As usual, the Kanab City Council meeting on July 12, started with a public comment period, and there were more than a few citizens ready to comment - most regarding the treatment of the Beehive Cove and Roadrunner Trail areas. There has been work done in the area recently to clear a space for Trailfest camping, and the city is in the process of obtaining grants for an archery range in the Beehive Cove area.
Mayor Johnson reassured the public at the time that the clearing and leveling of the area was in order to preserve the integrity of the little league baseball fields, which have reseeding, and maintenance scheduled that would be impossible with the Trailfest being hosted on them as usual. The council also reminded the public that the leveling was not necessarily a beginning of the construction of the archery range and reassured the citizens that if such a range is to be built, it would be done safely and legally, for the good of the same local youth as the baseball field’s care.
Following the public comment period, representatives from Intermountain Healthcare and St. George Regional Hospital hosted a presentation citing needs for good healthcare in southern Utah and demonstrating the background of St. George Regional in the history of healthcare in the area. The group thanked the representatives of the city for their association and help so far and promised further cooperation.
After that, the issue to which most of the meeting’s time was devoted opened up - an appeal from representatives of the CROWN program, a non-profit initiative that provides lease-to-own housing programs. The program requested forgiveness of some of the impact fees for properties that they are developing - an action which would have consequences reaching past just the financial easing of one project, as it would set a precedent of impact fee forgiveness. Impact fees are generally universal, used to mitigate the cost of providing utilities like water and sewer to a property, and the forgiveness of this project’s fees would be a first for the city. The council postponed the discussion, citing a need for further resources to confirm the project’s cost estimates, as well as further consideration for the ramifications of such a precedent.
The meeting concluded with some land exchanges to allow further development in the La Estancia subdivision without impacting flood management in the area, some updates to land-use charts for specificity, and an ordinance set in place that requires a construction permit to build perimeter walls taller than eight feet in certain city zones.
As always, the minutes of the meeting are public record, and can be accessed on the city website if any citizens wish to review them.
