HomeMy Public PortalAboutMIN-CC-2020-04-20
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April 20, 2020
MOAB CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
APRIL 20, 2020
The Moab City Council held its Special City Council Meeting on the above date. Per Executive
Order 2020-5 issued by Governor Gary R. Herbert on March 18, 2020, this meeting was
conducted electronically. An anchor location was not provided. An audio recording of the
meeting is archived at http://www.utah.gov/pmn/index.html. A video recording is archived at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTE2c3_krY8.
Special Meeting—Call to Order and Attendance: Mayor Niehaus called the Special City
Council Meeting to order at 1:02 PM. Participating remotely were Councilmembers Mike
Duncan, Tawny Knuteson-Boyd, Rani Derasary, Kalen Jones, and Karen Guzman-Newton. City
staff participating remotely were City Manager Joel Linares, Assistant City Manager Carly
Castle, City Attorney Laurie Simonson, Finance Director Klint York, and City Recorder Sommar
Johnson.
Resolution 23 -2020: A Resolution Appointing Four (4) People to Serve as
Members of the Arches Hotspot Region Coordinating Committee—Approved
Discussion: Mayor Niehaus introduced the agenda item and reminded everyone that three
members of Council were chosen to serve on this committee at the last meeting. She said the
purpose today is to select the fourth member to serve on the committee. Councilmember
Derasary requested confirmation that the Council received paperwork from three people who
are interested in becoming the fourth member of the committee. She also inquired if the
candidates are interested in both committees on the agenda today. Councilmember Knuteson-
Boyd said she had a short conversation with Joe Kingsley who is willing to be on both
committees. Councilmember Guzman-Newton said she did not receive confirmation if the other
two candidates were interested in both committees. Mayor Niehaus asked if anyone else
received correspondence from a person interested in joining this committee. She then asked
how the information was shared with the public about joining the committee, besides the last
Council meeting recording. Councilmember Guzman-Newton said she contacted the individuals
who had expressed interest previously. Mayor Niehaus asked if an email was sent to a larger
group of people, or if the topic was noticed in the newspaper. Councilmember Derasary said that
there has not been a process in place for this before, but it would be a good idea to implement
the mayor’s suggestions in the future. Mayor Niehaus said it may not have been directly
advertised, but the Council had a series of meetings discussing this issue.
Councilmember Duncan said he knows Joe Kingsley well but does not know the other two
candidates as well. Councilmember Guzman-Newton said she would be comfortable serving on
the committee with any of the candidates. She said Matt Hancock has experience with large
engineering projects, and he has been very vocal in Council meetings regarding transparency
and process. She said Wesley Shannon is an advocate for downtown businesses to be engaged in
the process, and he could create a public forum with downtown businesses. She said Joe
Kingsley has a world of experience and is interested in all transportation options.
Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd said Kingsley has a lot of historical perspective. She said it
appears that the other candidates already have some representation on this committee through
the Downtown Alliance.
Motion: Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd moved to approve Joe Kingsley as the representative
to the Hotspot Committee. Councilmember Jones seconded the motion.
Discussion: Councilmember Derasary suggested that Hancock or Shannon should be on this
committee and Kingsley should be part of the Utah Regional Transportation Plan Stakeholders
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April 20, 2020
Group. Councilmember Duncan expressed concern regarding Shannon, because some of the
projects on the list are outside of the downtown area. He said that Shannon might be biased
towards the downtown area projects. He asked if Kingsley has time to commit to both
committees, since he would be an asset on both. Councilmember Derasary said some of the
criticism the Council has received from stakeholder/community groups is that people feel like
they have not been given the opportunity to be on committees. She said the positions for the
public should go to separate individuals. She said it would give the community more voices to be
heard. Councilmember Duncan said Hancock should still be considered for this committee.
Councilmember Jones said that, if Council and staff are doing a good job with public outreach,
the committee members would not need to provide that.
Vote: The motion failed 2-3 with Councilmembers Guzman-Newton, Derasary, and Jones
voting no, and Councilmembers Knuteson-Boyd and Duncan voting aye in a roll call vote.
