Salem City Council requires sewer impact fees at plat bonding, adopts map updates and approves a slate of routine measures

Salem — The Salem City Council on March 4 unanimously approved an ordinance requiring payment of sewer impact fees at the time of subdivision plat bonding and adopted an updated sewer collections master-plan map to reflect recent development.

City Planner Lisa Webster presented the sewer impact-fee proposal, saying, "We are now wanting to require that we can collect the impact fee at the time of plat bonding," and asked the council to adopt the ordinance. Councilmember Paul Taylor moved to approve the ordinance; Councilmember Cynthia Deveraux Rees seconded the motion, which passed 5–0. Councilmember Rees later moved to adopt the updated sewer-collections map, a measure Councilmember Delys Snyder briefly questioned for clarification; that motion also passed 5–0.

The sewer map in the impact-fee study will be formally updated in July 2026 as part of a scheduled study revision, staff said.

Also at the meeting the council approved several other items largely by unanimous votes: an amendment to Title 10, Chapter 3 (sidewalk installation) that was returned with clarifying language, ratification of Councilmember Taylor’s signatures on two agreements with Three Bridges related to the Davis Water matter and supplemental plat conditions, and a petition to begin annexation proceedings for the Garner property that lies partly in Payson. Councilmember Delys Snyder said the sidewalk wording was revised at the council’s request to clarify storm-drain language.

The council approved an impact-fee reimbursement agreement for the Salem Fields/Flagship Homes offsite water tank near Cemetery Tank No. 1 and authorized a contract for a municipal wage study with Personnel Systems and Services at a cost of $13,920. Public Works Director James Thomas presented an updated snowplow procurement that adds the plow and raises the package total to $159,422.75; that package was approved.

Council also voted to cancel the March 18 council meeting because several members will attend the Utah Municipal Power Agency annual conference; approved minutes from Feb. 18; and authorized payment of bills totaling $1,420,978.93. Councilmembers present for the votes were Tim De Graw (Mayor Pro Tem), Delys Snyder, Cynthia Deveraux Rees, Paul Taylor and Craig Sacco (participating via Zoom).

During staff reports, Building Director Steve Cox noted several state bills of interest to municipalities, including SB 245 (a proposed rewrite of impact-fee statutes), and suggested the council prepare a short issues list for legislators. Chief Greg Gurney answered a question about a reported local increase in child-abuse referrals and whether council support is needed for public-safety partners.

Next steps: staff will incorporate the adopted map into the planning documents and the full sewer impact-fee study will be updated in July 2026. Several contracts and agreements ratified at the meeting move forward under the city’s routine procurement and reimbursement processes.