Roy City council agrees to $1,800 donation for Cold War veterans medals

Roy City Council on Jan. 7 agreed by council consensus to provide $1,800 to the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation to help pay for veteran medals and related ceremonies held in Roy and other Weber County locations.

The decision followed a presentation by foundation volunteers and an extended council discussion. Andy Vigil, vice chairman of the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation, asked the council for the $1,800 donation to cover medals and certificates given at the group’s pinning ceremonies. "We are asking I believe we did this the last council meeting, was asking for the $1800 donation for our medals," Vigil said.

The council’s discussion centered on whether the contribution should be a one-time payment or an annual commitment and, given the city’s tight budget, how to fund the request. Mayor Pro Tem Diane (Mayor Pro Tem) said the program is “a phenomenal program” but noted budget constraints and the difficulty of committing future councils to recurring payments. Diane said council members needed to decide whether the city’s role should be to donate funds and, if so, how much and from where the money should come.

Council member Anne Jackson offered $1,000 from the city’s beautification fund. "I had talked to the mayor today and to, I'm on the beautification committee, and we didn't do anything with our money last year. And so we would like to donate a $1,000 out of our beautification fund from last year's money towards this wonderful program," Jackson said. Several council members then signaled support for covering the remaining $800 from city contingency funds. City Manager Matt (City Manager) said staff would “find that where we pull it from” and implement the council’s direction.

Foundation volunteers described the scope and operation of their program. Jan (Jan), a foundation volunteer, told the council the group had identified how many veterans live in Roy and provided counts from publicly available sources: 54 World War II veterans, 103 Korean War veterans, 829 Vietnam-era veterans, and 332 Gulf War-era veterans. She said the foundation does not charge veterans for medals, that the metal itself costs about $18 each, and that ceremonies typically schedule 45–50 veterans per event. "We never demand, never ever demand that any veteran pays for the medal," Jan said.

Larry L. Kerr, who identified himself as a founding member of the Utah Cold War Veterans Foundation, described the foundation’s statewide work and urged the council to support recognition of veterans who served during "in-between" periods not always visible in front-line histories. "We actively seek out what is a cold war veteran," Kerr said, citing ceremonies at nursing homes, funerals and multiple municipalities.

Council members discussed alternatives for sustaining the program without creating an ongoing obligation. Several members recommended treating the contribution as a single-year donation rather than an annual commitment and encouraged the foundation to continue fundraising from private donors and businesses. Council members also offered to help with fundraising outreach.

Outcome and next steps: Council members signaled consensus to provide the full $1,800 requested by the foundation, with $1,000 coming from the beautification fund and the remaining $800 to be taken from council contingency. City staff said they would execute that plan. The council did not adopt a formal ordinance or interlocal agreement at the meeting; the contribution will be funded administratively, per staff direction.

Votes at a glance: This item was resolved by council consensus rather than a formal roll-call vote; the mayor recorded verbal agreement from at least three council members and directed staff to implement the funding.

Context: The request came during the meeting’s presentation and discussion section after a public-comment presentation by foundation volunteers. Council members repeatedly noted the city’s constrained fiscal situation and the 7.5% budget reductions departments had recently absorbed.

Ending: Foundation representatives thanked the council and said they would proceed with plans for upcoming ceremonies. Council members asked staff to identify the contingency line that would fund the remainder and to confirm the payment arrangements with the foundation.