Georgetown Idaho

September 2, 2025
Those Present: Greg Kunz, Trenton Morrell, Marty Nate, Mayor Steve Waechtler, Maintenance Shane Clark & Hadley Wright, Addison Ochsenbein from Sunrise Engineering, Jordan Crane, Nic Higgins, Morgan Kidd. Tee Steadman was absent
Meeting called to order: 7:00 pm Invocation: Hadley Wright
The council entertained a motion from Councilor Trenton Morrell to approve the published agenda and was seconded by Councilor Greg Kunz. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The minutes from August 5, 2025, were read aloud by Clerk Smith. A correction was made for the motion being seconded to sign checks and vouchers was Trenton Morrell and not Marty Nate. Councilor Greg Kunz made the motion to accept the minutes as read with the correction and Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Morgan Kidd and Nic Higgins came before the council to discuss the Fire Department budget and getting supplies for the fire truck. There is $13,300.00 in the budget through September 30th. They would like to get some flashlights, a Milwaukee set with blades, chainsaw with a demolition blade, some tools on the truck with a thermal camera to name a few items. Most items can be purchased on Amazon. There has been a new upgraded truck from Geneva received. They would also like to upgrade the water line hose, and can do a little at a time, up to 1,000 ft. Councilor Greg Kunz noted that it is important to have the right equipment and Mayor Steve said to get the tools and some hose now to stay within budget and we can address again in a few months after the new budget is in place and see what is still needed. Councilor Greg Kunz made the motion to get the fire department supplies needed and was seconded by Trenton Morrell. All were in favor and the motion carried.
Jordan Crane came before the council to discuss the farm lease at the cemetery and Kelly Bartschi’s. Discussion of moving the fence at the cemetery to the property lines. The cemetery needs to be expanded for snow removal and funerals are getting more crowded for parking, etc. The maintenance crew would like to start next month tearing out the old fence to the property lines to keep the cows out and replace with a 4-wire bar wire fence. They had talked about putting in gates for the pivots but after more consideration, we don’t want big tracks and trenches through the cemetery. There is an option to still farm with hand lines. Jordan said he had planned on plowing this fall but will leave as is. There is 5 acres and the original agreement was that Kelly could continue to farm until the City needed it. The City is not getting a profit from the land now. The City needs to plan for the future at the cemetery. Was discussed that we could work out an agreement, to try for a year, to tape off in the summer to be able to still farm for temporary parking because the expansion is mostly needed for the winter parking and snow removal. Councilor Trenton Morrell thinks there should be a farm lease there as well. The crew and Jordan will meet at the farm and cemetery and readdress.
Addison Ochsenbein with Sunrise Engineering came to give an update on the Transportation Plan. He said they will be putting up cameras throughout town this week and will have a chance to gather some data and report back at the next meeting. He has a meeting with DEQ this week and they are hopeful for more funding options and will report back at the next meeting.
Councilor Marty Nate made the motion to move out of the regular meeting and into Public Hearing for the purpose of approving the proposed 2025-2026 Annual Budget and was seconded by Councilor Greg Kunz. A roll call vote was taken and is as follows: Marty – yes, Greg – yes, Trenton – yes. All were in favor and the motion carried. Clerk Smith made note that no public comment has been received regarding the new fiscal year budget. There was no public present for comment for or against the budget either. Councilor Marty Nate made the motion to close the Public Hearing and back into the regular meeting and councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken and is as follows: Marty – yes, Greg – yes, Trenton – Yes. All were in favor and the motion carried. Councilor Marty Nate made the motion to accept the 2025-2026 budget as published and was seconded by councilor Trenton Morrell. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Ordinance #115 – the Appropriations Ordinance for the 2025-2026 budget was presented to the council. Councilor Marty Nate made the motion to accept the Appropriations Ordinance and was seconded by councilor Trenton Morrell. A roll call vote was taken and is as follows: Marty – yes, Greg – yes, Trenton – yes. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilor Marty Nate reported that she is making a public records request for the police tickets written and would like some more details than the spreadsheet given. The council feels like what we’re paying doesn’t match what we’re getting back. The Mayor and Marty attended the law enforcement meeting last month and Lynette received the recording and has passed along to the council. They are proposing a Unified Police Department and have done a lot of research. There would need to be a separate insurance plan at $45,000 per City in the first year and then it would drop to $22-25,000 per year after that. Our car would be worthless at this point because it and the equipment is too dated. The patrolling would be split 2 days per week per City, but the Officer would have no jurisdiction in the County and can’t speed for any emergencies through the cities he’s not contracted in. All Cities agreed it’s likely not feasible at this time and frustrated that the property taxes should be paying for this service already. They would like to meet with the County Commissioners and the other Cities and we would need 2 representatives to go to the Commissioners meeting. She had an idea for Officer Johnny Martinez, to plant a tree in the City with a plaque or bench in the City park and the Mayor also suggested having a plaque made to put in the City Hall also. The Mayor would also like to get a bench made in the park for Ralph & Nora Onstine for donating a tractor and the proceeds to go towards the new playground.
The Mayor was also approached about replacing a street light near Hyrum Critchlow’s with a low pollution light. Lynette reached out to Colton Smith at Rocky Mountain Power and he said that cities are moving towards installing LED lights and it would cost money up front to replace but would save a lot of money over time. The crew will find out how many lights we have in town and we will get more info for the next meeting.
Councilor Greg Kunz asked if we included the water and sewer increases in our new budget. Lynette responded that the coupon books mailed out are for two years at the current increase.
Police Report: No one was present to give a report for the month of August.
Maintenance Report: Hadley Wright gave their report for the month of August stating that he and Shane took water samples to the lab, mowed and watered the park and cemetery, checked on the spring, cleaned the tanks, fixed a sewer issue at Jordan Rasmusson’s, been spraying for bugs, put out mice bait, etc. They keep looking for a new snow plow before winter comes and would like a 4 wheel drive.
Office Report: There are 26 delinquent water and sewer accounts for the month of August. The guys delivered some door notices and was able to get a lot of accounts caught up again. The Mayor put No Parking signs on the mine drivers cars and it has helped tremendously. Superintendent Brogan is putting up school parking only signs in front of the school, he suggested putting no parking in our zones also. Clerk Smith announced the candidates running are Greg Kunz and Tony Price for Mayor along with Brooke Bruesch, Miles Cook, and Jordan Rasmusson for Council members. She also got the CCR Water Report completed for 2024 and it is available to view on the website, at the post office or in the City Hall. She also reported that some guys from Intermountain Gas stopped by this month and said our Franchise agreement is expiring soon. They would like to be on the agenda next month to review a new Ordinance and continue with 3% and 3 year warranties and are willing to do another 40 year agreement if that’s what the council wants to do. Lynette has forwarded the proposed new ordinance to all council members to review before the next meeting.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Marty Nate for the council to approve checks and vouchers for the month of August 2025 in the amount of $16,378.50 in the general fund, $11,170.19 in the water fund, and $22,364.25 in the sewer fund, with all funds totaling $49,912.94. Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Marty Nate that council adjourns from the September 2025 council meeting at 9:00 pm. Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Respectfully submitted,

