Eagle Mountain City Council, 6 October 2026

In short: The council put off a request to open 41 acres of farmland next to the city's data centers to data center use. It wants the agreement that goes with the rezone rewritten first. It turned down two requests from neighbors to buy strips of city open space. It approved a community garden policy, larger water and sewer project plans, and archery rules. It also spent more than an hour on a study of speeding on 35 streets.

Present: Mayor Jared Gray; Councilmembers Melissa Clark, Brett Wright, Craig Whiting, Rich Wood and Zac Huish. The record does not show anyone excused or attending remotely. Wright recused himself from items 10.A and 10.B.

Staff: Ben Reeves (city manager), Lacie Messerly (city recorder), Marcus Draper (city attorney), Vince Hogge (city engineer), David Salazar (assistant city engineer, in his last weeks), Rob Hobbs (senior planner), Natalie Winterton (assistant to the city manager), Brandon (planning staff; filled in for Senior Planner David Stroud on Corrigan Farms), Brad (parks, trails and open space staff), Erin and Kimberly (finance), John Magnus (staff, water rights), Officer Gilstrap (police), Fire Chief Burchett, CFO Tony Hill and district administrator Rachel Anderson (Unified Fire Authority and its service area), Jace Richards (Meeder Public Funds, the city's investment adviser), Joseph Browning and Sean Elliott (Hales Engineering), Reagan Peck (co-owner and applicant, Corrigan Farms LLC).

Decisions

#	Agenda ref	Motion	Moved / Seconded	Vote	Result
1	4	Go into a closed session	Huish / Whiting	5-0	Passed
2	Consent	Approve the consent agenda, pulling 10.A, 10.B and 12.D for separate votes	Wright / Wood	5-0	Passed
3	10.A	Release the Firefly NPA 8 Phase A, Plat 9 bond into warranty	Wood / Clark	4-0 (Wright recused)	Passed
4	10.B	Release the Firefly NPA 8 Phase B, Plat 1 bond into warranty	Wood / Clark	Four yes votes recorded (Wright recused); the chair did not announce a tally	Passed
5	12.D	Approve the community garden policy	Huish / Clark	4-1 (Wright no)	Passed
6	13.A	Deny the request to sell part of a city parcel in Silverlake	Whiting / Wood	5-0	Passed (request denied)
7	13.B	Deny the request to sell three city parcels in Meadow Ranch	Whiting / Wood	5-0	Passed (request denied)
8	14.B	Table the Corrigan Farms development agreement	Whiting / Wright	3-2 (Wood, Huish no)	Passed
9	14.A	Table the Corrigan Farms rezone	Wright / Whiting	5-0	Passed
10	15.A	Approve the updated culinary water impact fee facilities plan	Wright / Clark	5-0	Passed
11	15.B	Approve the updated wastewater master plan and impact fee facilities plan	Clark / Wright	5-0	Passed
12	15.C	Approve the archery code amendments	Whiting / Huish	5-0	Passed
13	15.D	Table the barbed wire fencing amendment	Wright / Wood	5-0	Passed
14	15.E	Approve the residential standards amendment for existing small lots	Whiting / Huish	5-0	Passed
15	15.F	Deny the master site plan amendment	Wood / Wright	1-4 (Wood yes; Wright, Whiting, Huish, Clark no)	Failed
16	15.F	Table the master site plan amendment and have staff work with council members on their concerns	Wright / Whiting	4-1 (Wood no)	Passed
17	17.A	Have staff give the council a quarterly report on the city's water holdings with the CWCD (the water district), in closed session	Wright / Wood	5-0	Passed
18	20	Adjourn	Wood / Whiting	Voice vote	Passed

Settled without a vote:

