Council “Cultural Spotlight”

In an effort to promote the cultural enrichment of Provo, the Provo Council has scheduled a “Cultural Spotlight” to be a regular feature of Council Meetings.

The first of these “Cultural Spotlight” presentations was given at Council Meeting on Tues. Jan. 21, 2014 by Frequency, an a capella choir composed of high school students from around Utah Valley at the Covey Center.

Frequency sang several musical numbers before the Council, a recording of which is viewable on Provo’s Channel 17 at this link.

Provo BRT Alignment Public Meeting

The Council discussed BRT in a public meeting Tues. Jan 28, 2014, broadcast live and archived on Channel 17. If you didn't make it, but have questions or comments for the Council, submit them as comments on this article, or reach us at facebook.com/provocouncil or on twitter at @provocouncil and we'll see that your comments reach Council Members.

Council offers Joint Resolution with Mayor to state legislature

The Council issued a joint-resolution together with the Mayor at Council Meeting on Tues. Jan. 21, 2014 to the state legislature to outline the support for the development of several sustainable revenue sources to fund local street maintenance and capital improvements.

If you find this issue important, please contact your representatives.

The full text of the resolution may be found here.

Council accepts UVU Public Service Academy benchmarking report

In the Council’s Work Meeting on Tues. Jan. 21, 2014, the Council heard a presentation from Utah Valley University’s Public Service Academy, which presented research providing Provo City’s Fire Department with bench-marking data.

The Council as part of its oversight role for the city has seen a need for professional bench-marking data for city departments on a regular and consistent basis, in the most cost efficient way. Utah Valley University’s Public Service Academy approached the Council about providing the city with a trial run of such bench-marking data. This will give their students an opportunity to exercise valuable skills, and to generate value for the city. Tuesday’s meeting was a culmination of this trial run, which if the City and Council finds satisfactory, could be result in future studies performed for the city by UVU Public Service Academy.

The presentation commended the Provo Fire Department on its ability to meet safety demands of a growing community, and its ability to do more with less. The presentation also assessed how the Provo Fire Department could obtain greater inefficiencies which would allow the redirection of resources to mission-critical needs. The report reviewed such topics as Privatization, Airport Coverage, Volunteerism, Scheduling, Performance, and Budgeting.

The Council accepted the report, and determined it will give Provo’s Fire Chief a chance to respond at a future work meeting to its merits, and to determine whether the Council could make use of future reports from Utah Valley University’s Public Service Academy.

To watch the presentation, you can visit the Council’s blog here; you can also see a copy of their report here.

This report provides an opportunity for residents to see how their public services compare with those of other cities of similar make-up and size. Please share your thoughts and feedback with the Council about this issue by commenting on this article, or reaching out directly to your Council Member here.

Council Work Meeting Jan 21, 2014

Here is the Council's work meeting video from yesterday. You may also find the documents from the meeting, including presentations offered to the Council which are a part of the discussion here.

Council Announces Public Meeting discussing BRT Alignment to be held Jan 28

The Provo Council announces a public meeting to hear comment and research on the Bus and Rapid Transit (BRT) alignment plans for Provo to be held Tuesday January 28, 2014 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

Presenters will include plans and feedback from Utah Transit Authority (UTA), Provo’s Transportation and Mobility Advisory Committee (TMAC), and the BRT Area 1 Stakeholder Working Group. The administration may also offer a brief presentation.

Following the presentations there will be a panel discussion led by Council Member Gary Garrett. Members of the public are encouraged to offer feedback and comment on this issue by leaving a comment on this article or connecting directly with their Council representative (see here).

Corrections

In the course of releasing information, the Council, like other civic, public, media and business organizations occasionally commits errors in reporting or releasing public information.

To clarify one such error, please note at the 2014 Provo Inauguration, Council Member Kim Santiago’s biographical introduction stated that she completed a BS degree in nursing from Brigham Young University. Council Member Santiago did attend Brigham Young University and complete coursework there, however she completed her BS in nursing online through BYU-Idaho. We regret the error.

The Provo Council Issues Resolution Accepting Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and Audit

In accordance with Utah State Code, each year the Provo City finance department compiles a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) which is audited by an independent accounting firm and contracted by the Provo Council.

What is the CAFR?

A Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) is a set of US government financial statements comprising the financial report of a state, municipal or other governmental entity that complies with the accounting requirements promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).

-Wikipedia

Provo’s 2013 CAFR, which accounts for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, was recently accepted by the Council in a resolution (link) issued at the December 17, 2013 Council Meeting. The report was reviewed by accountants from the auditing firm of Hansen, Bradshaw, Malmrose, & Erickson.

In 2012 Provo was awarded a certificate of excellence in annual financial reporting for the CAFR, as well as excellence in the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR), a simplified version of financial reporting. Both the 2013 CAFR and PAFR have been submitted for awards, but results will not be known until spring of 2014.

What does this mean for me?

The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report is an opportunity to assess your elected officials and yourself as a voter as you review how city funds have been used during the last fiscal year. By reading and reviewing the CAFR, you can become informed and educated about the financial position of the city, increase your ability to make decisions about the future of Provo, offer comment and advocate your positions, and share your views with other like-minded neighbors.

For more information on the Utah State Code, see Title 10, Chapter 6 Annual financial reports -- Independent audit reports. (Link).

Provo City Inauguration 2014

Master of Ceremonies Ray Beckham welcomes crowd. 

The Council would like to thank everyone who participated in the Provo City Inauguration 2014. The Council's sincere thanks in particular go out to Master of Ceremonies Ray Beckham, Provo Justice Court Judge Romney, and members of the Provo Fire and Police who participated in the honor guard. Thanks also to Provo High Student Jeff Prowf for performing the national anthem.

If you missed the event,  you can see some photos of the event below.

From the left, new Council Members Stephen Hales, Dave Sewell, Kim Santiago, and Mayor John Curtis

Mayor John Curtis takes the oath of office.

Dave Sewell takes the oath of office.

Kim Santiago takes the oath of office.

Stephen Hales takes the oath of office.

Master of Ceremonies Ray Beckham honors the flag.

Provo Council Work Meeting Jan. 7, 2014

Provo Council Work Meeting will be seen at the Council's Youtube Channel at 1:30 p.m.

Usually the broadcast can be seen here, but currently we're having a problem embedding the video.

Here's a link to our Youtube Channel.

Please leave your thoughts, feedback, and comments here.