Huntington City reports on new veteran monument

By Gary Arrington Staff writer

At the May Huntington City Council meeting, the new budget and city insurance were the two topics that consumed the majority of the meeting time. A budget was presented to the Council for fiscal year 2015. The city will operate from a budget of $691,560 as proposed by the city treasurer. The budget will be fine-tuned and approval will be sought at next month’s city council meeting.
Insurance proposals for the City were presented by Carbon/Emery Insurance, the current provider, and by the Utah Local Government Trust, an entity that provides insurance for 215 of the 247 smaller cities in Utah. Although the Trust proposal was for less money, it was not clear if both proposals provided the same coverage. The potential policies will be examined by the Council with a decision coming before the current policy expires.
The Huntington City construction projects for the year will focus around extending the curb, gutter and sidewalk on north Main Street past the river. UDOT has given the city a grant that will cover most of the sidewalk with the curb and gutter being done by the Castle Valley Special Service District as their part for each city.
The City also revisited the street light issue along South Main Street between 300 South and 400 South. It appears the City will go with similar lighting that is along the rest of Main Street rather than an overhead light as proposed earlier by one of the council people. The four lights will go on the east side of the street. UDOT is contributing $20,000 to the project that has a proposed cost of $35,000.
Jenene Hansen was sworn in as the new Huntington City Recorder by the Mayor. Hansen replaces Eldon Stevens who has moved to Salt Lake City.
The City also considered joining with the rest of the County in approving a ZAP tax, a tax that would be added to the sales tax collected by local businesses. The city would stand to gain around $20,000 to $25,000 per year.
Mayor Hilary Gordon mentioned the Heritage Days planning is coming along nicely and the citizens of Emery County should have a good celebration again this year. The City will go with the same format as has been used in previous years with activities all day on the Fourth of July culminated with the fireworks show plus food and entertainment the two previous nights. Schedule should be out in early June.
Councilperson Laneea Cowley said the Easter Egg hunt went well and was a success. Councilperson Gloria Wilson reported the flower plants in the pots along Main Street and at the cemetery are planted and she thanked all those that came and helped.
Councilperson Mark Justice reported the homerun fence is up at the Harts field and thanked those who helped. He also reported the new grandstands at the rodeo grounds is almost complete and they look good and should serve the city well.
Councilperson Julie Jones reported the sod has been installed at the Harts field play area and should serve fans well that have children. She also reported the Veteran’s Wall at the cemetery is almost finished and is looking good. Councilperson Jerry Livingston reported the fire department went on wild land training in Monticello. He reported the dumpster site is being kept clean and used constantly. He reported the cemetery is in good shape and looked good for the Memorial Day weekend.