Helm and several other residents became emotionally charged during the meeting — some shouted boos and gave applause to the ideas they favored. Several times, the residents criticized the city's planning director, questioning whether he had enough experience to propose a conditional-use permit that would protect the city.

At one point, Mayor Don Richardson told City Council members and the audience to "keep this respectful" after cutting remarks were made, but the clamor continued for the duration of the public hearing.

Although Strouse did not identify her reasons for opposing the pit — or publicly disclose the proximity of her subdivision to the proposed site — the councilwoman was one of the project's most vocal critics.

"I try to be fair and consider everyone's rights," Strouse said in the meeting.

Councilman Vincent Liddiard made a motion to deny the conditional-use permit based on the fact that the operation is prohibited in an agricultural zone, and the council supported the decision unanimously.

"If you're an individual homeowner, I think you should be allowed to do what you want on your property as long as it's in compliance with the city code," Councilman David Lifferth told the Deseret Morning News. "I don't think it's the role of government to micromanage and decide what people can do on their own property. ... (But) last night I was hung up on the issue of large scale processing."

Patterson said his company may re-apply for a permit to remove the gravel from the property and process it on another location.

---

E-mail: achoate@desnews.com