Salt Lake County Council s9

Committee of the Whole

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Salt Lake County Council

Committee of the Whole

~Minutes~

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

1:32:28 PM

Committee Members

Present: Jennifer Wilson

Richard Snelgrove

Jim Bradley

Arlyn Bradshaw

Michael Jensen

Aimee Winder Newton

Steven DeBry, Chair

Excused: Sam Granato

Max Burdick

Citizen Public Input

No one appeared for Citizen Public Input.

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Review of New Hires (1:32:35 PM)

Mr. Brad Kendrick, Budget & Policy Analyst, Council Office, reviewed the following proposed hires:

Agency Position

Aging and Adult Services Division Office Specialist 10 (part-time)

Ombudsman 13

Office of Regional Transportation, Housing

& Economic Development Outreach Coordinator (time-limited)

Library Services Division Library Assistant 12

Recorder’s Office Exempt Secretary

Land Records Specialist 11

Chief Deputy Recorder

Solid Waste Management Division Recycling Outreach Specialist 11

Youth Services Division Counseling Services Coordinator 12

Animal Services Division Animal Services Program Coordinator 13

Sheriff’s Office Information Services Specialist 10

3 Mental Health Therapists 15

Medical Transcriptionist 11 (part-time)

2 Jail Clerks 10

Mayor’s Office Special Projects Coordinator 13

Parks & Recreation Division Recreation Program Manager 14

Maintenance Engineer 12

Real Estate Section Real Estate Manager 17

Information Services Division Data Analyst 16

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Budget Adjustments (1:33:20 PM)

Mr. Brad Kendrick, Budget & Policy Analyst, Council Office, reviewed the following budget adjustment requests:

Sheriff’s Office

Interim budget adjustment of $4,000 to recognize a contribution from Friends for UPD K9 to go towards the purchase of a K-9 to join the Salt Lake County Jail Security Division.

Interim budget adjustment of $166,443 for three new Sheriff Deputy II positions for the Sheriff’s Home Electronic Detention (SHED) program. This will entail increasing the Jail budget and decreasing the Unified Police Department contract.

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Public Works & Municipal Services Department

Interim budget adjustment to transfer $2,013,915 of Judgment Levy funds to the metro townships, Millcreek City, and the unincorporated County for revenues that were generated in their jurisdictions.

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Flood Control Engineering Division

Interim budget adjustment of $20,000 to construct the Grit Mill Parking Lot. Funding will come from the Forest Service, and will be paid to the Utah Department of Transportation, which is managing the project.

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Election Division

Interim budget adjustment to transfer $25,000 from Contracted Labor to Personnel Temporaries to pay temporary County employees hired for the election, rather than using temporary agencies.

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District Attorney’s Office

Interim budget adjustment of $5,689 to lease a copy machine from Les Olson.

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Library Services Division

Interim budget adjustment of $140,988 to repair the Sandy and Hunter Library roofs.

Council Member Jensen, seconded by Council Member Bradshaw, moved to approve the interim budget adjustment requests, noting that approval of the interim budget adjustment request for the Sheriff’s Home Electronic Detention (SHED) program was contingent on the Fleet Board approving it, and to forward the requests to the 4:00 p.m. Council meeting for formal consideration. The motion passed unanimously. Council Member Wilson was absent for the vote.

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Utah Department of Transportation State Safety Oversight Interlocal Agreement (1:35:27 PM)

Ms. Kara Trevino, Legislative Specialist, Council Office, reviewed the interlocal agreement with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) for the State Safety Oversight (SSO) program, whereby Salt Lake County will annually pay UDOT 20 percent of the costs of the SSO activities relating to light rail within Salt Lake County from revenues collected from sales and use taxes. She stated the interlocal agreement is an outcome of S.B. 182, which was passed during the last legislative session, and which the Council unanimously supported.

