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Newton Zoning and Planning Commission discusses disputed building permit By
Katrina Cartwright NEWTON -- The members of the Newton Zoning and Planning Commission discussed building permits and reviewed the town's general plan during their monthly meeting Wednesday night. The specific building permit the commission members deliberated about involves land owned by Yuvonne Sparks, which is located north of 100 North and between 350 West and 400 West in Newton. The main issue is if part of the land for which Sparks is requesting the permit is in the boundaries of Cache County and not actually in Newton. Part of the problem is a discrepancy between the official county map and a map made for Sparks by an independent surveyor. The maps differ in their placement of the county line. "The question is where the Newton city limits are," said Mark Rigby, commission chairman. "We can't approve the subdivision without that being clarified." "We're concerned about county and city land being in the same building line," said Councilman Gaylen Maughan, who is over planning and building in Newton. If part of the land is found to be within county boundaries, then the members of the commission must decide whether or not that land should be annexed by Newton. As it stands, the town must provide all basic services except water for the land, and if it is annexed into Newton, then the town must also provide water services for it. It costs about $1.25 of the town's money for every dollar that is collected to provide services for its residents, said Rigby. So, although the town loses money when it annexes land, it actually loses more money by providing most of the services to county land and not collecting any money for it. "Although we would lose money by annexing the land, we would lose less money than if we didn't," said Rigby. Another issue involving the land is whether or not a pump will be needed to provide water to it because it is close to the reservoir and only slightly lower in elevation, said Maughan. Three of the four members of the commission said that they were not against annexation but they wanted more information before making a decision. "I'm not against growth and annexation as long as the people can be provided water and everything," said Commission Member Marylyn Regen. "Annexation is advantageous to the town, it seems to me," said Mike Walquist, another commission member. The member of the commission who said she is uneasy with annexation was Susie Maughan. "I'm personally uncomfortable with annexation," she said. "I feel like we can't go annexing all these people if we aren't sure we can provide water for them." The commission tabled the issue and will discuss it further at its next meeting Feb. 27. The commission also examined the fifth draft of the Newton town general plan with Gil Miller, the circuit writer and planner for the 21st Century Communities program. The plan includes a history of Newton and overall goals and objectives of the town. The plan is designed to be a decision-making tool as well as a general master plan for growth and development in Newton, according to its introduction, which says the plan "updates, guides, builds on and ties together several other plans or projects that have been completed or are being completed." Miller and commission members reviewed some of the objectives, but decided to postpone changes until a meeting scheduled for Feb. 13 solely for reviewing the plan.
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