With how much work the Park City Planning Commission has done over the last two years, the city council is now exploring how it might increase compensation for the volunteer body.
Commissioners are currently paid $100 per meeting. With multiple meetings a month that regularly run well into the night, and two major development projects at Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort in front of it, City Manager Matt Dias says councilors have questioned whether the regular rate is fair given how many hours each member dedicates to the job.
“There was a discussion in the last council meeting about just the number of hours and the volume of work of the planning commission itself, and what a commitment that is for an individual in our community on a voluntary basis," says Dias. "Council has also asked us to consider looking at a per diem, or adjusting a per diem rate for those that are volunteering their service.”
The commission is made up of local volunteers who all have other jobs as well.
Utah law does put limits on per diem rates for members of public bodies, but other forms of compensation could include non-cash incentives, or passes and discounts to city facilities.
The council will also be reviewing the appointment process for the city’s other public bodies like the library and historic preservation boards.
Later on the agenda, the council will debrief how last summer’s Silly Sunday Market, Kimball Arts Festival, and Bonanza Park events went. Dias says the council will consider the future of each event and is expected to direct staff on the next steps with each of those.
“We’re coming in to set the dates for next year, revisiting the success of this past year, which by all means was incredibly successful, and then asking council if they’re ready for us to begin talking about a longer term contract," he says. "Events of this size, scope, and magnitude, we typically have a several year contract so we can plan ahead as opposed to just a one year agreement.”
The council already indicated its intent to eliminate at least one event from the 2022 calendar last week, telling the organizers of the Triple Crown baseball and softball tournament to start looking for a new host location.
The public can comment on each item on the agenda.
Thursday’s meeting begins at 5:00pm. The full agenda and details on how to participate can be found here.
