JORDAN RIVER COMMISSON Governing Board – Regular Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2013

Name Agency or Organization Present

Councilman Corey Rushton Board Chair, West Valley City X

Councilman Chris McCandless Board Vice-Chair, Sandy City X

Mr. Richard Bay Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District X

Mayor X By Alternate: Emy Maloutas

Mr. John Bennett Office of the Governor X

Councilwoman Rebecca Call City of Saratoga Springs X

Councilman Bill Colbert Draper City

Mayor Ben McAdams Salt Lake County X By Alternate: Julie Peck-Dabling

Commissioner Louenda Downs Davis County X By Alternate: Barry Burton

Commissioner Larry Ellertson County

Mr. Bruce Jones X

Councilman Irvin Jones City of South Salt Lake X By Alternate: Michael Florence

Ms. Laura Ault Division of Forestry Fire State Lands X

Rep. Rich Cunningham Utah House of Representatives X

Councilman Stan Porter City of North Salt Lake X By Alternate: Ken Leetham

Councilman Justin Stoker City of West Jordan X By Alternate: Chuck Tarver

Councilman Tee Tyler Cottonwood Heights X

Mayor Russ Wall Taylorsville X By Alternate: Michael Meldrum

Mr. John Whitehead Division of Water Quality X By Alternate: Carl Adams

Councilman David Wilde Salt Lake County

Mr. Mark Bedel Ex-Officio, Jordan River Foundation X By Alternate: Lynn Larsen

Ms. Alene Bentley Ex-Officio, Rocky Mountain Power X

Mr. Jon Bronson Ex-Officio, Zions Bank

Ms. Amy Collins Ex-Officio, TreeUtah

Mr. Greg Hardy Ex-Officio, Chevron

Mr. Michael Horrocks Ex-Officio, Wasatch Rowing Foundation X

Ms. Andree’ Walker-Bravo Ex-Officio, Utah Society for Environ. Ed vacant Ex-Officio, vacant Ex-Officio,

1 JORDAN RIVER COMMISSON Governing Board – Regular Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2013 ALSO IN ATTENDANCE

Laura Hanson, Jordan River Commission David Eckhoff, Commission Technical Advisory Committee Chair Eric McCulley, Environ Dr. Steve Burian, Tyler Murdock, Jordan River Commission Melanie Franti, Jordan River Commission Chase Clyde, Congressman ’s Office Pam Juliano, Congressman Jim Matheson’s Office Beth Graham, Congressman Jim Matheson’s Office

MINUTES

A regular meeting of the Governing Board of the Jordan River Commission, was held on Thursday January 17, 2013 at 9:00 am at the Taylorsville City Hall, 2600 Constitution Boulevard, Taylorsville, Utah 84129.

Councilman Corey Rushton, Board Vice-Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:00 am. He welcomed the Board and audience.

ITEM 1 – CONSENT AGENDA

Councilman Corey Rushton asked if there were any changes to the agenda or November 29, 2013 Governing Board meeting minutes.

Motion – Mr. Richard Bay made a motion to approve the agenda and the November 29, 2013 meeting minutes. Second – Mr. Michael Meldrum Vote – Unanimous in favor.

ITEM 2 – CONSIDER EMPLOYMENT OF TYLER MURDOCK AND MELANIE FRANTI

Councilman Corey Rushton asked Laura Hanson to introduce this item.

Ms. Hanson noted that the Board may vote to close the public meeting to discuss the character and competency of individuals if desired. The Board decided not to close the public meeting.

The approved funding in its FY 2013 budget for a Utah Conservation Corpsmember as well as a part-time, permanent employee. A job description was drafted for both positions with assistance of the Board Chair. These descriptions were posted on the Commission website, distributed through the Technical Advisory Committee, and send to the University of Utah and Utah State University, the Utah chapter of the American Planning Association, and on the Utah Society for Environmental Education.

Nearly 30 résumés were received, and four individuals were interview for each position by Laura Hanson. Laura’s recommendations for each position were reviewed by the Board Chair.

2 JORDAN RIVER COMMISSON Governing Board – Regular Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2013

The JRC Bylaws require the Board to formally approve employment of any Commission employees.

Tyler Murdock is recommended by the Executive Director for the part-time, permanent position. The FY 1013 budget contemplated a starting hourly wage between $12 and $15/hour, with no benefits.

