Midvale Journals | May 2024

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MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY

City Hall

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 - Bonnie Billings

Email: bbillings@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

In The Middle of Everything

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

Mayor’s Message

A Reorganized Uni ed Police Department

In April of last year, I wrote about a new state law that required our community to go back to the drawing board for policing in our community, as it removed the Salt Lake County Sheri as the Uni ed Police Department (UPD) CEO, creating uncertainty about the future of our police department. Early last year, my fellow UPD board members appointed me as the chair of UPD to oversee this process, where we have worked tirelessly to better understand what this legislation meant and how we could move forward in a way that best protected our community’s public safety, o cers, and tax dollars.

As we started this process, our city recognized that we had three options for policing:

• Create our own Midvale City Police Department – this would provide the most local control, allowing our city to fully oversee the law enforcement operations, such as the budget, policies, police chief, etc. However, this option also comes with hard realities regarding cost and service levels. We could not provide the same service levels we currently see without overburdening our residents with cost.

• Reorganize the Uni ed Police Department – this would provide the highest level of service at the least amount of cost, but we would see less local control than we would have with a Midvale police department. Sharing a police department with other communities means we see greater service levels and cost savings from sharing administrative and specialty unit costs, such as human resources and SWAT. However, that also means we share control over the department’s budget, policies, etc.

• Contract with the Salt Lake County Sheri ’s O ce – this would provide some cost savings, with the least amount of local control and less direct service. This option would mean we’d have no governance control over the organization and would not oversee any part of the organization’s day-to-day operations, budget, or those in charge of policing in our community.

As our city council and I have spoken with our community over the past year, it’s been clear that ensuring we do not lose service levels while keeping costs under control has been most important. Participating in a reorganized Uni ed Police Department is the best way to ensure service levels are maintained at limited cost impacts.

THE REORGANIZATION PROCESS

board directed our police chief to reorganize the department while staying under a 7% cost increase. We felt this would be a reasonable starting point, feeling we could create an e ective and e cient department by using this budgetary goal.

Service Level Expectations – UPD operates two types of organizational services: precinct services and shared services.

Precinct Services: Each UPD community has a precinct that covers our patrol o cers, street crimes, property crimes, tra c enforcement, etc. These services are fully funded by the individual community, and Midvale’s precinct will largely stay the same. Our goal was to ensure our community would not feel a drop in service levels. Salt Lake County also has a precinct in UPD, which covers canyon patrol, the gang unit, the mental health unit, DEA task force, etc. These services will return to the county and be served by the Salt Lake County Sheri ’s O ce. While UPD will not cover these services, our community can still access them through the Sheri ’s o ce.

Lost Economies of Scale – From the beginning of this process, our city recognized that this legislation would either require us to see increased costs or decreased service levels – this is primarily due to losing economies of scale. While the State’s legislation did not require Salt Lake County to remove themselves from UPD, the county made it clear that this would be their goal. With the county leaving, we would lose their 20% contribution to all shared services costs while only losing about 11,500 people from the UPD service area. Because we were losing so few people, and therefore cases and calls, from UPD’s service area, we could not necessarily cut shared services by 20%. For example, the shared services from UPD’s special victims unit and violent crimes unit will have a similar number of cases and, therefore, need the same support sta from human resources, forensics, training, etc. Cost Goals – When looking at service areas of similar sizes to UPD, we found that our total policing costs were about 7% below the average cost of policing in those other communities. Knowing that, the UPD

Shared Services: Each UPD community pays a portion of shared services based on a formula that weighs the city’s 3-year average number of cases (70%), the city’s population (20%), and the city’s taxable value (10%). This formula is recalculated annually and covers each community’s portion of human resources, records retention, training, violent crimes unit, special victims’ unit, etc. These services will largely remain the same, and our community should not feel any di erence in service levels.

