Sign Seekers and Deniers

Have Your Voice Heard by the City Council on Electronic Signs in Provo

An increase of electronic signs in Provo has prompted the Municipal Council to consider the issue of regulation, with the Council referring the issue to the Planning Commission for their recommendation.

An alternative proposal by Council Member Hal Miller has also been submitted for the Council’s consideration (link) in addition to the Planning Commission’s recommendation (link) as presented by Community Development.

The following survey has been drafted to determine which features of the proposals should be considered. The Council would appreciate your effort to complete the survey, and also welcome your comments and feedback.

Take the survey.

Council Visits the Legislature

The Utah State Legislature kicked off the 2013 session earlier this week. The Provo City Council is actively monitoring proposed legislation and is working with various legislators during this year’s legislative session.  Members of the Council met with several legislators yesterday at a lunch sponsored by the Utah League of Cities and Towns (ULCT).  

The Council works together with the ULCT and the Mayor’s office to advocate increased control over local government and other issues that may affect Provo.  Several key issues the Council is watching this year include a proposed bill affecting the iProvo utility fee, a change in towing regulations, and Provo's long-established water rights.  A summary of these key issues and related bills is included below.  

 

Issue	Supports Local Control	Bill	Bill Title	Sponsor	Status	Intent
iProvo	Unfavorable	HB 273	Municipal Telecommunications Amendments	K Grover	House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst 1/23/2013	This bill amends provisions related to a rate charged by a municipality for cable television or public telecommunication service.
Towing	Favorable	No #	NA	K Stratton	Not yet filed	To provide municipalities greater flexibility in deciding their own towing regulations
Water	Unfavorable	HB 29	Adjudication of Water Rights	J Briscoe	House/ 2nd reading/ suspension 1/28/2013	This bill makes changes to the procedure for a general adjudication of water rights under Title 73, Water and Irrigation.

Realizing that the legislative process can take months and even years, the Provo City Council is proactively reaching out to various legislators to prepare for the 2014 legislative session.  Among those issues the Council is preparing for include:

·         Road Funding – additional state gas tax allocation

·         Ability to earmark property tax through Truth-in-Taxation for specific city funds

·         Special sales tax levy for areas like Downtown

You can find your legislator’s contact information and follow what’s happening at the Legislature at www.le.utah.gov.

For a complete list of other bills ULCT is following you can visit their tracking page by clicking here.

CDBG Social Services Funding

-->

Provo Municipal City Council will shortly meet with citizen volunteers to determine how to distribute funds from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the fiscal year 2013-2014. It is projected that an estimated $70,000 will be available for social services programs.

As part of this effort, the Council is open to public input and comment through the Council blog, contacting Council members directly, or leaving comments with staff.  Council members’ contact information can be found at the following link: Provo City Council Contact Information

Provo City Council would also like to express its sincere appreciation for the past support of the Mayor and members of the council for the social services programs located in the city.

Since deciding how to use funds from the CDBG is a difficult process which contains many competing needs in our community and limited resources, Provo City Council utilizes the assistance of the Social Services Funding Committee, which considers the following questions when making recommendations for funding allocation:

1)      Clientele served

a.       Uniqueness

b.      Duplication

2)      Carryover of unexpended funds

3)      Duplication of services

4)      Prioritized funds going directly to client serves, and program delivery versus personnel costs

5)      Participant contributions to agency or program costs

6)      Funding history

7)      Plans to reduce dependency on CDBG funding

8)      Reports following agency visits (Most agencies were visited)

Additionally, three agencies requesting funds are influenced by the following factors which will significantly impact funding recommendations:

1.      Children’s Justice

·         Currently has a balance of $80,000 in unexpended funds.

o    Consequently, reduced funding.

2.      Victim’s Assistance

·         Currently has a balance of $26,000, $27,000 in unexpended funds. 

o   Consequently, reduced funding.

3.      Boy Scouts of America

·         Accesses fund raising options that are not available to other agencies and programs.

            4.  Agencies which contain duplication of services which could affect funding:

·         Affiliated Treatment Center

·         Center for Women and Children

·         Family support and Treatment

More information about CDBG may be found on the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website here.

Social Services Funding Committee –

Program		Type*	Purpose	Request	Recommendation
Ability First		ET	Staffing costs associated with job training for individuals on Social Security	$15,000	$2,000
Affiliated Treatment Center, LLC		Y & AB	Provide free therapy to adults and children who are victims of violence	$12,000	$3,000
Boy Scouts of America		Y & AB	Provide camping scholarships to low and moderate-income youth in Provo	$10,000	--
Center for Women & Children		Y & AB	Personnel to provide ongoing support services to victims and families of domestic violence and rape.	$25,000	$13,500
Centro Hispano		ET	Education and services for low-income ethnic community members through Community Resource Program	$10,000	$1,000
Community Health Connect		HN	Improve access to medical and dental care for uninsured Utah County Residents	$10,000	$2,000
ESOL Adult Program		ET	Help non-English speaking LMI residents develop proficiency in the English language	$10,000	$2,000
Family Support & Treatment		Y & AB	Therapy and intervention for children and families in Provo who have experienced or at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect.	$20,000	$10,000
Friends of the Children’s Justice Center		Y & AB	Clinical, counseling and direct treatment for Provo residents who are LMI children / families who are victims of physical or sexual abuse.	$35,000	$5,000
Friends of the Coalition		H	Costs associated with providing meal services to LMI individuals	$7,500	$3,000
House of Hope		SA	Salary and benefits for Provo House of Hope Children’s Program Supervisor	$10,000	$3,000
Mountainlands Community Health Center		HN	Provide discounted medical, dental and mental health care to LMI Provo Residents	$15,000	$8,000
Project  Read		ET	Staff tutoring labs two or three times a night	$10,000	$3,000
Provo City Police Dept. Victims Assistance Service		Y & AB	Staffing, materials and supplies for victims of violent crimes who are LMI residents	$19,320	$1,000
Recreation and Habilitation Services (RAH)		D	Educational, living skills, recreational and training programs for mentally and physically disabled Provo residents.	$22,975	$12,500
Utah County Crisis Line		E, Y & AB, HN, SA	Utah County Crisis Line: Delivery and operational costs of the crisis intervention line.	$5,000	$1,000
	Total				$70,000

* E = Elderly, D = Disabled, Y & AB = Youth & Abused Persons, H = Homeless Individuals/Families, HN = Health Needs, CP = Crime Prevention, SA = Substance Abuse, ET = Employment Training.

To see a copy of the notice and eligible funding activities visit the following link: City of Provo Notice of Funds Available.