Clinton council to weigh ambulance service review, new leave policy and community garden fees

Decisions at a glance

Agenda, item by item

1. Item 1 · Public safety

   Ambulance service request-for-proposals briefing

   Pending

   The Fire Department's packet responds to a 2025 state law (Senate Bill 215) that requires local governments to evaluate emergency medical services on cost, quality and access. The city states it is satisfied with its in-house service. A draft letter of selection to the state Bureau of EMS would name the Clinton City Fire Department as primary EMS provider for four years, covering Clinton and unincorporated areas of Davis County.

   • Petitioner: Chief Poulsen
   • FY26 ambulance billing: $1.3 million billed, $593,000 net revenue collected, $660,696 in required write-offs, $188,000 bad debt
   • Rates effective 6/1/26: ALS transport $2,426.64; BLS transport $1,659.66; $42.24 per mile (prior: $2,383.73 and $1,630.31)
   • Staffing: 18 full-time and 15 part-time firefighters, 2 ambulances; 1,551 calls and 530 EMS transports in 2025
   • Medical director: Mathew File, M.D.

2. Item 2 · Other

   Personnel policy amendments: leave policy (Sections XII-XVII)

   Pending

   City Manager Trevor Cahoon proposes new annual leave banks based on years of service, changes to holiday pay for police and fire, new parental and bereavement leave, and a mandatory seven-day no-access period each year, effective Jan. 1, 2027. Staff describes the changes as largely budget neutral and expects lower long-term leave liability. Staff estimates direct holiday pay for police would fall from about $100,000 to $35,000 a year.

   • Annual leave bank: 96 hours (0-2 years), 112 (3-5), 124 (6-10), 144 (11-15), 156 (16+); carryover and payout generally capped at 40 hours
   • Sick leave: 4 hours per paycheck
   • Parental leave: up to three workweeks after one year of service; bereavement: up to 48 hours (close family) or 24 hours (extended)
   • Columbus Day becomes an 8-hour floating holiday
   • Existing employees keep 240-hour (regular) and 288-hour (exempt) vacation carryover limits

3. Item 3 · Parks

   Community garden plot fee discussion

   Discussed

   Parks and Recreation Director Brooke Mitchell asks the council for direction on charging for the city's 82 community garden plots (58 at 20x20 feet, 24 at 20x40 feet). Annual maintenance costs about $4,617.69. Staff recommends starting at $25 and $50 per plot, revisiting after a year of water-meter data, and limiting plots to personal, non-commercial use. A higher option of $35 and $70 would recover about 80 percent of costs.

   • Fee$2,650 Option 1 ($25/$50) annual garden plot revenue, about 57% of maintenance cost. Paid from Plot fees
   • Fee$3,710 Option 2 ($35/$70) annual garden plot revenue, about 80% of maintenance cost. Paid from Plot fees
   • Surrounding cities charge about $15-$25 per plot
   • Water is billed at a flat per-acre rate until a meter is installed

What residents said

Ambulance costsEmployee leave and holiday payGarden plot fees