Oh yeah, my happens.

Oh, you're kidding.

Oh she called it up there.

She started calling that extent.

Yeah.

And then she got tested.

I'm gonna go ahead and restart the recording.

Or resume, I should say, sorry.

Recording in progress.

All right.

Uh thank you very much for uh coming back.

We're gonna restart where we uh left off.

So we just finished off our housing conversation, so we want to move into citizen comment tonight.

And uh as we do that, Dustin, could you just give everyone a heads up on how we're gonna do citizen comment and then we'll start with the chamber?

Of course, Mr.

Chair.

Uh if you are here in person and you'd like to comment on any city business, uh, go ahead and fill out there are some blue cards at the back of the room.

Just fill one out, hand it to me, and I'll get it up to the chair.

Uh if you're joining us virtually and you'd like to comment, go ahead and click the raise hand button on your screen.

And once we complete our in-person commenters, we'll move to our virtual commenters.

And each of you will get three minutes.

So, Mr.

Chair, I believe you have at least one card, so I'll turn it back over to you.

I've got one Scott Earl.

Oh my goodness, so good to see you.

Come on up, Scott.

Still looking at us.

Thank you.

Um, it's nice to be here with you this evening, Scott Earl.

Live on Grand Peak Drive.

Um, it's the holiday season, and I just had this overwhelming kind of sense of gratitude.

Um, for the city council and the mayor, and for the mayor's staff, and for the council staff, for the city council and our employees.

And I wanted to stop by and tell you guys thank you for everything that you've done this year.

Um it's been an awesome year for you guys as a team and as a city and for us as residents.

Um, the new fire station, um it's in the right place.

It's modern.

Um, it will serve our firemen well, serve our residents well.

The new public works facility, have an administration building, and a new fleet maintenance shop to take care of all of the city's fleet is um wonderful.

And then near and dear to me, obviously, as a community center.

Um, thank you for funding that.

And thank you for doing it without a tax increase.

Um, that's pretty incredible that you can fund a project like that with funds within the city.

So good work on that.

Um, I know you as a council work really hard, and we as citizens appreciate that.

Um, mayor, I know how hard you work, and I really appreciate your efforts and your commitment to the city as a whole.

Um so with that new recreation center, it kind of dots the eyes and crosses the T's with Parks and Rec and really adds kind of an explanation point.

Um it really will work out well for our residents and for our staff.

So really just a huge thank you to city council and their staff, Mr.

Codell, Mayor, your staff, and our city council.

I appreciate you a whole bunch.

Thank you.

Thanks, guys.

That means a lot.

Really appreciate it.

All right.

Uh next card I've got is for Henry Butters.

Henry, come on up.

Sharky, thank you for calling me back and talking to him about my concerns.

Ryan, I want to tell you thank you for everything you have done to help me out.

This is my frustration.

Yes, the mayor did call me back.

But this is how I feel.

You don't come barking at me and telling me I can't say how I feel.

This is the open thing to say how you feel.

If some like if you're doing something, Ryan, Sharky, anybody like Sharky got slammed a couple of weeks ago.

Don't order me.

This is how I feel.

Don't tell me to not criticize you.

You work for the people of Sandy, like the mayor.

Don't ever tell me that, Mayor.

I will tell you that 100%.

I'll be on your side if you work with you.

Don't come.

Order me to come down and tell that council you call.

Okay.

That's no.

That's what I that's how I feel.

And this is the public conversation.

No one has to order anybody to come down and say that's how I felt today when I got pulled by our lovely mayor.

Okay.

Don't tell me I can't come criticize you.

I'm very grateful for the captain back there.

Me and him have worked out a lot of issues.

But don't ever tell me anybody on the city council you have a problem with me, call me.

I am willing to sit down with you and work out situations.

That's my comments.

Thank you.

Thanks, Henry.

Appreciate that.

I don't have any other blue cards.

So if no more blue cards, let's go to online.

Okay, one final call.

If you'd like to comment virtually this evening, uh go ahead and click the raise hand button on your screen now.

Mr.

Chair, I don't think we have any online commenters.

Well, it makes sense.

Everyone's too busy with Christmas.

So all right.

We will move on.

Uh, we're gonna do uh next uh item on the agenda is the consent calendar.

Do I have a motion?

Will we adopt tonight's consent calendar?

Second.

Got a motion and a second.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

All right.

We've adopted the consent calendar.

Uh from here, um, I'd like to jiggle this up just a little bit.

I'd like to go into standing reports.

Um Zach and I will have a chance after we get through the standing reports.

But within the standing reports, I'd also like to pull Jeddah up so that we can hear about the recreation center construction.

So, Jeddah, let's start with you, and then we'll come back over to Dustin and go from there.

Give you another 30-second update.

Um, last week I told you we were in the final stages of getting our building permit, and this week we got it.

Yay.

So now everyone can have a merry Christmas.

Um, last Friday we had a big concrete pour.

Um, we poured the footings for the majority of the building.

Um, they said there was about 15 cement trucks that came one after the other every 10 minutes.

It was very cool, it's very neat to see.

So there's plenty of videos and pictures online on Facebook if you want to check it out.

Um, the city posted some things as well as the Alta Canyon pages too.

Um, right now they're moving on and they are laying the forms for the foundation walls now.

So they'll do that for a little while, and hopefully snow holds out how we can get a little more concrete poured.

Well, that was great timing.

I mean, having a warm December and doing a construction project, go hand in glove.

So great job on do it.

Don't know how you did it, but great job.

All right, that's perfect.

That's perfect.

Dustin, let's come over to you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh not a big report tonight.

Uh, just a reminder that we are this is our last meeting of the calendar year.

Uh our next regular meeting will be on Tuesday, January 6th here in the chambers.

