Riverton City Council Meeting Summary - May 5, 2026
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Riverton City Council Meeting Summary - May 5, 2026
On May 5, 2026, the Riverton City Council held a work session from 4:06 PM to 5:34 PM and a regular council meeting from 7:00 PM to 8:49 PM. Councilmember Troy McDougal was excused. The meeting covered drone delivery partnerships, the FY 2026-2027 tentative budget, EV charging stations, citizen concerns about traffic safety and door-to-door solicitors, and multiple resolutions and ordinances.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes of April 21, 2026. Set public hearing dates for the tentative budget (May 19 and June 2, 2026), municipal fee schedule (June 2, 2026), compensation for elective/statutory officers (June 2, 2026), compensation for executive officers and city attorney (June 2, 2026), and final amended budget (June 16, 2026).
- Approved Resolution No. 26-18 (cooperative agreement with Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands), Resolution No. 26-20 (interlocal agreement with Salt Lake County for skate park design funding of $18,261), Resolution No. 26-21 (amending cemetery regulations), and Resolution No. 26-22 (franchise agreement with Emery Telcom).
- Items 15.c (Resolution No. 26-17 – Historic Preservation Commission appointments) and 15.h (Resolution No. 26-23 – renaming four parks) were removed from the consent agenda and approved separately unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jennifer Preece (speaking for neighbors) expressed strong support for permanent traffic calming measures on 3200 West, arguing that speed bumps are effective and that the city's opposition is unfounded. She urged action before a serious accident occurs.
- Natalie Palmer (Riverton resident) raised safety concerns about speeding and reckless driving on 3200 West, stating it is unsafe for pedestrians, bicyclists, and children. She urged permanent traffic calming measures.
- Amy Nicholson (53-year resident) described an incident where an unlicensed door-to-door salesman entered her fenced yard despite warning signs, leading to her dogs jumping on him. She was sued by the city (case later dismissed) and expressed frustration that the city did not protect her despite her following police recommendations. She urged stronger protections and enforcement for door-to-door solicitors.
- Dave Hogge (resident since 1979, Amy's father) praised city staff and police for their investigation but criticized breakdowns in communication between the city, legal counsel, and prosecutors that led to delays and confusion in the solicitor case. He argued that enforcement of city codes should be clearer and more consistent.
- Dustin Palmer (Riverton resident) described the 0.4-mile stretch of 3200 West as longer than a drag strip, with frequent speeding and stop sign violations. He urged permanent traffic calming measures.
- Summer Joos (Bluffdale resident) expressed opposition to ICE involvement in Riverton, arguing that ICE disproportionately targets non-citizens and people of color. She urged the city to sever any affiliation with ICE.
- Kevin Nay (Riverton resident) expressed serious safety concerns about speeding and stop sign violations on 3200 West, noting that the road is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. He urged stronger traffic calming measures.
Presentations
- Wing & Walmart Drone Delivery: Kendal Prosack (Wing) and Lisa Nelson (Walmart) presented a partnership to launch drone delivery in Riverton, the first in Utah. The drones deliver packages under 5 pounds within 30 minutes, operating from a Walmart parking lot with a 6-mile round-trip range. The system uses automated flight, no live cameras, and average noise of 43 dB cruising and 62.6 dB during delivery. The city expressed support, and staff suggested treating initial installation as a temporary use permit.
- Riverton Choice Awards for Excellence in Education: Recognized students and teachers from Riverton Elementary (Ashlee Urry, Austin Clark, Hailey Brey) and Rosamond Elementary (Heike Klenk, Wyatt Christensen, Penelope Henline).
- Historic Preservation Commission: Mayor Buroker introduced new commission members (Bill Applegarth, Kim Reynoldsba, Jen Priest, Rick Bills, Brenda Newman) and presented historical home plaques to four families: Boyd and Andrea Palmer (1952 home), Noah and Mallory Dixon (1956 home), David and Carol Sieverts (1971 home), and Matthew and Shelley Sieverts (1900 home).
- South Valley Chamber: Jay Francis presented the 2025 report, highlighting 15 ribbon cuttings in Riverton, 27 leadership graduates, 14 business accelerator graduates, and over 1,200 attendees at women in business events. He emphasized the chamber's role as a partnership with the city.
- Unified Fire Authority: Fire Marshal Wade Watkins reported first-quarter 2026 emergency response data: 521 total incidents, 63 emergent medical calls (12%), average response time 7.48 minutes (dispatch to arrival). Common EMS calls were falls, breathing issues, and sick-person calls. The department completed 493 inspections on a two-year cycle. He also noted that fireworks restrictions will be published June 1. Councilmember Pierucci expressed concern about response times given growth; Fire Marshal Watkins acknowledged that new travel corridors like Old Liberty Way have improved access.
Discussion Items
- Budget Study Session: Nick Geer (Administrative Services Director) reported that sales tax revenue is up 1.5% over last year, but growth is slowing compared to previous double-digit increases. The tentative budget was adopted as an interim step; public hearings will be held May 19 and June 2, with final adoption on June 2. Councilmembers requested that detailed line-item data remain available alongside the new simplified budget for transparency.
