The following are questions that were sent from the Pyramid to Mayor Chris Anderson of Spring City and his responses to those questions.

1. How long have you lived in Spring City and served in city government? What led you to want to run for the mayor of Spring City? Why are you running again for council instead of mayor?

My wife and I have lived in Spring City for about 20 years now. I am just completing a four-year term as Mayor and previously served four years as a member of the City Council. I ran for Mayor, because at the time there were few candidates willing to run, and I thought my experience on the City Council would be helpful. I am now running for a two-year seat on the City Council, because I have become frustrated at the inability to vote on matters coming before the City Council. As I see the mayor position, I am representing the entire city and as I am not voting on issues, I can’t and shouldn’t impose my personal will. As a Council member, I still represent the entire City, but when it comes to a vote I can vote the way I feel is in the best interests of the City.

I feel that if I were to serve two years on the Council, I could be of use to the new Mayor, due to my experience in the City’s Government.

My willingness to run for a city office previously and now is tied to the desire of Alison and myself to give back to our community and try to make a difference. In our 20 years in Spring City, we have donated substantial funds and time to Spring City Arts and Friends of Historic Spring City and have promoted the restoration of the City buildings. We have purchased trees for the City Park, chair racks for the Community Center and created a small fund to provide an incentive to people to clean up unkempt lots. We have sponsored and held concerts for the community and fall parties for our residents. We have restored our historic house and out-buildings, have worked with our neighbors to restore another historic home, and with our neighbors have purchased other homes and lots to ensure that they are developed in a manner consistent with Spring City’s historic nature. Helping with the City government was just one more way to be of service.

2. It was obvious at the meeting that this zoning change in Spring City is a very heated issue. Why was it decided to vote on this issue in a special council meeting instead of the regularly scheduled council meeting? Did the change of meeting day have anything to do with the upcoming election?

The zoning change would have been on the agenda for the regular October meeting, but I exercised my authority as Mayor (which includes the right to control the agenda within reason) to keep it off the agenda. I felt that the two sides of the zoning issue were making good progress towards coming up with a compromise that would be more satisfactory to a greater portion of the community. I wanted that discussion to continue. We never had a comprehensive survey of our citizens to see which way a majority would lean on the issue, and ultimately a majority will have the ability to control the issue.

I hoped that further discussion could help us reach a decision that would reflect more of a consensus.

Two or more members of the City Council have the right to order that a special meeting be held to address specific issues. All five voting members of the City Council submitted an order for a special meeting to vote on one of the two proposed subdivision ordinances. So, according to my understanding of our Municipal Code, I had no choice but to convene the meeting as requested and address the zoning ordinances.

I think the timing of the special meeting mostly was due to the Council members wanting to move forward with a decision, rather than face further delays. I am sure the upcoming election had something to do with the timing, in that the current Council members wanted the issue to be resolved. Of course a new City Council could renew the discussion and revisit the zoning ordinance.

3. After attending the City Council meeting Tuesday night, it  seemed that there are many people that are not in favor of the new zoning ordinance that was passed. People seem to be pretty upset with the current council. Why is there so much opposition?

The opposition and intense feelings arise from the fact that both sides have legitimate arguments and concerns. Those interested in historic preservation want to do all they can to preserve the unique resource that attracts people to Spring City and offers a glimpse into pioneer life. Those attracted by the open spaces and rural lifestyle want to maintain the look and feel of the town, even if they don’t have an historic house. On the other hand, those who would like to realize value from their large lots, provide opportunities for more affordable lots for young families, or promote lot sizes that can be more easily maintained, cite property rights as the justification for their interests. They believe that within reason and subject to legal limitations they should be able to do what they want with their properties.

One of the reasons that citizens attending the recent meetings are upset with the Council, is that they feel the Council members have failed to modify the proposed ordinance to address their concerns. The Council has acted contrary to the recommendations of the Planning and Zoning Commission and has failed to conduct an unbiased survey of citizen desires.

4. In the history that Councilman Strate stated in the meeting, he mentioned that the Planning Committee that was organized to look at the effects of the new zoning ordinance and couldn’t come up with a consensus of what to do. Why did the city council choose to consider and approve these ordinances when the planning committee did not support them?

When discussions began about what do about growth and lot size in Spring City, a community committee was established in the hopes that they could come up with a consensus proposal of how we should approach the issues.

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly since the committee included people from both sides of the issue, no consensus was reached. At the time, no ordinances had been drafted or were being considered. In the absence of direction from the committee, the two interest groups continued to campaign for the realization of their objectives, and members of the Council moved forward with proposals satisfying their objectives that progressed through the legislative process.

5. I found the General Plan for Spring City on the city’s website. Where did this general plan come from and how was it adopted? Others seem to think that this plan is not legal. When was this plan adopted by the city?

The current General Plan was adopted by the City Council a couple of years ago, following a public hearing process. Opponents have charged that the adopted was not effective, as the Plan was not enacted in the form of an ordinance. They claim that if the Plan was not appropriately adopted, the City has no General Plan.

The City’s legal counsel has advised us that the Plan was appropriately adopted. The current Plan was a modification of the pre-existing Plan, so if it was not appropriately adopted, then it seems to me that the prior Plan would continue in place. That is, a failed amendment wouldn’t do away with the prior Plan. It would just mean the amendment wasn’t effective. So that would not leave Spring City without any Plan. Nobody has challenged the effectiveness of the pre-existing Plan.

I believe the Plan was appropriately developed by our Planning and Zoning Commission with public input and is appropriate for a small town like Spring City. I believe it was legally adopted and has served its purpose. I am of course open to improvements and enhancements to the Plan.