Uh, we also have the council oath of office ceremony the day before at noon, also here in the chambers.

And then finally, I'd just like to express my gratitude and appreciation for uh council members Meekham and Robinson.

It's been a pleasure to work with you guys.

I've really enjoyed it.

Uh I'm gonna miss talking with you each.

I hope that you stop into the office, and I'd love to go to lunch with both of you anytime.

Or let me know.

Happy to do it.

Um so just a final thank you, and it's been a pleasure to work with you guys, and I've I've just really enjoyed it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Doug.

Great.

Uh let's start with council member business.

Do you want to do a separate?

Yeah, I just got a couple of items.

Uh thank you for that.

Um, yeah, just a couple of of uh follow-up items.

So uh we did have our I I attended the Sandy Ambassador meeting uh this week.

I actually got some really good feedback from that group that I did want to pass on to the council.

So as that appointment comes back up next next go around, the member who sits in that seat actually has this feedback.

Um there's a lot of dialogue with the group just about the year and how things went.

Um, and it's a common theme did come up considerably from some of the members.

Um is that uh there there seems to be a little bit of a disconnect between the the council and the Sandy Ambassadors group.

I think there's a really great opportunity to bridge that, like to close that gap.

And having the um the appointment, it was great.

I actually really enjoyed that.

That was one that I hadn't had before, so that's that's a group that I really enjoyed getting to learn how they work and what they do for the city.

And so I would just encourage the next appointee to even just take more of an active role than what I did.

And I would say I did more than the previous person maybe.

I don't know.

Just continue to build on it because they are a really good group of residents that can help communicate messages.

Mayor was really great to every time I was there and we were sharing the stage, like we had an opportunity to address comments and feedback of like specifically from the council.

And so it's a really great opportunity to engage with some engaged residents.

Uh we took the time too.

Martin allowed me to come up and have like a QA session about Alta Canyon as that pro as that project was progressing.

So I would just encourage the group to use that, um, use that appointment as you know, an ambassador between the council and those residents.

Uh so I told them I'd pass that on, and so uh I'm I'm doing as they wanted me to do.

And then the last thing that I'll mention, and this is something that happened in my professional career today.

Um we we partnered with an organization called Soap to Hope, and they do active uh outreach to um victims that are uh suffering from homelessness, um sexual traffic or sex trafficking, and then street uh sexual street workers.

They like are actively out there every single day.

It was a fascinating group.

I'd never heard of them until today.

Um we we built um like uh a kits for their outreach efforts.

That was what you know my team did today.

It was really great, it was awesome.

But I I what I wanted to mention it because they're a group that is very contingent upon funding.

Um and they're they're a 501c3, and so they have they do have some resources there.

But if you're just curious and want to kick a c a couple extra bucks that direction, I think they would really appreciate it.

They're doing outreach to those populations seven days a week, 365 days a year, and it really is like a mom and pop operation.

But one of the things that really caught my attention is they're collecting data that the state is now asking them for.

So I think they're starting to get some really good attention.

So I want to give them a plug that if you're you know looking for an organization to support over this holiday season, that would be one uh that I would uh encourage that you throw a few bucks their direction.

So that's all that I have, Mr.

Chair, and and I have a few other thoughts, but I'll share those here shortly.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

We'll keep going this way.

Alison, go for it.

Thank you.

Um so first one, I guess uh youth council had their final meeting of the year.

Um they're getting ready, kind of ramping up um in January.

We have the um the youth get to go up and uh meet the legislator.

They, you know, council is often invited, they have lunch, um, but they have some great breakouts, um great uh opportunities for for the youth to connect.

And last year they started where they were able to present and debate, but more of just uh more of just a presentation on an item, and uh and then they were they had other high school students get up, ask them questions, and you know it was a wonderful experience last year, and they are now preparing for that to do that again um this year.

So they talked about some a possibility of oh, we could talk about this, talk about that, um they'll hammer that down in the next couple of weeks and then start preparing for uh the end of January to be up there.

But you know, a lot of a lot of kids were up, you know, here gosh, I would say maybe close to 30 of them, 25, 30 of them were here for that meeting.

So, and they they appreciate everything that the city does and what they've done over the past year.

Um, Zach, you know, stopped by said hello.

Um, you know, that's uh mayor, I believe you stopped by as well, said hello to them, and and they were just very appreciative of that, you know.

And that's and even in their little conversations, you know, appreciative of Mysterio, Ms.

Edwards, you know, and your leadership direction.

So, you know, it was a great fun experience, and the best part is they all brought cookies and you got to eat cookies.

So, you know, love that.

Um then uh so historic committee, and I jumped on a little bit late.

I had a school meeting.

Uh, had to join that remotely, but uh historic, you know, talking about just what's coming up, and uh you know, still a very active group, you know, looking to see you know if there's something that they want to refine with tier one, tier two, contributing structures, looking at that square mile.

But you know, they continue to talk about that and and keep that a very um very focused group.

Uh then the uh last thing was uh the legislative breakfast that I'm sure will probably come up, you know.

Masharke uh uh mayor, you'll talk about that as well.

And what a great opportunity, you know, as the legislators are as we were up there just talking about something and wondering what the legislature is going to do, but having that chance to sit down, um work with them kind of one-on-one, hear a little bit about what some of the the bill files that they may be looking at, what they're hearing about, uh, but to have that you know very close.

Hear Sandy's perspective, you know, and to hear their their input and to get our information out to them as well.

So, you know, that was a wonderful opportunity.

I know that we haven't done that in the past, um, you know, but they have asked for that, so you know, look forward to to having that more frequently, you know, and especially before the session starts.

So but that is it.

Thank you very much.

Aaron.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I too, yeah, just wanted to express my thanks to the mayor for hosting the pre-legislative uh session breakfast.

