Council Report

by Kathy Bence

The June 7 city council meeting was short—28 minutes. I’m not complaining. Likely none of the council members and staff did either because they do suffer through their share of prolonged, albeit necessarily lengthy meetings.

Upcoming city elections were mentioned. The one-week window for filing to become a candidate has closed. The current mayor and four of the five council members are running. Councilmember Ty Bringhurst is stepping down and Wayne Olsen, who is currently on the planning commission, will be running for that seat. The list of candidates will be unopposed unless someone comes forward as a write-in candidate.

The only business item was a resolution to recognize Amateur Radio Week, which the council passed.

The American Radio Relay League, ARRL is a noncommercial organization of radio amateurs (hams).  Our local Dixie Ham Radio Club participates in field day exercises twice per year. 

The next AARL Field Day is coming up on June 24 to 25 in St George and involves more than 35,000 hams throughout North America.  They set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio's science, skill and service to our communities and our nation.

It sounds like a fun and also a worthwhile event. 

It’s fun because it’s like a 24-hour relay race with hams trying to contact as many other ham radio stations as possible.  There’s even an opportunity for visitors to talk on the radios. 

The event is worthwhile because, as it says on the Field Day handout:

“…despite the development of very complex, modern communications systems — or maybe because they ARE so complex — ham radio has been called into action again and again to provide communications in crises when it really matters. Amateur Radio people (also called “hams”) are well known for our communications support in real disaster and post-disaster situations.”

In other words, in a real emergency, radios may be our only communication so it’s wise that we have as many amateur radio operators as possible and that they keep their skills current.