SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 30, 2006 The regular meeting of the San Juan County Commission was held on October 30, 2006 At 10:00 A.M. in the Commission Room at Monticello, Utah. Present: Lynn Stevens , Chairman Manuel Morgan, Vice Chairman Bruce Adams, SJC Commissioner Tammy Gallegos, SJC Administrative Assistant Norman Johnson, SJC Clerk /Auditor Dianne F. Neuss, SJC Deputy Clerk Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve the minutes of October 16, 2006 with corrections. Commissioner Bruce Adams seconded the motion and Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Norman Johnson, SJC Clerk/Auditor Norman reported that the out-of-state Caselle Meeting in Las Vegas, attended by John Fellmeth and Amber Young, was a very good meeting. The company demonstrated their new updated software which will be coming out soon. Norman received two more tax abatement requests, one from an elderly person and one from a blind individual. Both are qualified to receive tax abatements and Norman asked that they be approved and added to the list. Commissioner Bruce Adams made a motion to approve the two abatements. Commissioner Manuel Morgan seconded the motion and Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Norman has received all but two department budgets so far and will submit the Preliminary Budget to the Commission next Monday. He noted that Tammy Gallegos and Linda Larson, especially, have gone the extra mile in completing and submitting their budgets. Norman will start to schedule meetings with the individual departments. Commissioner Stevens suggested scheduling the larger departments first. Meeting will be scheduled beginning on November 13th. The previously submitted Proposed Minimum Accounting Guidelines for Special Service Districts has been reviewed by John Fellmeth and Rick Bailey. The guidelines were developed to help inform the various Districts what is expected for compliance. They will also be encouraged to join the Utah Special Service District Association. This organization provides administrative guidelines and helpful advice and information. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve and adopt the Minimum Accounting Guidelines for Special Service Districts. Commissioner Bruce Adams seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Steven declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Norman addressed a proposed uniform board fee that was discussed at a previous meeting. As it stands now, the fees paid to board members range from $20.00 to $50.00 per meeting. After discussion, it was decided that it would probably be best for the individual districts to decide for themselves on the amount of the fee since they are responsible for their budgets. Norman will survey the various districts to find out what their individual fees are now and report this information to the Commission. Norman presented a quarterly billing statement for SSB grant funds. The grant amounts to $59,788 this year and they are now requesting quarterly billing. Commissioner Lynn Stevens signed the billing statement. The election process is going very well. Approximately 100 people to date have voted and 70 have voted using the electronic touchscreen machine. People seem to be excited about it. The early voting will continue until 5:00 p.m., Friday, November 3rd. Norman suggested that in the future, possibly two years from now, we may be able to arrange early voting in outlining areas of the County. The voting machines are portable and can be transported easily to various locations to make it easier for people to vote. Gary and Sharon Guymon - Southeastern Utah Museum of the American West Gary explained that he and his wife would like very much to leave something meaningful behind in the form of a museum to exhibit and showcase the past history of the many peoples who inhabited this area. He explained that they have formed a Board of Directors for the museum project. He and his brother, Laurence, as well as Dale Slade form the Board. There is also an Advisory Board comprised of people from various fields and backgrounds. It is a non-profit 501-C3 corporation. Gary spoke a little about the history concerning issues he has encountered trying to find a suitable location for the museum. They finally settled on about 40 acres of BLM land along the highway across from Recapture Dam. He also has acreage that he and his wife own that is nearby. He said that this museum would complement the Dinosaur Museum, the Edge of the Cedars Museum and Visitors Center. He said that over the years he has acquired some old cabins and buildings that he plans to place on the property to house some of the museum's collections. Gary requested a letter from the County stating support for the project. He has already