Taylorsville City Newsletter | April 2024

MAYOR'S MESSAGE

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Like you, we as a city want to do our part when it comes to water conservation. We know that residents across Taylorsville are eager to help reduce municipal water demand. And, especially with ongoing drought considerations, we recognize that we can all help conserve water.

It is one of the reasons we decided to partner again with the Utah Rivers Council’s RainHarvest program. This is the third year Taylorsville has participated in this program, and like this year, the two previous years were wildly successful. In our rst year participating, we thought we could subsidize 40 barrels for our residents, to start. But before even announcing it, 100 residents had already signed up. Ultimately, the city ended up subsidizing 175 rain barrels that year and another 100 the next, and we assisted at about that level again this year.

While the subsidized barrels sold out almost immediately once again this year, you can still purchase a rain barrel online while supplies last at a discounted price of $83 ($67 o the retail price) at rainbarrelprogram. org. You can then pick up your barrel from the Salt Lake County Public Works facility in Murray, 4646 S. 500 West, on Saturday, May 4, between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In addition to participating in this program, we’ve taken several other steps aimed at water conservation. For example, the city “ ipped its own strip” this past spring at City Hall. We replaced the lawn out front with about 150 waterwise plants, covering about 6,000 square feet, in all. We also have incorporated waterwise and native plants at several of the parks in our city.

Additionally, we’ve sponsored multiple Localscapes classes by the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District and Taylorsville BennionImprovement District. These workshops teach residents how we can save money and water by landscaping our yards in waterwise ways. They are always well-attended, so be sure to check out our next class on April 11 at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District also is o ering several new water conservation incentives for residential and commercial properties. See details online at utahwatersavers.com.

E orts like these are important to our residents. For example, our recent annual city survey found that a majority are interested in water conservation and are looking for ways to save water in the future (See more on the survey on Page 3 of this section).

Thank you to everyone for helping to conserve water — in large ways and small. Together, I know these e orts are making a di erence.

—Mayor Kristie S. Overson

WHAT’S INSIDE – APRIL 2024

Page 3

Heritage

Farmer’s Market Coming to Centennial Plaza This Summer

Taylorsville residents will soon be able to purchase locally sourced produce and a variety of other artisan products on Tuesdays at Centennial Plaza.

The Taylorsville Farmers’ Market, run by Good4Life Markets, will open this summer at the plaza, where you’ll be able to shop every Tuesday, from 5 to 9 p.m., July 9 to Sept. 24.

In addition to fresh produce and depending on the night, wares may include baked goods, jams and jellies, herbs, essential oils, goat-milk soaps and more. In all, Good4Life Markets has 450 vendors to draw from, and they are currently seeking local vendors for Taylorsville’s market. (Applications can be found online at good4lifemarkets.com)

“We are thrilled to have a Farmer’s Market coming to Taylorsville and that we can add another activity to Centennial Plaza” said Mayor Kristie Overson. “With our Starry Nights concert series on Fridays, Centennial Plaza is quickly becoming an inviting ‘third space,’ where we can gather as a community to now shop, attend a free concert, grab a bite at the food trucks or simply enjoy the beautiful surroundings.”

The opening of the Taylorsville Farmer’s Market follows input from recent citywide surveys, in which residents listed it as one event they would like to see added in the city (See more on this year’s survey results on Page 3 of this section).

On Tuesdays, a few food trucks will be operating at the market, in addition to Taylorsville’s regular Food Truck League night on Fridays for Starry Nights. The Farmer’s Market will also accept SNAP payment.

EVENTS APRIL 2024

April 3 – 6:30 p.m.

City Council Meeting @ City Hall and online. Watch a livestream of the meeting on the city’s website, www.taylorsvilleut.gov

April 9 & April 23 – 6:30 p.m.

Planning Commission Meeting @ City Hall.

April 11 – 7 p.m.

Free Localscapes Class @ City Hall Council Chambers. Sponsored by the Green Committee. See ad on Page 8 of this section.

April 18 – All day

The 2024 statewide Utah ShakeOut earthquake drill reminds to “Drop, Cover and Hold On.” See details at shakeout.org

April 22 – All day

Earth Day. (Taylorsville’s Annual Cleanup Day, previously held on Earth Day, is set for May 18 this year. See www.taylorsvilleut.gov for details.)

April 27 – 10 a.m.

