By Julie Johansen
Side TRAX and Freckled Cow were chosen as Ferron’s Business of the Month for July at the city council meeting on Thursday. Both businesses are owned by the Conover family.
Mayor Adele Justice read the following statement to the council and those in attendance about the businesses. “Side TRAX rentals is located at 35 North State Street and is a premier Polaris Adventure Outfitter. Their equipment is the best on the market and brand new. They offer a variety of side-by-side rentals, self-guided adventures and fully guided off-road digital tours and RECON electronic bike rentals and sales. They are open seven days per week from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. As a family owned business, their mission is to combine friendly customer service with unforgettable adventure and experiences. Make TRAX on the SWELL ride.”
She continued, “Freckled Cow is also located at 35 North State Street and features frozen yogurt, smoothies, panini sandwiches, salad, soups, pizza and daily specials. They are open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.”
Next, Ferron City Youth Council officers were introduced to the council. Co-mayors are Marko Ilijic and Saylor Jackson. Rileigh Meccariello is the new recorder and Merritt Meccariello will serve as the treasurer. The Meccariellos took their oath of office at the council meeting. The Ferron City Youth Council donated their proceeds from the concession stand at the stock show dance to Sid Swasey.
The regular council meeting was then closed and a public hearing opened. Two items were the focus of the hearing, including annexation of properties on the north end of Ferron. It was noted that the state requires that before a piece of property can be annexed, it must be included on the city’s expansion map. The planning commission recommended that the full parcel, including the Manzanares property, be included in the annexation.
The other item was regarding amending the commercial water rates and overage fees. The planning commission recommended raising the commercial rates by $3. A question regarding RVs and hotels was answered, stating that were no code for these. The public hearing was closed.
Next, a motion was made to accept the bid from J&D Engineering for the fairgrounds restrooms. Councilman Troy Winter will meet with contractors to see where pricing cuts can be made on the project.
Mayor Justice then gave a water update, stating how proud she was of Ferron citizens for answering the call to conserve. She stated that in May, it was anticipated that the water would be gone by now, but now it looks like there may be water into August.
A motion to replace the city office doors using Finesse Glazing was given and passed. Jackie Tomer was then appointed to Ferron City Planning Commission. The next Ferron City Council Meeting will be changed to Aug. 9.
To conclude, four resolutions were approved. Resolution 2021-5 amended the business license fee schedule; Resolution 2021-10 will add Juneteenth as a holiday to the personnel policy; Resolution 2021-11 addresses overage and commercial water rates; and Resolution 2021-12 amends the budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 and allows the city recorder to balance the budget. Ordinance 2021-2, which regulates the licensing and use of dwellings in residential zone for short-term rentals, was tabled for further study.