Citizens Agenda for Meetings on September 1, 2020

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

Due to the risks of public gathering associated with the spread of COVID-19, these meetings will be conducted entirely via electronic means. For information on how to view the meetings and how to contribute public comments, visit our blog: http://www.provocitycouncil.com/2020/03/virtual-provo-city-council-meetings.html

PROVO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL

Work Meeting Agenda

1:30 pm, Tuesday, September 1, 2020

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 of possible amendments to Chapter 9.25 COVID-19 Response. (20-118)

   • The Governor of Utah allows local jurisdictions to decide if mandating masks are warranted requirements to combat COVID 19. On August 25, 2020, the Provo Municipal Council passed an ordinance initiating Section 9.25 and amending Section 9.17 of Provo City Code. This was done to address the health issues caused by COVID 19. On August 27, 2020, the Council held a special meeting to override the Mayor’s veto. Since the passage of the ordinance there have been discussions about making some changes to Section 9.25.

Administration

2. A presentation regarding the Fiscal 2020 3rd Quarter Financial Report. (20-220)

   • John Borget will give an overview of the Quarterly Report for the 3rd quarter ending March 31, 2020.

3. A presentation regarding an update on the Provo City Center Project and Redevelopment. (20-013)

   • The Provo City Center project is hitting some key milestones in the next few weeks, both in the construction as well as in narrowing the field of potential development partners for the redevelopment of the existing site. Project manager Scott Henderson and David Walter from the Provo Redevelopment Agency will both provide updates on these aspects of the project.

Provo Municipal Council overrides veto and enacts face coverings ordinance

The Provo Municipal Council met tonight to reconsider an ordinance passed unanimously on Tuesday, August 25, and vetoed today by Mayor Michelle Kaufusi. On a 6-1 vote, Councilors voted to override the veto and enact the ordinance which amends Provo City Code regarding civil infractions and requirements related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ordinance requires face coverings or social distancing in publicly accessible spaces with specific requirements that vary depending on whether an individual is indoor or outdoors and whether an individual is attending a large public gathering. It also requires businesses to post signage. 

Passage of this ordinance came after several Council meeting discussions and input from thousands who participated in an online survey as well as those who reached out to the Councilors by email or phone. More than two-thirds of responses to the online survey and of emails received by the Council supported a mask mandate. The Council previously passed a resolution calling on Provoans to “accept personal responsibility to … follow public health guidelines,” and on the Mayor to expand education efforts to spread awareness and increase compliance with those public health guidelines.

The face covering and social distancing ordinance was originally passed at a special Council meeting held just two days ago. Following that vote, Mayor Michelle Kaufusi informed the Council that she would veto the ordinance. In her letter delivered today to the City Council, Mayor Kaufusi cited common ground with the Council wanting “a safe and vibrant Provo through coming months” and a shared “desire to see the highest possible rate of compliance with state health guidelines.” Her veto comes because of “difference over the right path … to get to that destination.” 

Council Chair George Handley expressed appreciation for the Mayor and Administration, stating that “nothing about our strong and honest difference of opinion about the need for a mask ordinance has changed that relationship. There is not a rift in the City leadership.” He also committed to seeking improvements to the ordinance and the City’s efforts if needed.

The Council’s goal in passing this ordinance is to increase the number of people in Provo complying with health guidelines in place to limit the spread of COVID-19. It does not ban public gatherings as some feared, rather it places requirements to wear face coverings as appropriate, with exemptions for a variety of medical and other issues. With an influx of university students arriving in Provo, there was a sense of urgency to have consistency between the mask requirements on the campuses as Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University and the off-campus areas in Provo where students and the community interact. BYU, UVU, and the Provo School District all have enacted mask mandates as part of their COVID-19 responses.

As this mask requirement goes into effect, this should not be seen as an invitation to start reporting those who aren’t wearing masks. This is a request that people in Provo wear a mask in public because it is the right thing to do and, now, it is the law. There are exceptions provided in the ordinance for many legitimate reasons for not wearing a mask and the public is encouraged to be understanding of those situations. The ordinance has a sunset clause that would cause this ordinance to expire effective November 15 unless extended by October 20, 2020.

Handley also expressed appreciation to the administration, staff, and others for their extraordinary effort in recent weeks. “And we thank this community,” said Handley. “We know you care and we value your voice and input, even if we sometimes disagree. I am proud to be a citizen of this great city.”

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Resolution on the Necessity of Social Distancing and/or Mask Wearing

The Provo City Council met on Thursday, August 20, 2020, to discuss a potential resolution and an ordinance regarding social distancing and/or mask wearing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They unanimously passed the following resolution:

A RESOLUTION OF THE PROVO CITY MUNICIPAL COUNCIL REGARDING THE NECESSITY OF SOCIAL DISTANCING AND/OR MASK WEARING TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19.