spoken to BLM officials regarding land use. Commissioner Stevens agreed to meet with members of UDOT to request a set back of the right-a-way by about 300 feet. In the meantime, Gary will work on obtaining a permit for the property. He plans to have paintings, photography and sculpture in addition to artifacts relating to Native Americans, pioneers and cowboys with the intention of helping to educate, especially the children in the area, about the history of the Southeastern Utah area. Gary said he now has two thirds of the material to start building the museum and is hoping to get started soon. He anticipates that the museum will bring additional businesses and tourism to the area. He also hopes receive $8,000 from the State to do the archeological study required. This would need to be done in the spring. A letter will be provided to Gary supporting his museum project. Terry Moore - BOE Question/Greenbelt Mr. Moore appeared before the Commission to discuss a property tax issue. He owns 48.8 acres of property in an outlining area of San Juan County near the potash fields. He has a residence and a business there (Camelot Ventures). Ninety percent of his property is not buildable and he requested that this part of his land be designated as greenbelt. He said he had written a letter in August requesting this designation but had never received a reply. Greg Adams was in agreement that the property should be allocated as greenbelt and he recommended that it take effect for the 2006 tax year. After discussion of Mr. Moore's request, it was decided that the Commission would go into a BOE Hearing. Commissioner Bruce Adams made a motion to go into a BOE Hearing. Commission Manuel Morgan seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Commissioner Bruce Adams made a motion to approve the change in allocation of Mr. Moore's property to reflect Greenbelt status for 2006 and thereafter. Commissioner Manuel Morgan seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Greg requested approval of the following recommendations for changes in property assessments: Property recommended for designation as Greenbelt: Parcel: C40210246000, Parcel: 000230150190, Parcel: C000000B0090, Parcel:, 27S25E181201, Parcel: 36S23E095400, Parcel: 28S23E262400, Parcel: 33S24E154200, Parcel 33S24E151200, Parcel: 26S23E328400, Parcel: 0004400000D0 Commissioner Bruce Adams made a motion to approve the recommended changes to Greenbelt. Commissioner Manuel Morgan seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Steven declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Other property adjustments recommended for change/correction: Parcel: C00290210150, Parcel: C00290300100, Parcel: 29S24E105405, Parcel: 29S24E106000, Parcel: C00000140020, Parcel: C40210250603, Parcel: C0000014004C. After an explanation for each adjustment, Commissioner Bruce Adams made a motion to approve the adjustments recommended. Commissioner Manuel Morgan seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Commissioner Bruce Adams made a motion to exit the BOE Hearing. Commissioner Manuel Morgan seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Evan Lowry - SJC Planning Office Evan reported that he was working on comments related to the Forest Plan. He said that the requested extension was granted but there is still little time for review and comment on the Plan. Comments are due Wednesday of this week. The Plan will then be sent to Washington for review. When it comes back there will be a chance for discussion. Evan said the Plan is not much closer than it was on wildlife issues and that he has concerns including allocation of winter range on Forest land for deer and elk. Commissioner Stevens said he will bring it up for the Governor's review if needed. Evan said that he had some information for Commissioner Stevens to give to John Harja. Tammy Gallegos - SJC Director of Aging Tammy presented the CSBG contract for signature. The County receives $27,000 for our supplemental meal program. Tammy said that the CSBG requirements for 2004 and 2005 are now caught up. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve and sign the CSBG contract. Commissioner Bruce Adams seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Tammy reported that she met with the State auditors for the alternative and nutrition part of the program. They found some regulations were not being followed and need to be corrected in order to continue to be eligible to receive Federal funding. Only persons age 60 and over are eligible to take part in the meal programs with the exception of a eligible senior bringing a guest. The other violation noted related to taking meals out of the facility. This has to do with the facility competing with local businesses. The Auditor from the State offered to speak to