May 24, 2023 | General Meeting

Voting

• 4-0 reappointing a Planning Commission alternate member
• 4-0 approving the 2023 firework restriction area
• 4-0 approving a Master and Betterment Agreements with the Utah Dept. of Transportation for the extension of Mountain View Corridor

General Meeting

City Council recognitions

• The Council formally recognized Juan Pineda, a landscaper who provided medical care to a resident who was unresponsive while Juan was doing irrigation work. Juan's selfless actions preserved the resident's life for a few precious days before they ultimately passed away. The resident's family was present to thank Juan for his quick response, and a neighbor who observed the incident was present to share the story.
• The Council commended the City's staff for the recent Health and Safetypalooza event (in partnership with the Friends of Herriman) and Officer Jake Burns for a successful first school year as the police department's D.A.R.E. officer.

City Council board and committee reports

• Councilmember Henderson, representing the Unified Fire Authority Board, reported a recent finance committee meeting that included discussions about a rate increase for cities and additional staffing considerations. He noted that the board carefully examined justifications for all expense increases.
• Councilmember Ohrn, representing the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District board, noted a recent discussion about the state's water situation. Lake Powell, though it is rising rapidly, is projected to still only be 37% full this year. She encouraged residents to help not squander a good water year by being conservation-minded.
• Mayor Palmer, representing the Council of Governments, reported that Herriman was recently awarded about $1.7 million for corridor preservation funds for 6400 West.
• Mayor Palmer also noted a groundbreaking earlier in the day for a new Jordan School District hybrid school near Ridge View Elementary and Mountain Ridge High. The new school will be for grades 4-6.

UDOT agreements for Mountain View Corridor

In coming months, the Utah Department of Transportation will be starting the extension of Mountain View Corridor, connecting it from Porter Rockwell Boulevard in Herriman to Utah County. The City Council approved two agreements in cooperation with that project—a main Master Agreement that the City and UDOT will work together where necessary, and a Betterment Agreement to add a water casing and fiber internet conduit. The "betterments" will come at the City's cost at approximately $211,000 in July 2024.

Work Meeting

Budget amendments for fiscal year ending June 2023

The Council and staff discussed a variety of budget adjustments for the current fiscal year (which ends on June 30, 2023) to account for grants, transfers, lower-than-expected revenues, and higher-than-expected costs.

Budgeting going forward

The Council continued a lengthy discussion about the City's budget that has spanned several meetings. There are a number of factors that the Council and City staff are working through, including:

• Long-term sustainability of the Public Safety Fund (primarily from Herriman City Safety Enforcement Area property taxes) and the Water Fund.
• Some revenue projections exceed actual funds received, so some adjustments in costs are needed to maintain balance.
• Reconciling reimbursement agreements with developers. There hasn't been a standardized way of tracking all reimbursement agreements from years past, so some agreements are coming due but haven't been fully anticipated.

This will be an ongoing conversation in coming months, and the City will look to reprioritize, more deeply analyze, and have full justification for future expense plans, personnel costs, and any fee or tax increases. The full discussions can be seen in the video links below, but if any changes are proposed that will affect the general public, the City will broadly communicate that information. There will also be public hearings for budget amendments and a Truth in Taxation hearing if there are any proposed tax rate increases. 

Axia business park reimbursement agreement

The Council discussed a reimbursement agreement with the developer of the Axia business park, which will be near Rockwell Landing on the southeastern tip of the city near Redwood Road. The improvements will be absorbed into impact fee costs for the project, except for about $1,400, which the City will reimburse the developer. The Council anticipates approving this item because the deficit is relatively small, but the item prompted a broader conversation about frustrations with reimbursement agreements. Under this type of reimbursement system, the City sometimes has agreed with developers to reimburse public infrastructure costs that exceed how much the City can collect in impact fees from that developer, pledging future growth money to pay for today's projects.

Video links

• Work meeting 1
• General meeting
• Work meeting 2