Tooele City Council unanimously approves easement change, fee-code clarification, public-comment rules, housing fee waiver and museum sidewalk contract

The Tooele City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 18 to approve a package of measures including an easement correction in the Compass Point/Peak subdivision, a code change clarifying when new fees take effect, a clearer deadline for written public comments, a development-impact-fee waiver for a six-unit housing subdivision, and a contract for a museum sidewalk project.

Easement correction: The council approved an ordinance to vacate the earlier municipal utility easement near 2400 North Main Street and accept a replacement easement that reflects the utilities as actually installed. Paul Hansen, the city engineer, said the replacement easement is not larger or smaller than the original but corrects minor location adjustments. A motion to approve the ordinance passed 5-0 (recorded ayes: Councilman McCall; Councilman Hansen; Councilwoman Goches; Councilman Gossett; Councilman Bridal). (The agenda identified the item as Ordinance 2026-02; the motion language in the public record referenced "2026-42" — the council approved the easement action as presented.)

Fee-code clarification: The council approved Ordinance 2026-03, an amendment to Tooele City Code chapter 1-26 clarifying that newly enacted city fees take effect immediately upon adoption unless a specific statutory vesting, written agreement, or a separate waiting period (for example, the 90-day waiting period that typically applies to impact fees) applies. Shannon Wimmer, finance director, said the change is intended to unify internal procedures. The motion passed 5-0.

Public comment policy: The council approved Resolution 2026-06 to amend the legislative policy governing written and verbal public comments. City Attorney Matthew Johnson said the resolution changes the deadline for written comments from 5 p.m. the day before a meeting to 11:59 p.m. the day before and clarifies distinctions between comments submitted for public hearings and general public-comment periods. The motion passed 5-0.

Impact-fee waiver for housing: The council approved Resolution 2026-08 to waive development impact fees for the Tooele County Housing Authority's Harvey Subdivision, a six-dwelling-unit project. Johnson explained the council has discretion to waive up to $10,000 per dwelling unit; the council voted to approve $10,000 per unit for a total waiver of $60,000 to be paid from fund balance. The motion passed 5-0.

Museum sidewalk contract: The council approved Resolution 2026-07 awarding an agreement to Arrow Landscape Construction LLC for the 2026 Tooele Valley Railroad Museum sidewalk project. Darwin Cook, parks and recreation director, said the project includes installing a 6-foot ADA-accessible sidewalk, tie-ins and driveway approach removal. Cook said 12 bids were received and the presentation cited a winning bid of $73,005.91; funding will come from $65,004.97 in the capital projects fund and $8,093.75 from the general sidewalk fund. The motion passed 5-0.

Administrative items: The council approved invoices/purchase orders, approved minutes from Feb. 4, 2026, and adjourned at 7:38 p.m.

Votes at a glance: All formal votes recorded at the meeting passed by a 5-0 margin. Recorded ayes in roll-call votes are listed in the meeting record as Councilman McCall; Councilman Hansen; Councilwoman Goches; Councilman Gossett; and Councilman Bridal.

Next steps: Several actions (code update, resolutions, contract award) move to implementation steps handled by city staff; no items were tabled or defeated.