January 2018 | Vol. 28 Iss. 01
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RIVERTON IN REVIEW: 2017
Signs Your Pet Should Be Checked: • Bad breath • Red along gumline • Drooling • Difficulty or change • Tartar & Plaque buildup in eating habits • Swollen gums • Missing/loose teeth Just one of symptom is enough to be concerned... Book Today!
By Mariden Williams | mariden.w@mycityjournals.com
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aw enforcement service area 2017 has seen Riverton City take several steps to become more self-sufficient and more cash-efficient—perhaps most strikingly in its bold decision to break away from the Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Service Area (SLVLESA), and instead create their own Riverton Law Enforcement Service Area (RLESA). A service area makes a single contract with a separate entity, in this case the Unified Police Department, on behalf of all the individual municipalities within it. Then the service area uses the combined property tax money to pay the UPD. This is what SLVLESA did, and RLESA will do essentially the same thing. But while SLVLESA is large, containing multiple cities in the Salt Lake Valley, RLESA is confined to Riverton alone, essentially creating a single-municipality service area. According to mayor-elect Trent Staggs, who has represented Riverton on the UPD and SLVLESA boards for the past three years, this will “keep Riverton property tax within Riverton, and use that then to pay for the Unified Police contract.” With SLVLESA, Riverton paid substantially more for law enforcement services than it would if it just contracted directly with the UPD. In 2016, Riverton’s UPD contract was worth $4.9 million, but with SLVLESA, it actually paid $5.2 million. Further tax hikes proposed by SLVLESA would have resulted in Riverton overpaying by as much as $800,000 in 2018. With the creation of RLESA, tax rates will instead be rolled back to essentially what they were in 2016; a move that has inspired neighboring cities Herriman and Millcreek to follow suit and form their own service areas, using RLESA as a model. Residents may be startled to see RLESA’s bill on their property tax statements listed as a 100% increase, but there really is no cause for alarm. “Because RLESA is a new entity, state law requires it show as a 100% increase. However, if you compare the proposed amount on the 2018 RLESA postcard to the SLVESA (shown on statement as SL Vly Law Enforcement) line on your 2017 property tax statement, you will see that the 2018 dollar amount proposed for RLESA is actually lower, resulting in a property tax savings,” city officials explained on the Riverton City website. Further information can be found at rivertoncity.com, under “About RLESA”. A final public hearing will be held on December 19,
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2017. Riverton will be officially out of SLVLESA beginning in January 2018, and will collect all UPD funds from RLESA instead. New sheriff in town Another 2017 change to Riverton’s law enforcement was the exciting August promotion of Riverton’s own former UPD Precinct Chief Rosie Rivera to the position of Salt Lake County Sheriff. Following her promotion, the city council selected Jake Petersen as their new Chief of Police Services. “I think you just made a great decision,” Sheriff Rivera told the city council as she stepped up to the podium to formalize Chief Petersen’s promotion— her first promotion as county sheriff. “I knew early on that if I ever left, I wanted somebody that could fill the shoes, but also have that same passion for my city. I think that you chose the best person possible to do that. I know that Jake has that same passion for the citizens of Riverton, and will serve them very well.” Even with a new tax service area and a new precinct chief, Riverton will receive the same service from the Unified Police Department as always. “We still operate under an interlocal agreement with the UPD… and that has not been
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changed at all as a part of this process,” said Interim City Manager Ryan Carter. The only thing that will change is the means by which the UPD is paid—and, of course, the amount of money that Riverton residents will save as a result. Animal services Riverton reinforced its self-reliant approach to serving its citizens with its June decision to bring animal control services in-house, a long journey that finally has its end in sight. The city is
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Stone Ridge vet tech Shannon with rescued kitty Jupiter. Riverton has partnered with Stone Ridge to provide in-city animal shelter. (Marnie Cannon)
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set to officially transition from Salt Lake County Animal Services to in-house animal control by Feb. 1, 2018. Previously, Riverton contracted with Salt Lake County Animal Control Services for both animal capture and animal shelter, but back in May, the county unveiled plans to increase the contract fee from $287,000 a year to more than $400,000. While the county provided exemplary service, the price increases were “reaching a breaking point for Riverton’s budget,” according to Carter, so the city began pursuing other options. The animal control equation has two main factors: first, catching the animals, and second, housing them until they can be claimed. The Council’s solution to animal apprehension is pretty straightforward. They plan to hire two additional city code enforcement officers—who ordinarily handle such problems as inappropriately placed signs, weeds, and other general community complaints—furnish them with a truck, and crosstrain them in animal control. “The idea is to get somebody hired by January, and then get them trained and equipped in January,” said Carter. Shelter space has proven to be a slightly more complicated endeavor. Having no dedicated animal shelter of its own, Riverton has decided to provide shelter via a partnership with local animal clinic and pets hotel Stone Ridge Veterinary. The city will outfit Stone Ridge with additional boarding space and house captured animals there, where they will be treated with the same level of care and attention Continued on Page 2...
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