Show City Council Settles Arguments On Code Governing Gas Use In a Tuesday meeting punctuated punctuated by heated discussion and oral fireworks the tue Moab City Council once again heard arguments ments pro and con on the city's gas code The basic Issue underlying the two hours discussion evolved around who Is to exercise control over the quality and kind of Installations installations In in- and apparatus on the customers side of the gas meter If the city Instead of the gas campany company com cam pany Is to control the ordinance would have to be abandoned or adjusted Suggestions that the thee present ordinance ordinance or or- be abandoned In favor of the Salt Lake City ordinance were heard by council members at the thelast thelast thelast last regular session of the coun coon cil W. W M. M acting on the recommendation of William Dutler But But- ler kr of the Salt Lake gas Inspection tion Lion team suggested that variances c es Os In the two ordinances favored the Salt Lake code The suggestion suggestion tion plus an Incident In which a complaint was Issued on an al alleged al violation of the city's code coda prompted the discussion Tuesday The council heard Robert Osborne Moab of Utah Gas Service and attorney Harry larry Snow Siow speak on both the ordinance and the alleged violation Attorney Snow stated that an Interpretation of the ordinance indicated no violation vi elation had occurred Osborne spoke on various differences between between between be be- tween the present ordinance and the suggested change In a prepared statement Mr Me Osborne said that the variances were so small that a condemnation tion of the present ordinance would be ridiculous and sary lary In his opinion the proposed change would be a as the ordinance e we now have is particularly par applicable to ta Moab and aM the type of gas we are now using I The variances are caused he said not by deficiencies In our code but by differences In the gas each city Uses Salt Lake gas gas users are are re refurnIshed furnished with willi a sour gas rated at about btu while the Ute Utah Gas Service Service- system in Moab hasa has a a sweet gas at 1080 btu at the present time This he said Is is' the b basic reason for tor the variances lie fie reiterated that the Moab code code- H Is a one not only in his his' opinio io ion but l i 1 the opinion Of bf experts who have hav the ordinance Mr Butler Butler- of Salt J-ake J said sald Osborne Osborne Os Os- Osborne borne himself said It Jt was was wasa a go good d cde he be vas was vas here In Moab to m meet et council W M. M Belang e city b building inspector explained his by recommendations recommendations' of instructional Instructional instructional In in- in- in material used In the pre installation gas school held beld here He said also that we we could not be assured of always having the type of gas w we have bave at the He Ic as well as Osborne asserted that the primary Interest was was protection protection pro pro- rc of the gas user On the suggestion of Mayor J. J W W. Corbin the council adopted a policy which will operate to the benefit of the consumer as well as az pacify both parties to th the dis Mr Belangie Is to refer any Installation he considers objectionable objectionable objectionable ob ob- ob- ob to the Gas Service Company thus placing the responsibility responsibility responsibility res res- on them Mr Osborne will assure assure cooperation of the gas company An interesting note noto in the discussion dis dig Was vas statements of the creditable safety record held by natural gas systems It is said sald to tobe be the nations nation's safest fuel In other action the council authorized au au- au the purchase of street maintenance equipment considered consider consider- ed several easements for roads and pipelines and directed a survey survey sur sur- vey of the proposed addition by annexation of the southeast con con- are area Future planning under the direction direction dir dir- of consultant Dale Despain was given the go-ahead go signal Cost of the planning is minimal An expected announcement of the new police chief for Moab did not occur Mayor J J. J W W. Corbin nave cave to the council a dation for tor the position with which the council concurred but hut public announcement of the selection will wilt await verification by the council some time next week Some fifteen fit teen applications have bay been entered en for tor th office giving a wide choice The public announcement of or the choice will be Issued In next weeks week's Times Independent |