From Jenelle Zajac
The public comment portion of the meeting was lively as citizen Susan Sepe presented her opinion on
the City’s consideration of “forgiving” the approximately $600k energy under collection incurred during 2022-2023 that Parowan paid on behalf of its power customers. Ms. Sepe stressed that it is irresponsible to “forgive” the debt and urged council members to be responsible and act to continue to repay the under collection.
City Manager Dan Jessen “removed his City Manager hat” to express his dismay over a citizen’s truly
despicable behavior in response to the library’s closure due to an employee’s illness. Mr. Jessen, visibly
shaken and emotional, shared that an angry citizen (“not a transplant or move-in, a core Parowan person”) threw books on the library floor and stated that “Maybe someone should go active shooter in this place … maybe it’ll be me.” When the citizen later found out that the employee was gravely ill, that citizen came back in to say “Good. Maybe she’ll die and we could get rid of her.” Mr. Jessen stated that while everyone might have something going on we can all have compassion for others. He urged that Parowan citizens can try to disagree better, respect humanity, and treat each other with kindness and respect.
Public Hearing on Elementary School Drop off/Pick Up Zone
The hearing began with City Manager Dan Jessen describing the school’s plans for building a
multipurpose building on school property and the need to divert Parowan Elementary School traffic. During construction of the multipurpose building on school property, the City and the school have decided to make 200W a one-way street for drop off and pick up of elementary students. This plan was announced by Principal Bailey at the council meeting of 3/28 and communicated to parents and neighbors shortly after that meeting.
Several members of the public as well as Parowan Police Chief Addison and Principal Bailey
addressed the council and audience. Issues discussed were: a professionally engineered traffic study should have been performed by a certified traffic engineer to ensure the safety of PES students; UDOT should have been consulted to consider the safety options for students; more time should have been given to allow communication of the plan to parents and neighbors; and the public hearing should have been held prior to the implementation of this plan. The plan has been in effect since 4/1 and since the first chaotic week, seems to be working except for some persistent drivers that refuse to comply with the new procedure. Chief Addison said that the diversion appears to be going well and is much safer for students being picked up. The residents that presented their opinions were favor of the one-way decision and advocate for the safety of students, however disappointed with the lack of planning and very poor implementation.
Action meeting items of discussion/decisions
Background Check Policy Approved
Councilmembers voted to approve the Background Check policy discussed at the 4/11 council meeting.
Background checks will now be performed for employees with positions related to significant contact with minors and vulnerable adults, financial responsibility, access to private and protected information, law enforcement, and security related functions.
Haslem-Anderson Annexation Tabled
Documents required for the annexation were not complete and the Council voted to table this item until
a future meeting.
Parowan City Privacy Policy Approved
In order to comply with Utah State Code Section 63D-2-103, a privacy policy statement was presented
for Council’s approval. The statement ensures Parowan citizens that data collected from citizens is properly safeguarded and not monetized in any way. The Council approved the policy statement for publication on the City’s website. During discussion of the policy, Councilman Burton asked why citizen’s social security numbers were required on utility service applications as other municipalities do not require it. It was mentioned that it was possibly used as an extension of credit to citizens so that the SSN would be necessary. City staff agreed to do additional research on that subject and revisit the social security number issue at a future meeting.
Public Works Director Named
Aldo Biasi was approved as Parowan City’s new Public Works Director. He replaces Kelly Stones, who
has announced his retirement but will stay on for an undefined period to pass on his wealth of information after his thirty plus years of service to Parowan City.
Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) and Write Off
Councilmember Harris began the discussion with a request to the City Manager to determine if the
approximately $600k undercollected for power last year could be “forgiven” or “written off”. Mr. Jessen stated that a write off would not “cripple” Parowan City or reduce its bond rating. Councilman Burton expressed his concern that if the undercollection were written off, cash reserves may be insufficient to handle a future emergency. Mr. Jessen proposed that Parowan City pause the undercollection discussion while a study is performed by UFS to establish a “cash reserve policy” that will address risk of lost equipment. Because Parowan City does not have an objective measure for how much cash to have on hand, Mr. Jessen states he believes it is necessary to have a policy with which to compare our cash reserves. This will allow the Council to make informed decisions. The Council voted to table the decision to write off the undercollection pending receipt of a study to determine a cash reserve policy.
Ongoing PCA Management
The PCA was put in place last year to allow the per kwh rate to change monthly with the actual market
rate, which has been quite volatile recently. The Council previously determined that the Power Board would set rates based on this information. The Council voted to use the PCA-determined rate each month without requiring explicit approval by the Power Board or City Council. This means that power customers’ rates will fluctuate each month, thereby preventing another undercollection for the electric fund.
Work Meeting Discussions
UAMPS Update
UAMPS CEO Mason Baker gave an in-depth presentation about the current energy market, Parowan’s
partnership with many of the energy providers, and the resources that will be considered for future energy supplies. The wholesale electric market is changing drastically because of federal and environmental policy change. Because of this, UAMPS works to diversify Parowan’s energy portfolio to keep prices low and supply steady. Of interest is Parowan’s participation in the nearby Fremont Solar Project, which will be completed in 2025 and will provide 100MW of solar energy of which Parowan will receive 500kW for a 25-year period.
Breakwater RFP Discussion
Mr. Jessen discussed the possibility of issuing an RFP for management of Parowan’s breakwater. Each
summer it’s necessary to clean out the breakwater to remove fud, rocks, sand and gravel that have come down the creek with the Spring runoff. The City will attempt to find businesses interested in removing the excess materials on a continuing basis. Several options will be considered as a long-term solution is sought for Parowan.
Residents are encouraged to attend city Council Meetings on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Parowan City Council Chambers. Alternatively, the meetings can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/@parowancity2030
" data-pos="top" value="0" max="100">

Parowan City Council 4/256 min read

From Jenelle Zajac
The public comment portion of the meeting was lively as citizen Susan Sepe presented her opinion on
the City’s consideration of “forgiving” the approximately $600k energy under collection incurred during 2022-2023 that Parowan paid on behalf of its power customers. Ms. Sepe stressed that it is irresponsible to “forgive” the debt and urged council members to be responsible and act to continue to repay the under collection.
City Manager Dan Jessen “removed his City Manager hat” to express his dismay over a citizen’s truly
despicable behavior in response to the library’s closure due to an employee’s illness. Mr. Jessen, visibly
shaken and emotional, shared that an angry citizen (“not a transplant or move-in, a core Parowan person”) threw books on the library floor and stated that “Maybe someone should go active shooter in this place … maybe it’ll be me.” When the citizen later found out that the employee was gravely ill, that citizen came back in to say “Good. Maybe she’ll die and we could get rid of her.” Mr. Jessen stated that while everyone might have something going on we can all have compassion for others. He urged that Parowan citizens can try to disagree better, respect humanity, and treat each other with kindness and respect.
Public Hearing on Elementary School Drop off/Pick Up Zone
The hearing began with City Manager Dan Jessen describing the school’s plans for building a
multipurpose building on school property and the need to divert Parowan Elementary School traffic. During construction of the multipurpose building on school property, the City and the school have decided to make 200W a one-way street for drop off and pick up of elementary students. This plan was announced by Principal Bailey at the council meeting of 3/28 and communicated to parents and neighbors shortly after that meeting.
Several members of the public as well as Parowan Police Chief Addison and Principal Bailey
addressed the council and audience. Issues discussed were: a professionally engineered traffic study should have been performed by a certified traffic engineer to ensure the safety of PES students; UDOT should have been consulted to consider the safety options for students; more time should have been given to allow communication of the plan to parents and neighbors; and the public hearing should have been held prior to the implementation of this plan. The plan has been in effect since 4/1 and since the first chaotic week, seems to be working except for some persistent drivers that refuse to comply with the new procedure. Chief Addison said that the diversion appears to be going well and is much safer for students being picked up. The residents that presented their opinions were favor of the one-way decision and advocate for the safety of students, however disappointed with the lack of planning and very poor implementation.
