Moab City will use a ranked choice voting ballot for city council elections later this year, the council voted unanimously on Tuesday, with help from the Utah County Elections Team as part of the Municipal Alternative Voting Methods Pilot Project.
âOne of the selling points is that ranked choice voting brings people together,â said Josh Daniels, chief deputy clerk auditor for Utah County, at a special meeting on April 20.
âOne of the theories is that rather than a campaign strategy rooted in burning down your opponent.you can have more collaborative campaigns,â said Daniels. The Utah County Elections Team is working to debut ranked choice voting in several cities and counties across the state.
The Moab City Council passed a long-awaited noise ordinance at their regular meeting on April 27 meant to address general noise complaints from residents across the city, specifically noise stemming from off-highway vehicles. Councilmembers ironed out specific time windows and decibel limits for recreational activity on Tuesday to finalize the ordinance and now look forward to gauging its impact.
âWeâre trying to embrace our full spectrum of recreation opportunities that we provide here in Moab. I want the motorized community to hear loud and clear from me and this council that weâre not trying to restrict or reject this type of recreation,â Mayor Emily Niehaus said at the meeting.
Happy Earth Day! Moab City elected officials and staff continue ongoing efforts to improve sustainability and environmental quality and health in the Moab Valley. With the hire of Mila Dunbar-Irwin as the new sustainability director, the city is poised to advance some of those efforts. At a March 11 strategic planning meeting, the city council discussed water conservation and sustainability goals.
Water Conservation
Ongoing studies of the aquifers and watersheds that provide Moab residents with water for drinking, home and commercial use, and irrigation continue to leave doubt about how much water we can safely draw from the aquifer without depleting our stores. Continuing growth and development also leave community leaders in doubt about how much and how fast water demand will increase.
At their regular meeting on April 13, the Moab City Council discussed a proposed noise control ordinance draft for the city. The ordinance covers potential noise pollution from musical instruments to construction, but the primary subject of debate is the section on vehicular noise.
The Grand County Commission also debated the issue of vehicular noise at two workshops last week, focusing on limiting fleet sizes and changing land-use codes.
âThe City of Moab is facing an excessive noise problem. The council has heard from citizens that their sleep is being affected, they canât open their windows at night, and in general their health is being affected as well as their enjoyment of their property,â said City Attorney Laurie Simonson. âThe council has also heard that the noise is keeping people from visiting Moab, so itâs affecting our economy.â