Monday, October 26, 2015

Provology 101 - Police Department, Courts


Provology 101, a series of classes that give a behind-the-scenes look at how Provo City runs, has given City departments the chance to show and tell about what they do for Provo. One of the participants, Anona Sobczak, has been sharing her experiences on Facebook and gave us permission to share them with you.


September 17, 2015

Provology 101: We went to the police station then we went to court! Hopefully not a recurring thing for us. The police department was fascinating. The officers seemed amped up from an earlier chase down of a fugitive/escapee who had assaulted a police officer in Oregon, I'll have to see if it's in my paper today. They were generally optimistic about the city as they presented with a pinch of humor thrown in. We tried on some body armor, then learned about the wide range of services the police provide. We have a population of around 120,000 people and 105 officers for all those people. Most other cities would have around 187 officers for that population. In 2014 there were 65,535 calls for service. Wow!

Provology 101 - New Class, Fire Department

For over a month now a select group of Provo residents has been participating in Provology 101, a series of classes that give a behind-the-scenes look at how Provo City runs. This small group meets every Wednesday for two hours and their responses have been very rewarding. As each department shows some of what they do for the City, participants have been receptive and positive about the experience.

One of the participants, Anona Sobczak, has been sharing her experiences on Facebook and gave us permission to share them with you.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Summary of the October 20 Council Meetings

In the Work Session

Zoning Summit:
The Council's Policy Governance Committee, in conjunction with Don Jarvis and the City's administration, has created a draft agenda for a proposed zoning summit. This would be sponsored by the Council and would offer speakers and workshops. The target date for this event is December 3, 2015. Council members gave their support of continuing to put this event together.

Council Priorities:
Council members continued their discussion on priorities and have selected "balanced mix of housing" as the first priority to begin focusing on, starting with a discussion in the November 17 Work Meeting. In December, the Council will discuss another priority, "Provo west side development."

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Provo City Council Work Session - October 20, 2015


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

Thursday, October 15, 2015

How to Get an Exemption for the Noise Ordinance

**2019 UPDATE - There has been a change to the internal process for obtaining a noise exemption. Please work through 311/Customer Service if you have a request. Call 801-852-6000 (or 311 within Provo city limits) to get started.

The city has a well established noise policy found in chapter 9.06 of our code book. The amount of noise that is acceptable is determined by the decibels produced. A chart on the Mayor's blog (http://provomayor.com/2014/07/31/how-do-i-get-an-exemption-to-the-noise-ordinance/) outlines the acceptable level of decibels (day is from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm). The ordinance does allow for exceptions for sounds created by parades, carnivals, special public social events, or special construction projects.

An exemption is granted by a permit from the Mayor. If you are interested in an exemption you must complete two tasks. First, obtain written permission from the Neighborhood Chair over the area where the event will be held. Fill out this form and the City Council office will contact the Neighborhood Chair for you. After hearing back from the Neighborhood Chair, your request will be forwarded to the Mayor's office. Please submit your request at least two weeks before your event to allow us enough time to get the required permissions.

Each exemption is issued under the condition that it can be revoked. It is expected that during the event the applicant will work with police if complaints are filed to accommodate the reasonable needs of neighbors.

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Comment below (requires Google+ account), on our Facebook page, through our online comment form, or by contacting Council Members directly. Comments/input on items appearing on an upcoming meeting agenda will be compiled and provided to Council Members the day before the meeting. **Note - your comments will be part of the public record.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Summary of the October 6 Council Meetings

In the Work Session

Joint Meeting with the Landmarks Commission:
Council Members met with the members of the Landmarks Commission to discuss current priorities, any issues or problems with the current code that might hinder the Commission's ability to protect properties, and other items of common interest.

Provo City Center Temple open house:
In anticipation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' open house for their new temple in downtown Provo, a committee of City and community representatives have been meeting and preparing for the impact this will have on Provo. Subcommittees were formed to address public safety, parking and mobility, beautification, downtown promotion and impacts, media/public outreach, protest policies, and event planning. Wayne Parker has been in contact with the LDS Church and they are anticipating 880,000 visitors during the open house. Parking areas have been arranged for and ticket holders will be assigned a lot for parking. The Church estimates 25,000 volunteers will be needed to staff the event.

New Neighborhood Chairs elected

Three Provo neighborhoods held elections recently to choose a new Neighborhood Chair. Vice Chairs were also elected to help with the work involved. They will serve four-year terms and provide a crucial point of contact for their neighborhoods.

David Wright is the new Rock Canyon Neighborhood Chair, taking over for Maureen LaPray.

Mary Millar is the new Spring Creek Neighborhood Chair, replacing Tim Brough.

Robbie Potter is the new Dixon Neighborhood Chair, taking over for David Harding.

Congratulations to these new Chair and many thanks to the previous Chairs for their years of helpful service to their neighborhoods and Provo City. For more information about the Neighborhood Program, maps showing the boundaries, and contact information for Neighborhood Chairs and Vice Chairs, visit our website.


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Comment below (requires Google+ account), on our Facebook page, through our online comment form, or by contacting Council Members directly. Comments/input on items appearing on an upcoming meeting agenda will be compiled and provided to Council Members the day before the meeting. **Note - your comments will be part of the public record.