Lynette Smith,
City Clerk-Treasurer

August 5, 2025

Those Present: Greg Kunz, Trenton Morrell, Marty Nate, Tee Steadman, Mayor Steve Waechtler, Maintenance Shane Clark & Hadley Wright, Sheriff Bart Heslington, Addison Ochsenbein from Sunrise Engineering, Gary & Mauria Teuscher CPA’s, Cynthia Johnson, Duke Smith

Meeting called to order:                               7:00 pm                               Invocation:         Mayor Steve Waechtler

The council entertained a motion from Councilor Trenton Morrell to approve the added agenda item of Cynthia Johnson with a dog issue and was seconded by Councilor Marty Nate. All were in favor and the motion carried. Councilor Trenton Morrell made the motion to approve the published agenda and was seconded by Councilor Marty Nate. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.

The minutes from July 1, 2025, were read aloud by Clerk Smith. Councilor Tee Steadman made the motion to accept the minutes as read and Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.

Cynthia Johnson came before the council to discuss an issue with dogs that have gotten into her lambs and wounded multiple. She said other neighbors have had complaints about the same dogs. She has involved the Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Bart responded and they discussed the issues. Cynthia would like the dogs to be rehomed and the owner of the dogs has offered to compensate for the loss of the lambs. The Sheriff said he will follow up with Cynthia and issue citations if needed.

Police Report: Sheriff Bart Heslington came to the council to give a report for the month of July. They made a lot of contacts at Twin Creeks Celebration. Sheriff also said he would send some public info over for Lynette to share to the Facebook group and website. Most that have been contacted throughout the summer about wearing helmets while operating 4-wheelers have been wearing them now. They had some contacts for dog issues and health/child welfare matters also. They worked 57 hours, made 150 contacts resulting in 34 traffic stops, 16 citations, 10 written warnings and 8 verbal warnings.

Sunrise Engineering had nothing new to report on for this month.

Duke Smith came back to report on his trip to the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming and brought cookies with no milk. He said he met a lot of friends and had a lot of fun in the jackpots but the rodeo didn’t go how he had practiced for but he had a good time anyway and appreciated the support.

The council then engaged in the budget workshop with Gary and Mauria Teuscher at 7:50 pm. Councilor Tee Steadman made the motion to give the employee’s a 5% increase and was seconded by Trenton Morrell. All were in favor and the motion carried the council. Gary will finish working the numbers and get things back to Lynette so she can publish in the paper on the 20^th and 27^th.

The Twin Creeks donations were great and are still coming in for the Fireworks and the new playground. So far we’ve brought in $1900 for the playground and $1050 for the fireworks and $2280 from dinner and breakfast. Everyone reported that the fireworks show was great again also.

The candidate filings for elections are earlier this year. We have two open seats for councilmembers; Greg Kunz and Trenton Morrell’s terms are up plus the mayor is up for reelection this year as well. Packets are available at the City Hall and filings can be turned in from August 18^th until August 29^th.

Councilor Marty Nate reported that she received a bid to redo the cemetery road for $4350.00 and the county could add the dust retardant. She also asked what else to do about fixing the approaches at the post office and was mentioned to contact the Montpelier Post Master, Joel Crouch, about getting the approaches fixed.

Maintenance Report:     Shane Clark gave their report for the month of July stating that he and Hadley got the water tanks cleaned and all went well there. Our tanks are in good shape but they recommend adding a better roof to the tanks. They mowed the parks and cemetery, and the water levels have been coming back up, they’ve done the monthly samples and generators were serviced this month for the year. They did some utility locates, put some sod on the graves at the cemetery, delivered delinquent notices, helped at the playground and worked with the service missionaries also. They said thank goodness we have a spring and more people should appreciate it because we don’t have to ration our water, even on drought years, because of it.

Office Report:    There are 20 delinquent water and sewer accounts for the month of July. The guys delivered some door notices and was able to get a lot of accounts caught up. There is a meeting in Paris tomorrow night for Law Enforcement. The Paris Mayor contacted Mayor Waechtler about using our police car and would like to employ 1 officer to patrol the 4 cities of Paris, St. Charles, Bloomington and Georgetown. The council had concerns about us being the outlier and that we wouldn’t get much out of it. The Mayor responded that they may use our vehicle, as it’s going to waste, as our payment/contribution and we would carry the liability on that car too. The Mayor and Marty will attend the meeting and report back at our next meeting.

The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Marty Nate for the council to approve checks and vouchers for the month of July 2025 in the amount of $40,469.57 in the general fund, $30,691.08 in the water fund, and $70,490.40 in the sewer fund, with all funds totaling $141,651.05. Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.

The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Marty Nate that council adjourns from the August 2025 council meeting at 9:15 pm. Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.

Respectfully submitted,

Lynette Smith,

City Clerk-Treasurer

July 1, 2025
Those Present: Greg Kunz, Trenton Morrell, Marty Nate, Tee Steadman, Mayor Steve Waechtler, Maintenance Hadley Wright, Duke Smith, Coy Smith, Cash Smith
Meeting called to order: 7:00 pm Invocation: Council President Greg Kunz
The council entertained a motion from Councilor Tee Steadman to approve the published agenda and was seconded by Councilor Marty Nate. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The minutes from June 3, 2025, were read aloud by Mayor Waechtler. Councilor Trenton Morrell made the motion to accept the minutes as read and Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Police Report: Sheriff Bart Heslington came to the council to give a report for the month of June. He reported that they are down on deputies and in the hiring process. They responded to a dog issue, trespassing/vandalism issue and investigating identity theft issues and an extortion issue from some scammers. The Sheriff asked if we could help educate the community about scammers and post on the website and Facebook page to help get word out. They worked 39.15 hours, made 77 contacts resulting in 10 traffic stops, 6 citations, 2 written warnings and 3 verbal warnings. The County sent a report of the citations been paid this month. He said they have had lots of conversations and contacts with kids operating 4-wheelers and dirt bikes without helmets and speeding. The Mayor suggested doing a mock wreck with the kids here like they did at the High School. He asked about patrolling for Twin Creeks and will be here for the bike race also.
Connections Bank Service is a mobile banking service and would like to come and introduce themselves to the council and our community. It will be tabled as they were not in attendance for tonight’s meeting.
Sunrise Engineering had nothing new to report on for this month. Clerk Smith reported that they did help us to apply for a water infrastructure loan in which we were denied for a loan and were ranked about 50 out of 55.
Councilor Marty Nate reported about Twin Creeks activities. The Mayor and family will take care of breakfast and the flag ceremony but will reach out to the VFW to see if they are willing. Councilor Tee Steadman suggested to do by donation for breakfast and dinner. The Council will need to help serve dinner. There will be bike races and bounce houses throughout the day, Movie in the Park Friday Night, Crazy Annie and Big Chubbs will cater the dinner.
Councilor Tee Steadman wondered about if anyone had contacted the County Mark Parker for the OK to have fireworks with the fire restrictions in the County right now. The Mayor said he would take care of it and has started soliciting for donations. He’s also working on getting the new playground put up before Twin Creeks and has recruited help to get it put up with some equipment and concrete donations as well. The installation will cost $12,000.
Coy Smith came to report on his trip to Iowa that the City helped him with. He had a good time and finished in the top 25 in the World.
Duke Smith came before the council to request a donation to help him get to his National Finals High School Rodeo that he qualified for in Rock Springs, WY, in the tie down roping. The council expressed that in doing so, he will be representing the community along with himself and will need to come back and report at the next meeting with milk and cookies. Councilor Marty Nate made the motion to donate $500.00 and Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.