anyone who may have a questions about the regulations. The amount of funds that are received are close to $100,000 per year and it is therefore extremely important to abide by the regulations. Tammy said she will be meeting with two other auditors to review the legal services and respite programs. She will attend a meeting in St. George, November 8th through the 10th regarding U4A. Four building permits were presented for review and approval. The Rarick permit needs Rick Myers' signature. He has been contacted and will come in to sign the permit. Randy and Lisa Rarick - 5442 N. Blue Mountain Rd., Blanding - Residence Roger Lowe - 25 South CR 307, Monticello - Garage D. Andrew Mikesell - 788 E. Pinion Ridge Rd., Blanding - Storage Shed/Workshop Michael & LaVerne Coseo - 360 S. CR 307, Monticello - Manufactured Home Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve the building permits provided all appropriate signatures are placed. Commissioner Bruce Adams seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. A grant in the amount of $38,000 for cadastral mapping was presented for signature. The grant was awarded to the Survey Office and is a Public Lands Survey Systems grant from the BLM. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve and sign the grant. Commissioner Bruce Adams seconded the motion and Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Tammy presented a procurement request for telephone equipment for the Road Department. The procurement is for a new phone system to be purchased from Communications Plus in the amount of $2,791.32. Because the phone system went down, and needed to be replaced immediately, it was decided to go with Communications Plus since the cost for the temporary rental of their system would be deducted from the cost of the new system and also due to the time element. Commissioner Bruce Adams made a motion to approve the procurement. Commissioner Manuel Morgan seconded the motion and Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Tammy reported that there are three trucks hauling water to Navajo Mountain. Marvin Buttons from Kanab, Knut & Sons from Moab and David Gallegos from the County. The recent purchase of a new 14,000 gallon stainless steel tank by the Road Department is being used by David to haul water to Navajo Mountain. The water pipeline is still not in service. David plans to go to Navajo Mountain tomorrow to check things out. Commissioner Stevens will speak to Donna Sacket and Brad Shafer to try and get funding for the pipeline into this year's budget. Tammy said the area still has a supply of bottled water. She also noted that there is work being done (surveying and culverts) on the road on the Arizona side of the mountain. The purchase of the 14,000 gallon stainless steel water tank purchased by the Road Department in the amount of $28,000 needs ratification by the Commission. Commissioner Bruce Adams made motion to ratify the purchase of the water tank. Commissioner Manuel Morgan seconded the motion and Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Burn Permits will not be required after tomorrow October 31st. Several applications, received from individuals who expressed interest in various board memberships, were discussed. Shelby Eldredge applied to serve on the Mental Health/Substance Abuse Board. She will take the place of Norman Johnson and will begin her term on December 1st. It was suggested that she attend the meeting in November with Norman. Commissioner Bruce Adams made a motion to approve Shelby Eldredge for Board membership. Commissioner Manuel Morgan seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Kirsten Hendry applied to serve on the Blanding Library Board. After determining if there is a vacancy on the Board, the Commission will review the application for approval. The Commission will review other applications submitted for the Health Service District and will review the possibility of an elected official being able to service on the Board. There are a couple of interested people, including Mayor Turk who have expressed interest. Open Time and Other Business Greg Martin, Monticello Assist City Manager, discussed the financial status of the Southeastern Utah Welcome Center (Visitors Center). He said that there will be a Board meeting this Friday at 3:00 p.m. He has been in touch with Charles DeLorme requesting that he attend the meeting and Evan Lowry and Susan Taylor are also invited to attend. The money to pay staff is being provided by the participating partners (Forest Service, National Park Service, the BLM, and San Juan County) the funds only allow for the Center to be opened three days per week. The present funding amounts to a total of $8,000. Although some of the partners were able to contribute additional money this year, there