The Coalville City Council meeting May 12 felt conciliatory after numerous contentious meetings about employee policies.
Councilmembers backpedaled after they presented new city code that put the council, not the mayor, in charge of hiring and firing the city attorney and a new role called strategic planner.
Councilmember Lynn Wood presented a revised ordinance May 12 under which Mayor Mark Marsh retains control of the attorney position.
“I was realizing how important the city attorney position is for the city council, but I really had, I kind of had blinders on,” she said. “I think that was one good thing that came out of the public comments.”
The ordinance passed 4-1 after Councilmember Brandon Brady asked for the strategic planner position to be appointed by the mayor too, not the city council.
He still voted no after the change was added in because he wanted to have more discussion. Wood and Councilmember Louise Willoughby wanted to pass the ordinance before the scheduled budget discussion May 12.
Until now, Coalville has been using default personnel policies set out in state law, with no city-specific code on the books.
Residents who gave public input before the vote were happy to see city processes codified, and they thanked the city council for listening to feedback in past meetings.
“I know I had pointed words a few meetings ago, and I think it's only fair to say kudos,” Rory Swenson, one resident who raised concerns about the separation of legislative and executive powers before, said May 12.
Resident Tom Moore said he attended most of the recent discussions and gave the council his impression of the conflict between a group of councilmembers and the mayor and his staff.
“I feel that this has become a battle instead of what is best for Coalville City. I don't give a hell who wins the battle, who wins the war. Coalville City has a lot of challenges coming before them. Let's concentrate on what is best for our city,” Moore said. “Please.”
The biggest one is Hidden Meadows Ranch, a development in the works from Larry H. Miller Real Estate. The company is asking Coalville to annex some 300 acres of land south of town for the project.
Councilmembers Wood and Willoughby have proposed the new strategic planner position in part to make sure the city has the capacity to handle the application.
The city’s current planning official, Community Development Director Don Sargent, said he hasn’t seen both his role and a strategic planner position exist in any community the size of Coalville, which has roughly 1,500 residents. He thinks it might be redundant day-to-day.
“I really believe this position should be, in my opinion and experience, a specialized firm that — when there's a project that comes before the city that needs specialized expertise — that that person or firm then could be considered to help out with that specific project in coordination with the community development director,” Sargent said. “But have the strategic planner on a day-to-day basis? I don't think it's needed. I think it'd be a waste of taxpayer money.”
City Attorney Sheldon Smith said he was satisfied with the part of the new ordinance that states the mayor appoints and the council confirms the attorney.
