Chip Wilson for Mayor

Want to address a couple of statements concerning that I have not directed the city to install a horse crossings on State Highway 88. The City can not install any crossing on a State Highway. The City has written a support letter to ADOT to ask them to install signage and a crossing on 88. Not only at the Hitching Post area, Lost Dutchman Blvd, and also at Tomahawk Rd. Both areas must be approved by ADOT before they can be installed. I am working with the cities Public Works and Parks & Recreation to design a new sign that will be placed close to some of the highly used trails as well as the trail where the horse and rider was hit. We are also looking at placing paint striping on the road to identify the crossing. We are looking at installing the signage this coming fall and budget the painting for next year. Everything does take time to get placed into the budget plans then be installed.

Also a question was directed to me about the entrance on to US 60 off of Ironwood. The complaint was that the center two lanes turn on to 60 and only one lane goes north into the city. Again the city has no control of the on ramp and the road passing under 60. ADOT has the control and design of the intersection. Just like the roundabout on 88. I took our Public Works director out to one of the roundabouts in Mesa that was tight and had him ride with me when I took our large three horse trailer and showed him how it was difficult to stay in one lane on this tight road. The city then pushed for the larger roundabout which we were successful in getting installed in our community. We have not only large horse trailers using this road but also have vehicles pulling large boat trailers and large RV trailers everyday. But this did take a study by ADOT to verify the large trailer usage of this road.

I’ve been informed that a rumor is going around that I’m trying to limit the number of horses on horse property inside the city limits of Apache Junction. This is totally fabricated because I not only own five horses on my property but also there is no current issue before city council to even attempt this. The city currently has no limit on the numbers of livestock on the large lots inside the city limits. I know that the zoning in the county on the eastern area just outside the city limits have this limitation and that has to be addresses through the county zoning rules but that zoning rule does not apply to the cities zoning rules for livestock. Again as long as I’m mayor this will never be considered. Please feel free to contact me about this or any other rumors that you may hear concerning me.