Series 85021

A separate agency history is available.

DESCRIPTION: The minutes of the Cedar City city council summarize the discussions held at council meetings. The city council consists of the mayor and council members, who are responsible to exercise the community's legislative and executive powers (see Utah Code, Unannotated, 1991, 10-3-101, also Revised Ordinances, Cedar City, 1937, 5-50-68). The council, which meets twice monthly, is responsible for all aspects of city management, such as appointing city officials and setting their salaries, levying taxes, establishing a budget, maintaining public services and utilities, and regulating activity within the city. The city council manages city finances, and from 1900 to 1950 details of city expenditures were included in the city council minutes. The council regulates activities within the city, such as traffic, liquor sales, day care, and other commercial activity. Over the years the Cedar City city council has initiated and maintained many community improvements. These included an irrigation system, a slaughter house, school buildings, and a city hall during the 19th century. In the early 20th century, Cedar City erected telegraph lines, established a public library and gymnasium, installed new street lights, paved streets, and built a reservoir. The city council helped sponsor WPA projects in the 1930s and established a fire department. They worked to get a four year college in Cedar City in the 1940s. From 1939 to 1970 the council put much effort into the development of a municipal airport. In the later 20th century the city council lent support to the Shakespearean Festival, the construction of I-15, and the creation of the Iron Mission Museum. They established a planning commission in 1945, to assist in planning city development and in working on zoning ordinances and building codes. They established a redevelopment agency in 1980 to make and carry out plans for revitalizing downtown Cedar City.

ARRANGEMENT: Minutes are arranged chronologically as they were recorded.

RELATED RECORDS: The ordinances passed by the city council were recorded in ORDINANCES, series 3759, and CODIFIED ORDINANCES, series 23573. The minutes of adjunct commissions or agencies are recorded in REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MINUTES, series 23603, and in PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, series 23574. EXPENSE LEDGERS, series 23505, itemize city expenditures, which were also summarized in the city council minutes for many years.

FINDING AIDS: Beginning in 1961 the city council included an annual list of topics discussed and the dates on which they were discussed. These lists generally appear at the beginning of each year.

PROCESSING NOTE: Cedar City city council minutes were microfilmed at Southern Utah University under the direction of Utah State Archives in May 2001 and were processed by Rosemary Cundiff in July 2001. In processing an earlier microfilm copy of the minutes was deaccessioned.

PREFERRED CITATION: Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.

GAPS: This series contains no minutes for November 1883 to November 1891 or for July 1896 to December 1900.

CONTAINER LIST