Motion: Councilmember Duncan moved to nominate Matt Hancock for the fourth position on
the Arches Hotspot Regional Committee. Councilmember Derasary seconded the motion.
Discussion: Councilmember Derasary said all the candidates have something tremendous to
offer. She said Hancock’s resume is appealing because of the business experience assessing
financing of projects. She said Hancock’s letter expressed strong interest in ensuring the most
viable project for the community is selected. Councilmember Guzman-Newton said Hancock has
not indicated a project preference and is open to looking at the process. She said his experience
is phenomenal and he is an engineer by trade. Mayor Niehaus said that Shannon has shown
initiative in creating the Downtown Alliance and that being a voice for Moab businesses is very
admirable. She said the three candidates bring a lot to the table. She said the project may or may
not be associated with downtown, but Shannon has a unique finger on the pulse of the City as an
employer who has two successful downtown businesses.
Vote: The motion failed 2-3 with Councilmembers Knuteson-Boyd, Guzman-Newton, and
Jones voting no, and Councilmembers Duncan and Derasary voting aye in a roll call vote.
Motion: Councilmember Derasary moved to appoint Wes Shannon to the committee.
Councilmember Guzman-Newton seconded the motion.
Discussion: Councilmember Derasary said Shannon adds great potential which the mayor
previously stated. Councilmember Guzman-Newton pointed out that Shannon was active in
creating a list of projects that downtown businesses would be interested in. She said the projects
on that list could potentially be accomplished with hotspot funding. She said the Downtown
Alliance understands the congestion caused in the downtown area, and they have projects that
could be more productive uses for the funds. Mayor Niehaus said Hancock is also a member of
the Downtown Alliance. Councilmember Derasary said he is a member of the Chamber of
Commerce and the Downtown Alliance.
Vote: The motion passed 5-0 with Councilmembers Knuteson-Boyd, Jones, Duncan, Derasary,
and Guzman-Newton voting aye in a roll call vote.
Resolution 24-2020: A Resolution Appointing Six (6) People to Serve as Members
of the Southeastern Utah Regional Transportation Plan Stakeholders Group—
Approved
Discussion: Mayor Niehaus said Joette Langianese and Joe Kingsley have expressed interest
in this group. She asked if Council had received any interest from other community members;
they said no. City Manager Linares said he made a list of potential staff members who would be
appropriate to serve on this committee. He said the list includes himself, Assistant City Manager
Castle, City Planner Shepard, Assistant Planner Shurtleff, and Assistant City Engineer Jolissaint.
Mayor Niehaus said she is interested in serving on this committee for Council continuity;
however, if City Manager Linares or Assistant City Manager Castle are selected as committee
members, they would provide the same continuity.
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April 20, 2020
Councilmember Derasary inquired if only one member of staff from the departments could be
selected. She said that would fill three spots and leave three spots for either Council or
community members. She said the two community members that the mayor mentioned would
be great candidates for this committee. She suggested having a councilmember from the
Hotspot Committee be selected for this committee, because the idea sharing could be beneficial.
Councilmember Jones asked City Manager Linares how much the staff will be involved with this
process outside of the stakeholders’ group. He said it appears that the planning and engineering
departments will be involved behind the scenes. City Manager Linares said the engineering
department will be involved to a degree, but he did not know how much the planning
department would be involved behind the scenes.
Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd inquired if staff members have expressed a desire to be on this
committee. City Manager Linares said that no one has leapt out of their seat at the opportunity,
but he believes the staff members view it as part of their job details.
Councilmember Guzman-Newton said she would appreciate having the planning department on
the committee, since it involves future development for our community.
Councilmember Duncan said he supports the two community members and two staff members.
He said that he would prefer younger staff members since this group is long-term. He suggested
that City Planner Shepard is nearing retirement and might be retired before this group reaches
fruition. He expressed support for Assistant Planner Shurtleff. He said Assistant Engineer
Jolissaint is quiet and may not actively participate in the group very much. He suggested the
remaining two positions be filled by the mayor and a councilmember. Councilmember Jones
said this committee is a 12 to 18 month group, and he thought that City Planner Shepard would
not be retired within that timeframe.