WHEREAS, the State of Utah has been in a declared state of emergency due to novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) since March 6, 2020, which worldwide disease outbreak has been characterized by the World Health Organization as a pandemic; and

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that COVID-19 is easily spread through the air from person to person who are in close contact with one another; and

WHEREAS, federal, state, and local authorities have recommended that individuals limit public gatherings, wear face masks, and follow social distancing guidelines; and

WHEREAS, a BYU study, “Making sense of the research on COVID-19 and masks,” concluded that “masks could be one of the most powerful and cost-effective tools to stop COVID-19 and accelerate the economic recovery;” and

WHEREAS, another BYU study, “Provo City and BYU need to be Partners during COVID-19,” notes that while BYU has done extensive work to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through on-campus networks, the close proximity and interconnectedness of the students with the larger community off campus can seed larger outbreaks of the disease; therefore, the study recommends that masks be required in all businesses and enclosed spaces outside the home and that gatherings larger than 50 people not be permitted; and

WHEREAS, approximately 16,000 public school students and another 70,000 BYU and UVU students are returning to school over the next few weeks, most of whom will live, work, study, shop, and recreate in Provo and Orem, thereby expanding the interconnectedness of social networks and economic activity in our communities; and

Summary of Action | Meetings on August 4, 2020

PROVO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Work Meeting
3:30 PM, Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Electronic Meeting

Summary of Action

Approval of Minutes
- March 10, 2020 Work Meeting
Approved by unanimous consent.

Administration

1.  A discussion regarding an interlocal agreement with Utah County on CARES Act Funding. (20-108) Presentation only. This item was already scheduled for the Council Meeting on August 4, 2020.

Closed Meeting
A closed meeting was held.
Adjournment

Citizens Agenda for Meetings on August 18, 2020

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

Due to the risks of public gathering associated with the spread of COVID-19, these meetings will be conducted entirely via electronic means. For information on how to view the meetings and how to contribute public comments, visit our blog: http://www.provocitycouncil.com/2020/03/virtual-provo-city-council-meetings.html

 

PROVO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL

Work Meeting Agenda

1:00 pm, Tuesday, August 18, 2020

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

Administration

1. A joint discussion with the Planning Commission regarding the process of updating the General Plan. (20-068)

   • At the March 5, 2020 Council retreat, Council Members discussed updating the City’s General Plan and talked about setting aside money in the FY 2021 budget to pay for the update to the General Plan. At the March 31, 2020 Work Meeting, the Community and Neighborhood Services Department made a presentation about updating the General Plan. Their presentation included what would go into the updated General Plan. As part of the FY 2021 budget, the Council set aside money to update the General Plan. The Council has discussed getting input for the Planning Commission on what they would like to be included in the General Plan update. The Community and Neighborhood Services Department is currently working on developing an RFP for a General Plan update.

2. A presentation regarding an update from Valley Visioning. (20-111)

   • Leota Coyne with Envision Utah will give the Council an update on the Valley Visioning project

3. A discussion regarding ranked-choice voting. (20-113)

   • In 2018, the Utah State Legislature approved the creation of a ranked choice voting (RCV) pilot program. RCV is an election method where voters rank their preferred candidates. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the top ranking, the votes from the candidate in last place move to those voters’ second choices. The process continues until a candidate has received a majority. The program is expected to run through 2026. Six cities initially opted in, but four dropped out. Payson and Vineyard held very successful RCV elections in 2019. The Provo City Council in 2018 determined that there was not enough time to sufficiently educate voters about the new election method but committed to exploring it for the 2021 elections.

4. A discussion regarding face masks in public with regards to COVID-19. (20-114)

   • Some Councilors have asked for a further discussion about what actions the City and/or Council can take to promote the wearing of face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, especially as BYU and UVU students begin to return to Provo.

Citizens Agenda for Meetings on August 4, 2020

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

Due to the risks of public gathering associated with the spread of COVID-19, these meetings will be conducted entirely via electronic means. For information on how to view the meetings and how to contribute public comments, visit our blog: http://www.provocitycouncil.com/2020/03/virtual-provo-city-council-meetings.html

PROVO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL

Work Meeting Agenda

3:30 pm, Tuesday, August 4, 2020

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

Administration

1. A discussion regarding an interlocal agreement with Utah County on CARES Act Funding. (20-108)

   • The City has received an allocation under the CARES Act from Utah County for expenses and projects related to the impact of COVID-19 on citizens and city operations. The Administration would like to review the proposed agreement with the County and the projects the Administration intends to undertake with the allocated funding (see attachments). List of CARES Act projects. Proposed expenditures.

Closed Meeting

• Closed meetings (aka executive meetings) are held without the public present and must meet one of the conditions listed in Utah State Code (§ 52-4-204 and 52-4-205 et. seq.). If a closed meeting is needed, it will be announced at that time.

Adjournment