Friends and Neighbors,

As we near the end of summer, I hope everyone has had a safe and enjoyable time in the valley! Please see some updates from our July meetings below.

July 1st Meeting

The meeting on July 1st was an emotional one for me. The Buys family, who have operated the Wasatch Wave newspaper for the past 136 years, approached the city about e interest to buy their building. While this is separate from the actual paper, the last official printing of the Wasatch Wave happened on July 8th. The Wave has always been a staple of the community and I’ll personally miss the stories and conversations that we were able to experience though its publication. It’s my hope that a buyer for the paper will emerge and that the local tradition can continue in some form. 

As for the building, the city was thrilled for the opportunity to purchase this property downtown, which is central to the redevelopment plans that we have for the area between Center Street and 200 South. This is certainly bittersweet as we say thanks to the Buys for everything they have provided our community with over the years. The purchase contract does allow for the Buys family to lease back the building for the next year, with the potential to extend that lease into the future. The printing company itself will still operate and do private jobs from its current location. As a part of the purchase agreement, we discussed how we will be paying for the Wave Building.

Jordanelle Ridge contracted to build 576 affordable units at 80% Average Median Income (AMI) in their original  MDA. These were to be half for rent and half for sale. In speaking with one of the local police officers, I found 80% AMI to be restrictive as some of the individuals we hoped would be interested in these homes wouldn’t qualify because they make too much money. They would, however, qualify if we allowed up to 120% AMI. Jordanelle Ridge came to us to improve their agreement, in my opinion, where we would add a fee-in-lieu option on the first 200 units. This would require that they would pay the city $35,000 per unit, allowing the city to be in control of those funds and put them towards affordable housing as we see fit. They would still build the next 115 units split between 100 units at 60% AMI for rent and 15 units at 120% AMI for sale. The for sale units would be townhomes with 1600 square feet, will be at a reduced rate from the market and, deed restricted in perpetuity so that it will remain affordable for future owners. 

All of these units will be available first to Heber City, Wasatch County, and Wasatch School District employees. There is a waterfall system of who can apply next, but it focuses first on individuals wanting to live and work in Wasatch County and will allow for Summit County employees as a last resort. After 315 units are completed, they have agreed to up to a 50% fee-in-lieu on the remaining 275 units at $40,000 per unit with an annual increase in that value equal to CPI. The remaining units would be built at least 30% for rent and at least 20% for sale with the same provisions of 60% AMI on the for rent and up to 120% AMI on the for sale. 

Overall, this is a huge leap forward in the area of “Community Housing” and providing an option for those individuals who work for and take care of us every single day. We are using the first installment of the fee-in-lieu to purchase the Wave building. We conducted an appraisal and an appraisal review had two separate appraisals, paying the $1,000 over market rate for the buildings. The total fee in lieu the city will receive over a 3 year period is $7,000,000. Using these funds to buy properties from willing sellers in the downtown area helps with our redevelopment of downtown, which is a big part of the affordable housing element of that redevelopment. I’m so excited for the progress we have made here and hope that we can have good relationships with the developers to create better outcomes for all.

July 15th Meeting

The meeting on July 15th looked from the schedule to be a relatively short meeting without much controversy, but oh, how things can change once we are in attendance. We discussed a major way-finding sign redesign, updating the older blue signs with our new logo and something that feels more like the mountains, including wood and steel posts, as well as stone pedestals. This will present a uniform look and feel, so that everyone knows which locations are part of Heber City. There was also the consideration of an annexation petition of another small parcel in the North Village – we did not approve a design, but we did allow the annexation to be considered and now we will have an opportunity to steer the design of that project as they seek final approval of annexation and an MDA. 

A key part of this process is to require an affordable aspect on 10% of the ERUs and also to have the developer pay the $2,500 per ERU for North Fields Preservation, as has been done in all other developments of the North Village. I don’t want to grant any density above what the county has already granted on that parcel. This is to stay with the original plan the county had for that property, and is always what we have done with the other approved annexations in the North Village. We will see at a later meeting what they are proposing to be built on that property.

Some Controversy 

There were two instances of difficult things that citizens had experienced recently that were brought to our attention. These instances were handled very differently, and I think it’s important to mention that here. 

