SANTA CLARA — While the relationship has had its bumps, the neighboring cities of Santa Clara and Ivins in the past have combined their fire and police departments.
Now, at least twice a year, the cities will combine their city council meetings.
Santa Clara Mayor Rick Rosenberg made the announcement during the Santa Clara City Council’s meeting at Santa Clara Town Hall Wednesday. He told St. George News the meetings will help the two cities avoid any miscommunications or disputes between the two cities that share police and fire departments, and a border.
One recent dispute has been criticism from Ivins city leaders about the Center Street Fire Station in Ivins remaining unmanned since late last year. The fire department will not be the sole subject at the first joint council meeting in the first week of August.
“We’ll talk fire, we’ll talk, police, we’ll talk court, we’ll talk whatever border disputes we’ve got going on,” Rosenberg said. “Just so that there’s good communication, trying to avoid some of the issues.”
Rosenberg’s counterpart, Ivins Mayor Chris Hart, agrees.
“Ivins and Santa Clara are doing so much in common, particularly in the public safety area, that discussions between both councils periodically to discuss plans and budgets is necessary. Had we been doing that in the past the current fire concerns could have been better anticipated and perhaps avoided,” Hart said.
The actual date and time of the first meeting in August still needs to be finalized between city managers of Santa Clara and Ivins, but the site will be Santa Clara Town Hall. The plan in the future will be for two meetings a year — one in July or August and one in December.
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