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By Myrna Trauntvein

Times-News correspondent

Mona had the distinction of being the first community along the "Greater Wasatch Area" to receive the presentation from Envision Utah on the Quality Growth Strategy and Technical Review for January 2000.

Larry Ellertson, mayor of Lindon, and Kristen Thompson, a member of the Envision Utah staff, met with the council during the regularly scheduled meeting and then went on to Nephi to meet with their council in a work session.

Ellertson is a native of Levan and knew many of the council members and town staff members from his youth.

Growth, no mater the attitude of the affected communities, was a given, he said. In fact, it was already happening. "I used to know what everybody in town gave as a treat for Halloween. That is probably no longer the case with your young people."

Envision Utah has no official status, he said. It is a non-profit organization which received funds from a variety of sources, some governmental grants, but the majority of funding came from foundations.

"The Greater Wasatch Area extends from Brigham City to Nephi and from Kamas to Granstville," said Ellertson. "You will be impacted by the growth coming to this area. Population growth is progressing southward."

He said the Envision Utah review was a guide for the future but was not a prepared plan for Mona or for any community in the predicted growth area. "That is your job, to decide what you want," he said.

Bryce Lynn, mayor, said he was concerned that, eventually, the ideas promoted by Envision Utah would be foisted on the communities in the identified growth areas of the state where Envision Utah has focused its attention.

"That should not be the case," said Ellertson. "The idea is that Envision Utah is a plan for a partnership for quality growth and becomes what you choose and what you want to make it."

Ellertson and Thompson presented a video, showing it first to the council, and then leaving it with them for future reference.

"The primary responsibility for land use decisions will remain with local governments," said Thompson. She said the strategies suggested will not be appropriate for every community nor every situation.

"Envision Utah will always acknowledge that every community is unique, with distinctive characteristics and needs."

Nevertheless, said Ellertson, all of those communities in the Greater Wasatch Area had some common interests.

"We share common problems, using the same roads and transportation options as we travel to work, recreation, and shopping, sharing common water sources and breathing the same air," said Ellertson.

Doran Kay, council member, suggested, as Envision Utah plans for growth and offers ideas for dealing effectively with growth, that they should take into consideration the wildlife.

"There is no mention of wildlife easements," said Kay.

Ellertson asked council members to complete, as individuals, a local government response form and send it to: D.J. Baxter, Envision Utah via fax (801) 973-5468 or mail it to P.O. Box 30901 in Salt Lake City, UT 84130.

Questions council members were asked to respond to were:

Would you like to offer any general comments on the Envision Utah presentation?

Would you like Envision Utah to provide you with any additional information, or answer any questions that were not answered during the presentation?

Which Envision Utah strategies interest you the most, or would best apply to your community?

What kinds of tools would be most helpful to your community in trying to implement these strategies?

Are there programs, pieces of legislation, or incentives that Envision Utah could support at the state level that would help your community?

Finally, are there any other issues you think Envision Utah's Partnership should address?

"We want you to know that you are the first in the state to receive this presentation," said Ellertson. "Over the next six months we will be working with you and want to know what you want from the toolbox."

Ellertson said, since none of the communities wanted mandates, they needed to be careful as they helped craft incentives. The legislative arm of the government is the governor's Quality Growth Commission.

"In the video, you heard the term 'incentives' referred to," said Ellertson. "If these incentives are too narrowly confined, they could become mandates."

Thompson said, since growth was pushing southward, with at least 80 percent of the new growth occurring in that direction, the focus of Envision Utah had been to direct attention toward that growth and plan for the challenge.

"The technical plan is for the entire state but our focus is on the Greater Wasatch Area," said Thompson. "That doesn't mean that other communities cannot use these tools."