Sandy City Council Meeting: Budget Training and Closed Session, April 28, 2026

The Sandy City Council met Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 5:15 PM in the Council Chambers at Sandy City Hall for a budget and finance work session, general citizen comment, standing reports, and a closed session. All seven council members were present, along with Mayor Monica Zoltanski, CAO Shane Pace, council staff, and administration. Council Chair Cyndi Sharkey led the meeting; Council Member Brooke Christensen offered the prayer, and the Council led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Budget Training & Workshop

• Under agenda item 26-243, the Council received training from Kerri and Frank Nakamura of Kerri Nakamura & Associates. Council Executive Director Dustin Fratto noted the pair have 65 years of combined municipal government experience; the training was suggested by Council Member Kris Nicholl.
• Frank Nakamura, who spent 32 years in the council-mayor form of government, said he considers it the best form of municipal government because it avoids concentrating power, forces compromise, and requires transparency, while acknowledging it has built-in friction.
• Kerri Nakamura reviewed the legislative vs. executive roles, emphasizing that the Council sets policy and the executive branch executes it. She stressed that "policy should drive the numbers; the numbers should not drive the policy," and described budgeting as the Council's most important role.
• The training covered budget policy tools (strategic plans, goal statements, legislative intent, appropriations), policy making vs. policy execution, municipal fund types, balanced-budget requirements, the Utah budget calendar, revenue sources, truth-in-taxation, capital improvement planning, and budget monitoring.
• Sandy-specific points included: Sandy's 2025 actual operating revenue was $185 million; Sandy's sales tax rate is 7.45%; Sandy is at the maximum 1% transient room tax and maximum 6% municipal energy tax; and the city's population is about 96,000.
• Council Q&A included discussion of legislative intent statements, regular budget amendments vs. year-end cleanup, fund balance policy, non-departmental line items, quarterly financial monitoring, and advice-and-consent practices for appointments. No formal action was taken during the workshop.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Sandra Haak, with the Dimple Dell Preservation Committee, reported that 243 volunteers attended their Earth Day community cleanup, about 100 fewer than expected. She said the conflict with Sandy City Beautification Day is becoming a problem, and the committee is considering changing the date of its Earth Day project to avoid the conflict. She also noted that no city council members were at the cleanup sites because of the conflict. She described projects at Dimple Dell Road, Badger Cove, Wrangler, and Mount Jordan Trailheads, including volunteer efforts with runners assisting fire mitigation, youth groups, and elementary school students and parents working on the historic orchard at Mount Jordan Trailhead.
• No other public comments were made.

Standing Reports

• Council Director Dustin Fratto said the Mayor's FY2027 Tentative Budget will be presented to the Council next week.
• Council Member Marci Houseman recognized CAO Shane Pace for receiving the City Manager of the Year Award.
• Council Member Brooke Christensen thanked the Sandy Youth Council, volunteers, and staff for helping plant rose bushes at Sandy Cemetery on Sandy Beautification Day.
• Council Member Alison Stroud thanked the youth council for planting 40 rose bushes and cleaning around headstones. She also reported on Washington, D.C., meetings with Utah's federal delegation, reminding them Sandy is still seeking $5 million for Monroe Street connectivity.
• Council Member Cyndi Sharkey reported on the Utah League of Cities and Towns mid-year conference and said the Council hosted dignitaries, including Smith Entertainment Group business leaders, the Senate President, legislators, and the Attorney General, at an RSL game.
• Council Member Brooke D'Sousa reported on the ULCT mid-year conference and her family's participation in a Dimple Dell Park cleanup.
• There was no Mayor's report.
• CAO Shane Pace announced a wildland preparedness event on Monday at 12:30 at This Is the Place Heritage Park, and reported on the Utah City Managers Association conference in St. George.
• Parks & Recreation Director Ben Hill provided a Recreation Center construction update: locker rooms were completed, level two steel decking on the south path was completed, the east exterior concrete stair wall was poured, masons moved to the pool equipment area, and crews continued storm drain, overhead plumbing, and overhead conduit work in the gym and field house.

Key Outcomes

• The only formal action was a motion by Council Member Cyndi Sharkey, seconded by Council Member Marci Houseman, to convene a closed session under agenda item 26-244 to discuss the character, professional competence, or physical or mental health of an individual, and to adjourn the council meeting immediately afterward. The motion carried 7-0.
• The closed session convened at 9:21 PM in the Council Conference Room, and the Council meeting adjourned immediately after it concluded.
• The budget training was informational and produced no policy decisions or changes.