Westside Connector Project Update

About a week ago members of the City Council as well as the Mayor and other staff took a tour to see the progress that has been made on the Westside Connector Project. They drove the route and were able to see where the road will connect along the way. The big change most people will notice will be at the University Avenue ramps on and off I-15 and where 1860 South connects.

Christmas Memories

 

We asked City Council members to share some of their favorite memories from the Christmas season:

Christmas in Provo - shared by Kim Santiago

As a child my most vivid Christmas memories were spending Christmas Eve at my paternal grandmother’s house in west Provo. We would indulge in slushy, green frappe and gooey, carrot pudding drizzled with caramel sauce. My talented cousins would sing or dance and we would sing Christmas carols together. I remember feelings of love and quiet reflection as we sang praises to our Lord. I also could hardly contain my excitement for the next day.

Making People a Priority

During recent Work Sessions Council Members have been discussing potential priorities for the City Council to set for 2015. Among the leaders on that list of priorities are:

• Structurally balanced budget initiative
• Regulatory tools for proportional control of subsidized housing
• General Fund CIP (capital improvement project) dedicated funding source
• Framework for fee structure and evaluation of fees

These will continue to be fine-tuned and announced some time in January. In the meantime, Council Members and their staff have had the opportunity to engage with Provo residents and address their needs this month.

Summary of the December 2 Council Meeting

In the Work Session

Presentation by Council Budget Committee:
The Budget Committee, Council Members, and the Mayor discussed the idea of cost recovery through the use of user fees. Concerns were raised regarding which types of services should result in fees. The Mayor's staff proposed some revisions to the resolution establishing the policy and intent of user fees. The Budget Committee will review these suggestions and bring it back to a future Work Meeting.

2015 Council Priorities:
After receiving input from all but one Council Member, the prospective priorities were ranked. The most popular item was a structurally balanced budget initiative. Because this is a very broad objective it will need to be broken down into smaller steps. Regulatory tools for proportional control of subsidized housing and general fund CIP dedicated funding source were the next two on the priorities list. The Mayor's office has also been developing a list of priorities for 2015 and both lists will be reviewed at the next Work Meeting.

Provo City Municipal Council Work Session - December 2, 2014

Agenda (Times have been added to the ends of the individual agenda items to help you find them in the video)