HomeMy Public PortalAboutMIN-CC-2021-04-20
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April 20, 2021
MOAB CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
April 20, 2021
Moab City Council held a Special Meeting on the above date. Consistent with provisions of
the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act, Utah Code Ann. § 54-2-207(4), the 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
COVID-19 pandemic, Moab City Council held this meeting by electronic means. An audio
recording is at http://www.utah.gov/pmn/index.html; a video recording is archived at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR3yNmAwfwM.
Mayor Emily Niehaus called the Special Meeting to order at 6:06 p.m. Participating remotely
were Councilmembers Rani Derasary, Tawny Knuteson-Boyd, Mike Duncan and Kalen Jones.
Councilmember Karen Guzman-Newton was not in attendance. City staff participating remotely
were Manager Joel Linares, Assistant Manager Carly Castle, Attorney Laurie Simonson and
Recorder Sommar Johnson. Guests in attendance included staff from the Utah County Elections
Department and others who presented information regarding ranked-choice voting: Josh
Daniels, Andrew Haun, Audry Wood, Kory Holdaway, Rozan Mitchell and Karlee Jarvis.
Presentation on Ranked Choice Voting
Mr. Daniels introduced ranked-choice voting for the Council’s consideration regarding its
upcoming municipal election. He spoke about the ease with which voters understood the
process. He described equipment and software needs to conduct such elections and he explained
the tallying process. Mayor Niehaus asked about costs and it was explained that eliminating the
need for a primary election reduced overall expenses, and the cost for Utah County to
administer the election would be less costly than having Grand County administer the election.
Recorder Johnson reviewed costs incurred utilizing Grand County as the election administrator,
which, she pointed out, are substantially higher than Utah County’s estimate. Signature
verification was discussed. Councilmember Duncan asked if an entire ballot would need to be
ranked-choice or if it could be a combination; Mr. Daniels explained it could be a mixture.
Further discussion encompassed the tabulation process, multiple winners and costs. Recorder
Johnson pointed out state funding available for public education regarding ranked-choice
voting.
Proposed Fiscal Year End 2022 Budget Workshop
The workshop shifted to a discussion of the proposed budget. In addition to the above-
referenced staff, in attendance were Finance Director Ben Billingsley, Acting Finance Director
Rachel Stenta, Public Works Director Levi Jones, Human Resources Director Danielle Guerrero,
Engineer Chuck Williams, Police Chief Bret Edge, Wastewater Reclamation Facility
Superintendent Obe Tejada and Planner Nora Shepard.
Finance Director Billingsley presented budget priorities for the water and sewer departments.
Discussion ensued about sewer costs not covered by expected revenues. Alternate funding
sources for the sewer department were examined. The public safety budget was briefly
presented. Billingsley pointed out a new part-time animal control officer position has been
proposed. The high cost of housing as a recruitment impediment was discussed including the
prospect of reserving some Walnut Lane units for staff. The Planning Department budget,
including staffing needs, was deliberated. It was agreed that the Visioning Process expense
would be moved to the Administration budget, and expenses related to transportation planning
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April 20, 2021
would move to Engineering. City Manager Linares asked if funds should be reallocated from
other departments in order to increase the Planning staff. Councilmember Jones pointed out all
departments were already operating on lean budgets. Councilmember Derasary suggested that,
optimally, the Planning Department would have adequate staffing to be proactive rather than
reactive.
Human Resources Director Guerrero announced a proposed 1.8 percent Cost of Living
Adjustment (COLA) for personnel.
Adjournment: Councilmember Jones moved to adjourn. Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd
seconded the motion. The vote to adjourn was unanimous. Mayor Niehaus adjourned the
meeting at 8:15 p.m.
APPROVED: __________________ ATTEST: ___________________
Emily S. Niehaus, Mayor Sommar Johnson, City Recorder