Friends & Neighbors, 

April was a little bit of a different month, with only two meetings - though less than usual, we’re still hard at work! 

April 15th Meeting

In our April 15th meeting, much of the discussion surrounded the Ranked Choice Voting decision. I will provide some additional information about that below. 

April 29th Meeting

Our meeting on the 29th was a budget discussion. Council Member Cheatwood asked some excellent questions about the correlation between revenues and expenses, and if the “fixed costs” of the city have increased at the same rate as revenues from sales and property taxes. The staff worked extremely hard on the preliminary budget, and we’re more than ready for a public hearing on May 6th at our regular council meeting.

A few other highlights to mention are: 

• Finishing off the road construction projects around town this fall 

• No road chip n’ seal this summer – only striping 

• New and improved parks are coming online in the near future 

• TAP Tax is paying off – it’s been a great source of funds for park and trail improvements  

Ranked Choice Voting Discussion and Decision

You might remember that we had a big discussion about Ranked Choice Voting at one of our March meetings. Our staff was instructed to put out information to educate the public on this process. Hopefully, everyone got to see how to complete a ballot and how the system works as a whole. 

The Mayor also put forward an additional informational campaign, but unfortunately, it contradicted much of what the city had already published. When KPCW put out an article titled, “Mayoral misinformation, threats of litigation define Heber ranked choice voting debate”, it was a tough day for this Council. We hope that we can move forward with messages of truth, collaboration and cooperation so that we can have the best possible selections for our city.

Ultimately, we had hundreds of responses both for and against Ranked Choice Voting, and in the end, I voted for traditional voting. My statement is as follows: 

“I want to start by acknowledging that we all care deeply about the future of Heber City. Whether we’re for or against Ranked Choice Voting, we all want what’s best for our community, and that’s something we can agree on. 

Ranked Choice Voting has worked well in the past – it’s made elections more civil, while also helping people feel more connected to the process. Unfortunately, the conversation around it has gotten clouded with misinformation, creating more division than necessary. 

At the end of the day, the results of our elections will be the same no matter which voting system we use. The people of Heber City will be heard, and the candidate who best represents our people and our city will win. That’s what really matters. 

Given the division that this issue has caused, I’m putting it to rest! I will be voting for traditional voting in our 2025 election – while it might not be my first choice, I believe that it’s important to focus on what unites us, not divides us – that, right now, seems to be traditional voting. 

I make this motion to use traditional voting for the 2025 election. Let’s move forward together and keep our focus on what’s best for Heber City.” 

D. Scott Phillips

Heber City Council

Upcoming Events in Heber City: 

• June 1-7: Unity Week

• June 2nd: Informal Gathering at Main Street Park  

• June 4th: Informal Gathering at Main Street Park

• June 5th: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Main Street Park

• June 5th: First Market on Main/Concert in the Park on the new Main Stage

• June 7th: Events at Coyote Springs Park