Orem and Lindon councils weigh switch to Central 911 dispatch and $95 million wastewater plant plan
June 15, 2026, 12:30 p.m. · 56 North State Street, Orem (Council Conference Room); joint meeting with Lindon City Council
At a joint work session with the Lindon City Council, officials discussed moving both cities' dispatch from Provo's Metro center to Central 911 by July 2027, a $95.4 million first phase of wastewater plant upgrades and how Lindon will pay its 12.24 percent share, and a renewed fire and EMS contract. They also reviewed a draft road maintenance agreement, a drainage grant and what to do with the North Union canal corridor. No votes were taken. Lindon Mayor Carolyn Lundberg and Council Members Van Broderick, Cole Hooley, Lincoln Jacobs and Steve Stewart attended; Council Member Jake Hoyt was absent.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 14, 2026.
Decisions at a glance
Agenda, item by item
Item 1 · Public safety
Fire and EMS services contract renewal with Lindon
Discussed
Fire Chief Marc Sanderson reviewed Orem's fire and emergency medical operations, including a critical care squad staffed by helicopter-trained paramedics that serves Orem, Lindon and Vineyard. The proposed contract renewal would raise staffing at the Lindon station from five to six positions, 18 employees in all, so it can run an engine and two ambulances at once. Sanderson said an upcoming training facility and station staffing could lower the city's ISO insurance rating by at least two points, and a Class 2 rating could cut property insurance premiums by 6 to 12 percent. City Manager Brenn Bybee described the agreements as partnerships. No vote was taken.
Item 2 · Public safety
Dispatch provider: possible move from Provo Metro to Central 911
Discussed
Lindon City Administrator Adam Cowie and Deputy City Manager Keri Rugg said both cities, which now contract dispatch through Provo's Metro Emergency Communications, received unbudgeted fee increases from Provo, and that Provo has moved away from a 2022 plan for an interlocal board giving Orem and Lindon equal say. Central 911, which serves Utah and Juab counties, would give each member city one vote on its board. A switch would need one year's notice to Provo, ending June 30, 2027, with a Central 911 launch July 1, 2027, and was projected to save the two cities several hundred thousand dollars a year. Council Member Chris Killpack and Chief Sanderson favored Central 911's technology; Council Member LaNae Millett asked about preserving Orem's service culture, and staff said non-emergency routing could be negotiated. Because of their shared fire contract, the cities would have to move together. No vote was taken.
Item 3 · Roads and utilities
Wastewater treatment plant upgrades and cost sharing
Discussed
Orem Public Utilities Director Reed Price said Orem's plant treats all of Lindon's wastewater, about 9 million gallons a day, 13 percent of it from Lindon. A 20-year, four-phase master plan valued at $160 million in 2022 now has a first phase of $88.8 million in construction plus $6.6 million in engineering, $95.4 million in all, up from an earlier $58 million estimate. Price estimated 25 to 30 percent of the cost is driven by environmental mandates. Shares follow capacity rights: Orem 85.68 percent (about $81.8 million), Lindon 12.24 percent ($11.7 million) and Vineyard 2.08 percent (nearly $2 million). Orem plans revenue bonds backed by its AAA utility rating; Lindon is weighing joining the bond or repaying Orem over time at a rate tied to the Public Treasurers' Investment Fund. No vote was taken.
- Budget$95.4 million
Item 4 · Roads and utilities
2000 North / 200 South road maintenance agreement update
Discussed
Orem Public Services Director John Dorny presented a draft to replace a 1980 agreement for the shared boundary road. After Lindon finishes its reconstruction between State Street and 1000 West by the end of 2026, Orem would handle maintenance from 1000 West to Skyline Drive and Lindon would reimburse 50 percent of hard costs. Orem has a major reconstruction and overlay scheduled for 2031, and utility work would have to finish a year earlier. Lindon had sent comments, and how to split soft costs such as in-house engineering labor was unresolved. The agreement remains a draft.
Item 5 · Roads and utilities
Lindon Hollow drainage agreement and joint waterway and wetlands maintenance
Discussed
Lindon Public Works Director Juan Garrido said stormwater in the Lindon Hollow channel comes 51 percent from Orem, 17 percent from Pleasant Grove and 32 percent from Lindon, with Lindon leading maintenance. A state ARPA water-quality grant of $700,000 plus a later $300,000 brings project funding to $1 million, with a local match of about $200,000 split by those shares. The money would pay for rebuilding the stream corridor from Geneva Road to the wetland bridge, laying back eroded banks and improving a link to the Lindon Heritage Trail. The three cities jointly own the wetland basin, which is under a conservation easement.
- Grant$1.00 million
Item 6 · Other
Legislative interests shared by Orem and Lindon
Discussed
Bybee and Cowie said the cities will coordinate through the Utah League of Cities and Towns on protecting local control of water, limits on cities' use of property tax for capital financing, land-use and housing mandates, and e-bike and e-scooter rules on shared trails such as the Murdock Canal Trail. Orem has joined a Utah County micro-mobility committee drafting standard trail ordinances. Cowie credited the legislature for approving the Transportation Utility Fee option; Council Member Millett called some state-mandated measures a 'one size misfits all' approach.
Item 7 · Roads and utilities
North Union Irrigation Co. dissolution and possible canal trail
Discussed
Garrido and Price, who serve as officers of the irrigation companies, said North Union Canal Company voted in November 2025 to stop delivering water and is preparing to dissolve. Because the company holds only a prescriptive easement, dissolution triggers an abandonment, and after a 90-day window the land could revert to adjacent property owners. Orem has a Mountainland Association of Governments grant for a feasibility study (two planning bids were received from Avenue Consultants and Landmark Design) covering public outreach along more than five miles of corridor with over 14,000 nearby residents, and a utility analysis including aquifer recharge with the Central Utah Water Conservancy District. Community Development Director Gary McGinn warned that stormwater still drains into the ditch, so blocked or filled segments could cause flooding. The mayors and managers directed their attorneys and engineers to share research on whether a joint stormwater entity could take over the easements before the window closes.
What residents said
Dispatch fee increasesSewer plant costsCanal dissolution and flooding riskE-bikes on trails