Current Ivins Issues

  • Is This The Right Vision?
    Does the City’s vision for Ivins’ future match yours? The City Council has been working on an update to our General Plan since February. The General Plan is the City’s primary guiding document, outlining Ivins’ past, present, and future. It is meant to reflect our collective vision, values, and goals. It’s crucial to get this right, so your input is vital. Please review the plan and email me and the rest of the City Council with your suggestions. Don’t let…
  • Is Our Wellbeing Well?
    The results of Utah State University’s Wellbeing Survey for Ivins are now available. Ivins had the highest overall personal wellbeing average at 4.4 for cities in the rapid growth cluster. We also had the second highest score among the 49 cities surveyed. That’s all great. But the survey also highlighted concerns. Many respondents feel that population growth and economic development are occurring too quickly. The primary concerns for the future include water supply, water quality, traffic, open space/green space, air…
  • How Will the PGA Tour Impact Me?
    Thanks to Councilmember Sharon Barton, there is now a dedicated link on the City’s website for information about the Black Desert Resort’s PGA Tour, happening from October 9th to 13th. This page will be regularly updated with details about traffic, activities, and more.
  • Concerns About Contaminants in Dry Wash Reservoir
    Chuck Gillette, the Ivins City Director of Public Works presented an analysis of risks from the potential accumulation and spread of PFAS and other heavy metals in the proposed Dry Wash Reservoir. Here is his presentation (Download PDF). Here’s a video version of the presentation slides. Pause the video for any slides you want to spend more time on.
  • Yes I know Taxes Is A Four Letter Word
    At Thursday’s City Council meeting I uttered the unspeakable… the unthinkable: Let’s consider a property tax increase. If my goal was to make everyone in Ivins mad at me, I mean everyone, then mission accomplished. But once your blood pressure drops back into a normal range, please consider my reasons. Here is what I presented at the meeting. Part 1: Property Taxes: How Does Ivins Compare? Part 2: Property Taxes & General Fund Expenses Part 3: Public Safety Part 4:…
  • Field of Streams
    It was pointed out at last Thursday’s City Council meeting that dredging Gunlock Reservoir could increase its storage capacity by 3,000 acre-feet. That has been suggested a lot in recent months. Why not do that instead of creating the much smaller Dry Wash Reservoir? It sounded like a good idea. The Reservoir was designed to hold 10,884 acre-feet of water. But a buildup of sediment over the years has reduced its capacity. There has been some periodic dredging, but it…
  • How To Beat The Incomprehensible Web of Bureaucracy
    Sometimes people get upset on social media about the wrong things. Yes, believe it or not, that’s true. Like when the City approves a “preliminary plan” or a “final plat” for a development. Comments boil down to something like this, “Why would those idiots approve this when we are already overwhelmed with growth, traffic, water issues, and more?” Here’s why. Property owners are allowed to build whatever Ivins City Code says they can build for the zone they are in.…
  • “Ivins Inspired” Launching June 1st
    Here are excerpts from information Ivins resident Tiffany Wynn sent me about an exciting new project, “Ivins Inspired.” It is designed for Ivins but was inspired by the “Carmel Cares” volunteer organization (https://www.carmelcares.org/). “Ivins Inspired” is a volunteer program designed to empower Ivins residents to lend a helping hand and leave a lasting impact on our spectacular city. Officially launching on June 1st, it is an opportunity to come together as a community to create meaningful change. Whether you’re passionate…
  • Police, Fire, EMS Update
    Mayor Hart held a Public Safety Talkabout on Wednesday, April 24th. Our Police and Fire Chiefs gave an overview of where we are now with public safety and what they plan next to not only maintain but improve the level of service. About 50 residents participated, either in person or by Zoom, in almost 90 minutes of Q&A. They expressed gratitude for the quality of public safety, but also a lot of concerns. I took notes about the concerns raised.…
  • Is Ivins A Healthy Place?
    The Utah Health Department’s “Healthy Places Index” (https://map.utah.healthyplacesindex.org/) says that Ivins is healthier than 67.8% of Utah cities. We score even better on transportation (we’ll see how that holds up in the future) and a clean environment. We score miserably on neighborhood conditions because the index prioritizes “tree canopy” which makes sense up north, but not so much in a desert. We should pay attention to everything that contributes to making Ivins a healthy community. Doing that will help us…
  • It’s Not My Fault
    It’s Not My Fault. But it’s time to talk earthquakes. When I was in grade school we were taught to hide under our desks if there was an earthquake or even a nuclear attack. I doubt that would have worked well. So, what should you do in an earthquake? Find out this Thursday, April 11th, at City Hall (85 N Main St.) at 7pm. Dave Williams chairs the Emergency Preparedness Committee for Ivins. This Thursday members of Santa Clara Ivins…
  • Your Voice Matters: How’s Life In Ivins?
