Kennedy and Senator Hemmert were excellent. I asked Highland City Engineer Todd Trane to give and overview of how roads are designed and speed limits set – he did a great job. Bill Exeter, the state’s project manager for the development of the land, gave an ad-hoc overview of the road and land development plans. He gave a good overview of the purpose of the project he is working on and answered all questions. I had no idea he was coming but really appreciate his contribution to the meeting. Andrew Jackson, the executive director of MAG also came and provided a lot of valuable insights.
Below are the definitions from the Utah Public Meeting Act which is part of Utah State Code. I’ve highlighted a few relevant items:
"Meeting" means the convening of a public body or a specified body, with a quorum present, including a workshop or an executive session, whether in person or by means of electronic communications, for the purpose of discussing, receiving comments from the public about, or acting upon a matter over which the public body or specific body has jurisdiction or advisory power.
"Meeting" does not mean:
a chance gathering or social gathering; or
a convening of the State Tax Commission to consider a confidential tax matter in accordance with Section 59-1-405.
"Meeting" does not mean the convening of a public body that has both legislative and executive responsibilities if:
no public funds are appropriated for expenditure during the time the public body is convened; and
the public body is convened solely for the discussion or implementation of administrative or operational matters:
for which no formal action by the public body is required; or
that would not come before the public body for discussion or action.
In addition to any other penalty under this chapter, a member of a public body who knowingly or intentionally violates or who knowingly or intentionally abets or advises a violation of any of the closed meeting provisions of this chapter is guilty of a class B misdemeanor.
* For those who listened to the whole meeting. You heard me say something that was incorrect near the end of the meeting. When asked if any one councilman could stop the road I said no. I also said that I didn’t believe that even a 3 / 2 vote could stop the road. What I should have said was that while a 3 / 2 vote could delay the road given the overwhelming need for the road that ratio would likely change after the following election.
Postscript
On October 10th the Highland city attorney drafted an opinion on the matter of the Issues and Information meeting being a violation of the Open Meeting Act. Note, I was not one of the people who requested that opinion and I am not sure who did.
Dear Mayor and Council:
I've been asked by several people to respond to some questions raised about Rod's Issues and Information meeting with Mike Kennedy regarding the connector road, and whether it needed to be publicly advertised, and whether having a quorum present required someone to leave.
Rod's event does not qualify as a public meeting under the law because it was not a "convening" of the city council. Specifically, the statute states "Convening means the calling together of a public body by a person authorized to do so...." Utah Code 52-4-103(3). As a council member, Rod is not authorized to convene a meeting of the City Council. However, if the Mayor had done so, it would need to be advertised because he is authorized to convene the "public body" to do business.
No public notice or advertising was needed because it was not a public meeting. Also, no one knew in advance whether others on the council would attend since they were invited (but not required) to attend.
The other issue is when several council members show up to a meeting like this as guests, did a quorum require someone to leave? No, because a quorum was never constituted because it was not a public meeting.
However, remember that the intent of the Open Meetings law is transparency. Therefore, if three members of the council show up and begin to debate each other and deliberate on the public's business, I can see how that would be a violation of the law -- not because the private event became "public", but because they engaged in the public's business outside of a public meeting (see the difference).
May 2017 USDC Board meeting: The full minutes for the meeting can be found by clicking here. You can also listen to a recording of the meeting by clicking here. The first 18 minutes are particularly interesting.
Here are five Highland residents discussing why they support my run for Mayor. In the group are those who did not vote for me when I ran for city council, are members of different political parties, and disagree with me on issues. Some I have known for twelve years others a just a few. These were recorded during the primary. More will be coming.
Sixty-three residents were in attendance most were there for the Dry Creek Lake or the Library Expansion presentations.
Presentations
Dry Creek Park – Lorin Powell, Lehi City Engineer. Lorin gave a presentation (click here to open the presentation) on the current status of the Dry Creek Park plan. Before I do a brief overview of the presentation let me first go over some background info:
Thirty residents and guests attended the council meeting. I don’t believe there was one single issue that brought most of the residents although I believe a number came to see the 11800 N / Highland Blvd Intersection safety construction motion approved.
APPEARANCES
David Larsen, a junior cabinet member, from Lone Peak HS, proposed putting an image of the LPHS Logo in the intersection of N. County Blvd and Cedar Hills Drive. The council indicated that they would support the initiative but that N. County Blvd was a state road and UDOT would need to authorize the project.
Forty-two residents and guests attended the council meeting. Most were there because of the No Build setback question in Country French Estates.
APPEARANCES
Anne Hansen: Expressed support for proposed fireworks ban and indicated she would support a complete ban in the future.
Neal Evans: Asked that item 9 (R-1-30 zone application) and 3 (Oak Ridge Preliminary Plan) be discussed together. Request was denied as they were independent issues (i.e. the result of a vote on one has no bearing on the other).
10 residents plus Scout Troop 1128 were in attendance.
APPEARANCES
None.
