Kanab City Council bids farewell to Colson, welcomes Shrope

The first Kanab City Council meeting of 2026 marked the rota­tion of council seats following the election, beginning with a recog­nition of public service. Council members and city staff thanked Scott Colson for his service during his term. Colson received an honorary plaque and said he was “truly humbled by the people I’ve served with” and proud of decisions made to improve the city.

The council then ad­ministered the oath of office following the election. Mayor Colten Johnson and Council Member Chris Hea­ton were sworn in for new terms, and Steve Shrope was sworn in for his first term on the council.

Scott with his wife Shado, as well as the rest of the council. Photo by Ty Gant.

Appointments fol­lowed, including Andy Hill to a seat on Plan­ning and Zoning, and Chris Heaton continu­ing his role as Mayor Pro Tem of the City Council for 2026.

The council approved awarding a bid for pavement preservation at the Kanab Munici­pal Airport as part of a bundle of projects funded by state grants. A bid from Straight Stripe Painting was approved for $180,490, with approximately 90 percent of the project funded through grants.

Council members continued discussion from the previous meeting regarding updated regulations for special events and for-profit events with­in city limits. City Manager Kyler Lud­wig said the proposed changes are intended to ensure the city is protected through in­surance requirements and would expand the first event size tier from 100 attendees to 250 attendees. Council members expressed general approval of the adjustment but said the resolution required further discussion.

The council also ap­proved authorization related to the Jacob Hamblin Park project, including the purchase of concrete curbing. Ludwig said city staff continues to complete as much work as pos­sible in-house, but the project requires ad­ditional engineering support.

Another agenda item involved a declaration of surplus equipment for sealed-bid sale. City officials said equip­ment that has been replaced but remains in working order will be available for bid­ding, with descriptions available through the city office.

The council discussed land use ordinance definitions related to alcohol-serving estab­lishments, including breweries and taverns, prompted by an appli­cation for a proposed downtown business seeking approval to sell beer without op­erating a full-service restaurant. The ap­plicant said the intent was to operate a casual taproom rather than a nightlife venue. Coun­cil members discussed potential impacts on downtown Kanab and agreed to continue the discussion at a future meeting.

Additional discus­sion items included future right-of-way needs along the U.S. Highway 89A corridor, drafts of personnel policies and required state training related to fraud risk and open meeting law.

The public portion of the meeting closed with the council setting the agenda for its next meeting before enter­ing a litigation ses­sion, with no intended action.