Eagle Mtn: New City Councilman

After more than two hours of interviewing candidates, Jon Celaya took his place on the Eagle Mountain City Council Tuesday night.

The council voted to appoint Celaya to fill the remainder of Eric Cieslak’s term on the council, which expires at the end of 2011. Cieslak resigned in August to take a job in Chicago.

Mayor Heather Jackson said Celaya’s experience in the northwestern Utah County city made him stand out from the 16 candidates vying for Cieslak’s seat.-SLTrib

Eagle Mtn City Council Meeting

The first Eagle Mountain City Council Meeting of 2010 will be on January 5th.

The work session will begin at 4:00p and the policy session is at 7:00p.

"Public comment is offered during the 7 PM policy session. Comments are limited to three minutes each. When you arrive, please fill out a public comment form (located in the boxes on the walls) and submit the form to our city recorder.

If you are part of a group who will be addressing the same subject, please select a spokesperson to speak for the group."-EagleMountainCity.org

John Painter to Run for Eagle Mtn. City Council

Click here for his blogspot campaign site.

Eagle Mtn. City Council Seals Documents

"The City Council has approved a settlement with a property owner for a power-line right of way and land for a power substation.

But don't expect to find out how much it's costing taxpayers anytime soon.

The council, without public discussion, unanimously voted on May 5 to seal the settlement documents, saying the paperwork was protected under the state Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA).

City Attorney Jerry Kinghorn said the settlement had to be sealed because the city is still in talks with other property owners.

The settlement was worked out with the help of the state's property rights ombudsman, and the city is in talks with five other land owners, said Administrator John Hendrickson.

Said Kinghorn, "We are allowed to protect [the settlement agreement] while we are acquiring similar properties."

In a memo to the council, Kinghorn said each property needs to be handled independently, and the other property owners shouldn't be able to use the settlement as evidence in their negotiations.

But that doesn't sit well with Joel Campbell, a Brigham Young University journalism professor and open-government advocate.

While the law allows property appraisals to be kept out of public view during real-estate negotiations, Campbell said they should be public once the deal is done.

"The city has a right to know how much the city settled for," Campbell said. "Under GRAMA, out-of-court settlements are public documents."

Kinghorn said the record will be disclosed -- eventually. When the rest of the property disputes are settled, all the information will be released." -Salt Lake Tribune

Charges dropped against former Eagle Mtn. City Council member

"Linn Strouse, who served two terms on the Eagle Mountain City Council, was charged with a prohibited personal use of office after receiving $10,000 from developer John Walden. Prosecutor Jason Sant said the state would have needed to prove Strouse was not fair or impartial in carrying out her duties as a result of the money she received. The second-degree felony was dropped Monday after the sum was paid back to Walden.

"We worked something out where the defendant would pay the restitution or the amount owed on the loan," Sant said.

Although Strouse had a position on the City Council, Sant said the charge had nothing to do with Eagle Mountain, but was solely between Strouse and Walden. Sant said he felt the facts of the case and the criminal charge have not changed, but prosecutors decided not to continue pursuing the case." -Daily Herald

Great Advice For New City Council Members

Eagle Mountain City Councilman David Lifferth had one piece of advice for his newer colleagues: "Don't anybody commit any crimes."

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