OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Riverton City Council Meeting - April 7, 2026: Budget Discussions, Water Rates, Rezones, and Legislative Reports

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, April 7, 2026
BodyRiverton, Utah
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, April 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:26:22

Transcript — Verbatim
1:57

Yeah, we're having some issues.

2:11

I've got the microphone off on Zoom.

2:19

Yeah, I've got this speaker.

2:26

Um I turn the speaker on speed, but I don't know if you can't tell.

2:40

Yeah, okay.

3:06

And you cannot be starting it right now.

3:12

Nobody's talking.

3:14

Andy, can you hear me now?

3:16

I can hear you perfectly.

3:18

Uh love it.

3:21

Chris, can you hear us?

3:23

I can, loud and clear.

3:25

Okay.

3:26

So we just need to get Chris's screen now and we can maybe get going.

3:32

Yeah, would you like me to start presenting here?

3:38

He's not on now.

3:42

All right.

3:43

Okay, sir.

3:44

Chris.

3:46

Yeah, first.

3:49

Oh, let me let me introduce you a little bit.

3:51

Chris uh is uh presentation on place for the eye, which is any and a name.

3:59

All right, well, let me know when I should start my screen and I can begin whenever you all are ready.

4:16

Okay.

4:17

Now we're ready.

4:18

Thanks, Chris.

4:19

I'll just introduce you briefly.

4:21

Um the city staff uh saw a presentation from Chris and Cheryl Garn has used his tool a little bit over the past year.

4:30

Um and he will get into a great deal more detail, but the reason I want the council to really see it is because I believe that there are some um this tool would allow us the ability perhaps to look at some of our parks to see the amount of usage they're getting um and whether we're putting the right amenities into all of our parks.

4:49

So Chris, Chris, please go ahead with what you have.

4:52

Yeah, well, nice to meet all you.

4:54

Thanks for allowing me the time.

4:55

Um I'm Chris.

4:56

I own the Utah market here at Placer, specifically in our civic vertical.

5:00

So I work with around 40 communities across Utah who use Placer today, a lot of which are your neighbors, but my whole goal is to educate you on what Placer is, some of the use cases, and go from there.

5:12

But I'll share my screen.

5:15

Let me know when you all can see a map of the United States.

5:18

That'll just be my cue to get started.

5:21

We can see it.

5:22

All right.

5:23

Well, before I jump into the data and really give you a look at what Placer looks like, let me give you a background on what we do.

5:31

So the easiest way to think about Placer is we are a location analytics company powered by mobile data.

5:38

Really, what we do here is we study the locations of millions of cell phones all across the United States, and we use the location data from those phones to understand visits to any place.

5:50

So right now we study about 30 million phones across the United States.

5:55

That's about 10% of the US population.

5:58

And think of it as like any other survey.

6:00

At that sample size, we can actually estimate visits to a degree of about 93 to 98% accuracy to any place in the United States.

6:09

So think of Riverton.

6:10

We can look at any retailer, restaurant, shopping center, neighborhood, road street, highway, park, event, any place, just look it up like you would in Google Maps, and we'll help you start to understand the visits, the visitors, and all that good stuff.

6:23

Now, the way we get this data is through mobile apps.

6:27

So Placer partners with apps that people download on their phones.

6:32

We only partner with apps where they have a strict opt-in opt-out for their consumers, right?

6:38

So I'm sure you all have downloaded an app before and it prompts you to share your location service with that app, either always, never, or sometimes.

6:45

Well, if someone downloads an app that Placer partners with and they opt in to share their location service with that app, that app then sends Placer location coordinates of the device itself.

6:57

Now the clear thing here is we're privacy first.

7:00

The only data that these apps send us are Latin long coordinates of the device, right?

7:05

Anything that's personal, that's like name, gender, mobile ID, phone number, area code, anything that can be used to be tied back to the individual person holding the phone, that is scraped by the apps before it's sent Placer, right?

7:19

So we're privacy first, we work with over 2,000 communities across the United States.

7:25

None of the data that we provide can be tied back to a specific individual, right?

