(Post under construction. Please keep checking back as I add more comments.)
At the work session, I provided a short PowerPoint presentation concerning a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). A CIP is a 5 year plan of the town’s assets (streets, parks, trails, pipes, buildings, vehicles, water facilities, equipment, & other long term assets) coordinated with possible funding sources. A CIP permits a town to proactively manage rather than manage by crisis. I proposed that Virgin create a CIP. The council was receptive and LeRoy agreed to work with me in creating a CIP process to bring back for council consideration.
Agenda item 7 -Discussion and possible approval of Ordinance 2022-02, Zone Change on Parcel #V-89-B-1 from Rural Residential to Commercial (address is 2 E SR9: Most individuals know the use that the applicant will be proposing – a coffee shop or similar use, but with zone changes all uses that are allowed should be looked at since a property owner could change their mind or sell the property or change the proposed use. If this was a different use, then the tools in Virgin’s zoning toolbox would be insufficient to address all of the proposed uses for a commercial zone. Other communities create different levels of commercial zones depending on intensity so that less intense uses fit into zones next to residential neighbourhoods to prevent or mitigate adverse impacts. Buffer or floating zones would also be useful. The current proposed use works out in this situation, but there would perhaps be other cases that the town would not have the right tools to deal with adverse impacts created by the commercial use.
The proposed use of the property complied with the General Plan and the purposes of Utah statute for zoning, therefore I voted for the zone change to commercial.
8. Ordinance 2022-01 REVOKING ANY PRIOR ORDINANCES DELEGATING OR REMOVING POWERS, DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE VIRGIN TOWN MAYOR: I voted no on this ordinance as the other council members were unable to point to any ordinance that has been passed that needed to be revoked. I wasn’t going to vote on a mere speculation that there is some bad ordinance out there that delegated a power to the mayor which now needs to be revoked. This ordinace really was an attempt to control the new mayor whereas there was no need to take this same action under the previous mayor. Since state law required an affirmative vote of 4 council members or approval by the mayor, the ordinance failed. If there is an ordinance or resolution that delegates council power to the mayor, I will consider voting to revoke the delegation after I have examined the purpose of the delegation and determined it was in the best interest of the town.