• The council took the RV parking code change off the October 20 agenda and will hold it until it is ready. Councilmembers Whiting and Huish agreed to work on it with planning staff.
• The council agreed to move ahead with recognizing a local couple as certified chaplains. Staff plan to bring the item back, probably on the October 20 consent agenda, with the couple present.
• Councilmember Huish asked the investment adviser to compare the city's returns with the two-year Treasury note and the state pool in future reports. The adviser agreed.
• The mayor directed staff to track money from city land sales on its own line, so the council can spend it on parks or open space during the budget.
• After denying the Meadow Ranch sale, the council asked the Community Services Board to add that corridor to its list of trails needing a plan.
• On Corrigan Farms, the council told the city attorney what the redrafted agreement needs: open the power source beyond natural gas to the city's alternative energy overlay, settle who pays to run and maintain any sewer lift station, shorten the 20-year term, and fix the "temporary" power line wording. Councilmember Wood also asked staff to report what the city gives up by signing an agreement before there is a buyer. The redraft goes to a work session.
• Staff will rewrite the barbed wire amendment so a business in the RTI (Regional Technology and Industry) overlay may request barbed wire through its development agreement.
• The council will go through the speed study in a work session and pick locations, then fund a package in the next budget to be built between school years. Wright suggested setting aside $1 million to $1.5 million. Members asked for cost estimates on a pedestrian tunnel or bridge on Airport Road at Fiona and on Pony Express near Hidden Hollow. On the fire department's advice, speed cushions were dropped.

Meeting map

Agenda ref	Topic	~Start (elapsed)	One-line note
1.B	Unified Fire Authority and service area overview	0:00	Taken first; costs, revenue, bonds and what leaving the service area would mean
1.A	RV parking code change	0:36	Staff presenter absent; split council, item held until ready
1.C	Chaplain services	0:55	Consensus to recognize a volunteer chaplain couple
1.D	Investment portfolio update	1:04	$51.2 million portfolio earning about 4.3%
2	City manager information items	1:19	Sewer plant permits, wells, hiring, budget kickoff
3	Agenda review	1:24	Items pulled from consent; land sale proceeds discussed
4	Closed session	1:33	Approved 5-0 at 5:34 PM; not recorded
5–6	Call to order, prayer, pledge	1:34	Policy session opens at 7:04 PM
7	Information items and events	1:36	Fall events; library wins state award
8	Public comment	1:39	Street lighting, Lake Mountain Road speeding, data center opposition
9	Council and mayor comments	1:51	Thanks to departing engineer; police report on Lake Mountain Road
Consent, 10.A–B	Consent agenda and Firefly bond releases	2:09	Wright recused on Firefly
12.D	Community garden policy	2:12	Passed 4-1
13.A	Silverlake land sale request	2:15	Denied 5-0
13.B	Meadow Ranch land sale request	2:24	Denied 5-0; trail direction given
14.A	Corrigan Farms rezone (public hearing)	2:35	Hearing held; vote held until after 14.B
14.B	Corrigan Farms development agreement	2:58	Long review; both items tabled
15.A	Culinary water impact fee plan	3:44	Five-year cost rises to $109.1 million
15.B	Wastewater plans	3:58	Five-year cost rises to $259.4 million
15.C	Archery code	4:03	Approved with no public comment
15.D	Barbed wire fencing in RTI zone	4:05	Tabled for a rewrite
15.E	Small existing lots in RC zone	4:12	Approved
15.F	Master site plans	4:16	Denial failed; tabled
—	Five-minute break	4:28
16.A	Speed study results	4:30	Hales Engineering on 35 locations
17.A	Legislative priorities	5:53	Quarterly water holdings report adopted
18	Council liaison reports	5:55	Chili cook-off, youth council and senior center needs
20	Adjournment	6:00	11:35 PM

Discussed but NOT on the agenda: a federal executive order on dyed diesel, police enforcement on Lake Mountain Road, regional transportation funding wins for the Lake Mountain corridor, the new hire for the city's open space and wildlife role, and the Williams natural gas plant serving Meta.

On agenda but little/no discussion: bond releases 10.C–10.E, minutes 11.A–11.B, the Ranches Parkway agreement with Utah County (12.A), the Smith's purchase agreement (12.B), and the Pioneer Addition land sales (12.C), all passed on consent. The communication items (19.A upcoming agenda items and 19.B August budget report) were not taken up before adjournment.

