[0:00] Call it.

[0:01] Um, welcome to the Provo Municipal

[0:03] Council. It's our regular meeting April

[0:05] 28th, 2026 at 5:31 p.m. Um, as far as

[0:10] our elected officials today, we have

[0:12] Mayor Marsha Judkins,

[0:14] Council Rachel Whipple, myself Katrice

[0:16] McKay, we have Council Gary Garrett,

[0:19] Council Becky Bogden is sitting down and

[0:21] Council Jeff Whitlock.

[0:24] Travis will be on his way in.

[0:27] All right, um, we will have an opening

[0:30] prayer by Angie Carter and then we'll

[0:31] have the pledge of allegiance by Council

[0:34] Whipple.

[0:39] Our dear heavenly Father, we are so

[0:41] grateful to be able to come to this City

[0:44] Council meeting

[0:45] and to work together as citizens to

[0:48] preserve and protect our our

[0:50] neighborhoods and our city.

[0:53] We pray that thy spirit will be here and

[0:55] help us to discuss reasonably and kindly

[0:58] with each other the issues in our minds

[1:00] and in our hearts. We pray for these

[1:02] things in the name of Jesus Christ.

[1:03] Amen.

[1:05] Thanks, Angie.

[1:06] Please stand and join me in the pledge

[1:08] of allegiance.

[1:10] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[1:13] United States of America and to the

[1:16] republic for which it stands, one nation

[1:19] under God, indivisible with liberty and

[1:22] justice for all.

[1:31] right, we are going to have a number

[1:33] of presentations today. So, first a

[1:35] ceremony recognizing our own Chief Troy

[1:38] Beebe as Utah's Chief of Police

[1:40] Association Chief of the Year. This will

[1:43] be presented by Mayor Marsha Judkins.

[1:56] So, members of the council, tonight we

[1:59] join the Utah Chiefs of Police

[2:00] Association in recognizing Chief Troy

[2:03] Beebe who was selected as a 2026 large

[2:05] department Chief of the Year.

[2:07] Um, and this award was formally

[2:10] presented to him last month the Utah

[2:11] Chiefs of Police Association's

[2:13] conference in St. George, but we wanted

[2:15] to recognize Chief Beebe here as well so

[2:18] that our residents and all of us could

[2:20] share in this well-deserved honor. Um,

[2:23] it has been one of my favorite things to

[2:26] be able to meet with Chief Beebe every

[2:28] week and to get to know him and to see

[2:31] his commitment to the safety of our

[2:34] residents and to his force.

[2:37] And he was recognized for his

[2:38] outstanding leadership, his work to

[2:40] improve staffing levels, his support of

[2:43] the language incentive program, and his

[2:45] commitment to innovation and

[2:46] modernization. He has led important

[2:48] efforts to strengthen the statewide law

[2:51] enforcement radio system, worked closely

[2:53] with agencies across Utah to help

[2:55] apprehend a dangerous fugitive, and

[2:56] continue to expand meaningful community

[2:58] partnerships.

[3:00] So, under Chief Beebe's leadership, the

[3:02] Provo Police Department has strengthened

[3:03] community policeman policing, improved

[3:07] response times, and built lasting trust

[3:09] with residents. Because of that

[3:11] leadership, our city is stronger and

[3:13] safer. So, um, Chief Beebe is known for

[3:16] his hands-on approach and his

[3:18] willingness to go above and beyond the

[3:19] call of duty.

[3:21] I have it on good authority that when

[3:22] public safety became a serious concern

[3:24] along the Provo River Trail due to large

[3:26] trees being felled by beavers, Parks and

[3:28] Recreation had no options and the

[3:31] Division of Natural Resources does not

[3:32] handle beaver issues.

[3:35] It was then that Chief Beebe revealed he

[3:36] just happens to hold a trap horse

[3:38] license

[3:40] >> [laughter]

[3:41] >> and he quickly went to work resolving

[3:42] the issue.

[3:44] There are very few police chiefs who

[3:46] would consider waders part of their

[3:47] operational attire or who would

[3:49] literally wade into a problem to protect

[3:51] residents, but Chief Beebe is that kind

[3:53] of leader. He approaches every situation

[3:55] with the attitude that no task is too

[3:57] small and no tap challenge too large

[3:59] when it comes to public safety.

