Town of Vernon
Town Council Regular Monthly Meeting
Thursday, May 01, 2025
Vernon Fire Station, 325 South Main Street, Vernon, Utah 84080
- Call to Order, Roll Call, and Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Olson called the meeting to order. Councilman Lauti led the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Prior Meeting Minutes April 03, 2025
Councilman Livingston moved to approve the April 03, 2025, meeting minutes.
Councilman Lauti seconded.
Councilman Livingston: Yea
Councilman Lauti: Yea
Councilman Cheatham: Yea
Councilman Richey: Yea
Mayor Olson: Yea
The motion passed to approve April 03, 2025, meeting minutes.
- Public Comments
Hi, I’m Cara Lyon, your new town clerk. I understand I’ll be overseeing building projects. There’s a resident a few doors down who is building a shop. Has anyone checked if they have a building permit? They’re running power, which means an inspection should be required.”
Mayor Olson was informed today that they’ll need to provide a site plan, which will go to the Planning Commission. If we don’t have one, the council, as per our attorney, can act as the voting body. They’ll be on the agenda for our next meeting.
Mayor Olson would like to introduce Madison, who’s been to our meetings before. She’s our liaison with CDBG and the Wasatch Front Regional Council. I’ll let her share how she’s been valuable to our community and what she’s already done for us.
“Thanks, Mayor. I’m Madison. About a year ago, I came out for the LA program, and today I was helping Councilmember Ritchie with the RCOG grant, which helped repave streets here. I’m available as a resource, so feel free to reach out if you need support.
- Sheriff Report
Police:
Lieutenant Arnada nothing to report.
- Fire:
Not in attendance
- Consideration of Reviewing Cemetery Caretaker Requirements in Preparation to Open Contract for Bid.
Mayor Olson mentioned the councilmembers should all have the cemetery caretaker bid in front of you. Take 30 seconds to review it. This is our old contract. Let me know if there’s anything we should add or remove. Don’t worry about the dates. We need to include a clause saying the contract is valid for up to three years, depending on whether we want to keep the services.
Councilman Livingston asked do they have the option to keep it for the next three years, or do they need to rebid every three years?
Mayor Olson indicated they’ll need to rebid it.
Councilman Cheatham asked if we should add that they need to take care of the weeds around the entire building.
Mayor Olson commented we should add that they need to keep the weeds down around the fence and the fire station.
Mayor Olson asked the Town Clerk Lyon to email him the draft, and he’ll review it. If it looks good, I’ll approve it, and then we can post it.
- Consideration of Preparation for Budget FY 26
You should have received an email from Nicole today reviewing last year’s budget and planning for the upcoming fiscal year starting July 1st. We need to vote on the budget by our June meeting. Please send your budget information to Kara before our May meeting so we can discuss it and finalize it then. In June, we’ll hold a public hearing on the budget before voting.
- Clerk Report
Mayor Olson wanted to publicly thank Nicole Hillman for her work as our town clerk. She’s been efficient, professional, and thorough. I’ve never had to worry about budgeting or spending because she made sure everything was in order. She’ll be missed, and we really appreciate her.
Former Town Clerk Hillman thank Mayor Olson. She will be giving the clerk’s report this month. Town Cler Lyon said she’ll be taking over soon. I’ve made contact sheets with phone numbers for everyone on the council, planning commission, and fire departments, so you can stay updated. You should already have the numbers, but this is just a helpful overview.
We spent 3 hours training on bank reconciliation, and she has a good understanding of how the town council side works. If she needs help with the Town Treasurer side, she can call me. Everything else is up to date. We also got the snowplow officially registered under Vernon Town, as it was previously under Town of Vernon, and the insurance wouldn’t cover it. The insurance is renewed for another year, but it’ll need to be renewed through the trust by March 31st, 2026.
Everything on the treasury side is up to date, so the transition should go smoothly. The fire department asked if they could get their own PO Box to check mail more frequently, as they’ve been missing some deliveries with just once-a-month checks. I’m not sure how you feel about that, but it’s something you can decide with Chief Mannino. If they receive a check, it will go to Councilman Livingston for deposit by Town Clerk/Treasurer Lyon.
Former Town Clerk Hillman indicated the Fire Department would receive the check, then hand it to Councilman Livingston, assigned over the Town Treasurer, and it would be sent to Clerk Lyon for deposit into their account. It was also mentioned that if the Fire Department hired their own treasurer, could that person make deposits on their behalf?
Mayor Olson asked if the Fire Department wants to be separated. Former Clerk Hillman does not know exactly what the Fire Department wants per se. Mayor Olson expressed he is not sure if this can be done. Former Clerk Hillman mentioned the Fired Department does not want to be separate, but they’d like to manage their own financial records while still having the town provide oversight. We’d still handle the bank reconciliation and everything.
- Town Council Reports | Department Reports |Commissions |Committees
Mayor Olson:
We had our COG meeting, and I need to share a few things. First, America will be celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026.
The state of Utah is planning events for America’s 250th birthday in 2026 and they want people to join committees to help. For example, they’d like our 4th of July celebration that year to reflect the anniversary. So, think about any ideas we might want to add to that celebration.
