By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Mona City Council accepted a proposal to make the
ordinances of the city more accessible to the council and
others.
Everd Squire, city treasurer, said he would take on
the job of educating the council so that they knew the
ordinances and resolutions and could understand the
requirements of each.
"At a time when we are experiencing the kind of
growth, which we face at this time, there is a great
responsibility on council members to make decisions," said
Squire.
He said the decisions made needed to be based upon the
best knowledge of the guidelines set down by this and other
councils and he thought that council wanted to know what
ordinances and resolutions were in effect.
He thought the council could use some help in this
regard.
He asked if the majority of council members what
ordinances the city already had in place and if they knew
where to find it.
"Rick Schnurr and our previous secretary went through
the ordinances and organized them," said Bryce Lynn,
mayor.
As a result, Schnurr, council member, had worked with
them and did know where and how they were filed. However,
said Schnurr, he could never find an ordinance about
noise.
In addition, he said, Mona had adopted a group of
model ordinances a number of years ago. Those ordinances
were put together by the League of Cities and Towns and he
thought that would be a good place for Squire to start.
The city council needed to know what was in those
ordinances and how they affected other ordinances which the
city had in place.
"Rick knows more about the ordinances than most,"
Squire said. "From my perspective, I think the council could
use some help but if there is no need, then I will not go
further."
However, the other council members said they would all
like the help Squire offered and suggested Schnurr work with
Squire on the project.
Council member, Doran Kay, said he would think having
someone report about the ordinances to the council would be
helpful and would keep the council from making errors that
occurred because council members did not know about or
understand a particular ordinance.
Harry Newell, council member, said he also saw the
need for hiring Squire to do the job.
"I do not believe council members have to time to
learn everything from scratch each time one begins as a new
council member," Squire said. "But with some help, new
members can learn, over time, many things that will aid in
their role as council members if opportunities are
provided."
Squire proposed to undertake the project on an hourly
basis by charging the city $10 per hour. The funds will come
from the budget category of the community and Economic
Development.
Some of the ordinances may have been replaced by newer
ones and the older ones, therefore, may need to be
rescinded.
"I believe there is a need for periodic training to
provide continuity of information over the years from
council to council," he said. "I also believe once council
members are used to being trained in some manner, they would
insist that the training continue and would provide it for
themselves."
Squire proposed studying all available ordinances and
resolutions, filing them in one place which would be well
marked and easy to find, and would make a simple list of all
the ordinances and resolutions.
He would identify where more than one ordinance exists
for any particular area and present it to the council for a
decision on what needs to be done&emdash;in some cases the
older ordinance might be better--but only one of the
ordinances would be kept.
He would also summarize and outline important
requirements and significant language contained in each
ordinance for quick reference and for training.
"I would give help in scheduling and providing
information for training sessions in a variety of areas as
needed or requested by the council," he said. "I believe
these session should be held at least quarterly and perhaps
monthly to begin with, and take 20 to 30 minutes,
maximum."
He said the decision, of course, was up to the
council.
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