KEARNS, Ut. — The Kearns City Council voted 3-2 on Monday to remove longtime volunteer Paula Larsen from the Kearns Community Committee.
City Administrator Charles Henderson said concerns about Larsen began coming from stakeholders, residents, business owners, and committee members.
“We saw emails where communications and discussions weren't necessarily appropriate," Henderson explained. "Members said they couldn’t get anything done."
—Kearns City Council votes to remove longtime community committee member—
Henderson said the concerns also involved finances, record keeping, and accounting.
When city officials looked into why certain tasks were not getting done, they believed the issues repeatedly came back to Larsen.
Larsen spent decades with the Kearns Community Council, which served as a community voice before Kearns became a city in May 2024.
As part of that transition, the community council became the Kearns Community Committee, bringing the volunteer group under the city. The committee plans events and activities in Kearns.
At Monday’s meeting, residents spoke both for and against Larsen’s removal.
”She has put a lot of her own money into this to help the community and never got once a paycheck like you guys get," Kearns resident Sherry Talbert said while pointing to the council. "I think it's disgraceful."
Jackie Martin, another Kearns resident, expressed a different view.
“My experience has not always been great with her," Martin said during Monday's meeting. "If you guys do keep her maybe this is a wake up call that she needs to try to work with people even if she doesn't like them. She's not always friendly to everyone."
Henderson said city leaders met one-on-one with Larsen to discuss some of their concerns.
“We did have the opportunity to talk with Paula Larsen, specifically 1-1, city leaders talked with her about some of those concerns and gave her the opportunity to respond and she chose not to respond,” Henderson said.
Larsen did not respond to Fox 13 News' request for an interview or comment.
The Kearns Community Committee will now begin the process of filling Larsen’s vacant seat. Henderson said committee members will make a recommendation, which is expected early next year.