City Council Meetings Can Inform Us All

Two of our sons are Scouts and working on two important merit badges, Communications and Citizenship in the Community. One of the requirements for the first merit badge is to attend a city council meeting. We recently moved to South Jordan and the City Hall is only a few blocks from our home, so we decided to attend the South Jordan City Council meeting this past Tuesday.

We arrived a few minutes before the 6:00 PM meeting start time and settled into three very comfortable chairs in the third row. One of the council members announced that the meeting would start a few minutes late as they had just completed another meeting and needed a short break. About 10 minutes later the Mayor, five Council Members, City Manager, City Attorney and Chief of Police all filed in and took their seats.

We already had our Agenda from the stack of copies placed near the door to the City Council Chambers. The Mayor opened the meeting by calling on a Council Member to give the Invocation. After that, the Mayor called on one of the six Scouts from the audience to come forward and lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

One of the more interesting reports was given by a staff member under the direction of the City Manager, who actually runs the day-to-day affairs of the city. As with many city governments, South Jordan Citizens elect their Mayor and Council Members, who in turn appoint the City Manager. See South Jordan City Organization Chart

The City Manager's staffer gave everyone a tour around South Jordan, explaining what was going on in the different areas of the city. Here are just a few examples:

• Costco store to be built at 9800 South & Bangerter Hwy and open by Fall 2009.
• Gold's Gym looking at old Albertson's building for a new location.
• Olive Garden and McDonalds to be built in The District shopping center.
• The news report that South Jordan had spent all its snow removal money was wrong, and South Jordan citizens should not worry about snow removal.
• South Jordan has an ordinance that restricts parking in the street when it snows!

Woa ... wait a minute, what does this ordinance say because I sure have not heard of it? So, I looked it up and found it in the Municipal Code. I also learned that during 2008, the City Council had amended the particular ordinance for which I was looking.

So, by attending the City Council meeting we learned about this Parking During a Snow Event ordinance, which may save us a ticket and a few bucks in the future.

Another interesting item was revealed during the Citizen Comment time. A well-prepared gentleman informed everyone present of his view that the possible placement of a 100-foot tall cell phone tower in a city park would not be appropriate or advisable. He provided facts, figures, photos, and a compelling argument against placing such an industrial tower in a residential neighborhood and city park.

The meeting lasted about 90 minutes and served as a good reminder that local government and its officials play a key role in keeping citizens informed as well as make laws they believe will make their city a better place to live. Therefore, the City Council and its meetings are an important part of our Justice system in Utah.

Attend a City Council meeting in your area and you may be surprised just how invigorating it can be to learn about your community.

Eagle4Justice