Commission holds first meeting of the year

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

The Emery County Commission started their new year of meetings on the second Tuesday of the month. Their monthly meeting schedules will be on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 9 a.m. One meeting, the end of August will be held in Green River. The December meetings will be on the first and third Tuesdays with the last meeting of the year being at 4 p.m. due to budget hearings.
The Municipal Building Authority meeting will be held the second Tuesday of the month directly after the regular commission meeting.
Commissioner elect James Nelson is in Australia and hasn’t been sworn into office for his first term. This will occur when he returns to the county. Commissioner Jeff Horrocks along with Commissioner Laurie Pitchforth proceeded to do business without Commissioner Nelson. The consent agenda items were approved including paying the bills; ratification of Historic Preservation Commission program review; approval of out of state travel for Capt. Kyle Ekker for training and for Morris Sorensen and Travis Winn for equipment purchase. Kash Behling was hired for the road department as a 90 day temporary to help with road maintenance in the spring and snow removal the remainder of the winter.
Commissioner Horrocks was elected as the chairman of the commission for 2011. Credit cards were approved for Commissioner Nelson and Sheriff Greg Funk. A cell phone reimbursement was approved for Commissioner Nelson.
The commission approved the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State lands FY 2011 budget. Last year their budget was $33,218 and this year it’s $31,350. Their budget must be approved so the commission can enter into an agreement with them each year.
Commissioner Horrocks was approved to vote on behalf of the county’s water shares at the Green River Canal stockholders meeting.
The change order number nine was approved for the food bank to make adjustments to the overhead doors to keep the snow off the doors. The change was approved.
Commissioner Horrocks reported the new fire trucks are all arriving now for all eight towns. Most of the fire chiefs and firemen have flown back to Nebraska and are driving the trucks home. Commissioner Horrocks attended the Emery County Road District number one and they discussed the fencing for the Lila Canyon road as well as the Moore road fencing project. The Reeder Canyon sub-division road paving project is a go for spring. The next commission meeting will be on Jan. 25 at 9 a.m.
The Municipal building authority meeting was held after commission meeting at 11 a.m. Commissioner Pitchforth was approved to be the chairman for the MBA for 2011. Commissioner Horrocks reported a final inspection of the Emery County Care and Rehab project will be held on Thursday. The architect will be down and will inspect the care center, the metal building remodel at the Sheriff’s Office and the Food Bank building. Commissioner Horrocks mentioned after the final approval at the care center the county will go back to the community impact board to ask for funding to help with the overtures for the remodeling project. Future projects for the MBA include a new county complex in Green River and a new weed and mosquito facility.
The board approved the purchase of sound equipment for the care center from Breinholt Music in Price. The board approved the placing of the MBA meetings for the second Tuesday of each month directly after commission meeting. The change in meeting times will be advertised in the newspaper right away and ratified at the next MBA meeting in February.