Maintenance Report: Hadley Wright gave their report for the month of June stating that he and Shane have been pumping at the land app, took samples to the lab, checked on the spring and water tanks, helped with the playground, mowed the lawns. They helped fix a water issue at Alice Hayes. They did some utility locates. Dry Creek Pumping has contacted about pumping but haven’t heard back from them this year. Hadley also reported that the State Road Crew will come and fix by the corner by City Hall on the highway and fill some holes by the Post Office too. They looked at having Eric DeClark fix the approach from 2nd Street to the Post Office and all the holes and it would be about $5600 for concrete. The Mayor suggested having the prep all ready and use gravel instead.
Office Report: There are 30 delinquent water and sewer accounts for the month of June. She will be gone for a week in July with Duke to Rock Springs. She reported about the Easement with the Whitaker’s and they want a clause added for the new owners to decide for snow placement and won’t sign without that added in. The council agreed there’s no point in proceeding if we must renew with new owners again. The agreement will be readdressed when the property sells.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Trenton Morrell for the council to approve checks and vouchers for the month of June 2025 in the amount of $28,660.53 in the general fund, $8,619.99 in the water fund, and $17,771.50 in the sewer fund, with all funds totaling $55,052.02. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Trenton Morrell that council adjourns from the July 2025 council meeting at 8:30 pm. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Respectfully submitted,

Lynette Smith,
City Clerk-Treasurer

June 3, 2025
Those Present: Greg Kunz, Trenton Morrell, Marty Nate, Mayor Steve Waechtler, Maintenance Supervisor Shane Clark, Maintenance Hadley Wright, Addison Ochsenbein of Sunrise Engineering, Deputy Zack Freeman, Coy Smith
Meeting called to order: 7:00 pm Invocation: Mayor Waechtler
The council entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz to approve the published agenda and was seconded by Councilor Trenton Morrell. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The minutes from May 6, 2025, were read aloud by Clerk Smith. Councilor Marty Nate made the motion to accept the minutes as read and Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council. Discussion on the minutes, Councilor Greg Kunz followed up with Kelly Bartschi about the expansion of the cemetery. He said in the agreement that his family gets 4 plots in the new part and he would like to keep farming it to keep the weeds down. The crew voiced they don’t want big ruts in there from the pivot and so we will just fence it off and maintain it with the rest of the cemetery. The Mayor reported on the luncheon with Simplot. There was 3 people from Simplot, himself, his wife Mary and Clerk Smith were in attendance. The luncheon went well and discussed some things. They will continue to help with the fireworks and the new playground equipment. They will also look into the parking problems in front of the school and church and try to come up with a solution for the carpoolers.
Police Report: Deputy Zack Freeman came to the council representing the Sheriff’s Department to give a report for the month of May. They worked 59.75 hours, made 172 contacts resulting in 20 traffic stops, 6 citations, 11 written warnings and 13 verbal warnings. He asked what coverage is needed for Twin Creeks. The Mayor said it might not happen because one family is burnt out and no time or help. He said to plan on the fireworks for July 19th and a breakfast. We put a post on Facebook saying the celebration could be canceled this year if more aren’t willing to help keep it going and 2 people reached out about helping but haven’t followed up. Councilor Marty Nate said she would reach out to Miles Cook or Morgan Kidd to see about catering dinner with the fireworks. Councilor Greg Kunz expressed there aren’t enough citations being issued to help pay for our contract with the Sheriff’s Department. The Deputy explained that everyone has their own parameters for issuing citations. Mayor asked for a report on why people are being pulled over and what results in a warning vs a ticket to understand more of their parameters. The Deputy said he would follow up with the Sheriff.
Connections Bank Service is a mobile banking service and would like to come and introduce themselves to the council and our community. It will be tabled until the next meeting as they will not be able to attend tonight’s meeting.
Addison Ochsenbein of Sunrise Engineering came before the council to discuss more on the transportation plan study. He reported that the funding is rolling and not much more to update on at this time. Councilor Trenton Morrell made the motion to continue with the study and was seconded by Councilor Marty Nate. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The Impact Area Map was discussed and the council would like to include the railroad right of way as well as the sewer ponds and cemetery. Lynette will follow up with Mitch Poulsen at the county to include the changes.
The Easement Agreement with the Whitaker’s was presented and the council reviewed the Map of Exhibit B showing where they would like the snow placed each winter when plowed. It will be 50 ft to the West for snow placement. All were in agreement and Lynette will follow up with the Whitaker’s to get signatures and get it recorded with the County.
Twin Creeks Celebration budget was reviewed and there has been $7,500.00 budgeted for the fireworks.
Councilor Marty Nate reported that she didn’t get the grants she applied for on the crosswalk. Councilor Trenton Morrell said he would follow up with the State to see about getting the crosswalk implemented on the highway and find out what else we need to do there. She also reported that she priced bricks to finish out the Veteran’s Memorial and they are $61.00 per brick. The council approved for her to proceed and get that coming to complete. She also reported that she will do Movies in the Park again this summer and the drop off from the highway to the Post Office ledge was discussed and follow up with DeLoy Kunz to see what can be done for the approach onto 2nd Street and the highway from the Post Office.
Councilor Greg Kunz mentioned that there is a lot of Dyers Wode along the railroad right of way and the County is advertising for youth to get bags to cut it down and can get paid for it. Lynette will share to the City Facebook page to see if we can get some help there.
Maintenance Report: Hadley Wright gave their report for the month of May and stated that he and Shane have mowed the park and cemetery, planted grass on the grave sites, taken chlorine to the water system, checked the spring, trimmed the trees along Stringtown and fixed a water leak by Travis Stoddard’s on Stringtown.
Office Report: There are 25 delinquent water and sewer accounts for the month of May. Lynette reported that there are new hours in the afternoons at the Post Office starting the middle of this month and that she will be gone a lot during this month for activities with her kids at High School State Finals in Pocatello and her son, Coy, qualified for the National Jr. High School Finals Rodeo in Des Moines, Iowa, later this month as well. Coy Smith came before the council to request a donation to help him get to Iowa. The council expressed that in doing so, he will be representing the community along with himself and will need to come back and report at the next meeting. Councilor Trenton Morrell made the motion to donate $500.00 and Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz for the council to approve checks and vouchers for the month of May 2025 in the amount of $19,199.71 in the general fund, $40,306.09 in the water fund, and $58,276.25 in the sewer fund, with all funds totaling $117,782.05. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz that council adjourns from the June 2025 council meeting at 8:45 pm. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Respectfully submitted,

