Two weeks and counting until a decision is made for a new county attorney

By Gideon Oakes

January 28, 2009 | LOGAN -- Two weeks down, two weeks to go for James Swink. The interim county attorney's short and relatively uneventful tenure in the boss's chair will come to an end Feb. 10, when the Cache County Council appoints a replacement to fill the term of former County Attorney George Daines, who resigned earlier this month.

At its regular meeting Jan. 27, the council spelled out the process whereby it will interview and select the new county attorney from a group that will be narrowed to three by the Cache County Republican Central Committee on Feb. 4. Each of the office-seekers will be allowed five minutes to address the council publicly, followed by an interview process during executive session.

Also on the agenda for the Feb. 10 meeting is a public hearing regarding the county's 2009 budget. The council will take the public's questions, comments and concerns starting around 5:45 p.m.

In an unexpected move, the council reversed a decision made at its last meeting to deny the Estancia subdivision near Amalga. After that decision was made, dissenting members of the council were instructed to issue a document outlining reasons to substantiate their refusal of the developer's request. The council took a vote to approve the document, which failed. Swink advised the council that a lack of a fact-finding document would make the county more vulnerable to a lawsuit, should the developer pursue one.

Mulling the choice between reexamining their decision or potentially facing a costly lawsuit, Councilman Brian Chambers moved to reexamine the issue. This time, the council approved the subdivision by a vote of 5-1, with a visibly upset Councilwoman Kathy Robison standing her ground as the lone dissenter.

In other business, Jennefer Parker, District Ranger of the U.S. Forest Service Logan Ranger District, gave a report on the status of High Creek Road, located northeast of Richmond in the Cache National Forest, which is currently closed for the season presumably to prevent road deterioration and off-road motor vehicle traffic which is prohibited in the forest.

Councilman Craig "W" Buttars questioned Parker on the consistency of closure dates and inquired about the purpose of closing the road.

Two local residents voiced concerns over the closure, asking Parker and the council to do what they can to keep the road open. Chris Allen, a resident of nearby Cove, told the council he and his family enjoy spending time in the canyon to which the road is the only access.

"What good is a wilderness if you can't enjoy it?" Allen said. "We like to drive up the canyon. You can see for miles, and you don't have to get off of [the road] to enjoy it."

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