Rush Valley council approves ordinance vacating Charles Hill Street after public hearing

The Rush Valley Town Council voted to adopt Ordinance 2025-02 to vacate a short, undeveloped segment of Charles Hill Street that extends west from Church Street into an alfalfa field owned and farmed by Blaine Russell.

The council opened a public hearing, heard from nearby resident Roger Evans and from staff, and then closed the hearing before taking the ordinance up for consideration. Resident Roger Evans asked, “If we voted against it, what would happen? It just stays the same.” Town staff responded that denial would leave the status quo in place and that the request primarily benefited the property owner because he owns land on both sides of the right-of-way.

The town attorney (on the record at the meeting) told the council the packet cited the wrong statute: the municipal statute governing street vacations should be cited under the municipal code (10-9a) rather than the county provision included in the packet. The attorney said the difference was limited to whether the statute applied to counties or municipalities and that the ordinance would be corrected to reference the proper municipal statute when recorded.

Councilmembers voted by roll call; Council member Albrecht, Council member Burrows, Council member Gardner and Council member Harding each voted yes and the motion carried. The council directed staff to obtain a proper survey and recordation documents; the signed ordinance and the recording documents will be submitted to the county recorder.

No formal objections were lodged during the public hearing and town staff said they did not foresee material harm to any party from vacating the short segment. The council did not set any additional conditions beyond recording the vacating ordinance and obtaining the survey.

The town clerk will provide the signed, sealed ordinance and the vacating/recording documents to the recorder so the property boundary can be updated in county records.