The Price City Council met on Wednesday, Aug. 28 for their regularly scheduled City Council meeting. Covered within this meeting were topics such as a public hearing to discuss what charities would receive proceeds from the 2024 International Days golf tournament and several matters regarding dog licensing. The biggest item however, was a presentation from Horrocks Engineering regarding the upper Price River Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) project.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer from Kelli Darter, the meeting was opened with a safety Second presentation from Council Member Joe Christman. Council member Christman spoke on the importance of obeying traffic laws and being mindful of pedestrians in and around the city.
Following this presentation, the Council took on a public hearing to discuss what charities would receive proceeds from the 2024 International Days golf tournament. Present at the meeting were representatives from various organizations such as the United Way of Eastern Utah, Active Re-Entry, Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation, Price Chapel, the Castle Valley Center, the Price City Fire Department and the Utah State University Achievement Council. Nick Tatton, the city’s community director, spoke on the great success that was the tournament, and that he looked forward to the funds being used to uplift the community.
After this, the next item was another presentation, this time regarding the upper Price River EIS project from Horrocks Engineering. It was explained that the project is sponsored by Price City, with the need for this project arising from frequent water shortages throughout the year. The purpose of this is to improve the efficiency and reliability of the water system while minimizing any potential downstream impacts.
Mayor Michael Koruianos explained that the size of the proposed dam would be almost double the size of the Huntington Reservoir, which sits at 4,000 acres, and the proposed project for Price is 7,500 acres.
Another topic of discussion was the potential for flood mitigation. It was explained to the council that if the project were to take irrigation canals offline, it could have potentially disastrous effects downstream. Because of this, they had a plan in place to keep at least some irrigation canals online during the construction process.
A majority of this funding comes from the NRCS, with the group funding 100% of the planning and design phases, with additional funding varying by what the purpose of the project is during the construction phase. Purposes like flood mitigation would be covered fully, agriculture being covered at 75% and recreational reasons being covered at 50%. One idea posed to the council was to get more state funding by turning the proposed reservoir into a state park.
The next steps for the Upper Price River project include project coordination, economic evaluation, finalization of the draft-EIS, public hearing and comment periods, and record of decision which is expected mid-2025.
A full overview of the EIS can be viewed here.
Following this item, the mayor read a series of proclamations. The first declared Aug. 31 as International Overdose Awareness Day for the city. The next proclamation set Sept. 6 as Recovery Day, which coincides with the celebration in the Price City Peace Gardens hosted by USARA. Council member Layne Miller spoke on how it was fitting that in the previous meeting, they proclaimed Sept. as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, with the proclamations for Overdose Awareness Day and Recovery Day making it a bit of a full circle moment.
Next within the meeting were several action items regarding Municipal Ordinance Sections 6.03.010 Dog Licensing, 6.03.020 License Tag, and 6.03.030 Licensing Exemptions. Within this bulk was also the establishment of fee schedules for dog licensing within the city.
One concerned citizen asked for clarification regarding service animals and if they were exempt from fees. Council member Terry Willis explained that at the bottom of the ordinance, it was stated that service animals were exempt from licensing fees.
Closing out the agenda was another public hearing, this one to review and evaluate a proposed flood mitigation project to address recent and future flooding along Meads Wash and the Coves Subdivision. Miles Nelson, the public works director explained the background behind the item, explaining that several families were greatly affected by the flood earlier this summer and that the city found they were eligible for emergency watershed funds.
If received, the funds would be used for a two-component project. The first component would be the armoring of a drainage ditch and the second would be checking on and performing maintenance for the storm water retention basin. It was also explained that if these funds were not received but the city moved forward with this project, they would have to raise utility taxes by $2 or $3. As the item was just a discussion, no further action will be taken until the next council meeting.
During the public comment period of the meeting, one citizen stood up and voiced his support for the city’s Police Department. “ Having qualified veteran law enforcement officers is such a blessing and benefit to the community.” He continued,” Officers that are veterans and have years of experience not only provide calm to the citizens who might be distraught over whatever thing that might be happening, but even to officers who are brand new.” The council thanked the citizen for his comment
The next scheduled city council meeting will be held on Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. in Price City Hall. For more information on what’s going on in Price, you can visit the city’s website or Facebook page.