Brigham City introduces new prosecuting attorney; city reports costly Manley Reservoir intake repairs

Brigham City on Wednesday introduced Blair Wardle as the city’s new prosecuting attorney and received an operational update from the city administrator on infrastructure matters, including a significant intake-structure failure at Manley Reservoir that staff said will require divers and an extensive, costly repair.

City Administrator Derek (last name not specified in the public transcript) introduced Wardle, who currently works for or with the Box Elder County attorney’s office and was presented to council as the city’s new prosecutor for municipal misdemeanor matters. Wardle described his background in prosecution and victims’ rights and said he looks forward to working with the Brigham City Police. “I’m very pro law‑enforcement… but probably most importantly, I’m very pro constitution,” Wardle told the council, adding that he has prosecuted a broad range of criminal cases and that victims’ rights are a priority in his work.

During the same report, the city administrator updated council members on a failure of the intake structure at Manley Reservoir (the presentation used "Manaway"/"Manley" phrasing). Staff said divers are on site and that repairs are underway; the work includes custom onsite manufacturing of a valve and underwater repairs. The city described the repair as “very expensive” and said it is treating the project as an emergency. In the presentation, staff estimated repair costs at “north of the half‑million dollar” range. City staff said they will review the capital budget to identify projects that can be delayed or otherwise adjusted to offset the expense.

The administrator also summarized broader utility work funded in the city’s recent revenue bond, including building a substation on 800 North and replacing two Hempstock (aqueduct) lines that carry culinary and secondary water, and said those projects plus three other power projects were included in the revenue-bond financing previously discussed in public meetings.

Public comment earlier in the meeting raised questions about transparency on a tower and substation project and asked who would pay for related substation costs. A resident, Julianna Larson, asked why the public had not been fully informed about who will bear costs for an 800 North substation and about the city’s procurement of another attorney; the mayor and city administrator responded during the meeting and described the RFP and contracting processes that led to the prosecuting‑attorney arrangement and the city’s work on substations and revenue bonds.

No formal council vote was required for the introductions and the operational update; Wardle’s role was presented to the council and the public as the new prosecuting attorney under contract arrangements described by city staff.