[{"_1":2,"_105":-5,"_106":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,85,95],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6550393,"mediaKeyId","5392475-59d595278c0476cd1655ebc3ac445405","parentId",5392475,"title","Commission approves rezoning for Webster parcel; commissioners introduce several subdivision-code amendments","audioSeconds",979,"startMs",4972000,"endMs",5951000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5392475-59d595278c0476cd1655ebc3ac445405&start=4972&end=5951","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6550393/Utah/Commission-approves-rezoning-for-Webster-parcel-commissioners-introduce-several-subdivision-code-amendments","mediaUrl","author","Iron County Commission","date","2025-07-14T09:00:00Z","article","The Iron County Commission on Monday approved a zone change for a 52.25-acre collection of parcels near 3200 North and 2625 West in Cedar City, rezoning the land from R-1/half-acre and R-5 to Rural Agriculture (RA-20).

County planning staff presented the application for applicant LeGrand Webster and said the zoning change was requested to bring the parcels into conformance so a previously recommended agricultural protection area could take effect. Planning staff said the Planning Commission had reviewed the request and recommended approval.

A commissioner moved to approve the rezoning; the motion was seconded and the chair called the question. The commission recorded aye votes and the motion carried.

Planning staff also introduced an ordinance that would change three parts of county code. The ordinance was introduced but will return for action after a second public-notice period; it was not voted on at Monday's meeting because an administrative posting error meant the ordinance version had not appeared on the state notice website.

The three proposed code amendments are:

1) A reduction of the rear setback in commercial zoning from 25 feet to 10 feet when the property abuts a road right-of-way or railroad right-of-way at the rear lot line. Planning staff said the change is intended to help narrow commercial lots that have a rear right-of-way and to maintain fire- and access-related requirements.

2) A clarification and tailoring of soil-suitability and geotechnical reporting requirements (sections 1620070 and 1622060). Staff said the amendment would allow the geotechnical report to be focused only on areas where public improvements are required and would permit waivers for minor subdivisions that do not create new public infrastructure, avoiding duplicative testing that developers then must repeat at building permit stage.

3) An exemption to clarify when leasing portions of a building or parcel does not create a subdivision under county and state law. The amendment would allow property owners to lease parts of a building or lot to multiple tenants without triggering subdivision review, provided the lease language clearly states the leased areas are parts of a single lot and not ownership divisions.

Planning staff said the Planning Commission recommended the ordinance and staff would repost the ordinance for a public hearing and final action at the next regular meeting after the notice posting was corrected.

Action taken Monday: the rezoning motion passed and the ordinance was introduced for later public hearing and action.","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","Iron County Commission Meeting - 07-14-2025 Commission Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The commission rezoned 52.25 acres near 3200 North and 2625 West in Cedar City from R-1/half-acre and R-5 to Rural Agriculture (RA-20) and introduced a separate ordinance with proposed subdivision-code changes that will return for a public hearing after corrected notice.","taxTitle","Iron County Commission, Iron County Boards and Commissions, Iron County, Utah","taxId",67566,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":50,"_51":82,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6550398,"Commissioner outlines $20 million NRCS plan to redirect monsoonal flows into mining pits for recharge and flood control",1239,3759000,4998000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5392475-59d595278c0476cd1655ebc3ac445405&start=3759&end=4998","/articles/6550398/Utah/Commissioner-outlines-20-million-NRCS-plan-to-redirect-monsoonal-flows-into-mining-pits-for-recharge-and-flood-control","A county commissioner presented a multi-year Coal Creek watershed proposal to the Iron County Commission on Monday that would use nearby rock pits to capture monsoonal and runoff flows, limit sedimentation downstream and recharge groundwater.

The presenter described the project as an NRCS-identified suite of storage, spillway and diversion works that would redirect high-volume flows into the Cedar City and Western Rock pits rather than allowing heavy sediment loads to travel down Stevensville Ditch toward the wastewater treatment plant and Rush Lake.

\"This is about protecting us against a hundred-year event,\" the commissioner said while explaining the hydrology and the role of the Woodbury Split in directing flows. The presenter and staff showed mapping of the Schmidt Pit, the county gravel pit and the Cedar City and Western Rock pits and said piping and gated spillways would be used to direct and settle sediment in stages.

Key figures from the presentation:

- The presenter characterized the full NRCS project as approximately a $20,000,000 undertaking with a county match of about $1,800,000.

- The report calculated an average annual sediment load in the system of roughly 88,000 cubic yards and modeled storage and plug-flow alternatives to trap sediment upstream of critical conveyance structures.

- Work items discussed included concrete walls and extensions at the Woodbury Split to maintain flow velocity, additional piping between pits for recharge, automated diversions with gate control, gabion baskets and engineered spillways to reduce velocity and drop sediment, and maintenance plans to manage harvested fill.

The presenter said the proposal depends on Cedar City agreeing to a memorandum of understanding for use of city-owned pits and on Western Rock's lease status for mining pits to be resolved. The presenter also noted potential long-term benefits: increased gravel harvesting for the city and a recharge system that could capture monsoonal events.

Commissioners discussed the cost, maintenance and logistics of storage and sediment disposal. No action was taken; presenters asked staff to continue coordination with NRCS, Cedar City and private pit owners and to return with more detail and cost-sharing options.

