Murray Council rejects boundary adjustment, approves tentative budget, appoints finance director
May 31, 2017 05:14PM ● By Travis Barton
Mayor Ted Eyre presents his and the city’s tentative budget plan for the 2017-18 fiscal year at the May 2 city council meeting with his wife behind him. (Mandy Ditto/City Journals)
By Mandy Ditto | [email protected]
Murray City Council rejected a resolution to made a boundary adjustment, which would have given a piece of city land to Midvale City, in the April 18 council meeting. The council also approved the further review of the mayor’s tentative 2017-2018 budget plan in the following meeting May 2.
The council had been brought the possibility of a boundary change with Midvale in a February council meeting, when property owner Garbett Homes brought the issue forward. The reason for the potential change was due to the need of sewage management for the more than 120 homes Garbett planned to build on a property at approximately Winchester Street and 700 West. If the property belonged to Midvale city, the sewage pipes could be working into the city’s system.
“Public Services had concerns related to the sewage on this property and being able to facilitate the removal of sewage in this area,” said Tim Tingey, director of Administrative and Development Services in the April meeting.
There is little that public services can do about complaints that come in about lift stations — which help to pump sewage from lower to higher elevation when gravity cannot — in the city, and no other stations are as close to a dense residential area as this one would be, Hill said.
“The reason we do not want to accept another lift station — we currently have three — is not so much the money that is required, though there is cost to operate stations…has to do with the noises and smells that are generated by lift stations,” said Doug Hill, Murray Public Services director. “The question we have been concerned about is where this lift station will be located, it will be in the middle of a residential area.”
Public Services commissioned a study to be done and alternate options were found to deal with the sewage, which is something the city is keeping in mind for the developing land, he said.
“The planning commission outlined a number of things…they talked about the ongoing costs of a lift station and didn’t want the economic interests to be the highest priority related to jurisdictional loss of these lands,” Tingey said. “They also were concerned about the loss of land use control and encouraged the council to look at other options before the decision was made.”
The planning commission unanimously recommended denial of the boundary adjustment by the council, Tingey said.
Garbett Homes representative Jacob Ballstaedt reminded the council and audience that they had offered to build and fund the sewer station for Murray and been rejected, and had come to the conclusion that connecting sewer lines on the property to Midvale’s sewer lines just south of the property was the best option for them.
Options for development on the land include a boundary adjustment to sewer the property to Midvale, fund the building of Murray-run lift station, or try and run 2,500 feet of sewer pipe on the property, “which, at this time, is wishful thinking,” Ballstaedt said. “I want to present the council with the realities and issues. Our desire is not to go to Midvale, we bought this property in Murray, we like Murray for all the same reason residents do…but the situation we’re in is that it’s not developable.”
Several Murray residents and representatives spoke at the meeting about their desire to have the city find a solution that would make sure that the property can be developed and maintained and to keep the residents in Murray boundaries and schools.
Council members also shared concerns about the annexation, mostly in regards to the possibility of zone changes to higher density if moved to Midvale, as well as the concerns that current residents have about leaving Murray and the loss of a property developer in the city. The council unanimously denied the resolution to annex the land to Midvale.
In the following meeting, May 2, Mayor Ted Eyre presented his tentative budget plan for fiscal year 2017-2018, and the council approved the plan for review by the Budget and Finance Committee of the Murray City Municipal Council.
“I have been honored to serve in this position for the last three and a half years. I am proud of how we have all worked together to ensure that Murray remains a city without equal. I hope the residents will be proud of how we have prioritized their funds for a balanced budget in the upcoming 2017-2018 fiscal year,” Eyre said.
Eyre also sought approval for a resolution to appoint a new city finance director, which was approved. Danyce Steck will take the place of Justin Zollinger, who was awarded a certificate of achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Zollinger accepted an employment offer at the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility.
“I appreciate the appointment and the support that the council and mayor have given me so far, and I look forward to working with all of you at the city,” Steck said.
