Mt. Pleasant reviews capital improvement projects and municipal personnel policies

By James Tilson

01-17-2019

MT. PLEASANT—The Mt. Pleasant City Council discussed future capital improvement planning and improvement to city personnel policies during its meeting last Tuesday.

Mayor Dan Anderson introduced a “discussion of Community Impact Board (CIB) capital improvements” by saying, “This is part of our new 10-year general plan, which we will be working with Utah Valley University students, and then send out to our residents for their input.”

The first item, and the highest priority, was the culinary/secondary water supply project. Anderson told the council there was a meeting scheduled for Jan. 16 with the Six County Area Operating Group, which administers the CIB grants in the six county area, to discuss the city’s CIB applications for the coming year.

Anderson said the culinary project had been applied for last year, and denied. This year the city upgraded the proposal to take into account the $15 million award for the secondary water infrastructure project, in hopes of getting a higher priority from the CIB.

Three other projects—an Aquatic Center addition, an Industrial Park addition and a city sewer upgrade—were to be listed in the two- to five-year planning projects that were not ready for immediate consideration, but to advise the CIB they were in the city’s long-term plans.

Anderson asked the council for input for any other potential projects that might be included in the long-range planning goals. Councilman Justin Atkinson said upgrading the city streets could be included, and Councilman Keith Collier agreed with him. City power department supervisor Shane Ward added the effort to switch the city’s street lights from incandescent to LED could also be considered.

Anderson then informed the council the first $440,000 of the $15 million funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture had been disbursed. The money would be used to conduct environmental impact studies, which were the first phase of the project.

Anderson then asked the council’s help in forming a committee to upgrade the city’s personnel policies. Anderson told the council the current policy handbook had been promulgated in the 1990’s, and its last revision was in 2010. Anderson wanted two councilmembers to sit on the committee, along with members from city employees, to review and suggest needed upgrades and changes.

Councilwoman Heidi Kelso and Collier were suggested as likely members, based on their expertise and training in personnel matters. Kelso reminded the council the policy handbook was quite large, and complex, and its review would take longer than expected. The council agreed the committee should take the handbook section by section for review, and also get legal review at the same time.