What was discussed

1.B — Overview of Unified Fire Authority and its service area

Fire Chief Burchett and CFO Tony Hill came to give the council history as it weighs how to provide and pay for fire and medical service. Eagle Mountain joined the Unified Fire Service Area, the taxing district, and through it the Unified Fire Authority in 2012. Service area revenue from the city grew from $1.6 million in 2013 to $10.9 million in 2026. Spending grew from $2.1 million to just over $12 million. Hill said the main benefit of membership was that the city got service increases before its own tax money covered them. Examples were a fourth firefighter per station and a full-time ambulance in 2020, and a third staffed station after the 2023 tax increase. The running total once reached a $2.6 million shortfall in 2019 and now sits at about $1.1 million. The record does not make clear whether that figure is a shortfall or a surplus.

The chief said staffing went from 3 full-time and 3 part-time firefighters in 2013 to 14 full-time positions a day across three stations. The 1978 pumper and the 1980s and 1990s equipment have been replaced with a new ladder truck, two newer pumpers and three ambulances. Asked what leaving would cost, Hill said the city would keep paying its share of two station bonds. That is about $1.2 million a year on the 2021 bond, which runs to 2041, and about $350,000 on the 2016 bond, which runs to 2035. The city would also have to negotiate buying back Station 252. Eagle Mountain makes up about 14.5% of the district's taxable value.

Councilmember Huish asked how tax increases work. Hill said the district sets one rate for every member city and has raised it three times since 2013: in 2018, 2024 and 2025. None drew a referendum. Huish remarked that a referendum on an entity that large would be hard for residents. Other questions covered how heavy apparatus is replaced (about every nine years, rotated between busy and quiet stations) and why some stations ran three-person crews. Councilmember Wright, the city manager and the mayor, who sits on the district board, each thanked the department.

1.A — RV Parking Code Amendment

The mayor said Senior Planner David Stroud could not attend and had asked to move this item to October 20. He asked members what staff should work on before then. Councilmember Huish described a neighborhood lot with six trailers and an online offer to rent out land for trailer parking. He wanted rules code enforcement could act on, with room for larger lots. Staff said enforcement officers had helped write the draft and find the current code vague.

Councilmember Wood objected that the council had rejected nearly the same language within the last year. He opposed having officers check vehicle registrations and called much of the complaint about looks, not nuisance. Councilmember Wright suggested tightening the home-based business code instead, aimed at lots storing other people's trailers or commercial trucks for rent. Councilmember Clark agreed it may be a business question, saying business owners had complained that unlicensed home operations undercut them. Whiting, Huish and Clark said they were open to continuing. Wood suggested two members work it out with staff, and Whiting and Huish volunteered. The mayor then held the item until it is ready.

1.C — Chaplain Services

The city manager presented a request from a couple who are trained, certified chaplains and want the city to endorse them. He described chaplains in his last city who supported first responders after hard calls. He said they were volunteers with no cost and no proselytizing. Councilmember Wood asked how a replacement would be chosen and whether the sheriff and the fire authority already have chaplains. The manager said the certifying organization would supply successors. He suggested an appointment with the council's consent.

The mayor said the request is to recognize them as certified chaplains, not to name an official city chaplain. Whiting and Wright saw no downside. A councilmember suggested inviting trained chaplains from other faiths to build "a deep bench." Wood said, "I'm not against it. Let's do it." The item is expected back on October 20 with the couple present.

1.D — Investment Portfolio Update

Jace Richards of Meeder Public Funds reported on the part of city cash his firm manages. The firm was known as Morton Asset Management before an April merger. The portfolio stood at about $51.2 million, earning about 4.3% with an average maturity of about 2.1 years. Richards expects about $1.9 million in interest from the bonds now held. He said rising rates help the city because new purchases now earn into the low 5% range. State law limits the city to bonds, deposits and Treasury and agency debt of no more than five years. About 23% is in high-rated corporate bonds.

Councilmember Wright asked for a plain answer to why the city holds $52 million. The city manager said state law allows reserves of 5% to 35% of next year's revenue. He said property taxes arrive in lumps, bond proceeds wait for project bills, and the water and sewer funds must each keep their own reserves. Wright said this year's reserve will likely fall below 35%. Huish noted most city cash, about 65%, sits in the state treasurer's pool. He asked for benchmark comparisons. Richards said the state pool returned about 3.97% against the firm's roughly 4.2% after fees.

