My answers are in bold towards the end of this post.
Land Use
Nibley has grown at 9.5 % on average for each of the last 11 years largely due to family farms being sold to developers. Land owners have a right to develop their land and simply saying “no development” is not an option. No one wants the City to tell them what they can and can't do in their backyard, but when their neighbor is doing something they don't like, residents expect the City to step in and stop the behavior. Nibley City is guided by a General Plan, State Code, and City ordinances. All of which come into play when making land use issues decisions.
a. Have you read and do you know what LUDMA is and how it directs cities in Utah?
b. What do you feel is the balance between allowing land owners to develop their land as they choose and seeing that development is done in a way that benefits the whole city?
c. Have you read the General Plan and how does your vision for Nibley match or differ from the current Nibley City General Plan?
d. How would you help preserve open space or agricultural zones within Nibley and within our Annexation Declaration area?
e. What is the proper place for regulating residents and how much regulation is OK?
Why I am Running
Candidates for public office often run with a specific agenda, personal issue, out of anger or frustration.
f. What is your primary motive for running for city council and what do you hope to learn, and accomplish, during your service?
g. What is your greatest concern with the direction Nibley City has taken the past 4 years? How would you change this direction?
h. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing Nibley City within the next 4 years?
Money Issues
One of the greatest misunderstandings people have is what money is available and what can be done with that money. There are strict regulations and auditing processes on public funds.
i. Do you know what the annual budget is for the City and what is the largest source of revenue for the City?
j. What line items or departments of Nibley City's current budget do you feel need to be adjusted if any?
Parks, Recreation, and Community
Nibley City recently adopted a Parks and Recreation Master Plan that was developed by consultants and a committee backed by citizenry input. The study showed Nibley is far younger than the national statistics with a third of our population under the age or 12. It also showed that there are not enough facilities for national standards of a city of our size. Based on all the information certain recommendations were made and presented in the plan.
k. Have you read the Parks Plan? What do you think of it? What are your ideas for parks and recreation planning?
l. As the City continues to grow, we will see an increasing diversity in the demographics of our residents. What can the City do to make sure Nibley is a place where everyone feels included and welcome?
Land Use
a. LUDMA refers to Land Use Development Management Act. It is a portion of Utah
state code that directs land use development. Any city ordinances that are passed
regarding land usage have to conform to LUDMA code.
b. Because of LUDMA property owners have the right to develop their land. As a city
we should assure that it is done in an orderly manner and plan for the utilities and the
impact of growth. Nibley city made large steps to provide for orderly growth by
adopting the Nibley City General Plan with input from hundreds of residents.
c. Yes, I have read the General Plan and I like the way that it provides for future
sustainable growth.
d. The Nibley City conservation subdivision ordinance needs a chance to work.
e. In an ideal society we wouldnʼt need regulation because everyone would take care of
themselves. Unfortunately, we donʼt live in an ideal world. There needs to be some
judicious use of regulation.
Why I am Running
f. My primary motive for running for Nibley City Council is to represent a demographic
of Nibley that hasnʼt been represented on the Council. I am a mother of a young
family. In this questionnaire it is stated that one third of the population is under the
age of 12. This means we have a lot of young families here. I know the issues that
we face as we raise our families. As a mother, I am interested in the future of our
community and the direction we are heading. I do not have a preconceived agenda. I
am a studious, thorough person and my goal is to study the issues and vote with our
futures in mind.
g. I donʼt have any major complaints with the current course of Nibley City. In fact, I
see a lot of good things in the works. I like our plans for beautification that I have
seen with my involvement on the Tree Board. We have great parks, soccer fields,
pavilions, and schools. Our Nibley City Heritage Days programs are traditions that I
participated in as a youth and I love that my kids will have the same opportunities. I
would like to see even more community involvement and more programs aimed at
strengthening our sense of community.
h. In the next four years our biggest issues as a city will most likely center around
growth. We are the closest city to Logan with the largest capacity for more growth.
Currently there is a lull in growth with the recent economic conditions. This is an
opportune time to prepare for the future and ready ourselves for the inevitable growth
that will come. We have a parks plan that is in the planning stages, trails plans, and
beautification projects that are all needing more attention to be further pushed along in
their progress. Taking advantage of this time to prepare for future growth would make
us a more prepared and even better place to live.
Responses to the Nibley City Council Candidate Questions 2011
Money Issues
i. The entire Nibley City budget is $5 million with the sewer fees being our largest
source of revenue. The General Fund is around $1.8 million and is supported from tax
revenue with sales tax being the main supply of funds.
j. I feel generally pleased with the budget and city expenditures. Currently there is
about $14,000 that is alloted for the Nibley Heritage Days program. Spending more
money on the festivities could be a great opportunity to celebrate our community and
bring people together.
Parks, Recreation, and Community
k. Yes, I have read our parks plan. It is a great plan for Nibleyʼs future and feel we
should go forward with it. Providing parks for our residents is a great way to boost
our community and bring people together whether it be through baseball games,
soccer games, or a splash pad. The current funding proposal to pay for the parks
with impact fees is a good solution for future parks.
l. The demographic of Nibley is predominantly members of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints. Being a member myself, I can see how it has some great
advantages in our community. However, there is a disadvantage in that if people
arenʼt members of the faith they could feel isolated as most of our interaction is
between members of our wards. As a community we need to reach out to everyone
regardless of their ethnicity, religion or other differences in their backgrounds. This is
why I am such a proponent of Heritage Days and instigating other community events
to help enrich our sense of Nibley. The more events we have the more involvement is
needed by volunteers and as we get an increasingly more diverse population we will
be able to reach out to everyone. The volunteer spirit is on fire in Nibley, evidence of
that can be seen in our amazing presentations at the County and State Fairs, as well
as the “volunteer park” on 250 West. As we cultivate this spirit and encourage it more
we will help make Nibley a place were everyone feels welcome and included.
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