Midvale City Newsletter | February 2023

MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY

City Hall

In The Middle of Everything

City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047

Marcus’s Message

801-567-7200

Finance/Utilities 801-567-7200

Court 801-567-7265

City Attorney’s O ce 801-567-7250

City Recorder/Human Resources 801-567-7228

Community Development 801-567-7211

Public Works 801-567-7235

Ace Disposal/Recycling 801-363-9995

Midvale Historical Museum 801-567-7285

Midvale Senior Center 385-468-3350

SL County Animal Services 385-468-7387

Communications 801-567-7230

MIDVALE CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS

MAYOR

Marcus Stevenson 801-567-7204

Email: mstevenson@midvale.com

CITY COUNCIL

District 1 - Quinn Sperry

Email: qsperry@midvale.com

District 2 - Paul Glover

Email: pglover@midvale.com

District 3 - Heidi Robinson

Email: Hrobinson@midvale.com

District 4 - Bryant Brown

Email: bbrown@midvale.com

District 5 - Dustin Gettel

Email: dgettel@midvale.com

WHO TO CALL FOR…

Water Bills 801-567-7200

Ordering A New Trash Can 801-567-7202

Permits 801-567-7213

Court 801-567-7265

Paying For Tra c School 801-567-7202

Business Licensing 801-567-7214 Cemetery 801-567-7235

Planning and Zoning 801-567-7231

Code Enforcement 801-567-7208

Building inspections 801-567-7213

Graffiti 385-468-9769

PUBLIC SAFETY & EMERGENCY CONTACTS

EMERGENCY 911

UFA Fire/UPD Police

> Non-emergency 801-840-4000

Uni ed Police Department

> Midvale Precinct 385-468-9350

Public Works 801-567-7235

Rocky Mountain Power 877-508-5088

CITY NEWSLETTER

A YEAR IN REVIEW

Each year, the Utah State Legislature meets for 45 days from mid-January to early March. During this time, the legislature will consider roughly 1,000 new bills, and vote to implement many of them into law. Hundreds of these bills will have direct impacts on cities, including impacts to homelessness, growth, taxes, law enforcement, and more.

The “legislative session” is in full swing, and our city is actively involved to give a voice to Midvale City residents. As mayor, I’m regularly at the capitol to voice support for, or opposition to, bills that will impact our community. While every year there are proposed bills that could have impacts on our city and our residents, this year there are already several legislative e orts where the impact could be signi cant.

HOMELESSNESS

As Midvale City is one of only three cities in Salt Lake County that hosts a year-round homeless shelter, and one of only ve cities across the state, homelessness is an issue that impacts our city more than many others. Before I go on, I want to be clear that I am truly proud that our community hosts the Midvale Family Resource Center, where many families experiencing homelessness are supported and given resources to get back on their feet. It is also true that hosting a shelter does come with its challenges.

Each year, the State of Utah gives shelter hosting cities money to minimize the impact on the areas directly surrounding the shelter. This money comes from a “mitigation fund” which all cities across the state, that don’t have a shelter pay into through sales tax. At most, cities will pay $200,000 into this fund, as it’s capped at this amount and based on the amount of sales tax collected – 6 cities across the state have hit that yearly cap. While last year Midvale City received $1.7 million to support mitigation e orts, our true mitigation costs were about $2.7 million. In short, at most, a city is paying $200,000 to not have a shelter, and we paid $1 million to have a shelter. Because of this, much of my time is spent with other mayors, trying to get them to understand the challenges we face as a shelter city, and convince them to step up and support providing more money into the mitigation fund or open a shelter themselves.

Luckily, we have made progress with many cities from all over the state and we believe our request for more mitigation is moving in the right direction. However, it’s not a guarantee, and in these 45 days, a lot could happen to change the current system of funding shelter mitigation.

GROWTH

As we all know, Midvale City has grown a lot in the last several years. As Utah is the fastest growing state in the entire country, we are not alone. While the current estimate for the statewide housing shortage stands at 31,000 units, that’s down from 56,000 units in 2017. Though cities are clearly making progress in trying to combat the a ordable housing crisis and appropriately growing to meet demand, state lawmakers are looking at continuing to force the hand of cities to grow more, and quickly.

