[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6528086,"mediaKeyId","3491491-0d54cf61a6d4552fb83b4688b86bcec6","parentId",3491491,"title","Brigham City staff outline PPAC removal, rate details and recycling fee increase in mayor's proposed budget","audioSeconds",1692,"startMs",1000,"endMs",1693000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3491491-0d54cf61a6d4552fb83b4688b86bcec6&start=1&end=1693","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3491491-0d54cf61a6d4552fb83b4688b86bcec6/thumbnail_1000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6528086/Utah/Brigham-City-staff-outline-PPAC-removal-rate-details-and-recycling-fee-increase-in-mayors-proposed-budget","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6528086-b2881b31336ecd4c86a94693622bc6c4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437863&Signature=R2qmkRpXH~lemNSTBW~S9oy9Et1L0R8UyGB3Wrd-Pq4G9tnTRu4S-y-P-quQSX3tX5ubL4Cth2oXvI3R-hHPdwxHSmbG4egLdo7aGS18KSeEzpX9BjR0D5hsa-s7fKToh5CkPyV7JJAxWUG~hTK740jbGRzJx1K3rzeTFmn5hhNoPp7bTnfQZHLXekkqz2L4ed3d0lGA0YFv7rYQ28BgkF6kab8M9hIXPn6~t-A6hFyM8eCMESja23V4kCM7vEWm2YT4a6m~0CXc~2d~1QkB47lA8jnPpc8ef4QW4h3LvAEMUtQnatKyq3ipwNOiyTqAqGgzR~YI~xZB2xdNOFXF-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-24T13:03:48.027Z","article","At a Brigham City Council work session, staff detailed proposed changes to the city's utility rates in Mayor Bott's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, including a proposal to set the power purchase adjustment clause (PPAC) to zero and a recommended increase in the outsourced recycling \"blue can\" fee to $9.50.

City staff said the PPAC — a pass-through adjustment for wholesale energy costs introduced after a 2022 rate study — had peaked at 4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour when wholesale markets spiked, was at 1.25 cents in the current budget, and is proposed at 0 cents per kilowatt-hour in the mayor's FY2026 proposal. A staff presenter said the PPAC is designed as a two-part mechanism: a look-back to recover undercollections and a look-forward to adjust anticipated future costs. \"The PPAC is off,\" the presenter said, noting the rate stabilization fund balance and an adopted policy that prevents PPAC charges when that fund meets its target.

Why it matters: the PPAC directly changes monthly electric bills when wholesale prices move; the presenter said the city's long-term approach aims to smooth those swings while keeping locally owned utilities competitive with investor-owned providers. As an example, staff compared a 1,000 kWh residential bill and reported Rocky Mountain Power at about $146 and Brigham City's current bill at about $148.45; staff said the mayor's proposed rates would change that difference by roughly $4–5.

Rate stabilization fund and transfers: staff reported the city held about $6.6 million in the electric rate stabilization fund in March and that the council adopted a policy setting a 120-day (5,600,000) reserve target. The presentation said the policy specifies that when the stabilization fund balance is at or above the target, the PPAC shall not be charged. The city administrator reported the proposed transfer to the general fund in the mayor's budget is $4,300,000 from the utility fund plus $35,000 from storm drain; staff estimated that raising the transfer to 12.5% would increase the amount to about $4,500,000 and that the roughly $200,000 delta would need to come from a capital project within the utility fund.

Portfolio and procurement context: staff summarized Brigham City's wholesale power mix, noting allocations from the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP), participation in UAMPS (Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems) contracts, and smaller amounts from projects such as Horse Buttes and short-term resources. Presenters warned the city's favorable forward contract (often referred to as the 'shell' contract) will expire in about one to two years and that staff are actively seeking replacements, noting forward contracts under UAMPS reduce exposure to volatile market purchases.

Customer service fee and bill clarity: council members asked about the line item labeled variously as \"customer charge\" or \"customer service fee.\" Staff said that fee is an electric-only fixed charge intended to cover a portion of fixed operating costs and personnel, that it is recorded on a separate general ledger line and is not included in the 12% transfer calculation. Staff said the mayor's budget includes about $1,000,000 of anticipated revenue from the customer service fee in FY2026 but emphasized that $1 million does not cover the electric department's full fixed costs. A council member said covering full O&M without capital would likely require a substantially higher monthly base charge; the member prefaced that as an estimate.

Recycling (\"blue can\") program: staff reported that Brigham City's recycling service is fully outsourced to Econowaste, which supplies and collects the blue cans; the city handles billing. Participation has fallen since the program began in 2018 and tipping fees charged to the city have risen because of higher fuel costs and increased contamination of recyclables. Staff said the program ran an $18,000 loss last year and is forecast to run a $12,000 loss this year. To cover higher costs the mayor's proposed budget would raise the subscription price for a blue can to $9.50 (a roughly 23% increase), and staff cautioned that higher fees could reduce participation further. Staff also warned that continued declines could make the service uneconomical for the contractor unless the city negotiates a longer-term contract that would shift financial risk.