The first issue included some homes that were flooded near 400 North and 400 West. The complaint came forward to the city a few weeks ago and the public works department was right on it trying to assist the homeowners' observations and needs, as no one really understood what was happening. There was an investigation into the cause of the flooding over the next several days and there still is not a definitive answer into the cause of the flooding, as there seems to be conflicting information. The results of all of the work that was done to resolve the concerns of the homeowners in the moment, as well as the continuing concerns of the homeowners, were presented as part of our meeting materials. We had a chance to familiarize ourselves before the meeting so that we were able to discuss the topic as educated decision makers. This was handled very professionally and hopefully, we are able to come to understand the cause and any way to avoid what happened in the future (if avoidable) and restore what was lost through a claim to our insurance. 

The second instance was completely different. There was a couple who just poured a new driveway and they live in the part of town that is currently part of a concrete sidewalk replacement project. They didn’t know that the sidewalk was also going to be replaced, so they poured the driveway and thought it was completed. The city came to them within a few days of finishing the driveway and informed the homeowner that they needed to cut the driveway so that the sidewalk had the right slope for ADA laws. This obviously upset the homeowners, and they wanted to seek a solution. It was never their intent to do anything wrong by replacing their driveway, and the city employees were just trying to do their jobs the best they could in what was a very tense and difficult situation. These fine people went to seek help from the city and our city manager, who is normally here to assist with these matters, was not present. They were invited to come to the public meeting and air their complaint as part of the public comment period. In speaking with the owners after the incident, they were led to believe that this was what they had to do, even though it made them uncomfortable to come and raise their concerns in the open meeting. This is against city policy and it's not the professional way to hear or address these types of issues. The court of public opinion can be unkind as tensions rise and situations are represented without both parties being present to speak to their position. I first want to thank the homeowner for doing what they were asked to do, even though they felt uncomfortable doing it. I understand why they felt that they had to, because if the Mayor tells you that you need to come to the public meeting to air your complaint, then you should be able to believe that’s the right thing to do. 

I also want to apologize to the homeowners, as you should never have been directed to come to vent your complaint in the public meeting. It was uncomfortable for you and for the staff who were doing their jobs that day. I was truly embarrassed as a member of the city council that we allowed this discussion to continue in our public meeting. My first comment on the subject was the following, "I was just going to make a suggestion. This is the first time even hearing of this and we are not engineers. We are not qualified at this moment to really make a decision. The best thing is probably to get with Russ and his staff and to go over what happened with them and bring back a report to the City Council. Let us know what damage was done and how much repairs would cost before we can even say anything, so I appreciate you coming to the meeting, but I'd go to the staff first to talk to them. We're not good at making emotional decisions so we need to have more information but thank you for coming forward." We did not have any information and it really was not our place to make a determination in the meeting. It was also inappropriate for us to allow only one side of the argument to be represented, where the staff who were involved did not have an opportunity to weigh in or give their side of the story. It was maybe the most embarrassing thing I had been a part of in a public meeting. I also apologize to the staff that we allowed the conversation to continue, especially when representations were made that they could not defend.

Should I be elected as your mayor, I would be an advocate for the staff and have your back. If there are complaints, those can be handled through our professional managers office who have the training and tools to address such matters in a setting where all information and opinions can be vetted. If the city council needs to make a decision pertaining to the complaint, then bring it to the meeting. I’m sorry that our public comment period was completely derailed with this issue. The rules of order are in place to protect the staff and council members in these instances to be able to hear an initial complaint and direct it to the appropriate place for resolution, not hear the whole story for the first time in the meeting and then make a decision. We can do so much better for our citizens and the staff and I am willing to make that commitment.

Past Events

Thank you to Wasatch County for another wonderful Fair Days! It’s great to see the community come together, whether it be at the Junior Livestock Show, the carnival, the parade, or the Rodeo. Heber Valley is at its very best when we are together and enjoying the company of our neighbors.

Election Season

As we are in the middle of election season, I want to give a brief statement. I have full respect for anyone willing to put their name on a ballot and open the doors to public scrutiny, despite their only goal being to serve their community. I have never met anyone in my time as a council member who has been elected to office to serve their own interest, but each individual I have been privileged to work with truly has the community at the core of their service. They all deserve respect, even when we do not agree with their style, approach, or thoughts about the issues we face. It’s healthy and necessary to disagree, but we can do so without being disagreeable. Public service is about trust, and I take that responsibility seriously. I understand that during campaigns, emotions run high and people have strong opinions—and that’s okay. However, it’s important to separate facts from assumptions and criticism from personal attacks.

 Upcoming Events

Remember to vote by August 12! No ballots will be accepted after the August 12 deadline.

Enjoy the end of your summer and we have so much to look forward to as we get into the fall months here in Heber City. 

D. Scott Phillips

City Councilman 

Candidate for Mayor