Lynette Smith,
City Clerk-Treasurer

May 6, 2025
Those Present: Greg Kunz, Trenton Morrell, Marty Nate, Mayor Steve Waechtler, Maintenance Supervisor Shane Clark, Maintenance Hadley Wright, Addison Ochsenbein of Sunrise Engineering, Clerk Lynette Smith
Meeting called to order: 7:00 pm Invocation: Mayor Steve Waechtler
The Council entertained a motion from Councilor Trenton Morrell to approve the published agenda for the regular meeting and was seconded by Councilor Greg Kunz. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Minutes from the regular council meeting held on April 3, 2025, were ready aloud by Clerk Smith. The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz to approve the minutes as read and were seconded by Councilor Marty Nate. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Addison Ochsenbein of Sunrise Engineering came before the council to discuss the Transportation Plan. LHTAC would like some more things included but overall approved the scope presented. The funding is still frozen for now but should be available in June or July. Addison suggested to sign the contract and can still decide when to start. He said we can also cancel the contract if the funding doesn’t come through. Councilor Greg Kunz made the motion for the Mayor to sign the contract with Sunrise Engineering to move forward with the Transportation Plan Study. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council. He also said there is a lot of money coming in from DEQ for infrastructure and he will keep on it. He followed up with Marty’s questions to replace the water lines as we can afford and he thinks it is possible to do different portions at a time.
The Impact Area map was discussed. Clerk Smith had a conversation with Attorney, Adam McKenzie about including our cemetery and sewer ponds where the City owns the property and he felt that was a good idea. Lynette will email Mitch Poulsen at the County, the changes we are requesting.
The agreement for snow placement between the City and Kameron Whitaker and Jessica Whitaker was drawn up by Attorney Adam McKenzie and presented to the council to review. The agreement needs to include the physical address and not just the PO Box. Councilor Trenton Morrell made the motion to approve the agreement and have the Whitaker’s sign in agreement also. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilor Marty Nate reported that the bridge by the highway and creek is in rough shape. She asked the maintenance crew to trim the bushes going into Hayes and Whit Lane. She has some kids coming to help place the bricks in the last leg of the wagon wheel at the Veterans Memorial. She would like to purchase more bricks to finish it all up and can get 35 bricks for $75/brick. Councilor Trenton Morrell made the motion to purchase the bricks and finish the Memorial. Councilor Greg Kunz seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council. She also reported that she’s found Bayer has a grant available we can apply for to help for ground cover at the playground. She is also getting the map ready to go back up at the cemetery before Memorial Day.
Matthew Regen came before the council to present the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year Audit. The IRS requests that the auditor and preparer be independent from each other to ensure no bias in the audits. He is happy to come and explain anything at future council meetings or attend the budget hearing if the council feels necessary. He reviewed the audit with the council and reported that the City continues to be in good shape. He will email over his final draft. Councilmember Trenton Morrell made the motion to transfer money to payback the general fund from the water and sewer funds for funds used for wages, etc throughout the year. Councilmember Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Police Report: There was not a report sent for the month of April and Sheriff Bart Heslington was not in attendance.
Maintenance Report: Hadley Wright gave the report for the month of April and stated that he and Shane have been busy opening and closing 4 graves this month. They serviced the lawn mowers and took the tracks off the side by side and plow off the service truck. They did some repairs at the land app site and worked on some graves that had settled. They mowed and raked the park and cemetery and turned on services at a few locations. The spring cleanup was well attended again and the garbage bins filled up quickly. We only got back $36 in metal this year and it was decided to only do garbage bins and not a metal bin next Spring.
Office Report: Clerk Smith reported that there are 17 delinquent water and sewer accounts for the month of April. There is a luncheon with the commissioners and Simplot scheduled for Monday at the Ranch Hand if anyone wants to attend with the Mayor and Lynette. Lynette asked at what price does the city buy back cemetery plots for. Is it the going rate or what they purchased them for since the rates just increased. It was decided to buy them back at what the owners purchased them for but to confer with Adam to be sure. She also asked about the ground being leased at the sewer ponds and cemetery. If one party is leasing, then the other should be also. She will advertise in the paper this fall for both pieces of ground. It was also discussed about when to expand at the cemetery. We are out of room in the winter for snow storage to be able to keep the cemetery open better throughout the winter. It was discussed to open the fence and expand to the survey stakes. Lynette will prepare a letter to Kelly Bartschi about the expansion.
The council entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz to approve checks and vouchers for the month of April in the amounts of $12,597.50 in the water fund, $28,884.99 in the sewer fund, $21,987.07 in the general fund, with all funds totaling $63,469.56. Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz that council adjourns from the May council meeting at 8:50 pm. Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Respectfully submitted,