May 21 to 27 was designated as Emergency Medical Services Week, Bunny Ankney was presented with the Murray Heritage Award and Brandon Hoyne was sworn in as a new Murray City Police Officer.
Murray City Council rejected a resolution to made a boundary adjustment, which would have given a piece of city land to Midvale City, in the April 18 council meeting. The council also approved the further review of the mayor’s tentative 2017-2018 budget plan in the following meeting May 2.
The council had been brought the possibility of a boundary change with Midvale in a February council meeting, when property owner Garbett Homes brought the issue forward. The reason for the potential change was due to the need of sewage management for the more than 120 homes Garbett planned to build on a property at approximately Winchester Street and 700 West. If the property belonged to Midvale city, the sewage pipes could be working into the city’s system.
“Public Services had concerns related to the sewage on this property and being able to facilitate the removal of sewage in this area,” said Tim Tingey, director of Administrative and Development Services in the April meeting.
There is little that public services can do about complaints that come in about lift stations — which help to pump sewage from lower to higher elevation when gravity cannot — in the city, and no other stations are as close to a dense residential area as this one would be, Hill said.
“The reason we do not want to accept another lift station — we currently have three — is not so much the money that is required, though there is cost to operate stations…has to do with the noises and smells that are generated by lift stations,” said Doug Hill, Murray Public Services director. “The question we have been concerned about is where this lift station will be located, it will be in the middle of a residential area.”
Public Services commissioned a study to be done and alternate options were found to deal with the sewage, which is something the city is keeping in mind for the developing land, he said.
“The planning commission outlined a number of things…they talked about the ongoing costs of a lift station and didn’t want the economic interests to be the highest priority related to jurisdictional loss of these lands,” Tingey said. “They also were concerned about the loss of land use control and encouraged the council to look at other options before the decision was made.”
The planning commission unanimously recommended denial of the boundary adjustment by the council, Tingey said.
Garbett Homes representative Jacob Ballstaedt reminded the council and audience that they had offered to build and fund the sewer station for Murray and been rejected, and had come to the conclusion that connecting sewer lines on the property to Midvale’s sewer lines just south of the property was the best option for them.
Options for development on the land include a boundary adjustment to sewer the property to Midvale, fund the building of Murray-run lift station, or try and run 2,500 feet of sewer pipe on the property, “which, at this time, is wishful thinking,” Ballstaedt said. “I want to present the council with the realities and issues. Our desire is not to go to Midvale, we bought this property in Murray, we like Murray for all the same reason residents do…but the situation we’re in is that it’s not developable.”
Several Murray residents and representatives spoke at the meeting about their desire to have the city find a solution that would make sure that the property can be developed and maintained and to keep the residents in Murray boundaries and schools.
Council members also shared concerns about the annexation, mostly in regards to the possibility of zone changes to higher density if moved to Midvale, as well as the concerns that current residents have about leaving Murray and the loss of a property developer in the city. The council unanimously denied the resolution to annex the land to Midvale.
In the following meeting, May 2, Mayor Ted Eyre presented his tentative budget plan for fiscal year 2017-2018, and the council approved the plan for review by the Budget and Finance Committee of the Murray City Municipal Council.
“I have been honored to serve in this position for the last three and a half years. I am proud of how we have all worked together to ensure that Murray remains a city without equal. I hope the residents will be proud of how we have prioritized their funds for a balanced budget in the upcoming 2017-2018 fiscal year,” Eyre said.
Eyre also sought approval for a resolution to appoint a new city finance director, which was approved. Danyce Steck will take the place of Justin Zollinger, who was awarded a certificate of achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Zollinger accepted an employment offer at the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility.
“I appreciate the appointment and the support that the council and mayor have given me so far, and I look forward to working with all of you at the city,” Steck said.
May 21 to 27 was designated as Emergency Medical Services Week, Bunny Ankney was presented with the Murray Heritage Award and Brandon Hoyne was sworn in as a new Murray City Police Officer.
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