CONSENT
MOTION: Approval of Meeting Minutes for the City Council Regular Session – June 6, 2017 Click here to view the minutes. Approved unanimously with minor changes.
We received the final report from the State Auditor’s office regarding the Lone Peak Fire District. There are a number of things that the district can improve on and I am thankful to the state auditors for putting together a comprehensive list of items to work on.You can read the report below (click here to view the official pdf version of the report).
Here are links to stories in the media that cover the report:
I occasionally feel like Mr. Bean looks when it comes to deciding whose box to check on the ballot. Let me share some thoughts on what I believe is important based on having served nearly four years on the Highland City council.
I’ve knocked on nearly 10% of the doors in Highland, and talked with many of you at various events. Here are responses to three of the questions and comments I frequently hear:
Sixteen residents attended the meeting; three were candidates, the rest had items of concern on the agenda or were there for scouting. We were done in less than an hour – most likely a record for an annual budget meeting. We were able to get through the budget “quickly” because of the discussions that we had in prior council meetings/work sessions, staff’s thoroughness in preparation and the mayor who moved things along.
So why the heck I am running? Wasn’t four years as a member of the Highland City council enough? My council experience actually exceeded my expectations. Granted they were low, however I found I enjoyed learning, responding to questions, and writing about city issues in my blog. I also found that if I didn’t get push back on positions I ended up being unsure of them. When challenged I listen and do more homework. I find that my convictions are strengthened by the process or I modify my position based on new information.
The council and staff has “moved the ball” forward during the last four years. I want to be involved in continuing to make improvements on how we operate as a city.
When I ran for council I initially had to push myself out the door to walk neighborhoods. But as time went on I found that I really enjoyed talking with Highland residents. This time I was excited to go “tracting” again and I am enjoying the opportunity to meet people like you.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me via phone, text or email. Below is a copy of the content of a flyer I am handing out when I go out and knock on your doors.
When I ran for city council I committed to do three things:
Solicit your input
Share information
Make informed decisions
I kept those commitments! Here's how:
Sharing Information
Posted 112 articles covering council meetings and local issues.
Hosted 15 “Issues & Information” meetings which provided an opportunity for us to talk with city council and school board members, state legislators, and state officers about local issues.
Informed Decisions
Key issues, such as how to fix the roads, were addressed only after extensive research was conducted. Click here to see my posts that included road discussions.
Solicit input and respond to comments and questions
Improve transparency in our decision-making process.
Work with staff to provide the council and residents with accurate and complete information.
Specific issues that are on my priority list:
East-West Connector: Create a legislative committee to ensure that the state legislature ratifies the Development Center Board’s decision to build the road. Click here to read my posts related to the connector
Open-Space and Parks: The open-space fee, park usage and maintenance are complex and emotional issues that must be addressed. I will work with staff and the council to gather essential information and identify the most equitable and reasonable solutions possible.
Zoning: It is clear from the recent city surveys that residents want to retain the large-lot feel of Highland and enjoy the city’s family friendly environment. I will ensure that the community continues to be involved in zoning decisions so that these values are protected.
The city is on the right track. I will ensure that we continue moving in the right direction.
Please visit my website and Facebook page to learn more about me. Note, you will find information on current issues with summaries and charts that are not found elsewhere.
There were a limited number of residents present (7) at the meeting. Don’t know if that is good or bad :). The conversation with Rob Smith was interesting and informative. Thanks to ASD for being proactive and communicating with the city without any specific item in mind.
Once again the most “popular” item on the agenda was a final vote on a rezone request for property located just to the west of the new car wash on Timpanogos Hwy from residential to professional office. This time only 22 residents attended the meeting (as opposed to 67 last time).
The hot topic for the night was a rezone request for property located just to the west of the new car wash on Timpanogos Hwy from residential to professional office. This and a related issue brought about 67 residents to share their views with the council. I was the swing vote twice.
Staff presented the results of the 2017 Resident Survey. It was interesting. I’ve included a link to the charts and graphs that staff put together as well as the raw data with summaries and additional charts.
Another milestone was reached last month when a road study was completed on impact of constructing an East-West Connector. Below is a brief summary of the report, my analysis of the information provided, and suggestions on how you can impact the decision going forward. According to the study (click here to see the report).
80% of the traffic on a connector would be local traffic while 20% would be commuter.
While all of the proposed routes have a positive impact on traffic, the central option has the best overall long term impact.
All connector options would reduce traffic on both SR-92 and 700 N in American Fork.
There are issues with each of the locations for a connector which were analyzed (see the map above).
Before I discuss the work session I want to review the history of the lot sizes in Highland, then R-1-30 zone and its implementation.
Highland Lot Size Info
Lots sizes of developments approved since 2014. As a point of information the estimated density of all Open Space subdivisions (this includes park land and other open space) is ~1.6 lots/acre.
Zone
Avg. Lot Size
Median Lot Size
Avg. Density
R-1-20
0.48 acres 20,835 sq. ft.
0.46 acres 20,167 sq. ft.
