| Pet owners are reminded to keep their dogs under control. |
Cleveland Mayor Jeff Horrocks informed the council of the process for doing inventory of the town’s property for insurance purposes. The insurance company has informed the town that in the event of a fire or some other incident at one of the town’s properties, the contents of the building are not now currently covered.
Jamie Jensen, town clerk, said, “In order to avoid being charged a penalty in the event of a disaster, these inventories of the contents of each facility must be submitted very soon. The insurance company has requested a valuation of the equipment also.”
Jensen stated that the contents of the cemetery shop has been completed, and the town hall building is going to be quite extensive as they store the Christmas decorations there and tables and chairs too. Greg Oliver is completing the inventory of the fire station and its equipment. Mayor Horrocks volunteered to help Jensen with the inventory of town hall.
Another matter of concern for Cleveland is the shooting of a family pet. The dog was an expensive animal and was shot and later died at the vet. The resident called the Sheriff’s Office and no further action has taken place. This resident has a fairly good idea who shot the dog.
“The big concern in this matter for Cleveland is the discharge of a firearm inside city limits and in the vicinity of children. I am requesting the council’s permission to write a letter to the Sheriff’s Office informing them of our desire to have a solution to this problem. We cannot let this slide with a problem as serious as discharging a firearm inside the city.
“This resident paid a vet bill and the dog was lost in spite of the attempt to save it. They should be reimbursed for the bill by the person who shot the dog. This incident needs follow up. Another issue Cleveland residents need to be reminded of is the importance of keeping their pets restrained. We have a problem in town at the present time of dogs running loose all over town. Our ordinance states that pets must be restrained at all times. This is for everyone’s safety and protection,” stated Horrocks. The council approved to write the letter to the Sheriff’s Office.
In another matter, the council approved to adopt the changes in the purchasing ordinance that governs the town. Mayor Horrocks stated Huntington’s fire chief has stated his appreciation to the Cleveland Fire Department for their assistance during a house fire recently.
Councilman Richard Murdoch informed the council that he had attended a meeting at which emergency preparedness was stressed. “Each town must have a plan to direct the actions taken and address the needs of the town and its residents during an emergency situation,” stated Murdoch. Mayor Horrocks told Murdoch of a committee in Emery County, headed by Judy Lang, that trains residents to act during an emergency. Murdoch volunteered to get the training and be able to come back and train others in Cleveland.
Mayor Horrocks concluded the meeting by informing the council of his concerns with the Cleveland Town budget. There is no cushion in the budget for anything that may come up. “We may want to investigate what other towns and cities are doing in the way of a utility franchise tax. This tax is collected by the utility and returned to the city.
“At present we do not have a franchise tax and most of the other cities in Emery County do have one. I would like you each to think about this possibility and do some investigating into what other towns of our size charge. We need to generate some funds and this tax would help a great deal with minimal impact on most residents. We should especially consider the effect this would have on our residents on fixed incomes. This could help Cleveland, but we need to consider all the aspects before deciding to bring it to a public hearing. We should set a goal to make a decision at next month’s meeting,” said Horrocks.
The next meeting for the Cleveland Town Council is May 11 at 7 p.m. in the Cleveland town hall.