7:31

And about us as a company, I mean, we're not a small shop, we work with around 5,000 customers, many folks in Utah, but to help you start to understand how cities like Riverton use Placer, right?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████20%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████14%
Land Use Regulation██████████████14%
Procedural█████████9%
Technology and Innovation████████8%
Parks and Recreation██████6%
Impact Fees██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Transportation Safety████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Riverton City Council Meeting - April 7, 2026

The Riverton City Council met on April 7, 2026, in a hybrid format for a work session (4:00 PM to 6:12 PM) and a regular council meeting (7:00 PM to 8:50 PM, followed by a closed session). The work session focused on a Placer AI data analytics presentation, a detailed budget study session on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and long-range plans, and a discussion on culinary water rates. The council meeting included public comment on the city's 287(g) ICE agreement, public hearings on two rezones (Moore Rezone and Quinn Rezone), legislative reports from state representatives, and approval of the consent agenda with one item removed. Key outcomes included adoption of a lower base rate increase for water (Option 1) and unanimous approval of both rezoning ordinances.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the Consent Agenda (Minute Approvals for March 3 and March 17, 2026; Resolution No. 26-13 for Planning Commission reappointments) with the removal of Resolution No. 26-12 (Hazard Mitigation Plan) due to incomplete attachments, to be presented at a future meeting. Motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Summer Joseph (Bluffdale resident) voiced opposition to the city's continued cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), urging the council to end all agreements. She expressed frustration with the city's silence on the issue.
  • Mr. Mobley (Riverton resident) expressed support for maintaining the 287(g) agreement, arguing that illegal entry is a federal crime and that the program helps enforce federal law. He urged the council to reject sanctuary city policies.
  • Ashley Mobley (Riverton resident, adjacent to the Moore Rezone property) stated she initially opposed the Moore Rezone but after discussions and revisions, now views it as a reasonable compromise and supports the project.
  • Mr. Mobley (same speaker as above, also spoke on the Moore Rezone) stated that after reviewing city regulations and the revised plan, he believes it represents an appropriate compromise and supports approval.

Discussion Items

  • Placer AI Presentation (Work Session): Chris Van Ribbink demonstrated Placer AI, a location analytics tool using mobile data to estimate park usage, visitor origins, and demographics, with up to seven years of historical data. The tool costs approximately $20,000 per year for a 12-month subscription with unlimited licenses. Council members asked about data accuracy, extrapolation methods, and pricing. Staff noted the tool could help evaluate park amenities and event attendance.
  • Budget Study Session on CIP and Long Range Plan (Work Session): Nick Geer, Administrative Services Director, presented the 10-year Capital Improvement Plan, highlighting $55.8 million in identified projects (2028-2035). He discussed impact fee limitations, the general capital improvement fund deficit (projected $800,000 in the hole), and proposed rate structures for secondary water, sanitation, and culinary water. Council members debated which projects to defer, including the skate park, pump track, rodeo grounds additions, and playground replacements. The mayor and city manager will incorporate feedback into a balanced tentative budget.
  • Water Rates Discussion (Work Session): The council debated four options for culinary water rate increases, all designed to generate equivalent revenue but with different allocations between base rates and usage tiers. Councilmembers Smith, Johnson, and Pierucci supported a lower base rate increase ($8, Option 1), emphasizing affordability and conservation incentives. Councilmember McDougal favored a higher base rate (up to $15), arguing it provides stability and avoids repeated future increases. After discussion, the council voted 3-2 to adopt Option 1 ($8 base rate increase).
  • Public Hearing - Moore Rezone (Ordinance 26-05): The council held a public hearing on a proposal to rezone 1.45 acres at the NE corner of 13200 S & Redwood Road from RR-22 to RM-6 (single-family detached, up to 6 units per acre). The applicant, Tanner Webster, explained the plan was revised from 28 apartments to 15 townhomes, then to 8 single-family homes after neighbor feedback. The Planning Commission recommended approval. The council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance.
  • Quinn Rezone (Ordinance 26-03): The council discussed an alternative to the original request to rezone 0.97 acres at 1980 West 13400 South to R-4. The alternative, supported by the applicant, rezones only the southern portion adjacent to 13400 South to R-4 while leaving the northern portion R-3, consistent with surrounding development. The council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance with this split zoning.
  • Water Shortage Management Plan (Resolution 26-15): This item was continued to a future meeting due to incomplete documentation.
  • Legislative Reports: Representatives Tracy Miller and Mark Strong provided updates on recent legislative session affecting local governments, including bills on accessory dwelling units, infrastructure financing, truth-in-taxation procedures, e-bike regulations, and property sales. Councilmember McDougal expressed concerns about state overreach on housing density and local control.

