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Clawson council conditions Joe Murdock water hookup on canal company decision
Summary
The Clawson council discussed a water and sewer hookup request from Joe Murdock and agreed to condition its approval on the outcome of a meeting with the local canal company; legal guidance and existing water-share practices were cited during the discussion.
The Clawson Town Council discussed a request by Joe Murdock for culinary water and sewer connections and agreed to defer a final decision until the local canal company meets to confirm water availability.
Speaker 1 opened the item and welcomed the Murdocks, saying the council had previously discussed the issue and the canal company was meeting the following day. Speaker 4 moved to approve the water connection; multiple council members and residents urged caution and recommended waiting for the canal company's formal response.
Speaker 6 cited state law, noting, "According to Utah code, 10 dash 2 dash 4 0 7, Joe technically isn't allowed to be denied the approval of culinary hookup based on that addendum solely," and said the council's denial would not be supported if it rested only on that condition. Council members described prior local practice with water shares: the town uses about 20 acre-feet a year for culinary service and, by one account, has "close to 200 shares." Speaker 1 added that a proposal under consideration would lease 20 acre-feet to the Murdocks if outside approvals move forward.
Council members also discussed differences between purchasing water shares and leasing from the canal company, noting the canal company prefers leasing arrangements. Several members said some connections previously sold to residents remain unused. Multiple speakers urged that the town confirm the canal company's position in writing before finalizing a hookup.
The council's practical outcome was to approve moving forward conditionally: if the canal company votes to allow the hookup at its meeting, the council will proceed; if the canal company denies it, the council will revisit options. Speaker 7 summarized the contingency: "So if they say yes, then it's a go. If they say no, we gotta figure out where to go from there."
