By Julie Johansen
At the Huntington City Council meeting on Wednesday, Mayor Leonard Norton, along with the city council and staff, thanked Jerry Livingston for his 13 years of service on the city council. Livingston did not seek reelection, deciding to end his term as council member even though he assured them he will continue to serve the community. At January’s council meeting, Gloria Wilson will become the new council member.
The council preceded its meeting with a public hearing to receive input from the public on applying for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $550,000 to be used to purchase a water tender (large water truck) for the fire department. It was explained that the need for this is to bring water to the fire trucks when hydrants are not available, especially for wildfires and fires outside of city limits. There were no comments from the public, so the hearing was closed and the regular council meeting began.
Mayor Norton began by asking the citizens of Huntington to be especially caring for their neighbors during this season of the year and all year long. His hope is that everyone will have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.
The first item on the agenda was to receive information from John Murray about Emery Cat Rescue. Murray explained that the organization is non-profit and aims to help with the feral cat problem in the area. They also work with Best Friends Animal Society and Dr. Harmer from Price. He said they don’t catch unless they are able to re-home the cats.
Two new business licenses were approved by the council. Earl’s Enterprises is now under new ownership, Randy Earl, but will remain the same business as before, Earl’s Bargains. A new short-term rental at Heritage Funeral Home was also approved. It will be called Red Boulder Hospitality and is owned by Mark Tanner.
Requests for donations were approved for the Make A Wish Foundation in the amount of $500 and the Huntington Elementary Valentine’s Carnival for $150. Hadley Grimm from Canyon View Middle School Honor Society also requested permission to place library stands for book exchanges around Huntington City. This would make a variety of books available for reading and trading. This was also approved by the council.
It was reported that the city had received a refund from PEHP insurance in the amount of $2,288 and the council voted to split it between the city employees as a bonus. This would be $450 for each of the five employees.
A resolution was approved to make the business license fees uniform. The fees will be $100 or $150 with alcohol. A violation fee schedule was also approved with $100 for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 for the third. The animal control fee schedule will follow the State of Utah.
To conclude, the mayor and council members thanked the Huntington Youth City Council and everyone involved in the successful city Christmas party, stating their help made it the best party ever.