We all seemed uh fairly aligned and had great conversation, and I I really appreciated the opportunity to converse uh with our representatives and lobbyists.

Um we just finished our fifth uh housing workshop.

That's the final workshop that we started in July, and I just wanted to say thanks to the housing workshop planning group.

There were eight or so of you in it, and I I think I may have been the only council member to attend some of those meetings, but I know it was a really really big lift and appreciate all the work that went into that, and I'm really looking forward to the council acting on that in the new year.

There's a lot of great things we can do for our residents.

Um also I've been kind of off social media since the uh election, but I got back on recently, and I just want to acknowledge all the efforts that our police department does in terms of um amplifying the messaging around safety.

There was something about some someone got pulled over going like 18 over and they weren't buckled up and the kids in the car seats weren't buckled up, and it was just a total disaster.

But residents, please uh hear the message, slow down, buckle up, get off your phone.

So I I genuinely appreciate the uh outreach that the department does on next door, and similarly, um, as I mentioned last week, I had I did have the pleasure of attending my first copy coffee with a cop.

That was my personalized meeting with outgoing chief Greg Severson, but it was such a great opportunity to connect and and really get deeper into the first hand um issues about our capacity and our culture and leadership, and um I just have so much faith in our department.

He conveyed that to me, and so I I too look forward to uh developing that relationship with interim chief Arnold as we continue to foster the positive connections between our police force and our residents, and uh with that wish everyone in the city uh happy holidays.

Thank you.

Wonderful, thank you.

Cindy, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, I don't need to be repetitive on the legislative front.

Yes, it was a great meeting, and I hope it continues throughout the six weeks of the legislative session.

It'll be nice for us to stay in contact and be on the same page and keep that contact up with our legislators as well.

Just thinking about um because it isn't snowing, um, just all the things that our public works department does.

Normally they would be out there pushing snow about now, but they're not doing it, but there's so many other things they are doing.

They're not sitting there.

I've seen them on my street this week, crack ceiling and tree trimming.

So a lack of snow doesn't mean a lack of work in the public works department.

They're absolutely incredible.

I appreciate them.

And hopefully they will have some snow to push someday in the future.

We we'd all like that.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Mayor.

We will turn the time over to uh uh Mayor Zoltanski for a mayor's report.

Thank you.

Well, we uh are in the third night of Hanukkah, and there's an event at uh tomorrow at Draper City Hall, Wednesday, December 17th at 6:30, a lighting of the menorah.

I'll be um joining that celebration, and our thoughts are with those in Australia who have uh suffered uh so much violence over the weekend, and uh um I did a post on Monday about being global citizens.

Sandy's a kindness city, and uh we work so hard to spread kindness throughout our city and the world needs more of it.

It's just a reminder we're all connected.

So if anybody is uh looking for a way to express compassion, support, understanding to our Jewish community.

Um please join me tomorrow at Draper City Hall and our friends in Draper um celebrating Hanukkah with the menorah lighting.

The Health Center Theater uh has retired its deed on the bond, and there will be an official transfer, not really ceremony, but a photo opportunity at two o'clock.

We're so proud to be able to support Health Center Theater, the um building of the theater.

It's brought so much economic vitality, it's become a cultural landmark and a real enhancement to our city.

And tomorrow at 2 o'clock, we will be officially delivering um the final documents to transfer the deed of ownership of the property below the theater and relieving them of all obligations, and that's 10 years ahead of schedule.

So it's kind of timely.

I thought it's a wonderful life has a scene where George Bailey burns the uh burns the mortgage at Christmas time.

And so what a nice punctuation for the year end for so much work and so much growth and vitality for Health Center Theater.

So we join them in congratulating uh their leadership.

Mark and Sally Deatline, their vision and for all they bring to the city.

It's just been a phenomenal, six phenomenally successful public-private partnership, and this accelerated payoff is nothing short of remarkable, especially in today's economy.

The legislative priorities discussion with uh representatives Tracy Miller and Clinton Oakland.

Um we met with council representatives, administration, and some key staff on Saturday.

We typically do have a pre-legislative breakfast for the public before the session begins, and that was slated for January 10th.

However, this year seems to be a scheduling very problematic scheduling our representatives.

So we will be submitting to the city council for approval a legislative survey so that we can send that out to the community to get that feedback and share that with our representatives because it doesn't look like at this point we'll be able to have a pre-legislative breakfast like we typically have done in years past on January 10th because of scheduling conflicts between the members.

Um Dan Medina's retirement celebration for parks and uh park outgoing parks and recreation department will be Friday at 1 30 at the parks building.

So please uh drop by and send your um good and or send your good thoughts to outgoing parks and rec director Dan Medina, who's retiring after 37 years.

He and Chief Severson were so lovingly honored at the last meeting of the city council, and I'm grateful for that.

And that um brings me to uh my record my closing remarks on our outgoing council members.

I don't know if you'd like if I could do that now or if we're going to be able to do that.

I'd be happy to give you a couple minutes at the end.

So let's let's uh finish this part and then we'll get into that and sounds good.

Okay, I think um oh, there's one other development.

Um there will be a new uh there's a new position filled in the mayor's office, community affairs director that Katie Atkinson, who's our current community events director, will be coming to work with me in the mayor's office for community affairs.

So that is going to take place uh some point over the Christmas break, and there will be a new opening for uh replacement community community events director.

So some changes on our on my personnel.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Martin will get a CAO report.

Just uh wanted to second what the mayor said uh about Dan Medina's retirement on Friday, and just really encourage you to swing by the parks office and wish him farewell on his 37 years.

Just really encourage you to swing by the parks office and wish him farewell on his 37 years.

