Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Trade topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident proposes land trade to start peach orchard; council asks legal review
Summary
Dustin Rooks proposed buying a parcel and trading it to Monroe City for land inside the irrigation buildout boundary so he could plant a peach orchard. Council raised irrigation-rights and policy questions and asked the city attorney to review; no action was taken.
Monroe — Dustin Rooks told the council he wants to establish a peach orchard in Monroe and proposed purchasing a parcel from Pete Weimer, then trading that parcel to the city in exchange for a city-owned parcel inside the irrigation buildout boundary.
Rooks said the local soil and proximity to Monroe Canyon make the site attractive for orchard production. Council members explained that Mr. Weimer does not technically hold transferable city irrigation shares but instead has the right to water three acres of his property with city irrigation water; if he relinquished an acre of that right he would be left with rights to water two acres. The council reiterated that any new connection inside the buildout boundary must follow city irrigation policy: turn in an acre share per irrigated acre, pay the irrigation impact fee and connection costs, and receive council approval.
Because several legal and policy questions remained about how to structure a property trade and the status of irrigation rights, the council asked City Recorder Allison Leavitt to consult City Attorney Eric Johnson and tabled the matter for further review.
Quote "If Mr. Weimer were to relinquish an acre right, he would only be able to water two acres of his remaining property," Council members noted when explaining constraints on transferring irrigation rights.
Next steps City Recorder Allison Leavitt will consult the city attorney and report back to the council; no formal land-trade action was taken at the March 10 meeting.
