Mt. Pleasant Council celebrates cheer team

MT. PLEASANT—The Mt. Pleasant City Council opened its Feb. 10 meeting with a celebration, recognizing the North Sanpete High School Cheer Team for their state championship win.

Mayor Mike Olsen invited the full team, along with coaches and advisors, to the front of the room to celebrate with the council.

“As a city, we would like to thank you for your leadership, for your skills, for your activities, and for being an example to all the community,” Olsen said. The team capped off the moment by performing a cheer before heading out to applause.

The evening shifted from celebration to concern during public participation time, when a community member brought up damage to pioneer-era headstones at the Mt. Pleasant cemetery.

He said he and his wife had noticed many of the older stones knocked over, broken, or shifted off their bases while walking through the grounds. “It’s really kind of sad to see it,” he said.

Colter Allen, public works director, may have identified the culprit. He told the council he’d noticed cow manure scattered throughout the cemetery earlier that week, including on headstones.

“I think we may have had cows in the cemetery,” Allen said. Council members agreed that cattle rubbing against fragile, aging stones could explain the damage.

The same attendee also reported that cemetery bathrooms had been locked during at least two recent funeral services. Allen said he would remind the on-call crews, noting they’re likely just forgetting to open them.

Another attendee said she had offered to connect the city with a state preservation expert who specializes in historic headstones and would come at no charge.

The council also spent significant time on a proposed sidewalk inspection and maintenance policy. Brittany Adams, a city staff member, presented a detailed framework based on standards from the National Public Works Association, which align with ADA requirements.

The policy would categorize sidewalk deficiencies by type (cracks, lifts, gaps, missing sections, tree root damage, and others) and establish inspection and repair protocols.

A key recommendation from the Utah Local Governments Trust was to mark identified hazards with yellow safety paint to demonstrate the city’s awareness and intent to address problems.

Mayor Olsen expressed reservations. Given the volume of deficiencies across the city, he worried the result would be sidewalks painted almost entirely yellow, which could itself create slipping hazards when wet.

“Our sidewalk program is kind of a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget,” Colter Allen said.

Councilman Rhondy Black urged a simpler starting point. “This year we’re going after the big dogs (in terms of sidewalk improvements). And don’t even mention anything else yet.”

The council also worked through confusion in the city code about who is responsible for sidewalk maintenance along State Street, where a strip of land between the sidewalk and the back of the curb falls into a gray area between property owner, city, and state responsibility. Adams said she would revise the language for clarity.

The council voted unanimously to postpone Resolution 2026-2 on the sidewalk policy to allow for revisions.

In other business, Shane Ward, Mt. Pleasant power superintendent, updated the council on changes to the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems pooling agreement, which hasn’t been revised in roughly 15 to 20 years.

Ward said the overhaul is driven largely by an Energy Day Ahead Market (known as EDAM) coming online in May. The market facilitates sale and purchase of wholesale paper one day before the day the power will be used.

PacifiCorp, parent company of Rocky Mountain Power, was one of the first utilities to sign an implementation agreement to participate in the EDAM. The move affects UAMPS because the association uses Rocky Mountain Power transmission lines to deliver its power.

UAMPS has spent close to $4 million preparing for the transition, including hiring outside consultants and new staff. Ward said member cities will still be able to choose which UAMPS projects to participate in rather than being required to go all-in.

He asked the council to review the restated agreement and have the city attorney examine it ahead of an April approval deadline. Resolution 2026-3 on the power supply agreement was also postponed.