Panguitch council approves tentative 2026–27 budget amendment, OKs beer garden permits amid dissent

At its May 12 meeting, the Panguitch City Council approved a revised tentative 2026–27 budget that includes an additional $20,000 in matching funds after a Historical Highway 89 on Main Street grant increased from $40,000 to $80,000, City Treasurer Carla Farnsworth told the council. The motion to approve the tentative budget with that amendment (mover: Cindy Stewart; second: David Dodds) carried unanimously.

The council also approved single-event beer garden permits for Henrie’s Drive-In tied to the Balloon Fest (originally listed June 27) and the Chicken Lights and Chrome event (date corrected to July 3). Jessica Simkins, the applicant, said she had contacted the state and met requirements including a minimum four-foot secure fence, a single controlled entrance, and bracelet identification to prevent removal of beverages from the enclosed area. Both permits were approved; Council Member Mike Sarles recorded the lone opposition on both votes.

Business licenses on the agenda included approval of Ramsay Property Services (lawn and landscaping) and Serenitatem (mobile chair massage). The Ramsay license motion (mover: Mike Sarles; second: Cindy Stewart) carried; the Serenitatem license (mover: James Kinsey; second: David Dodds) also carried unanimously.

On department reports, City Manager Mat Houston distributed the secondary water schedule: odd-numbered addresses water on Tuesdays, even-numbered on Thursdays, East Fields on Saturdays and West Fields on Sundays; no watering is permitted on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays. Houston reported the city has roughly 62 days of secondary water allocation (about 15 weeks at four days per week) compared with a typical year of more than 100 days, and warned that secondary water could run out before season end. Council Member Tracy Wright pressed for stronger conservation messaging and said current culinary watering fines (warning, $25, then $100) may be insufficient given drought conditions; the council agreed to monitor conditions and revisit enforcement if necessary.

In other items, Council Member David Dodds described a proposed 12-foot multi-use bike path from east Panguitch to Red Canyon and the council directed the manager to submit a letter of support to the state's funding committee. Mayor Kim Soper announced a state grant of $94,600 for a pavilion at the baseball fields. Hospital representative Cheryl Berry reported Garfield Memorial Hospital secured a Humana Medicare Advantage contract effective April 1 and is planning outreach; she said about 165 county residents are directly affected.

Public comment filed for the budget hearing included a written submission from Harshad P. Desai accusing the budget of “wastage of public money,” calling for an independent ethics or economic development officer, and alleging transparency and personnel issues; no response to that submission is recorded in the provided materials.

The council’s next scheduled discussion of the final 2026–27 budget appears on the May 26 agenda for a public hearing and final action.