So uh 130 to 3.30 over at the parks office in the conference room.

Oh yeah, and then one more one more thing.

I want need to thank Lynn Pace and the whole team at Legal for their diligence on the handling the transaction on the Hale Theater bond retirement.

That was a Herculean task that was been underway for well the better part of the year, but in the last two months has really come down to crunch time.

There's so much negotiation, so much detail work.

Um Lynn put in a and his team put in a lot of long hours and late nights to get that done for this week's deadline.

So thank you, Lynn.

Here, thank you very much.

Okay, uh with that, uh we will move into uh item number seven.

And so first we'll turn the time over to the mayor uh to give you uh a chance to say something nice about Zach, which will take some time as far as it concerns me, it won't take much time at all.

But mayor, please.

Well, actually, I I happy to be able to attend the council dinner, and we did some of the recognition, so I've shared my thoughts.

But I just was reflecting on actually both um Zach and Ryan together.

And a lot of people think when they think about local government, they think about the public debates or uh the nights when the gallery is full of uh residents who are upset on an issue, whether it's a safety issue or a zoning issue, or maybe they think of uh the glittering events like the galas, or where we are really representing the city and we're public facing and um you know, kind of uh those marquee moments.

But the most important work of all of us who are here on the dais is the listening, the showing up, the personal care and commitment to the city.

And since we've been working together, um well, when I joined the council six years ago, Zach and I worked two years on the council together, and then when I became mayor, then Ryan joined the city council.

So in that time we've had had an incredible amount of accomplishment as a city.

And someone told me today that in the last four years, the city has accomplished more in four years than most administrations in prior history would have required two or three terms to do what we've done.

And then none of that would be possible without the diligence, the commitment, and the grit, and just um just the commitment and friendship, uh camaraderie that it takes to grapple with important issues and struggle with disagreement out of conflict uh comes consensus and resolution.

It's essential to our government, it's essential to our human experience, but never allowing that conflict to overcome who we are as people, as colleagues.

And when I think about Zach and Ryan, I think about two of the greatest examples that I know of people that I can spar with and always come back to the table the next day, and uh we're ready to you know clear the air and we move on uh together.

And we've done a lot together, and um Scott Earl, thank you, Scott, for being here.

If Scott mentioned a few, Fire Station 31, public works maintenance facility, the recreation center, the Sandy Pace of Progress General Plan Udate, uh improved communications with newsletters and social media and the website and all forms of city communication, all city alerts and emails, how our residents are informed now compared to where they were four years ago, and we were just clawing our way back from the pandemic.

Uh, you've been part of all of the decision makings, the priority setting, the funding of that's made it possible to land the historic landmark business investment with sports entertainment that's now come to Sandy from SEG at Southtown Mall, the Miller's at the soccer stadium, the record number of small businesses now registered in Sandy.

Um pursuing uh an important global sister city relationship with the city of Butcha in Ukraine, and most important after COVID is the comeback of our city staff and our spirit of community in Sandy since the since the pandemic, the isolation, the uh confusion, the social isolation, the you know, hyperfixation on what my needs are versus community needs are.

We've you know really transformed our community back to the great spirit of sharing of kindness of cooperation and showing up for one another in Sandy, building that stronger, safer, more committed city than ever before.

So today, when I heard someone who is very uh experienced in Sandy history, give me that compliment about how we've accomplished so much in four years.

Uh it's no one person that does it, it's all of us working together through agreements, through disagreements, um, the housing exercise we did tonight, the vision setting, and working with our always mindful of the privilege that we have to sit in these seats and to serve our wonderful community to make our schools and neighborhoods safer.

And um when I when I've needed you, you've been there with me.

You stood with me, and you've given me the advice that I need.

You don't always tell me what I want to hear, that's for sure.

Um, but we've been really successful, even when the answer is no, one way or the other.

It's not just absolutely no, it's not, it's more like not like that, or not right now, but here's how we can move closer to that shared goal, and that's what I really appreciate.

And I think that's uh hallmark of a you know mature, respectful professional, but still very loving, committed relationship, not just among us as elected officials, but uh our love for our city and what we do.

So thank you.

I honor you tonight.

I have uh plaques for both of you for Zach and for Ryan.

Thank you for your exceptional service as a member of the Sandy City Council, your thoughtful leadership and commitment to public service have strengthened the community and created a lasting legacy with gratitude from the mayor and employees of Sandy City, signed Sandy Mayor Monica Zeltanski.

So I have one for each of you I'd like to present.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

That's good.

Hey, that's a great idea, right?

Thank you.

Perfect.

Okay, and to your families, uh, so many late nights and time sacrificed to all of you.

Thank you for your sacrifice to the city and what you brought.

Our city is better because of the gift that you've given, sharing your loved one with all of us.

Thank you very much, Mayor.

We'll turn the time over to Zach.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh, thank you, Mayor.

That was nice and unexpected.

But last time that was uh unexpected.

I was a blubbering mess.

So at least I had an idea that tonight was coming.

Um joined tonight.

My mom's here, uh, my aunt's here, my wife, and my daughter Hannah.

Haley was supposed to be here, but she was on her way and got like super sick, so she had to divert to home.

So I just want to acknowledge them for being here.

Um, so like I've thought about what to say.

Um and and like I will miss sitting up here.

Like I will absolutely miss this.

I love it so much.

It's incredibly complex.

Uh it's hard, and not uh you've all heard me say this.

I think some other people have heard me say this, but the residents haven't heard me say this.

Like this stuff is really hard.

And the only people I think that have an idea of how difficult it truly is are sitting at this table and on the ends here, and you guys too.

Um but but this stuff is tough, and I have absolutely loved every second of it, even the nights that I've left here frustrated.

I will still look back and be like, I absolutely love this experience.

