MEgan Hood

newsdesk@newsaegis.com

Springville’s city council discussed annexing non-residents into city limits at Monday’s meeting. Mayor William Isley said that the plan is to have little or no non-citizens.

Fire Chief Richard Harvey said that Springville has too many gaps. “This would help to make the city map more holistic,” he said.

Springville began discussing the issue due to a concern for public safety. Harvey said he has been involved with the issue first hand with fire department calls.

“We have a lot of gaps in subdivisions. It could cause a problem when a non-resident calls 911 or a neighbor calls 911, especially with determining which unit goes out,” the chief said.

Isley presented a situation where the fire department had been called out to help. He said that money, time and resources had been spent by the city of Springville before the city knew that the fire department was not supposed to be there.

Isley believes that  annexation will help the city financially and help to better ensure public safety.

“This will help us properly respond to the citizens of Springville,” said Isley.

There are some negatives for those people who are not currently annexed into the city. For those property owners, annexation would mean higher taxes and giving up some freedoms. While there may be some difference in insurance prices, Harvey said that it is estimated at only one hundred dollars a year.

“I think the advantages of annexing the city far outweigh the disadvantages,” said Isley.

City officials expect annexation to be a long project. The city council has made no action to reach out to non-residents yet, but it has discussed sending out letters inviting non-residents into the city of Springville.  

In other city business, S Mayor William Isley has created a committee to research current ordinances on dangerous animals to decide whether the city should create regulations or not.

The committee was created about two months ago. According to  Isley, a Springville resident and mother made an emotional plea to the council after a dangerous animal attacked her child.

Isley denied rumors of banning of animals, stating that no action has been taken yet. He said that after research on current Springville and statewide ordinances, the committee recommended that Springville create a new ordinance that will regulate dangerous animals.

Isley said that the council will review the researched conclusion, and they will determine whether or not it will pass. Isley anticipates the discussion of the issue on Springville’s July 1 meeting.

“Then we will make an intelligent decision on what to do, if anything,” said Isley.

Also on Monday, heavy rains and winds hit Springville’s middle school gymnasium, causing roof damage and water leakage into the building.

According to Fire Chief Harvey, 30 percent of the roof had been peeled back. Power was turned off in the building to avoid water causing electrical fires and other dangers. There was water found in the building from the storm.

Workers gathered on the roof trying to cover the open spaces, in an attempt to avoid more rain getting into the gymnasium on Monday evening.