Monticello City Council considers policy changes

The Monticello City Council held two public hearings on September 17 and considered a number of changes to city policy and ordinances.

The city is considering changes on how Loyds Lake is managed.  In the past, the reservoir has been managed as if it were a city park.

This has created some challenges related to camping, parties, and walking trails.

Changes would include a policy of no camping in the parking lots surrounding the lake. The area has been popular with recreational vehicles, many of which have stayed for days or weeks at a time.

In addition, the proposed changes will allow groups to enjoy the recreational facilities at Loyds Lake later into the evening.  While city parks are technically closed at dark, many groups like to stay into the evening at Loyds Lake.

A third change is to allow bicycles on portions of the walking paths at Loyds Lake.  When the city installed bicycle paths around the lake in 2018, some areas of the walking paths were included in the bike paths.  The proposed change will allow bicycle use on the paths.

Motorized traffic would still not be allowed on the paths around Loyds Lake.

The City Council also heard public comment on a proposed change on impound laws, giving the city direction if the owner of an impounded animal doesn’t act.

Five days after making contact with the owner of an impounded animal, the city can declare the animal as “unclaimed.”

This will allow the city to move ahead, including options of selling, adopting or euthanizing an unclaimed animal.

After the public hearing, the council approved the changes to the impound laws.

Councilmembers George Rice, Nathan Chamberlain, KC Olson, and Blaine Nebeker were in attendance, along with Mayor Tim Young.

The Council formally approved the disconnect of nearly 140 acres of property from city limits.

The disconnect of the land, which is west of the Silverstone subdivision, was originally approved on December 4, 2018.  It needed to be reapproved since plats were recently completed.

City property taxes on the property, which were included in the recent property valuations, will be rebated to the property owners.

The vote on the matter was 3-1, with Councilman Chamberlain voting no.

There are seven applications for the city recreation director position. A hiring committee will interview the applicants in coming weeks. The new employee will replace Jeremy Avondet who resigned in August.

City Manager Doug Wright reports that the Young Eagle Fly-In event at the Monticello Airport over Labor Day weekend was well-received and well-attended.  Six planes offered flights during the event.

In an update on questions regarding road corridors, the city attorney said that a road corridor does not exist unless city has taken formal action and begun the process of securing a right-of-way on a property.

A home for sale in Monticello sits in a logical road corridor on 200 North.

Wright said, “I can’t find any instances where we have secured those rights-of-way.”

As a result, Wright reports that future road corridors need to be identified and the process started to work with landowners.

Areas that include possible road corridors include near the Monticello Elementary School, San Juan Hospital, Oak Crest, and Woodland Way.