June 2022
RIVERTON REVIEW Official Newsletter of the Riverton, Utah City Government MAYOR’S MESSAGE
Mayor’s Budget Proposal Highlights By Mayor Trent Staggs I was pleased to present the Mayor’s Budget for Fiscal Year 20222023 to the City Council on May 3 for their review and consideration. In close consultation with our city manager and administrative services director, the proposal accounts for both operational need and the new strategic priorities established by the City Council. Our city is well-positioned to accomplish much in the coming year largely due to smart planning efforts and fiscally sound policies and practices. Here are a few financial highlights to note as you review the budget: • There are no proposed fee or property tax increases. • Total budgeted expenditures, excluding transfers and additions to fund balance, are $53.1 million. • Since Fiscal Year 2015, total budgeted expenditures for the city have only grown by 37%,
and just 29% if you remove onetime expenditures tied to Federal and State emergency funding such as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. • Since Fiscal Year 2015, taking out storm water expenditures that were rolled into this fund, expenditures have increased just 17% in the General Fund. Substantially lower than inflation. The General Fund is the best barometer of whether a government is fiscally disciplined in my view. • Sales tax revenues have increased 59% since 2018. We anticipate finishing at $11 million in sales tax revenue for Fiscal Year 2022. • American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will be used to pay for several projects. The city has already received $2.6 million and will receive the remaining $2.6 million in July. • We anticipate a very healthy flow of development revenue to the city, including 182 single family homes and 220 multifamily units we project to begin construction this year. • We continue to reduce city debt; current debt per capita sits at $805 down substantially from $1,118 in 2015.
RIVERTON REVIEW | JUNE 2022
• Riverton City maintains a AAA credit rating. There are two projects that are of great interest to me that I wanted to mention here. The first is the installation of a reverse osmosis system on the city’s Green Well to improve water quality that will meet or exceed the facilities. $1.2 million of ARPA quality of water provided by the funds have been budgeted to pay Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District (JVWCD). Salt Lake County for it. We anticipate the network has signaled interest in contributing will dramatically increase internet speeds at city facilities and save $3 million toward the project in the city money on the cost of exchange for a special water rate internet service, and potentially for the Riverbend Golf Course. drive more choice This investment, and competition combined with by allowing private a contribution of providers to utilize “Our city is $650,000 from the this network. well-positioned to city using ARPA funds, will allow accomplish much in I’ve called out us to re-engage the coming year largely several other the Green Well. key projects in due to smart planning This innovative the budget letter. efforts and fiscally project could Please feel free supply nearly sound policies and to review the half of the city’s practices.” letter and the culinary water entire budget at needs, reducing rivertonutah. our dependency gov/budget. I on JVWCD water, and allowing us encourage all to read through the to keep culinary water rates low for budget proposal and reach out to the foreseeable future. me or a member of the City Council if you have questions. The final The second is the installation of budget will be adopted by June 21. a fiber network to connect city
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COUNCIL MESSAGE
Reviewing SLCo Shared Police Services MAYOR Trent Staggs tstaggs@rivertonutah.gov 801-208-3129
CITY COUNCIL Sheldon Stewart - District 1 sstewart@rivertonutah.gov 801-953-5672 Troy McDougal - District 2 tmcdougal@rivertonutah.gov 801-931-9933 Tawnee McCay - District 3 tmccay@rivertonutah.gov 801-634-7692 Tish Buroker - District 4 tburoker@rivertonutah.gov 801-673-6103 Claude Wells - District 5 cwells@rivertonutah.gov 801-875-0116
CITY MANAGER David R. Brickey citymanager@rivertonutah.gov 801-208-3129
CITY HALL 801-254-0704
By Councilmember Sheldon Stewart We will celebrate three years since the Riverton Police Department was created on July 1. Since that time, I have received numerous compliments about our department and the type of officers we have serving our community. These are a special group of people that take their job seriously, not only on duty, but off duty as some of you may have seen with Officer Mosher this past month while off duty coming to the aid of a person in need. RPD is a proactive department in seeking out and assisting our residents in need and in keeping our community safe. What is unique about this department is how we have partnered with our wonderful neighbors in Herriman and South Jordan to create one of the best SWAT teams in the United States. In addition to these services, we have also created with our neighboring cities major incident
responses teams for a myriad of countywide policing services. areas from major crimes to accident reconstructions. All these enhanced All the services listed that “shared services dedicated to our area with services” provides, we already offer more officers are saving residents with the Riverton Police Departmore than $2 ment. This is a million a year in double tax. As property taxes. Riverton resi“All these enhanced This totals $6 dents, we are services dedicated to our paying for offimillion in savings area with more officers since the creation cers in Millcreek, of the Riverton Midvale, Holladay, are saving residents Law Enforcement Kearns, or anymore than $2 million a Service Area. The where else that year in property taxes.” savings will conreceives police tinue to grow. services from the Unified Police DeThere has been a lot of dialogue partment with the justification that it around a Salt Lake County budget is because the officer has a secondline item tied to “shared services” ary assignment of SWAT or another recently among police agencies in service that we already have in our the southwest portion of the county. department. This item is defined as countywide policing services, but as a city, we As a city, we have responded to have dug further into this line item multiple inquiries regarding these and found that it is really only beneservices, and we continue to press fiting members of the Unified Police the county on this supplement that Department. As Riverton residents, benefits only members of Unified we pay property taxes to Salt Lake Police Department. It is important County. They take a portion of our that you let our county representatax dollars and then allocate $3.3 tives know that we don’t agree with million dollars to Unified Police Desubsidizing police services in other partment for the stated purpose of communities.
Protect Our Waterways: Cleanup Firework Debris
UPCOMING CITY MEETINGS CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, June 2 & 21, 7 p.m. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Thursday, June 9 & 23, 6:30 p.m
FIND US ONLINE!
