HomeMy Public PortalAboutMIN-CC-2020-08-25
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August 25, 2020
MOAB CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
August 25, 2020
The Moab City Council held its Regular Meeting on the above date. Consistent with provisions of
the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act, Utah Code Ann. § 54-2-207(4), the Moab City Council
Chair has issued written determinations supporting the decision to convene electronic meetings
of the Council without a physical anchor location. Due to the health and safety risks related to
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and considering public health orders limiting in-person
gatherings, the Moab City Council will continue to hold meetings by electronic means. 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=24U0WFXkRXw.
EXECUTIVE (CLOSED) SESSION 6:30 P.M.
Strategy Session to Discuss Reasonably Imminent and/or Pending Litigation: At
6:36 p.m. Mayor Niehaus called the meeting to order. Participating remotely were Mayor Emily
Niehaus, Councilmembers Karen Guzman-Newton, Tawny Knuteson-Boyd, Rani Derasary, Mike
Duncan, and Kalen Jones. City staff participating remotely were City Manager Joel Linares,
Assistant City Manager Carly Castle, City Attorney Laurie Simonson, and City Recorder Sommar
Johnson.
Councilmember Guzman-Newton moved to enter the Executive (Closed) Session.
Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0 with
Councilmembers Derasary, Knuteson-Boyd, Duncan, Guzman-Newton, and Jones voting aye in
a roll call vote.
Councilmember Derasary moved to exit the Executive (Closed) Session. Councilmember Duncan
seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0 with Councilmembers Guzman-Newton, Duncan,
Knuteson-Boyd, Derasary, and Jones voting aye in a roll call vote.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING 7:00 P.M.
Regular Meeting—Call to Order and Attendance: Mayor Niehaus called the Regular City
Council Meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. Participating remotely were Councilmembers Karen
Guzman-Newton, Tawny Knuteson-Boyd, Rani Derasary, Mike Duncan, and Kalen Jones. 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. Senior Projects Manager Kaitlin Myers joined the meeting at 8:49 pm. Amanda
McIntosh with the Southeast Utah Health District joined the meeting at 8:33 p.m. to give a
presentation.
COVID-19 Updates:
Mayor Niehaus stated that she did not have any guests joining tonight to provide COVID-19
updates but mentioned that she spoke with County Council Chair Mary McGann before the
Special Meeting discussing the mask mandate. She said County Council Chair McGann was
informed of the meeting and topics of discussion and she followed up with her after the meeting
to report what was discussed. Mayor Niehaus stated that Grand County extended the mask
mandate through December 31. Councilmember Derasary mentioned that Bradon Bradford
from the Southeast Utah Health Department provided updates during the last Grand County
Council meeting if anyone was interested in listening to that meeting. Mayor Niehaus stated she
has reached out to the Health Department and Hospital to provide updates for the last three
meetings and both agencies have indicated they have nothing new to report.
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August 25, 2020
Approval of Minutes: August 11, 2020, Regular Meeting, August 19, 2020, Special
Meeting — Approved
Motion: Councilmember Guzman-Newton moved to approve the minutes for the August 11,
2020, Regular Meeting, and August 19, 2020, Special Meeting. Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd
seconded the motion.
Discussion: Councilmember Derasary noted a couple of changes that had already been
corrected before the meeting.
Vote: The motion passed 5-0 with Councilmembers Knuteson-Boyd, Derasary, Jones, Guzman-
Newton, and Duncan voting aye in a roll call vote.
Mayor and Council Reports:
Mayor Niehaus reported that on September 1 she will be hosting the first of at least three focus
groups on the urban mill creek corridor. She mentioned forwarding an email update from the
Governor’s Office of Economic Development and missing the Governor’s Rural Partnership
board meeting due to family vacation but noted that the Lt. Governor read a statement she made
about affordable housing. She reported attending a ULCT board meeting, LPC, the Market on
Center, participating in a water banking call with the Department of Water Quality, attending a
town hall with John Curtis, and panel discussion with John Curtis and the Office of Outdoor
Recreation. [10:29-17:28]
Councilmember Derasary reported attending an EMS meeting on August 17 and provided an
update on statistics for EMS. [17:30-22:50]
Councilmember Duncan reported attending meetings mostly about water in the County. [22:57-
25:51]
Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd reported the Museum Board meeting was moved to tomorrow
night. She reported that the HASU senior housing project is two thirds full and the HASU.
Wingate Village in Grand County is moving along. She reported that the Canyonlands Health
Care Special Service District and EMS are meeting to determine sales tax revenue percentages.