needs to be more money on a permanent basis in order to increase the level of service. He would like to see the Center kept open seven days a week. He expressed that the Center is a great asset to all participating partners tourists and others who travel our area public lands. He would like to set a goal for long term success for the benefit of all. Commissioners agreed with Greg. Commissioner Stevens will be attending a meeting a week from this Friday with Kate Cannon of the Park Service and will discuss this funding issue with her. Charles DeLorme will be contacted regarding budgeting of funds for the Center. Greg will report back to Commission following the Board meeting. Marilyn Boynton, a local resident, suggested that a private engineering firm be contacted to go to Navajo Mountain and help to get the water pipeline repaired. She also stated that she has a friend who is an engineer and asked if the Commission would approve of her trying to contact him to see if he would be willing to donate his services to this problem. The Commission would welcome any help that is offered. Mr. Bob Bushart, a Bluff resident, came the Commission Meeting to question a problem of dry sewage lagoons in Montezuma Creek. He said the lagoons have been dry for at least six months and wanted to know who was in charge of the problem. He said that he contacted Rick Myers and the EPA but no one seems to want to take responsibility for the problem. After discussion, it was determined that the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority has jurisdiction and should be contacted to see if there is a hazard and where the sewage is going. Commissioner Morgan said that we also may want to contact the Tribal EPA Department. - Jim Harden from the Bluff Water Board said that he received a letter from Skip Meyer requesting infrastructure data to be submitted in electronic form to the engineering firm who is working on the Bluff sewer system. The letter was also sent to Rick Bailey on the 5th of October. Mr. Harden said that this information is protected under Homeland Security regulations and additionally they have no way to communicate information electronically. The Commission said that this was a problem for Bluff and that there was nothing we could do about the issue. Commissioner's Reports Commissioner Lynn Stevens said that he attended the Extraction Impact Committee Briefing to the Governor and eight recommendations were made. He said that the Navajo Mountain water issue was discussed at a recent Canyon County Partnership Meeting that he attended. He will attend a meeting regarding Homeless issues today at 1:30 p.m. Commissioner Bruce Adams will attend a meeting of the Rocky Mountain Power Company at 6 p.m. on Thursday and a meeting regarding Domestic Violence in Blanding on Friday. He will also attend the Mental Health Board Meeting on Monday, November 6th at 3:00 p.m. Commissioners will attend the Revitalization Meeting and Luncheon this afternoon. It was noted that the Revitalization cap may be increased. This issue was discussed at a meeting that Commissioner Stevens attended in Salt Lake with the Utah Navajo Commission and with Brad King. Support for the increase is moving forward to increase the fund to three million dollars. There will be a Navajo Trust Fund meeting this Friday. The need for the repair of the swinging bridge in Bluff was addressed. Funding to repair the bridge was discussed which has been estimated to be over $100,000. Norman said that he was there recently and that the middle piling needs to be repaired and that there are still three cables in tact. The Twin Rock store volunteered to help and the project may qualify to receive CIB money. Commissioner Morgan said that funds may be made available by the oil company because it is considered to be a historical site. There is a lot of public support for having the bridge back in service. Norman questioned if there was a possibility of using the housing authority and wondered if the bridge may fall into the homeland security category and possibly be eligible for funding. The funding sources will be explored as soon as possible so that the repairs can begin before the spring runoff. Meeting Adjourned: 12:42 p.m. Check # Payee Amount 34744 Utah Council for Crime Prevention 70.00 34745 Young, Amber 864.52 34747 A & E Generator Inc. 378.66 34748 Adams, Bruce 1,475.51 34749 Alan's Body Shop 453.95 34750 Alternative Service Concepts 59.39 34751 Alvarez, Clara 100.00 34752 Amazon Credit Plan 40.94 34753 Amerigas - Bayfield 335.13 34754 Amerigas - Blanding 384.42 34755 Applied Concepts, Inc. 2,795.00 34756 Barnes distribution 660.54 34757 Baxter Healthcare Corp. 702.08 34758 BCL distributing Co. 5,199.95 34759 Begay, Maxine 333.90 34760 Bennett Management Serv. LLC 424.85 34761 Black