Action meeting items of discussion/decisions
Background Check Policy Approved
Councilmembers voted to approve the Background Check policy discussed at the 4/11 council meeting.
Background checks will now be performed for employees with positions related to significant contact with minors and vulnerable adults, financial responsibility, access to private and protected information, law enforcement, and security related functions.
Haslem-Anderson Annexation Tabled
Documents required for the annexation were not complete and the Council voted to table this item until
a future meeting.
Parowan City Privacy Policy Approved
In order to comply with Utah State Code Section 63D-2-103, a privacy policy statement was presented
for Council’s approval. The statement ensures Parowan citizens that data collected from citizens is properly safeguarded and not monetized in any way. The Council approved the policy statement for publication on the City’s website. During discussion of the policy, Councilman Burton asked why citizen’s social security numbers were required on utility service applications as other municipalities do not require it. It was mentioned that it was possibly used as an extension of credit to citizens so that the SSN would be necessary. City staff agreed to do additional research on that subject and revisit the social security number issue at a future meeting.
Public Works Director Named
Aldo Biasi was approved as Parowan City’s new Public Works Director. He replaces Kelly Stones, who
has announced his retirement but will stay on for an undefined period to pass on his wealth of information after his thirty plus years of service to Parowan City.
Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) and Write Off
Councilmember Harris began the discussion with a request to the City Manager to determine if the
approximately $600k undercollected for power last year could be “forgiven” or “written off”. Mr. Jessen stated that a write off would not “cripple” Parowan City or reduce its bond rating. Councilman Burton expressed his concern that if the undercollection were written off, cash reserves may be insufficient to handle a future emergency. Mr. Jessen proposed that Parowan City pause the undercollection discussion while a study is performed by UFS to establish a “cash reserve policy” that will address risk of lost equipment. Because Parowan City does not have an objective measure for how much cash to have on hand, Mr. Jessen states he believes it is necessary to have a policy with which to compare our cash reserves. This will allow the Council to make informed decisions. The Council voted to table the decision to write off the undercollection pending receipt of a study to determine a cash reserve policy.
Ongoing PCA Management
The PCA was put in place last year to allow the per kwh rate to change monthly with the actual market
rate, which has been quite volatile recently. The Council previously determined that the Power Board would set rates based on this information. The Council voted to use the PCA-determined rate each month without requiring explicit approval by the Power Board or City Council. This means that power customers’ rates will fluctuate each month, thereby preventing another undercollection for the electric fund.
Work Meeting Discussions
UAMPS Update
UAMPS CEO Mason Baker gave an in-depth presentation about the current energy market, Parowan’s
partnership with many of the energy providers, and the resources that will be considered for future energy supplies. The wholesale electric market is changing drastically because of federal and environmental policy change. Because of this, UAMPS works to diversify Parowan’s energy portfolio to keep prices low and supply steady. Of interest is Parowan’s participation in the nearby Fremont Solar Project, which will be completed in 2025 and will provide 100MW of solar energy of which Parowan will receive 500kW for a 25-year period.
Breakwater RFP Discussion
Mr. Jessen discussed the possibility of issuing an RFP for management of Parowan’s breakwater. Each
summer it’s necessary to clean out the breakwater to remove fud, rocks, sand and gravel that have come down the creek with the Spring runoff. The City will attempt to find businesses interested in removing the excess materials on a continuing basis. Several options will be considered as a long-term solution is sought for Parowan.
Residents are encouraged to attend city Council Meetings on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Parowan City Council Chambers. Alternatively, the meetings can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/@parowancity2030

Share

Leave the first comment