Monticello City prohibits feeding deer and reviews community survey results

Update: The city did not pass an updated fee schedule but did discuss it with the item to be considered for approval in an upcoming meeting.

by David Boyle
News Director
Monticello city council talked about updating fees, reviewed community survey results and prohibited feeding of wild deer at their latest meeting.
Members of the Monticello city council passed a resolution that prohibits the unauthorized feeding of protected wildlife within city limits at their March 24 meeting.
The ordinance is requirement for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to implement an Urban Deer Control Plan.
Members of the city council approved the resolution to control the significant deer population in the city.
City council members described the situation as at a breaking point at their February 24, 2026 meeting.
Among the requirements for the DWR to implement population control are application by the city, an estimated deer population with a final target population to seek through removal and by enforcing an ordinance prohibiting the feeding of deer, elk and moose in city boundaries.
The ordinance will aim to prevent attracting additional animals into the area.
City staff explained the primary focus is to prevent residents from leaving out large quantities of feed for deer, including apples or hay.
Additional information about the requirements and discussions with DWR about the implementation of an Urban Deer Control Plan is in the March 4 edition of the San Juan Record.
Members of the council passed the ordinance following a public hearing where no residents spoke to the issue.
Members of the Monticello city council also again considered an updated fee schedule. Among the changes include a reduction in animal registration fees with the cost to license a spayed or neutered animal lowered to $5 with other pets remaining at $10.
Other updates to the fee schedule include a $50 technology fee for Hideout rentals involving sound and projector equipment.
There are higher fees for rentals of city pavilions for over four hours, and an increase in youth recreation fees for most programs from $30 to $45 to cover rising equipment costs.
Members of the Monticello city council reviewed results from the 2025 community survey; the survey had 219 respondents representing about 12-percent of the city population.
Among the overarching messages from survey respondents included a preference for the city’s small, close-knit, quiet and safe characteristics but concerns were voiced about the future.
Among the respondents 62-percent believed the city has a housing problem with economic development identified as the most important service provided by the city followed by parks and youth recreation.
More than half of respondents shared that future growth will require both a greater variety of housing including apartments and small homes as well as locally-owned businesses on Main Street.
16-percent of residents also requested the city plan for sufficient long-term water supplies.
Monticello City Planning Commissioner Lee Bennett noted that feedback from the survey was largely positive with citizens offering constructive suggestions rather than complaints.
Monticello City Manager Kaeden Kulow also presented a draft for Loyds Lake operational water limits. The proposal would establish a 300-acre-foot reserve in the reservoir to ensure the city has culinary water in the event of multiple dry winters.
The proposal would take affect if the lake elevation drops below 7,118 feet which would trigger the city to switch all park irrigation to wells and limit the secondary water system and the golf course to 50 acre-feet each. If the lake elevation drops below 7,116 feet golf course and secondary water usage would be shut off. Members of the city council asked for additional information on the item including more precise data on golf course requirements and more accurate evaporation calculations.
Members of the Monticello city council also heard a proposal for floating solar arrays on the city’s ponds at their latest meeting.
Jim Anderson of Water Wise Solar Solutions presented the project he described as low hanging fruit. The floating solar array project would place solar panels on the city’s raw water ponds or wastewater lagoons. The idea being that the project utilizes already disturbed land, reduces evaporation by 70-to-80 percent and produces clean energy right next to power-using water pumps.
The water also acts as a natural cooling agency which Anderson reports makes the panels about 10-percent more efficient than land based systems. The proposed model would have the company lease the water surface from the city meaning the project would be constructed at no cost to the city.
When asked about winter weather Anderson noted that production does drop when snow covers panels but the systems are designed to withstand freezing with a similar project holding up in Park City.
Members of the city council expressed interest in further exploring the project and requested more site-specific data before proceeding.
Council also got an update on the ongoing merger of the Monticello Justice Court with San Juan County. The city is set to retain 30-percent of the revenue generated after expenses and a new contract is being negotiated to determine how prosecution services will be funded.
In other infrastructure updates the city approved $13,000 for material to use for crack sealing city roads. Additionally city staff reported two city wells at the ball fields and circle park have been made operational after minor electric repairs. Additionally the installation of new ADA compliant playground equipment at Veterans Park is scheduled to begin on March 30.