[4:01] Chief Beebe,

[4:03] on behalf of Provo City and this

[4:04] council, it is my honor to recognize you

[4:06] again for your outstanding service and

[4:09] congratulate you on being named large

[4:11] department Chief of the Year and

[4:12] congratulations.

[4:35] All right, we are very blessed to have

[4:37] Chief Beebe. All right, now with

[4:39] ceremony recognizing Provo City

[4:40] students' accomplishments with the

[4:42] Sterling Scholar Sterling Scholarship

[4:44] Program.

[4:46] Also presented by the Mayor Marsha

[4:47] Judkins.

[4:58] So glad you could make it to you now.

[5:00] So, I would like to take a moment to

[5:02] recognize the outstanding hard work and

[5:04] academic accomplishments of our 2026

[5:07] Sterling Scholars. So, a Sterling

[5:10] Scholar is a high school senior who is

[5:11] publicly recognized and awarded for the

[5:13] pursuit of excellence in scholarship,

[5:15] leadership, and citizenship in the state

[5:18] of Utah. In order to be selected as a

[5:20] recipient of this prestigious award,

[5:23] prospective students present an

[5:24] all-encompassing portfolio on their work

[5:27] in a specific category and are

[5:28] interviewed by judges in multiple rounds

[5:31] of evaluation. So, tonight I would like

[5:33] to take this opportunity to

[5:35] honor Rachel Rayu and Adelaide Wingate

[5:38] who were recognized as the runners-up in

[5:40] Family and Consumer Sciences and World

[5:42] Languages respectively, and Bella

[5:44] Fillmore who was recognized as a

[5:45] Sterling Scholar for the Dance category.

[5:47] So, Rachel.

[5:49] Right here.

[5:51] She's from Timpview High and she

[5:53] received the title of runner-up for

[5:54] Family and Consumer Sciences. Some of

[5:57] Rachel's many titles and accomplishments

[5:58] include Provo City School District

[6:00] Student Board Member, Student Advisory

[6:02] Council Member,

[6:03] CTE Sterling Scholar semi-finalist, Utah

[6:07] FCCLA First Vice President, and Timpview

[6:09] Varsity Lacrosse Captain and starting

[6:12] midfielder.

[6:13] Rachel is an example of the incredible

[6:15] talent we have here in Provo City and we

[6:16] are so glad to be able to recognize her

[6:18] for her hard work tonight. So,

[6:20] congratulations, Rachel.

[6:23] Stay up there.

[6:25] Okay. So, um, Adelaide.

[6:30] Wingate gate is also from

[6:32] Timpview High and was a runner-up for

[6:34] World Languages.

[6:36] Um, Wingate or Adelaide is orchestra

[6:39] president, a concerto winner, and a

[6:41] violinist of 10 years. She's also a

[6:44] member of the Provo Ultimate Frisbee

[6:45] team and boasts a 4.0 GPA.

[6:49] My favorite note is that she was

[6:50] referred to as a real-life Elle Woods.

[6:53] That's pretty good. Congratulations,

[6:55] Adelaide, on this distinction.

[7:01] Okay.

[7:02] So,

[7:03] Bella Fillmore is also from Timpview

[7:05] High School and she received the

[7:06] Sterling Scholar for Dance.

[7:09] I should say I'm taking dance lessons

[7:11] with one of my daughters right now. It

[7:13] is so hard.

[7:18] I will watch you and learn from you.

[7:20] With 15 years of training, she has

[7:22] fostered connection through dance. In

[7:25] addition to studying at Ballet Limpsink

[7:27] in France, she has used her Did I say

[7:29] that right? Okay. She has used her

[7:31] talent to serve others. She is a member

[7:33] of the Timpview Dance Company

[7:34] presidency. She has organized audition

[7:36] prep classes for middle school dancers,

[7:38] volunteered at dance centers, and

[7:39] organized a group piece to honor

[7:40] Ukraine. So, congratulations, Bella, and

[7:43] thank you for all you do for our

[7:44] community.

[7:46] So,

[7:48] Marsha, Marsha,

[7:51] do we have any other students that came

[7:52] in late or anything? No, this is it.

[7:54] >> That's it. Okay, thank you so much.

[7:58] Oh, this way.