Ms. Linda Hull, Director of Policy and Legislative Services, Utah Department of Transportation, stated federal law requires an independent entity to provide safety oversight of certain types of fixed guideway rail systems, such as the TRAX light rail. UDOT has been providing that service to the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) since 1998, and UTA paid for those costs. However, in 2012, Congress adopted a bill that changed the program, and one of the requirements was that the entity being overseen could not pay for the oversight. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) adopted regulations that spelled out all the details of what the independent entity had to do for the SSO program, which was to review, approve, oversee, and enforce the safety rail plan; and investigate and enforce provisions regarding the plan. UDOT needed statutory authority to be designated as the independent entity to provide that service, and worked with Kara Trevino and other County staff on a bill.

The Federal Government will provide 80 percent of the oversight costs, but the other 20 percent has to come from another entity. UDOT cannot pay for the match because statute does not allow it to use its highway funds for a transit purpose, but the bill will allow the County to pay that match. Ordinarily, the State Tax Commission directs 100 percent of the County’s local option transportation tax to UTA to be used for transit in Salt Lake County. This bill would direct a portion of it to UDOT for the SSO program, and that would satisfy the federal requirements. It would not affect the County because the County’s tax is already being used for transit. The amount that would go to UDOT for the SSO program, instead of UTA, would be about $130,000 a year. So every year, UDOT will develop the SSO plan and submit it to the FTA for approval. Once the FTA approves it, UDOT will tell the County what it anticipates its level of activities to be for that year, which again, should cost about $130,000 a year. Then by December 31st, the County would advise the Tax Commission and State Treasurer to go ahead and remit that amount out of the County’s funds directly to UDOT for the SSO activities. As part of the agreement with the County, UDOT will provide a report of the SSO activities and an accounting of County funds to the Council, either in person or in writing.

Council Member Jensen, seconded by Council Member Bradley, moved to approve the resolution and forward it to the 4:00 p.m. Council meeting for formal consideration. The motion passed unanimously.

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Economic Development Corporation of Utah (1:41:50 PM)

Ms. Theresa Foxley, President and CEO, Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCU), delivered a PowerPoint presentation on the history of EDCU, its stakeholders, and its leadership. EDCU was created 30 years ago to help diversify the state’s economy by marketing Utah as an investment destination outside of the state’s borders. EDCU is a private non-profit membership-based corporation, funded through private and public sector partners and the state of Utah. It performs corporate recruitment project management, lead generation and business development, economic research and reporting, site selector marketing, and product development services.

Some of the changes that have been made at EDCU in the past five months include putting additional resources into the research team to be able to put out better content and improve the organization through survey work. Also, the research and marketing teams were united and are led by an individual with significant data analytical skills, rather than by someone with marketing competencies. EDCU also created a public development department, and is creating a public development toolkit designed to support local public sector members through research and analysis, strategic planning, marketing, education, and training. This department is staffed with individuals with formal training in planning.

EDCU has no formal relationship with the County, but desires to be a resource for the County’s strategic objectives, and is exploring a formal relationship with its Office of Regional Transportation, Housing & Economic Development.

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Green Waste Debagging Fee (1:49:52 PM)

During the July 11, 2017, Committee of the Whole meeting the Council made a motion to table this matter until late August, and asked the attorneys to review the ordinance.

The Council reviewed a resolution adopting a Green Waste Debagging Fee of $28 per ton for bagged green waste at the landfill.

Mr. Scott Baird, Director, Public Works & Municipal Services Department, stated the Wasatch Front Waste & Recycling District has been debagging the leaves in order to compost them; however, there is a cost to debag these leaves. The district used to have its own employees come onsite to do the debagging, but that has been discontinued for liability reasons. The County has picked up the cost of the debagging. The cost for unbagged green waste is $16 per ton. It costs an extra $28 per ton to debag the leaves. This resolution allows the district to charge the extra $28 per ton to debag leaves.

