Sandy City Council Meeting Summary – May 19, 2026

The Sandy City Council met on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Prior to the formal meeting at 5:15 PM, the council participated in a tour of a roundabout in Cottonwood Heights to evaluate its design and potential application in Sandy City, particularly for the intersection of 110th South and 10th East. The formal meeting featured the third week of FY 2026-27 departmental budget presentations, covering Parks and Recreation, Administration, Legal, Justice Court, and the City Council Office. The council also held a public hearing and unanimously approved the Rudelich Annexation.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The council unanimously approved the draft minutes from the April 21, 2026 council meeting, following a motion by Brooke D’Sousa and a second by Alison Stroud.

Public Comments & Testimony

• General Citizen Comment: Henry Butters criticized the Police Chief, alleging he was disrespected during a previous interaction. He argued for stricter parking enforcement in his neighborhood and stricter enforcement of marijuana laws, stating he had concerns about individuals using medical marijuana cards. He expressed frustration with a general lack of responsiveness from city staff.
• Rudelich Annexation Public Hearing: No members of the public provided comments in person or virtually.

Discussion Items

• FY 2026-27 Budget Presentations (Week 3): The council reviewed and discussed tentative budgets for several city departments.
  • Parks and Recreation (Ben Hill): The budget proposes eliminating a marketing specialist while reallocating an assistant director position. Water utility costs are increasing by $20,000. Fleet replacement is budgeted at $405,000, and streetscapes and wall replacement at $700,000, with funds partially aimed at addressing specific resident concerns about a fence in the Newcastle area. A $75,000 increase in the recreation programming subsidy is requested. The new Sandy Recreation Center is scheduled to open in early 2027, and staff provided conservative six-month revenue projections. Council members questioned the absence of projected interest income in the Recreation Center fund and favored separate line items for community events over a consolidated "event supplies" account. River Oaks Golf Course is performing strongly at 125% of its annual revenue goal.
  • Administration (Martin Jensen): No operational line item increases were proposed beyond mandated overhead costs. The budget includes a neutral transfer of $115,000 between the Mayor’s and Communications budgets to accommodate a reclassification of the Communications Director position to a specialist role.
  • Sandy Arts Guild & Amphitheater (Mearle Marsh): The presentation highlighted a combined 24% reduction in the general fund subsidy over two years. Budget line items have been reorganized to better align with city accounting categories. The council discussed the reallocation of cell tower revenue from the amphitheater’s capital fund to the general fund.
  • Legal Department (Lynn Pace, Megan Sunquist): The City Attorney requested continued support for the citywide compensation plan. A $7,000 reclassification of an administrative assistant to a paralegal in the prosecutor’s office was outlined. Risk management updates included a $30,000 increase for liability and auto insurance, a $68,000 decrease in property insurance, and a workers' compensation increase driven by a new state law (HB 65) addressing firefighter cancer claims.
  • Justice Court (Judge Paul Farr): The court proposed a net budget reduction of $6,000 by decreasing postage, office supply, and credit card processing expenses while requesting a $2,000 increase for mandated training. Staff titles are being updated from "court clerk" to "judicial assistant." The court noted a continued decline in traffic case filings, resulting in lower projected fine revenue.
  • City Council Office (Dustin Fratto): The office requested a $10,000 increase for its legal services contract, a restoration of the operating contingency fund to $55,000, and a $2,500 increase for the meetings line item to support council discretionary funds and training.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous Approvals:
  • The council approved the April 21, 2026 meeting minutes.
  • The council adopted Ordinance 26-47, approving the Rudelich Annexation at 9521 S KSEL Dr. The property will retain its county zoning of R-1-10 (detached single-family residential) and will become contiguous to Sandy upon finalization of a neighboring annexation.
• Budget Direction: The council concluded Week 3 of the budget process. Staff were asked to refine budget presentations for transparency, particularly regarding line-item delineation for community events. Formal budget adoption will occur at a future meeting.
• Council Member Reports: Councilmember Cyndi Sharkey reported on a significant new partnership between SEG and IHC for healthcare services at the mall development, a successful police swearing-in ceremony achieving full staffing, a community event at a Real Salt Lake game, and a beam signing ceremony for the new Recreation Center. Councilmember Alison Stroud provided updates on the city’s Historic Committee, the police department's information sharing, and the fire department’s wildland community event.
• Upcoming Deadlines: The Noal Bateman Award application period is open until July 24, 2026.
• Meeting Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:00 PM.