Mantua council approves business licenses, hydrant repairs, cemetery grant application and waste contract extension; rejects annexation petition

Mantua — The Mantua Town Council on May 21 approved a package of routine and urgent actions, including two home‑based business licenses, emergency fire hydrant repairs, authorization to apply for a cemetery digitization grant, and a three‑year extension to the town's garbage contract. After a lengthy review of water rights and legal procedures, the council also voted to reject an annexation petition filed by property owner Chet Jensen (A26‑004).

The meeting opened at 6:30 p.m. and the council first approved minutes and signed bills before moving to public comment. Residents urged the council to maintain a local police presence and to pursue measures to slow traffic near school bus stops, comments the council said would be addressed in future meetings.

Business licenses: The council approved a home‑based preschool license for Morgan Florence to serve a single group of about 10–12 children on weekday mornings. Council members asked about safe drop‑off procedures and parking; staff suggested temporary signage during pick‑up and drop‑off. The council also approved a license for Justin Bulbert to operate a boom‑truck/crane business from his property; Bulbert said he has off‑site parking for the vehicle and had discussed the plan with nearby neighbors.

Emergency hydrant repairs: Public works staff reported multiple hydrants with leaks or operational issues and presented three invoices from Mountainland Supply Company. Staff described warranty coverage for at least one unit and noted several units require parts only available from the authorized distributor. The council approved the three invoices and directed staff to proceed with repairs and to purchase spare parts as needed.

Cemetery grant: Staff recommended applying for a historic‑preservation cemetery grant that would fund digitization and GIS mapping of 19th‑century cemetery records. Sunrise Engineering provided a quote; the total project cost was presented as about $9,000 with a municipal match of roughly $3,900 and $4,500 requested from the town. Council authorized staff (Sherita) to submit the grant application; staff said the FY27 budget contains the requested funds and the grant application deadline is the end of the month.

Econowaste contract: The council approved a three‑year extension with Econowaste, holding rates steady for the current year and applying negotiated increases in later years. Staff said the previous contract included a 5% annual escalation clause; the council agreed to extend the contract and asked staff to prepare a separate proposal detailing resident rate impacts before billing changes are applied.

Annexation petition rejected: After extensive discussion of Utah Code §10‑2‑806 and related provisions, staff and council members reviewed the applicant's water rights and the practical limits on new connections. A staff summary noted the parcel's water rights equate to about four domestic equivalents (EDUs) and that topography and road requirements would limit developable lots. The council voted to move the item from discussion to action and then approved a motion to reject annexation application A26‑004 by Chet Jensen.

Procedural notes and next steps: The council appointed Matt Jepsen as mayor pro tem to serve as an authorized signer when the mayor is unavailable. The IT policy draft was tabled for further review and the new water‑tank "skate" add‑on was tabled for one month so staff can reexamine subcontractor issues and costs. The council scheduled additional budget work sessions in June and adjourned the meeting.

Quotes drawn from the meeting include public‑comment support for police presence—"I just want to speak in favor of our police department"—and a public‑works update on hydrant work: "I can get it done for $16,000," said Marcus, referring to a component of the water‑tank project. The council recorded formal motions and votes for all items described above.