Farron council adopts ordinance on sale of city property, approves tentative budget and equipment purchases; discontinues Traffic Logic cloud service

FARRON — The Farron City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance establishing procedures for the purchase and sale of city-owned real property, adopted a tentative 2025–26 city budget and approved two operational items for public works — a Bobcat sweeper attachment and discontinuing cloud support for Traffic Logic speed/traffic signs.

The council passed Ordinance 2025-2, described by staff as an administrative ordinance to define “large parcel” and set procedural options such as public auction or bid when the city disposes of real property. Council members moved and seconded the ordinance and approved it by roll call; the presiding officer said, “Motion carries.”

Why it matters: the ordinance creates a clear local rule for handling large property sales or purchases, a step staff said the city lacked and that legal counsel recommended. The ordinance was presented as administrative rather than zoning guidance and will govern future sales such as fairgrounds or other large parcels.

Council also approved the tentative 2025–26 budget. Finance staff and the mayor reported work to reduce an initial roughly $100,000 shortfall and said the tentative budget now shows a roughly $3,000 surplus. The council adopted the tentative budget for the public process; staff said final adjustments will be made before the June adoption hearing.

On equipment, the council approved purchase of a 5.5-foot angle sweeper attachment for the city’s Bobcat skid steer. Staff said the sweeper will expedite gutter and roadway cleanup, clear light snow and help sidewalk work; funding was described as coming from the city’s C-road funds. A council member moved to purchase the attachment and a second was recorded; the motion passed after a roll-call vote.

Separately the council voted to discontinue the cloud monitoring service for the town’s Traffic Logic devices. Staff explained the cloud option provides remote battery and firmware monitoring; several council members questioned how the cloud data would be used and whether the money was better spent on physical traffic-calming measures or additional signage. A motion to discontinue cloud support carried unanimously.

Other routine items approved included accepting a rental property utility form and paying the city’s bills.

Council members and staff said they would notify vendors and service providers of the council’s decisions and complete administrative follow-up as needed.

Votes at a glance

- Accept rental property utility form (Kevin Jensen) — Motion carried (motion made and seconded; “Aye” recorded). - Purchase Bobcat sweeper attachment (5.5-foot angle sweeper) — Motion carried (mover: council member Peterson; second recorded; funding: C-road funds). - Discontinue Traffic Logic cloud support — Motion carried (motion made by council member Peterson; second by council member Singleton; “Aye” recorded). - Adopt Ordinance 2025-2 (purchase/sale of city-owned real property) — Ordinance passed by roll call vote. - Approve tentative 2025–26 budget — Motion carried by roll call; tentative budget reported as ~$3,000 surplus and will be finalized in June. - Pay bills — Motion carried.

Council members emphasized that several of the decisions — the sweeper purchase and cloud discontinuation — were operational and would require vendor notification and scheduling. Staff said the sweeper is in stock and could be delivered within weeks; Traffic Logic devices will continue to function without cloud monitoring, with updates and troubleshooting performed manually if needed.

The council ended the meeting following routine administrative motions and a closed-session interval.