What Does the Provo City Council Do?

As the City's legislative body, the City Council plays a crucial role. You may know who is serving on the Council, but what exactly do they do? 

Here's a fun video to give you a better understanding:

Summary of Action | Meetings on November 13, 2018

PROVO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL

Work Meeting
1:00 PM, Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Room 310, City Conference Room
351 West Center Street, Provo, UT 84601
Summary of Action


Business

1.  Approval of minutes: October 25, 2018 Joint Housing & Zoning Committee Approved by unanimous consent.

2.  A report from Downtown Provo, Inc. (18-027) Presentation only.

3. A presentation on OnBase, the Council's new agenda management software (18-095)
Presentation only.

4. A discussion on a proposal related to Neighborhood Housing Services of Provo and homes
purchased with CDBG/HOME Dollars (18-076)
A motion to request RDA staff to make amendments to the contracts and documents to
implement the changes discussed and to bring to a future Council Meeting was approved 7:0.

5. An update on the Interim Transportation Oriented Development (ITOD) zone as it relates to The
Mix (18-097) A motion to request staff to prepare a rezone from SC3 to SC2 and ITOD and to begin the process of moving this forward for approval was approved 7:0.

Citizens Agenda for Meetings on November 27, 2018

Citizens Agenda

Council meeting agendas are often difficult for people to navigate. Filled with jargon and legal requirements on how an item must be listed, it can be a challenge to determine what Council members are actually discussing or deciding on.
What follows is a staff interpretation of the agendas.

The official published agendas and supporting materials can be found here:  http://agendas.provo.org

PROVO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Work Meeting Agenda
12:30 PM, Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Work Meetings are designed to be a less formal venue for discussion among Council Members. Generally, no public input is taken during the meeting.

Business

1. A discussion on the proposed Council Meeting schedule for 2019
   
   • The Council is required to publish a schedule for the next calendar year. A draft has been put together for Council to consider.
2. A presentation on the option for municipalities to create a local government disaster fund
   
   • A presenter from the Division of Emergency Management under the Utah Department of Public Safety will speak to the Council about the option in State Code for municipalities to create a local government disaster fund.
3. A discussion on an ordinance amending Provo City Code to clarify that unauthorized energy generation shall not receive any rate or bill credits
   
   • Provo City Code prohibits self-generation of electric energy unless the generation is licensed by the Provo City Energy Department. Additionally, licenses for electric self-generation by industrial and commercial customers have only recently been authorized by the code. Because self-generation without a license it prohibited, such generation would not qualify for any rate or bill credits. However, with rising interest in self-generation by residential, commercial, and industrial customers, the Energy Department believes it would be prudent to add language to the code explicitly stating that entities that engage in unauthorized self-generation shall not receive any rate or bill credits.
4. A presentation about the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce
   
   • Councilor David Harding asked Rona Rahlf, President of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce, to present to the Council about the Chamber's efforts on affordable housing. She will also provide an overview of their Valley Visioning initiative.

Council Certifies Results for Bond

The Provo Municipal Council, meeting today as the Board of Canvassers, certified the results of the 2018 municipal general obligation bond election. Council members were impressed by the voter turnout and grateful to all who participated in this year’s election. The Police, Fire and City Facilities Bond passed, allowing up to $69 million in bonds to be issued to fund the replacement of Fire Station 2, headquarters for the police and fire departments, emergency dispatch (911) facilities, and city hall.

Council Chair Gary Winterton said, “I speak for the entire Council when I say that we don’t take the increased tax burden lightly, but we are grateful that we can now move forward responsibly to replace these failing facilities. I want our Provo residents to know how much we appreciate the time they took to get involved, take tours of the facilities, come to meetings, and to share with us their thoughts and concerns. Thank you!”

With the passage of the bond, Provo City leaders intend to issue general obligation bonds early in 2019 and to issue by the end of this year requests for proposals leading to the selection of architects and construction managers for the Police, Fire and City Facilities project and the Fire Station #2 project. It is anticipated that site improvements for the Police, Fire and City Facilities project would begin in 2019 with construction to continue into 2022. Fire Station #2 has a shorter construction timeline with completion expected in 2020.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Comment below (requires Google+ account), on our Facebook page, through our online comment form, or by contacting Council Members directly. Comments/input on items appearing on an upcoming meeting agenda will be compiled and provided to Council Members the day before the meeting. **Note - your comments will be part of the public record.

Citizens Agenda for Meetings on November 13, 2018

Citizens Agenda

Council meeting agendas are often difficult for people to navigate. Filled with jargon and legal requirements on how an item must be listed, it can be a challenge to determine what Council members are actually discussing or deciding on.
What follows is a staff interpretation of the agendas.
The official published agendas and supporting materials can be found here:  http://agendas.provo.org

PROVO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Work Meeting Agenda
1:00 PM, Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Work Meetings are designed to be a less formal venue for discussion among Council Members. Generally, no public input is taken during the meeting.

Business

1. Approval of minutes
2. A report from Downtown Provo, Inc. (18-027)
   
   • A semiannual update from Downtown Provo Inc. on their current initiatives and successes, as well as updates on any programs or projects.
3. A presentation on OnBase, the Council's new agenda management software (18-095)
   
   • As part of the City's Provo360 project, the Council made a transition from SIRE to OnBase Agenda Management as the primary software to manage Council agendas. The system introduces many new features which will help Council staff and other city staff to work more effectively to conduct city and Council business. The presentation will cover how the public and Council will use the available resources to access Council agendas and materials.
4. A discussion on a proposal related to Neighborhood Housing Services of Provo and homes purchased with CDBG/HOME Dollars (18-076)
   
   • Several years ago, Neighborhood Housing Services (now known as NeighborWorks) purchased and rehabbed several houses using funds borrowed from the Redevelopment Agency that originally came from the Federal Government.  Based on the type and amount of funding used, the homes were required to remain affordable for specific durations of time. Recently, there has been interest in forgiving some of the loans. The RDA is concerned that should some of these houses no longer remain affordable, the Federal Government (HUD) could demand the funds back from Provo that were originally used to rehab them. The RDA is seeking guidance from the Council about whether to forgive the write-off amounts on all of the loans, the write-off amounts on some of the loans, and/or whether to establish a covenant between NeighborWorks and Provo City that would ensure the houses in question stay affordable.