Oil Company 52.32 34762 Black, Carrie 20.00 34763 Black, Kenneth 60.00 34764 Blanding Justice Court 2,001.00 34765 Blanding Senior Center 47.18 34766 Blue Mountain Foods 55.78 34767 Blue Mountain Meats, Inc. 618.01 34768 Booth Fire Protection, Inc. 336.50 34769 Bound Tree Medical, LCC 378.32 34770 Bunker, Bruce 648.58 34771 Butler, Troy 126.79 34772 C.W. Silver Inc. Services 584.95 34773 Charterhouse Publishing Co. 48.56 34774 Christensen, Scott 819.96 34775 CIMS 297.00 34776 Crystal Inn 204.00 34777 Crystal Inn Mid Valley 68.00 34778 Dalton, Monte 66.00 34779 DeLorme, Charles 82.00 34780 Demco Media 881.26 34781 Deseret Book 15.16 34782 DesRosiers, Michael 38.00 34783 Dine' Distribution 163.77 34784 EconoHeat, Inc. 152.72 34785 Emergency Medical Products, Inc. 501.24 34786 EVCO House of Hose 137.51 34787 Factory parts Express 74.86 34788 Fellmeth, John R. 460.16 34789 Ferrellgas 50.47 34790 Four States Tire & Service 2,287.63 34791 Information Only Check 0.00 34792 Frontier 4,191.43 34793 Gale Group 68.86 34794 Garrett Holliday 420.00 34795 Grand Valley Foods 125.21 34796 Gritton & Associates 1,305.29 34797 Harris, Pam M. 100.00 34798 Herring, Trent 100.00 34799 Hinckley Dodge, Inc. 145.27 34800 Hurst, Val 2,200.00 34801 Ingram Library Service 146.50 34802 Inscription House 300.00 34803 Jacco Distributing Co. 101.50 34804 JCI Billing Services 820.00 34805 Joyce Guymon Smith 416.42 34806 JVP, Inc. 5.96 34807 Keyes, James D. 107.60 34808 Larry H. Miller Ford Truckland 5.16 34809 Larry M. Mason 208.26 34810 Larson & company 6,800.00 34811 Latham, Lana 12.38 34812 Legislative Printing 636.75 34813 LexisNexis 464.00 34814 LesisNexis 234.74 34815 Mail Managers, Inc. 323.95 34816 Mass Group Inc. 511.55 34817 Meadown Gold Dairies, Inc. 784.00 34818 Med-Tech Resource, Inc. 606.16 34819 Miscellaneous Payables 50.00 34820 Miscellaneous Payables 400.00 34821 Miscellaneous Payables 18.25 34822 Monticello Justice Court 1,789.00 34823 Monticello Mercantile 10.05 34824 Motor Parts 18.58 34825 Mueller, Lou 2,470.54 34826 Navajo Times Publishing Co. 473.80 34827 Navajo Tribal Utly Authority 90.48 34828 Nicholas & Company 2,699.45 34829 Nielson, Jonathan 80.00 34830 Off the Beaten Path Maps 30.50 34831 Office Depot 532.67 34832 Office Outpost 63.99 34833 Orkin Inc. 43.09 34834 Page Brake Warehouse 313.77 34835 Patterson, J.T. 80.00 34836 Penworthy Company 270.64 34837 Pitney Bowes 378.00 34838 Precis Communications 38.45 34839 Public Safety Center, Inc. 239.94 34840 Questar Gas 125.83 34841 Information Only Check 0.00 34842 Quill Corporation 1,755.21 34843 Randall, Chase 100.00 34844 Randall, Sanford 100.00 34845 Redd's True Value 74.56 34846 Regence BlueCross BlueShield 94,101.42 34847 Regence Life & health Ins 1,540.76 34848 Reliable 196.40 34849 Information Only Check 0.00 34850 Information Only Check 0.00 34851 RGJ, Inc. 1,142.85 34852 Rick's Glass, L.L.C. 450.64 34853 Rocky Mountain Power 135.94 34854 Information Only Check 0.00 34855 San Juan County 17,188.48 34856 San Juan Health Care Services 5,217.35 34857 San Juan Pest, Weed & Termite 505.00 34858 Information Only Check 0.00 34859 San Juan Pharmacy 2,739.25 34860 San Juan Record 31.80 34861 Schultz, William L. 210.67 34862 Scott Machinery Co.- Cedar City 96,984.00 34863 Scott Machinery Company 245.36 34864 SHELL 40.38 34865 Shumway, Kendall 100.00 34866 Sports Promotion Network 31,045.00 34867 Sterling Trucks of Utah 314.38 34868 Sysco Intermountain Food Svc. 4,318.08 34869 Sysco Intermountain Food Svc. 187.21 34870 Tel America, Inc. 103.87 34871 Tiger-Direct 39.88 34872 TR Electric & Supply Company 255.79 34873 UACAA 75.00 34874 UniFirst Corp. 153.24 34875 United States Postal Service 600.00 34876 UPS 87.20 34877 Utah Assocation of Counties 400.00 34878 Utah State Tax Commission 1,328.59 34879 Utah State Tax Commission 150.00 34880 Verizon Wireless 905.93 34881 Wal-Mart Community 216.80 34882 Washington City Justice Court 143.00 34883 Wheeler Machinery Company 154.12 34884 Writer's Digest 25.96 34885 Yanito, Janet 77.00 34886 Zee Medical Co. 896.19 34887 Blue Mountain Meats, Inc. 1,591.05 34888 Nicholas & Company 486.55 34889 Quill Corporation 846.82 34890 Adams, Bruce 92.90 34891 AFLAC 240.90 34892 AFSCME 52.20 34893 Child Support Services 810.68 34894 Colonial Life & Accident Inc. 1,130.31 34895 Conseco Health Insurance Co. 1,482.95 34896 Craig A. Hoggan 571.21 34897 Equitable-Equi-Vest 2,832.50 34898 Nationwide Retirement Solution 107.62 34899 PEHP 1,902.88 34900 Provident Life & Accident 152.50 34901 San Juan County 113.76 34902 San Juan Credit Union 630.00 34903 Schultz, William L. 2,500.00 34904 Utah State Retirement Fund 71,609.63 34905 Utah State Tax Commission 16,372.55 ____________________________ ______________________________ Lynn Stevens, Chairman Dianne F. Neuss, SJC Deputy Clerk