Follow Provo
council meeting recaps
No Pygmy Goats in Provo
In today’s meetings we voted unanimously to continue forward considering residential bee keeping. The ownership of goats within Provo fell short however, my motion to move forward with consideration of the impact of legalizing goats did not receive the necessary four votes of support needed to keep the discussion open.
Rumor has it that miniature horses are still permitted within the city.
Consideration of starting a program to care for feral cats also failed to move forward. Considering that the pilot program was projected to cost the city nothing, I was dissapointed that we couldn’t find more council support for this.
Council Meeting – November 16th
Here’s a quick re-cap of last night’s council meeting:
Summary:
The Municipal council hired Amy Harlow, filling the council’s policy analyst position.
We also made it easier for those in military service to rent their properties while deployed, increased the number of caretakers permitted at RV parks, amended the zoning for the downtown, and issued a 1% cost of living payment to city employees.
The next council meeting will be December 7th – it will be the final council meeting of the year.
The full meeting can be view at http://provo.org/mayor.channel17.html
Council Meeting Recap – May 4
During the last city council meeting, we heard from many residents that came to share their views on the new bus rapid transit system and other city issues. Here’s what was discussed:
UTA will continue plans to add a bus rapid transit system on University Ave. Bus rapid transit is a bus system that runs like a train – it has its own dedicated lanes in the middle of a street and has fewer stops than a regular bus. I voted against the University Avenue proposal because I felt that the location would have negative repercussions for downtown businesses as the area continues to develop.
I put a lot of thought into this decision and spent many hours meeting with business owners on both University Ave. and Freedom Blvd. Ultimately, all of the owners on University Ave. I was able to speak with opposed the plan. The dedicated bus lanes will likely eliminate many of the parking spaces used by their customers; many of these small business owners have no off-street parking and worry about the financial impact on struggling downtown businesses.
The council will appropriate $550,000 for the Airport Fund. Council members voted unanimously to dedicate these funds to preparing the Provo Airport for commercial flight services. Soon, residents will be able to fly from their home city rather than driving out to Salt Lake. Like many of the residents I’ve spoken to about this issue, I’m excited about the economic benefits this will bring to Provo.
City code will reflect department restructuring. The administration has asked to update city code to reflect changes to the way some departments are structured. The council unanimously supported this proposal.
As always, you can watch the entire city council meeting online at any time through Provo Chanel 17. You can also view meeting agendas and minutes through the Provo City website.
Provo Council Meeting Recap – April 6th
At this week’s Provo City Council Meeting, members of the public showed up to share their views on funding allocations, a proposed housing development, and several other city issues.
Matthew Taylor is now the new council executive director following a 5-2 vote, with my vote in support of his appointment. Additionally the council unanimously affirmed the appointments of Dan Johnson, Greg Hudnall, Mayor Curtis, council member Dayton and Carol Thorne to various boards.
I also supported the Mayor’s request to submit a a grant application on behalf of the Boulder’s apartments as well as a temporary zoning ordinance to provide Atchafalayas to function as a permitted use should they relocate.
A good deal of discussion went on during the allocation of HOME and other CDBG funds. A vote took place in affirmation of the proposed HOME fund allocations which council members unanimously supported. Deciding to strip the proposed allocation of funds of housing renovation grants within the Central neighborhoods, the council then voted on an amended re-allocation of those same funds. I voted in opposition of this amendment with the other council members supporting it.
Next, the allocation of CDBG funds passed with some changes – in summary, Spring Creek will receive funds towards a park and Pioneer Park will be fully funded to completion – two projects I’m very pleased with. Providing Spring Creek with a park has been a top priority for me since taking office, and Tuesday’s vote put Spring Creek much closer towards achieving their goal.
Finally, the council heard a developer’s request on behalf of the Isle’s Project, a student housing development that would have less than a .6 parking ratio for each bed. I pointed out that approving this development would essentially doom the Joaquin neighborhood to a stringent parking permit program – something I could not support. The development will not go through at this time.
As always, you can watch the entire city council meeting online at any time through Provo Chanel 17. You can also view meeting agendas and minutes through the Provo City website.