Ride, Roll & Stroll on the Jordan River Parkway with the Parks and Rec Committee. Meet at the Millrace Park pickleball courts. See accompanying ad on this page.

Find our calendar of events every month on the city’s website, where you can also submit your own events for possible publication. Go to www.taylorsvilleut.gov

COUNCIL CORNER

By Council Member Curt Cochran

Utah Legislature Took Up Several Interesting Bills This Year

dered inoperable by a locking device and sets civil penalties for violations.

While it may be a little soon to say that “spring has sprung,” our Utah Legislature sprang into action quickly and spent 45 days reviewing more than 500 bills during the 2024 legislative season. As I looked through the list of bills, a few of them caught my interest.

This list below does not constitute an endorsement of any bill and some of them were not passed into law; I only found some of the particular subject matter that legislators took up interesting and thought you might, too. I also want to thank all of the people who tirelessly devote their time to our legislative process and who give up time from their jobs, families and other obligations to serve our citizens.

HB14 School Threat Penalty Amendments — Requires a student to be suspended or expelled from a public school if the student makes a false emergency report targeted at a school, enhances the penalties for making a threat against a school and makes it a second-degree felony to make a false emergency report in certain circumstances.

HB30 Road Rage Amendments — De nes terms and addresses the seizure and possession of a vehicle for a road rage event, allows for impound fee, creates the Road Rage Awareness and Prevention Restricted Account to pay for an education and media campaign and allows for the suspension or revocation of an individual's driver license.

HB98 Firearm Access Amendments — De nes terms and requires that a rearm is securely stored or ren-

HB154 Bicycle Amendments — Amends requirements for bicycle and moped operators to maintain control and removes the requirement for a person operating a bicycle or moped to keep at least one hand on the handlebars at all times.

HB180 Short-Term Rental Amendments — Requires municipalities and counties that allow short-term rentals to adopt ordinances or regulations to promote the health, safety and welfare of short-term rental occupants … authorizes municipalities and counties to enact ordinances to ensure compliance with applicable requirements and imposes requirements and limitations on an owner of a short-term rental.

HB183 Income Tax Reduction — Amends the corporate franchise and income tax rates and amends the individual income tax rate. Both rates are reduced from 4.65% to 4.55% e ective May 1, 2024.

HB326 Firearm Safety Incentives — Establishes an income tax credit for the purchase of a rearm safety device.

HB498 Firearm Safety in Schools — Creates a pilot program to provide a rearm safety course in public schools.

HB428 Fireworks Amendments — Removes firecrackers from the list of Class C dangerous explosives, prohibits selling recrackers to a person under the age of 18 and prohibits a person under the age of 18 from purchasing, handling or possessing.

CITYWIDE SURVEY:

Taylorsville Headed in the Right Direction

Taylorsville’s residents are happy with their elected o cials and the way the city is being run, and generally feel things are headed in the right direction, according to a new survey conducted by Y2 Analytics in January.

It is the fth time in as many years that a comprehensive, citywide poll has been conducted for Taylorsville in an e ort to garner a benchmark and gauge of the health and wellness of the city and its services going forward. The survey results also help city o cials in planning and budget appropriations.

On average, residents gave a score of 74 out of 100 for the city’s quality of life, with consistently high ratings across all council districts. A remarkable 84% also said they approve of the Mayor and City Council — a rating that Y2’s Director of Research Tatiana Gilchrist described as “fantastic.”

“People in Taylorsville are pretty happy with where they’re at,” she said. The city’s central location in the Salt Lake Valley, in particular, is a top draw, said Gilchrist, who is a Taylorsville resident. “I can get just about anywhere in 15 minutes.”

In fact, 82% percent of those surveyed would recommend Taylorsville as a good place to live.

She noted that when it comes to city services, residents are most satis ed with re and emergency services, recycling, animal control, police services and the city’s parks and open spaces. They are most concerned about potential crime and safety, as well as tra c, housing and growth. See the full survey results online at www.taylorsvilleut.gov.

The survey was conducted by Y2 Analytics from Jan. 3-28. In all, 458 residents completed the survey, representing a balanced geographic distribution of responses across the city and a 4.5 percent margin of error. The data were weighted to re ect the demographics of registered voters in Taylorsville, speci cally in regard to age, gender, home ownership and City Council district.

