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Show Page 18 The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume II, Issue IV January 2000 Government/Planning News Ogden Valley Planning News By Jim Hasenyager In December, chairs Lou Cooper of the East Huntsville Planning Commission; Steve Young of the Liberty-Nordic Valley Planning Commission; and Jack Cox of the Huntsville Planning Commission, lead their respective planning commission members, representatives of the Eden Planning Committee and Craig Barker of the Weber County Planning Office in an initial organizing meeting of a joint monthly work session for the combined planning commission groups. The purpose of the joint work sessions is to discuss development on a Valley wide basis and, to the extent possible, formulate and coordinate a cooperative plan for Valley development in recognition of the fact that decisions by each individual planning commission affect the entire Valley and Ogden Canyon. It is expected that future work sessions will also include a representative from Ogden Canyon. Regular, organized, joint working sessions between several planning commissions in the Valley has been lacking in the past two years. This is a pioneering effort and the planning commission chairs, their committee members, Craig Barker and the Weber County Commissioners are to be commended for their foresight. All work sessions are open to the public and public participation is encouraged. The second joint work session will be held on Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Ogden Valley Branch of the Weber County Library. Successive meetings will be held on the second Thursday of each month at the same time and location. Eden Votes in New Members to the Eden Planning Committee A public meeting was held in November to vote in members to sit on the Eden Planning Committee. New members Beth Porter, Craig Gygi, Todd Ferrario, and Patrick Osmond will join existing committee members Peter Bealba, Shanna Francis and Gloria Hirshchi. Three additional Eden residents were selected to serve as alternates: Stan Tixier, Greg Hanson, and Lance Quinn. The Eden Planning Committee meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Mansell Real Estate office in Eden. The public participation and input is welcomed. If you have concerns regarding planning efforts in Eden, or would like more information regarding the Eden Planning Committee, contact Shanna Francis at 745-2688, or another member of the committee. Commissioners Often Absent from County Meetings By Joe Pyrah Weber County’s three-person commission wasn’t always that during meetings in 1999. Nearly a third of the commission’s 77 board meetings were conducted with only two commissioners present last year. The number one absentee member was Glen Burton, who missed 11 meetings according to records from the county clerk/auditor’s office. Burton said it’s not as easy as crunching attendance numbers. He said commissioners have to juggle everything from vacation time to other official meetings. As an example, he noted that he missed a commission meeting earlier this year while working out a contract with state officials on housing state prisoners in the new jail. In Davis County, the three commissioners’ attendance records at their meetings are nearly perfect, with the exception of an illness here, a vacation there, or a conflicting meeting. Recently, Commissioner Carol R. Page did miss about three weeks of meetings following back surgery, but even then minutes of the biweekly commission meetings were mailed to her home, a deputy clerk reported. Weber Commissioner Ken Bischoff, who missed nine meetings this year, recently had a trip out of the state for family matters. The third commissioner, Camille Cain, missed just two meetings. While having two members present is enough to legally hold meetings, commissioners have shied away from making high-impact decisions until all three were available. In October, commissioners Bischoff and Cain faced a room full of Ogden Valley residents angry about a shopping center proposed for construction at the intersection of Highway 39 and Snowbasin Road. Cain and Bischoff both said they were prepared to make a decision on the matter, but postponed the hearing until all three commissioners were available. “Either decision we make at this point would give the other side reason to complain,” said Cain. “I don’t want anyone to feel cheated by the fact that all three commissioners weren’t here,” she said back then. If the two commissioners had split the vote 1-1, the ordinance would not have passed. Burton, who was elk hunting during the shopping center meeting, said the commission tries to plan ahead of time to ensure all three are present when controversial issues are on the agenda. Former Commissioner Joe Ritchie said having a full commission at meetings is vital because each commissioner brings his or her own research and perspective. “It’s extremely important,” Ritchie said. “They each have different sources of information.” One solution may be to add more commissioners, some residents say. Nan Peacock, a former member of the now-disbanded Weber-Intra County Council which proposed a change to the form of county government, said with a sevenmember council even if three were absent, four would still be available to make a decision. But the vote to change the form of Weber County government was narrowly defeated last year. Burton said while having only two commissioners at some meetings gives the appearance of too much authority, it’s the people, not numbers that count. “Morally, seven can do it just as badly as two,” he said. Peacock said it does boil down to having good people in office, but more commissioners means a better chance of that. “If you have a majority of three that are bad, you have bad government, if you have a majority of seven that are bad you have bad government, but the chances are less,” she said. Meanwhile, the Weber County Commission will change its meeting schedule for the year 2000. Instead of meeting every Tuesday and Thursday at 9 a.m., regular meetings will be held only on Wednesdays at 9 a.m. Among other reasons, the change frees up two days that are often scheduled for other meetings, Burton said. Note: Article used permission of the Standard Examiner VALLEY FORUM MEETING SLATED FOR JANUARY 13 A Valley wide forum meeting is slated for January 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ogden Valley Branch Weber County Library. This is the first of our new Valley Forum meetings. The forum meetings are comprised of a number of organizations as well as Valley Planning Commissioners. It will also be attended by the Weber County Commission Staff. Finally we have the opportunity to bring up issues and ideas that we would like to see implemented in our communities. Lou Cooper is our East Huntsville Township Planning Commission chairman. He was drafted by Jim Hasenyager to chair this Forum meeting. What to do: 1. Decide what, in your opinion, are the most important issues for the Forum to consider. 2. Think about the criteria we should use in selecting the specific issues for the Forum to consider. Which issues will do the most good to pursue? Committee member time is a scarce resource—lets make it count. 3. Send selection ideas to louis@co.davis.ut.us with a copy to kim@optionfinder.com. Send your selection ideas along with some good reasons why the criterion really matters, or reply to me and I’ll send it on. 4. Please attend the meeting, your interest and participation will make a difference! Weber County Committee Members Weber County Commissioners Kenneth A. Bischoff 1376 Lark Circle Ogden, Utah 84403 Home: 393-6374 Weber County Office: 399-8401 Glen H Burton 3821 N. River Dr. Eden, Utah 84310 Home: 745-3987 Weber County Office: 399-8401 Camille Cain 2343 E. 5675 S. S. Ogden, Utah 84310 Home: 476-9606 Weber County Office: 399-8401 Weber County Township Planning Committee Sharon Holmstrom 3128 N. River Dr. Eden, Utah 84310 Home: 745-6638 Verl Creager 5723 E. 1900 N. Eden, Utah 84310 Home: 745-3042 Don Mueller 6065 S. 2400 E. Ogden, Utah 84403 Home: 479-6151 Tena Campbell 1931 E. 6200 S. Ogden, Utah 84403 Home: 475-4561 Paul Skeen 6161 S. 2300 E. Ogden, Utah 84403 Home: 479-9252 Bruce Ferre 4618 W. 2800 S. Taylor, Utah 84401 Home: 731-7461 Planning Meetings Weber County Township Planning Commission Meets Every Third Tuesday 5:00 p.m. Weber County Bldg. 2380 Washington Blvd. Ogden, Utah 84401 Weber County Commission Meets on Wednesdays 9:00 a.m. Weber County Bldg. 2380 Washington Blvd. Ogden Utah 84401 Office: 399-8401 Weber County Planners Office: 399-8791 Craig Barker: Senior Planner Jim Gentry: 399-8767 (subdivisions) Kevin Hamilton: 399-8768 Kelly Grier: 399-8764 (zoning ordinances) |