It was awesome.

It was really, really great.

Um, but and I will I will miss this work so so so much.

Um, you know, I've had a lot of people like, why are you leaving?

What's the deal?

I I uh when I was first elected to the at-large seat.

I I said I'm only gonna have two terms.

I'm only gonna serve two terms in this seat, and then I'm gonna let somebody else jump in and new thoughts, new ideas.

That's what keeps this working is new thoughts, new ideas, and so I'm holding true to that.

Uh I I don't know if I could reasonably say I want to leave, but I felt that that's important is to honor that that word, and so um I got my two terms.

Thank you, voters, for trusting me to sit up here for eight years.

Um and as been mentioned several times tonight, like we have covered a ton of ground.

I I you know, I was thinking about, you know, like oh, what do you say?

Like, do you go back to all the things you promised when you were campaigning?

And it's like, no, that's dumb.

But I think that um I do think it is important to note that the people sitting in these seats have accomplished so much, and all of the goals that I had for myself were accomplished because of all of you, because of the this room, like I was able to look back and be like, there's not anything that I'm I'm leaving left.

We got Alta Canyon coming out of the ground, there's a new fire station, public works.

We got done.

That was a big priority for us.

Um I would love to say that we've got all of our capital projects done, but the fact of the matter is there's always gonna be capital projects, but the biggest, most intense priorities were accomplished.

So I can I can look back at my time up here and be like, that was awesome.

I got to participate in that.

So the goals that I had for myself, you all helped me accomplish, and then we all accomplished them together.

I think that needs to be called out and acknowledged.

Underscored, Cindy, you've been really good at calling that out.

Mayor, you were really good at calling that out.

We've all been really good at calling that out.

Uh, but I just I can't like underscore that enough, what this group has done and what I've been able to participate in over the last eight years.

I know some of you have been here for six years and coming up on four years, and dot dot dot.

Like I just I just appreciate that I've had a seat at the table to work on behalf of our residents to get things done.

That is really kind of cool.

And there's not that many people that can say that.

Um so you know, I I just appreciate and looking back, I'm I'm not leaving anything that I wanted to do.

There's nothing left on the table.

So uh residents, thank you so much for trusting me to sit up here, like said for eight years.

Um this has been a wild, wild ride.

Uh and and I've loved every second of it.

And you know, you have to have approval from your residents to sit up here.

That that says a lot that you trusted me to do that.

So thank you very much.

Uh the employees of this city, uh like I please, when you go back to your staff meetings over the next couple weeks, please express my appreciation.

Those are the folks that are doing the work.

It is sure as hell not me.

Like, I'm getting them the resources to do their job, but those people are doing the job that we're asking them to do, and they're doing it incredibly well.

I have loved working on behalf of our employees.

Our employees are our constituents, whether whether we think that or not, a lot of them do live in the city, but they're still people that we have to support.

And I hope that they feel that I have supported them.

I've tried really hard.

So they're good people.

Um and I really will miss working on behalf of them.

Um I know what it's like to have us play around with their paychecks.

That is scary.

It is very scary.

And um like I've tried so hard to reduce that anxiety so they can keep doing what we're asking them to do.

So please express that to them.

And holy smokes, I didn't think that was gonna jerk me up like that, or tear like I just yeah, I I think the world of the people that serve our residents, and um they they deserve a tremendous amount of credit.

Um and all of you, like I've loved getting to know all of you.

I've loved debating with you.

Tom, I am not gonna miss water rates.

I'm not even gonna get I am not even gonna get close to coming back and enjoying that conversation.

I'm so glad that you guys get to deal with that because I am not gonna miss trying to figure out water rates in January.

So um, but but I I think the world of all of you.

You're all really good people.

We have top notch like department heads in the city, and um thank you for setting culture, like thank you for um telling us what you need to be able to go to your staff and be like, bruh, you know, like it's just it's awesome.

Um I know Shane's not here, I think he's not feeling well, at least that's what it sounded like.

Um but Shane um you and uh Shane, not Martin, you and Shane.

Um you you've got a great thing going here, you've got an incredible thing going, and as a resident, I expect that now to continue on.

Like I don't I don't want to see that change, and so please do everything you can to keep whatever special sauce you've got going on.

I just need you to hear that that's my expectation as a resident is we keep the top-tier leadership and we keep the top tier talent that we have in our city moving forward.

Um, I think that's that's important.

Mayor, like you just said, um, I do appreciate the the opportunity to have really spirited and hard conversations with you, and you're right.

We have locked horns, but the next day we've been able to sit down and have dinner in there and laugh and talk about horses or talk about our family and talk about all the other things.

Like, I think you have an incredibly difficult job as well.

Um, and you deserve a lot of credit.

The people the persons that sit in the mayor's seat are under pressures that we don't know about, and I think that needs to be acknowledged.

I think you handle it with grace.

Um, I appreciate our relationship so much.

Um, as a friend, as a colleague, as an elected official, I just appreciate what you're doing, and um, and and you know, from there, and then council staff.

I love you guys.

Like, I love you guys.

You've you made me look good.

Um I've asked real hard questions.

I've asked you all to think through incredibly difficult policy with me, and you've done it.

And you did it really, really well.

Um I feel like I am leaving here a successful council member.

It's because of you guys, not because of me.

Um you prepared me so well for stuff.

Um, yeah, I I we have an incredible um an incredible group of people here that's working to support the seven of us, and the seven of us are asking you to do really tough things, and you handle it with grace and you handle it with excellence, and I think you need to be acknowledged for that more.

One day I hope you get a new chamber.

Um, I I hope I hope there are some new chambers here.

Um, but I I just think the world of you guys, you're amazing human beings.

You all have great things going on outside of here, and I love you guys.