The commission was shown video and aerial maps during the presentation; the discussion included technical specifics (flow rates, storage scenarios and haul volumes) and possible staging to accommodate sediment settling before recharge.","A long-range Coal Creek watershed project presented to the commission would tie sediment-control, recharge and flood-protection structures to nearby gravel pits; the presenter said the NRCS plan costs about $20 million with an estimated county match of $1.8 million and requires a Cedar City MOU to proceed.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":50,"_51":92,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":93,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":94,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6550403,"Sheriff reports rising enforcement activity, bomb-squad partnership and strain from youth homes",1255,1238000,2493000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5392475-59d595278c0476cd1655ebc3ac445405&start=1238&end=2493","/articles/6550403/Utah/Sheriff-reports-rising-enforcement-activity-bomb-squad-partnership-and-strain-from-youth-homes","Sheriff Ken Carpenter briefed the Iron County Commission on law-enforcement activity on Monday, citing increased task-force arrests, weapons seizures and expanded regional partnerships, and he warned about operational strain from youth homes in the county.

\"In one case alone last month, they seized 57 firearms along with drugs,\" Carpenter said, describing results from drug task-force operations and Metro SWAT callouts.

Carpenter said the county has joined the Washington County task-force bomb squad to make wider use of explosive-detection dogs. He also described growing use of aerial support: \"Our total number of reports is 4,082 for the first half of the year,\" he said, noting overall calls and that availability of air support from a DPS helicopter based in St. George and a partnership with SUU Aviation have increased deployments.

A major operational concern the sheriff raised was the county's responses to private youth homes, which he said impose substantial time and cost burdens on deputies and local services. He reported that deputies had logged 347.8 hours responding to youth-home incidents so far this year, at a year-to-date cost of $26,085. He listed typical incident types: assaults, runaways, juvenile problems and suicidal ideation.

\"We're constantly dealing with them,\" Carpenter said. \"It's pretty much, if not every day, every week that we're dealing with runaways. We're dealing with assaults,\" and he said staff at the youth homes face limits on how they can discipline or secure residents because of state regulations.

Carpenter said many youth homes are not locally based and that some children are placed in Iron County from other states. He urged legislative attention, saying state-level rules and licensing constraints limit what local providers can do to maintain safety and order.

Carpenter also discussed staffing: while the sheriff's office is currently at strength, he said several deputies are likely to leave for federal postings or other agencies, and he noted pay disparities after Cedar City approved a 5% raise for its officers.

The sheriff's briefing was informational; commissioners did not take formal action on the items discussed.","Sheriff Ken Carpenter told the commission that drug and SWAT activity is up, the county joined a regional bomb squad partnership, and officers are spending significant time responding to youth homes — costing about $26,085 and 347.8 deputy hours year-to-date.",{"_33":96,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":97,"_41":98,"_43":99,"_45":100,"_47":101,"_49":50,"_51":102,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":103,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":104,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6550408,"Iron County fire officials report increased mitigation spending and large-scale fuels projects",586,666000,1252000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5392475-59d595278c0476cd1655ebc3ac445405&start=666&end=1252","/articles/6550408/Utah/Iron-County-fire-officials-report-increased-mitigation-spending-and-large-scale-fuels-projects","Iron County fire officials told the county commission on Monday that the county's participation cost for the Cooperative Wildland Fire Suppression (CWS) program increased this year to $578,000 and is funding training, equipment and large-scale mitigation projects.

Spencer Rolo gave the report. \"This year in 2025, our PC increased to $578,000, to stay in the CWS program with FFSL,\" he said, referring to the state program with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands.

Rolo said the county has allocated the funds across prevention, preparedness and mitigation. He identified the budgeted splits and expenditures to date: about $52,000 allocated for prevention and education (with $407 spent to date), $166,000 for preparedness (about $45,811 spent so far) and $360,000 for mitigation (about $243,164 spent so far). He described mitigation as the primary focus of the CWS funding this year.

Rolo outlined current mitigation work, including the Antelope Springs project, which he described as a 185-acre, in-house landscape-scale watershed project. \"So far, we've completed 75 acres of that, for a total of 700 hours,\" he said, and noted the county is using its own equipment to capture in-kind labor value toward the participation cost. He added that the county had purchased a skid steer with a mastication (\"bull hog\") head and is using an excavator with a similar head for mastication.

Other projects Rolo listed included targeted treatments in Red Canyon and mitigation work in wildland-urban interface areas; he said some of those will use hand crews or contracted work where appropriate. He also described outreach and prevention efforts: HOA wildfire-council outreach, a fire-safety insert with the July 1 tax bill, and expanded signage in county locations. Rolo urged greater public emphasis on burn permits, naming unauthorized debris burning and escaped campfires as recurring human causes of local wildfires.

Rolo said training for local fire departments, equipment acquisition (including mastication machines) and fuels-reduction work were priorities; he also said the county will update its Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and align it with CWS goals in the coming months.

The report was informational; no formal county action was taken on the item during the meeting.

The fire office fielded questions from commissioners about machinery, project siting and how the county leverages grants and landowner partnerships for seeding and restoration after mastication.","Fire and emergency officials told the county commission that this year's Cooperative Wildland Fire Suppression (CWS) participation and locally run mitigation projects are expanding, with a $578,000 participation cost and a major 185-acre Antelope Springs treatment underway.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission approves rezoning for Webster parcel; commissioners introduce several subdivision-code amendments

Commissioner outlines $20 million NRCS plan to redirect monsoonal flows into mining pits for recharge and flood control

Sheriff reports rising enforcement activity, bomb-squad partnership and strain from youth homes

Iron County fire officials report increased mitigation spending and large-scale fuels projects