The Ogden City Council’s busy Tuesday began with a work session that included discussions of a proposed change in Ogden City Code stemming from the 2024 audit of the airport.

“Under the proposed structure, core operational ordinances would remain under Title 8 and continue to be subject to City Council oversight, while day-to-day airport policy development and administrative functions would shift to Title 11, placing those responsibilities within the Mayor’s executive authority,” Ogden City Communications Director Mike McBride told the Standard-Examiner last week. “This framework is intended to balance strong public oversight with the operational flexibility necessary for a modern municipal airport.”

Starting off Tuesday’s discussion was Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski, who noted one of the first calls he made after his election in 2023 was about Ogden-Hinckley Airport and working on outstanding issues in the city’s relationship with stakeholders.

“I wanted to make sure that it was a top priority for me and that stakeholders knew that it was an important priority for me and that we were going to approach things differently,” he said. “That day was, I think, the beginning of repairing a lot of the past.”

He said there have been several meetings over the last year and a half that have led to the proposal before the council.

“Everybody wants this airport to succeed,” he said. “Everybody sees an opportunity right now.”

Over the course of an hour, representatives from Ascension Group Partners (AGP) — an aviation consulting firm the city has worked with since the 2024 audit — began to detail the adoption of minimum standards for stakeholders at the airport.

“The minimum standards encourage development,” Ryan Leick of AGP told the City Council. “We want to make sure that we have the right documents in place to make sure that development is done correctly, but it also entices development.”

Over the coming months, work session discussions and council actions will be held regarding overhauling and updating airport minimum standards, definitions, leasing policy, rents/rates/fees/charges, rules and regulations development standards and the proposed city code update. A tentative schedule in Tuesday’s presentation showed discussions and actions tentatively lasting through March 2026.

No formal action was taken on the proposed code changes Tuesday, though there was discussion of potentially continuing the discussion of minimum standards at a special work session next Tuesday, July 22.

Following the work session during the Ogden City Council’s regular meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve the mayor’s recommendation of promoting Ogden Deputy Fire Chief Mike Slater to the role of fire chief.

“Mike Slater is a man who has a high standard of performance,” Nadolski said. “Mike Slater does not settle for anything but the best. Mike Slater is a winner. Mike Slater is connected and known throughout the industry, and when I asked him, ‘Why Ogden?’ … He is committed to this city more than any city in the world and he has had opportunities outside this city, and he has foregone those opportunities for us.”

Slater was appointed to the position following a nationwide search following the announced retirement of Mike Mathieu, who had served as Ogden fire chief since 1995.

Following the official vote and his swearing in, Slater addressed the City Council and the audience who had gathered to see his appointment become official.

“We owe our community the best,” Slater said. “You have my promise that I will give you the best. That I will work tirelessly every single day to make sure that we stay on this track that Mike Mathieu put us on. ”

He said the future for the Ogden City Fire Department is bright.

“I will lead this this city with love and I will lead this organization with love,” he said. “Love for our employees, love for our community and love for our city.”

Slater has served with the Ogden City Fire Department since 1997 as a reservist and began serving full-time in 1999.