By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Mona has lots of streets with decorative or barrier rocks in the city’s right of way, and if one person is going to be made to hold to the law, all people should be. “If we are going to make one person move his rocks, they all should be made to move their rocks,” said Jeff Smith, council member. Two weeks ago, Mark Rugg, who lives at 957 South 200 West, asked to speak with the city council to address a letter he had received from the city which stated that he needed to move a landscape rock he had placed on what he considered the edge of his property. The rock was not on property owned by Rugg but was on the city owned right of way. However, Smith said that he had driven through town and found that there were a lot of violators, including the LDS Church, and he thought everyone should be treated equally. Therefore, in his opinion, if one person was sent an administrative letter from the city then all violators should be sent similar letters. Jeff Hearty, council member, said he agreed that there should be equal treatment for all under the law. Usually, in order for the city to send an administrative letter there had to be some kind of complaint. The complaint came because a city employee feared that a large landscape rock could damage the city’s snow plow. “It is not just for snow removal,” said Frank Riding. “Public safety should also be considered.” For example, he said, what if a car was trying to avoid an accident and swerved. If it then hit one of the large rocks, it could high center or a worse accident could be caused. Greg Newton, mayor, said that the snow plow pushes snow to the right and, in the dark of night with snow blowing around, it was difficult to see any landscaping until it was too late and the plow was damaged. “We have asked others to move boulders and they have complied,” said Molli Graham, city council member. Lynn Ingram, city planning commission chairman, is the Juab County Road Superintendent for his day job. He said that in the winter during snow storms it is hard to see while operating the plow. “It is tough to see corners at best,” he said. “If the plow were to hit a boulder, it would break down and it would take the plow out for a week.” Rugg had come to the city because he thought he owned the right of way. The city could send the administrative letters to all offenders and ask that all who had large landscape rocks in the rights of way to move them. Jonathan Jones, council member, asked what the ordinance did say about the city right of way and what could be placed there. Bill Mills said that there is a place in the ordinance where it does specify what can be put in a city-owned right of way. Newton said that the city streets were 66-feet wide in some places and, in the older part of town, were 99-feet wide. The measurement could be taken from the center line of the street. “The right of way should be 19-feet from the side of the road,” said Ingram. He said that there was a difference between gravel and boulders. If someone put road construction sized gravel down, it would not be a problem. However, a boulder was a problem. Graham said that all homeowners should understand that if they put something in the right of way, if it had to be removed, it would be at there own expense. “Lyla (Spencer, city recorder/clerk), would you find our ordinance and look at what we have?” asked Jones. He said that, perhaps, the ordinance would need to be strengthened or, if it did state specifically what was to be done, it could be enforced.>
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