Virgin council reviews monthly budget, schedules sheriff Q&A and readies water surcharge ordinance

The Virgin Town Council on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, reviewed a new monthly budget format and several administrative and infrastructure items, set a public Q&A with the Washington County sheriff about a proposed substation at the town hall and placed a water-development surcharge ordinance on next week’s agenda for council action.

Town Treasurer Becky told the council she is distributing a monthly spreadsheet designed to show month-to-month trends and “red flags” in spending. Becky said the format will remain month-based because “for me, it shows trends.” She reported payroll entries are still being adjusted and that some utility figures are inflated because a check intended for Rocky Mountain Power was stolen from the post office and cashed; staff have reissued payment and are working with the bank on recovery efforts.

Becky also described changes to general-ledger coding to provide more granular tracking of capital and contract expenses, and she flagged a one-time utility-related invoice tied to moving a power pole. She said auditing costs this year are higher than usual because the town is being billed now for work that under normal timing would have appeared in a later fiscal period. “Because the last audit took a year and a half … they’re billing us now because they’re doing the audit,” she said.

The council placed several items on upcoming agendas. The mayor announced that Tuesday’s regular meeting will open with an open question-and-answer session with the county sheriff to discuss the sheriff’s interest in locating a substation in the renovated town hall; the council said the session will allow the sheriff to explain intended operations and impacts and will be followed by public comment opportunities. The mayor said the Q&A will be “the very first thing on the agenda on Tuesday.”

Also scheduled for next week is an ordinance and companion fee-schedule resolution to implement a water development surcharge requested by the regional water conservancy authority. According to meeting materials discussed at the work session, the surcharge would be a flat $1.75 charge applied to customers who exceed a high-usage threshold; the presentation described it as “$1.75 no matter how much you go over.” Town staff said the town does not need to hold a separate public hearing on the ordinance amendment because it revises the municipal code and is not treated as a fee increase that triggers a hearing under the town’s current procedures. Town staff reported the regional entity has placed the issue on its Nov. 21 board agenda because it is tracking the town’s compliance with a broader list of actions.

Capital improvements committee appointments and membership size were also discussed. The council reviewed reappointment options for two current citizen members and raised the possibility of expanding the five-person committee to six to accommodate an additional volunteer, Sarah Stratton. The council directed staff to prepare an amendment and place any appointment items on the December agenda.

Council members spent substantial time discussing a possible town manager position. Council members and staff agreed to begin exploratory work on costs, job duties and benefits implications. Councilors noted that adding a full-time manager would trigger questions about health insurance and retirement participation and would increase recurring payroll costs; one option discussed was recruiting an experienced, recently retired manager so the town could secure administrative expertise without immediately adding retirement-plan liabilities. Several council members said they want further analysis of total compensation, budget impacts and an implementation timeline if the council decides to pursue a hire.

Infrastructure matters flagged for further action included:

- Floodplain permitting: staff said they will require applicants to submit floodplain map evidence with building-permit applications and will consult with the town engineer about how to apply elevation and build‑up standards consistently for lots in mapped floodplain areas.

- Vacuum-excavation trailer (hydro-vac) for water-line work: public works staff presented three bids ranging from roughly $37,000 on the low end to more than $120,000 for high-end equipment; one vendor (Vermeer) offered a potential year‑end discount that would reduce its $71,000 price by roughly 30 percent. Staff said the hydro-vac can reduce excavation time on water leaks from hours to minutes and asked the council to consider whether to purchase a unit or continue leasing or sharing equipment regionally.

- BMX track/Bureau of Land Management land: a local operator requested the town consider selling the BMX facility parcel to him; staff reported the federal conveyance includes a reversion clause and that the BLM has retained the property on a sale list, making acquisition by the town uncertain. Councilors indicated leasing or partnership options would face legal and practical obstacles because of federal reversion language.

- GIS mapping and engineering work product: staff reported about $15,000 in recent invoices for GIS updates from private contractors. The council asked staff and the town attorney to clarify ownership and custodianship of scanned engineering maps and GIS layers, noting the municipal code designates the town engineer as the official custodian of public-improvement records.

- A building‑permit dispute: a developer, Tony Hoyt, brought forward a claim that a recent garage/structure permit and plans were approved and construction started, but later staff determined setbacks and height required changes. The council asked staff to review submitted plans and the permitting process to establish whether approvals or inspections omitted required zoning checks and whether changes were properly communicated to the permit holder.

Town staff also said the town will consider adopting an Emergency Operations Plan in January so the town can qualify for certain state and federal emergency response and grant activities. The finance office will prepare a proposed December budget amendment (to be noticed for public hearing) to address first‑quarter adjustments.

The council discussed meeting scheduling. Staff proposed keeping a weekday pattern that places the regular council meeting and a separate work meeting on adjacent days so the planning commission’s schedule and appeal windows remain workable; councilors asked staff to consult the planning commission about minor timing shifts that could reduce scheduling conflicts with outside counsel and county staff.

No formal votes were taken during the work session; staff and councilors directed a number of items for placement on the Nov. 19 regular agenda and on December agendas for public hearing or formal action.