By Mayor Marcus Stevenson

Whether it be requiring cities to plan for more high-density housing, shrinking lot sizes, or removing parts of the public process – many state lawmakers are working to ensure that cities continue to grow. As these conversations move forward during the legislative process, Midvale City will continue to advocate for local control and do our part to make sure that our legislators understand that Midvale has played, and is playing, its part to address the housing shortage. We strongly believe that the more these decisions are taken away from the local level, the worse position we will be in when balancing community wants and housing needs.

TAXES

State lawmakers are proposing changes to many taxes, which have the chance of drastically impacting the ability to provide city services. There will be potential changes to property tax, sales tax, and the gas tax. More speci cally, these changes will reduce the amount of revenue that every city receives. While the State of Utah has generated a budget surplus, cities run a balanced budget, meaning we only collect what we need, and we spend those full amounts. If city revenues decrease as a result of new legislation, we will have a challenging time meeting the needs of our residents without increasing taxes. While many of these changes sound intriguing on the surface, they will create signi cant impacts that will a ect every person, municipality, and business in the state.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

As recruiting and retaining police o cers has become increasingly challenging, the state has looked at ways to help. Mostly, the proposals center around retirement bene ts that are aimed to encourage individuals to enter the profession. Unfortunately, many of those costs are likely to be placed on local governments who fund law enforcement. While we know that these changes are likely needed, unfunded mandates are nancially daunting, especially when there are other proposals to cut municipal revenues.

Further, there is likely to be a proposed bill that would directly a ect Uni ed Police member communities – which includes Midvale City, along with Salt Lake County, Millcreek, Holladay, Magna, Kearns, and unincorporated areas of the county. With the Salt Lake County Sheri serving as the CEO of the Uni ed Police Department, the overlap in job duties between the Sheri ’s o ce and UPD has often created confusion and misunderstandings regarding how Uni ed Police operates. The proposed bill would mandate that the county sheri could no longer be the CEO of UPD and would likely result in removing Salt Lake County as a UPD member, which will impact the way our police department operates. Midvale City is opposed to this legislation and thinks that changes to UPD should be made by its member communities, not by the state legislature.

ADVOCATING FOR YOU

While many bills are being proposed that could impact our city, myself, our city council, and city sta , are actively advocating on behalf of our residents. During these 45 days, we are working tirelessly to ensure that Midvale gets the best deal possible and that we have a seat at the table.

In The Middle of Everything

Fall Prevention Class at Midvale Senior Center

Midvale Senior Center is hosting a Stepping On class that will be taught Thursdays, March 2 – April 13 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. This class is a community-based workshop o ered once a week for seven weeks to help those over 60 build con dence in their ability to reduce falls. Guest professionals visit the class each week to address di erent aspects of fall prevention. A physical therapist talks about the importance of exercise, a vision expert talks about the necessity of regular eye checkups, a pharmacist addresses the risk of medication interactions, and a home safety expert gives tips about keeping the home safe. You can register for this class by calling 385-468-3350.

Why shop local Citizens Agenda Summary

City Council meeting agendas are often dicult for people to navigate. Filled with jargon and legal requirements on how an item must be listed, it can be a challenge to determine what council members are discussing or deciding on. Therefore, City sta now prepares a summary of the agenda items for the community to review. The o cial published agendas and support¬ing materials can be found at www.MidvaleCity.org/PublicMeetings. You can read the current Citizens Agenda at www.MidvaleCity.org/CitizensAgenda

Participating in City Council Meetings

You may share your views with the City Council:

• • During legally required public hearings

• • During the regular open public comment period

• • Other opportunities when the mayor allows for public comment

Public comments may be submitted electronically for City Council consideration at www.MidvaleCity.org/PublicMeetings. Submit comments by 5:00 p.m. the day before the City Council meeting.

Located in the middle of everything, Midvale City’s economy is a vibrant mix of retail, commercial, service, and manufacturing. Midvale is a rare combination of modern progress and traditional values, where innovation and economic opportunities are bal¬anced by the basic virtues of family, friends, and community pride.

Shop Local First is designed to increase awareness that every dollar spent in Midvale City is an investment in its future. By supporting local businesses, you are contributing to greater local economic sustainability and a brighter future for everyone who lives or works in Midvale. In fact, shopping locally rst helps in more ways than you might think.

