HomeMy Public PortalAboutMIN-CC-2018-07-30
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July 30, 2018
MOAB CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING
JULY 30, 2018
Call to Order and Attendance: The Moab City Council and Grand County Council held a
Special Joint Meeting with United States Congressman John Curtis on the above date in the
County Council Chambers located at 125 East Center Street, Moab, Utah. A recording of the
meeting is archived at http://www.utah.gov/pmn/index.html. In attendance on behalf of the
City were Mayor Emily Niehaus, Councilmembers Kalen Jones, Rani Derasary, Tawny
Knuteson-Boyd and Karen Guzman-Newton. Also in attendance were Deputy Recorder Danielle
Guerrero, Records Specialist Eve Tallman and Sustainability Director Rosemarie Russo.
Representing Grand County were Councilmembers Mary McGann, Jaylyn Hawks, Greg Halliday
and Curtis Wells. Also in attendance from Grand County were Council Administrator Ruth
Dillon, County Clerk Diana Carroll, Airport Director Judd Hill, and Community and Economic
Development Director Zachariah Levine. There were approximately 20 members of the public
and media in attendance. Grand County Council Chair McGann called the meeting to order at
3:31 PM.
Remarks by Representative Curtis: Mr. Curtis provided a summary of his work in
Congress to fund and accelerate removal of the Uranium Mill Tailings Remediatial Action
(UMTRA) tailings pile. He also made reference to the Site Futures for the UMTRA project. He
summarized two bills he introduced which were passed, one regarding native Utah fish and
another on a study of the prevalence of opioid prescriptions in Utah.
Curtis went on to describe other bills he worked on, including for rural broadband permitting,
Bears Ears National Monument, Emery County public lands, and the “SPEED Act” which
expedites the federal permitting process for oil and gas drilling.
Economic Development: McGann stated Grand County hopes to make the local economy
more diverse due to its heavy reliance on tourism. Levine discussed hopes for a sustainable
economy and brought up the development of the Utah State University (USU) four-year campus.
Levine also noted the rural broadband project showed promise and hoped it could be expanded
to include not only commercial users but also residential customers who telecommute. Levine
also mentioned local support for regional development across counties. McGann brought up
Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and Curtis agreed that adequate funding from PILT would take
the pressure off the public lands debate. Councilmember Derasary asked about federal support
for transportation infrastructure. She noted there is a lack of air, train or bus service to Salt Lake
City. Levine brought up housing as a major component to economic development and
mentioned Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding. Councilmember Wells asked
about getting federal funds to develop mineral extraction in Grand County. Representative
Curtis’ staff assistant mentioned Mr. Curtis’ membership on the Natural Resources Committee,
which is looking at critical rare earth minerals which could be mined in the United States rather
than abroad.
Essential Air Service: Airport Manager Judd Hill presented a brief history of the federal
subsidy to the Canyonlands Field Airport. He stated it is difficult to rely upon the critical federal
funding when it is frequently threatened by defunding. Curtis stated he is an advocate for
funding essential air service.
UMTRA: McGann stated there is a need to keep pressure on the Senate and Department of
Energy (DOE) for greater funding to clean up the tailings pile. Curtis’ assistant mentioned the
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July 30, 2018
difficulty of passing appropriations bills in the Senate.
Transient Room Tax (TRT): Councilmember Hawks mentioned that federal campsites in
the area do not pay TRT. Curtis’ assistant noted it may be a constitutional issue since federal
entities do not pay local taxes.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Headquarters: Levine brought up the possible
relocation of the BLM headquarters to the Western U.S. Various locations were discussed
including Denver, Grand Junction, Salt Lake City, Cedar City and Ogden. Halliday noted that he
has very good dealings with local BLM and United States Forest Service personnel.
Adjournment: Mayor Niehaus thanked Representative Curtis for taking the time and effort to
visit Moab and to attend the Town Hall meeting. Councilmember Wells moved to adjourn the
meeting. Councilmember Halliday seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
County Council Chair McGann adjourned the meeting at 4:29 PM.
APPROVED: __________________ ATTEST: ___________________
Emily S. Niehaus, Mayor Rachel E. Stenta, City Recorder