2 — City Manager Information Items

The city manager said staff are seeking state permits to break ground on the wastewater treatment plant. Bonding is in the works for that plant, the redevelopment area, and the Kroger and Lowe's project. Other updates: heavy hiring and onboarding, leadership training, drought planning with Central Utah Water, the coming budget and audit, intersection and widening projects, Well 8 nearly online, drilling done on Well 9, and a new 4-million-gallon tank in progress.

3 — Agenda Review

Councilmember Wright pulled the two Firefly bond releases, 10.A and 10.B, to recuse himself, and pulled the community garden policy, 12.D, to vote against it. On the Pioneer Addition land sales, he asked where the money goes. Finance staff said it goes into the general fund under a "sale of assets" line. The mayor and Councilmember Clark wanted those proceeds tracked separately for park and open space use. Staff said little land sale revenue has come in so far, and these buyers plan to pay up front. Members chose to save the Corrigan Farms questions for the public session.

12.D — Community Garden Policy

Wright explained his no vote. He did not object to gardens. He objected to city staff managing fees, water and costs for a small group of residents, and said it is not something government should take on. Councilmember Huish, who sits on the Community Services Board, said a board subcommittee will run the gardens. He said they give residents without yard space a chance to learn to grow food for a small fee. The policy passed 4-1.

13.A — Silverlake Land Disposal Request

The city recorder explained that the new code makes this a first step: approval would only start the notice and public hearing process. The applicant asked to buy about 907 square feet of city open space behind his yard. Huish praised the applicant's upkeep but said he could support the sale only if all three neighboring owners bought the whole strip. Wright opposed any sale and suggested the land could serve as park parking and a trailhead. Whiting wanted to keep the trees that frame both sides of the street.

Clark said the developer had failed to finish the strip and asked the council to hold developers to their obligations. Wood was torn. He said the city should either let owners improve the land or maintain it itself, and he warned that parking would shine headlights into back windows. Staff said this year's aerial photos reflect drought. The council voted 5-0 to deny.

13.B — Meadow Ranch Land Disposal Request

This request for about 0.72 acres was denied 3-2 in April and came back with most neighbors signed on. The strip was a horse trail corridor the homeowners association once kept up. The applicant said at least one buyer exists on each side of every piece. Parks staff said the corridor is listed as open space in the new trails plan. Building a trail would mean a larger project to connect it, since it "goes to nowhere" at its south end.

Whiting kept his earlier opposition and said a maintained trail could connect to 18 acres to the north and give children a route to Blackridge Elementary away from Sunset Drive. The mayor noted it was planned as a horse trail. Huish said the city should mark it as public if it keeps it. Wood switched from his April vote. Clark asked the council to "do the homework" on trail service levels citywide. The council voted 5-0 to deny and asked the Community Services Board to add the corridor to its trail planning.

14.A — Corrigan Farms Rezone

Brandon, filling in for the senior planner, said the 41-acre parcel south and west of the QTS data center is bordered on three sides by the RTI overlay. The rezone would add that overlay, which allows data centers. Layton Construction uses part of the land for crew housing and parking for QTS. The Planning Commission recommended approval. Co-owner Reagan Peck, a high school counselor and resident, said he and his partner have owned the land for 15 years. He said there is no buyer yet, and he was open that he wants the best price.

In the hearing, one resident who had recently moved back said owners should be free to rezone but data centers must pay for their full impact, especially traffic. A Tooele Cares speaker asked for no on both items and a statewide moratorium. Another resident raised power use and asked for streetlights near the gas station on Pony Express.

Whiting said that with every neighbor holding the right, denial could invite a lawsuit without a compelling reason. Wood questioned signing an agreement with a landowner who is not the builder, saying the city loses bargaining power. City Attorney Marcus Draper said the rezone does not require an agreement, but he recommended tying the two. Without one, the owner loses only the faster administrative approval. Wright proposed settling the agreement first, and the council set the rezone aside to take up 14.B.

14.B — Corrigan Farms Development Agreement

Draper said the agreement follows the city's data center template, with flexible sewer routing left to city approval. A new sentence in Article 7 binds the company once construction starts. It requires construction to begin within three years and runs 20 years. Peck said the timing protects Layton's use of the land to about March 2028, with about 2,300 workers parking there daily. He said a geothermal study found the site too small. He is seeking an air permit, and a site this size would likely draw under 200 megawatts.

