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Providence seeks new city planner
By Roy Burton PROVIDENCE -- The City Council decided to accept proposals from consulting firms for the position of city planner Tuesday night. Councilman Vic Saunders said the council needs someone to provide the answers and options that they are presently lacking. Saunders was assigned several months ago to research the job requirements and qualities desired of the potential candidates, he said. He provided a draft job description for the council, based on job descriptions from 12 other communities. "[The city planner] would basically cover all the areas that we are weak in right now. We wouldn't have to shoot from the hip," Saunders said, but would be able to receive "very solid, well thought out, professional" opinions. "It gives you more ammo in your belt to make good decisions. The fundamental question we have before us is what do we want --- an employee or a consultant?" The general consensus of the council was that a consulting firm would be the most beneficial route to take for the present time. Councilman Joe Campbell said another possibility is to begin with a consultant and then re-evaluate later whether or not to create a hired position. Saunders said both the employee option and the consultant option have their pros and cons. The positive side of hiring an employee is that the employee would be on-site and more accessible, he said. A consulting firm would probably be less expensive, charge on a services-rendered basis instead of a monthly salary, and possibly be able to raise some of the funds required to pay for their services, he said. Another benefit is that a firm would have a team of experts rather than just one person. The council also voted unanimously to use the city's median income as the basis for determining what constitutes "affordable housing." A member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, Stacey Gomm, presented a report to the council on the issue. "This city is a very unique city because there is a significant difference between the city and the county" in what is considered moderate to low-income housing, Gomm said. The report states "a low and moderate income household is a household whose total income is 80 percent or less of the city's median income. Eighty percent of Providence's median income is $44,903, which is according to Mayor Leonhardt is the highest median income in Cache Valley. Using the city's median income figures, a house valued at $161,521 or with a rent of up to $1010 is considered "moderate income housing." Using the county income figures a moderate house would be defined as one valued at less than $114,330, more than $47,000 less than the city income numbers. By having a certain percentage of the city's housing qualify as "affordable housing" the city would be eligible for certain grants, but Saunders said the grant money would not cover the costs of providing services to the amount of "affordable" homes required to qualify for the grants. Gomm told the council, "To be honest you're going to look pretty elitist when you say $161,000 is affordable housing." In other business, a group from the Mountain View Retirement Homeowners Association attended the meeting to ask the city to intervene in a dispute with a developer. The association president, Nate Done, said that the developer of the Assisted Living Center has made changes to the plans agreed to by the city council. Mayor Leonhardt said that he would contact the developer and investigate the matter further. Councilman Deon Johnson said it might be necessary to involve someone with "legal clout" like the city attorney to take care of the issue. The mayor asked for a list of grievances to be presented by the Homeowner's Association and no further action was taken. The Lions Club asked the council for permission to install a permanent wall display in the city council chamber. The council agreed to allow an 11- or 12-foot-wide display that will go in one corner of the room. The display will show pictures of Lions Club members, the club's code of ethics, and past and future projects of the service organization.
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