The Quirks and Quibbles of Toquerville: A City Council Recap
by lori cole
Evening in Zion by Lori Cole
Ah, the Toquerville City Council meeting—a veritable theatrical production where the characters are real, the drama is palpable, and the stakes, well, they involve lighting curfews and budget allocations.
This second meeting of February did not disappoint. It was a whirlwind of robust debate, passionate pleas, and more than a few moments that left us scratching our heads. Actually, some heads were spinning, but perhaps that was only mine. Ok, and to be completely transparent - there weren’t any passionate pleas in THIS meeting, as no one spoke in the Open Forum. We’ll get ‘em next time.
PS: Remember to speak up in the open forum, otherwise the council might think everyone is satisfied with everything.
Act I: Bypass Project Traffic Control –Debate Over Revised Estimates
And we’re off! Right out of the chute, the council debated a new 300k invoice/change order received for traffic control on the bypass project. As discussion continued, it sounded as if the invoice pertained to changes made primarily last November to traffic routing/control at the south end of the bypass. The work included widening and paving a turnoff to Cholla and it had to be done without delay due to public safety concerns and the ongoing construction delays. Council members questioned whether the traffic contractor could be overbilling, as they had already seen several invoices for the same type of traffic control, and they asked who was auditing the billing. The invoices are being audited, and Darrin LeFevre said he would ask for more clarification on the billing. The council approved payment.
Construction delays and change orders received after the acceptance of a bid certainly complicate the job of managing a project and holding everyone involved accountable
Creating an Enterprise Fund for Stormwater (#52) – Approved
To better track stormwater fees and expenditures, the city manager proposed creating “Enterprise Fund #52.” Up until now, the stormwater fees and expenditures have been intermingled with other monies in the General Fund. The proposal does not create a separate budget for stormwater at this time. Creating this fund is a bookkeeping change that creates greater visibility and transparency for stormwater.
Fun Fact: There are 38k linear feet of stormwater pipe in Toquerville!
Drama, Drama, Drama – Updating Lighting, Curfews, & Exterior Lighting Standards
City code enforcement and the city prosecutor asked that the code reflect a start time/end time curfew for exterior lighting and the curfew was set for 11 PM to 6 AM. What that means exactly depends upon the lumens involved, where the light is directed, whether or not it is related to a holiday, and if the property is private or commercial. And more. So much more.
The lighting ordinance has been in place about 18 months, and it is meant to apply to all of Toquerville. (Here’s the draft ordinance and the redline copy). Code enforcement plans to do a lighting “audit.” If your lighting is still not in compliance with the city ordinance, you may be contacted by code enforcement in the future, and we are told the ordinance will be enforced. HOWEVER, the enforcement efforts will be complaint-based. Code enforcement will not be setting up lighting traps to catch us in the act of using a non-compliant light, nor will they be lying in wait behind shrubbery -– code enforcement is complaint-based. That means that the officer will only investigate after someone makes a complaint.
Please be a good neighbor, keep your lights shining on your own property, and protect our dark skies.
I encourage everyone to read the ordinance and ask questions. Several things are unclear, such as whether curfews are required for those Christmas-type lights that some people have illuminated all year. Eventually, the enforcement of the ordinance may include the use of a “lumen meter” to read the quality of light from various sources.
For further information, please read the ordinance and ask questions. Who knew there were so many types of exterior lighting?
The council approved the curfew amendment 6am 11pm and one or two wording changes, then asked that the ordinance be sent back to the planning committee for further changes and to check for consistency.
Final Note
The Hurricane Valley Fire Department has asked that if we have branches left over from spring pruning, we deposit them on the piles of limbs that have already been started. The department will be using them as part of their wildland fire exercises. (The council did not give the location of this pile of limbs and I could not find it.)
Motion to adjourn at 6:48 PM.