Huish objected that the agreement allows only natural gas power. The mayor proposed linking it to the city's new alternative energy overlay instead. Wood said the council has never decided "how many is too many" gas plants. Wright challenged storage and utility uses listed as accessory, and wording calling the overhead power lines "temporary." He also asked who pays to run a sewer lift station. Draper said user fees cover upkeep and the agreement allows only upsizing an existing station.

Wood called a 20-year term unjustified for 40 acres and proposed 6 years. Others floated about 10. Wright said it was not ready. The council tabled 14.B by 3-2, with Wood and Huish voting no, then tabled 14.A by 5-0.

15.A — Culinary Water Impact Fee Facilities Plan

City Engineer Vince Hogge said the plan, approved a year ago, needed updating. The Spring Run and Talons Cove area is developing decades early, and construction costs are rising. A 30% design of the Central Utah water line along SR-73 came in far above the old estimate, partly because staff upsized the pipe for the long term. The five-year project total rose from $73.2 million to $109.1 million, which impact fees on new growth are meant to cover.

In the hearing, developer Brett Simpson of Pony Express Land Development asked when the city will again sell water for homes. He said he holds 20 residential acres with no water. Wood said the line work is not tied to that policy. Clark said the city has reserved its shares for commercial and industrial use. She said about 16,000 acre-feet are held privately and urged him to buy on the open market. The plan passed 5-0.

15.B — Wastewater Master Plan and Impact Fee Facilities Plan

Hogge said the same growth area requires a larger pipe on Ranches Parkway and a new east trunk line beside the near-full Pony Express sewer line. The five-year total rose from $193.7 million to $259.4 million. About 90% of the increase is the treatment plant expansion from 2.6 million to over 8 million gallons a day. No one spoke in the hearing, and it passed 5-0.

15.C — Archery Code

Natalie Winterton said the council had asked for archery rules. Summer interns drafted them after reviewing USA Archery standards. Outdoor ranges would be allowed in the shooting range overlay and indoor ranges as a special use. The Planning Commission gave a favorable review. No one spoke, and it passed 5-0.

15.D — Barbed Wire Fencing in the RTI Zone

Rob Hobbs said an industrial business had sought barbed wire through its development agreement. The change would allow it throughout the RTI overlay. Wood wanted it limited to uses like data centers and energy plants. Wright worried about leaving out others, such as a drone maker. The council settled on letting a business request it in its development agreement. Hobbs asked to table it rather than deny it, which avoids the cost of new public notice, and it was tabled 5-0.

15.E — Residential Standards for Existing Small Lots

Hobbs said about 223 lots in the recently rezoned Scenic Mountain area include many of about 3,800 square feet, below the zone's 4,500-square-foot minimum. The change declares existing lots and setbacks legally conforming so owners do not hit trouble when they sell or refinance. It does not apply to new lots. No one spoke, and it passed 5-0.

15.F — Master Site Plans

Hobbs said the amendment clarifies when a master site plan or a standard site plan applies. It would also let commercial and industrial landowners divide land by plat before choosing a user, which he said developers commonly want. Wood opposed allowing a plat ahead of the master site plan. He said the council wrote the current order on purpose to stop owners from carving off parcels, such as a drive-through, without showing road connections. Brandon said a plat still requires a traffic report and later site plans add detail.

Wood moved to deny. Wright seconded "for the sake of discussion" but voted no so staff could keep working, and the denial failed 1-4. The council then tabled it 4-1, with Wood opposed.

16.A — Speed Study Results

Before introducing the study, departing Assistant City Engineer David Salazar said the draft regional transportation plan now moves the Lake Mountain corridor up to funding around 2036–37. It had not been funded through 2055, and Salazar said it could be built sooner with state help. Joseph Browning and Sean Elliott of Hales Engineering then presented counts from 35 locations, measured over two weekdays each. They proposed:

• lowering Silver Lake Parkway from 35 to 30 mph
• setting 30 mph on the unposted part of Golden Eagle Road
• raising Porter's Crossing Parkway from 25 to 30 mph, with safer crosswalks
• lowering Airport Road from 45 to 40 mph in the built-up area
• setting 30 mph on Pole Canyon Boulevard east of Raccoon Lane

They said a new sign alone changes little, so calming has to go with it. They proposed about $400,000 of measures at 11 moderate locations, such as feedback signs, curb bulb-outs, speed tables and police pullouts on Ranches Parkway and Pony Express. Cedar Pass Ranch roads run 11 or more mph over 25. The consultants questioned whether 25 is realistic there and called it a hard case. A speed table built from asphalt costs about $8,000.