[8:05] We can go to the next one. And it's so

[8:07] amazing. Thank you now.

[8:09] I have one more.

[8:17] As indicated on the screen, a required

[8:19] public hearing will be held for certain

[8:20] agenda items prior to council action.

[8:23] After each such item has been presented,

[8:25] time to comment will be provided for all

[8:27] those who wish to speak. For items that

[8:29] do not require a public hearing, public

[8:31] comment will still be taken following

[8:33] presentation of the item, but will be

[8:35] limited to 10 minutes. At this time, up

[8:38] to 15 minutes have been set aside for an

[8:39] open public comment period, which is

[8:41] intended to allow comment on matters

[8:43] that do not appear on the agenda, but

[8:44] are limited to topics regarding

[8:45] municipal business or within municipal

[8:47] council purview.

[8:49] Persons who speak during this time to an

[8:51] item that is on the agenda will not

[8:52] normally be afforded a second

[8:53] opportunity to speak during the comment

[8:55] period specific to that item.

[8:57] During any public comment period, each

[8:59] speaker is generally be limited to 2

[9:01] minutes. Due to noticing requirements,

[9:03] no formal action will be taken in this

[9:05] meeting on matters that do not appear on

[9:06] the agenda. Those with comments are

[9:08] invited to approach the podium. Those

[9:10] participating on Zoom will need to use

[9:12] the raise hand feature to indicate they

[9:13] wish to comment. The chair may choose to

[9:15] alternate between in-person and online

[9:17] commenters. Please begin your comments

[9:19] by stating your name and the city of

[9:21] residence. You will have 2 minutes to

[9:23] speak.

[9:29] Hello, my name is Angie Carter. I am the

[9:31] East Neighborhood District Chair and I

[9:34] am speaking to an item that was on your

[9:37] agenda in the work meeting today. Um, in

[9:40] your work session today, you heard

[9:41] proposals for a potential conservation

[9:43] easement of Slate Canyon.

[9:45] You may remember that a year ago this

[9:48] week, the East Neighborhood District's

[9:50] quarterly meeting filled this room to

[9:52] overflowing when a developer proposed

[9:54] buying that area from the city and

[9:56] developing it into a resort. I speak

[9:58] today to remind you of the neighbors

[10:00] overwhelming view that Slate Canyon be

[10:02] preserved.

[10:04] Our neighbors came out in force last

[10:05] year because they value Slate Canyon for

[10:07] its wild natural beauty and its gateway

[10:10] to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. The

[10:12] residents also want the park that has

[10:14] been part of the Provo's general plan

[10:16] for many years. We realize that much

[10:19] infrastructure needs to happen before

[10:20] the full park plans will materialize,

[10:23] but that area already has some amenities

[10:26] such as dirt bike trails and disc golf

[10:28] courses that residents use and love.

[10:31] I realized that the conservation

[10:33] easement is not on today's agenda. I

[10:35] speak today to ask the council to give

[10:37] that easement every consideration in

[10:40] preserving Slate Canyon for generations

[10:42] to come.

[10:43] Council Mckay mentioned that her

[10:45] grandparents enjoy just sitting and

[10:46] watching the sunset at a beach from the

[10:49] comfort of a nearby restaurant. I

[10:51] experience a similar sense of awe and

[10:52] peace from saying seeing Slate Canyon

[10:55] from my home's windows and my backyard.

[10:57] That proximity to untamed wilderness

[10:59] settles my soul and I know that others

[11:01] experience similar renewal and I ask you

[11:03] to please give

[11:05] every consideration to preserving Slate

[11:07] Canyon so others can experience that awe

[11:10] and joy for years to come. Thank you

[11:11] very much.

[11:13] Thanks Angie.

[11:16] My name is Todean Andrew. I'm a Provo

[11:18] resident and the owner of Curvature,

[11:20] Utah's only exclusively plus size thrift

[11:23] store also located in Provo.

[11:25] So, I'm here tonight to invite you formally to our expansion

[11:29] ribbon cutting ceremony. We are

[11:31] expanding our store. We're growing,

[11:33] which is what we want in Provo. So,

[11:34] we're excited about that. I'll reach out

[11:36] with more official invitations later.

