Council Hosts First Digital Town Hall

Welcome to the first Digital Town Hall hosted by the Provo Council

The Town Hall event is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM.

A limited number of spots will be available for participants to join the video conference as active participants. To join, visit our Google + page, and add us to your circles, and then click "Join" on the town hall post.

For those who just wish to view the presentation, stay tuned here for the live broadcast.

Those wanting to submit questions may post them to us through social media, including comments on this article, through Google +, our Facebook page, or our Twitter account.

We will try to have questions answered in the order they are received, and in an orderly a manner as possible.

Thanks for joining us!

Council Announces Digital Town Hall to Discuss Budget

To give residents an opportunity to connect with the Council about budget issues, the Council will host an online town hall meeting on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 7:30pm.

Specific items will include the budget gap, a plan for preventive road maintenance, and input on the proposed property tax as part of a broader solution to these issues or the consideration of a new utility fee to pay for preventative road maintenance.

The meeting will be hosted via Google Hangouts and broadcast live from the City Council blog. During the broadcast, comments and questions to the Council can be shared via the:

• Council Blog
• Council Facebook page
• Council Twitter page (#provocouncil)

In July, the Council has held a series of five town hall meetings throughout the City. One final in-person town hall meeting will be held Saturday, August 3rd, 9am, at the City Center (351 West Center Street).

Take the Budget Gap Challenge!

At the Council's Public Interactive Budget Meetings, participants were asked to "Take the Budget Gap Challenge!" Now you can "Take the Challenge" by seeing how changing budget priorities can help close the gap in funding.

Be master of the budget. Solve the ten-year gap between revenues and expenditures. Add or cut programs, raise or lower taxes and fees. It’s all in your ‘control’.

• Open a Google Drive file (require Google account).
• Download Microsoft Excel file (works with OpenOffice as well).
  
  
  

What does property tax mean to you?

The Council has prepared an online presentation to help Provo residents get a sense of the big issues, and better understand what this year's proposed property tax increase will mean to them. 

This video covers balancing revenues and expenditures, road funding challenges, budget cuts, essential services, rising costs and many other budgeting challenges. Watch the video to review these items, and consider how you think long-term funding challenges should be addressed, and share your views with your Council Member.

Click to watch:

Share your questions and concerns with your Council member directly here, or leave a comment on this post.

Council Interactive Budget Meetings

Council Chair Gary Winterton explains budget issues

The Council has held a series of interactive budget meetings to dialogue with the public about funding challenges facing the city, and receive input how to best move forward. With record low turnout we realize this isn’t the most exciting thing to attend or participate in, so we’re going to make it easy:  

Seven Minute Video Overview

Watch this to get a sense of the big issues and what this year’s property tax increase means for you:

Link to the video here.

Play the Budget Gap Challenge

Be master of the budget. Solve the ten-year gap between revenues and expenditures. Add or cut programs, raise or lower taxes and fees. It’s all in your ‘control’.

• Open a Google Drive file (require Google account).
• Download Microsoft Excel file (works with OpenOffice as well).

Calculate the Property Tax Change on Your Home

The current plan is to increase property taxes by a total of 0.16% (2% of the General Operations levy. Calculate the impact to your tax bill:

Share your Thoughts

Social Media

Comment below or on one of our other social media platforms:

In person:

Public Budget Meeting

Aug 3 – City Center, 351 W Center St., 9AM

Truth in Taxation Public Hearing

(where the proposed tax increase will be acted upon)

Aug 6 – City Center, 351 W Center St., 6PM

Telephone/Email

Contact your Council Member directly here.

Council Passes Rezone for Assisted Living Facility and New Housing

Layout Plan for Assisted Living Facility

The Provo Council has passed rezone for about 16 acres located at 3900 North and 4200 North University Avenue in the Riverbottoms neighborhood. This amendment changes the current agricultural zone of the land to a LDR Zone (Low-Density Residential Zone).