HB531 Laser Pointer Amendments — De nes terms, amends the criminal o ense of unlawful use of a laser pointer to include conduct concerning an aircraft or the aircraft's occupants, provides criminal penalties and makes technical and conforming changes.

SB62 Dog-Related Liability Amendments — This bill clari es language related to liability for an injury caused by a dog, addresses the period within which a person may bring an action related to an injury caused by a dog and makes technical changes.

You can see a description of all the bills before the Legislature this year at le.utah.gov. The 2024 Bill Tracker is simply fascinating and contains so much information that is fun to peruse and discover.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Bob Knudsen, (District 5), Curt Cochran, Chair (District 2), Anna Barbieri, (District 3), Meredith Harker, Vice Chair (District 4) and Ernest Burgess (District 1)

Beware of Fundraising Scams, Only Donate to Reputable Organizations

Check this space each month for news about the Taylorsville Police Department (TVPD) and their valuable service to our community.

SCAM ALERT! Please only donate money to well-vetted, charitable organizations. TVPD detectives recently contacted several individuals seeking to collect funds for a supposedly young child with cancer. Their investigation determined the individuals soliciting funds were doing nothing but trying to trick people to donate by using the pictured soliciting signs.

Where does this money go? Straight to these criminal organizations’ pockets. In some cases, individuals are used to solicit the funds to pay o smuggling debts. One of the people involved was wanted out of New York for grand larceny and was not in the country legally. The individual was detained by immigration agents. See more on how to avoid scams and protect yourself, from the Federal Trade Commission online at consumer.ftc.gov

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to O cer Houghtalen, who is our latest TVPD Employee of the Month. Prior to joining Taylorsville Police Department in June 2021, O cer Houghtalen was an o cer with Clear eld Police Department, where he was assigned to the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force.

Officer Houghtalen is currently assigned to TVPD’s patrol division and is one of our drone pilots. He was nominated as Employee of the Month by one of his coworkers, Officer Mecham. Officer Mecham stated that O cer Houghtalen has an “outstanding work ethic, compassion, command presence and is always a great example of how to appropriately handle the situations we as o cers are called to assist with.”

Recently, O cer Houghtalen was called to investigate an active aggravated assault. Through his “quick decisionmaking and command presence, he was able to gain immediate compliance of the suspect,” stop the assault, separate the victim and safely take the suspect into custody. O cer Houghtalen has also led the patrol division in terms of statistics and brings a lot of natural talent to TVPD.

When not patrolling the streets of Taylorsville, O cer Houghtalen enjoys spending time with his family. His hobbies include camping, o -roading, rearms, playing video games and exercising. Thank you, O cer Houghtalen, for your service and dedication to law enforcement and for choosing to be a part of Team Taylorsville!

Deputy Serving Taylorsville Remembered on 30-Year Anniversary

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the tragic police call that led to the death of Salt Lake County Sheri 's Deputy Michael Welcker. Deputy Welcker was killed in the line of duty on Feb. 24, 1994, while protecting the Taylorsville area.

Leaders and colleagues from the City of Taylorsville, Taylorsville Police Department and the Salt Lake County Sheri 's O ce, as well as the broader law enforcement community, remembered Deputy Welcker as strong and large in stature but also kind, caring and "genuinely one of the nicest people you would ever meet."

View a beautiful video tribute by the Salt Lake County Sheri 's O ce on the city’s website, www.taylorsvilleut.gov under the News section.

Deputy Welcker was killed in a shootout while attempting to arrest an armed aggravated assault suspect. The suspect red through the apartment door, striking him in the chest and a second deputy in the wrist. Although Deputy Welcker was wearing body armor, the bullet struck him under his arm, between the Kevlar panels and missing the armor.

Deputy Welcker was 38 years old and had been with the Sheri 's O ce for four years.

"Time has erased considerable elements relative to that despicable day but never forgotten are the heroes," said Taylorsville Police Chief Brady Cottam, "and Deputy Welcker is a hero that time will not erase."

You can read more about Deputy Welcker and his service online from the National Law Enforcement O cers Memorial Fund (lawmemorial.org) and the O cer Down Memorial Page (odmp.org), where you can leave your own remembrance of him. At the lawmemorial.org site, you can also take a virtual tour of the National Law Enforcement O cers Memorial, located on E Street, between 4th and 5th Streets, in Washington, D.C. The remembrance of Deputy Welcker there can be found on Memorial Panel 36-E: 19.

TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2024 7PM

VENUE: MID-VALLEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

ADDRESS: 2525 W TAYLORSVILLE BLVD, TAYLORSVILLE, UT 84129

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

The City of Taylorsville is excited to present our next Plaza + ART: An Evening of Art with Chad Poppleton and Maren Arnell

Chad is a western and wildlife oil painter who was inducted into the Cowboy Artists of America in 2018. Maren is a pastry chef who has worked in a 5-Star restaurant in Las Vegas (Yes Chef!) as well as a pastry chef at the Grand America Hotel.

Join us as we hear from the artists about their art journeys, learn about the Plaza +ART program, mingle with fellow community members, and enjoy refreshments. If you haven’t been to one of these events yet, you’re missing out!

Please email Jandrus@taylorsvilleut.gov to RSVP for the event.

Plaza

ART

Church Hosts Public Tours of New Temple in Taylorsville

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has built a new temple in Taylorsville and will hold public tours from Saturday, April 13, through Saturday, May 18, excluding Sundays.

You can make a reservation to tour the temple at www.churcho esuschrist. org. Comfortable shoes and modest dress are recommended for the free walking tour that lasts approximately one hour.

Parking is at 2780 W. 4700 South, and attendees will ride a shuttle to the temple. Please plan to arrive at the shuttle lot about 30 minutes prior to the reservation time. Shuttles will run every 15 minutes.

Construction of the Taylorsville Utah Temple began in fall 2020, replacing an existing church meetinghouse and recreational eld at 2603 W. 4700 South. The temple is a three-story, 70,460-square-foot building with a central spire. Two-level parking at the site also provides both surface and underground parking spaces.

In announcing the Taylorsville location in December 2019, church leaders said the 7.5-acre site, situated at the southwest corner of the I-215 interchange, o ers convenience for patrons and a beautiful landmark to beltway motorists.

Taylorsville Bennion Heritage REMEMBRANCES

Taylorsville Resident Helped Shape County and State Fairs

This month’s article highlights Hazel Roene McRae and Everett Dellno Wood, as described in an excerpt from their family history written in November 1998 and updated in December 1999:

Roene McRae met Everett Wood when they were third-grade students at Plymouth School, then located at the corner of 4800 South and Redwood Road. Leah Eldredge was their teacher. The year was 1924.

Hazel Roene McRae was born to Hazel Murphy and Orson David McRae on April 23, 1916, an Easter Sunday. Her birth took place in her grandpa Daniel McRae’s home in Granger, Utah, where her parents occupied two rooms of the house. Orson’s parents, Anne Christina Jensen and Daniel McRae, owned several acres of property near 3300 South and 1600 West. During this time, Orson was building a home for his family on a corner of the McRaes’ farm there.

Roene was 2 years old when the family moved into the purple brick house. Although she didn’t remember much about the move, she did recall her father driving a big pig with a stick to the new home. He put her on the pig’s back, and as she truthfully said, she had an actual “piggy-back ride.”

Everett’s story began on June 15, 1915, with his birth to Cora Maude Rich and J. Stern Wood in Murray, Utah. He was their rst or four children and was named after his mother’s brother, Everett, and his father’s brother, Dellno.

The pair knew each other almost all of their lives and were married for more than 75 years until their deaths.

One notable contribution by Roene was her service on the Salt Lake County Fair Board, where she served as president for 20 years. She also worked another 22 years as its secretary, treasurer and o ce manager. In addition, she worked more than 47 years for the Utah State Fair, from 1940 to 1987.

You can learn more about the Woods and the histories of many other Taylorsville residents at the Taylorsville-Bennion Heritage Center, 1488 W. 4800 South. Drop on by!

Don’t Miss These Library Events

The Taylorsville Library has planned several programs during the month of April. You’ll want to mark your calendar for these events:

INTERACTIVE FAIRY TALES — Through Saturday, April 6. Celebrate Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday with a fairy tale interactive adventure. Complete the activities and earn a prize.

DROP-IN FUN: Vortex Cannons and Wind Tunnel — Thursday, April 4, 10:30 a.m. Try out vortex cannons and wind tunnels during this drop-in activity.

