Votes at a glance: Santaquin council approves budget amendment, contracts, ADU ordinance and land sale

Santaquin’s City Council adopted several resolutions, awarded a professional services contract, approved two ordinances and authorized a property sale during its March 4 meeting. Key actions and brief details are below.

Budget amendment (Resolution 301) — approved The council held a public hearing and then voted to adopt Budget Amendment No. 4 (Resolution 301). Staff described several changes affecting the general fund and community-services budgets: - Police department: creation of a new GL code for contract services with BYU (approximately $5,000) and accounting for donations that have grown to a total of $84,000 to support travel to Police Week in Washington, D.C. - Community services (seniors): a reduction in anticipated MAG funding required a transfer from the general fund and use of interest earnings to maintain services; staff also requested use of prior-year “elder funds” held in a PTIF account to cover planned expenditures. - Buildings and grounds: increased maintenance funding for rental repairs, offset by interest earnings and incoming rental revenue. City staff warned that MAG (Metropolitan Area Government) funding levels remain uncertain for next year and may affect future budgets. The amendment passed unanimously.

Professional services contract for general plan water element (Resolution 302) — approved The council approved a professional services agreement with Hansen, Allen & Luce to prepare a water-use element for the city’s general plan, using a state Division of Water Resources grant. The contract amount was authorized not to exceed $16,400; the city will pursue reimbursement from the approximately $20,000 grant. The resolution passed unanimously.

Memorandum of understanding with Comcast (Resolution 303) — approved Council approved a short-term MOU with Comcast to reimburse certain extra staff costs incurred while Comcast installs fiber infrastructure. The MOU provides $10,000 per month for up to six months (reimbursing overtime and extra staff work); council noted damage claims are being handled separately. The resolution passed unanimously.

Ordinance 03-02 — accessory dwelling units in R-15 zone — approved The council adopted Ordinance 03-02 to permit accessory dwelling units (ADUs) within the R-15 residential zone. Staff noted a small number of scrivener’s edits remain and will be corrected before final signature. The ordinance passed unanimously.

CDRA property purchase agreement — Lot 10 (Precision Millwork) — approved The city’s Community Development and Redevelopment Agency approved a purchase agreement for Lot 10 with Precision Millwork, a Springville-based millwork company represented by Gary Fusselman. Fusselman told the board Precision Millwork employs 22 people and plans to expand; the company supplies high-end residential millwork and doors. The CDRA motion passed unanimously.

Appointment to Community Services Board — approved The council appointed Ramesses Stewart Johnson to the Community Services Board. The motion was moved, seconded and approved; the council said staff will schedule a swearing-in at a later meeting.

Other: consent agenda and staff reports The consent agenda passed at the start of the meeting. During public forum, Tabitha’s Way (a local food pantry) announced a Feed Utah food-drive drop-off on March 15 and a ribbon-cutting for its new warehouse on March 27. Planning and building permit reports showed single-family and multifamily activity is generally ahead of last year’s pace.

What’s next Staff will finalize contract paperwork for the general plan water element and the Comcast MOU, process the ordinance scrivener’s edits, and proceed with the CDRA closing for Lot 10. Budget and MAG funding remain items staff said they will track as the fiscal year continues.