We also had a presentation from a group called ‘One Kind Act Today.’ It started during COVID to address isolation by encouraging small acts of kindness. They provide free resources like signs and school assemblies to promote kindness. It’s funded by a large donation, and they don’t ask for contributions. If you’re interested, check out their website at info@powerofkind.org.
Additionally, we heard from the Tooele Army Depot about their operations. They’re conducting detonations in the south area from April 1st to October 31st, and it can sometimes cause concern in nearby areas like Eagle Mountain. If anyone has questions, I have a phone number to contact. They also invited mayors and newspeople to witness the detonations to better understand the process.
Tooele County is having its 4th annual spring cleanup from April 21st to May 17th. They’re encouraging people to help clean up roads and trails. If you want to adopt a section like Highway 36, the state will provide bags and pick them up when you’re done. It could be a good project for the young men and women in town.
Also, on May 10th and 17th, Tooele County Landfill is offering a free drop-off for local households—just show proof of a local address. Items not accepted include paint, oil, trailers, boats, and hazardous waste.
In a recent Homeland Security meeting, it was discussed that some U.S. cities have received sister city requests from China. These requests were actually from the Chinese government, and they were reportedly using city cameras to spy. So, the advice is not to accept sister city requests from China.
Regarding Faust Rd, there was a bill this year to pave it for $24 million, but it didn’t pass due to economic concerns. It will likely be brought up again next year.
We’ve applied for COG (Council of Governments) funding in the past, which has helped fund projects like paving Sharp Rd and Harper Rd. This year, we hope to use COG funds for Larson Hill. However, the funding has become very competitive, and there have been some tensions between communities. At the upcoming COG meeting, each community will present a project they’d like to fund and explain its importance. Our focus is on road projects, and we’ll continue to fight for every dollar we can get. There’s also a possibility that small communities like Stockton, Rush Valley, and Vernon could get $25,000 annually to help with road maintenance. It’s not a lot but adding it to our current road budget could help us fix roads like Harper or Main Street in the coming years.
Councilman Livingston:
Councilman Livingston contacted the person in Rush Valley who drives their snowplow. They use contracted equipment operators who are paid $15 an hour. The town requires insurance, which is covered through the town’s trust, so they’re insured in case of accidents. The contract is put out to bid, so if the town isn’t happy with how the snowplow is operated, they can change contractors. The operators are paid as contractors, so it’s not a high-paying job, but it gives them a way to earn money. Rush Valley has a rotation of two or three operators for snowplowing. This system avoids conflicts of interest and ensures everything is legal, including the W-4s for the operators.
They might ask for more or less, but we can set the pay however we want. The Town of Vernon is looking for equipment operators, just like we did with the cemetery caretaker. We could offer $25 an hour, or whatever we decide. Personally, I’d suggest we raise it to at least $20—$20 sounds much better than $15, but we can discuss it more when we get into it.
Councilman Livingston wanted to follow up and thank Former Clerk Hillman. She has done a great job with the town’s Treasury Department. She’s helped get everything back on track, and we’ve gotten out of the hole we were in. Things are looking great financially, so I want to thank Former Clerk Hillman for her hard work.
Councilman Richey:
Thanks again to Madison for all your help. We should have the report finished and submitted in the next few days, get the necessary signatures, and hopefully receive the final grant money.
Councilman Lauti:
The meeting should be held next Wednesday due to spring break. I also contacted Water District Secretary Pherson, and she said the filing cabinets will be picked up this weekend. They’re applying for a grant for new water meters.
Mayor Olson asked if there’s anything on animal control and if we’re compliant with dog licensing.
Councilman Lauti has received several calls, and his wife posted on the Vernon 911 Facebook page. Next thing I know, the dogs are gone, and we’re still not compliant with dog licensing.
Councilman Cheatham:
Councilman Cheatham wanted to add to the spring-cleaning update that the dumpsters will be here from April 17th to May 7th. Mr. Yates, who provides them, wanted to remind us that if anything gets put in the dumpsters that shouldn’t be there, he gets charged for it, and he won’t cover that cost anymore. So, if we see someone putting something in that’s not allowed—like hazardous waste or refrigerators—let them know. Also, if the dumpsters are full, he’ll bring more out, so just let someone know and they’ll arrange it.
He has reached out to a few people about the 4th of July, got one response, but no others. If you know anyone, let me know.
- Other Business
No other business discussed.
- Review and Pay Town Bills
Councilman Cheatham moved to approve the Town Bills for March 2025 as
presented.
Councilman Livingston seconded.
Councilman Livingston: Yea
Councilman Lauti: Yea
Councilman Cheatham: Yea
Councilman Richey: Yea
Mayor Olson: Yea
The motion passed to approve the Town Bills for March 2025 as presented.
- Adjourn
Councilman Lauti moved to adjourn.
Councilman Livingston seconded.
Councilman Livingston: Yea
Councilman Lauti: Yea
Councilman Cheatham: Yea
Councilman Richey: Yea
Mayor Olson: Yea
The motion passed to Adjourn.
Meeting Adjourned at 7:58 p.m.