OCR Text |
Show City and district close So weier An out-of-court settlement of the water suits between the city and the Ashley Valley Water and Sewer Improvement Im-provement District is closer than ever as the city council met with their attorney at-torney for four hours Monday night to go over an agreement. "Both parties agree in concept," said Mayor Samuel Snyder, "all that is left is to work out the finer points." According to acting City Manager Kenneth Bassett, the District Attorney, Gayle McKeachnie, has made a proposal pro-posal to the city which the city reviewed Monday night. Both the city's attorney, Ed Clyde, and the district's met Tuesday Tues-day to draft another agreement which takes into consideration comments and recommendations from the council. A decision is expected in 10 days. The basic concept of the district's proposal which the city agrees to is the separation of the water system, which will isolate Vernal City. A 22-page legal size agreement has been drafted by the district to allow them to jointly use seven-eights of the capacity in the 22-inch Vernal City pipeline , from Ashley Springs. The proposed agreement agree-ment also allows Vernal to retain all its water rights in the Glines-Davis area and the Ashley Valley Reservoir Company Com-pany acquired by the city in the 1961 agreement. According to Mayor Snyder, the agreement will depend on whether the Uintah Water Conservancy Dist., will allow an amendment to Vernal City's contract for the purchase of 12,000 acre feet of Red Fleet water. The agreement says that Vernal City will retain 8,000 acre feet of Red Fleet water allowing the district 4,000. "Vernal will take 812 of the first block and the district will take 412," Mayor Snyder said. "This way we will not be liable if the district can't pay for its portion of the water." The agreement allows for annexation into the city from the district. It states that if Vernal City so elected it can assume the responsibility to read the meters and collect the revenues from the water connections served within Vernal City by the District in the case of an annexation. The district will bill Vernal Ver-nal City at 34 of the District's highest commercial rate for water used from the district in this case. The proposed agreement stipulated that the district will perform the blocking block-ing of the various lines necessary to separate the system. The District's proposal shows these blocks at the city limits to the south and east with the annexation area on the west end of the city to be read and billed by the District and billed to the city; and on the east end annexation will be read and billed by the District and billed bill-ed to the city. The agreement leaves the people residing in the Ashley Valley Water Company, north of Vernal, to be part of the Vernal system or to be part of the District system as they so elect. If the agreement is signed by the District and the city, it will settle all claims and counterclaims of all parties raised in both the Gaylon Cook lawsuit and the Vernal-District suit. The agreement agree-ment if signed will also cancel the January 29 agreement. Although Councilmen Gene Anfinson and Greg Hawkins were not present at the executive meeting Monday night, a decision is expected in 10 days by the city. ci-ty. Both the city and the District have given tentative approval to the agreement, agree-ment, but it must be passed by resolution. resolu-tion. The timetable for the separation of the water begins shortly after the agreement is signed, as the system will commence to operate as two separate systems for management purposes July Ju-ly 4, 1981. The agreement allows Vernal City to continue service toJensen and Vernal Memorial Park Cemetery. The agreement has been signed by both the District and the city's attorneys. at-torneys. If either party begins treatment of water from all of its sources of supply, including Ashley Springs, while the other entity is still using untreated water, all commingling of water shall cease, reads the agreement. Blocks in lines to separate the systems to adjust to changes of jurisdictional boundaries shall be adjusted immediatly upon commencement of treatment at the cost of the party initiating treatment. I |