Melanie Franti is recommended by the Executive Director for the full-time, 11-month Utah Conservation Corps term. There is no hourly wage associated with this position, but the Commission is required to provide a $10,750 contribution to a living allowance managed and disbursed by the Utah Conservation Corps (UCC). The FY2013 budget planned on a $10,500 contribution, which was based on the 2012 UCC requirements, so an additional $250 is needed to participate in this program.

Mr. Ken Leetham noted that with the new health care law that the Commission may be required to provide health insurance for employees working more than a certain number of hours. Laura Hanson noted that the UCC position offers health insurance to its corpsmembers, and that the part-time employee falls under the threshold of required insurance.

Both Melanie Franti and Tyler Murdock were invited to introduce themselves to the Board.

Motion – Councilman Chris McCandless made a motion to employ Tyler Murdock at an hourly rate of $13.50 and Melanie Franti effective February 1, 2013. Second – Mr. Jon Bennett Vote – Unanimous in Favor

ITEM 3 – PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

Councilman Corey Rushton asked if there was any member of the public wishing to address the Board.

Pamela Juliano, Chase Clyde, and Beth Graham from Congressman Jim Matheson’s Office introduced themselves and spoke about Congressman Matheson’s priorities. They asked the Commission to keep them informed of any issues or areas of interest to the Commission and with which the Congressman can help.

ITEM 4 – EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT AND FINANCIAL REPORT

Councilman Corey Rushton asked Laura Hanson to present the Director’s report of the past month’s activities. These focused primarily on the following efforts:

Division of Water Quality Grant: Riparian Corridor Best Practices • Hard copy sample pages from document will be brought to the board meeting • February 5 – Draft toolbox presented to Technical Advisory Committee for review • February 26 – TAC comments on Draft due

3 JORDAN RIVER COMMISSON Governing Board – Regular Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2013 • March 5 – Project Steering Committee and TAC meet with EPG to discuss document. • March 21 – EPG presents draft to Governing Board • March 28 – Second Stakeholder Workshop. Workshop objectives are to present contents, purpose, and intended us of the draft document, solicit feedback, and discussion on how to best encourage implementation of the Best Practices at the local and project level

Mr. John Bennett suggested that agriculture and manicured open space should be separated in the document as they are managed quite differently.

Mr. Carl Adams mentioned that the Division of Water Quality has some Best Practices for agricultural lands that could be referenced as ad additional resources.

Mr. Bennett also mentioned that the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget has a library of ordinances that can be listed as a reference as well.

Mr. Mike Horrocks asked if the document is broad enough that it could be expanded to address tributaries as well, to which Laura Hanson replied that it is.

Councilman Rebecca Call suggested that the Utah Lake Commission be contacted as a resource for invasive species management, specifically phragmites.

Councilman Chris McCandless asked if the Board is going to endorse or approve this document upon completion. Laura Hanson replied that it would be useful if the Board could take formal action endorsing the document.

Motion – Councilman Chris McCandless made a motion that the Board consider adopting the Best Practices document in its final form at its May 16, 2013 meeting. Second – Councilwoman Rebecca Call Vote – Unanimous in Favor

EPA Urban Waters Small Grants • Worked with Salt Lake County and the Center for Documentary Expression and Art to develop a Work Plan and updated schedule for the grant. This was sent out to the board before the holidays. • May 2013 – Grant program kickoff • May 2013 - May 2014 – educational residencies, smart phone app development • May 2014 – Educational residencies completed and smartphone app launch • June 2014 - April 2015 – Community outreach and app promotion • Ongoing – possible collaboration with the University of Utah’s, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism track app and educational information usage, and evaluate its effectiveness.

Citizen Science in West Jordan • Exploring partnership with Tracy Aviary and the Division of Wildlife Resources to conduct volunteer-based bird monitoring pre- and post- restoration on site. • Citizen volunteers are trained to identify birds by ear, and data will be used to evaluate the impacts of the restoration project. • Project was piloted in City Creek Canyon last year and the methodology is being refined. 4 JORDAN RIVER COMMISSON Governing Board – Regular Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2013 • A future expansion of this could be ongoing volunteer monitoring at different sites along the entire length of the river.

