Elmo Town Discusses Current Issues

By COREY BLUEMEL Staff Writer

Elmo Mayor Daryl Wilcox began Elmo Town’s meeting with the announcement that the town had bid on 75 water shares, but they had not been the successful bidder. The town’s bid had been substantially lower than the winning bid.
Mayor Wilcox then read a letter from Brock Johansen, a law student at Brigham Young University. The letter stated that when Johansen passes the bar, he will begin to practice with Robinson, Seiler and Glazier in Provo. Johansen was requesting that Elmo Town consider his services as the town’s attorney.
Another item Mayor Wilcox informed the council about was a letter from a former resident, Tom Cole, who claims to own a lot in the cemetery in Elmo. Cole stated that someone else had been buried in that lot. After some research, the town cannot find any proof that Cole owns the lot. In the early 1990s, the town sold the property to another person who has since used several of the lots, including the one Cole claims to own.
The council requested that anyone in town with any knowledge of this situation, bring it forward. Several residents at the meeting commented that to the extent of their knowledge, Cole did not own the cemetery lot. It was decided by the council to inform Cole that he would need to provide proof of ownership before this matter can be settled.
Chad Lake of the Elmo Fire Department requested that the town help the five resident EMTs with training. The EMTs are required to attend training in St. George and Salt Lake City, and the county helps in a minimal capacity. Lake stated that the EMTs are a valuable resource for the citizens of Elmo and they would appreciate some funding to help with the expenses incurred during these training sessions. With some discussion about the value of the training and having the EMTs in Elmo, the council approved the request.
Larry Salazar of Emery Telcom informed the council that Emery Telcom has purchased the portions of Mallard Cable that services Elmo and Cleveland. Salazar was requesting the council approve and sign a franchise transfer agreement to facilitate the transfer of providers.
“Emery Telcom has great resources to serve these communities better. The customers will notice on their March 1 telephone bill that there will be a new charge for the cable service. We are not planning any changes in the rates or service. We do not expect any interruption in service. One Mallard employee will be staying on to go over the network with us. Our goal is to make the transition smoothly. While the whole process could possibly take two-three years, we are expecting it to be complete much sooner than that,” said Salazar.
Darrell Gardner, newly selected board member for Emery Telcom, explained that he was present to answer any questions the town may have concerning Emery Telcom. He stated that the company is up and operational. “We are solvent and there will be no job losses. I’m sure there have been rumors floating around and I want to assure you that there is nothing to worry about. Call me if you have any questions,” said Gardner.
The 2004 town budget was opened to make adjustments to the professional services budgeted amount. With attorney fees mounting concerning the issue of the Turnquist Cottages and the 1998 ordinance concerning water shares and hookups, it was deemed necessary to increase the amount available to pay these fees. During the time the budget was open, the council made adjustments to the Christmas decoration account, the employees insurance amount and the fire department.
Delena Fish, of Department of Workforce Services, requested that the council consider the town becoming a worksite for a training project for DWS. DWS is instituting this project to provide customers with different types of work experience. She told the council that the worksites would be for people from that particular area to gain experience and job training. The council approved to become a worksite.
Fish also announced that the economic development council is trying to encourage former Emery County residents to move back into the area and bring their businesses with them. This program is known as the “Native Sons and Daughters” program. The council is requesting names and addresses of former residents who may consider returning to the area.
The council rescheduled next months meeting to be held on March 24, as the republican caucus meetings will be held on March 23, which is the next meeting date. The March 24 date was approved and the meeting will be held at the regular time of 7:30 p.m.