Roosevelt council approves park site, raises planning-and-zoning pay, authorizes several project steps

The Roosevelt City Council took a series of votes on an unspecified date to clear several local projects and administrative changes.

All-abilities playground site approved: Council approved a staff-and-committee recommendation to locate an all-abilities playground near the existing playground and volleyball pit (the committee proposed placing the playground in the volleyball pit area north of the playground and redesigning surfaces and ADA access). Council members discussed preserving green space and concerns about bathroom access; staff will develop design/cost estimates and follow up for fundraising timelines. The motion to approve the proposed location passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Main Street/façade grant direction: Following a presentation and discussion about downtown revitalization, council gave staff direction to explore a façade matching-grant framework and to coordinate with the Utah Inland Port Authority (see separate article). Councilors discussed an $800,000 allocation the city has earmarked for downtown work and debated whether to start a capped grant pilot (example discussed: $10,000 per project, five grants per year). Council approved a motion to explore the program and to bring a proposal back to council.

Planning and zoning compensation: The council voted to raise planning-and-zoning commissioner compensation from $25 per meeting to $50 per meeting and to pay commissioners via 1099 rather than as employees; the change was to be applied starting in August. The council approved the motion on a voice vote.

APR/committee pay tabled: Staff reported that most comparable Utah cities do not pay their APR or nonstatutory committee members; the council voted to table further action on paying APR committee members until the next council meeting so staff can collect additional examples and a proposal for compensating heavy-lift volunteers or chairs.

Pickleball benches and shade: The council approved installation of four surface-mounted benches and a shade structure at the pickleball courts, to be purchased with APR fundraising and donations. The rec subcommittee has approximately $19,800 available in that line item; council approval was contingent on subcommittee sign-off and verification of fundraising documentation. The cost cited by staff was $10,264.30; council approved contingent authorization on a voice vote.

Waterline engineering fee amendment: Council approved an amendment to the engineering fee for the Paige Bench waterline project to account for additional design, permitting, survey and construction management work and increases in hourly rates since 2022. Staff said the city’s total waterline funding package is approximately $2.95 million with a city contribution around $110,000 and nearly $400,000 in contingency remaining after the amendment. The motion to approve the fee amendment passed on a voice vote.

Gun range project bidding approach: Council discussed approaching the city’s gun range construction in separate bid packages (for earthwork, shelters/restrooms, structures) so the city can proceed on phases the city can fund if grant funding does not materialize. Staff reported a positive environmental screening result and said grants could cover roughly $1 million while the city has about $500,000 saved. Council directed staff to proceed with phased bidding and return award recommendations to council.

TD Tech security contract: Council agreed on a final negotiating position for the public‑safety/security contract with TD Tech. The council directed staff to send a final offer that would fix compensation at approximately $112,000 per year under a three-year term and asked for a response by the council meeting on Sept. 2; if TD Tech does not accept the offered terms the city will treat that as notice to begin the 90‑day termination process under the existing contract and pursue alternatives. The council approved the negotiating and notice plan by voice vote.

Financial reports and other items: Council approved routine financials, received a city manager report on recent seismic testing near the fire station, and moved to go into closed session under Utah Code 52-4-205 for specified purposes. The motion to enter closed session passed on a voice vote.

Ending: In most cases council’s approvals were direction to staff or contingent on follow-up verification; staff will return with detailed designs, draft resolutions, budget amendments or contract language as needed for the council’s formal votes.