Lynette Smith
City Clerk-Treasurer

April 3, 2025
Those Present: Greg Kunz, Marty Nate, Tee Steadman, Mayor Steve Waechtler, Maintenance Supervisor Shane Clark, City Clerk Lynette Smith, Addison Ochsenbein of Sunrise Engineering
Meeting called to order: 7:00 pm Invocation: Shane Clark
The council meeting was rescheduled from April 2, 2025, to April 3rd due to a lack of quorum available on the 2nd. The Council entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz to approve the published agenda and was seconded by Councilor Tee Steadman. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The minutes from March 4, 2025, were read aloud by the Mayor and Clerk Smith. Councilor Greg Kunz made the motion to accept the minutes as read and Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The Audit for Fiscal year 2023-2024 was tabled until the next meeting when Auditor Matt Regen will be available due to moving the meeting to the 3rd instead of the 2nd and tax season conflicts.
Addison Ochsenbein, from Sunrise Engineering came before the council to follow up on the Transportation Plan. He said that we are waiting for LHTAC to approve the scope and all funds are frozen right now due to things happening in Washington DC with the new Presidency and employee/funding cuts. The grant money should be available later in May. The Mayor questioned if signing the contract locks us in for $6,000.00 even if the grant funding doesn’t come through. Addison said we can move forward now or wait until funds are officially available. We need to have this approved before the summer months during peak times to collect data for traffic control.
The Annual Backhoe Agreement with the Georgetown Irrigation Company was up for review. All parties are still happy with the agreement. Councilor Marty Nate made the motion for the Mayor to sign and approve the annual agreement. Councilor Tee Steadman seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilor Marty Nate reported that the legal descriptions she received from Clerk Smith were forwarded on to Tim Christensen that came from Flying S Title Company and her nor Lynette have heard anything back from him yet. Marty will continue to stay in touch with Tim to make sure this gets taken care of.
The Impact Area was discussed and Councilor Marty Nate went to the County and printed a large map for all to review that has our City limits and Impact Area marked. The map was reviewed to see if any changes need to be made to submit to the County.The council wondered if we need to include the cemetery and sewer ponds which are owned by the City into City limits or our impact area. Lynette will confer with Adam.
The Spring Cleanup Dates were set for April 22nd – 24th and Lynette will get flyers prepared to notify citizens. The Mayor will arrange for the dumpsters to be brought out during those times.
Easter Egg Hunt is being planned for Easter weekend since it is so late in April this year and hoping the weather will hold out.
The Budget Hearing dates were discussed. Councilor Marty Nate made the motion for the budget hearing dates to be set for September 2nd and the workshop held on August 5th. Councilor Tee Steadman seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilor Marty Nate asked for an updated list to put up at the cemetery and she will get the map put up soon as well. The council discussed getting donations for the installing the new playground equipment coming. The Mayor also said there is a luncheon coming up between the City, County and Simplot soon and the Mayor will ask for help with installation. Marty also asked about considering updating the water lines starting at the top in the canyon and working our way down into town without a loan and to update as we an afford.
Councilor Greg Kunz is concerned if we are getting our moneys worth from the Sheriffs Department. They make a lot of contacts but are not issuing many citations and there isn’t much money coming back in compared to what we are paying them. Councilor Tee Steadman voiced that he still likes having them readily available and having an officer available to report to a call and their ability to enforce our Ordinances.
Police Report: Sheriff Bart Heslington was not available to give his report for the month of March but was able to email it over for the Council to review. They worked 82 hours and had 132 contacts resulting in 4 citations, gave 9 written warnings, 9 verbal warnings and made 20 traffic stops. The County Clerk also emailed over some reports from October 2024 to March 2025 about the citations being issued and the funds being sent to the City for each citation.
Maintenance Report: Shane Clark gave their report for the month of March and stated that he and Hadley have dug a grave, sent the water samples to the lab to be tested, cleaned up the winter supplies at the sewer ponds and plowed some wind drifts of snow.
Office Business: There are 23 delinquent water and sewer accounts for the month of March. Lynette reported that the website has been renewed for the next 6 months in hopes to get it updated to a more user-friendly version in that time. She also had to submit some reports for the American Relief Funding money that was received from the effects of Covid.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Tee Steadman for the council to approve checks and vouchers for the month of March 2025 in the amount of $32,065.94 in the general fund, $7,715.00 in the water fund, and $18,839.40 in the sewer fund, with all funds totaling $58,620.34. Councilor Greg Kunz seconded the motion. All were in favor and motion carried the council.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Tee Steadman that council adjourns from the April 2025 council meeting at 8:35 pm. Councilor Greg Kunz seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Respectfully submitted,

