Fairview considers bonding to cover power supdates
James Tilson
Staff writer
2-2-2017
FAIRVIEW—Amid budgetary concerns, the Fairview City Council discussed Power Department projects along with deadlines for formulating next year’s city budget.
The council discussed plans for a new power substation, as well as a breaker switch to aid in repairs to the city’s power grid. The council heard a report from the Power Department regarding the need for updates. But there was clearly concern within the council over how much such updates would cost and how to pay for them.
“I don’t want the city to bond two or three times in a few years; I want to bond once,” Councilman Casey Anderson said.
He pressed the council to come up with a firm number for all of the Power Department special needs so that funding could cover the whole bill.
Ultimately, the council approved a motion authorizing up to $20,000 for research into the cost of a new substation and a loan study.
The council also heard a presentation from the Water Department regarding the watering of the cemetery. The council was told the cemetery had not been properly watered for several years. The pressure of water flowing into the cemetery various significantly, and the current sprinkler heads cannot handle the differences, a Water Department representative explained. The city spends several thousand dollars every years to repair lines and sprinklers damaged by the pressure fluctuations.
However, the Water Department proposed a solution. A pressure pump would be placed at the junction of water going to the cemetery. This would regulate the pressure and reduce the need for repairs. It would also improve the watering of the cemetery.
The cost of the pump was $21,500. The council approved the purchase.
Councilman Anderson, who is the council’s liaison for the budget, informed the council that a preliminary budget must be approved in May and a final budget must be ratified in June. Consequently, he said, it was imperative that the council begin working on the upcoming budget soon.
Anderson suggested the council set a work meeting in March on the budget. The council agreed to set the meeting for March 21.
Mayor Cox also reminded the council that a public hearing would have to be held next month regarding adjustments to the current budget.
Mayor Cox also informed the council that Centracom planned to erect a new electronic sign outside its office building on State Street that would display advertising for the company and public service announcements for the city.
The company, Cox said, had asked the city to consider making a contribution. The mayor said he was in favor of the proposal so long as council approval did not carry a commitment for a specific amount. Councilwoman Kaelyn Sorensen also stated her approval.
The council approved a motion in favor of contributing to the sign without committing funds at this time.
Mayor Cox also informed the council that as of the day of the meeting, one of the city’s two snow plow trucks had deteriorated to the point of collapse.
She “sander” attached to the back of the truck had rusted through its supports to the point that it could no longer take loads of sand without possibly tipping over or falling completely off the truck.
The council approved a motion to look into fixing or replacing the sander, up to a threshold of no more than $20,000.
Council member Bob St. Jacques, reporting from the Planning Commission, referenced an article in the Sanpete Messenger reporting that the Sanpete County Planning Commission would be seeking extensive information from cities in Sanpete County, hopefully by April 2017, for use in buffer-zone planning.
St. Jacques informed the council there was no chance that the Fairview Planning Commission would be able to provide all the information described in the article within the time mentioned. He said he would be consulting with the Sanpete County Planning Commission to get more information on its request.
