Tooele City Council approves code changes, road work, pool repairs and other routine items in 5-0 votes

Tooele City Council and the Tooele City Water Special Service District approved a package of local code changes, public-works contracts and service agreements in a business meeting on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at Tooele City Hall in Tooele, Utah.

The council unanimously approved several ordinances to update land-use rules and nuisance enforcement, accepted a contract award for a road-widening project, approved maintenance and equipment replacement at the Pratt Aquatic Center, and authorized routine administrative items including surplus property disposal and an election-services agreement with Tooele County.

The votes wrapped up without public testimony on the contested items; the meeting also included recognition of youth award recipients and a later move to a closed session to discuss litigation or property acquisition.

Most consequential for the city’s water operations, the Tooele City Water Special Service District approved an assignment of a 2022 lease for 40 acre-feet of water previously leased to GeoFortis, allowing Ash Grove Cement Company to “step into the shoes” of GeoFortis under the existing five-year lease while state approval of any change application proceeds, City Attorney Roger Baker said. The assignment passed on a 5-0 vote.

Council members also approved three code revisions brought forward by Community Development Director Andrew Agard. The council enacted Ordinance 2025-07 to add a definition and a new section (7-19-6.2) covering “nonstandard divisions of land,” intended to align Tooele City code with state law and to permit staff to require a subdivision prior to development of parcels created by nonstandard divisions. The council adopted Ordinance 2025-09 to set townhouse rear- and side-yard setbacks within the Western Acres planned unit development. The council also approved Ordinance 2025-06 to revise nuisance-abatement rules (Tooele City Code §8-4-4), replacing a blanket six-inch weed-height rule with a set of criteria that gives code enforcement discretion to address hazardous or obstructive vegetation while keeping a six-inch standard in commercial and industrial zones.

Public Works Director Jamie Grand Prix presented Resolution 2025-20 to award a contract for the 200 West road-widening project (between 500 North and 600 North) to McCormick and Sons Excavating and Utilities LLC as the low, responsible bidder. Council members discussed whether to include a sidewalk on the west side of the roadway; Grand Prix said city-owned rodeo grounds property abutting the project could allow a sidewalk if remaining streets/sidewalk budget funds permit and staff obtains an estimate. The resolution passed 5-0.

Parks and Recreation Director Darwin Cook described proposed maintenance and equipment replacement at the Pratt Aquatic Center, including removal and replacement of deteriorated leisure-pool plaster, replacement of aged play features, and retrofitting supply lines and circulation equipment. The council authorized a contract with PlaySpace Designs for the work; Cook said the contractor will perform the work during the pool’s August shutdown. Cook stated the contract amount as presented to the council (recorded in the transcript as roughly "300 and $1,008.68"), and described scheduling that would permit keeping the lap pool open if leisure-pool work requires additional cure time. The resolution passed 5-0.

Other administrative approvals included Resolution 2025-21 to declare about 35 animal-shelter cat carriers as surplus (to be offered first to Tooele County agencies, then the public) and Resolution 2025-22 authorizing the city to contract with the Tooele County Clerk’s Office for municipal election services at $2.25 per ballot; city recorder Michelle Pitt estimated per-election printing/mail/tabulation costs at about $41,289.75 (and said a primary plus a general could total roughly $82,579.50). Both resolutions passed unanimously. The council also approved minutes from recent meetings and moved into a closed session to discuss litigation or property acquisition.

Votes at a glance: - Water-rights lease assignment (GeoFortis → Ash Grove Cement Company): approved 5-0. Motion by Board Member Hansen; second by Board Member Manzion. - Ordinance 2025-07 (nonstandard divisions of land / Tooele City Code §7-19-6.2 and §7-1-5 amendment): approved 5-0. Motion by Councilwoman Gochis; second by Councilwoman Manzion. - Ordinance 2025-09 (Western Acres PUD townhouse setbacks): approved 5-0. Motion by Councilwoman Manzion; second by Councilman McCall. - Ordinance 2025-06 (nuisance abatement / Tooele City Code §8-4-4): approved 5-0. Motion by Councilman McCall; second by Councilman Hansen. - Resolution 2025-20 (200 West Road Widening Project, award to McCormick and Sons Excavating and Utilities LLC): approved 5-0. Motion by Councilman McCall; second by Councilman Hansen. - Resolution 2025-23 (Pratt Aquatic Center plaster replacement and play equipment, PlaySpace Designs): approved 5-0. Motion by Councilwoman Gochis; second by Councilwoman Manzion. - Resolution 2025-21 (surplus animal-shelter cat carriers, ~35 units): approved 5-0. Motion by Councilwoman Manzion; second by Councilwoman Gochis. - Resolution 2025-22 (agreement with Tooele County for municipal election services, $2.25 per ballot): approved 5-0. Motion by Councilman Hansen; second by Councilman McCall. - Approval of minutes (several past meetings): approved 5-0. - Motion to move to closed session to discuss litigation/property acquisition: approved 5-0.

Council members emphasized routine oversight and timing in remarks — for example, staff said the water-rights assignment is administrative and the Ash Grove company assumes the lease subject to state water-rights approvals; Public Works staff said sidewalk installation could be added if remaining sidewalk/streets funding allows before the fiscal-year cutoff; and Parks staff said pool repairs are scheduled for the August shutdown to minimize impacts to programs. No public commenters addressed these agenda items during the hearing periods.

The meeting adjourned its business session at about 7:43 p.m. and then reconvened in a work meeting that included a motion to move to a closed session on litigation or property acquisition.