[26:07-27:38]
Councilmember Guzman-Newton reported attending a Town Hall with Senator Romney and
Vicki Verela on the topic of tourism and outdoor recreation, an Airport Board, a Salt Lake
Chamber of Commerce Utah Leads Together webinar, the Special Council Meeting, and a School
Board Meeting on August 19. She reported that Liana Etchberger provided an update on USU
and said they received CARES Act funding to provide educational opportunities for the
underemployed or unemployed. She also reported manning the Census booth at Market on
Center and attending a Key Leader Board meeting. [27:50-42:18]
Councilmember Jones reported a relatively quiet meeting week but added that the County
Council received enough data to make a determination on the reallocation of TRT to the various
districts that it supports. [42:30-43:17]
Administrative Reports:
City Manager Linares reported working on an updated format for citizens to be heard and
rescheduling the September 1 meeting to September 8. He reported that the SCADA system is
fully up and running after the power outage, but we are still working on the generator at City
Hall. He reported that the bike skills park is under construction and the widening project
continues and appears to be on schedule. He mentioned that the Hotspot survey is out and open
until Friday and that Proposition 8 information is being distributed by the City and a question
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August 25, 2020
and answer form is available on the City’s website. [43:49-55:28]
Finance Director York reported on sales tax information during the COVID-19 pandemic and
how CARES Act funding was contributed to other Utah cities. [55:36-66:45]
Councilmembers discussed the process of electronic meetings. Most councilmembers were in
favor of continuing electronic meetings for at least thirty days. Council members also discussed
the current process for citizens to be heard and generally agreed that they wanted them to have
the ability to join and participate in the electronic meetings. They also agreed to move the
Citizens to be Heard portion of the agenda ahead of Mayor and Council Reports and move the
COVID-19 updates to Administrative Reports. [69:07-84:39]
Citizens to be Heard:
There were no Citizens to be Heard at this meeting.
Presentation: Suicide Prevention and Awareness Activities – Amanda McIntosh,
Southeast Utah Health District:
Amanda McIntosh, Suicide Prevention Specialist from Southeast Utah Health District and Vice
President of the HOPE Squad of Carbon, Emery, and Grand Counties addressed the Council
about activities and programs to address suicide awareness and prevention. She noted that
September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness month and hoped for permission from the
Council to use Old City Park or Rotary Park on September 10 from 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. for a
candlelight (battery operated) vigil to support members of the community struggling with
depression or losses of someone by suicide. Mayor Niehaus offered a third location, in front of
City Hall, during the Market on Center. Ms. McIntosh mentioned her program is also hosting
two movie events in Carbon County and a 5k/10k run on November 7th in Goblin Valley State
Park titled “Hoodoo You Run For?” and requested for Moab and Grand County’s support. [86:03-
100:26]
Old Business:
Discussion and update on Walnut Lane:
Senior Projects Manager Kaitlin Myers provided a presentation updating the Council on the
Walnut Lane development. She explained that the current site plan developed by Architectural
Squared has 66 units, but that number may need to be closer to 80 for the project to pencil out.
She said that they will need to increase the number of parking spaces because they do not meet
the PAD or R4 codes. She also explained the current challenges of the existing site including
aging and dilapidated units and expensive repairs and maintenance of the units. She said that
she and other staff meet regularly to discuss ways to make the units safe and habitable for the
current tenants and told the Council that they are posting an invitation for bids to determine the
feasibility of purchasing manufactured housing units to replace existing trailers. She explained
that this option would be a short-term or midterm solution until the final site is developed but
said residents need immediate, safe, habitable housing and every solution will take a substantial
financial investment.
Discussion: Mayor Niehaus expressed concern about the resale value and insurability of the
homes once they are relocated from Walnut Lane. Councilmembers asked if it was possible to
replace some trailers and repair others. They also asked how many units are owned by the City
and if some residents could qualify to move into the MAPS housing project, if park models were
considered, and how much money is available for the project. Mayor Niehaus asked if temporary
rezoning was considered to allow residents to live in recreational vehicles for immediate
temporary housing. She also suggested researching modular construction and modifying the
invitation for bid to include modular construction for the site.
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August 25, 2020
Approval of Bills Against the City of Moab:
Motion and vote: Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd moved to approve the bills against the City
of Moab in the amount of $72,735.43. Councilmember seconded the motion. The motion passed
5-0 with Councilmembers Knuteson-Boyd, Duncan, Jones, Guzman-Newton, and Derasary
voting aye in a roll call vote.
Adjournment: Councilmember Guzman-Newton moved to adjourn the meeting.
Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Mayor
Niehaus adjourned the meeting at p.m.
APPROVED: __________________ ATTEST: ___________________
Emily S. Niehaus, Mayor Sommar Johnson, City Recorder