IN THE WORK SESSION
Authorization to Purchase Three Clean-burning Diesel Buses with Gillig LLC Park City Transit would like to order three buses to bring their replacement schedule up-to-date. Although Staff and Council would both prefer ordering electric buses, Public Works Director Blake Fonnesbeck explained that EV bus technology is not yet at the level needed to be able to maintain a completely electric fleet. (Mr. Fonnesbeck said that his ideal mix of buses by 2021 would include only one-quarter diesel vehicles, with the remainder being electric.) He also explained that the diesel buses could be traded in before the end of their 12-year lifespan if the EV technology had evolved enough before then. Mr. Fonnesbeck also worried about delaying the order because doing so would increase wear and tear on and maintenance requirements for the current fleet. Council members disagreed on whether they should order the diesel buses now or wait until the electronic technology had advanced enough. They voted 3-2 to approve the purchase of the three clean-diesel buses.
Key findings from the assessment include the need for rental housing for two income levels: those who make less than $26,500 and those who make $70,848. Also rental apartment stock is aging and new units haven’t been built for more than 20 years. Other issues that were raised included the lack of for-sale units affordable to households earning $88,000 to $98,400; and pressure being put on long-term rental units now converted to nightly rentals, which can especially effect workforce housing. Next steps in fact-finding will include conducting a survey of city employees, other major employers, Main Street businesses, the school district, and other stakeholders.
Representatives from
Park City Police and the
Summit County Sherriff’s office explained that they favored a merger because it would reduce redundancies and improve safety and communication. Potential benefits include fewer dropped calls or hang-ups, time saved in not having to transfer calls, and more seamless coordination among entities during an incident. Because of changes to state law, Park City’s dispatch center is also no longer eligible for state 911 funding. If the merger were approved, the city would then enter into an interlocal agreement to create a multijurisdictional governing board.
Two current Park City dispatchers provided public comment: Jacob Black expressed concern that the level of customer service for Park City residents would go down because of Summit County’s size. Ashley Tims expressed support for the merger but was concerned because the dispatchers themselves had not yet been consulted in the process. She recommended having a dispatcher sit on the governing board. City Manager Diane Foster supported the idea and said she would like to have a dispatcher assist during the merger process itself. Council agreed to move forward with pursuing the merger process.