VIRTUAL LECTURE: A Night with the First Mexican-American Prima Ballerina — Monday, April 15, 7 p.m. Register at thecountylibrary.org/LectureSeries. Evelyn CisnerosLegate will talk about how she incorporated her background and understanding of culture into her professional business career.

DISCOVERY FRIDAY: Outer Space Friday, April 26, 4 p.m. Get ready to blast o ! Explore outer space with activities, games and crafts to keep kids busy after school. This activity is especially geared for school-age kids.

VIRTUAL LECTURE: Contains Multitudes, Walt Whitman, America's Poet — Tuesday, April 30, 7 p.m. Register at thecountylibrary. org/LectureSeries. How did the son of a farmer, grammar school dropout and penny daily hack writer become the iconic American poet? Karen Karbiener will discuss Walt Whitman’s upbringing and his revolutionary work, “Leaves of Grass.”

TAYLORSVILLE SENIOR CENTER

4743 S. Plymouth View Drive

April Class Highlights

The Taylorsville Senior Center has planned a variety of classes this month. Among them are: Computer 101: Become more tech savvy with one-on-one assistance with Michael from Humana. He will be available Monday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. for any computer-related questions. Spots must be reserved a day in advance for 30-minute sessions. See the front desk if you are interested.

Salt Lake County Recorder “Property Watch:” Join Salt Lake County’s Recorder o ce and sign up for their free “Property Watch” service. This service will enable you to keep track of recorded changes to your property to protect ownership. Event is on Wednesday, April 10, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the cafeteria.

Clark Planetarium Earth Day Presentation: Celebrate Earth Day! Clark Planetarium will present some amazing facts about our beautiful planet, on Wednesday, April 17, from 9 to 10 a.m. in classroom B.

Drums Alive: Work out to the beat and rhythm of the drums with this Drums Alive class, every Wednesday from 2 to 3 p.m. in the aerobics room.

Visit the center’s website at www.slco.org/taylorsville-senior-center for other activities and lunch menu information. The Taylorsville Senior Center is located at 4743 S. Plymouth View Drive and can be contacted by phone at 1-385-468-3370.

ANNUAL COLLECTION DAY

APRIL UPDATES

Subscription Green Waste Program

The Weekly Green Waste Collection

Program resumed Monday, March 11. Taylorsville currently has 1,525 out of the 11,243 districtwide subscribers.

Residents can sign up and help divert green waste from the landfill to be processed into mulch that can then be purchased for use from the Salt Lake Valley Landfill. There is a one-time start-up fee of $70 to pay for the can, and at $126 per year, a green waste can is less expensive than an additional black garbage can at $234 per year. For more information on this program, head to the “Services & Requests” tab on the WFWRD website (www.wasatchfrontwaste.org) and select “Additional Subscription Services” to nd the “Green Waste Sign Up” link.

Household Hazardous Waste

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is de ned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as any product that contains corrosive, toxic, ignitable or reactive ingredients. Products such as batteries, cleaners, oils, gasoline and pesticides are all examples of HHW. Do not place these products in your residential waste, recycling, or green waste cans as it can lead to re or explosion. For information on where and how to properly dispose of HHW, visit the Hazardous Waste page on the district’s website: www.wasatchfrontwaste. org. Please properly dispose of your hazardous waste materials.

Bulk and Green Waste Trailer Rental

Spring is here, which means we think about spring cleaning. Bulk trailers are available to rent for $190, and green waste trailers are available to rent for $55, to help with your household clean-up tasks. These trailers are reserved on a rst-come, rst-served basis. For more details, visit the district’s website. You can also reserve your trailer online or call their o ces to make your reservation. Sign up early to ensure you get the trailer on the date you need

Wait to Water for a Healthy Lawn and Savings

Patience is key, especially when it comes to springtime landscape care. Waiting to water your lawn until after Mother's Day can yield signi cant bene ts.

By holding o on watering, you give your lawn's roots the opportunity to grow deeper, resulting in a healthier, more resilient turf. This strategic delay in watering pays o during the hotter months, as deeper roots can access moisture stored in the soil, even when the surface appears dry.

Ultimately, this practice promotes the long-term health and vitality of your lawn. If you have any questions about this advice or any other water conservation matters, don't hesitate to reach out to Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement District.

If you have any questions, please contact Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement District by calling 801-968-9081 or visiting www.tbid.org. Follow TBID on Facebook and Twitter.

Thursday, April 11th

7 to 8 PM