Key Outcomes

  • Water Rates: Motion to adopt Option 1 (lower base rate increase of $8) passed 3-2 (Haymond-No, Johnson-Yes, McDougal-No, Pierucci-Yes, Smith-Yes).
  • Moore Rezone (Ordinance 26-05): Motion passed unanimously to adopt the ordinance, rezoning 1.45 acres to RM-6 and amending the General Plan to medium-high density residential.
  • Quinn Rezone (Ordinance 26-03): Motion passed unanimously to adopt the ordinance, rezoning a portion of the property to R-4 with a split zoning approach, as described in the motion.
  • Consent Agenda: Approved with removal of Resolution 26-12 (Hazard Mitigation Plan), to be brought back later. Motion passed unanimously.
  • Closed Session: The council convened in closed session at 8:22 PM to discuss the sale, purchase, exchange, or lease of real property, including water rights. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 PM.
  • Budget Direction: Staff will incorporate council feedback to prepare a balanced tentative budget, with further discussions planned for the next council meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Yeah, we're having some issues. I've got the microphone off on Zoom. Yeah, I've got this speaker. Um I turn the speaker on speed, but I don't know if you can't tell. Yeah, okay. And you cannot be starting it right now. Nobody's talking. Andy, can you hear me now? I can hear you perfectly. Uh love it. Chris, can you hear us? I can, loud and clear. Okay. So we just need to get Chris's screen now and we can maybe get going. Yeah, would you like me to start presenting here? He's not on now. All right. Okay, sir. Chris. Yeah, first. Oh, let me let me introduce you a little bit. Chris uh is uh presentation on place for the eye, which is any and a name. All right, well, let me know when I should start my screen and I can begin whenever you all are ready. Okay. Now we're ready. Thanks, Chris. I'll just introduce you briefly. Um the city staff uh saw a presentation from Chris and Cheryl Garn has used his tool a little bit over the past year. Um and he will get into a great deal more detail, but the reason I want the council to really see it is because I believe that there are some um this tool would allow us the ability perhaps to look at some of our parks to see the amount of usage they're getting um and whether we're putting the right amenities into all of our parks. So Chris, Chris, please go ahead with what you have. Yeah, well, nice to meet all you. Thanks for allowing me the time. Um I'm Chris. I own the Utah market here at Placer, specifically in our civic vertical. So I work with around 40 communities across Utah who use Placer today, a lot of which are your neighbors, but my whole goal is to educate you on what Placer is, some of the use cases, and go from there. But I'll share my screen. Let me know when you all can see a map of the United States. That'll just be my cue to get started. We can see it. All right. Well, before I jump into the data and really give you a look at what Placer looks like, let me give you a background on what we do. So the easiest way to think about Placer is we are a location analytics company powered by mobile data. Really, what we do here is we study the locations of millions of cell phones all across the United States, and we use the location data from those phones to understand visits to any place. So right now we study about 30 million phones across the United States. That's about 10% of the US population. And think of it as like any other survey. At that sample size, we can actually estimate visits to a degree of about 93 to 98% accuracy to any place in the United States. So think of Riverton. We can look at any retailer, restaurant, shopping center, neighborhood, road street, highway, park, event, any place, just look it up like you would in Google Maps, and we'll help you start to understand the visits, the visitors, and all that good stuff. Now, the way we get this data is through mobile apps.

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