1.65 lots/acre
R-1-30
0.60 acres 25,941 sq. ft.
0.58 acres 25,132 sq. ft.
1.33 lots/acre
R-1-40
0.78 acres 34,491 sq. ft.
0.75 acres 32,756 sq. ft.
1.06 lots/acre
* All
0.47 acres 25,276 sq. ft.
0.58 acres 20,386 sq. ft.
* This lot size data was derived by using the lot sizes of all property using pressurized irrigation where the parcel was larger than 0.10 acres and smaller than 6 acres. The data represents ~95% of all property in Highland.
“The Way of the Reformer” is one of my favorite essays by William George Jordan. In it he discusses the challenges faced by those who seek to make the world a better place. They are not always popular and on more than one occasion have given their lives for their cause. William Tyndale comes to mind. He translated the Bible into English in the early 1500’s. His work so displeased the King and other prominent leaders that he ended up fleeing to Antwerp to continue his work. He was eventually captured, tried for heresy, and put to death. Below is a short video which summarizes William’s inspiring life work.
Jordan’s essay below is dedicated to those who, like Tyndale, labor to make the world a better place in the face of opposition.
15 residents (9 scouts) were in attendance for the council meeting; none were at the cemetery work session. We again were able to accomplish a fair amount of work during the meetings .
Cemetery Fee Work Session
The cemetery work session was the 2nd one we’ve held to understand what we need to charge for cemetery plots so that we end up with a fund that will generate sufficient interest income to cover the cost of cemetery operations once all the plots are sold. Note, Tim Irwin brought this up as an issue we should work on last year.
Zion’s Bank was contracted to do an analysis of what what our options are. Matt Millis of Zion’s Bank reviewed a model which they developed to help us determine an answer to this question. We also needed to provide some guidance on three questions so that the analysis could proceed:
Well over 50 residents attended the meeting. Most were there for one of four items: the Library Strategic Plan Presentation, Wimbelton Trails, Roads, and the Highland Blvd / 11800 N Intersection.
Prior to the meeting we learned that the petition to dispose of the Wimbelton neighborhood option trails did not have sufficient signatures to meet the threshold required to have the council consider the request. A public hearing on the issue end up not being required and so the item was removed from the agenda.
My understanding is that those who wish to dispose of the trails argue that they are not well maintained by the city and although they are used, usage is not necessarily by those in the neighborhood and thus pose a potential safety hazard. A secondary issue is that many of those living in Open Space developments feel that the open space fee they pay is too high or not well used.
Four residents attended this meeting where we discussed economic development, pressurized irrigation and park usage fees. Those attending wanted to share their views on the proposed park usage fees. The “final” proposal on park fees will be discussed and voted on at the next council meeting (Tuesday Feb 7).
Fun Facts
The following charts on lots sizes in Highland was derived from PI billing data, a summary of which is also shown below. Since there are a few parcels of property in Highland that are not served by PI it is not entirely accurate but it does provide a good picture. Here a few interesting stats:
On Thursday, January 26th Highland received the county’s report on the referendum signatures. After reviewing the report our city recorder issued the final certification report which states the following: Of the 2,778 signatures submitted 2,404 were certified. This is 109 fewer signatures than the 2,513 which were required and there for the referendum will not be placed on the 2017 ballot.
If you support the construction of the Murdock Connector (an east-west road between Alpine Highway and North County Blvd) please indicate your support by signing an online petition (click here to sign). This petition will be shared with Utah State legislators as they will need pass a bill this year to allow the road to cross state owned property. Also, our new State Senator, Dan Hemmert, and State Representative, Mike Kennedy, both have short constituent surveys that include a question on this issue. Please let them know how you feel on this and other issues such as education, internet sales tax, medical marijuana …. Click on their respective pictures to complete their survey’s .
State Senator Dan Hemmert
State Rep. Mike Kennedy
Now on the the meeting. It was a productive meeting with a good exchange of information. Two residents attended the Roads Work Session and over sixty were present for the Council Meeting. Most of the Council Meeting attendees were there to support the 2017 Highland City Youth Council members who were sworn in. It is great to see so much interest in local government.
Sixteen residents and others attended the council meeting none were at the work session.
Work Session: Cemetery perpetual Care fund
The Cemetery Fund currently has a balance of $10,000. Plot fees are presently being used to refund the city for the purchase of the cemetery land. The goal of a perpetual care fund would be to build up a balance that would generate enough interest to cover all or most of the cost of maintaining the cemetery. Matt Millis, Zion Bank, walked us through multiple scenarios for increasing the lot and burial fees in order to reach a fund balance that would be self-sustaining. We generally agreed to build a balance to that would cover some of the maintenance cost of the cemetery. The fees needed to be reviewed periodically. We felt that the city should pay some portion of the costs as the cemetery does fill a “park role” for some residents. The estimated percentage of “park” was not fixed (10% to 15% was discussed). Staff will work with Mr. Millis to further refine the model and finalize initial fee recommendations. These would need to be approved at a future council meeting. Click here to review the presentation we were given.
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