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Show Fire protection cost Cedar to bill Enoch $20,697 9 CEDAR CITY - "I ; think tha t Enoch has been , getting a free lunch as far as some services are ! concerned, and one of j them is lire," stated Cedar City Mayor Robert Liniord in last week's Cedar City Council meeting just before the council decided to send Enoch a $20,697 bill for fire protection. The decision to send Enoch a bill came after the council discussed the costs involved with fire protection in Cedar City, Enoch and Iron County. Based on figures provided by Cedar City Fire Chief David Bentley, 11 percent of the fires in the county occured within the boundaries of Enoch, but the cost of those fires was 15 percent of the total fire cost in the county. He said that 15 percent of the total cost was a little over $20,000. "If we send them a bill, that will get their at tention of what fires are costing out in Enoch," said Cedar City Manager Joe Melling. The council discussed how it was costing both Cedar City and Parowan extra to pay for Enoch's fire protection. Melling also pointed out that Enoch supposedly has a contract with the county to cover fire protection, maintenance of streets and police protection, but that he didn't think it was legal to obligate funds outside a budget year and that no one he has talked to can find any bonding agreement between the two. In a related matter, the council passed a motion that will raise participation par-ticipation fees for users of the city's recreation programs by $10 for people that live in incorporated in-corporated areas in the county outside the Cedar City limits. For the past couple of weeks, the council has not only been concerned with the cost of fire protection, but also with a shortfall of funds in the recreation budget, a shortfall created by county participants par-ticipants not paying their way, stated Councilman Tom Cardon. Melling reminded the council that the mayor of Enoch said that they weren't going to pay any money to the city for recreation and that if the residents of Enoch wanted to use Cedar City's programs, then they were going to have to p pay for them. The Enoch Council also passed a motion to that effect at its meeting last week. The council also reported they met with Jay Gardner of Utah Power & Light recently and have set dates for progress on the Cedar City Industrial Park. The city is going ahead with plans of locating UP&L as the first tenant in the park. However, as Melling pointed out, the park's private developer John Price Industries is no way out of the picture. As Councilman Lee Fife said, "we've sidestepped that sticky spot in our agreement and gotton on with the industrial park." The sticky spot Fife is referring to is about the price tag of improvements im-provements Price Industries In-dustries was to provide to the entrance of the park, which was debated a few weeks ago at an Industrial In-dustrial Park Board meeting. The tenative schedule includes: on June 21 or 22 the council will authorize bids for construction of the park's entrance, curb and gutter, pavement around UP&L's site and sewer trunk line on June 29 or 30 a final plat will be presented before the Planning Commission; July 1 the council will approve the plat; July 8 bids will be opened for construction; and on July 15 a ground-breaking ccrmony is to be conducted. con-ducted. The total construction cost is estimated at between $200,000 to $220,000 lor locating UP&L i in the park. That price will be paid by UP&L. In other council business The council decided that as part of enforcing the city's weed abatement o ordinance, local private contractors, rather than city crews, will be used to clean up lots condemned by the city's lire marshal. A letter will be sent to property owners first stating that their lot could be a lire hazard and suggest immediate cleaning. If not taken care of, the lot will be condemned; and the city will have a contractor clean up the property with the cost being assesed to the lot owner. The council approved the reappointment of Roy Urie and the appointment of Rich Wilson to fill six-year six-year terms on the planning commission. The council a also wanted to express publicly its thanks to Fred Adams for his service on the commission. com-mission. The council will call for bids for gravel, tires, hot and cold asphalt mix, gas, fuel oil and diesel fuel for the city on July 1. The council also donated, as it has in previous years, $325 to Southern Utah State College for a Utah Shakespearean Festival scholarship. Herman Anderson (left) and Loren A. Whetten (right) help James L. Whittaker cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Circleville Office of the State Bank of Southern Utah. The hank officially opened June 8. |