Adele Justice receives award

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

Ferron City Clerk Adele Justice recently received an award honoring her achievement in becoming a certified clerk. She has spent many hours in training to accomplish this honor.
Representatives from the state board were on hand at the last Ferron City meeting to present Justice with a recognition plaque and honor her for her hard work.
Ferron City covered a number of issues during their meeting. Council member Trent Jackson reported the scarecrow contest is underway and prizes will be given out as the scarecrows are judged before Halloween. Joe Trenery, council member said they are trying to get a Safe Sidewalks grant and they haven’t heard back if they are successful in obtaining this grant yet.
The board of equalization approved a change on the billing for a rental home.
During the public comments period, Windy Larsen approached the council with an update on her new business of dog grooming. She said she has been inspected by the fire marshal and the county building inspector Sunrise Engineering. She has taken the action recommended by these parties and would like to obtain her business license. Larsen was instructed the next planning and zoning meeting will be on Nov. 2 and to bring all her documentation and records for the completed work to the meeting.
The council moved into a public hearing to receive input on the annexation of property on Bowden Lane into Ferron. Lane Justice said he saw the annexation as a good thing and will allow people to stay here and build their homes.
A public hearing was held on the budget amendments. Some increases of revenue were added to the budget. A grant for the fire department wasn’t included in the budget. An increase was made to the planning and zoning budget to allow for expenses related to the annexation process.
The annexation was approved as well as the budget revisions.
Ferron City discussed the banning of the substance spice. The council decided to ban spice and will work on an ordinance for the city. There have been some problems at San Rafael Junior High concerning spice and kids mistaking spice for actual marijuana and vice versa.
The council discussed participating in Tree USA, if they decide to participate they will need to enact a tree ordinance, form a tree board and have a tree budget. The city will also be eligible for grants for the purchase of trees for the city. The council will think it over.
The council discussed problem trees in the town that are blocking sidewalks and have become hazards. The council will send a letter asking all residents to check their trees and trim them to make sure they don’t obstruct the sidewalks and views at intersections.
The council approved the pick-up day for garbage be changed from Friday to Thursday. This will be enacted to accommodate the garbage truck driver.
The council considered the community impact board short term project list. This list of projects goes to the Southeastern Utah Association of Governments to present projects to the CIB. Ferron City would like to see a new baseball field added to the project list. Other projects include: Ferron water treatment plant; water storage projects; and community center. The council will look into the costs of new ball fields and put it on the list.
Mayor JoAnn Behling asked the council to consider a request from the Division of Wildlife Services to allow a special bow hunt within city limits to eliminate problem doe deer. The council agreed the deer need to be thinned out and eliminated from town, but a bow hunt will cause too many problems and issues with trespassing and safety. Mayor Behling advised she will speak with the DWR again and look for a solution to the deer problem within the city.
Mayor Behling said a work session is needed for the planning and zoning and the council to discuss water share requirements.
Water shares for new building are being purchased from the city and sometimes water shares are turned in to cover the water, but more often the shares are being purchased. This could cause a shortage of water shares in the future.
Water shares are scarce and expensive and the city doesn’t want to run short on water for existing needs. The council said water is always a source of concern and they need to have a plan in place to accommodate growth and take care of the city water needs.
Since 2006, 16 homes have been constructed that didn’t turn in water shares. Two water shares are required for each home.
Currently the Ferron water agreement with the canal company states you can buy the water from the city or turn in two water shares. The council will look at the agreement to see if it needs to be changed back to turning in water shares only or some other solution.
The council voted to put a moratorium on future subdivisions for up to six months to get a handle on the water situation.