Lynette Smith,
City Clerk-Treasurer

March 4, 2025
Those Present: Greg Kunz, Marty Nate, Tee Steadman, Mayor Steve Waechtler, Maintenance Supervisor Shane Clark, Maintenance Hadley Wright, City Clerk Lynette Smith, City Attorney, Adam McKenzie, Addison Ochsenbein of Sunrise Engineering, Sheriff Bart Heslington, Mike Neuman, Sherilyn Christensen, David Jones, Katana Sorensen
Meeting called to order: 7:00 pm Invocation: Hadley Wright
The Mayor was excused from the beginning of the meeting and conducted by Council President, Greg Kunz. The Council entertained a motion from Councilor Marty Nate to approve the added agenda item of Mike Neuman to discuss the cemetery and was seconded by Councilor Tee Steadman. All were in favor and the motion carried. Councilor Tee Steadman made the motion to approve the published agenda and was seconded by Councilor Marty Nate. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The minutes from February 4, 2025, were read aloud by Clerk Smith. Councilor Marty Nate made the motion to accept the minutes as read and Councilor Tee Steadman seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Mike Neuman came before the council to discuss his concerns at the cemetery. His wife has recently passed away and he was told he would have to wait a few weeks for the snow to melt or be moved in order to get to where she needs to be buried. He was disappointed and felt there are things that could be done to keep the cemetery open and more accessible. He was upset to have to delay his wife’s funeral until March 15th. A few years ago, the council decided to close the cemetery on a year to year basis and dependent on the snow received and some of the challenges we face are where to put the snow and the location of the burial due to other headstones being buried in the snow and the crew doesn’t want to hit a headstone in the process. It is getting tight up there to maneuver in the older part of the cemetery due to the headstones, etc. Mike suggested having a snow blower available and Greg responded that we are looking into a new road plow also.
Police Report: Sheriff Bart Heslington was present to give his report for the month of February. They worked 60.5 hours and had 52 contacts resulting in 2 citations, gave 2 written warnings, 3 verbal warnings and made 6 traffic stops.He said he is working with his clerk to get more detailed reports to present to the council. David Jones brought up some issues he has had and was willing to sign a citation for someone speeding in front of his house and has video footage. The Sheriff responded that he could look at the video to see if it would be admissible or not. David also asked if the wage we had paid to Martinez was being used to pay for the Sheriff Department to patrol out here. The council responded with yes, we have a contract with the Sheriff Department and use those same funds that we were paying an employee.
The Audit for Fiscal year 2023-2024 was tabled until the next meeting when Matt Regen will be finished with the audit.
Addison Ochsenbein, from Sunrise Engineering came before the council to follow up on the Transportation Plan. We need to have this approved before the summer months during peak times to collect data for traffic control. We have received a grant for $30,000 to complete this study but need to approve the scope and fee of $36,000. The extra $6,000 is to cover for active transportation for pedestrians, etc. Sheriff Bart asked if Sunrise would share their findings so they can better direct their efforts. Councilor Greg Kunz made the motion to accept the Transportation Plan and fee. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilor Tee Steadman made the motion to leave the regular meeting and go into the Public Hearing for the purpose of adopting a fee and deposit for encroachment on the roads in Ordinance #96 and increasing the fees at the cemetery. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken and is as follows: Marty – yes, Tee – yes, Greg – yes. Motion carried. The floor was then opened for public comment.
• David Jones started off with his figures of how many homes we have and paying $105.00 a month and how much that should be coming in per year and a lot of people live on fixed incomes and can’t afford raising rates.
• The Council responded that costs have double and tripled since COVID and we can’t afford to get a loan now to make the improvements needed from the tanks down to town. We also don’t qualify for grants based on the income of the citizens and because we don’t have meters.
• City has also been advised to raise rates by 3% every year and wastewater rates have not been increased over 13 years. Water rates did increase in 2023 by $10.
• Sunrise Engineering has looked into other avenues to update our infrastructure and how to supply water, fix leaks within the system, etc.
• Question raised if the City can invest money to earn more to offset costs, etc.
• City Attorney, Adam McKenzie, explained that the Water and Wastewater accounts in a Municipality are dedicated funds and can’t be used for anything else and also can’t be revenue raising. There are limitations on what a City can do and can’t invest like a business can. Those funds are specific for the needs of the water and sewer systems and separate from the General Funds.
• Also explained that not all homes are turned on all the time generating those monthly fees or are connected to the sewer system.
• Questions about the budgets and where to find. They are published quarterly in the News Examiner and posted in the minutes on the website monthly of what each fund has spent or is available as a public records request from the City Office at any time. The yearly budget is also published in the News Examiner in August each year.
• The new water rates will be $46.50 each month and $62.00 for wastewater to keep up with raising costs and maintaining the systems.
• Resolution #2025-03 was discussed for encroachment of roads and to increase the fee to cover the costs. Costs have increased drastically since the fee was originally set in 2018 at $800. Last year the fee to repair the road on Stringtown was $2500. The proposed new fee would be $3050 and $3000 would be a deposit and $50 would be the fee for the permit to encroach the road.
• The cemetery fees for Resolution #2025-04 were discussed. Clerk Smith called around to City’s nearby to get their going rates and we are significantly cheaper. Fees will be increased to $250 per space for Residents, $2500 per space for Non-Residents; to open and close the grave from Monday-Friday before 4:00 pm will be $250, after 4:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, Sunday and Holidays would be $400.00; the cemetery is closed on Sundays for open/closing graves; cremations are $150.00; spaces are limited to 4 spaces per household
Councilor Marty Nate made the motion to close the Public Hearing and go back to the regular meeting. Councilor Tee Steadman seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken and is as follows: Marty – yes, Tee – yes, Greg – yes. Motion carried the council.
Councilor Greg Kunz made the motion to accept Resolution 2025-03 for the encroachment of the roads with a deposit and permit fee. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilor Tee Steadman made the motion to accept Resolution 2025-04 for the new fees at the cemetery and Councilor Greg Kunz seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilor Tee Steadman made the motion to accept Resolution 2025-01 for the new monthly water fees and was seconded by Councilor Greg Kunz. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilor Greg Kunz made the motion to accept Resolution 2025-02 for the new monthly wastewater fees and was seconded by Councilor Marty Nate. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
New booklets for water and sewer for the next two years will be mailed out this week with a statement for each property owner.
Councilor Marty Nate reported that she has spoken with Tim Christensen about a new legal description for the City property on Main Street and he will base it off of the existing fence lines. The cost for doing the legal description for the old railroad right of way will be based off of the other formal legal descriptions of surrounding properties. Lynette will work on getting the maps and legal descriptions from the title company and forward on to Marty and Tim.
The Impact Area was discussed and the maps posted at the City and what the County provided are different. City Attorney, Adam McKenzie explained that the area of impact will be ran by the County instead of the City’s now and that the City can update their map to include property that they expect to annex within a 5 year period and to not split properties; either need to include or exclude the whole parcel.The County will draft an Ordinance where boundaries will be determined and they will hold another Public Hearing for each City to have it’s own Ordinance. Adam will look to see if we have an Impact Area Ordinance already drafted but the City should review the map to adjust our Impact Area and give to the County.
Councilor Marty Nate reported that she has applied for the grants for $12,500 for the crosswalk and the sidewalk came out to an estimated $100,000. Each block for concrete is about $11,000 and gravel is about $36,000. The Mayor also said he was able to find a playground for $9,500. The council agreed for Marty to apply for the crosswalk grant but to hold off on the sidewalk for this year. Councilor Greg Kunz made the motion to purchase the playground equipment at $9,500 and the City will ask for donations to help for installation. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
We need to get an agreement in place with the Whitaker’s before they sell their properties for snow placement and the water line to remain open and for the garbage turnaround. Adam will draft an agreement for both parties to sign.
Maintenance Report: Hadley Wright gave their report for the month of February and stated that he and Shane have plowed snow and slush, the County came and helped with a cement barrier that got knocked into the culvert and they are working with the State for a new one. The samples were taken to the lab for the month and all came back ok. They delivered delinquent notices also. The plow truck is in rough shape and needs a new seal, pump and parts of the frame welded, tires on the back need replaced and it blows blue smoke. The council agreed we need to replace and be looking for a new one throughout the summer months and can either keep this one for a backup or sell it to put into the new one.
Office Business: There are 13 delinquent water and sewer accounts for the month of February. Lynette reported that she has a conflict with the next meeting and so it will be held on Wednesday, April 2nd instead. She will also ask Danielle Smith if the Georgetown 2nd Ward Young Women will host the Easter Hunt/May Day again this year. Katana was available to discuss plans for Twin Creek Days. It was decided to keep the day simple and do just the fireworks with a few activities and have some food vendors. Some activities suggested were the foam party, fish pond, breakfast and flag but to scale it all back.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz for the council to approve checks and vouchers for the month of February 2025 in the amount of $28,713.36 in the general fund, $10,765.17 in the water fund, and $24,748.48 in the sewer fund, with all funds totaling $64,227.01. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and motion carried the council.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Marty Nate that council adjourns from the March 2025 council meeting at 9:55 pm. Councilor Greg Kunz seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Respectfully submitted,

