Castle Dale staff report on EMS staffing, water-use trends and animal-control incidents; Express Bill Pay enrollment increases

City staff and representatives provided several service and public-safety updates at the Feb. 13 Castle Dale City Council meeting, covering emergency medical services staffing and stipend arrangements, a municipal water-usage report, recent animal-control incidents and citizen questions about the new Express Bill Pay system.

EMS: A representative reported ongoing concerns with EMS staffing that the council said are not unique to Castle Dale. The meeting noted a stipend program originally created to support Green River’s ambulance staffing had helped attract EMTs; however, council members said the stipend needs to be more equitable to help towns that remain understaffed. Castle Dale and Orangeville were cited as communities with limited coverage: the report said Castle Dale/Orangeville had one driver and five EMTs in the proximity and that last month the service ran nine calls, five of which were billable. Staff reported the town was staffed 35% of the time, partially staffed 26% of the time and unstaffed 39% of the time. The council discussed the need to review stipend distribution and noted mineral lease funds had been used county-wide with some allocated to the EMS special service district.

Water: The special service district's annual water report showed Castle Dale’s culinary water use averaged 347 gallons per person per day in 2024 and the town was the highest consumer of secondary water in the county. Staff noted the town’s secondary water irrigation covers about 440 acres. City crews reported an ongoing recurring winter problem at a location known as “Vats” when temperatures drop; staff said a design to remedy the issue will be included in special service district projects this summer and that affected water owners will be responsible for costs beyond the basic fix.

Animal control and cemetery concerns: Council and staff discussed multiple dog-related incidents. Staff recounted reports of dogs killing goats, loose dogs at or near the elementary school and repeated dog presence in the cemetery. Staff said the city has posted signs in the cemetery and planned enforcement, including fines, and noted that deputies had responded to a complaint in which a resident became confrontational with staff. The council discussed countywide animal-control capacity and plans to coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions and the county sheriff’s office on enforcement.

Express Bill Pay and cybersecurity: The recorder reported that since offering Express Bill Pay the city collected $137,747.90 on utility accounts since the recorder began working for the city (compared with $76,805.36 the prior period). The recorder said 140 customers had signed up, 62 had gone paperless and about 120 were on autopay. Residents asked about cybersecurity. A representative said Express Bill Pay maintains insurance and that only two employees at the company can view account details; training and bank-level protections were described as part of the vendor’s system.