[11:38] In the process of expanding, we're

[11:40] actually just have just acquired the

[11:42] property next door to us. So, it's our

[11:45] existing location plus we're doubling in

[11:47] size. During the process of of getting

[11:49] this set up, I a couple of issues came

[11:52] up that I think the city council could

[11:53] address that would be more beneficial

[11:55] for small businesses in Provo. So, I

[11:57] called to get utilities established for

[11:59] us and was told that we needed to pay a

[12:01] $400 deposit that would be held for 3

[12:04] years. Now, when I initially established

[12:06] the business, I paid that deposit

[12:08] understanding that it would going to was

[12:09] going to be held for 3 years. Point

[12:11] number one, 3 years is a really long

[12:13] time and it makes Provo an outlier. Most

[12:15] municipalities in Utah only hold that

[12:17] deposit for 1 year. And businesses, if

[12:20] you've reached one the 1-year mark, you

[12:22] could really use that deposit money back

[12:24] because you're probably looking at

[12:25] growth at that point. So, something to

[12:27] consider. That is a code issue. So, I

[12:29] understand that would have to be

[12:30] addressed by city council. I'll be

[12:32] reaching out to other members of Provo

[12:34] city staff and to you with a policy

[12:36] brief to talk a little bit more about

[12:37] that. So, the second issue then was I'm

[12:40] not a new account. I'm an existing

[12:42] business with a regular payment history,

[12:45] no delinquencies, and yet I was asked to

[12:48] provide that deposit again. Now, code

[12:51] does allow for some discretion in how

[12:53] those deposits are applied and I'm

[12:54] delighted to say that Provo granted that

[12:56] waiver. However, it would be a lot

[12:58] easier for city staff and for small

[13:01] businesses who are just expanding their

[13:02] existing business if we didn't have to

[13:05] do that if that was just a regular

[13:06] policy procedure. If you're an existing

[13:08] business, just get the waiver. So,

[13:10] couple of issues. Expect an email from

[13:12] me. You guys have a wonderful evening.

[13:14] Thank you. Thank you.

[13:20] Glenn Jones, Springville resident.

[13:23] My twin granddaughters, Amelia and

[13:25] Sophia, are still missing from your

[13:27] city.

[13:28] Two weeks ago, I asked you for three

[13:29] things.

[13:31] First, I asked that you urge the police

[13:33] department to make this case a higher

[13:35] priority and give them the resources to

[13:37] do this so.

[13:38] Second, I asked you to use your personal

[13:43] and agency social media resources to

[13:45] spread the word about these missing

[13:47] children.

[13:48] The police department Facebook page has

[13:50] numerous posts about crime and even

[13:53] found items at the golf course,

[13:56] but no reports of my lost grandchildren.

[14:00] Mia and Sophia.

[14:01] This makes no sense to me.

[14:04] Third, I asked that you support and

[14:06] assist our future efforts to change the

[14:08] state laws.

[14:10] Today, I read for you to you from the

[14:12] utah.gov BCI

[14:15] uh web page regarding parental

[14:17] abduction.

[14:19] Each year, hundreds of children fall

[14:21] victim to family abductions. Many

[14:23] believe these children are perfectly

[14:24] safe

[14:25] because they're with a family member.

[14:27] However, nothing could be further from

[14:29] the truth.

[14:30] It is common for child victims to have

[14:32] their names and appearances altered, to

[14:34] experience medical and physical neglect,

[14:37] unstable schooling, homelessness, and

[14:39] frequent relocation.

[14:41] These children are often told lies about

[14:43] the abduction and the left behind

[14:45] parent, even that the left behind parent

[14:47] is dead.

[14:49] Most of these children live as

[14:50] fugitives, taught not to trust anyone,

[14:53] told to keep secrets about their past,

[14:55] unable to establish relationships and

[14:57] friends,

[14:59] and always on the run from the law.

[15:01] As a result of this form of serious

[15:03] child

[15:04] abuse, many child victim of family

[15:07] abductions experience psychological

[15:08] consequences and emotional distress.

[15:12] Please help me help us

[15:14] find Mia and Sophia so that they can

[15:17] escape these horrible consequences.

[15:20] Thank you.

[15:25] Mayor Judkins and members of the

[15:27] council, my name is Stephen Nordstrom.

[15:28] I'm a Provo resident and I am a

[15:31] long-time friend of my friend Josh here

[15:34] who's been missing his twins.

