Alpine residents who have followed the months-long debate over city employee pay raises will get another chance to weigh in Tuesday, July 28, when the City Council meets at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 20 North Main Street.
The agenda lists "Clarification on Compensation for Municipal Executive Officers" as an action item, according to the official meeting packet posted at alpineut.gov. The item comes after the council voted 4-0 on Tuesday, July 14, to approve a 4 percent raise for city staff — split between a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for every employee and a 2 percent equity allocation at management discretion — effective July 1. Staff members can also earn a 1 percent bonus upon completion of a performance review before the end of FY2027. At that same meeting, the council voted 4-0 to give City Administrator Shane Sorensen and Assistant City Administrator Caden Lyon a 2 percent COLA and 1 percent retention bonus, effective Tuesday, September 1.
Those raises still need a formal budget amendment because the council adopted the FY2027 budget in June with all wage increases stripped out. "Once we have the information, we will schedule the public hearing and bring it to council for approval," Sorensen said at the July 14 meeting.
The compensation saga stretches back months. A public hearing originally set for Tuesday, June 9, was postponed with no new date, per a notice signed by City Recorder DeAnn Parry on June 8. The council then voted 4-1 on Tuesday, June 23, to table Ordinance 2026-13, the executive pay increase, pending a work session on the city's compensation study, market comparisons, and long-term fiscal impacts. That work session took place Tuesday, June 30.
Council members Sarah Blackwell, Chrissy Hannemann, Andrew Young, and Jessica Smuin were present for the July 14 votes. Brent Rummler was excused. Mayor Carla Merrill presided.
The second action item Tuesday night is a site plan for Long Range Shooters of Utah, a proposed commercial building off 200 North and Main Street that would house a small retail gun shop, warehouse, office, content-filming space, and a one-bedroom apartment. The council tabled the plan on July 14 pending a swept path analysis for a parking stall and a Planning Commission recommendation.
The agenda also includes four presentations: a Parks Master Plan update from Lisa Benson of Landmark Design, a Sculpture Garden report from Bob Hanson of the Heritage Arts Foundation, a Utah Growing Water Smart Workshop report from Council Members Hannemann and Blackwell, and a revenue overview from Hannemann.
Residents can attend in person, watch on the Alpine City YouTube Channel, or offer public comment during the designated portion of the meeting. The full agenda and packet are available at alpineut.gov. For special accommodations, call the City Recorder's Office at (801) 756-6347 x 3.
The next scheduled public hearing is the Sales Tax Revenue Bonds hearing, set for Tuesday, August 25.
