Let it Snow

As I awoke this morning to a fresh blanket of snow of the ground I thought that this might be a good time to share some West Valley City snow removel statistics from the period of our last major snow storms. I received a number of phone calls and emails over that past few weeks regarding this City service. It is important for residents NOT to park their cars on City streets as the complicate the removal process. Here is a look at the public resources allocated for snow removal from Nov. 23 through Dec.2, 2010:

West Valley City lane miles...900 with over 530 cul-de-sacs.

Snow plow drivers.................26 full time, 2 part time. We also used 3 employees from other departments periodically.

Hours involved with plowing....1,501

Employee related cost..........$45,750.00

Overtime cost......................$6,900.00 this accounts for 20% of our overtime budget.

Miles Plowed.......................12,050

Tons of salt used................. 1,188 this accounts for 20% of our salt budget.

Total wages and materials (excluding fuel and fleet repair costs).................................$72,650.00

RDA Incentives

Tonight I was the lone dissenting vote on a Redevelopment Agency measure that awarded backcountry.com $130,000 in lease incentive money. I figured that this blog would be a good forum for further explanation of this issue.

First of all, I am a big fan of this particular West Valley City company and am glad that they want to continue to operate within our City, but I have a small yet significant disagreement in principle to giving them public dollars just for resigning a lease. The proper role of government is not to incentivize business, nor give bail outs, or sweetheart deals. The free market is what dictates the incentives and the laws of supply and demand reward those who innovate and produce superior products. Throughout all of this the proper role of government is to help facilitate commerce. We do this by providing the necessary infrastructure to conduct business. This infrastructure comes in many forms such as roads for shipping, police for protection of property, and courts to uphold contracts.

This is the sole principle in voting no on this incentive deal, the fact that it was an incentive to continue to locate here instead of finding new ways to help facilitate their business with infrastructure. Any deal should be an investment in our community as a whole and not singled out to assist one company at one time. By contrast a better end is accomplished by investing in infrastructure to help facilitate their business. I would have been in favoring of assisting backcountry with such improvements as better access by roads, adding another loading dock, improved utilities etc. These investments help facilitate commerce, increases property values, and serves the entire community for years to come. This way also does not just put cash in a company's pocket that will be forgotten when the next lease is up.

This difference in incentivize business vs facilitating commerce is similar to the old adage of, "You give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him how to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." We gave away a $130,000 fish that will keep them happy for today, but if instead we invested in the infrastructure of their business the company and the community would have benefited for a much longer time. I hope that any future deals that come through the redevelopment agency will seek to be long term investments in the community and not short term payoffs to keep a company content for the moment. Let us stick to the proper functions of government and look for ways to foster and facilitate business without just throwing money at it. Let us invest in the infrastructure of West Valley City and encourage businesses and residents to do the same.

Another Good Family Holiday Activity

As someone who is very fond of ice skating I was thrilled to hear that the Maverik Center would be hosting free family skating sessions for the rest of December. There are some good sponsors as well as a charitable component and it looks to be another quality event here in West Valley City. The details and official press release are below:


West Valley City – Maverik, Inc., the Maverik Center, and Tum-E Yummies are teaming up with Modern Display to host “Maverik Adventure Wonderland,” a FREE, Christmas-themed family iceskating activity at the Maverik Center in West Valley City. Maverik Adventure Wonderland will be held every Monday and Thursday evening from 4-9 p.m. starting December 13 and running throughout the month of December (Dec 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30).
Modern Display will turn the Maverik Center ice into a Christmas Adventure Wonderland. Visitors will skate to traditional Christmas music around a large Christmas tree display at center ice. Santa Claus will visit with children nightly from 6-8 p.m. and the Utah Grizzlies mascot, Grizzbee, the Grizzlies Ice Girls and Grizzlies players will make special appearances.
“The Maverik Center is a fantastic venue that allows us to provide an exciting Christmas experience for everyone,” said Ernie Harker, Maverikʼs executive director of marketing. “It will be a great family activity or an inexpensive date. I hope this will be the first annual tradition of the Maverik Adventure Wonderland at the Maverik Center.”
Grizzbee will be handing out free Tum-E Yummies fruit-flavored drinks to kids (while supplies last).
Hot chocolate, coffee and other Christmas fare will be available for purchase as well.
Admission is free and skate rentals are $5. (A donation of $1 per skate rental will be given to teamgive, a Utah-based charity dedicated to raising awareness for children with neurological diseases.)