[15:36] I too am a father of twins, twin

[15:40] daughters just like him. Mine are

[15:43] not lost.

[15:45] They are students at BYU. We're part of

[15:47] this community. We love it here. Um

[15:49] and

[15:52] I've walked with my friend for the past

[15:54] 9 months

[15:57] listening to every update about what is

[15:59] going on, but really what isn't going

[16:03] on.

[16:08] I realize that statistically

[16:13] fathers, men, are often the cause of

[16:17] family strife and problems that result

[16:19] in missing children.

[16:22] I would hope that in this amount of time

[16:25] the good name of my friend has been

[16:27] established and understood. And Mayor, I

[16:30] hope that in those weekly meetings with

[16:32] Chief Beebe that you're

[16:35] getting briefed regularly about the

[16:37] missing children in our community.

[16:40] I don't know where she could be.

[16:43] It It breaks my heart to see that my

[16:45] friend suffers so much. He's tried

[16:48] as a a man of faith to do his best to be

[16:52] patient and wait for

[16:55] God to come and help.

[16:58] He needs the help

[17:00] of the law, too.

[17:02] And this law is supposed to protect him

[17:05] and those children especially.

[17:08] So, I make my plea humbly asking that

[17:13] this attention gets laser focused. We

[17:16] got missing children in our community.

[17:18] Thank you.

[17:28] Hello, my name is Naomi Flinders. I'm a

[17:31] Provo resident.

[17:32] Um

[17:33] 500 North is UDot jurisdiction, but I

[17:36] just wanted to like bring to your

[17:38] attention I was talking to one of my

[17:39] friends

[17:41] whose um child got hit the crosswalk

[17:44] there going to North Park.

[17:47] And I was just wondering if there was

[17:49] anything you could do to bring that to

[17:51] UDot's attention of maybe turning that

[17:53] into a stop sign instead of the flashing

[17:56] crosswalk.

[17:58] Just because I think that if cars get in

[18:00] the habit of stopping every time, there

[18:03] won't be the confusion. It just feels

[18:05] like

[18:06] why not make it safer in such like a

[18:08] high crossing area, especially with kids

[18:11] around?

[18:14] Thank you.

[18:20] All right. Next, we have an applied

[18:22] motion on a resolution consenting to the

[18:25] mayor's appointment of the Energy

[18:27] Services Director for Provo City. And

[18:29] this will be presented by Mayor Marsha

[18:31] Judkins. And as she's walking up, I just

[18:33] want to remind the audience that with

[18:35] public comment, we are not allowed to

[18:39] comment or do anything on it at the time

[18:41] cuz it's not something that is um

[18:44] noticed in our agenda, but it is

[18:46] something that we always follow up on.

[18:51] So,

[18:53] Chair Mckay and

[18:55] Vice Chair Christensen, he's online,

[18:57] right? No, he's not online. Okay, sorry.

[18:59] And members of the Municipal Council,

[19:02] I am recommending the appointment of

[19:04] Patricio Hernandez as the Energy

[19:06] Services Director and ask for your

[19:07] advice and consent.

[19:09] Uh he was chosen out of 24 applicants.

[19:12] It was a nationwide search and um I am

[19:15] fully confident have full confidence in

[19:16] him.

[19:18] Uh the council has had a chance to

[19:19] interview Director Hernandez and learn a

[19:21] little bit about him, but I did want to

[19:23] give a brief introduction.

[19:25] Director Hernandez brings with him

[19:27] significant expertise and passion from a

[19:29] long career in energy. A decade ago, he

[19:32] worked for Provo City as a power systems

[19:34] control operator monitoring Provo City's

[19:36] energy distribution system.

[19:39] After serving in that role, Patricio

[19:41] left Provo City to further hone his

[19:43] skills working with Rocky Mountain Power

[19:45] and later Heber Light and Power in

[19:46] increasingly high-demand technical and

[19:48] managerial roles.

[19:50] In addition to extensive leadership

[19:52] ability, Director Hernandez brings his

[19:53] experience as a company engineer,

[19:55] project manager, manager, and

[19:57] award-winning APPA safety committee

[19:59] chair.

[20:01] Um [clears throat]

[20:02] so I would

[20:04] like to recommend him to you and for

[20:06] your advice and consent.

