OCR Text |
Show Till-- ; SAN .Jl'AN KKCORI) Wednesday, March 31, that the entire process 2004 - Page 0 in 2000 was public, open and available. Everyone knew about the situation, everyone had an opportunity to develop an opin- ion, and every oik had an opportunity to express that by Bill The Monticello City Council has called a meeting, this evening at 7:30 p.m., in which they will apparently formalize a decision that has already been made. Anew resolution would rescind a 2000 resolution to purchase the city electrical infrastructure from Empire Electric. The 2000 resolution has never been implemented because of a lawsuit filed by four city residents. The lawsuit has been appealed a number of times and is still in appeal before tin lTtah Supreme Court. In many ways, it will be nice to make significant progress on eventually solving the electrical system issue. It has been an issue which has polarized Monticello for more than five years. However, I am concerned about an apparent lack of public process in the Monticello City Council's deliberation of be issue. It appears to me that a decision may be mad'1 on this issue with no opportut nity for formal public input This is ironic, considering that a powerful argument of i hose Mont icello resident.- - who . opposed the 2000 purchase resolution is that the Council ignored public sentiment while making the previous decision. Now it appears as if t he Council is making a decision with no opportunity for formal public input. Boyle the City Council in 2000. Council was Ironically, that sued for a lack of public process, among other things. In 2000, the City of Monticello and its residents were very much involved in whether or not the City should exercise its option to repurchase the community electric-systefrom Empire Electric. A contract, signed in 1980, gave the City a one time1 window, in 2000. in which to repurchase the system. The City Council announced its intention to look into the issue and in early February, 2000. announced that public meetings would be held on March and 2. 2000. 20-ye- ar 1 Notice was given throughout the community, advertisements in the San Juan Record. on notices in the monthly utility bill, and via. word of moot h. The issue ran on page one of the San Juan Ricord more than 20 times during the pro- in At the two public meetings, hundreds of city residents attended to voice their opinion. It would have been hard to find a city resident who was not aware of the issue, and most had an opinion. opinion. What a contrast with 2004. I met with the City Council in January and stated my concern that the issue would be settled without public process. I told them that if they make a good faith effort to investi- gate the issue. I personally would support their decision. I I still feel the same way. think that there has to be a public process. I want to have an opportunity to express my opinion. I want to have an opportunity to look at the issues. I want to feel confident that the new City Council has adequately revisited this issue and has come up with an informed. intelligent decision. Let's have a free and open public process. Whether it is via a special vote or via the standard public process that is the basis of our democracy, let the residents of Monticello express their opinion in this important issue. 'Tongue in cheek question of tin week: After hearing the KAAJ-L- P EM broadcast of the March 21 City Council meeting. wonder if the ECC will require a five second delay on our locally owned religious radio station. 1 'flu Division of Wildlife Resources sent a press release, which was published in the March 24 issue, which stated that Prairie Dogs cannot be lnmteel eluring the April 1 to At the public meetings, the Council announced that they would make a final decision on July 15 reproeluctive period. Reaelers correctly pointed out March 21, 2000. On that date, culminating that the DWR was wrong. The an intense public process, the law allows a private lanel-ownto destroy prairie elogs City Council voted to proceed with the purchase of the sys- which have bi'conie a nuisance tem. Despite the anger of or pest on his property. many local residents about the Sorry for any confusion Council decision, the fact is caused by the release. er ' What is the rush-.- This issue could be solved with an open and public process in just a matter of weeks, hut the Council seems determined to solve this most contentious and dovish e of issues as soon as possible. think that is a big mistake. There have beeni no public Like some color in your landscape? Pansies grow best by Jerry Goodspeed, the cooler spring and fall weather. They prefer night time temperatures below 60" F. When the temperatures start getting too warm, the plants tend to get leggy, and flower production declines. Because they enjoy cooler temperatures, they are too often planted in full shade. Utah State University Extension horticulturist After the winter we've had, we d many gardeners thought life probably never see plant again. But things are actually starting to grow. A few brave risk are plants willing to take a rearing their heads. One of the first plants daring enough to show a little color this time of year is the pansy. As soon as the snow melts, it This reduces blossom production. To keejj them bloomingo plant in full sun to part shade, then replace when hotter starts blossoming. A relative of the viola, pansies have been around since about 400 BC In the te m pera t u res a r rive Pansies come in a variety of colors and sizes and have one of the widest ranges of color of any flower. Pansies come in white, dark purple, orange, pink, blue and yellow, as well as many combinations. The colorful pattern on a pansy bloom is very unique. Some are solid. Others are a solid color with black or dark pencil lines radiating from the center of the flower. The third type of blossom has two or three colors, with the darker color forming a face" in the center of t he flower. Pansies are divided into categories according to the size of their blossoms. The large types include Accord, Majestic Giant and Swiss Giant. When planting pansies, space them 6 to 10 inches apart, depending on the size of the blossom. Avoid planting too dee), and apply fertilizer to boost bloom production and . . early 1800s they were bred inEngland and parts of Europe where they developed the .of larger blooms and variety colors we enjoy today. Pansies an still commonly bred and hybridized, so new varieties are introduced every year. Pansies are biennials. They can be planted in the fall, survive the winter and then bloom the next spring. Even though fall is a good time for planting, they can also be planted this time of year, as soon as the soil is workable. Most gardeners use pansies as annuals. They enjoy their color for a few months in the spring, then pull them out when the weather warms enough for mi miner in annuals. Pansies planted in the spring look good e and until around mid-Jun- continue to show some color throughout the summer. to get established quickly. Serving San Juan County Since 1957 Licensed Electrical Contractor Commercial Residential David Johnson 678-237- 6 Eric Johnson Trenching 678-355- 4 Call Us For Prompt And Efficient Service No Job Too Large Or Too Small 351678:24 1HUU I hearings regarding this issue since March. 2000. Tom Livingston is out of town, meaning that all five members of the City Council will not he involved in the of this issue. The only formal notification the public has received is on a legal notice on page 17 ein the day that the issue is reso-lutio- ad-dresse- n San Juan DENTAL Technology The Council clearly stated in the February 11 council meeting that the issue would not be sir .1 Your Connection to the World Gentle Dentistry d. addressed until after the lawsuit is settled, a process that could take another 18 months. That was reported in the San Juan Record and is verified in the minutes of two Council meetings and on tapes of the meeting. Of course, the Council is free to change their mind, but shouldn't that be announced and residents be given a chance to respond? This stands in marked contrast to the process followed by smMcm 800-448-34- 13 www.salmonair.com We look Service Schedule: Dr. C.O. Miller, DDS Dr. Brian J. Coodwine, DDS FAMILY DENTISTRY AND ORTHODONTICS 217 S forward to serving your flying needs. 100 W Monticello, Utah 84535 Moab tr) p1 Salt Lake City ISIX j Open: Monday thru Friday Round Trip One Way $196.35 $1 14.30 I S it l s 'r S |