Public Works/Snow Removal Trucks

In an ongoing effort to streamline City services and to keep City spending down, we are always looking for ways to be innovative and to save money.  Once such example of this is the recent refurbishment of work truck vehicles, like the ones you see plowing and salting the streets.  This will save more than $500,000 in the next two years by refurbishing rather than replacing aging heavy fleet vehicles. The two trucks pictured are identical and were both purchased a decade ago; one has been refurbished.

30th

Last week was West Valley City's 30th anniversary of incorporation. Still fairly young by City standards and a remarkable amount of accomplishment has occurred in those three short decades. The Utah Symphony performed on an absolutely picture perfect summer evening. I enjoyed some food and the variety of musical selections that were played. Earlier in the evening was City Council meetings were the following proclamation was read and I afterward signed as Mayor Pro Tem:

WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH
PROCLAMATION
A PROCLAMATION DECLARING 2010 AS WEST
VALLEY CITY’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF
INCORPORATION AND CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF
“PROGRESS AS PROMISED.”

WHEREAS, in 1977 a determined Community Council of Granger, Hunter, and
Redwood residents wanted to form a new City Government in Utah, and
WHEREAS, those residents, along with State representatives and local leaders pushed forward, winning an incorporation vote; and
WHEREAS, on July 1st, 1980, Judge David K. Winder administered the oath of office to the leaders of the new City; and
WHEREAS, on July 8th, 1980, a subsequent disincorporation vote was defeated, realizing the dream of forming a new city and moving forward with plans for West Valley City; and
WHEREAS, West Valley City has embraced its first-class status with the addition of parks, new roads, independent public safety services, the Maverik Center entertainment venue, the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, the Family Fitness Center, residential and commercial enhancements, a city center and public plaza, and many more accomplishments too numerous to list;
NOW, THEREFORE, I do hereby commend those individuals with the dream to build a new city, those elected officials, administrators, and employees both past and present who have worked to turn what was once a dream into Utah’s second largest City, and proclaim 2010 as West Valley City’s 30th anniversary of incorporation, celebrating 30 years of “Progress as Promised.”

Also during that evening Council meetings we convened as the City's Redevelopment Agency and Municipal Building Authority to have public hearing is order to sell the City's surplus land at near the Cultural Center to be developed as part of the Jordan River Marketplace.

The other big news coming out of the City is the naming of the Maverik Center. I am very pleased to have Maverik as the naming sponsor of the arena and excited at the potential for numerous partnerships to help promote the quality entertainment district that West Valley City offers. I have been asked by numerous residents and news agencies about the terms of the deal. I am happy to report that the deal is worth millions of dollars over a number of years. Deals like this are lengthy and complicated, but in the spirit of good government and transparency I hope that those that are seeking further information on this partnership get their questions answered sooner rather than later. I have always taken pride that the community owns the Center and that we will all play a big role in the future of that entertainment district. We'll work to establish as many quality partnerships as we can to keep West Valley City moving forward.

Regional Park Update & Open House

Intergovernmental Relations is an area in which I have worked hard to elevate West Valley City's profile and effectiveness. In order to have effective local government we must foster good working relationships with federal, state, and other local governments. One such instance that has led to success is the partnership with Salt Lake County on Lodestone Regional Park. The park and the proposed expansion lies chiefly in Salt Lake County, but is surrounded by West Valley residents that have been in need of some extra recreational amenities and open space. It will be located west of 5600 West on 6200 South in what is known as the Diamond Summit area. As a City we have extensively been in contact with the county and additionally entered into some agreements to further the development of this destination park, which would be like a Liberty Park for the residents of West Valley City. I will continue to watch this project and advocate for timely completion and quality planning. Subsequently, the county will be holding an Open House to receive park input from the nearby residents. The Open House will be held on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at Thomas Jefferson Jr High from 6:30-8:30. Come and share your thoughts and ideas in making this park a haven for families and fun. See you there!

Boring, but important...