Wood wanted speed tables at every elementary school crossing off the major roads, saying cars must stop. Clark worried drivers speed up after a table. The mayor opposed lowering Airport Road, a future major road, and asked why no tunnels were proposed. Clark asked the council to fund at least one tunnel every two years. A fire department representative urged dropping speed cushions as useless to emergency crews. Members agreed to choose locations in a work session and build over the summer, and Wright suggested budgeting $1 million to $1.5 million.

17.A — Legislative Priorities List

Wright moved that staff, now John Magnus, report each quarter in closed session on the city's CWCD water holdings: what has been sold and what remains in reserve. He said he wants the council to manage the water "as an active asset of the citizens." It passed 5-0.

18 — Council and Mayor Business

Wright polled members for a chili cook-off at the senior center on Monday, October 26. He said seniors added six members this week and need more space. Whiting said the youth council has doubled and needs about $8,000 to $12,000 more in the next budget. The mayor said the council will discuss it.

Notable moments

• The closed session took an hour and a half. The council left for closed session at 5:34 PM and returned at 7:04 PM, and none of that is in the recording.
• A police report followed residents to the microphone. After residents described 40 to 80 mph traffic on Lake Mountain Road, Officer Gilstrap said deputies made 46 stops there in two weeks, mostly citable. He said map apps had wrongly listed the road at 55 mph, and staff had contacted QTS safety managers about their workers' driving.
• Huish laid out the Meta power plan. Huish said he walked the site of the Williams plant: 17 turbines, 289 megawatts, powering three Meta data centers that Rocky Mountain Power can no longer supply. He said it will bring the city about $3 million and that he has concerns about air quality.
• The packet ran 749 pages. Clark told residents the council gets its packet on Thursday night. She asked people to reach members directly.
• A new open space officer was announced. Wright said Justin Dodd, a Wyoming conservation officer and biologist, will start in mid-November in the role Todd Black held.
• The mayor raised dyed diesel. He asked whether city trucks should switch to untaxed red-dye diesel under a new executive order. Finance staff said the city already gets fuel taxes back, so it would make no difference.
• The applicant welcomed the delay. Peck told the council the long Corrigan Farms debate was "almost more beneficial as a conversation for me" and thanked the city attorney.
• The fire department ruled out speed cushions. A fire representative said a fire engine could tip on a badly angled cushion, and the council dropped them.

About this transcript

The speech-to-text tool misheard many names. "Hewish," "Hughes," "Herish," "Hirsch," "Huish" and "Heros" all refer to Councilmember Zac Huish, and "Whitey" refers to Whiting. "Meader," "Meter," "METER" and "Nieder" are Meeder Public Funds. "Chief Perchette" is likely Chief Burchett, and "Corgan Farms" and "Fiegel Mountain" are Corrigan Farms and Eagle Mountain. The transcript has both "Ida" and "Ira" Hodges Parkway. "Conewood Heights" is Cottonwood Heights, and "Cory Ride" is likely Cory Wride. "Stocktoberfest" may be a mishearing of the CPR training event's name. The investment adviser said "one or two cuts" while describing expected rate hikes, which may be a slip.

Speaker labels are unreliable. "Speaker A" covers Councilmember Clark, the fire chief, the city recorder, finance staff, the city engineer and several public speakers. In several roll calls, the "yes" is filed under a label that does not match the member called. Where the chair named the mover and seconder, this summary follows the chair. On 13.A, the chair named Wood as seconder although the line is labeled as another speaker. The chair did not announce a tally on 10.B or on several 5-0 votes, so those counts come from the recorded roll call. The closed session and the break were not recorded. Elapsed times assume about a 90-minute gap for the closed session, so they are estimates.