[20:09] All right, thank you. All right, any

[20:11] council discussion on

[20:13] this appointment?

[20:16] All right.

[20:17] We will call a vote on the implied

[20:19] motion. Counselor Garrett? Yes.

[20:23] Counselor McKay? Yes. Counselor

[20:25] Christensen is excused. Counselor

[20:27] Whitlock? Yes. Counselor Bogdan? Yes.

[20:30] Counselor Hoban? Yes. And Counselor

[20:32] Whipple? Yes. So that passes 6-0.

[20:43] Congratulations. I'm very very excited

[20:45] to work with you both.

[21:25] I, Patricio Hernandez Quesada, do

[21:28] solemnly swear

[21:30] I, Patricio Hernandez Quesada, do

[21:32] solemnly swear that I will support,

[21:34] obey, and defend that I will support,

[21:37] obey, and defend the Constitution of the

[21:40] United States the Constitution of the

[21:42] United States and the Constitution of

[21:44] the State of Utah and the Constitution

[21:46] of the State of Utah and that I will

[21:48] discharge the duties of my office and I

[21:51] will discharge the duties of my office

[21:53] with fidelity. with fidelity.

[21:55] Congratulations. Thank you so much.

[22:40] All right, I'm also recommending

[22:42] >> to read in the next item.

[22:43] Sorry. No problem. Next implied motion

[22:46] on a resolution concerning to the

[22:47] mayor's appointment of the Parks and

[22:49] Recreation Director of Provo City. This

[22:51] will be presented again by Mayor Marsha

[22:52] Judkins.

[22:56] Okay.

[22:57] So I'm also recommending the appointment

[23:00] of Bradley Rainey as the recreation

[23:02] director and once again, I'm asking for

[23:04] your advice and consent. We had 87

[23:07] applicants in a nationwide search and um

[23:10] he came out at the top.

[23:12] Brad has a bachelor's degree in exercise

[23:14] science from BYU and a master's in

[23:16] athletic administration. His past

[23:18] experience includes roles as the Parks

[23:20] and Recreation Director in Green River,

[23:22] Wyoming and Edmond, Oklahoma, where he

[23:24] is moving from to come to Provo.

[23:27] While in Oklahoma, he successfully

[23:29] oversaw several multi-million dollar

[23:30] projects to improve financial

[23:32] sustainability and efficiency while also

[23:34] improving quality of service for res-

[23:36] residents.

[23:37] Brad brings with him significant

[23:38] expertise in local government

[23:40] operations, budget and financial

[23:42] management, and community engagement.

[23:44] So

[23:45] I would like once again to ask for your

[23:47] advice and consent.

[23:49] All right, any council discussion?

[23:52] All right, we will do a vote on the

[23:54] implied motion. Counselor McKay? Yes.

[23:56] Counselor Christensen is excused.

[23:58] Counselor Whitlock? Yes. Counselor

[24:00] Bogdan? Yes. Counselor Hoban? Yes.

[24:03] Counselor Whipple?

[24:05] Yes. Counselor Garrett? Yes.

[24:08] That passes 6-0.

[24:14] Okay.

[24:19] Congratulations.

[24:28] The gesture of honor once again

[24:42] I, Bradley E. Rainey, do solemnly swear

[24:48] that I will support, obey, and defend

[24:52] the Constitution of the United States

[24:56] and the Constitution of the State of

[24:58] Utah and the Constitution of the State

[25:00] of Utah and that I will discharge the

[25:02] duties of my office and that I will

[25:03] discharge the duties of my office with

[25:05] fidelity. with fidelity.

[25:16] Congratulations.

[25:32] Next, we have an implied motion on a

[25:33] resolution approving $75,000 in the

[25:36] general fund for an economic development

[25:37] study for the fiscal year ending June

[25:39] 30th, 2026.

[25:41] This will be presented by Cody Hill, our

[25:43] division director of economic

[25:44] development.