Um that leaves you guys.

I I uh I was trying to figure out what to say, honestly.

Like I don't even know what to say.

We've been through a lot.

A lot as a group.

Good, bad, and somewhere in the middle.

Um, we've been through incredibly challenging policy discussions.

We've been through incredibly challenging personal events in our own lives through the course of my time sitting next to all of you.

That includes you, Scotty.

That includes my time with you know, Steve and Linda and Chris, who we're so grateful to have coming back, and Brooke and Marin and McCandless, like all of the people that I've served with, all of my council colleagues, I have nothing but respect for you.

We have disagreed on policy, we will probably always disagree on policy, but we're humans, and that's okay.

Um I I have a lot of respect for what you all are trying to accomplish and what you all want to do.

I just hope everybody in this room knows, and all 14 people watching online, and everybody else in the city, like everybody that sits up here comes to this job.

This is a job.

You know, it's not just come on Tuesday and sit down and talk about stuff.

That's the part you all see.

There's still 30 hours of work that happens behind the scenes that you don't see.

Everybody that sits at this table from the past and the future are all here to try and make the city better.

We all just have different perspectives.

That's why there's seven of us.

That's why it works.

And so um, I I look forward to to what you all are going to accomplish.

I will tell you right now, I am sad that I'm not going to be part of the journey.

Like that hurts me.

But you know, that's how this stuff works.

Like you come in and you do your time and you go.

That's how it should work.

So I'll be there in spirit.

I'm excited to see what you do with the Cairns district.

For God's sake, put a building there, please.

Like somebody put a building in the ground.

I think this council is gonna do that.

The next version of the council will do that.

I'm excited to see what what comes of the stuff that's taking place at the mall.

This council is gonna have their hands on that.

The housing stuff that we spent so much time on, that is going to have an incredible impact on people in our community.

I'm so excited to see what you're going to do there.

And so there's so many more huge rocks to do, and and I know that the seven people that are sitting up here with all the other pieces to our puzzle are gonna do it and they're gonna do it well.

And so I wish I was there for the ride.

Uh, but at the same time, too, you're gonna have two new council members sitting up here that I think are incredibly qualified, and and I think just a lot of positivity is gonna come out of that.

So the the last thing I just want to say is like as a resident, you know, and I do hope, I do hope that the the new council members sitting up here and what what our city government's gonna look like starting in January.

I do hope that that it'll that it'll turn some tides.

Like I do, I do hope that it will be a needed refresh or a needed reset button for everybody.

The the version of the council you've all been used to is now behind you.

It's go it's going away.

So there's a new version of people, there's new personalities, there's new perspectives, and I would just ask as a resident that everybody embrace those and and just kind of use the time to take a breath, hit reset, because I think our residents expect that.

And I know as a as a resident now, as a resident or soon to be just a guy on the street.

Um that's what I expect.

I hope everybody just understands where everyone's coming from and then make good policy decision from there.

So I have babbled long enough.

I balled and I wasn't planning on it.

And so uh, like like Aaron said, you know, Merry Christmas to everybody.

This is a fun time of the year.

Um, I hope everybody gets some downtime.

And uh I look forward to what you all can accomplish moving forward.

And thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you for being part of my journey.

I've said that to you all before.

Thank you for being a part of my experience.

Like, I get to look back when I'm 85 years old in St.

George at a golf course and be like, I spent eight years with great people, I did some cool stuff, and you guys are part of that memory from here on out.

Like, I I don't know how else to say that.

You're part of my life.

So uh I appreciate the opportunity, and I am done babbling.

And so um, thanks.

Bye.

Well, thank you, Zach.

I'm not quite sure how to follow that.

Under normal circumstances, I would simply motion to adjourn.

But uh, I really appreciate that.

Um, I I wanna I want to start uh a couple of comments, but I want to start off uh first of all with thanks.

Most of all, I've got to thank Heather uh for allowing me to uh do this.

Could not have been possible simply without her.

Uh and by extension, uh deep appreciation for those who uh voted for me and allowed me to be here for a period of time.

That sense of trust is really uh difficult to explain to people to uh uh to really kind of internalize what that means.

And I think you said that very well, Zach.

The uh the amount of time that we take in order to work with people and solve problems is very very much the case.

Our department heads.

Um I've I've been around the city um for a number of years, and one thing that has stayed consistent throughout is such an excellent team, and I just want to express my deep gratitude to each one of you, and but not just you, the people that you work with.

Without us working together, we wouldn't be the city that we are, and we are the city that we are in a large part because of you, and I just sincerely appreciate that.

Uh you put in a lot of time and effort.

Thank you so very much.

Uh wouldn't happen also without the mayor.

Um the mayor has a very difficult job.

I'll I'll just you know, I'll second what what Zach said.

A lot of people do not appreciate it.

Having having worked for another mayor and kind of seen behind the scenes of what happens.

I thought I kind of appreciated that.

I really didn't have any clue.

And so I really appreciate you, mayor, for what you're doing to make things happen because it is difficult to be out in front of everybody all the time.

There's no break.

I remember Tom used to talk about the phone calls he used to get in the middle of the night.

And I'm like, dude, really, you would answer the phone call and he we would he would.

He would he would answer the phone call in the middle of night.

Now a lot of times he handed it off to a department head and he said, This is who you need to talk to, and that's the way he solved the problems, and I thought that was great, but that is an immense amount of pressure.

So thank you, Mayor, for everything that you do.

Administration, uh I wish Shane was here, but Bart, you're just gonna have to take this and pass this on.

Um difficult spot to be in as an administrator of this city because you work for a strong mayor and you've got a council, and you've got a number of team members that rely on the day-to-day functioning of what happens.

So a very critical job.

