Providence Council adopts wastewater fee change, approves LED streetlight conversion and park upgrades; tables rezone

Providence City Council on Wednesday approved a package of utility, streets and parks measures while delaying action on a requested rezoning for a Fox Hollow‑area parcel.

The council approved Ordinance 01‑2025, amending the wastewater treatment impact fee schedule for multifamily users; voted to proceed with a citywide LED streetlight conversion and amend the budget to pay the upfront cost; awarded the Blackstone lift‑station electrical contract to Bassett Electric; and approved a grant‑funded contract for baseball‑field updates at Zollinger Park. The council also approved two right‑of‑way purchases needed for the 100 South widening project and appointed West Tyer to the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. A requested rezoning of Parcel 02‑096‑0035 was tabled to allow more time for developer plans and council review after public comment.

Why it matters: The wastewater ordinance standardizes how multifamily buildings are charged for treatment capacity, aligning Providence’s calculations with Logan’s regional approach; the LED conversion is projected to pay for itself in about 4½ years and reduce ongoing streetlight energy costs; the park and field upgrades are largely grant‑funded and will improve playability and connectivity; and the 100 South acquisitions are tied to a federal/state grant that covers most project costs.

Ordinance 01‑2025 — wastewater treatment impact fee Providence adopted Ordinance 01‑2025 after staff said the change mainly formalizes how multifamily units are counted for Logan’s regional wastewater treatment fee. City staff said Providence already used an equivalent‑unit calculation in practice; the ordinance aligns the city’s fee language with Logan’s standard so all users treated by Logan Sewer are charged consistently. Councilmember Brent Speth moved to approve the ordinance; the motion carried.

Rezoning request for Parcel 02‑096‑0035 — tabled Council discussion of Ordinance 02‑2025, a rezone request that would convert the front (south) 1 acre to Commercial Highway District (CHD) and the north 1.5 acres to RM‑18 multifamily, drew extended public comment and council questions about density, consistency with the general plan and pedestrian access to nearby schools and parks. Developer representative Kent Dunkley said the plan would subdivide the parcel so the front lots could be retail and the rear 1.5 acres could be townhomes, and that the developer’s preliminary sketch showed about 19 units on the 1.5 acres under RM‑18. Several councilmembers and residents urged caution and recommended RM‑12 or more design detail; resident Nate Worthen, who identified himself as trained in urban planning, recommended RM‑12 to better match neighboring development. After discussion the council voted to table the ordinance so the developer can provide clearer subdivision and design plans.

LED streetlight conversion and budget amendment The council approved a Rocky Mountain Power proposal to convert the city’s streetlights to dark‑sky compliant LED fixtures and to amend the budget to cover the project’s upfront cost. Rocky Mountain Power representative Steve Lickty told the council the conversion moves the city to a new PUC LED tariff with a substantially lower per‑light rate; staff estimated a roughly 4.5‑year payback on the upfront cost followed by lower ongoing charges. Lickty said Rocky Mountain Power would own and maintain the fixtures that the company currently maintains, and that warranty and replacement responsibilities remain with the utility for the converted fixtures. Council approved proceeding and instructed staff to adjust the budget accordingly.

Blackstone lift station electrical agreement Staff recommended awarding the electrical contract for the Blackstone/Providence lift station to the low bidder, Bassett Electric. The council approved the award; staff noted the lift station electrical work is required for the lift station to operate and recommended moving forward to keep the overall project schedule.

Zollinger Park baseball‑field upgrades (grant funded) Council awarded a contract for updates to a smaller in‑park baseball/pony field at Zollinger Park. Recreation staff said the work will flatten a “bowl” on the pony field, add engineered infield material used elsewhere in the city, and connect parking to the park trail system. Much of the work is paid by a state grant; staff said the city’s direct cost for the awarded bid portion is about $32,000 of roughly $137,000 of city obligation cited during the discussion. The motion to award the contract carried.

100 South right‑of‑way purchases The council approved purchase of the Allen parcel right‑of‑way for the 100 South widening project, using the county assessor valuation plus appraisal costs as the purchase basis. The council also authorized staff to complete purchase of the Honey parcel right‑of‑way within the dollar limits permitted by the project grant. Staff said the widening and curb/gutter/sidewalk work are about 97% covered by the grant; the council voted to approve the purchases to allow the project to proceed.

Appointments and recognition The council appointed West Tyer to the Providence Historic Preservation Commission and recognized public works director Rob Stapley after the Bridger‑Valley (Bridal?) Water Association of Utah awarded him for water‑system work. Council members praised Stapley’s team for recent infrastructure upgrades — new tank, meters on tower read, pressure‑reducing stations and SCADA/fiber upgrades — that staff said improve monitoring and reduce response time to leaks.

Votes at a glance - Ordinance 01‑2025, wastewater treatment impact fee (multifamily): Motion to approve carried. - Ordinance 02‑2025, rezone Parcel 02‑096‑0035 (CHD 1 acre / RM‑18 1.5 acres): Motion to table carried; council asked developer for clearer subdivision/plan details and discussed RM‑12 as an alternative. - LED streetlight conversion and budget amendment: Motion to approve conversion and amend budget carried. Staff estimate ~4.5‑year payback. - Blackstone lift‑station electrical agreement (Bassett Electric): Motion to accept low bid carried. - Zollinger Park baseball field contract award: Motion to award carried; project is largely grant‑funded. - Allen property right‑of‑way purchase (100 South): Motion to approve purchase carried. - Honey property right‑of‑way purchase (100 South): Motion to approve purchase within grant limits carried. - Appointment of West Tyer to Historic Preservation Commission: Motion to appoint carried.

What’s next The council asked the developer of Parcel 02‑096‑0035 to return with final subdivision and design documents; that item will return to a future council agenda. Staff will proceed with procurement and scheduling for the LED conversion, lift‑station electrical work, park upgrades and right‑of‑way closings consistent with grant timelines and the council’s budget action.

(Notes: council votes recorded in the meeting were voice votes with motions carried; the transcript does not provide a roll‑call tally for each item.)