Potential Bluffdale Restoration • Waiting on Farm Bill to confirm whether the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) will be available to landowners in 2013. Fiscal Cliff negotiations resulted in a temporary fix, which extends the current bill until September 2013. • USDA believes that the extension will allow new enrollment in the WRP this year. • The bill itself mentions neither program, but since they had not yet reached their acreage cap, it appears they may continue. It is not yet clear how much funding will be available • $300,000 of wetland mitigation money we hoped would be available for this project has been committed elsewhere. We estimate an approximate $600,000 shortfall for the purchase of the conservation easement.

No action taken. Discussion only.

ITEM 4 – TECHNICAL ADVISORTY COMMITTEE REPORT

Mr. Dave Eckhoff gave a report on the activities of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). These included:

• Ongoing work with on the Best Practices document with the Commission’s consulting team, EPG. • Review of a Stream Alternations Permit during is public comment period and provided suggestions on ways to improve the project.

Mr. Eric McCulley reported on the need for the TAC’s to focus on goathead weed control during the coming months. Ms. Emy Maloutas offered to share Salt Lake City’s new Integrated Pest Management document with the other members of the board as a model for invasive weed management along the river.

No action taken. Discussion only.

ITEM 5A – LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS

Councilman Corey Rushton asked Laura Hanson to introduce this item. She reported that the Commission is tracking a the following issues during the upcoming session:

• Eminent domain for regional trails • Phragmites funding, and • Funding for the LeRay McAllister Critical Land Conservation Fund

Councilman Corey Rushton noted that West Valley City is also seeking assistance to help with a historical feature along the Jordan River, at a new Pioneer Crossing Park in West Valley City.

No action taken. Discussion only.

5 JORDAN RIVER COMMISSON Governing Board – Regular Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2013

ITEM 5B – APPROVE 2013 ANNUAL MEETING SCHEDULE

Councilman Corey Rushton asked Laura Hanson to introduce this item.

Laura Hanson noted that by state statute, the Jordan River Commission’s governing board is required to adopt an annual meeting schedule for the year. Regular meetings may always be canceled and special meetings may be scheduled. The adopted annual meeting schedule will provide predictability to both Board members and the public.

The proposed schedule continues the current standing meeting time of the third Thursday of each month. The second annual awards gala is tentatively scheduled for August 29 th , and a Strategic Planning retreat is tentatively scheduled for April 18th .

Motion – Mr. John Bennett made a motion to approve the annual meeting schedule. Second – Mr. Richard Bay Vote – Unanimous in Favor

ITEM 6 – PRESENTATION: STORMWATER BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Dr. David Eckhoff arranged a partnership with the University of Utah’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’ 4910 senior seminar. This is the same class that did all the preliminary design workf or the 9000 south pedestrian tunnel for the Jordan River Parkway Trail.

This last fall semester the class focused on developing and studying a series of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for managing stormwater in the Jordan River Watershed. The class worked with the Jordan River Commission, our Best Practices project consultant, and other stakeholders to develop a series of great resources for the Jordan River Commission including:

1. Modeling of the effectiveness of a variety of tools to manage stormwater quantity and quality. 2. A series of model designs for implementation of a selection of a stormwater BMPs at sites. 3. A series of BMP “cut sheets” that could be used by practitioners, developers, and designers when planning new projects within the watershed. 4. A study of possible financing tools for implementing stormwater BMPs. 5. Sample information tools to educate the public about actions they can take to improve Jordan River water quality.

Dr. Steve Burian, from the University of Utah was the course professor this semester, and will present a summary of the student’s findings and work.

No action taken. Discussion only.

ITEM 7 – PRESENTATION: THE UTAH DIVISION OF FORESTRY FIRE AND STATE LANDS

6 JORDAN RIVER COMMISSON Governing Board – Regular Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2013 The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands manages, sustains and strengthens Utah's forests, rangelands, sovereign lands and watersheds for its citizens and visitors.

The Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands manages, sustains and strengthens Utah's forests, rangelands, sovereign lands and watersheds for its citizens and visitors. The Jordan River is sovereign land and owned by the State of Utah. Many Jordan River stakeholders are unaware of the State’s ownership and permitting requirements, and their management role along the river.

Laura Ault is a Sovereign Lands Program Coordinator for the Division and will present an overview of the Division’s , regulatory authority, and permitting and management role.

No action taken. Discussion only.

ITEM 8 – OTHER BUSINESS

No other business was raised.

ITEM 9 – CONFIRM NEXT MEETING AND ADJOURN

The next meeting of the Jordan River Commission Governing Board will be March 21, 2013.

On motion and second, the meeting was adjourned.

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