Mannkind Perspectives: Highland City Council Preview: 4-May-2021

Here's the most recent two-minute Tuesday video from our council meeting on 4/20. For those of us who are not “hip” 420 is a noun which is used to refer to marijuana or to the act of smoking marijuana (eg. "a 420-friendly hotel").

For Tuesday’s meeting there are several interesting agenda items including:

Tentative budget approvals for the city and Lone Peak Public Safety District. The final budget is generally on the agenda on the first meeting in June.
A preliminary plat for Sunrise Farms - 13.57 acres located on the north side of the “long horn” property which is across the street from the city cemetery.
A change in nuisance ordinances relative to noise. The change will make our code more consistent and more enforceable.

This meeting will be held at city hall but there will be limited space because of distancing requirements. We will also stream it on our YouTube channel (click here to watch). Note, individuals, especially those in a high-risk category, are encouraged to participate in the meeting virtually!

You can find an abbreviated meeting agenda together with my thoughts below. The complete agenda (145 pages) which includes the staff reports associated with each item can be accessed by clicking here.

Highland City Council Agenda
Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 7:00 PM council meeting

Virtual Participation

YouTube Live
Zoom: Call 1-346-248-7799 Meeting ID: 840 3555 9759
Email comments prior to meeting: council@highlandcity.org

The time and duration listed at the end of agenda items is my guess as to the start time of this item and how long it will run..

UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES 7:00 (15 minutes)
Time has been set aside for the public to express their ideas, concerns, and comments. Comments are limited to 3 minutes.
CONSENT ITEMS 7:15 PM (15 minutes)
Items on the consent agenda are of a routine nature or have been previously studied by the City Council. They are intended to be acted upon in one motion. Council members may pull items from consent if they would like them considered separately.

Approval of Meeting Minutes for the April 13th work session Administrative
2021 Sewer Lining Project Administrative
Council will consider a request to approve a bid in the amount $115,687 to Insituform for the installation of 4.5 mm cured in place liner for 4,619 linear feet of 8” sewer main in the Hidden Oaks Subdivision. Note, this will be the third year we’ve worked on the sewer lines in this part of Highland. We are saving tens of thousands of dollars a year because of the reduced amount of water that we put into Timpanogos Sewer and the reduced power draw at the sewer lift station which services the area. Below is a short video showing the before and after effect on two cracks. It gives you a feel for amount of water that can seep into the sewer line.

PUBLIC HEARING: ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE HIGHLAND CITY BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022 AND APPROVING THE TENTATIVE LONE PEAK PUBLIC SAFETY DISTRICT BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022 Administrative. 7:30 (30 minutes)
Below are charts and tables for each fund managed by the city. To see the details for each fund click here to view the spreadsheet which is the source for the charts and tables. Please note that 2021 and 2022 numbers shown are budgetary numbers as opposed to actual. The fiscal year ends June 30th and the actual 2021 numbers won’t be available for a couple of months after that. This is the issue with the transportation utility fund being “under-utilized” in 2020 and not “over-utilized” in 2021. About $1.1M of road project expenses that were budgeted for in 2020 were not completed until 2021. The actual vs. budget data for 2021 will show that.

The charts and tables below are for the Lone Peak Public Safety District. Again, the 2021 and 2022 numbers are budgetary (click here to view the source spreadsheet). We share the cost of the district with Alpine. There are three components: Administration, Police, and Fire/EMS. The administrative and police costs are split based on population while the Fire/EMS costs are allocated as follows:
- 10% of the cost is split 50/50
- 45% is split based on population
- 45% is split based on equivalent resident units (ERUs). A building is assigned 1 ERU for each 10,000 sq. ft. ERUs are whole number only. This means a 12,000 sq. ft. building would be assigned an ERU of 2.
PRELIMINARY PLAT: SUNRISE FARMS Administrative 8:00 (15 minutes) Administrative
The Council will consider a request by Patterson Development for Preliminary Plat
approval for Sunrise Farms, a proposed 10-lot single family subdivision located at
approximately 11241 N 6000 W. The property is currently zone R-1-40 and the proposed development conforms to the R-1-40 standard.

I attended the planning commission meeting where this item was discussed and several residents shared their views. One resident claimed that the development did not conform to R-1-40 standards which was not accurate. Another wondered whether a fence was required between the new homes and the adjacent property. The answer was no. Other concerns expressed dealt with how the remainder of the property was to be developed. The planning commission unanimously recommended approval the project.
PUBLIC HEARING: PURCHASE AGREEMENT Legislative 8:15 (15 minutes)
The Council will hold a public hearing to accept public comment regarding the declaration of 2,433 square feet as property surplus for the purpose of selling the property to WPI for a commercial retail building. The City Council will also consider the purchase contract with WPI for the property. The property is located NW of Meier's Meets and Fine Foods.
The proposed purchase price is $48,660 at $20 per square foot. The terms of the contract include:
- The purchased property will become subject to water source protection
  requirements due to the water pump station south of the pad.
- The Certificate of Occupancy for the pad will not be issued without first having
  Buyer and Seller brought to resolution an application with UDOT for its access or with Rocky Mountain Power for an access across its land.
ORDINANCE: MUNICIPAL CODE AMENDMENT – NUISANCES Legislative 8:30 PM (20 minutes)
The City Council will hold a public meeting to consider a request by Highland City Staff to amend Section 8.16.100 Nuisance Of Noise And Light in the Municipal Code. Our code currently states that noise is a nuisance if it “is so loud as to be objectionable and bothersome.” To remove subjectivity below is a summary of the changes recommended by staff.
Definitions::
- Type A Property: a property used for single family residential uses.
- Type B Property: a property used for any other conditional or permitted use allowed for residential zones.
- Type C Property: a property used for any other use allowed in Highland City, including but not limited to, retail, offices, repair, sports and fitness centers, restaurants, gasoline stations, and more.
Definitions are also included in the proposed amendment for ambient sound, daytime, nighttime, noise, owner, person, and receiving property.
Declaration of Noise as a Nuisance
“The making and creation of unreasonable noise is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and may be abated, regulated, and controlled as such.”
Decibel Maximums – Measured at the Receiving Property
- Type C Property:
Exemptions from the Noise Regulations
- Emergency events, equipment, and vehicles.
- Commercial or personal emergency power generators operating during power failure or outage.
- Fireworks and explosives in accordance with state and local regulations.
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems for residential use, if the system is in good repair and operating within manufacturer’s specifications.
- City, school, or other governmental approved events.
- Snow removal equipment.
- Temporary or short-term use of equipment or machinery for construction, maintenance, or cleaning.
- Other temporary exceptions may be granted with the approval of the City.
ACTION: FUNDING FOR ADDITIONAL PUBLIC WORK EMPLOYEES Administrative 8:50 (20 minutes)
The City Council will consider a request to add three additional full-time employees (assistant public works director, public works operator I - culinary water, public works operator I – floater) to the Public Works Department pending adoption of the new utility rates. This will be our current city engineer’s last council meeting who is the most knowledgeable regarding the needs and hence the discussion.
MAYOR/COUNCIL AND STAFF COMMUNICATION ITEMS 9:10 (20 minutes)