Council debates sidewalks, trails and UTV crossing safety while staff outlines an IT dashboard for council oversight

Councilors used the meeting to press staff for a prioritized list of sidewalks and trails to repair or build and asked for an informational map showing which trails are city-owned versus private. Public works staff (S3) said trail repairs are sometimes blocked by lack of easements and by narrow trail widths that prevent paving equipment. "There's not space to get the equipment in," S3 said, adding that staff will inventory city-owned versus private segments and return with a prioritized list.

On off-road vehicles, one councilor (S7) urged allowing utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) to cross Highway 169 at signalized intersections to improve residents' access to services. Police Chief Sutterby (S11) warned of safety risks: "My opinion at this moment is that it's very dangerous for UTVs to cross 169 Highway," he said, noting higher speeds, side-impact vulnerability and an agricultural exception in some rules. Staff will research local ordinances, state law and how similar municipalities regulate crossings and report back with data.

Separately, city administration (S12) described a first-phase IT and data project to collect metrics staff already hold and present them in council-facing dashboards: permits, miles of paved road, project progress and other summary measures. "What we will accomplish... is to give them the information they need and to manage their day to day business," S12 said, adding that user-based access controls will preserve operational segregation between staff systems and council views. Council asked for high-level, actionable metrics rather than raw operational detail.