    Ivins is participating in Utah State University’s “Wellbeing Project.” It’s an online wellbeing survey being done through the end of April. It will report on residents’ well-being and attitudes about community issues. The goal is to use these results in our planning and decision-making to support the overall quality of life in Ivins. The interesting thing about this survey is it does not explicitly define well-being. It allows each of us to explain or interpret what well-being means to them.…
  • Bigfoot And Affordable Housing
    Both are elusive creatures that everyone talks about, but few, if any, have seen. Even so, the State Legislature is putting more pressure on cities to find housing affordability solutions. On top of that, the Governor is calling on cities to create 35,000 “starter” homes for first-time home buyers. In response, Mayor Hart created an Affordable Housing Task Force. The goal is to find solutions that “fit” Ivins, rather than the cookie-cutter approach the State is using. City Council member…
  • Police, Fire, EMS Talkabout
    Join us for a Talkabout on Public Safety that will take place on Wednesday evening April 24th beginning at 7:00 PM at Rocky Vista University. The panel will include Fire Chief Andrew Parker and Police Chief Bob Flowers with members of their staff. This forum will provide an opportunity to learn where we stand with our current levels of service for Police, Fire, and EMS, and to ask questions. If you are unable to attend, you may participate via Zoom…
  • Goldilocks And The Reservoir
    There was a city council work meeting on March 21st to discuss potential problems a proposed Dry Wash reservoir could create. It wasn’t a public hearing, but more than 80 residents attended. Thank you! Your attendance made a difference. Even though it wasn’t a public hearing, the Mayor invited a number of residents to speak about their concerns. Ivins resident Wayne Pennington spoke and recommended changes to the size and shape of the reservoir that would help mitigate some of…
  • What Flushes in Vegas Stays in Vegas
    The proposed Dry Wash Reservoir in Ivins would store wastewater in the winter to be used for outdoor irrigation somewhere in the county during the summer. To help residents and the City Council better understand and maybe even appreciate wastewater, the Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) organized a tour of facilities in and around Las Vegas on March 14th, where wastewater is being used to protect water resources and at the same time provide some scenic wildlife habitat. About…
  • The Latest In Landscapes
    Join us for a Talkabout on Wednesday, March 20th at 7pm at Rocky Vista University to learn more about the City’s new relationship with Utah State Univerity’s Center for Water Efficient Landscaping and the resources being developed to support Ivins’ residents in reducing outdoor water use. This conversation with residents will be led by Dr. Kelly Kopp. She is Director of the Center for Water Efficient Landscaping. Kelly specializes in drought tolerant vegetation, particularly grasses, and conversion techniques that can…
  • Reservoir Reservations Remain
    There was a large turnout at last night’s Talkabout at Rocky Vista University, with a lot of questions and answers about Dry Wash Reservoir. Most of the evening was devoted to answering questions from the audience, after a presentation from Zach Renstrom, General Manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District. Some misconceptions were cleared up, but a lot of resident concerns voiced last night remain. To deal with those, the Mayor announced the City will begin a series of…
  • Ivins in Action
    Have you wanted to get involved more in our community, but aren’t sure how or what groups are out there? Good news! There is a new, small team of volunteers working on creating a volunteer database, connecting interested residents with projects and groups and organizations that help make Ivins such a great place to live.  On Thursday night, the Ivins City Council unanimously supported a proposal by two Ivins residents, Tiffany Wynn and Shauna Fisher to identify and leverage volunteers…
  • A Gift of Cottonwood Glory
    At last night’s city council meeting Mayor Hart thanked Elizabeth Fortney for her generous donation to the city of her photograph on metal entitled, “Cottonwood Glory.” Elizabeth “Liz” Fortney is well known for her talent as a photographer and her generous devotion to the Arts in Ivins City. As a member of the Ivins City Arts Commission, Liz dedicates her energy to promoting the many artists living and working in Ivins City. She currently serves as the Commission Secretary. Liz…

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