City Council Corner – October 2017

Submitted by Councilmember Jenney Rees

The City Council addressed the following items in October:

1. The soliciting ordinance was updated to state that commercial solicitors are not allowed to leave flyers on doors of homes when a no-soliciting sign is visible. This came about after a resident suggested the change, as there are some in our community who may travel for weeks at a time, and having several flyers left on the door sends a message that the resident is not home. While this does apply to commercial solicitors, it does not apply to non-commercial flyers, such as religious organizations, Boy Scouts, political flyers, or fundraising flyers.

2. A no-fault insurance policy was created. The program establishes criteria and owner responsibilities that must be met in order to receive assistance; additionally, the assistance from the city is limited, as the policy establishes a maximum payout. There is a need for this type of policy to be established in Cedar Hills, as we experience a utility line failure periodically, and there may be times when damage isn’t covered by the homeowner’s policy or the city’s policy.

3. A public hearing was held regarding a property owner’s request to rezone land on Oak Road from the public facilities zone to a residential zone. This land has been designated open space since the 1970’s. There were several comments as part of the public hearing; however, the vote was tabled until next time as the property owner’s attorney was unable to attend and requested an extension.

4. At the request of a resident, the Planning Commission reviewed the option to install artificial turf as an approved form of landscaping. The Planning Commission recommended against allowing this; however, the Council expressed interest in reviewing what other communities have done when they have allowed artificial turf. This was sent back to the Planning Commission.

5. A hearing was held allowing for residents to comment in favor of and against the PARC tax, which will be on the ballot this year.

6. There was a discussion regarding updating the current weed ordinance to include privately owned lots located in a public facilities zone. Staff will continue to work on this.

7. American Fork City recently passed a watershed protection ordinance, as it pertains to any potential development in American Fork Canyon. The Council was interested in passing a similar ordinance, so staff will work on putting something together.