Council & Water, Fire, Bypass, changes, etc.
by Kathy Bence
“Celebrating Veterans at Snow Canyon” by Lori Cole
At the Nov. 6 city council meeting, the new city attorney, Kayla Gothard, was introduced. She works with Bruce Jenkins who has served as a previous conflict attorney. She will attend all the meetings in the future.
Water Reuse
An Ash Creek Special Services District Representative reported on the water reuse project. If you visit Confluence Park or view it from one of the overlooks, you’ll see the enormous project.
Fire District
Michelle Peot’s piece on the Truth in Taxation hearing for the Hurricane Valley Fire District is a must-read, in my opinion. If you’ve read it, you know about the fire district’s funding problems and the state mandate to waste money that could otherwise solve this funding problem.
From the council’s discusson which starts here, I got the impression they had also read Michelle’s post. They are very aware of the challenges and the trap the fire district finds itself in. Mayor Sip, who sits on the fire district commission, said the plan is for the county commissioners to pass a property tax increase to cover the funding shortage. However, they will reverse it hopefully before residents are forced to pay. He said the property tax increase will not be needed when the sales tax is passed by the state.
How unfortunate that the state mandates that 47 percent of the Transient Room Tax (TRT) goes to tourism marketing. Otherwise, there would be no need to discuss additional taxes. In a previous post, Brian McNary said that “tourist taxes are always popular. We would all like something for free. Taxing non residents is the most painless way to achieve that.”
TRT fees may not be fair, but they’re already happening so why can’t their revenue be used for something worthwhile like salaries for fire fighters?
toquerville Bypass Update
I propose we change the name of the Toquerville Bypass. It doesn’t bypass Toquerville, instead it will dump traffic into a major area of Toquerville near the Choalla, Ridge View, and Shangrila Heights residences. Perhaps it should be called the Downtown Bypass or the Past City Official’s Homes Bypass. Not sure. I’ve heard many interesting explanations for how this road came to bypass only a part of Toquerville when originally it was supposed to have bypassed the entire city.
But that was not part of the council’s discussion which starts here. The discussion involves an electric pole on the north side of the cut. If the pole is moved, which everyone agreed it should be, it will take at least four additional months. There needs to be a four-way (4 lanes) build out for the bypass in order to turn this bypass over to the state. They’re still waiting on a geo-tech report. As of now, they are at budget.
They’re back to a 40 mph speed limit in the area.
Ordinances, Assessments, Construction
Planning Commission Chair, Valerie Preslar, reported that they are working on a subdivision ordinance, among other things. This subdivision ordinance is something required by the state, which might cause concern since the state seems to require things that benefit developers over residents, in my opinion.
In addition the Planning and Zoning Administrator, Emily Teaters, said that a walls ordinance and parking ordinance are being considered. A hazard assessment has been mailed and emailed out. The purpose is to determine the water’s cross connection and backflow. If there’s a problem, residents will get a letter with details on how to bring their system into compliance.
The Assistant City Manager, Darrin LeFevre, said there will be several grading projects going on for the various developments. At least the city gets revenue from grading permits. UTOD has approved the plans for Sapp Brothers truck stop conditional on a stop light.
Readiness meetings approved
The fees were waived for Readiness meetings held at the City Hall meeting room. The discussion included comments that the meetings help the city residents to be more prepared in an emergency. However, it was stressed that the city has no commitment, connection or liability for anything involving the Readiness committee. It is not sponsored by the city.
Toquerville City Culinary Water Master Plan
During this discussion which starts here, it was mentioned that Toquerville will soon not have enough water to accommodate the growth that’s coming. My initial reaction was that I’d better fill up my bathtub. Instead the problem is that the city’s water rights are going to peak out and Toquerville needs to get more water rights. The Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) does not sell to residents, but goes through cities. As the city buys water, it buys it at a higher rate.
So as Toquerville exceeds its limit and is forced to buy water from the water district at a higher rate, they will try to keep the higher rates for the new residents.
In the end, the council approved the master water plan guidelines—the Culinary Water System Impact Fee Facilities Plan & Impact Fee Analysis. They passed it with the understanding that they can make changes, and that this is an advisory plan.
WCWCD Reuse authorization Plan
There was a lot of discussion but not approval of the Reuse Authorization Contract. The WCWCD needs the cities to sign contracts before they can negotiate with the state about water.
The city attorney and council had concerns about the contract and tabled the approval until there is more information available.
Change orders
There were several change orders that were approved. These included one for the amount of $1,894,059.35 from JP Excavating. This is work for the north slope of the bypass but it will still have to be approved by UDOT (Utah Department of Transportation).
Also related to the north slope, there was a change order in the amount of $80,801.28 from JP Excavating for sand pocket mitigation. Likely the best solution is digging out the sand and filling it with lava rock. This is the least expensive method that UDOT would accept. The geotechnical group has to approve it.
The council also approved a procurement waiver for Civil Science Parkway Right of Way. If I understand, Firelight needs a model with cut slopes of right of way near the four lane bypass.
Turkey Trot, christmas, and instagram
Toquerville Turkey Trot Trails Run – Thursday, November 28, 2024 at Center Street Park 10:00 AM
Christmas Tree Lighting – Monday, December 2, 2024 6:30 PM. I. Before the Christmas lighting there will be a Christmas lighting contest.
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