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2026-07-14 - City Council Formal Meeting

Summary

Built from the official minutes (approved October 6, 2026). The minutes are not a full transcript.

  • Called to order at 7:02 p.m. and adjourned at 8:06 p.m. Present: Wharton, Napier-Pearce, Carlsen (conducted the meeting), Dugan and Young. Absent: Petro and Puy (chair). Every vote was 5-0.
  • Approved minutes of five work sessions (March 3, March 24, April 7, May 12, May 19, 2026) and five formal meetings (January 13, February 17, March 10, April 7, April 21, 2026), Dugan/Wharton, 5-0.
  • Napier-Pearce thanked residents, colleagues and the Mayor's administration following the appointment to District 4.
  • Grant hearings on the Jordan River Trail TRCC grant and the Red Pine Dam safety grant: no comments; closed and referred to a future Consent Agenda (Dugan/Wharton, 5-0).
  • Jefferson Park Alleyway Closure: Ordinance 41 of 2026 adopted (Dugan/Wharton, 5-0).
  • Alley Vacation Near Warnock Avenue: hearing closed, action deferred (Napier-Pearce/Wharton, 5-0); adopted July 21.
  • Mobile Business Text Amendment: hearing closed, action deferred (Dugan/Wharton, 5-0).
  • Via Veneto Pizzarium proximity waiver: two co-owners spoke in support; hearing closed, action deferred (Wharton/Dugan, 5-0) because state law requires 30 days before action.
  • Ordinance 42 of 2026 corrected the Fiscal Year 2026-27 tax levy ordinance (Dugan/Napier-Pearce, 5-0).
  • Consent Agenda (Wharton/Dugan, 5-0): set August 11 hearings on the final budget and Truth-in-Taxation levy, set an August 18 hearing on the Sugar House special assessment area, and approved 13 board appointments and reappointments.
  • General comments covered short-term rental limits, the Parkway Avenue open space, artificial turf, and other topics below.

Public hearings

Grant applications (items B1 and B2, heard as one hearing; Sylvia Richards introduced them): the Department of Public Lands request to Salt Lake County under the Tourism, Recreation, Cultural, Convention and Airport Facilities Tax Act for the Jordan River Trail (interpretive programming, design, engineering, and up to twenty rest stop stations), and the Department of Public Utilities request to the Utah Division of Water Resources for engineering and design of Red Pine Dam upgrades (rock fill core, outlet gate, crest, slope protection). See Grant Application Hearings - Summer 2026.

Jefferson Park Alleyway Closure: Brian Fullmer introduced the ordinance closing a 16-by-275-foot alley and part of a 15-by-100-foot alley so Jefferson Park parcels can be consolidated for park improvements funded by the General Obligation Bond and Capital Improvement Project funds. Marco Stevanoni was called but not present. Council Members Young and Carlsen thanked Fullmer on his final formal meeting as a policy analyst and wished him well in retirement.

Alley Vacation Near Warnock Avenue: Fullmer introduced the vacation of a 16.5-by-80-foot alley next to 567 East Warnock Avenue and 2434 South 600 East (District 7; petitioner Jill Genessy for Gray Willow, LLC; petition PLNPCM2025-01099). No comments.

Mobile Business Text Amendment: Nick Tarbet introduced the Title 21A change to match state law limits on regulating mobile businesses. No comments.

Via Veneto Pizzarium proximity waiver: Tarbet introduced the waiver for the restaurant at 511 East 900 South across from Liberty Park (District 5). Co-owners Amy Stevanoni and Marco Stevanoni spoke in support. Wharton stated an intent to support it and noted written comments could be submitted; Tarbet said action could not come for at least 30 days. Tentative action August 18.

General comments

Speakers: Richard Oldham (200-night annual limit on short-term rentals); Ashley Moretz, Amy Stevenson, Brent Stevenson and Reza Fakhrieh (10 percent building cap and two-night minimum on short-term rentals; see Short-Term Rental Business License Ordinance); Kyra Sovronsky, Keith Carrick, Garett Beckler, Tim Valentiner and Amy Beckler (see Parkway Avenue Open Space Dispute; Young said the Council is not the primary decision maker for that property or the Rosslyn Heights artificial turf); Rhett Jeppson and Willow Jeppson (keep restrictions on artificial turf in residential areas, citing heat and odors); Cindy Cromer (nomination of the 10th East Senior Center to the National Register of Historic Places, approved locally and by the state, awaiting a federal decision); Lauren DeVoe for Cottonwood Dog Park users (closed access bridge not repaired or replaced despite prior City funding); Olive Peterson Jacoby (treatment of unhoused residents during extreme heat); Jim Webster (Miller Bird Refuge and Nature Park funding going to deferred maintenance instead of the lower pathway); Natalia Trofimov (police patrol costs for the 999 bicycle ride). Jennifer Oldham was called but Richard Oldham spoke in the time. There were no questions to the Mayor.

Unfinished business

Fiscal Year 2026-27 City Budget: Ordinance 42 of 2026 replaced Ordinance 28 to correct a technical error before the June 22 deadline. Levy of 0.003482 per dollar: 0.002374 General Fund (123,837,279 dollars ongoing), 0.000006 judgment levy (293,967 dollars one-time), 0.000626 Library Fund (32,657,748 dollars), 0.000395 General Obligation bonds (20,614,755 dollars), 0.000080 Governmental Immunity Fund (4,173,514 dollars). Moved by Dugan, seconded by Napier-Pearce; passed 5-0.

Approved 5-0 (Wharton/Dugan). Hearing dates set: final City budget adoption (August 11, 7 p.m., including the property tax increase over the certified rate; see Fiscal Year 2026-27 Property Tax Increase), Truth-in-Taxation levy hearing (August 11), and the Sugar House Business District 2027 special assessment area intention resolution (August 18; see Sugar House Business District special assessment area). Board appointments, terms ending July 14, 2029 unless noted: Community Development and Capital Improvement Programs Advisory Board (Josh Strickland, spelled both Strickland and Stickland in the minutes; My N. Helms; Jordan Moss; Brook Bryn; Robert Eccles; Michelle Roundy, listed as Mitchell Roundy in the heading); Fire Code Board of Appeals, terms ending July 14, 2030 (Gerald Strebel, Lincoln Paxman, Donald Buckley, Scott White, Mathew Sacco); reappointments to the Parks, Natural Lands, Trails, and Urban Forestry Advisory Board (Kerri Nakamura, term to 2029) and the Library Board (Sariah Toronto, term ending June 30, 2029). The July 14 work session interviewed candidates for these boards (2026-07-14 - City Council Work Session).

Sources