January 2020 | Vol. 17 Iss. 01
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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS: NOT AS YOUNG AS IT ONCE WAS By Cassie Goff | cassie@mycityjournals.com
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020 will mark 15 years since the incorporation of Cottonwood Heights. Within that time, the city has been through multiple growth spurts. From changes in leadership to finding a permanent home, Cottonwood Heights has been adapting and evolving as the city between the canyons. In 2005, Cottonwood Heights was incorporated after significant planning from the community council. During the first year after incorporation, there was much scrambling to get the city up and running. Almost every city staff member working at the time recalls the story of Former City Manager Liane Stillman offering her own personal credit card to pay upfront costs for operations, since the city did not yet have a set budget. “I’m amazed with the great work they did when they started the city,” said current City Manager Tim Tingey. “When beginning a new city, there’s so much that has to be developed. There are processes and policies that have to be established fairly quickly. The past city leaders did a great job.” During that time of beginning the city, the city’s general plan needed to be drafted, as well as the ordinances and budgets. Since then, there have been numerous modifications to plans and ordinances, and countless resolutions adopted. “We aren’t really a new city anymore,” Tingey said. “We have evolved from that new city to a much more established city.” BEHIND THE SCENES Part of that evolution has been the retention of city staff members, the hiring of new employees, and developing or further establishing specific departments within the city. “The city staff do so much to make the city better,” Tingey said. “They put forth extreme amounts of effort to make the community better. We have good leaders and a great staff. I give them all the credit. The work they do, and their efforts, are appreciated.” Former Assistant City Manager Bryce Haderlie further explained the important role of city staff members. “They are the individuals that get the work done. It’s not just a job, but a privilege, to provide the best service to the residents. If we don’t get it right, then it reflects on the entire city because the employees are the face of Cottonwood Heights.” Tingey expressed that all the city staff members he works with are forward thinking and have can-do attitudes. The quality of their work and their extensive knowledge base creates a better city for all residents and visitors. “The staff does things to enhance the betterment of the community. Each of us play
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Being close to the freeway is one of the benefits of living and working in Cottonwood Heights. (Cassie Goff/City Journals)
an important role in making our community better. We want to better our community — that’s the focus of our employees.” As examples, Tingey mentioned important things happening in various departments. “Many city staff members have been applying for grants for millions of dollars to enhance the city,” he began. Within the community and economic development department, GIS Specialist Melissa Blue has been working to “provide data and information so all city staff members can do their jobs more efficiently,” Tingey said. The finance administration and human resources department “do so much to connect all of what they are doing,” Tingey said. Within the police department, the officers “do great work as they are effective and responsive within the community. People are happy with the work they do,” said Tingey. Even though the public works department is one of the youngest departments within the city, established three years ago, “it’s amazing what they have done,” said Tingey, specifically in relation to road repair and snow plowing. Haderlie also spoke to the accomplishments of the public works department. “I will always treasure my time at Cotton-
wood Heights because of the great people that I got to work with and the amazing accomplishments of building the new city hall and improving the public works department. I believe that we gave the city a greater identity of ‘self’ when we accomplished those two goals. Those are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” Haderlie said. “The people that work here mean so much to me,” Tingey said. “I am really grateful. We have people that are passionate about their community and the place they live. We have people that care, and that makes my job better.” PRIORITIES Even though each department within the city has their own priorities, there are some overarching priorities city staff members work toward on a daily basis. Many of those priorities have emerged from of the city council retreats. The main priority that almost all of the city staff members report is to continue “providing the residents of the community with the best service possible,” said Business Development Specialist Sherrie Martell. This includes continuing to improve on existing services and establishing new quality services. Continued page 4
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