| Emery children have a new climbing rock in their park. |
Emery Town held a public hearing to begin the recent council meeting. Mayor Mike Williams explained that the hearing was for the purpose of updating the 2005 budget. If the changes are accepted, this will be the final budget for the year. June 30 marks the end of this fiscal year and Emery will soon be writing the new budget.
“Emery is in good shape,” said Mayor Williams. “This looks good and we have not had any surprises this year. We expect several expenditures before the fiscal year ends, but those are in the budget and if there are no changes, this will be our final budget.” There were no comments or questions, and the council approved the amended budget.
Mayor Williams announced that he had been to the Community Impact Board meeting and had requested the funding for the three debris basins to the southwest of the town. “I am very pleased to announce that the CIB gave us a full grant to have the work done. The amount of the grant was $587,000, and I recently visited with Johansen and Tuttle Engineering where the bid opening was held. We received three bids, one from W.W. Clyde, one from Brown Brothers Construction and one from Nielson Construction. Of the three bids, the low bidder was Nielson Construction and I recommend awarding the contract to them,” said Williams. The council approved awarding the bid to Nielson Construction.
Several council members opened the topic of ATVs on the city’s streets. There is an ordinance in place regarding the use of ATVs and many people are not abiding by the rules of the ordinance. The ordinance states that all regular traffic laws must be obeyed in the operation of ATVs and many of the riders are speeding and running stop signs. Many of the younger riders are not wearing helmets, and this is in violation of the state statute.
The council decided to become more aware and watch for riders who are not obeying the ordinance and to call law enforcement.
If the rider is under the age of 16 and is not in direct supervision of an adult, the parents can be cited. If the rider is a licensed vehicle operator who is 16 or older, they can also be cited. Residents of Emery need to be aware of the ordinance and its stipulations, and then be willing to report anyone who is in violation of the regulations.
Everyone needs to be willing to call the sheriff’s office and report those they can identify.
Mayor Williams announced a policy clarification concerning donations which are made by the city to groups or individuals. “We are required to have the donations listed as line items in the budget. In the future we cannot donate money to any group that is not in the budget.
We will need to review and list the groups that we regularly donate to and make them budget items,” said Williams.
Councilman Donald Riddle informed the council that the no smoking signs had been removed from the fire station.
He has ordered replacement signs and will have the new signs installed so that they cannot be removed.
Mayor Williams said, “I am very pleased to announce the installation of a new climbing rock in the park for the children of Emery. Thanks to the Emery Country Recreation District and Commissioner Drew Sitterud, we were granted the funds to purchase and install the new toy in the park.” The council decided to have a contest for the young residents of Emery to name the rock. Entries can be given to any councilmember or to the mayor. The winner will be announced at the next Emery Town Council meeting.
The council approved the purchase and installation of four benches to be placed near the horseshoe pits in the park. Councilman Eric Anderson announced plans for the July 24 celebration to be held in Emery. He stated that vendors should be making plans now to be at the celebration. There is no charge for booth space and interested vendors are welcome to contact Councilman Anderson to make arrangements.
Misty Christiansen, who will be the new clerk for Emery Town, made a suggestion for the meeting next month.
She suggested the town consider activities for the young people of Emery. There is very little activity for teenagers and the town should get involved to provide weekend recreational events.
Some of her suggestions were barbecues, volleyball tournaments, basketball tournaments, dances, etc.
The council added their comments and suggestions, such as chaperones and ideas for activities. The item was approved for consideration on the next agenda. That meeting will be held May 10 at 6 p.m. at Emery Town Hall.