What staff said next: staff noted the city will resume a new rate study in the coming year; consultant Dave Berg (the rate consultant who produced the prior multi-year plan) is expected to present recommendations on usage tiers and other structural options, including possible alternatives to a tiered rate structure for EV charging and changing household usage patterns.

Details and limitations: council members asked for clearer bill labeling and suggested a short \"definitions\" notice at the start of the billing cycle explaining line items such as PPAC, customer service fee, and storm-drain charges. Staff agreed to consider adding \"electric\" or \"power\" to the customer service fee label and to make clearer explanatory material available on the city website. Staff repeatedly emphasized that the mayor's budget is a proposal and that formal changes will be decided by the council during the regular budget process.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Work Session 5-15-25","oneSentenceSummary","At a Brigham City Council work session, staff detailed proposed changes to the city's utility rates in Mayor Bott's proposed FY2026 budget, including a proposal to set the power purchase adjustment clause (PPAC) to zero and a recommended increase in the outsourced recycling \"blue can\" fee to $9.50.","taxTitle","Brigham City Council, Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah","taxId",23154,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6528081,"Brigham City to split assistant chief/fire marshal role; council gives consent to post assistant chief position",907,2793000,3700000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3491491-0d54cf61a6d4552fb83b4688b86bcec6&start=2793&end=3700","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3491491-0d54cf61a6d4552fb83b4688b86bcec6/thumbnail_2793000.jpg","/articles/6528081/Utah/Brigham-City-to-split-assistant-chieffire-marshal-role-council-gives-consent-to-post-assistant-chief-position","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6528081-cb51b5cccb225573cb7c5857b920f4b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437863&Signature=TeEuaZNr1tnzM4mo5YyAAwVj1hVNH4bov~HF-osqTrSMIBUU4qBgrUymNHhbczJG~dgvkPjJWtCUJUpb9RRnNoAI59wLn~iiYtKx8tqBt2u16yFCiNudvNnFzGcFoAWMRluwT3TZ8~UnA70----ICvWxFbxAzZOgrzA5aKBd0QLT~QQSX~fOj9H8p0Wr5X5EATVES7URmqBShxOOWKanQnfJnfj5VJqSc9aeZoKUeYX9GQ8DFqNJVu5gPgHMLwB2n6PhUTFfVkfESWJJPs7RdJkosi7~gCg1A8ZOpo96DjBGonifp3PeNpPq7O9-ueNvw-z6Gb0qwgB8MlKnrTCr8Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brigham City officials said the city will split a combined assistant fire chief/fire marshal position into two separate roles after the resignation of the department's incumbent. City administrators asked the council for consent to post the assistant chief position immediately; council members verbally agreed to allow the posting subject to later budget approval.

City Administrator Derek told the council the resignation of Mike Young, who served more than 26 years as the city's assistant fire chief and fire marshal, prompted the change. \"We had to make a change in the mayor's budget,\" Derek said, explaining the mayor's proposed FY2026 budget splits the single position into two full-time roles: an assistant chief to manage operations and a fire marshal to manage prevention, plan review and inspections. Derek asked the council for permission to post the assistant chief job now so recruiting could begin.

Fire leadership explained the rationale: the fire marshal role focuses on prevention, code enforcement, plan review, inspections, fire investigations and public education, while an assistant chief is required to manage day-to-day operations and incident command. The chief said training a deputy fire marshal typically takes two to three years and that reaching full competence as a fire marshal can take five to 10 years, underscoring the department's need to recruit experienced candidates rather than rely on short-term internal training alone.

Staff said the department has posted the fire marshal position and completed interviews for that role and that they have a candidate under consideration. The immediate request to the council was permission to post the assistant chief position in accordance with city hiring policy, which requires a minimum 10-day posting. The chief and Derek said the change would not create a fiscal problem in the current fiscal year and that any final hires would be subject to council action on the mayor's budget.

Salary and recruitment questions: one council member said their phone \"blew up\" after the city posted the fire marshal job because the advertised salary appeared high compared with other jurisdictions. Derek and staff said the posted salaries are based on a compensation study that compares pay across roughly 28 Utah cities using TechNet data and that the posted fire marshal role pays less than the combined assistant-chief/marshal package held by the departing employee. Staff offered to share the comp study and to provide additional recruitment and salary data for the assistant chief posting.

Next steps: staff said they would post the assistant chief position for at least the city-policy minimum posting period and return to the council before making a hire. The mayor's proposed budget reflects the split into two positions; final authorization depends on council approval of the FY2026 budget.","Following the resignation of a long-serving combined assistant fire chief and fire marshal, Brigham City officials told the council they plan to split the role into two positions and asked for permission to post the assistant chief job immediately.","actionData","errors"]

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Brigham City staff outline PPAC removal, rate details and recycling fee increase in mayor's proposed budget

Brigham City to split assistant chief/fire marshal role; council gives consent to post assistant chief position