HELP CONSERVE WATER
@rivertonutahgov
Utah is facing drought conditions again this year. We encourage you to look for ways you can reduce your water use. Find tips on ways you can save water this year at slowtheflow.org.
www.rivertonutah.gov PAGE 2
Did you know that firework debris can be a major pollutant for our streams and rivers? As you celebrate Independence Day and Pioneer Day in July, remember to sweep firework debris from roads, gutters, sidewalks, and driveways. We recommend placing debris from fireworks in a bucket of water before disposal.
RIVERTON REVIEW | JUNE 2022
PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGE
Non-Traditional Vehicle Safety By Chief Don Hutson Summer is here and it is time for all of us to be mindful of a changing landscape on the streets of Riverton. Many more pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, and other types of traffic will be more prevalent and require all of us to be more aware. Among the non-traditional vehicles we see more routinely during the summer months are golf carts and all-terrain vehicles. We receive a good number of complaints from our citizens concerned about golf carts and other non-traditional vehicles on our roadways. Some citizens are irritated by them, some are very concerned for the safety of the riders, and some don’t see their use as problematic. I would like to clarify a few points regarding the utilization of these
non-traditional vehicles on the streets of Riverton. First, Riverton City does not currently have an ordinance authorizing or regulating the use of non-traditional vehicles on city streets. Given this, If a non-traditional vehicle is driven by a licensed driver, it is still not state law is the legal for them to drive on the roadway unless it has all the necessary authority regusafety equipment and is legally registered. lating their use. roadway. However, it may be legal It is illegal for an unlicensed driver for them to drive on the side of the to operate any vehicle, including a golf cart or other off-road vehicle, on road, like an electric scooter or bicycle. If a non-traditional vehicle the roadway. It is important to know is driven by a licensed driver, it is the roadway is the portion of the still not legal for them to drive on the street where vehicles travel, not the roadway unless it has all the necshoulder. essary safety equipment outlined If operated on any specified highabove. way, a non-traditional vehicle shall be equipped with head lamps, tail Our interest, as police officers in lamps, turn signal lamps, and other Riverton, is the safety of our citiequipment specified in state law. zens. That said, when it comes to enforcement of traffic laws in RivIt would be erton, our focus will be to address impossible any situation which we deem to be for me to unsafe. The best way to get our address evattention, and perhaps be the focus ery scenario of our enforcement efforts, would be related to to engage in unsafe behavior as it non-tradition- relates to the use of non-traditional al vehicles, modes of transportation. but I will specifically I can assure you we will get a call if address a ten-year-old, and six or seven of the most his/her friends, are cruising down common the middle of the street on a golf situations I cart. Conversely, if your fifteenhave seen. year-old rides down the side of the If a golf cart roadway to a friend’s house, that will or ATV is probably not draw our attention. driven by an unlicensed In closing, please help us keep driver, it is our streets safe by monitoring your not legal children’s use of golf carts and other similar forms of transportation to for them to keep them safe. drive on the
RIVERTON REVIEW | JUNE 2022
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Riverton Town Days June 30 - July 2
• Carnival - June 30 - July 4 • Car Show - June 30, 4-9 p.m. • Parade - July 1, 6:30 p.m. • Movie in the Park - July 1, 9:30 p.m.
• Activities for Everyone - July 1 & 2, All Day • Country Mile, 1M, 5K & 10K - July 2, 7 a.m. • Fireworks - July 2, 10 p.m. • Learn more at rivertonutah.gov/towndays
RIVERTON REVIEW
Town Days Rodeo Tickets On Sale Now! • Friday, June 24 & Saturday, June 25, 8 p.m., Riverton Rodeo Arena • Get your tickets early so you don’t miss out at rivertonutah.gov/rodeo. • Tickets are only $9 each and must be purchased online. • Tickets will not be sold at the gate.
Register: Town Days Races
Town Days Parade Float Entries
3-Man Arena Sorting Competition
Registration for the Town Days 5K, 10K and 1-Mile Races has begun. Register at rivertonutah.gov/ races. Saturday, July 2, 7 a.m. (10K), 7:15 a.m. (5K), 8:30 a.m. (1-Mile).
Applications are available online for entries in the Riverton Town Days Parade. Entries are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Find details at rivertonutah.gov/parade. Applications Close: June 13.
Riverton Town Days kicks off with the annual 3-Man Arena Sorting Competition. Come watch cowboys and cowgirls work to sort calves. Wednesday, June 22, 7 p.m., Riverton Rodeo Arena. Free Event!
Register: Flag Football
Register: Fall Baseball
Friday Fun Nights
2021-2022 Utah PTA Reflections Exhibit
Public Safety Night
Registration for Flag Football ends on August 1. Children in 1st-6th Grade are eligible to participate. Season features 7 games. Register online.
Get your kids age 3-8 years old registered for Riverton City’s Fall Baseball league! Season includes 7 games. Registration closes June 27.
Friday Fun Nights in Riverton are the best! We’ve got food trucks, a summer market, entertainment, and a movie in the park every Friday from July 29 to August 26.
Come see original winning art pieces created by dozens of young Utah artists, all age 18 and younger, that were submitted at this years art competition.
The Riverton Police Department and Unified Fire Authority have a great family night with food, games and fun planned at Public Safety Night!
• League Begins Tuesday, September 6
• League Begins Tuesday, August 2
• Monday May 23 - August 10, Old Dome Meeting Hall
• Wednesday, August 3, 6-8 p.m., Riverton City Park
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• Food trucks & vendors open from 6-9 p.m. Movie begins at dusk.
RIVERTON REVIEW | JUNE 2022