Millville joins regional council, clarifies law on burying animals

By Shauna Smith

April 1, 2006 | MILLVILLE -- The City Council adopted a resolution Thursday to create a regional council between Cache and Franklin counties. The regional council will represent residents all over the valley and will embark on a 14-year plan called Cache Vision 2020+ to resolve issues the valley is facing.

Gary Anderson, chair of the committee for gathering historical data, introduced the project to the city council. The regional council will deal with problems such as air pollution, transportation, and open space issues, Anderson said.

"Rather than have someone impose rules to take care of these issues, [the council] will take initiative to take care of the problems themselves," Anderson said.

Cache County Councilman H. Craig Petersen explained the project further saying committees will be created all over the valley to discuss and research the issues. Each committee should come up with about five recommendations to improve conditions. In this Cache 2020+ is very similar to the old plan Cache 2010, which didn't include Franklin County and once committees developed recommendations they were never implemented, Petersen said. Under Cache 2020+, the recommendations will be presented to the regional council who will carry them out.

The regional council will consist of 15 members from all over the valley. Fourteen will be current elected officials and the fifteenth will be the president of Utah State University.

"We're issuing invitations to anyone that wants to be involved," Anderson said. "The more involvement, the better."

In other matters, the council was asked by their city's defending attorney Kevin Fife to clarify an ordinance regarding the burial of dead animals in residential yards. He said Kip Farmer buried a sheep in a pile of compost, received a ticket for it, and took the issue to court. Farmer argues that a city ordinance allows him to bury an animal in his yard, which includes burying it in the compost.

The council discussed the meaning of the word "bury" used in the ordinance and the council voted 3-1 that Farmer did not violate the ordinance when he buried his sheep in the compost pile rather than in the ground.

Councilman Rod Hobbs opposed the decision saying when the ordinance was written that putting a dead animal in the middle of a pile of manure was not the same as burying it. "I think back then when they talked about burying, burying was digging a whole in the earth," said Hobbs.

In other business, the council adopted a proclamation for Millville city declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. The Child and Family Support Center will be raising funds throughout the month to help prevent child abuse and neglect. Booths asking for donations will be set up at major grocery stores and those wanting to donate will also have the opportunity to pay to get someone's yard "flocked" with pink flamingoes.

The Child and Family Support Center is looking for cash and item donations, said Candice Packer, representative for the center. She gave each council member a blue ribbon and asked them to wear it throughout the month in support of child abuse prevention.

"You name it, we need it because we're a non-profit organization," Packer said. A few items that will be helpful are toys, snacks, puzzles, dolls, or things that would help in teaching classes. It is preferable that items are brand new, but used is fine, Packer said. Items can be dropped off at the Child and Family Support Center located at 380 W. 1400 North in Logan.

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