I wanted to report on a couple of items that have taken a tedious amount of work over an extended period of time and are now complete or nearly complete. The first one is the successful completion of Fiscal Year 2008 Citywide Audit. Over a number of years West Valley City has contracted with the firm of Jensen & Keddington to preform a complete financial audit. This year the City went a step further with the creation of an Audit Review Committee. This committee was made assembled with some outside financial experts as well as community members. I served as one of the City Council appointees to this committee, and in doing so participated in extensive review of West Valley City's financial practices and received detailed answers to my specific inquires. West Valley has been recognized often for the integrity and manner of the annual audit and this year was able to quickly remedy the few minor deficiencies exposed by the audit process. This places West Valley City on firm ground as we proceed into the new fiscal year.

The second noteworthy item is that it appears we have come to consensus as to the hard surface parking ordinance. After sorting through the various staff recommendations and considering community input it looks as though well maintained additional gravel parking will be allowed and the original ordinance from years back will be amended. West Valley City staff has been charged with rewriting the ordinance and it should be available for final adoption in the coming weeks.

Finally, I am shocked that during these first initial months of my website featuring the United States Government Quiz only two entries have posted a 100% score. Additionally, one of those perfect scores was submitted by my father who was a Social Studies teacher for many years and thus probably shouldn't count. Maybe when the summer is over and school is back in session I will see the scores start to rise as well. Give it a try if you haven't already.

Pioneer Day

This was a very eventful and memorable Pioneer Day for West Valley City and for myself. In the morning I joined with the Mayor and Councilmembers on the 'Catch the Vision' West Valley Float in the Days of '47 Parade in Salt Lake City to commemorate the pioneers reaching the Salt Lake Valley. The float featured a wagon train as well as a trax train to highlight the City's progress over the generations. It was especially meaningful to me as it made me reflect on my Rushton ancestors whom were among the last to leave Nauvoo because they were directed by Brigham Young to "See that all of the sick and the poor got across the river." Later Edward Rushton was amongst the first settlers to cross over the Jordan River and establish a homestead in what is now West Valley City. The parade was enjoyable and it was exciting when we came across the various pockets of West Valley City residents along the route cheering and proud of the float and of their community. Many people should be thanked for the excellent manner that our City was represented in this parade, but none more than the versatile Kevin Conde who wears many hats for the City and excels at making events go off without a hitch.

Later that evening Emily and I attended the Days of '47 Rodeo. This is the inaugural year for the Rodeo at its new home, the E Center. I was pleased at the attendance and the great response received from the Rodeo participants as they expressed their approval of the the venue, area, and City partnerships. In attendance at the Rodeo that evening was Thomas Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He seemed to really enjoy the antics of Whiplash the Rodeo Monkey. Whiplash later presented President Monson with an autographed photo of himself. I was curious as to how a cowboy monkey signs autographs, but overall the show was great. I was thrilled at every instance as it seemed as though the City was well represented and did a stellar job a participating in our State Holiday.

Update Op-Ed

Recently I wrote the "Update" message for the West Valley Journal. There were a number of items and issues that I would have loved to address, but due to space limitations I wrote the following that was themed towards the challenges of a maturing urban city. It also encompasses my thoughts towards many eminent policy decisions from Animals to Zone Changes:

Progress as Promised

A message from Councilmember Corey Rushton

As you take a look around West Valley City you may have noticed the increasing blooming of orange construction cones and fences. The amount of growth and development in this once desolate and lonely region of the valley has been remarkable. It is hard to believe that over fifty years ago it was extremely difficult to obtain a home loan in this area because lenders thought that it was too remote of a location and would eventually be abandoned. However, it has been said many times and in many different ways that change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change. Progress and change is at the root of most issues and challenges we face as we continue to grow and mature as a city with its own identity.

I would like to point out three significant ways in which West Valley City is maintaining a small town sense of community and responsibility in the midst of a rapidly growing urbanized region. First, unlike many government entities, we have a balanced budget and have been consistently paying down city debt. Second, our city has done a great job in attracting and retaining businesses, in addition to having major employment centers. We are fortunate to have roughly the same number of jobs in West Valley City as we have working age adults. Finally, the FBI released crime statistics last week for major U.S. cities, and I was pleased to see that we experienced a decline in violent crimes last year. Considering the state of current economic challenges, I feel that we as a city are in a strong position to make continual strides of improvement.

In addition to all of this, I am thrilled at our city’s unmatched efforts in bringing people and communities together. The great inventor and innovator Henry Ford once noted that, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” I also invite everyone to take inventory and reflect on how we can continue to bring our community together and enjoy the progress within your own lives and within West Valley City.