Councilman discussed at Hildale meeting
 
By Patrice St. Germain
patrices@thespectrum.com
 
HILDALE - Hildale City Councilman William E. Jessop, who has been either excused or absent from meetings since last May, was the subject of discussion at the Hildale City Council meeting Tuesday morning.

Mayor David Zitting said state law requires him to take attendance at council meetings "quite seriously" and by being absent more than three consecutive times, the position is automatically vacant.

Jessop was marked absent for three months in a row from July to September 2005. He was also marked excused from October 2005 to February 2006 and was not present Tuesday. Zitting said the city council has been able to function so he has not pushed the issue. But, he asked for input from the council on Tuesday.

"Under the circumstances that we are under, that we are facing ... because of the conditions and circumstances that we are in, just continue doing what we are doing ... and carry on where we were asked to carry on," Councilman Harold Peine said.

Councilman Joe Jessop said the city should contact William Jessop and find out what his desires are. Councilman Lamar Johnson agreed that the council should hold the position open.

"I think he should be considered excused until he states his desires to the city council," Johnson said.

The council also voted to put former Hurricane Justice Court Judge Richard Carr in temporarily to fill the vacancy in Hildale Justice Court after the Utah Supreme Court ordered Judge Walter Steed removed from the bench.

Fencing issues were also brought up by Peine who said some residents have asked him to do something about high fences on corner lots.

By zoning adopted by the city about 30 years ago, Peine said fences are to be no more than 3 feet tall on corners, 4 feet tall along the road and 6 feet tall between properties. Peine also said by the Uniform Building Code, any fence over 6 feet tall has to be engineered.

Joe Jessop said the 3-foot tall limit was a little extreme and offered no protections.

Johnson said "make it say '3 feet higher than a cameraman can reach.'"

Peine said one of the issues he has with the fence height is that people are complaining about site visibility, but he also said part of the problem is people not obeying the laws by speeding.

"How do you regulate morality? How do you regulate that?" Peine said.
 
TheSpectrum.com
Originally published March 15, 2006
 
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