Orem council backs creating an Orem school district on a 3-3 council vote with mayor's tiebreaker, tightens day care play-area rules
October 11, 2022, 3:00 p.m. · City Council Chambers, 56 North State Street
The Orem City Council passed a resolution supporting a new Orem school district ahead of the November ballot. Council members split 3-3, and Mayor David Young voted yes. It also set new outdoor play area rules for home and commercial day cares (5-1 among council members), created a residential preschool land use code and continued a church sign-zone ordinance to Oct. 25. Eleven residents spoke in public comment, mostly about the school district question and council conduct.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 14, 2026.
Decisions at a glance
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Deer Creek Reservoir intake project presentation (work session) | Discussed |
| Board of Building and Fire Code Appeals term limits | Approved · 6-0 |
| Day care outdoor play area rules | Approved with conditions · 5-1 |
| New residential preschool land use code (SLU 6265) | Approved · 6-0 |
| Sign zone change for CenterPointe Church, 1550 South Sandhill Road | Continued · 6-0 |
| Resolution supporting a new Orem school district | Approved · 3-3 |
| City manager report: Hillcrest Park, UTOPIA, city center building | Discussed |
Agenda, item by item
Presentation
North Pointe Solid Waste Special Service District update (work session)
Discussed
The district's manager reviewed the history and operations of the North Pointe solid waste transfer station, 2021 tonnage by source, curbside and green waste volumes, the use of dump coupons in Orem and curbside fee history. He described master plan findings and plans to improve the current site, which Assistant City Manager Brenn Bybee said let the district keep its current location.
Roads and utilities
Deer Creek Reservoir intake project presentation (work session)
Discussed
Project staff described plans to repair and upgrade the aging Deer Creek Reservoir intake, citing aging guard gates, seismic upgrades, the threat of invasive species and a plan to build 'in the wet' without disrupting existing operations. They reviewed schedule, estimated cost, funding needs and efforts to reduce cost. The council asked about the construction method, effects on the dam and Orem's role as a shareholder.
City code
Board of Building and Fire Code Appeals term limits
Approved · 6-0
The council amended Section 2-1-5 so members of the Board of Building and Fire Code Appeals can serve more than two terms. Planning Division Manager Jason Bench said the board needs construction professionals who live in Orem, so few people qualify, and that it meets rarely, so term limits make vacancies likelier. A full term is three years. No one spoke at the hearing.
- Term length: 3 years
City code
Day care outdoor play area rules
Approved with conditions · 5-1
The council changed the city code to require home day cares to have fully enclosed outdoor play areas with self-closing, self-latching gates and a soft-surface play area, and created a new rule for commercial day cares requiring fenced play areas with self-closing, self-latching gates and barring play areas and structures on parking lots or other hard surfaces. At the hearing, the director of a child care center that had recently changed ownership said new licensing and compliance would be costly for her and called the last line of the ordinance unclear, suggesting turf over concrete. Mayor Young suggested defining a soft surface. The council approved the ordinance without its last sentence. Council Member Terry Peterson voted no.
- Applies to: all day cares in Orem
- Land use codes: 6261, 6262, 6263
- Last sentence of ordinance removed
City code
New residential preschool land use code (SLU 6265)
Approved · 6-0
The council created a separate land use code and zoning section for residential preschools, which had been regulated under the home day care code. Staff said different rules apply to preschools, so a separate code allows better regulation and enforcement. No one spoke at the hearing.
- Code: Section 22-6-9(M), SLU 6265
City code
Sign zone change for CenterPointe Church, 1550 South Sandhill Road
Continued · 6-0
The council continued the ordinance extending Sign Zone E to part of the church property to Oct. 25. Mr. Bench said the church had signed the related agreement but the city was still confirming the signer's authority to act for the church.
- Applicant: CenterPointe Church
Other
Resolution supporting a new Orem school district
Approved · 3-3
Mayor Young read a resolution outlining the council's support for a new Orem school district and said he wanted to correct misinformation. Council Members Terry Peterson, LaNae Millett and David Spencer spoke in favor, citing seismic safety at Orem schools, taxes and bond debt, the feasibility study and local control. Council Members Jeff Lambson, Debby Lauret and Tom Macdonald said the council should stay neutral on a ballot question and avoid any appearance of influencing voters; Ms. Lauret also raised startup costs the city might bear, and said Lindon and Vineyard had made no commitments. Mr. Lambson had wanted to amend the wording. The resolution passed with the mayor voting yes.
- Related ballot question: Proposition 2, Nov. 8, 2022
Parks
City manager report: Hillcrest Park, UTOPIA, city center building
Discussed
City Manager Jamie Davidson said Hillcrest Park demolition would begin the following week, that the bid came in under the estimate, and that the construction phase would be bid over the winter. He also gave an update on UTOPIA interest rates and amounts, and on ceiling-height concerns for the new city center building, which may require a code amendment.
What residents said
Orem school district (Proposition 2)Council neutrality and ethicsLive streaming of public commentDay care costs
Eleven residents spoke. Several, including a former council member, urged the council to stay neutral on Proposition 2, criticized council ethics, open meetings practices and a lack of live streaming of the meeting, and asked whether public money had been used for campaigning. Others thanked the council for putting the Orem school district question to voters and gave reasons for a smaller district, including local control, taxes and seismic upgrades, and asked residents to research both sides. One speaker said the question had become an ideological fight and made it hard for undecided voters; another said a group opposing the proposition relied on inaccurate numbers.