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Irrigation dispute stalls building permit for 455 S. 300 E.; council proposes temporary water-share swap
Summary
A Mona resident said Mona Irrigation will not sign a three‑way agreement needed to use irrigation water for a new house. Council members discussed accepting the resident's quarter share in exchange for city irrigation from the culinary well so building can proceed; staff will prepare paperwork.
A Mona City resident seeking a building permit for 455 South 300 East told the Mona City Council that Mona Irrigation has refused to sign a three‑way agreement needed to use irrigation water, leaving his subdivision and building plans in limbo.
Justin Christiansen told council members he has culinary and irrigation water shares “secured in this packet” and that his parents had authorized dedication of the shares, but that Mona Irrigation would not provide a written refusal or signature. “They won’t give me a refusal. They won’t give me a signature,” he said.
Council members and staff discussed a temporary fix: the city could accept the resident’s irrigation quarter share and supply irrigation water from the city’s culinary well as an interim swap so the applicant can obtain a building permit. “If you want to give that quarter share to Mona City, then we can give you water out of the well for irrigation,” a staff member said during the meeting. Council member Jay said, “I think that’s a good idea,” and the council discussed next steps to document the arrangement.
Staff and the applicant clarified procedural details. The council asked staff what is needed to “legitimize” the swap; staff pointed to the need to complete paperwork and noted unit terms discussed during the meeting (“acre foot” references). The applicant was told he will need a newly notarized three‑way agreement if the irrigation status changes in the future; staff noted the applicant’s earlier form was not fully notarized.
No formal vote was recorded on the council floor to accept the quarter share; the council’s discussion produced direction to staff to prepare the required documents and follow up with the applicant. Justin Christiansen also said he has submitted a separate building application for an accessory barn and is seeking clarification on whether that permit can move forward.
Why this matters: the lack of a signature from the local irrigation company is preventing a resident from obtaining building permits on subdivided lots and could set a precedent for other parcels where irrigation-boundaries have changed. The proposed swap would allow construction to proceed while leaving options to revert the arrangement if the irrigation company later permits direct connection.
Next steps: staff will draft needed documents (including a notarized three‑way agreement if required), meet with the applicant to correct missing notarization, and communicate any formal action required back to the council. The council did not adopt a final policy change at this meeting; the matter will return to staff for paperwork and follow-up.