This amendment clears the way for the construction of an assisted living facility at the location with up to a maximum of 225 beds. Twenty-nine attached higher end single-family homes, and five detached single-family homes will also be a part of the development.

Discussing traffic flow and public safety in street right-of-way

During the Council’s work meeting, a discussion was held in regards to prohibiting the exchange of personal property or money between persons in the street right-of-way and any unparked vehicle on certain road designations.

This discussion dealt with concerns regarding public safety, traffic flow, and centered on possible solutions to these potential issues.

What are your thoughts on the public safety and traffic flow of permitting exchanges of personal property and money between person in the street right-of-way and vehicles?

Contact your Council Member with your thoughts and concerns by posting a comment on this article, or reaching them directly here. 

Council to Launch Interactive Hearing on Budget

The City Council is launching an interactive series of meetings with the purpose of engaging  the public in determining funding needs and priorities, present and future. Some of the specific topics will include road funding, balanced budgets, and a proposed 2% property tax.

Attendees will also be able to engage with an interactive budget simulator that shows what happens to the budget over ten years when adding or cutting various city services.

Meeting times, dates and locations are as follows:

• July 10 –        Covey Center Dance Studio, 425 W Center St., 7PM
• July 11 –         Grandview Learning Center, 1591 Jordan Ave., 7PM
• July 16 –         Timpview High School, 3750 N 650 E, 7PM (tentative)
• July 17 –       Lakeview Elementary School, 2899 W 1390 N,  7PM
• July 18 –        Spring Creek Elementary School, 1740 South Nevada, 7PM
• Aug  3 –          City Center, 351 W Center St., 9AM
• Aug  6 –        Truth in Taxation Public Hearing, City Center, 351 W Center St., 6PM

Happy Independence Day from the Provo Council

The Council was pleased to participate in the Grand Parade this morning. Here are some photo highlights of their trip. 

Council Member Hal Miller and his grandchildren.

The trolley leaving Provo High School Parking Lot

Smiling faces

Council Members Sterling Beck and Laura Cabanilla salute the crowd

Council Members Gary Winterton, Laura Cabanilla and Sterling Beck 

Council Members wave to the crowd

Neighborhood Council Area Meeting

Council Members met with Neighborhood Chairs last week to dialogue about community issues, and receive feedback about topics of concern to neighborhoods.

The meeting between Council Members and Neighborhood Chairs occurs several times a year, and is an opportunity for dialogue about community issues. During last week’s meeting, discussion included the City Budget, Clean Air Initiatives, and dialogue about Downtown Awareness Efforts and the Downtown Master Plan.

Those interested in the Clean Air Initiatives can find more information about the discussion of the issue here.

Community Development is looking for feedback on the Downtown Master Plan, which may be accessed here.  

If you would like to review the plan and submit comments, please contact Community Development at downtownplan@provo.org.

To express your views to the Council regarding city budgets or other issues like clean air, you may either comment on this article, or reach your Council Member directly here.

Clean the Air

Council Member Hal Miller introduced Don Jarvis, a retired BYU Professor and Administrator who advises the mayor regarding sustainability, to Provo’s Neighborhood Chairs during a meeting last week.

Jarvis spoke with chairs about the causes and proposed solutions to how Provo residents can help clean up the poor air quality the city experiences during winter months.

While acknowledging that winter inversions play a role in air quality, Jarvis said much can be done by the average resident to reduce the severity of smog during those periods.

“One of the biggest contributors to our air quality issues is vehicles,” Jarvis said. “Reducing vehicle use can be a major way residents can help improve air quality on red air quality days.” Taking transit, biking, walking are helpful ways to collectively combat poor air quality. Public transportation and its role in air quality plans were discussed as well.

Utah Division of Air Quality’s “Clear the Air Challenge” was also mentioned as a worthy tool to help clean the air. Details of the challenge, which begins today, July 1, 2013 can be found here.

What are your thoughts on how Provo’s air quality may be addressed? Contact your Council Member with your thoughts, ideas and concerns by leaving a comment on this article, or directly here.