[25:56] Thank you, Chair Catrice, and thank you,

[25:57] Council. So I'm here to uh present a

[26:00] request for $75,000 appropriation for an

[26:02] economic development strategy study for city-wide Provo. This was identified

[26:07] back in January by City Council as

[26:10] something that you wanted to focus on as

[26:11] an as a priority for council and for

[26:13] this city. And the

[26:17] excuse me, and the city

[26:18] administration staff and council has

[26:21] worked together over the past um

[26:22] few months to put together a request for

[26:24] proposals seeking interested firms to

[26:28] respond and and help us out with this um

[26:31] with the city-wide study. And so this

[26:33] request is for $75,000 to fund that

[26:35] study. The RFP is closed. It closed on

[26:39] 4/18. We we received 10 respondents and

[26:42] the selection committee is meeting on

[26:44] Thursday to um to make a decision.

[26:48] Okay, great. Thanks, Cody. Any questions

[26:50] for Cody?

[26:53] All right, thank you.

[26:55] We will open this item up for public

[26:56] comment.

[27:02] Okay, seeing no public comment, council

[27:04] discussion?

[27:07] All right, we will do a vote on the

[27:08] implied motion. Counselor Christensen is

[27:10] excused. Counselor Whitlock?

[27:12] Yes. Counselor Bogdan? Yes. Counselor

[27:15] Hoban? Yes. Counselor Whipple?

[27:17] Yes. Counselor Garrett? Yes. Counselor

[27:19] McKay? Yes.

[27:21] Um that passes 6-0.

[27:23] Next implied motion on ordinance of any

[27:25] power generation, evaporative cooling,

[27:27] and environmental reporting requirements

[27:29] for data centers. This will be presented

[27:31] by Hannah Salvo, our planning and

[27:33] sustainability coordinator.

[27:39] Hello. These are some amendments to the

[27:41] code that was initially adopted last

[27:43] September for data centers. As staff has

[27:46] field tested the code a little bit and

[27:47] talked with other departments and with

[27:49] our power provider, Utah Municipal Power

[27:51] Agency, UMPA, these were some agreed on

[27:55] recommendations to clean up the code, uh

[27:58] protect our grid and improve air quality

[28:01] and uh water use.

[28:04] It There are three main points for the

[28:06] proposed amendment. First, it would

[28:07] remove power generation as a permitted

[28:09] use because UMPA caps

[28:12] uh or has a requirement that any data

[28:13] center over 50 megawatts needs to

[28:15] generate their own power on site. This

[28:16] would effectively cap data centers to 50

[28:18] megawatts. It also removes almost all of

[28:21] the air quality emissions concerns

[28:22] except for things like backup generators

[28:24] and basic building operations.

[28:28] Uh it would also require non-evaporative

[28:30] cooling measures, which does use more

[28:33] energy as they're moving the water

[28:34] around, but does have a lower water

[28:36] footprint and they would not be able to

[28:38] discharge the water into municipal

[28:40] wastewater systems, so it protects us

[28:41] there as well.

[28:43] And finally, a minor internal removal of

[28:46] some environmental third-party analysis

[28:48] because we're removing these major

[28:50] environmental footprints, there's simply

[28:51] less to analyze. But it does preserve

[28:53] the council's high-level discretion in

[28:55] evaluating data center applications.

[28:58] I should note that the planning

[28:58] commission did hear this and recommended

[29:01] against the outright uh

[29:03] prohibition of power generation as a

[29:05] permitted use. They suggested

[29:07] performance-based metrics instead as a

[29:09] conditional use to still leave the door

[29:11] open, especially as we're seeing data

[29:13] centers be major revenue generators.

[29:16] Any questions?

[29:20] Thanks, Hannah. Any questions for

[29:21] Hannah?

[29:23] All right, thank you. We will open this

[29:25] item up for public comment. Is there any

[29:26] public comment on this item?

[29:31] All right, we'll open it up for council

[29:32] discussion. Any discussion on this item?

[29:36] All right, we'll vote on the implied

[29:37] motion. Counselor Whitlock?

[29:40] Yes.

[29:42] Counselor Bogdan? No.

[29:44] Counselor Hoban?

[29:45] Yes.

[29:46] Counselor Whipple?

[29:48] Yes. Councilor Garrett. Yes. Councilor

[29:51] McKay, yes, that passes 5-1.

[29:57] Right, if there's no objection, we will

[29:58] now adjourn the Provisional Council by

[30:00] unanimous consent.

[30:05] So, um

[30:07] Recording stopped.

Provo City Council Meeting | April 28, 2026

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