Council Member Wilson moved to approve the resolution and forward it to the 4:00 p.m. Council meeting for formal consideration.

Council Member Bradley stated during the July 11, 2017, Committee of the Whole meeting the Council discussed the use of biodegradable bags. He asked if the district had looked into this.

Ms. Pam Roberts, Executive Director, Wasatch Front Waste & Recycling District, stated yes, but biodegradable bags cost about three times more than plastic bags. It costs the district $18,500 for plastic bags. If biodegradable bags were given out, it would cost $53,000. It costs the district $30,000 to $40,000 a year to debag the leaves.

Council Member Jensen stated it sends the wrong message to charge the debagging fee. People could just put leaves in the regular trash cans, and not recycle them.

Council Member Bradley stated the County cannot force the district to hand out biodegradable bags even if the costs are the same. Biodegradable bags work for the environment. The district could have a policy that it no longer picks up plastic bags filled with leaves. That is one way to get people to change.

Council Member DeBry stated Salt Lake City has issued individual cans for green waste. He asked if the County had looked into this option.

Ms. Roberts stated it comes down to cost.

Ms. Ashlee Yoder, Sustainability Manager, Solid Waste Management Facility, stated the facility is very interested in biodegradable bags and is in the process of looking into a product like that.

Council Member DeBry asked if the Solid Waste Management Facility had looked at other facilities to determine best practices.

Ms. Yoder stated yes. Every facility is different depending on how the leaves come in. A lot of facilities do not compost leaves. The County’s facility composts its leaves because it considers that to be the highest and best use.

Council Member Wilson, seconded by Council Member Snelgrove, moved to approve the resolution and forward it to the 4:00 p.m. Council meeting for formal consideration.

Council Member Jensen asked who the Council representatives were on the Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling District Board and on the Landfill Council.

Council Members Bradley and Wilson indicated they were on the Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling Board. Mr. Baird indicated he and Dorothy Adams, Salt Lake County Health Department, represent the County on the Landfill Council.

Council Member Bradshaw asked if the legislative intent could have a time frame to report back to the Council. He suggested that in 10 months, the Council be given an update on whether it can be implemented in the fall of 2018.

Ms. Yoder stated the Solid Waste Management Facility is in the process of piloting a couple of different ideas and would be on board to use biodegradable bags as another pilot.

Council Member Wilson, seconded by Council Member Snelgrove, moved to approve the resolution and forward it to the 4:00 p.m. Council meeting for formal consideration. Council Member Jensen amended the motion to add legislative intent asking the County’s representatives on the Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling District Board and the Landfill Council to look into the use of biodegradable bags and report back to the Council. Council Member Bradshaw added legislative intent that in 10 months the Council be given an update whether the use of biodegradable bags can be implemented in the fall of 2018. Council Member Wilson accepted the amendments. The motion passed unanimously.

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Opioid Task Force (2:13:08 PM)

The Council reviewed the request to create a task force to discuss issues relating to the opioid crisis.

Council Member DeBry stated the opioid crisis affects everybody. It is devastating. Every two-and-a half weeks, more people die from accidental opioid overdose than the totality of the people lost during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The Council needs to do everything it can to address this issue.

Council Member Wilson stated within Salt Lake County government, there are many different departments/divisions/elected offices involved with this issue. The idea is to bring everyone together by creating a task force. The task force would meet monthly to discuss issues relating to this crisis. It would look for additional revenue and opportunities and would be a catalyst for change. She asked that anyone interested in joining this task force contact her or her Senior Policy Advisor, Weston Clark.

Sheriff Rosie Rivera stated the Sheriff’s Office is committed to this issue and in doing whatever it can to help. She would assign Lieutenant Randy Thomas to this task force.

Mr. Tim Whalen, Director, Behavior Health Services Division, stated his office is committed to this as well. Recently, he was asked by the State to present an overview of how money allocated to the County was used to help with the opioid crisis. He would be willing to present this overview to the task force.