Councilmember Duncan asked Mayor Niehaus and Council if anyone feels strongly about being
on this committee. Councilmember Jones indicated interest in serving on the committee. Mayor
Niehaus said she is happy to serve on the committee and she believes that future mayors should
fill this responsibility also.
Motion: Councilmember Guzman-Newton moved to appoint Mayor Niehaus, Councilmember
Jones, Joe Kingsley, City Planner Shepard, Assistant City Manager Castle, and Assistant
Engineer Jolissaint. Councilmember Jones seconded the motion.
Discussion: Councilmember Duncan said Langianese should be considered as candidate
because it would provide better distribution of responsibility. He said she was responsible for
the pedestrian bridge. He suggested replacing City Planner Shepard with Langianese as a
candidate. Councilmember Guzman-Newton said the planning department needs to be part of
this committee, but she would consider swapping out a different candidate. City Manager
Linares suggested replacing Assistant City Manager Castle with Langianese, since the mayor is
also nominated as a candidate. He said the mayor provides the same administration
representation for the group. Councilmember Derasary suggested a friendly amendment to
replace Assistant City Manager Castle with Langianese. Councilmember Guzman-Newton said
she is friendly to that amendment. Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd seconded the amendment to
replace Assistant City Manager Castle with Langianese.
Mayor Niehaus asked City Manager Linares to reiterate who the current candidates are prior to
the vote. City Manager Linares said the current motion includes Mayor Niehaus,
Councilmember Jones, Joe Kingsley, City Planner Shepard, Joette Langianese, and Assistant
Engineer Jolissaint.
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April 20, 2020
Vote: The motion passed 5-0 with Councilmembers Duncan, Derasary, Guzman-Newton,
Jones, and Knuteson-Boyd voting aye in a roll call vote.
Adjournment: Mayor Niehaus said the regular Council meeting will take place next Tuesday
and will include COVID-19 updates. City Manager Linares said in the next week or so the City
will have a good idea of what the reopening process looks like. Councilmember Derasary
requested a legislative update regarding Coronavirus at the next meeting. Councilmember
Guzman-Newton said it is hard to get the information out because the situation is changing so
quickly. Mayor Niehaus asked if the City website and Facebook page could summarize what is
decided in the legislative session in plain English. Councilmember Derasary requested that
clarification be included on the website and Facebook regarding if the legislative session is a
done deal or if something can be done about it. City Manager Linares said it could take some
time, but it will be done. Councilmember Duncan thanked Councilmember Derasary for sharing
information about the House bills. Mayor Niehaus said it is fascinating that the legislature is in a
special session for the first time.
Councilmember Jones requested confirmation that the health department is soliciting
reopening plans from individual businesses. He said there should be a coordinated effort to
protect our citizens, because it sounds challenging to reopen a little without some people moving
beyond recommended behaviors to more mandatory ones. He suggested clear messaging for
visitors about what the boundaries are to manage the risk as the City reopens. Mayor Niehaus
said that information will be part of the update on Tuesday. City Manager Linares said he agrees
with Councilmember Jones. Councilmember Guzman-Newton said she spoke with the health
department regarding a new health chart. She said the health department has received 65
applications for businesses to reopen and 25 businesses have been approved so far. City
Manager Linares said the businesses have submitted mitigation plans and the ones that are
permitted to open are operating safely. Councilmember Guzman-Newton said that one of the
gyms is opening today, and she wondered when the City pool would open. City Manager Linares
said the MRAC has been going through a deep clean process. He said he will have a meeting with
MRAC on Wednesday to discuss options. He said the City wants to be operational, but residents’
safety comes first. Mayor Niehaus said Tuesday’s meeting will provide financial and operational
impacts on the City regarding coronavirus, updates from the legislature, and recommendations
from the health department and hospital.
Councilmember Duncan moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilmember Jones seconded the
motion. The motion passed unanimously. Mayor Niehaus adjourned the meeting at 1:52 PM.
APPROVED: __________________ ATTEST: ___________________
Emily S. Niehaus, Mayor Sommar Johnson, City Recorder