Lynette Smith,
City Clerk-Treasurer

February 4, 2025
Those Present: Greg Kunz, Trenton Morrell, Marty Nate, Tee Steadman, Maintenance Supervisor Shane Clark, Maintenance Hadley Wright, City Clerk Lynette Smith, Addison Ochsenbein of Sunrise Engineering, Sheriff Bart Heslington
Meeting called to order: 7:00 pm Invocation: Hadley Wright
The Mayor was excused from the meeting and conducted by Council President, Greg Kunz. The Council entertained a motion from Councilor Tee Steadman to approve the published agenda and was seconded by Councilor Trenton Morrell. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The minutes from January 7, 2025, were read aloud by Clerk Smith. Councilor Trenton Morrell made the motion to accept the minutes as read and Councilor Tee Steadman seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council. Discussion on the minutes, Councilor Marty Nate will follow up with Tim Christensen for legal descriptions on the property on Main Street and along the railroad right of way.
Police Report: Sheriff Bart Heslington was present to give his report for the month of January. They worked 64 hours and had 84 contacts resulting in 7 citations, gave 9 written warnings, 17 verbal warnings and made 30 traffic stops. Councilor Marty Nate asked for follow up on getting the citation reports so the council can see what kind of citations are being issued and how much money is coming in per citation. Sheriff asked if there are different times the council wants them out here and they always try to come out during school start and release times. They are also trying to be more active and go up and down the streets vs. just staying on the highway and doing traffic control.
Addison Ochsenbein, from Sunrise Engineering came before the council to follow up on the Transportation Plan. Councilor Marty Nate asked what the extra $6,000 would cover for sure and if it was just the sidewalks because she is applying for a grant to redo the sidewalks and bridge and if we are awarded the grant we won’t need the extra $6,000 for our plan. The Council is still reviewing the Plan and not in a position to approve it yet. Addison expressed the need to have it approved before the summer months so they can be ready to get traffic counts and other things. It was decided to table the approval of the Transportation Plan until the Mayor is back for the meetings in March.
It was discussed to increase the water and wastewater fees by 3% starting April 1st. Councilor Marty Nate made the motion to increase the monthly water fee to $46.50 and the wastewater fee to $62.00. Councilor Tee Steadman seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
US Bank is closing it’s branch in Montpelier due to geographic reasons by April 17th. A municipality can’t use a Credit Union so we only have a couple of options to move the General Funds to in Montpelier. Lynette does go to this bank frequently to deposit anything that is not water or wastewater related so it would be more convenient to use a bank in Montpelier vs. traveling to Soda Springs. It will take some work to get the all of the State Funds transferred but it can be done and she would like to keep separate accounts still. Councilor Tee Steadman made the motion to move the General Funds from US Bank and open a new checking and savings account at Ireland Bank with the same signers. Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilor Marty Nate discussed the sidewalk grant she is applying for. She asked how much of the sidewalk we want to replace and how far it goes. It was determined to replace as much as we can and it probably stretches for ½ mile and needs to be rebuilt to 4-5 feet wide. She asked if the guys can help pop out the old sidewalk concrete but would probably need to hire to install the new one put in as the guys may not have time this summer. The shutoffs are on the East side of the sidewalk. We will need to notify citizens when replacing to avoid the construction getting in to their driveways. She could also apply for the crosswalk to be painted and lights added, etc. The grant is due by March 5th and will find out in May if awarded. She also said she will reach out to Mitch Poulsen about the Impact Ordinance for Paris and we need one for Georgetown as well.
Maintenance Report: Hadley Wright gave their report for the month of January and stated that he and Shane have done multiple repairs on the plow truck, took the water samples to the lab, completed some online training, plowed lots of snow and delivered some delinquent water and sewer notices.
Office Business: There are 18 delinquent water and sewer accounts for the month of January. Lynette reported that Gary Teuscher’s office has completed the financial statements for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 and Auditor Matt Regen is coming tomorrow to pick up the books to complete the audit and is hoping to be at our next meeting in March to report. She also reported that the new dog tags are here and available to register dogs for the new year. Also, those that participate in PERSI Choice and contribute extra funds will now be reported through Empower and not just PERSI, because PERSI has outsourced to Empower just for the Choice funds.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Tee Steadman for the council to approve checks and vouchers for the month of January 2025 in the amount of $18,571.24 in the general fund, $8,257.80 in the water fund, and $22,581.80 in the sewer fund, with all funds totaling $49,410.84. Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and motion carried the council.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Marty Nate that council adjourns from the February 2025 council meeting at 8:15 pm. Councilor Tee Steadman seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Respectfully submitted,

Lynette Smith,
City Clerk-Treasurer

January 7, 2025
Those Present: Greg Kunz, Trenton Morrell, Marty Nate, Tee Steadman, Mayor Steve Waechtler, Maintenance Supervisor Shane Clark, City Clerk Lynette Smith, Addison Ochsenbein of Sunrise Engineering, Realtors at Budge Realty, Nathan Finney
Meeting called to order: 7:00 pm Invocation: Mayor Steve Waechtler
The Council entertained a motion from Councilor Trenton Morrell to approve the published agenda and was seconded by Councilor Tee Steadman. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The minutes from December 3, 2024, were prepared by Councilor Marty Nate and read aloud by Clerk Smith. Councilor Greg Kunz made the motion to accept the minutes as read and Councilor Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The realtors from Budge Realty came to the council with a Boundary Line Agreement to be signed by the City and the previous owners, Gary and Ruth Thompson. The Agreement recognizes the property the City has been using and occupying as such and is recognized by the existing fence lines. Councilor Trenton Morrell made the motion to sign and accept the Boundary Line Agreement and was seconded by Councilor Greg Kunz. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Addison Ochsenbein, from Sunrise Engineering came before the council to report on following up with including the sidewalks being fixed and it does fit into our scope for the Transportation Plan Study. It would cost an additional $6,000 to add in and complete the plan. The Grant is capped at $30,000 for the Study. The scope was emailed to the council before hand and they requested more time to review it. Addison also reported that he has a letter of interest ready to go to DEQ for the Drinking Water Loan for our infrastructure. Whether we are selected for funding or not, it is important to submit so the State can see there is a need for more funding. Addison is not real hopeful we will get funding, but he will get it submitted this week for us.
The fee increases for Ordinance #96 road encroachment fees and cemetery fees was tabled until the next meeting in February to ensure the notices get published in time for the Public Hearings.
Councilor Marty Nate spoke with Tim Christensen regarding our Boundary Line Agreement and said we will need a survey done on our piece of property next to the Thompson’s, to get a new legal description. She wondered about needing the old railroad right of way surveyed also. After discussion, most of it has probably already been surveyed in the last few years due to new owners all along there. Marty will follow up if there is a need to complete.
Councilor Greg Kunz said he spoke with Commissioner Wynn Olsen about doing the turn around up Main Canyon and he said they will follow up on it.
Police Report: Sheriff Bart Heslington was unable to attend the council meeting but emailed a report for the council to review for the month of December. They completed 63 hours and had 117 contacts resulting in 10 citations and 38 warnings and 36 traffic stops. Councilor Marty Nate said the Cities of Paris and Bloomington are looking into hiring an officer and have offered for us to join, so maybe we shouldn’t get rid of our police car just yet. We have a 5 year contract in place with the Sheriff’s Office right now. The councilors told her to look into more information about it. Councilor Tee Steadman stated he likes having the Sheriff’s Office because they are always on call and can enforce our Ordinances anytime something arises.
Maintenance Report: Shane Clark gave their report for the month of December and stated that he and Hadley have been plowing the streets. They lost a seal twice on the plow truck and it has been using a case of oil every time they use it and have replaced the hydraulic pump. They have taken the water samples to the lab and all were reported ok. They moved some piles of snow and attended online training, cleared the snow away from the fire hydrants and the ignition switch also got replaced on the plow truck. The Mayor and crew will continue looking for another snow plow.
Office Business: There are 24 delinquent water and sewer accounts for the month of December. Lynette reported that the Christmas Light Winners were 1st Place Jim & LaRae Ahrens, 2nd Place Marlin & Sandy Bartschi, 3rd Place Jacob & Angelia Kunz. Not all of the winners have came in and claimed their award yet. Lynette will get the W-2’s prepared by the end of the month. The County will be having a Public Hearing next Monday, January 13th during their Commissioners Meeting about the City Impact Area’s. At this time, their new ordinances shouldn’t affect Georgetown because our Impact Area is close enough to our City Limits, but Marty thinks we should look into including a clause in our Ordinances that the County is implementing, that states anytime someone develops or makes changes in the impact area, that the City must be notified and have approval as well. Lynette is ordering new payment booklets for the next 2 years to be mailed out to each homeowner and asked if fees are staying the same. The Mayor suggested that we should follow recommendations of implementing a 3% increase each year. It has been 2 years since we have increased the water fees and over 12 years since we have increased the wastewater fees. Less than 5% increase does not require a public hearing. Councilor Marty Nate said the citizens need to be aware that our infrastructure has some real upcoming issues that we need to be preparing and saving for to lessen a large loan for these updates. Councilor Tee Steadman made the motion to increase the water and sewer fees 3% and Councilor Greg Kunz seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council. Lynette will order payment booklets to be mailed out with water fees at $46.50 and sewer fees at $62.00 for a total of $108.50 per month.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz for the council to approve checks and vouchers for the month of December 2024 in the amount of $29,049.87 in the general fund, $21,120.68 in the water fund, and $66,159.10 in the sewer fund, with all funds totaling $116,329.65. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and motion carried the council.
The chair entertained a motion from Councilor Greg Kunz that council adjourns from the January 2025 council meeting at 8:15 pm. Councilor Marty Nate seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Respectfully submitted,