Impact on our Community – Going into the reorganizing process with a goal of maintaining service levels while knowing we were losing 20% of the funding, we knew costs would go up. Fortunately, we could reorganize our department to nd cost savings while accounting for lost economies of scale and in ationary cost increases to stay within the goal of a 7% increase. However, a 7% overall increase impacts each community di erently because of the shared services formula and precinct variables. Our total cost increase to incorporate these changes is about $1.8 million. While going through this process, our city found no way to maintain current service levels without seeing increased costs, and this still provides more signi cant cost savings than we’d see with a Midvale department while maintaining current service levels. We know the City Council will have to consider increasing property taxes this year to cover the new costs, but we are still nalizing the city’s budget and do not have that number yet. Supporting public safety will be our number one priority this year.

What’s Still to Come

– Now that Midvale City and our UPD partners (Millcreek, Holladay, Kearns, Magna, White City, Emigration Canyon, Copperton, and Brighton) have all voted to stay with the reorganized UPD, we still have a lot of work to do before the County’s separation date of July 1 of this year. We still have small things like moving the shared services sta from the Sheri ’s O ce Building into the city precincts and big things like nalizing contracts to continue to share some services with the county, such as evidence storage.

On a personal note, this issue has been the most complicated and overwhelming issue I’ve encountered to date (and some elected ofcials who have been around a lot longer than I have, say the same thing). Having the trust of my fellow UPD board members to chair the organization during this transition has been an incredibly stressful honor. While the initial cost increase will be hard, I’m con dent that this reorganized UPD will provide nancial and public safety stability for our community and our o cers.

M AY 2024
NEWSLETTER
CITY

In The Middle of Everything

Midvale City Council Recognizes NextGen Cohort

Passes Proclamation In Support Of Community Renewable Energy Program

Mayor Marcus Stevenson’s NextGen Initiative serves as a platform for empowerment, aiming to tap into the passion, talent, and potential of the youth in our city. As part of the NextGen Initiative, participants have valuable opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations, ask questions, and gain insights into the inner workings of local government. This direct interaction enables participants to better understand the decision-making processes, policies, and initiatives that shape our city. Through active engagement with their community, students lay a solid groundwork for a brighter future, right in their hometown.

The inaugural NextGen cohort consists of Nyah Cox, Ethan Mears, Benjamin Bridge, Narayani Shanker, Isabella Goates, Manvi Chechi, Ivy Costello, Maqee Chavez, and Matthew Miller. In the last six months, these students have delved into a journey of discovery and education, engaging in informative tours of The Road Home, Uni ed Police Department Midvale Precinct, Public Works, State Legislature, and beyond. Furthermore, they have invested their time in researching and crafting a proclamation in Support of the Community Renewable Energy Program.

Utah Renewable Communities is a coalition of cities, counties, and other municipalities that are pioneering renewable energy solutions in our state. These communities are 100% committed to clean energy for Utah. They work to inform, inspire, and empower our communities to be the change for a sustainable tomorrow.

Mayor Marcus Stevenson emphasized the signi cance of the Community Renewable Energy Program, stating, “The Community Renewable Energy Program allows cities to opt into net-100% renewable energy through Rocky Mountain Power. This program gives cities a seat at the table for energy in their communities and gives residents the choice of where they receive their energy from.”

The NextGen cohort’s hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed. On April 16, 2024, the City Council unanimously passed the proclamation and extended recognition to the NextGen cohort for their unwavering commitment to their community. This milestone serves as a testament to the impact of youth involvement and the positive change it can bring about.

Volunteers Needed for Festival

Join us as a volunteer for the upcoming Los Muros on Main: Midvale City Mural Festival! We’re on the lookout for enthusiastic individuals (aged 18 and older) to ll various roles and help make this event a resounding success.

No matter your interests, personality, or skills, we have a position that’s perfect for you. All roles involve interacting with the public, so friendliness and safety are our top priorities. Plus, as a token of our appreciation, each volunteer will receive a Festival tee-shirt and sticker!

Visit EngageMidvale.com/2024-mural-festival to learn more about the available roles and shifts and submit a Volunteer Application.

2024 Los Muros on Main: Midvale City Mural Festival

Saturday, June 8, 2024, 4pm to 9pm

Step into the vibrant Midvale Main Arts & Culture District and immerse yourself in the creative energy of the Los Muros on Main: Midvale City Mural Festival, a testament to Midvale City’s steadfast commitment to supporting artists and arts organizations. More than just an event, this festival is a celebration of our local community’s diversity and a platform for artists to showcase their talents. Get ready for an immersive experience lled with live murals, music, delicious treats from food

truck vendors, refreshing sips at the beer garden, and a curated selection of art vendors o ering a diverse range of creations. This festival showcases the talent of both local, regional, and international artists, reinforcing our city’s dedication to fostering creativity and cultural vibrancy.

