Monticello sets highest water rates, makes improvements to park equipment

by David Boyle
News Director
Members of the Monticello City Council preliminary approved drought level water rates, made plans to improve parks and reviewed fee schedule updates as part of their March 10 meeting.
The council unanimously approved stage four secondary water rates effective mid-April. Every year the city of Monticello reviews available water and selects a rate for secondary water.
The four rates are meant to encourage conservation by charging more in drier years and allow more usage at a cheaper rate in wetter years.
City officials report Loyds Lake water levels are currently at an elevation of 7,124 feet, four feet below the stage four threshold at 7,128 feet.
Secondary water rates will be up to $5 per 1,000 gallons to deter excessive outdoor watering. City manager Kaeden Kulow said while the mountain snowpack has 5.6 inches of water equivalent, it is administratively easier to start with stricter requirements and ease them if runoff exceed expectations.
Council approved the stage four secondary water rate, with a stipulation allowing them to revisit and potentially lower the rates if water storage improves during spring runoff.
Members of the city council also approved the purchase of a new Toro Sand Pro for the Parks and Recreation Department for $50,000. The new machine will replace a 2007 model that logged over 9,00 hours and is suffering from engine and hydraulic failures.
Assistant City Manager Megan Gallegos outlined the new machine will not only be used for grooming infields at the city ball fields but can also be used for maintaining the trail systems at Loyds Lake and the Uranium Mill Site.
Members of the council also approved the donation of the existing Veterans Park playground equipment to a non-specificied chapter on the Navajo Nation.
City staff said San Juan County Commissioner Silvia Stubbs approached the city about donating the existing equipment. Members of the council approved the donation contingent that the playground equipment be removed on the week of March 23, when a contractor is scheduled to begin concrete work for the park’s refurbishment of ADA compliant playground equipment. If that timeline is not met, the equipment will be turned over to the contractor for removal.
Members of the city council also addressed a building permit violation on Oakcrest Drive. The council voted to grant a continued extension on the project with a “fines in abeyance” structure. The property owner will be assessed a $50 per day fine which will be collected only if they fail to meet specific construction milestones leading toward a certificate of occupancy.
Members of the council reviewed an updated fee schedule, including a $50 technology fee for Hideout rentals involving sound and projector equipment.
There are higher fees for rentals of city pavilions for over four hours, an increase in youth recreation fees for most programs from $30 to $45 to cover rising equipment costs, and a shift to animal licensing at a $0 renewal fee provided owners keep vaccination records updated with the city.
Members of the council also ratified letters of support for federal grant application involving water infrastructure storage expansion and a new EMS transport vehicle for San Juan County.
The city also committed $25,000 in matching funds for a Community Development Block Grant to purchase a new fire brush truck.
Members of the city council also heard a report from San Juan County EMS Director Jeremy Hoggard on the state of county emergency services.
Hoggard reported that EMS is considered an essential service in the state following a bill passed in the 2025 legislative session.
Hoggard reports the result is a heavier mandate on municipalities to ensure its provision.
Hoggard reports the department is struggling with a low call volume relative to high fixed costs with each call costing an estimated $1,671 to facilitate.
About 64 percent of the patients rely on Medicare and Medicaid, which Hoggard says reimburses at 30 to 40 percent of the actual costs. Those budgetary concerns, along with aging ambulances that will need to be replaced, has led the county to propose a one percent dedicated sales tax initiative for the November 2026 ballot.
The tax would exclude food and fuel but would apply to lodging and restaurant services. Hoggard ask the city council to champion the initiative to educate the public on its necessity for future EMS service reliability.
Members of the council also held a discussion on a proposed ordinance to prohibit the unauthorized feeding of protected wildlife. The term was chosen to replace specific language regarding deer, elk and turkey. The ordinance is requirement for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to implement an Urban Deer Control Plan.
Members of the city council reviewed the option to control the significant deer population in the city.
City council members described the situation is at a breaking point at their February 24, 2026 meeting.
Among the requirements for the DWR to implement population control are application by the city, an estimated deer population with a final target population to seek through removal and by enforcing an ordinance prohibiting the feeding of deer, elk and moose in city boundaries.
The ordinance will aim to prevent attracting additional animals into the area. Council asked for additional confirmation that the ordinance will not impact bird feeders ahead of future passage of the ordinance.
The primary focus is to prevent residents from leaving out large quantities of feed for deer, including apples or hay.
Additional information about the requirements and discussions with DWR about the implementation of an Urban Deer Control Plan is in the March 4 edition of the San Juan Record.