Daniel Town Council Meeting
Monday, February 4, 2013 at 6:00 PM
Wasatch County Services Building, Room 126
55 South 500 East, Heber City, UT
Quorum present: Mayor Michael Duggin, Council members Eric Bunker, Chip Turner, and Jon Blotter were present at 6:00 PM when Mayor Duggin called the meeting to order. Council member Kasey Bateman was absent. Recorder Merry Duggin was present to record the minutes. Treasurer Sherri Price was also present.
Members of the public in attendance: Kim Norris, Doug Crittenden, Hugh Barker, Bruce Jensen, Gary Walton, and Ryan Taylor.
1) PUBLIC COMMENT CONCERNING ANY ISSUE NOT ON THE AGENDA
There were no comments from the public.
2) BUSINESS LICENSES
No new applicants were present.
Mayor Duggin invited Mr. Bruce Jensen to speak to the Council. Mr. Jensen was originally scheduled to be the number 7 item on the agenda.
Mr. Jensen informed the Council that the winter’s cold weather has forced him into an over usage situation of his culinary water allotment to avoid freezing a garden hose that he has strung out to the rear of his property to water his goats each day. Mr. Jensen said that it would be a difficult process for him to roll up the hose each day, and he appeared to request some discount of his large water bill.
A discussion by the Council followed focusing on Daniel Municipal’s current policy for winter water usage. Council member Bunker felt that other residents must be having the same problem of over usage, and he felt the Town Council should look at the situation and see what might be done. He was in favor of raising the monthly allotment from the current 20,000 gallons per month to 30,000 gallons per month right away. He pointed out that Midway does not read their meters in the winter and encourages their customers to run their water to avoid freezing lines and meters. Council member Blotter also felt that the allotment should be raised. But if any change is made, it should be applied uniformly to all the users.
Mayor Duggin replied that the Town is still trying to find the best procedures for Daniel Municipal operations, but he reminded those present that the system must meet its financial obligations and depends on some over use fees to meet the system’s expenses and bond payments. He also stated that the Division of Drinking Water has asked all systems, including Daniel Municipal, to encourage water conservation, and he is not ready to increase the monthly allotment without further information and investigation. Mr. Kim Norris noted that many high volume users have been able to decrease their winter usage drastically, and he felt that only a few customers still have problems. In Mr. Jensen’s case several people present offered assistance in installing a permanent line that would improve his winter use situation of watering his goats. Mr. Jensen seemed to decline the offer.
John Glodowski suggested that Daniel Municipal might average a 12 month period for some users caught in this winter over usage situation. Mr. Doug Crittenden suggested blowing out hoses with compressed air to avoid freezing.
Recorder Merry Duggin distributed a flyer with the rates and fees for other small town water systems near Daniel for the Council’s information so that they might compare other municipalities’ rates. Mayor Duggin has asked the Daniel Municipal personnel to continue to look at this situation and perhaps present a proposal for the Council to consider as to changing winter usage procedures.
3) APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR JANUARY 2, 2012 MEETING
Council member Turner moved to approve the January 2, 2012 minutes as presented. Council member Blotter seconded the motion, and the minutes were approved by “aye” votes by Council members Turner, Bunker, Blotter and Mayor Duggin. Council member Bateman did not vote because he was absent from the meeting.
4) POSSIBLE CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS PENDING OR IMMINENT LITIGATION
Council member Blotter moved to go into closed session for possible imminent litigation. Council member Turner seconded the motion, and the Council members present voted unanimously to go into closed session.
At the conclusion of its closed session discussion, the Council returned to open session for the remainder of the meeting.
5) ANNUAL OPEN AND PUBLIC MEETING TRAINING
Council member Bunker informed the Council that one of our Planning Commission members has resigned and will need to be replaced. It was determined that the annually required training would be presented at the Planning Commission meeting after appointment of the new commissioner.
6) PLANNING REPORT
Council member Bunker discussed applications that Planning is receiving for commercial development by entities that hold Daniel Irrigation shares and would like Daniel Irrigation to approve an irrigation plan before a building permit might be issued. It was decided that Daniel Irrigation would provide a permit applicant an approval letter before any building permits might be approved.
Barry Hobbs has resigned from the Daniel Planning Commission and the vacancy will be publicly noticed. The Board of Appeals members are being contacted to ask if they will remain members. Any vacancies will also be publicly noticed.
7) DANIEL MUNICIPAL WATER ISSUES
COUNCIL WILL DISCUSS COMMERCIAL RATES AND CURRENT OVER USAGE RATES.
The earlier discussion of winter rates continued with Council member Bunker stating that he was not opposed to raising the winter monthly allotment to 40,000 during 3 winter months. Mr. Gary Walton stated that with a little bit of common sense and responsibility, no one would go over 20,000 gallons per month, but he would like to move the monthly allotment to 30,000 gallons for the summer months so that residents could water their gardens without going over their limits. Mr. Kim Norris noted that the residents have been fixing problems as they are brought to the owners’ attention and had a question about the over use rates if the monthly allotments were raised. Council member Turner still believes that it is up to each resident to accept personal responsibility for any water over usage and to fix the problem. John Glodowski suggested that it would benefit some to pay on more of an average monthly use, and Council member Bunker said that as we accumulate data we might be able to establish equal monthly rates over a whole year. Mayor Duggin stated again that this process will require more information and thought.
Council member Blotter moved to approve a commercial rate of $90.00 per month for 30,000 gallons and to use the over usage rates currently in effect. Council member Turner seconded the motion, and the Council passed this motion by the following vote: Duggin, aye; Turner, aye; Bunker, aye; Blotter, aye.
Engineer Ryan Taylor was asked for information concerning larger water meters for commercial accounts.
8) RECORDER’S OFFICE: WARRANT APPROVAL, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COURT UPDATES, ETC.
Council member Turner asked if permit fees should be raised or lowered, and Council member Bunker replied that they should be raised in order to cover permitting costs.
In warrant discussion, Council member Bunker asked about 2 Epic Engineering invoices that were listed separately from other Epic invoices. Recorder Merry Duggin explained that these were invoices from the water project that had been submitted to the Town after the project was believed to have been closed. Mr. Ryan Taylor suggested that the Town consider transferring title of the Rhino that Daniel Municipal wanted to sell to Epic Engineering in exchange for the payment of these 2 invoices totaling $5,058.50. Council member Bunker then moved to approve the sale of the Rhino to Epic Engineering as proposed (with the addition of a new battery) for $5,058.50. Council member Turner seconded the motion, and the motion passed by the following vote: Bunker, aye; Duggin, aye; Turner, aye; Blotter, nay.
Council member Bunker moved to approve the warrants as presented but with the reduction of the Rhino exchange for the 2 Epic invoices for $5,058.50. Council member Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed by the following vote: Duggin, aye; Blotter, aye; Turner, aye; Bunker, aye.
9) ADJOURN
Council member Turner moved to adjourn. After a second from Council member Bunker and a unanimous vote by the Council members present, Mayor Duggin adjourned the meeting at 8:45 PM.
Merry Duggin,
Recorder