Syracuse City Work Session - 2026-10-27

Syracuse City held a work session on 2026-10-27, followed by a special business meeting. Councilmember Julie Robertson was excused to attend a mosquito abatement conference; Councilmember Abe Pollard arrived later. The work session included public comment, planning discussions, public works and administrative items, and informational reports. No formal votes were taken during the work session; the council later unanimously moved into closed session for personnel and land sale matters.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Kale Gurney, of 1557 West 1390 South, spoke on behalf of Ruth of Tomorrow Club, an environmentalist school group, and asked the council to consider placing a community garden proposal on a future agenda. He cited a 2025 systematic review of 37 studies by researchers at the University of Glitter in Discover Sustainability, which found community gardens contribute to environmental stewardship, social cohesion, and public health, and he noted green spaces are shrinking in fast-growing cities.
• A written comment from a resident was read into the record regarding the transportation utility fee study. The resident, who has lived in Syracuse for about seven years, said streets in the neighborhood had not been crack sealed in that time. The comment cited study findings that about 14% of city lane miles are in poor condition and could grow to 25% over 10 years if annual maintenance funding remains about $1.5 million. The resident asked the council to identify a pavement condition goal, the funding needed, how existing transportation revenues factor in, whether a formal preventive maintenance schedule would be established, and how fee revenue and pavement conditions would be reported annually. The resident also urged the council to consider whether sales tax growth and other transportation revenues could offset the fee and favored a structure that can decrease when other revenues improve rather than becoming a fixed charge.

Planning Items

• Rezone request at 2617 South 3000 West: Staff reported that the planning commission recommended approval of a request to change the property from A1 to R3. The property is small and bordered largely by R1 development to the north and other non-residential uses; R3 would allow roughly 8,000-square-foot lots and about four units per acre. Public comments at the planning commission hearing were mixed, with objections from neighbors about growth, traffic, and changes to the current horse property. Councilmembers noted the area is truly R1 and that density should decrease farther from the city center. Council agreed to continue the application with a recommendation for residential zoning, with the exact R1 versus R3 density to be decided at the November business meeting.
• General Plan update: The mayor outlined three possible targeted amendments: highway-impacted properties, a few properties mapped as A1 despite being developed and taxed as R1, and the city's density zone structure. A councilmember said the current General Plan, about seven years old, feels outdated, including references to 2008 building data and the West Davis corridor. Staff noted state law requires planning commission involvement and a new connectivity element by July of next year. Council leaned toward a piecemeal approach in the short term. The mayor will work with staff to propose a section-by-section plan for a November work session.

Police Department

• Crossing guard program update: Police Chief Alex Davis presented an annual review process for crossing guard staffing. The program previously added four positions, and the city wants to align staffing with current student use, school routes, traffic volume, and conditions, especially as school boundaries change. A scoring matrix will guide staffing decisions and identify roadway deficiencies. The update was informational and required no vote.

Public Works Items

• Irrigation water code amendment: The council discussed amending Municipal Code Section 10.8.10.90 to allow a 100% fee-in-lieu for water shares only when a city-owned property is being transferred for development. The state constitution prohibits cities from selling water shares to private developers, and the city has already absorbed water shares on properties such as the Elmatador property and the hot triangle. The amendment is intended to avoid holding up development because water shares are effectively unavailable. The item was placed on a future consent agenda.
• Drinking water source protection plan: Staff reviewed a renewal required every six years; the current plan expires this year. The renewal updates the inventory of businesses near city wells and continues notification and contamination-prevention measures. It will go to a business meeting for resolution.
• Water conservation plan: Staff reviewed a five-year renewal required by state law and needed for grant funding. It covers city and resident indoor and outdoor conservation efforts, public outreach, and secondary water metering. It will be placed on the November business meeting agenda for resolution.

Transportation Utility Fee Study

• Robert and Jeremy Searle of Methods Consulting presented an updated study. State law under Utah Code 10-6-134 requires a fee based on trips generated by land use, a reasonable relationship to service, evidence of inadequate existing funding, and different rates for categories. The city evaluated every property using ITE trip generation. Single-family homes generate about 91,000 trips per day, about 49% of city trips, so they would pay 49% of the needed fee. At an annual funding level of $3 million, the single-family fee would be about $12.18 per month; at $1.5 million, about $6 per month with 25% of roads in poor condition; at $3.5 million, about $14 per month with 10% in poor condition. The consultants recommended about $3 million, keeping roughly 12% of roads in poor condition.
• Council asked about commercial versus institutional trip costs, verification of contested trip counts, effects on business recruitment, and fairness of rates. Staff said businesses can challenge their category with data using a variance process, and churches would not be exempt under the new law. A county-approved fifth-quarter transportation sales tax would generate an estimated $271,000 per year, far below the shortfall.
• The mayor responded to the public comment by saying the city has a documented rotating crack-sealing schedule and a five-year rolling roads plan. The council took no action and will fold the transportation utility fee discussion into the November budget process.

Administrative Items

• Phone system replacement: Staff recommended replacing the city phone system because it is at end of life and no longer receives support or patches. The proposed contract award will be presented at the November meeting.
• City investment policy: Staff proposed a policy to invest excess funds outside the Utah Public Treasurer's investment pool under the Money Management Act, using laddered conservative investments and an investment advisor. The current state pool earns about 4% interest, and the city currently has about $30 to $40 million not immediately needed. Council discussed risk, oversight, quarterly written reports, and mayor sign-off. Discussion and potential action are scheduled for November.
• Personnel policies: Proposed amendments to the personnel policies and procedures manual were reviewed. Most are minor or reflect state law changes, with a few substantive updates such as half-day Fridays and holiday conformity. The amendments will be placed on the next business meeting for a vote.
• Significant parcel definition: Staff proposed replacing the existing surplus property definition with a dollar threshold for what counts as a significant parcel of real property under state law. Staff suggested a $100,000 to $200,000 range. Council discussed how the threshold affects whether surplus remnant parcels can be sold directly to neighbors or must go through public process. No number was set; the item will return for action.
• Privacy Policy Act compliance: Staff proposed amending Title 2 to designate the Administrative Services Director as chief privacy officer under Utah's Privacy Policy Act. The item was placed on a future consent agenda.

Mayor's Informational Report

• The mayor reported that the Wasatch Front Regional Council approved 103 station area plans, including 109,600 dwelling units near rail stations. The state's estimated housing shortage had been 90,000 units, later reduced to 30,000. Syracuse has no rail station.
• The mayor reported that the city's recycling event was the largest ever held in Utah, recycling 24,281 pounds and beating the previous record by 5,691 pounds. Records included 105 mattresses, 87 tires, 83 bicycles, and 253 cars; 91.7% of participating cars came from Syracuse's two ZIP codes. There were 10 to 15 volunteers and 10 vendors.
• The mayor reported third-quarter grant recommendations to the county commission: $46,921,640 was requested and $30,832,000 recommended, with Syracuse recommended to receive $10.5 million for the 2700 South and 3000 West roundabout and roadway improvements.

Key Outcomes

• The zoning application for 2617 South 3000 West will move forward as a residential zoning recommendation; the council will decide between R1 and R3 at the November business meeting.
• The mayor will prepare a General Plan update approach with staff for November discussion.
• Irrigation code, privacy officer designation, personnel policy, water source protection, conservation plan, phone system award, investment policy, and surplus property threshold items were scheduled for future consent or business meeting action.
• The council unanimously voted to enter closed session for personnel and land sale matters.