Possible Road Closure And Elkridge Land Problems

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. July 2, 2014. Glen Thomson reported that he has been working with four of five different divisions of the Forest Service on a research project that they update every ten years.  In the process of checking out various locations to determine changes over time, the Forest Service researchers traveled on a badly damaged road.  The Forest Service noted the area and condition of the road.  Thomson thought they might close the road in the future if repairs were not made.   Thomson didn’t want any road closures and asked the Commission to check into the matter.

In looking over the maps and information, it appeared that perhaps the Forestry people thought they were traveling on a Class B road that the County should maintain.  Instead, they were traveling on a Class D road which is a category of road that generally is not maintained.  The Commissioners said they would look into this matter and clear up any misunderstandings.  They also requested the county individual in charge of the roads check out the area where repair was needed.  This individual noted that he would report back to the Commissioners on how serious the damage to the road was.

Jill Brown of the Utah Association of Counties introduced herself and noted that the Utah Association of Counties wants to become more familiar and involved with the various Counties in the State that belong to the Association.  She noted that the Association’s web page is going to be redone and updated.  Links to the various County web pages will be included, and their site will be friendly and easy to use in searching for information.

She reported that the Association would like to help do good things for the counties through media exposure and by sharing resources.  She indicated that she would keep in closer contact in the future and was looking forward to working with Rich County.

Dave Oram owns a home in Swan Creek Village.  He owns two lots (numbers 94 and 95) and would like to build a garage on the second lot.  He would, however, like to place the garage in such a way that it would go over the property line.  The Commissioners stated they would approve the plan if Mr. Oram would agree to tear down the garage to maintain the original property lines if he ever sold the property. A Building Covenant Agreement was accepted.  The County Building Inspector, George Peart, noted that he felt good about the decision and would grant a building permit to Mr. Oram. 

Kim Wilson, the County Assessor, brought a group of personal property exemptions for the Commissioners approval.

Debbie Ames reported on the recent tax sale held June 25.  She noted that there were no bids on two pieces of property originally owned by Frank Smith.  The property should, by default, thus go to the County.  However, the IRS had a tax lien on these properties.  Law requires that the Federal Government be given 120 days after the sale date to decide if they want to take the properties for back taxes. 

Ames also reported that one piece is actually a section of road, and the other is assumed to be where a water pump station is located that provides water to Elk’s Ridge.  However, the exact locations of these two properties need to be surveyed to be exact.  She recommended that the Commissioners have the properties surveyed so that if the County ends up with the land, they will know where it is.  If the Federal Government takes the property, the County also needs to know exactly where these pieces of land are located.

Ames noted that there was another issue concerning these properties that must be considered.  Apparently an agreement was made between Smith and the LeGrand Johnson Concrete Company.  Frank Smith was to build a fence on the north side of the road to keep people out of the gravel pit.  That was never done.  This may become an issue to any new owners of the property.

The Commissioners asked Ames to get a surveyor to find the exact locations of the descriptions on the deeds to make sure problems in the future will be easier to handle and understand.

Mitch Poulsen requested that the Commission hold a public hearing giving the citizens of the County an opportunity to give their opinions about making Rich County an enterprise zone.  He has been working on the documentation to bring this about, but a public hearing is required before he can proceed further.  By making the County an enterprise zone, business owners will become eligible to apply for various types of incentives and helps to grow their businesses.  The responsibility for getting the incentives is left up to the businesses to make application for what they feel could help them.

The Commissioners decided to hold the hearing at 1:30 on Tuesday, August 5.  The Commissioners have to move the next Commissioner’s meeting to the first Tuesday in August and will hold the hearing after their regular business has been concluded.

Poulsen noted that a new member needs to be appointed to the County Planning and Zoning Committee.  The Commissioners noted that they would work on this matter.

Poulsen reported that there have been no special event permits given for July.  There are a few events scheduled during August, and every weekend in September has been scheduled.  It was noted that bicycles probably should be registered and licensed.  Everyone is told to share the road, but bicycles don’t pay anything for that privilege.  All other vehicles carry the cost of roads and their maintenance through registration fees and licenses that must be purchased.

It was noted that the State is currently surveying the lake shore to indicate where the high water mark is located.  They are going to do the entire shore this summer so everyone knows where their property lines are situated.

The Commissioners went over the voting information from the previously held election.  They determined that the reported election results will stand, and that the voting information was certified correct.

Resolutions for agreements between each of the four towns and the County were made noting that the building inspection services provided by the County are used by each of the towns.  Each of the towns will need to adopt these resolutions in their town meetings.