EUREKA, Oct. 27, 2025

Council members discussed a multi-phase project with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), seeking confirmation on whether UDOT will cover the city's approximately 10% match (about $44,000), and debating whether the city should proceed given apparent delays and incomplete phase-1 work.

Shay Morrison, community advisor, briefed the council that staff needed to verify with UDOT whether the agency would cover the 10% local match and that staff had asked whether the city should include a clause allowing withdrawal if a federal government shutdown delays funding. Morrison said the estimated match was "just under $44,000." She reported the ombudsman's office had been asked about an advisory opinion on the property-tax implications of related questions but had indicated it might not have statutory authority to issue an opinion for this matter.

Council members raised concerns that the consultant or contractor had not progressed as expected. One council member said they had expected phase 1 to be finished and the city would simply receive a final report; staff answered that the contract language currently presented asks the city to sign off on phase 1 while also accepting phase 2 within the same contract. Staff said the council could remove any clause that created an obligation to proceed with phase 2 and that whether to move forward was a council decision.

There was also disagreement about why work had not progressed. Staff said turnover among elected officials and delays in delivering required letters from state agencies (DOT, DEM) contributed to slow progress; other council members questioned why a large, funded project had not advanced over a multi-year period. Council members asked staff to seek written confirmation from UDOT on the match and to return with contract language that carved out any unilateral obligation for the city to accept or fund phase 2.

No contract or funding decision was approved at the work meeting. Staff said they would pursue written confirmation from UDOT on matching funds, propose contract edits to remove obligations tied to phase 2 if necessary, and return to the council for a formal decision.