So very big thank you for what you do, what Shane does to make everything happen here.

As uh as a group up here, this is no small matter.

Um I can think of so many times we've agreed and we've disagreed, and I'm happy to say that on the vast majority of the things that we do, we we come through on a 7-0.

Most of the things we do are are not extremely controversial.

If you look at all the votes we take, most of it is not very controversial.

There's no such thing as a Republican and Democrat pot hole, it's just a pothole.

There's just problems to be solved.

So for the most part, they're just problems to be solved, and I appreciate the give and the take.

Um there's uh there's nothing quite like going through budget processes because you have to, you're forced, there's a there's a timeline, and you have to make compromises in order to get something done.

Nothing happens without four votes making a budget happen.

And that's where this really happens with uh um coming together to make decisions because it's difficult.

And and no matter how many ideas each one of us has, we come to that, and if if we're lucky, we can get 80% of what we want.

Sometimes we get 40% of what we want.

Rarely do we get all of what we want, and that only happens through the process of compromise.

And I want to end kind of with a story of uh uh of I think a way to help us think about how important compromise is in the realm of politics and in the realm of of public policy.

Uh I I I love I've spent a lot of time in in the Czech Republic.

I love the Czechs.

I spent a lot of time there over the years.

And um uh quick story there's the the first Czech immigrant who became a state legislator.

This happened in the state of Illinois, 1878, pivotal year.

I know we'll all remember that.

1878, uh 28-year-old uh fellow who had been a United States citizen for um at the time that he was nominated to be a public official, he had been a United States citizen for 10 days.

So he spent five years here, got a citizenship on five years, day one.

Ten days later, he becomes nominated to become a state legislator, and two months later he gets elected.

Not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as a social labor party person.

So he goes to the state legislator.

Now, what is this socialist party member want to accomplish?

It's this radical idea called an eight-hour work day.

Something that we take for granted today, back then a very controversial topic.

Um over the course of uh a decade or two, it got done, and now what was so controversial then is today very common, an eight-hour work day.

I think in a lot of ways that public policy works and the way that we work together, ideas that at one time seemed so radical eventually become common sense ideas.

And so when we have an opportunity to think through the bigger picture and the way things operate, there's a lot of things that we can do together when we s what when we can go beyond focusing on the immediate needs but taking uh uh a grander view of things.

And so from a perspective of working together, one thing I have always been absolutely certain that even when we disagree, I have no doubt what is in your heart.

Your heart, your heart, your heart, yours, yours, is you simply want to make the city a better place.

And for that, I cannot thank you enough.

People are often very cynical about politics and politicians.

Even though we disagree, no one has no one can question the integrity of the heart of each one of you trying to make this a better place.

And that's honestly what makes what what makes this worth it.

This is what makes this country work.

And so for those of you who the 14 of you who are listening, uh if you're feel cynical about the way the politics works, join a city council because you will see good people trying to do good things.

Thank you very much.

I think we've got a quick presentation.

I'm not sure how we want to do this, but there's a couple of items right here.

Let's do this real quick, and then I'm going to adjourn.

Yeah.

Wait, do we get a chance to say?

Not before we adjourn.

I tried.

Sure.

Let's do this, and then we'll we'll Mr.

Chair, happy to present these to you on behalf of the council.

Uh for those of you who weren't there, which is who were not there, which was most of you a few weeks ago.

We had a holiday dinner, and we initially presented these uh two Sandy Street signs to Councilmember Meekham and uh Councilmember Robinson.

It's kind of a long-standing tradition in Sandy City that uh outgoing council members, outgoing department heads, along serving employees get a little piece of Sandy.

And that's why we've chosen the street sign.

Uh we worked with uh your significant others to put uh what's on the street sign so that it was more personal to you guys, and we hope that you take them and you can't hang them in your garage.

You've got to hang them somewhere, maybe maybe foyer, maybe uh maybe living room somewhere really obvious.

But um I I would I'd love to present these to you in thanks for your long-standing service.

And instead of doing a photo up front, I we have a uh backdrop set up in the back room, and maybe once we're finished with comments.

I'd love to invite everybody everybody back there with families, department heads, mayor if you'd like to come and maybe we could get a couple quick photos uh before everybody goes home.

And uh with that, council.

Do you guys want to come down front and we can present these to two outgoing council members?

All right, let's do that.

Great.

I don't often get a present thing, so I'm I'm super excited.

I think you can have it.

Okay, council member Robinson.

Thank you for your service.

Thank you.

Councilmember?

Thanks.

I will do it.

Yes.

All right.

Liz right there.

I've taken more pictures because of you than I have my own.

Thank you.

We probably have like less than 50 left.

Let's do some comments and then if you guys wouldn't mind, I'd love to see photos in the back.

Thanks, Dustin.

I'm so excited because this is my second one, so I'm gonna I'm gonna display them together.

Great, you'll have two in your foyer, I'm assuming.

Okay, uh Sydney, let's start with you.

Zach.

I am so glad to know you feel so fulfilled that you so that you accomplished what you wanted to.

I am so glad to hear that.

Um you've been here eight years.

Um you were here when I started in 2020.

And we had we had a rough start because we had COVID.

Three months into our tenure, COVID hit, and we were working from home for 15, 18 months, something like that.

That made it hard to cement relationships, to develop relationships, it made it hard.

Um, but I like you.

I am really, I feel so good about what we've accomplished, and you are a big part of that, Zach.

You need to take, you can take some responsibility for what we have accomplished.

When you drive around the city and you see the things that we did, you can know how big a part you were in all that.

You never phoned it in as a council member.

You never phoned it in.

You I always say if you're not um spending sleepless nights, you're not doing it right.

If you're if you are not working your tail off, you're not doing it right.

It's really, really hard.

