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Town administrator outlines equipment, water and ordinance-review plans for Star Valley Ranch
Summary
Town Administrator Aitken updated the council on tech and utility work: a new meeting laptop, staffing searches, Silverstar road repairs, persistent flow-meter issues at well No. 3, and a proposal to buy LEICA utility-locating equipment to support leak detection and compliance; he also reported an offer from a Cal State San Francisco MBA class to review town ordinances at no cost.
Town Administrator Aitken told the Star Valley Ranch Town Council on March 24 that the town had purchased a new laptop “approximately ten times faster” than the previous device to resolve streaming and technical issues during meetings. He also reviewed staffing, utility and legal developments affecting the town.
The laptop purchase is intended to fix recurring meeting-streaming problems, Aitken said. He reported ongoing staffing work for the public works director role with Zack Edwards involved and that the town is advertising for a billing clerk position. Aitken said the town “might have a different solution” for the public works director role if recruitment proves difficult.
Aitken reported ongoing construction issues from contractor Silverstar, saying areas where Silverstar dug across roads have sunk; he told the council Silverstar has been contacted and “plans to excavate ten inches down and compact those areas” and will install green boxes and address an erroneous steeple location. The town also expects Silverstar work at the north end of town, including Cedar Creek, in April.
Public Works Director Zack Edwards described problems with the town’s mapping system when calling 811 for utility marking, saying the town’s maps show a 6-foot variance while the utility-marking service requires a 2-foot clearance on each side. Edwards and Aitken presented a lower-cost alternative to a costly vacuum truck: LEICA utility-locating equipment that Aitken said costs just under $26,000 for tablet, equipment and training and could be purchased from the existing $50,000 leak-detection budget allocation. Aitken framed the purchase as a way to narrow down buried utility locations and reduce the risk of damaging unknown lines.
Aitken also reported that flow meters have been installed at all wells and the spring line but that well No. 3 is producing erroneous readings even when the flow is turned off; the town is seeking a replacement electronic unit for that meter. He noted the lead-and-copper inventory requirements that begin Jan. 1, 2027, and said the locating equipment would help complete that inventory with less digging.
On legal matters, Aitken said attorney Kevin Voyles will recuse himself from the Elkhorn water issue because of a potential conflict of interest and that criminal counsel Brandon Taylor is no longer available after taking a job in Salt Lake City; Voyles is working to secure new legal counsel for both matters.
Aitken closed the administration update by describing an offered pro bono review of the town’s ordinances: a local resident who is a business college dean has offered to have a Cal State San Francisco MBA class review the ordinances to identify conflicting language and inconsistencies.
The council did not take formal action on the administration items at the work session; staff said they will return with procurement and contract details if the council wishes to proceed with equipment purchases or legal engagements.
