Meeting at a glance: Moab City Council, November 14, 2023

This week, the Moab City Council discussed the parks and recreation master plan and a comment letter regarding the Manti-La Sal National Forest land management plan. The council also heard updates from the sustainability department, communications department, and Arches National Park (regarding the timed entry pilot).

City Manager Carly Castle said the city is actively working to clean up a roadway hazard along Mill Creek Drive from 400 East to Murphy Lane. The contractor for a chipseal project along Mill Creek “encountered serious problems caused by the sudden drop in temperatures,” according to a City of Moab Facebook post; this left loose gravel along the entire roadway, as the chipseal did not properly adhere to the roadway. In the post, the City asked residents not to ride a bicycle or motorcycle in the area, and said it would be fully fixed “likely in June 2024.”

A resident said during the public comment period of the meeting that the chipseal project was a complete failure.

“We’re doing an internal incident debrief that sometimes happens when there’s an incident like this, like when there’s a car accident or other accident where someone gets hurt—we usually do a debrief to find out what went wrong, what we can do better, and how we can apply lessons learned to upcoming projects,” Castle said.

WORKSHOPS

Parks and Recreation Master Plan review

Discussion began at 0:00

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PRESENTATIONS

Arches National Park timed entry system

Discussion began at 48:15

Strategic plan update

The city’s strategic plan can be viewed online at www.moabcity.org/614/City-Strategic-Plan; this online interface tracks what goals have been completed. Right now, 27% of the 2023-2024 plan is complete.

Discussion began at 1:08:38
Background: read about Moab’s strategic plan in 2022

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DEPARTMENT UPDTE

Communications update

The city’s website has been updated to incorporate the city’s new logo; it also has quick link buttons to webpages like agendas and minutes, city park reservations, and bill payments. It can be viewed at www.MoabCity.org.

Discussion began at 1:32:48

Sustainability update

Alexi Lamm, sustainability director, discussed the Moab Sustainability Action Plan (the plan will be discussed more in depth during a workshop later this month). The main goals of the plan are to protect groundwater quality and quantity, safeguard surface water resources and reduce flood impacts, and preserve and enhance habitat and urban-nature interface.

Discussion began at 1:45:13
Background: “Sustainability action plan to be finished by the end of the year” (published August 2023); “Update on city sustainability projects” (published March 2023)

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CONSENT AGENDA

Approval of minutes; approval of bills against the city of Moab

Discussion began at 1:56:37; passed unanimously

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GENERAL BUSINESS

Consideration of approval of a comment letter for the U.S. Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest environmental impact statement draft for the revised land management plan

The council discussed four possible letters drafted by city staff and councilmembers. The letters asked mainly that the draft EIS include more information about safeguarding watersheds and reducing grazing; Councilmember Rani Derasary said there’s a “high likelihood this thing is going to go to court” unless another supplemental draft is made, because “as it stands, it does seem to be lacking in several areas.”

One of the letters was supported by Councilmembers Kalen Jones, Rani Derasary, and Luke Wojciechowski; Councilmember Jason Taylor said it “missed the mark” in focusing on a missing conservation alternative (a “conservation alternative” was created for the 2021 draft; no such alternative exists in the current draft). He also said the letter is “a bit harsh,” and he pointed out that the letter doesn’t fully support any of the current alternatives.

Councilmember Tawny Knuteson-Boyd said she wasn’t sure if she supported any of the letters. “We’re tossing out a lot of good work because we collectively are saying we don’t like the process,” she said. “I don’t appreciate getting this [letter] handed to me and having to digest this and make a decision tonight.”

Discussion began at 1:57:10; the council voted 4-1 to approve the discussed letter and take out references to the conservation alternative. Derasary voted “no” since she said she wasn’t clear as to what the amendments were.
Background: “Manti La Sal plan underway” (published in 2020)

Consideration of approval of an ordinance amending the text of the Moab Municipal Code to resolve and remove referencing discrepancies from prior existing landscaping code locations, and refine water feature wind shut-off requirements