Blanding city approves discount for airport hangars, talk mobile home planning

Blanding City Council members  approved another resolution related to airport hangar rates, discussed rates at the Wellness Center and talked about mobile home planning at their latest meeting.

Members of the Blanding City council approved a resolution related to airport hangar rates at their October 27 meeting. 

Passing by a vote of 3-2 the program allows those that are leasing hangars to earn rent discounts for approved qualifying expenses, meaning a discount for improvements to the hangars.

Additionally commercial operators at the airport can also earn discounts based on the amount of full-time employees they have in relation to the airport.

Costs for improvements are covered by the lessee's upfront with the city verifying eligibility, determining the amount of credit and providing written approval with the airport’s fixed base operator (FBO) applying the credit to the hangar rent.

Council member Chris Ewald operates a business at the city airport. 

Ewald proposed a standard commercial discount would be a better way to give an incentive to businesses noting calculating individual discounts based on facility improvements and documentation reviews would create unnecessary administrative work for city staff and the FBO.

Ewald also noted that the tiered discount model works as an incentive for large established operators like Guardian Flight but offers smaller financial benefits or incentives for smaller aviation businesses.

Members of the Blanding city council also held a joint discussion with members of the city Planning Commission about city code addressing manufactured home communities.

Council and commission members evaluated standards including whether permanent concrete foundations should be mandatory, how to separate open space from perimeter setbacks and requiring side-by-side rather than tandem parking.

Council members discussed enacting a temporary moratorium on new manufactured home community applications while the code revisions are drafted.

Council and commission members agreed to hold a joint work session in mid November to refine development guidelines to balance affordable housing with needed standards.

Council also reviewed a proposal requiring landlords to guarantee unpaid utility accounts for single-family rentals. City manager Pratt Redd shared the city has written off approximately $20,000 in uncollectible utility debt over the past 30 months.

The draft policy would have property owners assume responsibility for delinquent tenant balances after security deposits are applied. 

Three local landlords voiced opposition at a recent open house. Members of the council meanwhile expressed support for the policy proposal noting it would protect other utility ratepayers from absorbing unpaid debts.

Council also reviewed proposed rate adjustments for the city Wellness Center. Staff are preparing demographic data and percentage-based fee options to make sure the center remains affordable for senior citizens and families. 

Proposed rate changes would impact weekly, monthly and annual rates with day rates set to remain the same.

Members of the council also unanimously authorized participation as a cooperating agency with the Bureau of Land Management for upcoming management planning and consultations related to the management of Bears Ears National Monument.

Members of the council also unanimously approved a resolution to retain a financial services consultant related to an upcoming Utah Inland Port Authority natural gas pipeline project to potentially take a pipeline to the White Mesa Mill.