- EV Stations Discussion: Kevin Hicks (City Manager) presented a $385,000 federal grant for EV charging stations, with a city match of about 8% (approximately $10,000 for two stations). Eight cities in the valley have public charging stations, but Riverton has none. Councilmembers expressed differing views: Councilmember Haymond opposed using taxpayer funds for amenities that private businesses could provide, while Councilmember Pierucci and Johnson supported proceeding, citing strategic priorities, potential fleet use, and regional relationships. Councilmember Smith was on the fence but emphasized the need to charge users to recover costs. The council ultimately directed staff to proceed, with the condition that the city charge for electricity and explore adding EVs to the city fleet.
- Water Conservation Element (Ordinance No. 26-08): Jason Lethbridge (Development Services Director) explained that this was a procedural correction to incorporate two previously approved documents into the general plan as required by state code. No substantive changes were made. A public hearing was held with no public comments; the ordinance passed unanimously.
- Water Shortage Management Plan (Resolution No. 26-15): Cary Necaise (Public Works Director) explained that the plan aligns with Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District's Level Two standards but gives the city flexibility to adopt stricter measures. The plan was revised to clarify council approval for drought mitigation changes. Passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved with the removal of items 15.c and 15.h. Both removed items were later approved separately unanimously.
- Tentative Budget (Resolution No. 26-19): Unanimously adopted. The final budget will be considered after public hearings on May 19 and June 2, 2026.
- Water Conservation Element (Ordinance No. 26-08): Unanimously approved after a public hearing with no comments.
- Water Shortage Management Plan (Resolution No. 26-15): Unanimously approved. The plan allows the city to implement voluntary or mandatory water restrictions beyond Jordan Valley's standards.
- EV Stations: Staff directed to proceed with the grant project, with charging fees to recover operational costs and consideration of adding EVs to the city fleet.
- Traffic Safety on 3200 West: Multiple residents urged permanent traffic calming measures. The city has a traffic team process to review concerns, and council acknowledged the issue but took no immediate action.
- Door-to-Door Solicitor Concerns: Residents expressed frustration with the city's handling of unlicensed solicitors and legal liability. The council heard the comments but took no specific action.
Meeting Transcript
So we have four months. Okay. And we also have Lisa Nelson and Walmart who's connected in George. Okay. We will. I think we'll tell you what we looked at. You can sing along. Maybe not. Is this also? Oh, it was the same. We were we were all saying about it. I can send the email out of the works in the tweet where I'll be key on it. I don't know which one of you guys didn't think it's involved. So I'm not even saying it's over here, like someone. Yeah, you're gonna have to read some questions. Okay. Just make my life easier. Thank you. Okay. Okay, it appears that we are ready to start. So we will start with our work session. Um Councilmember Troy McDougal will not be here for the entire evening evening. He's asked to be excused. And I believe Councilmember Heymond is on his way. So we will start with a presentation that I'm really looking forward to from Wing and Walmart drone delivery. Kendall. Hello, good afternoon. Thank you so much for having us today. Um I'm not sure if Lisa Nelson from Walmart's dialed in, but I'm representing Wing. I'm Kendall Prosack, I lead our local policy and community affairs team, and um Lisa is with Walmart on the government affairs team. And is there a clicker? Do I just say next slide? Okay, um next slide. So with our um presentation, we're gonna just be talking a little bit about the wing and Walmart uh partnership. Next slide, please. And basically, Wing and Walmart started working together about three and a half years ago, and we really focused on the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex as one of our first areas of opportunity back in 2023. And now we've grown with Walmart to Metro Atlanta, Greater Houston, Charlotte, North Carolina, and coming online throughout several different communities across the United States this year, focusing particularly here in Riverton and in Utah. And a lot of the reason we started to partner with Walmart, or rather why Walmart started to partner with us is they saw during COVID a huge shift in their shoppers and really needing things at speed, reliability, and for sustainable opportunity. And with that, you'll you can see, I think in the next slide, next slide, please, one more. Um we're gonna go over a video in one second, but it shows how we're able to deliver at speed with about 30 minutes or less from when the customer puts uh delivery through the app. So just a little bit of background on Wing really first is we are Google Alphabet Company, we're the leader in global residential drone delivery to date. And you can see a few of our accolades on the side here. Um, things that I like to point out is we average over thousands of deliveries a day in the DFW market alone, and we're continuing to be that preferred mode of delivery for millions of small packages throughout the world at this point. Next slide, please. And then this was that YouTube video. So this video will showcase what our system looks like, not only in the Walmart parking lot, but also the end-to-end customer experience. So this is our nest, this is what's set up outside at the Walmart. Um, think of it as a little mini airport, and you can see that there are several different pad groupings, and right now one of the Walmart associates is actually walking out with a customer delivery, hooking that box up onto the drone, and from there the drone will snap into the underbelly of the drone. And once it snaps into place securely, the drone will climb up to altitude at about 150 feet. We're cleared with the FAA up to 400 feet, and then the drone flies as the crow flies to the customer's destination at about 60 miles an hour.
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