Representing WVC

Last week I was able to represent West Valley City at the National League of Cities Congress of Cities which was held this year in Denver Colorado. I was pleased at the progress and the input that I was able to provide with my first tier suburbs steering committee. We successfully focused on Economic Development and provided many important solutions and programs. I reported on the Congress in this weeks City Council in both an oral and written report. Below is a copy of the written report given to my colleagues on he City Council:

Councilmember Rushton
Council Report

December 7, 2010

Congress of Cities NLC Conference

Summary

From December 1-4 I attended and represented West Valley City at the National League of Cities Congress of Cities in Denver, Colorado. The conference offered sessions and workshops to learn and share innovative ideas and solutions for their city’s economic development, infrastructure, sustainability and public safety needs. The conference major speakers and presenters included a Senator Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and a Business executive focused on sustainable development. I attended the conference at the Convention Center beginning Wednesday and concluded Saturday. During that time I not only attended general sessions and workshops, but also participated in mobile tours of the Denver regions transit oriented developments. Additionally, the steering committee I was appointed to was able to meet twice to discuss issues and set priorities for next year. Finally it was a good opportunity to attend briefing lunches and associate with many companies and colleagues with West Valley City connections. I gathered materials on numerous best practice solutions and innovations in order to share them with executive staff for informational purposes.

some of the highlights with local interest:

1. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Harvard University political scientist Robert D. Putnam discussed steps that governments can take to form successful relationships between immigrants and their new communities.

2. Spoke with representatives from the Justice Department about participation in the COPS program. Met with Utah regional representative from Health & Human Services about the Get Moving program and WVC trail system.

3. Other delegates from Utah cities gathered for a caucus dinner with representatives from the Utah League of Cities and Towns.

Action Items:

A. Form a staff committee to explore the costs/benefits of launching a WVC app for smartphones. Should also address if solely informational or interactive.

B. Council to formally charge Councilmember Christensen to be liaison with NLC Municipal Action for Immigrant Integration

C. Coordinate formal introduction of WVC staff with Englewood Colorado staff to collaborate on City Center TOD.

Additionally the City released the followed communication to media outlets concerning the Congress:

West Valley City Council Members Attend National Conference

Focusing on New Ideas and Solutions for Cities
West Valley City – West Valley City Council Members Don Christensen and Corey Rushton
recently joined thousands of fellow leaders from across the country for the 2010 National
League of Cities’ (NLC) annual Congress of Cities and Exposition in Denver, Colorado. The conference offered sessions and workshops to learn and share innovative ideas and solutions
for their city’s economic development, infrastructure, sustainability and public safety needs.
More than 2,000 municipal officials heard from nationally-known experts such as L. Hunter Lovins, president and founder of Natural Capitalism. Lovins spoke with delegates about tools and strategies to create more sustainable local governments. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Harvard University political scientist Robert D. Putnam discussed steps that governments can take to form successful relationships between immigrants and their new communities.
Additionally, former US Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) offered his perspective on the current
political climate in Washington, DC, in the wake of the mid-term elections. Department of
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack discussed health and wellness and brought video greetings
from First Lady Michelle Obama.
"The Congress was a great opportunity to represent West Valley City on a national scale and observe innovations that will enhance our local community," says Council Member Corey
Rushton.
Each year at the Congress of Cities, local officials make connections and learn about
resources to help move their communities forward. Delegates meet with thousands of peers and colleagues from around the country to discover cost-saving programs, products and
services; replicate effective programs and create innovative solutions to their community’s
most pressing challenges.