Lynette Smith,
City Clerk-Treasurer

December 3, 2024
Those Present: Trenton Morrell, Greg Kunz, Tee Steadman, Hadley Wright, Steve Waechtler, Addison Ochsenbein from Sunrise Engineering, Marty Nate
Meeting Called to Order: 7:00 pm Invocation: Steve Waechtler
The Council entertained a motion from Councilmember Tee Steadman to approve the published agenda. Councilmember Greg Kunz seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Minutes were read from the November 7, 2024 council meeting by Mayor Steve Waechtler. A correction was made to the minutes. Minutes should read “water from the splash pad is repurposed not recycled”. Councilmember Greg Kunz made motion to accept the minutes with the noted correction. Councilmember Tee Steadman seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The Mayor thanked Sunrise Engineering for their Hickory Farms Christmas gift. He, also, informed the council the Senior Center brought cookies out expressing their gratitude for the donation the City made to the center.
Addison from Sunrise Engineering presented a copy of the transportation plan and asked the council to review the plan and if everything is in perspective, he will need to have it approved. Mayor asked when he needed it and he told him probably May or June of 2025. Mayor will have Lynette make copies for all council members and it will be reviewed possibly at the next meeting. Greg asked if the sidewalks could be part of the plan. They are in need of repair and a hazard for several citizens who use a Jazzi to move around town. It would be safer for them to be able to use the sidewalks rather than the highway. Addison told the council he would check into it.
The council reviewed the Christmas Park lighting. The night was warm and people seemed to be enjoying the festivities. Chili was donated by the Sean Bartschi family; hot chocolate by the Drue Smith family and the City provided hot dogs, chips, cookies, marshmallows and Santa. Attendance seemed to be a little bit smaller this year. Shane and Hadley did an awesome job with the lighting. Councilmember Greg Kunz suggested in the future, Lynette should try to get permission from the council to buy new Christmas lights before purchasing them.
The Mayor asked if the council wanted to continue doing the Christmas Lighting Contest that has been done in previous years. The council discussed the issue. Council member Greg Kunz made motion the council approve the Christmas Lighting Contest. First place winner will be awarded a $100.00 gift certificate, second place winner will receive a $50.00 gift certificate, and third place winner will receive a $25.00 gift certificate. Winner will be announced on the 20th of December. Flyers will be posted at the post office, City Hall, and the website.
Lynette contacted several accounting agencies to provide audit services for the City accounts. Gary Teuscher suggested Matthew Regen located in Logan, Utah. He sent a formal letter stating his services and the fee involved with them. His fee is $7900.00 for a year end audit. Gary’s fee for last year was $9600.00, but that included both portions of the audit. State law prohibits him from doing both sides of the audit. Mayor would like to know what the city paid Gary for his portion of the audit process for FY24. The council discussed the issue and the Mayor entertained a motion from Councilmember Tee Steadman the council approve engaging Matthew Regan, CPA to audit the financial statements of the City and issue a report to the City on his findings and recommendations. Councilmember Greg Kunz seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
The council discussed employee year end bonuses for the year. Councilmember Trenton Morrell made motion the council approve a $500.00 bonus each for Shane, Hadley, and Lynette with a $200.00 for Doug. Councilmember Tee Steadman seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Councilmember Marty Nate discussed the suggestion of adding some historical signage at the corner of the church on Stringtown. The area mentioned, houses a fire hydrant and some water lines. She wondered if that would be a problem to add signage there with the existing water lines and hydrant. The council discussed the issue and it was suggested to make the signage removable during the winter months and when necessary to get to the hydrant and water lines. She will continue to research it. She asked the councilmembers if they would like Adam Johnson from the Paris City Council to be in attendance at one of the council meetings to discuss and answer questions about the splash park. Everyone agreed it would be a good thing to have him here.
Tee Steadman told the council he had been in contact with Simplot and discussed the problem with the parking. They had not been aware of the issue but when contacted by the City expressing our concerns, they are working on a solution for the problem. At one time the county was looking into making another parking lot up the Main Canyon, but the county commissioner working on it had lost his seat. Greg will check with Commissioner Wynn Olsen and see if the county will pick it back up again. Tee feels the City needs to look for another snowplow. The City of Bloomington obtained one from an auction site for $11,000.00. Shane said they would start looking and wondered if there were other auction sites the City could check out.
Police Report: none
Maintenance Report: Shane told the council he and Hadley had worked on putting a drain line on Hayes Lane. That hydrant has to run all year or else in the wintertime the lines will freeze up. They trenched the line down to Whitaker’s field, installed piping and created an area where the water can accumulate. They dug a grave at the cemetery, took the monthly samples, got the plow trucks ready for winter, filled the diesel tank with #1 fuel and worked on getting the lights up in the park for the park lighting. Alice finished up her electrical project and the new lines are sweet.
Office business: There are 20 delinquent water and sewer accounts.
The chair entertained a motion from Tee Steadman the council approve and signs checks for the month of November 2024. Councilmember Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
As the evening came to halt, the boys sang “Happy Birthday” to Marty. She soaked up their stupendous voices.
At 8:00 pm, the chair entertained a motion from Councilmember Tee Steadman the council adjourn from the December 3, 2024, council meeting. Council member Trenton Morrell seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried the council.
Respectfully submitted,

Councilor Marty Nate