1. Sales tax pays for public services - With every local purchase, part of your sales tax pays for public programs and services that make our city better.

2. Helps create jobs and opportunities - Local purchases support local businesses so they can grow, which means more jobs.

3. Faster and easier to nd what you’re looking for - Finding the products and services you want here in Midvale City saves you time and the expense of driving to neighboring cities.

4. Supports community causes and organizations - Local businesses are big con¬tributors to community organizations and activities and your support helps them support our community.

5. Generates a multiplier e ect - Shopping locally creates a multiplier e ect: the more times a dollar circulates in Midvale City, the more income, wealth, and jobs it generates.

6. Improves local economic sustainability - Midvale City is a proud and independent community. Shopping locally strengthens our economy, encourages entrepreneurship, attracts more businesses, and improves local economic sustainability, self-reliance, and control of our economic future.

7. Creates a stronger sense of community - Shopping locally strengthens the relationship between residents and businesses and reinforces a sense of community and common cause.

8. Shows you care - Shopping locally sends a powerful message and shows your family, friends, and coworkers how much you care about your community.

FEBRUARY 2023 CITY NEWSLETTER

WWW. MIDVALECITY. ORG

Midvale Historical Museum Scoop the Poop

By Bill Miller

The Midvale Historical Society and Museum will celebrate our 44th anniversary this year! The Midvale Historical Museum is a unique and valuable resource for the community of Midvale. The museum is dedicated to preserving the rich history and cultural heritage of the area and o ers a wide range of exhibits and programs that educate and engage visitors of all ages.

Everything in YOUR Museum belongs to you, the residents of Midvale, with a few exceptions (items that are loaned to the museum.) Your museum holds many great items that belonged to the early residents of Midvale. These treasured items include:

• A picture made of human hair (belongs to the Jenkens family.)

• A piano that is more than 100 years old from the old elementary school.

• A bench from the old elementary school (Did you have to wait in the hallway, and sit on the BENCH?)

• Displays from the old drug stores - Vincent Drug, The Valley Drug, and Morley’s RX All Drug stores.

• Violin that came across the plains with the pioneers.

• Doll collection from around the World.

• Wood/coal stove.

• Treadle sewing machine

• Maytag wringer washing machine

• An old pay phone

• Wedding and graduation dresses from the late 1800s

The Museum is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The museum is located at 350 West Park Street (7615 S) on the northeast section of Midvale City Park. It is a great place for families, students, and history bu s to learn about the rich heritage of this community. It is a valuable resource for the community and an important part of preserving the history of the area for future generations.

Midvale Historical Museum

Dog and cat waste left on the ground is more than smelly and unsightly….it pollutes our water and poses a health risk for pets and people, especially children! Please remember to always Scoop the Poop and to dispose of pet waste properly!

Human and Pet Health

• Giardia • Roundworms

• Salmonella • Other viruses and parasites

Water Quality

• Overgrowth of algae and aquatic weeds

• Reduced oxygen for sh

What Can You Do?

• Bring It! Carry a scooper bag when you walk your dog.

• Scoop It! Use the baggie like a glove, scoop the poop, invert and seal the bag.

• Toss It! It belongs in the trash.

• Place a Sign! Put a “Scoop the Poop” sign in your yard to encourage your neighbors to scoop it up too! We even created a fun sign for you to print at home. Visit www.MidvaleCity.org/Scoop to download the sign.

Protecting Groundwater

We work every day to ensure our customers can turn on a tap or take a shower with no worries about the purity of their water. In keeping with federal, state, and our own agency rules and guidelines, our Water Division team strives to protect our water supplies, our water quality, and safety and to deliver this life-giving resource. To maintain clean, high-quality water, we must all work together to protect the groundwater source. Water that is pumped from wells ows through a groundwater aquifer that is located beneath this area before reaching the well. Because the soils between the ground surface and the aquifer are porous, any contaminants that are discharged on the ground have the potential to seep into the groundwater aquifer and eventually contaminate the water in the well. This could in turn compromise the health of the people drinking the water. Fortunately, there is something that we all can do to protect our groundwater. There are two fundamental categories of groundwater protection: Keeping it safe from contamination and using it wisely by not wasting it. For more information, visit www.ngwa.org.