Um, and you commented about how much work there is behind the scenes.

I always talk about Tuesday nights as the iceberg of council.

It's the visible 10%, but there's so much else that we do.

Um your comments and your dedication to your job is always been interesting when we when Alison and I first joined the council.

Remember, we made the news because it was six women and one man, and it was historic, right?

And I told people it's six women and one man, and the most emotional of us is the one man.

It's just always everything comes from your heart.

I I think some of us sit up here and we try our best to just intellectually explain our point of view.

And you are always emoting your point of view.

It's how you feel, it's what you feel is right.

It's what you feel that we need to do.

And that's impacted all the rest of us too, to sort of make sure that we're feeling the right thing and feeling like we're doing best by everyone that's depending on us.

So thank you for the eight for eight years of service to Sandy City.

Thank you for being such a great council colleague for all my time on the council.

I appreciate you.

And don't go golfing on way on Tuesday nights.

Come sit in the audience and uh if you miss us, we will definitely be we'll we'll give you a permanent seat in the front row.

And Ryan, thank you so much.

Um these last four years of working together, you too have been part of a group that's managed to um I think accomplish more than we probably all dreamed.

But we did it, we accomplished it.

Thank you for your part in that.

We couldn't have done it without each and every one of us making a contribution.

I appreciate the work that you did with the council as well.

It's been you've been a wonderful colleague.

I appreciate you, and we'll miss the both of you.

Thank you.

Anyone else, don't feel obligated.

I roasted you guys a little bit a few weeks ago, so I don't have much left to say other than um as the youngest member of the council.

I feel a little bit like I got gypped on the time.

Uh, but it's been a pleasure looking back on things.

Yeah, there's way too much we've accomplished to list, but I've learned a lot from both of you.

And uh yeah, what just want to say from being on this side, thank you very much genuinely for the service you've given to our city.

And uh just because you won't be on the council anymore, I will still be your council member.

So please don't be a stranger and uh we'll we'll see you around.

Thank you.

Don't feel obligated.

No, I'm just make sure I get through this without uh without crying.

Um I I appreciate both of you.

That's you know, Zach.

Um you do you have a lot of passion in what you do, and that and that comes from your dedication and your desire to do right by residents, by employees, by businesses, um, by staff.

Um and it and it shows every night that we're here, and every night that we're having conversations, that we're in meetings, um, small work groups, but what you do shows in everything that you do.

Um you know, it's I think seeing and coming in, you know, and and you had been on the council for two years, but knowing that you were an employee, both of you were employees before, you had that extra perspective, and you were able to to help us understand, help me understand, um, you know, from an angle that I I had very minimal knowledge with, and I really respect that.

Um, you know, the the countless hours, you know, both of you have talked about how it's not just a Tuesday night thing, you show up, you meet say a couple yeses and no's and nod our head, and you know, and then adjourn, and we're out of here.

Um there's so much that goes on behind the scene, and your willingness and and desire to talk about things has been so helpful for me, and and I've respected that more than I can than I can relay.

And and having you here and seeing how you're able to approach things, even when we've disagreed, and there's been times that we've disagreed, there's been times where we have found you know, somewhere in the middle, um, but you've always been respectful and understanding when we end up on the other side of a decision, and I've appreciated that, and hopefully can continue and and take those lessons that I've learned from you and take them forward for the next couple of years.

You know, this will be the fourth council coming up, but you've been here for three previous councils for each of these two years, and and you've been a rock, you know, at a solid, and and people throughout the city know your name, they know who you are, and never do you I never have I ever heard anybody go, oh Zach.

Yeah, I know that one.

Um but your your passion, you know, with with certain rocks and certain things, specifically Alta Canyon, you know, has been has been something that has shown through you know times that that have been hard, been challenging, um, where it looked like you know, well, it's just kind of stalling at this point, and you've had that fire, and that is respectable, it's commendable, you know, and and thank you for being here and being willing, and you'll never be just a resident.

So, you know, that's appreciate everything you've done.

Um Ryan, you know, I stepping into this, you know, four years ago, you know, and get to know you and and and same Zach, you know, with your family, you know.

But Ryan, you and Heather, um we become a family up here, and the conversations that we've had, your your desire to look at something, and then to point out when maybe I get a little too pigeonholed in one direction, and your reasonableness and willingness and desire um and strength to look at something neutrally is inspiring, and it's something that I have been able to learn from you, and I hope we'll be able to continue a lot and and move in that direction to say how do I look at this from a financial perspective and to weigh out without the emotion taking part of it to weigh out really what's best and what I can do, and you've been an exemplary example of that, the way that that we've had conversations, you know, whether it's walking in the 5Ks, um, you know, catching dinner beforehand, but what you have to say has been has been truly helpful for me, I think for all of us to grow as council members, and for the past six years with Zach and the past four years with you, Ryan have been mostly good.

There's been the hard times, but um both of you will be missed, and once again, you guys are not just residents.

Don't be a stranger, no golfing, you stay here stateside, but thank you for everything both of you have done.

It will not be forgotten.

Thank you so much.

I'm sure I can speak for both of us.

Thank you for your kindness very much.

Thank you for your kindness.

Just wait until my streets not loud.

Oh, and and I was just gonna say, make sure I know Dustin said you have to hang those signs somewhere, just not outside.

I don't think Ryan Cump would appreciate that if we have a new naming of a street.

I got two of them.

Well, okay, I'm gonna do my favorite part.

Move to adjourn.

Second.

I've got a motion and a second.

All those in favor?

Opposed?

Didn't think there would have been.

Thank you very much.

If you guys want to go to the overflow, we'd love to get a photo or two.

Department heads, if you want to join us, Mayor, Lynn Martin.

Heather, Nicole, all of you guys.