Whether you’re a longtime resident or a curious visitor, inspiration awaits at every turn of the Los Muros on Main: Midvale City Mural Festival. Come be a part of our community’s magic and celebrate the boundless power of creativity with us. Learn more at EngageMidvale.com/2024-mural-festival.

MIDVALE.
GOV
UTAH.

MAY 2024 CITY NEWSLETTER

MIDVALE. UTAH. GOV

Exciting developments are underway in Midvale City as construction begins for the highly anticipated Midvale Main Food Truck Plaza. Set to open its doors in August 2024, this vibrant outdoor dining destination continues the momentum of activating Midvale Main.

Located just north of City Hall, the Midvale Main Food Truck Plaza will transform an underutilized space into a bustling hub of activity. The plaza will boast an inviting atmosphere with trees, ample seating, shaded awnings, and open concrete, providing the perfect backdrop for visitors to indulge in delicious fare from a variety of delicious food trucks.

More than just a place to grab a bite to eat, the plaza aims to enhance the vibrancy of the Midvale Main Arts & Culture District. Festival-type lighting and public art installations will add to the area’s cultural charm, making it a must-visit destination for locals and tourists alike.

In addition to enhancing the aesthetics of the area, the construction project includes sidewalk improvements on the east side of Holden Street, connecting the plaza to Main Street. This pedestrian-friendly design will provide greater access to local businesses and attractions, further revitalizing the Main Street area.

Midvale Main Food Truck Plaza is part of a larger e ort to activate Main Street and support local businesses. Partnering with the Food Truck League, Midvale City will host Food Truck Tuesdays during the summer months, o ering a diverse selection of culinary delights for residents to enjoy.

Funding for the Midvale Main Food Truck Plaza comes from the Redevelopment Agency of Midvale City (RDA), which is dedicated to revitalizing Main Street and supporting economic and community development initiatives. In addition to business development, the RDA prioritizes a ordable housing, working to ensure that all residents have access to safe and a ordable housing options.

This thrilling new addition builds upon our current successes, poised to further ignite economic growth and deepen community engagement. It epitomizes the ongoing revitalization of Midvale Main. Get ready to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of Main Street like never before!

Dive deeper into the Midvale Main Food Truck Plaza project. Visit EngageMidvale.com/plaza to learn about the project’s timeline, construction locations, and phases. Plus, peek at the conceptual renderings of the Midvale Main Food Truck Plaza.

Construction Underway For Midvale Main Food Truck Plaza Spring Sprinkler Checklist: Water-Wise Tips for a Sustainable Season

As the days grow longer and the temperatures begin to rise, it’s time to prepare your sprinkler system with water e ciency in mind. With careful maintenance and attention to detail, we can ensure that our landscapes receive the water they need while minimizing waste. Follow these ve steps to optimize your sprinkler system for water e ciency this spring.

1. Check the Controller - Ensure your sprinkler controller is programmed for e ciency and clean it of any debris. Consider upgrading to a smart controller.

2. Check Sprinkler Heads - Inspect and clean sprinkler heads, considering highe ciency options. Adjust positions for uniform coverage.

3. Check for Wear & Tear - Check for damage and replace worn parts to prevent leaks. Utilize leak detection devices for proactive maintenance.

4. Run the Sprinkler System - Before watering season, run a test for leaks and ine ciencies. Adjust settings to minimize runo and schedule watering for early morning or late evening.

5. Check Valves - Check valves for proper operation and replace faulty ones. Install shut-o valves for leak prevention and regularly inspect for corrosion.

By following these water-wise tips and implementing regular maintenance practices, you can ensure that your sprinkler system operates e ciently and responsibly throughout the spring season. Conserving water not only bene ts the environment but also helps reduce water bills and preserve our precious water resources for future generations. Let’s work together to make every drop count this spring!

The

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