By Emily Sanderson — June 24, 2009
EPHRAIM — The 2009-2010 fiscal budget and property tax rate were approved by the city council June 17.
The total 2010 Ephraim City budget approved is $8.6 million. It will pay for utilities, emergency services, the housing authority, grounds maintenance and special improvements, equipment and building capital projects, the Manti-Ephraim Airport, parks and recreation, the rodeo and the library.
The property tax rate, approved at 0.2148 percent, will generate $316,415, said Richard Anderson, city manager.
“The maximum tax rate cities can charge is 0.7 percent, so we are low in comparison,” Anderson said.
Ephraim receives $855,000 each year from state-generated sales tax revenue. $340,000 is generated each year from franchise taxes, taxes imposed on city-issued utilities. The franchise tax must be comparable to that issued by other utilities in the area, such as Questar and CentraCom.
To balance the 2009 budget, the city council approved the movement of $93,230 from the street maintenance fund to pay for overages in the legislative, administrative, general government, police, library and cemetery funds.
Gary Anderson provided a report on the successes of the Scandinavian Heritage Festival last month. Despite the rain over Memorial Day weekend, the numbers that came out stayed longer, and many events had more numbers than ever before, Anderson said.
“We are starting to get noticed,” he said.
The first Heritage Area Art Show featured at the Central Utah Art Center building was a success. It was made possible by a $1,000 grant. The show featured a pot-building activity where, for a small fee, visitors could sculpt pots out of clay and get them fired in a kiln on the spot.
“It has been very popular with families,” Anderson said.
The Fun Rin received 199 registrants, the most ever.
“A pod was there from Davis County, and some local wards have been challenging their members to participate as part of a physical fitness effort,” he said.
The parade on Saturday morning was also well attended and had the largest number of entries ever.
$3,000 was raised by the golf tournament. Due to a mistake on the calendar, the tournament was scheduled during the festival, but next year the committee plans to schedule the tournament a week in advance.
“Many of the golfers will stay for the festival in the following week. It often brings 150 people who stay in local hotels,” he said.
About $8,100 was raised through contributions from local businesses, including Zions Bank, Coca-Cola, UAMPS, T&R Sports, Kent’s Market and Pearson Tire. The funds were used toward the travel council, advertising and the golf tournament.
“Pearson Tire had the most popular gifts for the Fun Run,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the Scandinavian Festival committee plans to expand by sponsoring smaller events throughout the year.
The city council also approved a resolution that supported a zoning decision made at the last city council meeting with a strong recommendation that when it is adopted, an historical overlay be added.
The previous historical zoning designation of the east half of the block between Main Street and 100 East and Center Street and 100 South was never defined. The city has requested that the Historical Committee determine what zoning requirements such designation will require.
In other matters, Anita Raddatz, who is the new USU Extension director, provided a presentation of the services that her office provides, including tips of cooking, nutrition and emergency preparedness. Their most popular seminars right now are how to plant and maintain a garden, as well as family finances. The extension may be reached at 283-7596 or online at www.extension.usu.edu/sanpete.
A Planning and Zoning Committee meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 24. They will be discussing zoning amendments and flag lots.
Teresa Larsen and Jen Chamberlin were approved as new Library Committee members.
The council approved the replacement of yield signs with stop signs at the corner of 300 North and 400 East. There have been problems with the traffic flow there because the intersection isn’t lined up.
The purchase of a new line truck for city maintenance was also approved. The $100,000 vehicle will be paid for with funds in the 2009-2010 fiscal budget and will be supplemented with revenue from the sale of the existing line truck.
Some newly discovered burial records from the Ephraim Pioneer Cemetery have recently been added to the cemetery’s website, which is good news to families who have ancestors buried there, said Bryan Kimball, city planner.
