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2026-06-11 - City Council Work Session

Summary

Built from the official minutes of the work session (approved July 21, 2026). The minutes are a summary, not a full transcript, and record no votes.

  • Work session called to order at 4:05 p.m. and adjourned at 6:38 p.m. All seven Council Members present: Petro, Puy (chair), Wharton, Napier-Pearce, Carlsen, Dugan and Young.
  • Main item: a 90-minute follow-up briefing on unresolved issues in the proposed Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget (Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Unresolved Items). Jennifer Bruno said the Council had until June 22, 2026 to determine the property tax increase limit and that updated new-growth information looked favorable compared with the Mayor's recommended budget, though not final.
  • Council Members weighed a property tax increase combined with public utility increases against core services and budget predictability, and whether savings should reduce the proposed increase or strengthen fund balance.
  • Twelve unresolved items were discussed: Hive Pass, Landscape Exchange Program, drone program, police cameras and equipment, Police Leadership Development Program, park rangers, food microgrants, a third CHAT team, the IMS Innovation Program, the Capital Improvement Program and deferred maintenance, National League of Cities membership, golf funding and tree maintenance.
  • Legislative intent requests: Puy on the Landscape Exchange Program (similar programs, private partnerships, an income-qualified voucher); Petro on City voucher programs serving City goals such as lower emissions; a mid-year report on an IMS Innovation pilot with clear success metrics.
  • The tentative property tax impact schedule item was noted as posted per state law; see Fiscal Year 2026-27 Property Tax Increase.
  • Standing items: no Chair or Vice Chair report; Lehua Weaver arranged a new Council group photo thirty minutes before the next work session. The tentative closed meeting item is listed on the agenda; the minutes record no closed session.
  • No votes were taken.

Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget: Unresolved Issues Follow-Up

Detail is on Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Unresolved Items. Points of note:

  • Hive Pass: considered as a cut because of cost, usage and administrative burden; a future partnership with Utah Transit Authority to administer discounted passes was floated.
  • Landscape Exchange Program: a one-year pause with a way to revisit it.
  • Drone program: viability of delaying the start by 5 months; drone dock and pilot funding questions. Michael Sanders will follow up with the Police Department.
  • Police Leadership Development Program: a 50 percent reduction rather than full elimination.
  • Park Rangers: Kim Shelley and Allison Rowland clarified the proposal is a reduction and rescoping, not cancellation; Puy and Young asked for information on education programming, patrol hours and which parks would be affected.
  • Food microgrants: broad support to reduce and refocus on household food growing, prioritizing fixed-income and multigenerational households.
  • Community Health Access Team (CHAT): a third team discussed with Jill Love; Young asked whether the estimate included operating and equipment costs.
  • Capital Improvement Program: possible partial cut to urban trails and a one-year deferral of the Washington Park septic project (Puy asked Shelley for data); see Capital Improvement Program.
  • Golf: the remaining $500,000 is tied to Energy Service Company (ESCO) debt, with no ongoing subsidy proposed.
  • Trees: departments asked to identify what preservation work $136,000 could accomplish.

Property tax impact schedule

Puy noted the tentative item was posted as state law requires and that the schedule is online. See Fiscal Year 2026-27 Property Tax Increase.

Sources