Following the Cache County Sheriff’s Office posting of the colors, Sheriff Chad Jensen recognized CCSO employees who received awards the previous night’s banquet.

Award recipients included the following:

• Deputy Hayden Humphreys, Life Saving Award
• Humphreys and Deputy Austin Clark, Unit Citation Award
• Sgt. Tyson Nielsen, Outstanding Achievement Award for the Criminal Division
• Detective Doug Thorson, Outstanding Achievement Award for the Criminal Division
• Deputy Myndee Weeks, Outstanding Achievement Award for the Jail Division
• Emergency Manager Will Lusk, Support Services Outstanding Achievement Award
• Office Specialist Kristy Blauer, Support Services Probation Unit Outstanding Achievement Award
• Deputy Brad Nelson, Deputy of the Year Award

“Just in closing, I want to personally thank all of our staff for the great work they do every day,” Jensen said. “Most things go unnoticed. Great works go unnoticed.

“It’s the exceptional things that kind of poke out and kind of hit the papers and make a big splash, but exceptional, powerful things are done every single day. Lives are changed every single day because of the work that they do.”

Jensen concluded by thanking the Logan City Police Department, dispatchers, the Cache County Council, local municipalities and the community, for a level of support he feels is “not matched anywhere else in the state.”

A standing ovation was promptly given from everyone inside the council chambers, which were chock-full.

In a similar vein, the council heard from LCPD’s 911 Director Kristi Walker, who brought forth a proposal for an increase in fees being paid by the county’s residents.

Currently, residents pay a $3 dispatch fee each month, to support the department.

Walker’s proposal includes a 10% initial increase in the fee, followed by a 3% increase each year, for the next four years. Walker estimated the fee to rise to $3.71 by the end of the five-year period.

While the department is funded for 20 full-time positions, Walker said non-competitive pay, rigorous training and the overall toll of the job often lead to high attrition among applicants and/or high rates of turnover.

Walker said Cache County’s starting hourly-wage of $22.85 simply doesn’t compete with Box Elder County’s $27.50, Rich County’s $26 or Franklin County’s $25 hourly wages. She also said the department cut one full-time position in November, in order to offer $2 per-hour raises to the rest of the department, whose employees previously made $20.85 per-hour.

Walker estimated the fee increase would allow the department to eventually offer another $2 per-hour raise.

Cache County Fire Chief Rodney Hammer, who also formally introduced his successor, Brady George, earlier in the meeting, spoke to the value of the 911 dispatchers.

“One thing to remember, this dispatch center is for everybody,” Hammer said, struggling to get his next comment out. “Every call that we go on — somebody is there to answer.

“I was on a call when somebody started shooting at our folks and within a short time, we had over 50 law enforcement people ... because they do such a good job.”

The council decided to vote on the proposal during its next meeting, May 27.

Powder Mountain Ski Resort, coming off a recently approved rezone request — albeit met with contention and a narrow margin of approval — sought approval on a new ski lift, a new maintenance building and an art-centric trail system, set to feature many art pieces along the way.

Both the ski lift and the maintenance building were approved, while the trail system was sent back to the drawing board, after the council asked for language guaranteeing public access in perpetuity to be added.

Similar to the rezone request, the three development agreements were met with displeasure, coming in the form of 120-plus letters submitted to the council and some participants in the public hearing.

Cache County’s Interim Director of Development Services Angie Zetterquist provided details on complaints received, citing concerns with incremental developments being approved without a master plan having been approved yet, public access and ticket prices.

After a few speakers during the public hearing made incorrect statements about the process, claiming the council was “putting the cart before the horse,” Council Chair Sandi Goodlander and Chief Deputy County Executive Dirk Anderson corrected the statements and similar statements made in emails.

“I just want to clarify that Powder Mountain did present a master plan last October, and that, because of shortness of staff — we had a change in leadership — and different things that have happened, we have been the holdup,” Goodlander said. “The county is going through that plan carefully to make sure that we are protected and to make sure there is nothing — once it’s approved — that we didn’t understand.”

Anderson provided clarifications on what the county’s process, regarding approvals of various aspects of the project, looks like, claiming many emails received from residents displayed a “potential misunderstanding.”

With the rezone being the first step, followed by the master plan, Anderson explained the council’s ability to be able to hear — and potentially approve — smaller development agreements, despite their current code not correctly reflecting the process, due to recent changes in the State of Utah’s Code.

While the master plan is currently being reviewed and if/when it is approved, the council can decide to deny any projects it feels are outside the scope of the plan if they feel as though it greatly changes the master plan.

All three of the proposals heard Tuesday were included in the master plan.

Another large area of concern voiced by speakers and in emails revolved around what was commonly described as the unwanted privatization.

Council Vice Chair Kathryn Beus explained her thoughts on the public-versus-private debate, echoing sentiments previously mentioned in the meeting.

“I echo a lot of the sentiments that have been expressed this evening — that this has been private land for as far as we can really trace that back,” Beus said. “This hasn’t been public land that is now suddenly (being taken away from the public.”

Beus also requested Powder Mountain include the language allowing perpetual public access to the trails system.

The ski lift proposal was approved with council members Nolan Gunnell and Keegan Garrity dissenting. Gunnell was the only dissenting vote on the approval of the new maintenance shed.

The council found its way to a majority decision, regarding Planned Parenthood’s request for being exempt from property taxes.

After the request failed during the council’s last meeting, due to a tie, which spawned from personal beliefs causing council members Gunnell, David Erickson and Mark Hurd to dissent.

During Tuesday’s meeting Cache County Attorney Taylor Sorenson explained the potential repercussions of such a decision, seeing as how Planned Parenthood qualifies for the exemption, under the letter of the law.

Sorenson prefaced his statements saying he is pro-life and does not necessarily agree with everything Planned Parenthood does. Immediately after, Sorenson, accompanied by Cache County Tax Administrator Dianna Schaeffer, warned the council of denying the exemption, citing Planned Parenthood’s qualifying status under the Utah Constitution.

Sorenson claimed he was merely doing his job — protecting the county from any potential litigation they did not stand to win and was not endorsing or asking the council to endorse Planned Parenthood.

With Erickson being the only dissenting vote, the exemption was granted.

To view the meeting in its entirety, visit Cache County’s YouTube page and navigate to the “Live” tab.