City Council passes ordinance governing archery range use

The city council to be held on the second Tuesday of August was rescheduled, instead being held on August 17. One of the primary items on the evening’s agenda - and the item to which over half of the meeting’s duration was devoted - was an ordinance regarding the rules for the archery range that is in the works. Many members of the community turned out to offer their views on the issue; some were concerned for the safety of the surrounding properties, others for the natural access in the area, and there were members of the local archer’s association in support of the development.

During the following deliberation, the city council outlined the safety measures, proper use and legality of the archery range that is in the works. It was emphasized that this ordinance is essentially allowing the archery range and confirming the rules and policies under which it will operate; this ordinance does not set the budget or location of the range. Alternatives to budgeting, location and time frame were presented and are still open for discussion. The ordinance was passed, four votes - council members Colson, East, Meyeres and Chamberlain - aye, and one vote - Councilman Heaton - nay.

The remainder of the meeting was devoted to various property concerns and addresses, working with the Cotori Canyon development as well as private citizens. Anyone wishing to review the specifics of the meeting can review the footage of the live broadcast on Facebook - though due to conflicting broadcasting channels, the quality can vary significantly from week to week. The city records audio channels separate from the Facebook broadcast, and those can be obtained along with the minutes on the state public notice site.

As for the August 23 city council meeting - back to the regular time and place - a large portion of the meeting, along with the majority of public comments, was dedicated to the project improving Kanab Creek Drive. The road is being reworked for a few interlacing reasons; to align it with the adjoining highway intersection, to prepare the road for assessment by the Department of Transportation to confirm the need for a traffic signal over that intersection and to prepare the road to be one of the primary accesses to the new elementary school. An engineer working for the city stated, “I think the pavement will be done tomorrow; we still have to paint lines, touch up edges, peoples’ driveways - we’re probably a month out.”

The public expressed concerns about the ditches being used for flood control and water drainage, particularly where the road will be frequented by children and bicycles. The city’s engineer responded, “We, like everyone else, are constrained by budget. A lot of roadway failure is caused by bad drainage … ditches weren’t ideal. We would love to go put curb and gutter out there.”

And it’s not a minor budget constraint - curb and gutter, versus the ditches being put in now, would be an additional investment of thousands of dollars according to the engineers. In response to the public’s concerns, the council’s consensus was, “We progress as designed by the engineer, and handle individual concerns as needed.” Per that conclusion, no vote was needed as there were no plans being changed.

In addition to the road project, there were a few planning and zoning items, as well as a revisit to the city’s general city plan, which can be viewed on the city’s website; feedback is encouraged, as according to the planner, “We get our public feedback, and we update our vision statement based on that.”

The public was dismissed before the last item on the agenda, an executive meeting to host “discussion on the character, professional competence, or physical or mental health of an individual” per the meeting’s agenda.