Highland City Council Agenda for August 4, 2020

This should be a good meeting. For me the most interesting agenda items are:

1. Introduction to the council and residents of our new financial director Tyler Bahr. He comes to us from San Antonio, TX where he was an assistant finance director. He is enthusiastic and has a track record of improving processes.
2. A Planned Area Development for 5.8 acres in Town Center (Apple Creek). This proposal includes two office buildings with a total of 23,000 sq. ft. and 42 homes: 16 villas (single family homes), 16 twin homes, and 10 brownstones (town homes). You can find more details on Apple Creek in the meeting agenda (Item #4 Staff Report). In the meeting preview video below I share some of my thoughts on the project.
   
3. Creation of an Inclusivity Committee. This was an outgrowth of a couple of meetings that were held in June, including my Meet with the Mayor session. You can watch the June Meet with the Mayor and learn more about the genesis of the committee by reading this post.

An abbreviated agenda for the meeting is shown below along with my video preview. This meeting will be held at city hall but there will be limited space because of distancing requirements. We will also stream it on our YouTube channel (click here to watch). 

Note, individuals, especially those in a high-risk category, are strongly encouraged to participate in the meeting virtually!

Your Change, Sir: Opening Our Eyes and Becoming Better

About 25 years ago I started a new job. Over time I became good friends with one of my co-workers, Eric Hughes. He is incredibly innovative, outgoing, kind, positive and has a great sense of humor. We were having lunch one day and talking about racial bias. I didn’t believe it was very prevalent. However, Eric, who is black, said it still existed and he regularly experienced it. As an example, he shared how some store clerks would put change on the counter rather than put it in his hand. I was taken aback and it caused me to look myself a little differently and see if I needed to do better.

2019-2020 Highland Property Taxes & Fees Compared to Other N. Utah County Cities

In our recent city survey a number of residents commented about our high property tax and utility fees. Why are they so high? Well, in reality they are not. Our property tax rate is the 2nd lowest in N. Utah County and the 3rd lowest in the county. Our utility fees, including the road and public safety fees, are slightly less than average compared to other N Utah County Cities (I didn’t take the time to research fees for other cities in the county).

Below are charts and graphs that compare our property tax rate and fees with other N. Utah County Cities. Here are the assumptions used for comparison:

Highland City Council Preview for July 7, 2020

In this preview of the 7-Jul-2020 Highland City council meeting agenda, in my view, the most interesting items are:

1. The Natura Solve presentation on an organic solution that can be added to our pressurized irrigation system that has the potential to reduce water requirements by 20% to 50% and fertilizer needs by 30% to 50% and
2. The 3 open space maintenance agreements (items 4-6).
3. The presentation by our library director where she will discuss fund raising goals.

An abbreviated agenda for the meeting is shown below along with my video preview. This meeting will again be held at city hall. There will be limited space because of distancing requirements. We will also stream it on our YouTube channel (click here to watch). 

Note, individuals, especially those in a high-risk category, are strongly encouraged to participate in the meeting virtually!