feds, forum, & firelight
by lynda williams
“Toquerville in the Fall” by Brad Langston
The Feds Pay a Visit
At the Sept. 16 City Council meeting, Sam Harvey, a district outreach coordinator for Congresswoman Celeste Malloy, provided a report on the Congresswoman’s recent federal activities and advocacy. His summary included several key areas of focus:
Beef Production: The Congresswoman joined 50 colleagues in a letter to the President to incentivize and promote domestic beef production to address concerns about the domestic market being flooded by foreign products.
Forest Management: Highlighting the catastrophic effects of fires in Utah, Harvey noted the Congresswoman’s support for the Fix Our Forest Act. This legislation aims to allow for more protective forest management by locals, which is intended to reduce fire-fighting costs and salvage timber resources.
Energy Policies: Harvey reported that the Congresswoman supported the Working Family Tax Cuts Act, which included measures to lower federal royalty rates for oil and gas to 12.5%. Additionally, this effort mandated new oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of America and onshore lands, as well as opening specific areas in Alaska for development.
Additional Initiatives: The report also touched on other federal actions, including voting on Russian sanctions, supporting the Rate Payer Protection Act to shield utility users from costs associated with data center infrastructure, and efforts to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Act to support local education funding.
Harvey also encouraged the public to contact him with any issues you may have with the Federal Government whether you need a passport, visa, have a Bill idea or need to get in touch with the folks in DC reach out to Sam Harvey! He said feel free to call or email him. Mayor Catlin and Ben have his contact information.
Although I linked to these measures, I did zero research. Some of them sound so common sense that it scares me. If anyone has more information, opinions or insights on any of these measures we would love to hear from you and probably Congresswoman Malloy would too.
Community Highlights
Westfield Park Improvements: The council highlighted upcoming projects, including a sod-laying party and the ribbon cutting for the new pickleball courts. (Sod laying was scheduled for September 18th).
Facility Tours: Citizens are invited to tour the Confluence Park Water Reclamation Facility in LaVerkin to see local water management in action (See Calendar of Events for dates and times).
public forum
There were no commenters during the Public Forum portion of the meeting but the next item of business involved the topic.
Public Hearing
A Public Hearing to discuss an ordinance vacating a portion of a municipal utility easement located in Boulder Ridge Subdivision, Phase 1, Lot 4. The discussion on this ordinance was unremarkable and was approved.
The interesting discussion was brought up by our beloved councilman Wayne Olsen who seems to have a talent for asking “wonderfully uncomplicated questions” when he said, (I am paraphrasing: “A person comes to a public hearing to try to figure out what it is all about, then when they do figure out what it’s about the time for public comment has passed and they have no chance to address the council. Why is the Public Forum where it is on the agenda?”)
That’s a question I have asked myself so many times!
There was some discussion among council members and I think they came to the conclusion that it could be moved to a different order on the agenda. How about after Business and Work Items? It seems this issue has come up in previous meetings. Hopefully this time it gets resolved.
Business Items
Hillside Development permit: Firelight Development for Indigo at Firelight, phases 2-5.
Council members raised concerns regarding 1:1 and 2:1 slopes pointing out that a 2:1 35 ft. slope is a 50% slope. The question was asked: How are you going to control the erosion and the potential for drainage, degradation and erosion? (This discussion gets interesting around here)
The key measures discussed were:
Engineered Retaining Walls: the developer confirmed that areas showing a 1:1 slope are actually sites for engineered retaining walls. These walls will be reflected in the final construction drawings and help prevent slope instability.
Surface protection and Erosion Control: For 2:1 slopes, the developer will utilize riprap and other surface protection methods, along with landscaping, to stabilize the ground.
Drainage Infrastructure: The development plan includes channels at the base of slopes to capture runoff and divert it into the storm drain system. City staff and the developers are coordinating to include rock-protected drainage swells on top of retaining walls to manage water flow efficiently.
Supplemental Reporting:
To insure that drainage, erosion and visual impacts are properly managed, the council’s motion for approval included the following conditions:
Retaining Wall Maintenance: The developer must clearly identify the responsibility for the construction and maintenance of all retaining walls in the Final plat and CC&Rs before recording.
Visual Impact Mitigation: The visual impacts noted in the engineer’s letter from August 18 must be addressed through specific mitigation measures within the landscape plan.
Supplemental Reporting: The project’s engineer confirmed they will provide a supplemental drainage report with the construction plans to resolve concerns about drainage.
Nightly Rentals
The Council decided to address potential enforcement issues for nightly rentals by establishing quiet hours from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. They noted that owners are responsible for making guests aware of the rules and the city can rely on it’s Nuisance Ordinance as an additional tool for addressing noise or disturbances.
It was noted that the Planning Commission has the authority to hold a hearing and potentially revoke the nightly license if ordinances are not adhered to.
Regarding after hours issues, it was acknowledged that neighbors can contact the sheriff if immediate intervention is needed.
Calendar of Events
Westfield Park sod laying. (Was September 18th)
Toquerville Citizen Tour of Confluence Park Water Reclamation Facility in LaVerkin. Wednesday, September 23rd at 4:00 PM. RSVP required. Contact City Offices for more information.
Miss Toquerville Pageant. Monday, September 28th at 7:00PM at Hurricane Fine Arts Center.
Movies in the park. Friday, October 9th at dusk. Westfield Park