By Juli Johansen
The Orangeville City Council met on Thursday evening for its February meeting. The first action item on the agenda was a request from Randall Stilson to remove his name from a lease agreement with Orangeville City for property near the cemetery. Stilson said he is no longer able to do the work and his son-in-law Thad Morris has been doing the work. The city asked for contact information for Morris and reminded Stilson that the lease expires in 2023 and will need to be renewed before then.
Brian Christensen from Superior Security Systems then addressed the council about the WiFi connections at the community center. He reported that this a free benefit for the community and is not for the use of the city. He also explained that an internet connection is needed in order to establish the key card security and camera systems the city is considering for the city parks. The council questioned which system they would need, and it was ultimately decided that they would start with the lowest package on a trial basis.
Discussion continued about the cameras for the city parks. Christensen suggested using four cameras installed on the community center that would provide views of most of the park. He also reminded the council that one system could serve the city park, dog park, city hall and the Welcome Park. A motion to table the item was approved so the council can review the budget before taking any action.
Next, Jade Powell and Stuart Clason gave a presentation to the council about tax incentives for an incoming RV park. Clason said that this would be in accordance with a state law adopted in 2016, which has been used on the Wasatch Front as well as in Emery County with other businesses and solar units. He assured them that contractual agreements will protect citizens.
According to the duo, the incentives are temporary for a set time and will go back to full amounts at the end of designated time. The tax baseline remains that same and the incentive adds to the development. He continued to answer questions, telling the council members that the developer will cover the initial costs to ensure things are in order to establish the cost investment action. They would have to establish a Community Investment Agency and work with the county, school district and water conservancy district to make this a reality.
Emery County Commissioner Kent Wilson then spoke to the council about CAPO’s (Concentrated Animal Production Organizations). He asked them to consider the size or length of the buffer zones they desire to have around the city before the county adopts an ordinance to comply with state law. Orangeville’s Land Use Committee will take this matter into consideration after talking with some agriculture producers in the area. It was also noted that the production numbers have been set by the state legislature but the area and usage of the CAPOs is being considered by the county before the state sets mandates.
Following a large showing of citizens at last month’s council meeting requesting the gates locking the road access to the city parks be opened, the item was discussed and voted on by the council at this month’s meeting. A motion was made to open the gates from 6:30 a.m. until a half an hour after sunset. This motion passed, but with a split vote. This will be a trial run for a few months with council members agreeing to help monitor the park and lock the gates in the evenings.