by Kathy Bence

“Beware of the Bypass” by Charlotte Potter

you get what you pay for

We missed reporting on council meetings last month. Keep in mind though, none of us are paid to post on this blog and no one is paying to read this blog. Perhaps you get what you pay for. Despite that, we believe there’s value to this Toquerville voice.

A zone change denied

At the May 1 City Council meeting a zone change request was denied. It was mentioned in this post. An application had been submitted from a developer requesting R-1-20 to R-1-12. In other words, from a 20,000 square foot lot to a 12,000 square foot lot.

During the presentation and discussion by the council, I felt Wayne Olsen and Todd Sands did an outstanding job of representing the views of many Toquerville residents. While the developer may have valid reasons for requesting a zone change, like most zone changes, this one would have resulted in higher density. The general plan survey indicated that higher density was not what most residents want.

Beware of the bypass

*Photo by Mike Franzese*

*This photo shows a man in relation to the size of the boulder*

*Photo by Mike Franzese*

*This photo shows the boulder in relation to State Street*

*Photo by Mike Franzese*

*This photo shows the opening left by the erosion*

Mike Franzese also took this photo and said a few of these are spread around behind the Heights’ mailboxes. He said these appear to be drill holes and cement pours to fill in the cracks in the ground.

Judging from a Thursday film of a landslide at the bypass entrance and the boulder that remained, it may be a while before the bypass is open. While this specific landslide didn’t happen prior to Wednesday’s council meeting, the erosion problem and possible solutions are mentioned. Afton Moore, the City Manager, shares a brief report here.

The city will need to inform the residents of the next steps. I hope to hear more at the next city council meeting.

Don’t Jump

At the June 5 City Council meeting Chief Merlin Spendlove, with the Hurricane Valley Fire District, requested a sign on Spring Drive at the entrance to Toquerville Falls: “Please NO jumping Off the Falls.” He said “two gentlemen who were old enough to know better” jumped and ended up with broken ankles the previous Saturday.

Councilman Sands, who attends the Readiness meetings, asked the fire chief if a permit is needed to use burn barrels. Yes and no seemed to be the answer. If the burning is small enough with no open flame it’s not a problem. This is regulated by Washington county. The chief prefers that trash be taken to the dump which is free or inexpensive. The Readiness Committee encourages having burn barrels in the event trash collection is disrupted for an extended period.

don’t get your vehicle towed

The streets of Toquerville are being paved. If your vehicle is not moved it could be towed. The schedule is on the city’s website. You should be able to sign up for text notices. I tried, but I couldn’t figure out how.

Public Comments

Two residents took the opportunity to share views in the June 5 public comments: Anita Lowe and Ray Bence.

Among Anita’s comments was a concern that there was never an outcome with the livestock ordinance. Brian had an entertaining post on this $40-chicken-ordinance. Many of us have wondered what became of that. She also expressed concern that Firelight would be grading and building without the bypass completed. Apparently the original plan was for Firelight to exclusively use the bypass so that trucks would not go through neighborhoods. This matter was discussed later in the meeting. The outcome was the Firelight would be allowed to go ahead with the developing after the attorneys had provided the necessary paperwork.

Ray Bence said that from a preparedness standpoint, the residents would not be able to get water in the event of a widespread power outage. He encouraged the city to have a backup plan for this possible disaster. He said the possible loss of the electrical power grid for a sustained period could prove to be an existential threat to residents of Toquerville.

Code enforcement & Prosecutor Hired; Need Public Defender & appeals

Toquerville has a code enforcement officer, Jason Leavitt. Jerry Jaeger (it was difficult to hear the name so this may be wrong) was approved by the City Council as a prosecutor.

The new prosecutor spoke to the council. He expressed the importance of being fair and following the law. He’s done this in Washington County so he knows what ordinances are required. Now all Toquerville lacks in this process is a public defender.

Toquerville also needs to hire an appeals authority. Bruce Jenkins, who I believe represented the city well, is no longer willing to work with the city. The council agreed to circulate an RFP (request for proposal) to hire another attorney as appeals authority for Toquerville.

Fireworks and budget discussion

In time for the 4th, a Fireworks Ordinance was approved. There was a long discussion on the budget (without any fireworks) which you can watch here. The good news is there is no proposed property tax or water rate increase.

Council & zoning