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Payson council dissolves Taylor Pool stakeholder committee after 4–3 vote
Summary
The Payson Common Council voted 4–3 on Jan. 28 to dissolve the Taylor Pool Stakeholder Committee after residents and councilmembers debated whether the committee or an RFP‑led process best serves public input; proponents said dissolution will streamline procurement, opponents said it undercuts transparency.
The Payson Common Council voted 4–3 on Jan. 28 to dissolve the Taylor Pool Stakeholder Committee, a body the council created in December to gather community input on the future of Taylor Pool. Councilmember Jim Ferris moved to accept Town Manager Darren Caldwell’s request to dissolve the committee; the motion carried following a brief vote‑counting correction.
The action came after residents urged the council to pull the item from the consent agenda and discuss it. Isaac Blake, a Payson resident, told the council the committee was a public, council‑created forum and said dissolving it "before it ever met" deprived residents of a chance to participate and undermined public trust. Blake asked that the item be removed from consent for fuller discussion.
Council discussion focused on process and timing. Several councilmembers argued staff would prepare an RFP and that the council remains the ultimate decision maker; some said multiple prior studies and stakeholder contacts meant an additional formal committee would only delay progress. Council members who supported dissolution said the shift would speed the timeline for producing an RFP and bring concrete options back to the council more quickly. Councilmember Jim Ferris, who moved the motion, said he wanted to "speed that forward." Councilman Hossack and others argued the committee still had a useful role if its mission were adjusted.
The motion to dissolve was moved and seconded during the meeting and ultimately recorded as passing 4–3 after a councilmember on Zoom reconnected to clarify her vote. The council did not adopt a replacement engagement process at the meeting; members discussed having staff and selected stakeholders meet before an RFP is finalized.
Next steps: staff said an RFP draft would be brought to the council for public review and comment. The record shows the town manager filed the request to dissolve the committee; councilmembers signaled differing views on whether the replacement approach would provide equivalent public input.
