Friends & Neighbors,

As you may have already heard, I have decided to run for Heber City Mayor. My love for this community drove me to run for City Council in 2021 - that incredible decision has given me countless opportunities to collaborate with my friends and neighbors in ways that I didn’t think were possible. I want to continue to serve my neighbors and help better the place that has given me and my family so much.

I’m proud of the civic efforts that I’ve taken part in. From our unified letter to UDOT to Heber’s Unity Week, we’re always celebrating the uniqueness of this community. I’m also proud of the opportunities that I’ve been given to help the community on the ground floor, from heading out with snow plows on those cold winter mornings, to working along the trails when the sun comes back out and the wildflowers bloom.

Heber is a place that I will always work for and fight for. Over the last 4 years, I’ve been reminded time and time again why this work is so important. That’s why I’ve decided to run for mayor. 

During my time on City Council, I’ve often found that my neighbors aren’t being truly heard by the higher-ups. There’s only so much that the City Council can do, and it’s incredibly important that we have city officials who are truly looking out for our citizens’ best interests. We don’t want to be talked down to, or just told what we want to hear so that they can be re-elected. We want, and need, elected officials who look out for this city, not themselves.

There are some heated debates and real issues at hand that will come up during this campaign, but as your Mayor, I promise that my leadership style will be rooted in what Heber City does best: community. It’s important that we, as a community, can collaborate, communicate and cooperate with one another.

We will ensure that communications from your city officials are not just published, but are vetted and approved by staff before going to the public. We will work to educate our friends and neighbors with data that is actionable, and with information that is truthful. The council will strive to collaborate with each other to ensure that opinions are shared and feedback is valued.

Overview

June was budget month for the City Council! As we prepared the city budgets for the new fiscal year (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026), we’re under the impression that this next year should be the last of the Central Heber water/sewer/pressurized irrigation for the time being. We will still need to replace the west side at some point, but we are going to wait a few years before digging into that. 

A major highlight of this year’s budget includes money allocated to redesign the city park. This is a big deal as we look ahead to the revitalization and design of C Street and the surrounding areas. The Main Stage was, of course, recently completed – this is just the first piece of the pie. The city has been working hard on other exciting things to continue building, what I call, our  “community living room.” Our hope is that this downtown area is a place that the great people of Heber can gather for events, evenings out and about, or shopping on a Saturday. With all of this in mind, we’ve also looked at the redevelopment of 100 West with a focus on increasing street parking. 

I’m so excited for all that we have planned. The staff has worked so hard on a wonderful budget that meets the needs of the citizens, while preserving our maximum allowable reserves. Heber City is currently in a great financial position.

One of the more controversial topics recently has been the Bypass discussion. There are a lot of questions around the final design elements – we’re not currently to that stage of the process yet. I’m personally in favor of UDOT doing the crucial work that they need to do in selecting a route, and then taking the time to get into the weeds. Once a design is presented, we can ask all of our important questions then. 

I hesitate to get too invested in the design right now – I’ll leave that to the professionals. I will, however, be happy to hear your ideas and make suggestions in order to protect our community members and their property. I would love to see burms and trees along the route to protect the existing homes as much as possible. A bypass route is of vital importance to continue on the path of a vibrant and re-energized downtown. I look forward to its opening, but will always ensure that it fits the character of the valley in a way that we can all be proud of. 

I had personal concerns over the Body Art Facilities being allowed – I voiced these in our meetings. I am all for the free market, but I do not want to become State Street in Downtown Salt Lake and have bars and body art shops throughout our main street that we wish to revitalize. While I have concerns, I also understand that the market will dictate the success of any and all businesses on Main Street and that is why I voted for the change in the code in the end, allowing the free market to decide. The staff has written the code in such a way to allow for strict rules that these businesses need to follow specific guidelines and receive certifications to accredit their professionalism. 

I was also very concerned with increasing the business license fees. This felt like a poke in the eye to local businesses that are trying to provide jobs, as well as much needed services in our community. 

Many of you know that I have always been on the side of local businesses in Heber. As I’ve been speaking with local business owners, the largest problem that they seem to be facing is finding employees that live in the Heber Valley. I want to continue to find creative solutions for affordable homes, including deed restricted affordable housing. If we lose our local workforce, we lose our sense of community. I will never stop fighting for the business owners of Heber! 

New Ordinances 

We’ve  had quite a few new ordinances passed recently. This includes: 

• Allowing body art facilities in all zones

• Allowance for a 100 ft telecommunications tower

• A new annexation near the airport known as the Red Rock Annexation

• The short-term rental code amendment. 

It was certainly a very full schedule and a busy month when it comes to business for the city! 

Red Rock Annexation is one that I’m particularly excited about. Annexation into the city allows Delta Stone the opportunity to connect to our sewer if they decide to expand their offices in the future. This doesn’t call for any new infrastructure on our end, but they would be willing to extend the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street to allow for more connectivity. The city will gain property tax and tax on the sales generated at the business as well. This is a true win-win and I’m looking forward to Red Rock Enterprises, Delta Stone, and RJ Enterprises to be part of Heber City.

The UDOT presentation to the city council was also very informative as they have now narrowed down their choices to two. They’ve already started speaking with home and business owners that would be affected by the routes, to discuss the potential purchase of their properties. I am confident that no matter which route is chosen, we have the support necessary to protect the North Fields west of the current corridor from future development, even if a road goes through those fields. The North Fields give character to the valley and it’s important to protect them as open space, even with the possibility of a road there. It will take some creativity and collaboration, but I think that is possible, especially with new leadership.

Short-term rentals are now a permanent part of our local economy throughout the Wasatch Back. We as a city had concerns that there were "party houses" emerging, with 20 to 30 people showing up on any given night. With these concerns in mind, a new code allows for up to 16 people a night. We also have plenty of local property managers and management companies ready to assist with any problems or issues that we might run into – the changes are certainly enforceable. As many of you may know, one of the most important aspects of nightly rentals is their star rating. If people renting give low ratings, that home becomes less desirable. We will also be enacting a star rating for owners not complying with the rules. This is a free market concept as we try to police the nightly rental world in Heber City, and encourage those owners to make sure their renters are following the rules. This was a great compromise in cleaning up the code. 

Upcoming Events

• Sundays @ 9AM: Soulful Sundays Yoga in the Park

• Sundays @ 6PM: Soulful Sundays Community Music in the Park

• Mondays @ 6:30PM: Monday Night Locals Show/Free Community Concert

• Thursdays @ 6PM: Market On Main - Concerts in the Park

• July 4th: Heber City’s Red, White and Blue Festival

  • 6:30AM: Hot Air Balloons

  • 7AM:  Main to Main 5k

  • 8AM: Rotary Breakfast in the Park

  • 8:30AM: Patriotic Walk and Parade

  • 8AM - 2:30PM: Freedom Train - Heber Valley Railroad

  • 8AM - 3PM: Sidewalk Art Contest

  • 12PM - 1PM: Free Hot Dog Lunch

  • 1PM - 4PM: Carnival

  • 2PM - 9PM: Heber Market On Main

  • 2PM: Guns and Hoses Tug of War

  • 2:30PM: Strong Man Contest

  • 4PM: Pie Eating and Root Beer Chugging Contest

  • 5PM - 6PM: American Rooster Concert

  • 6:30PM - 9AM: Outdoor Concert

  • 10PM: Fireworks at Memorial Hill

As always, I’m proud to be a resident of Heber City. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve on the City Council, and grateful for the opportunity to run for mayor. I look forward to continuing to hear your ideas, and have conversations with fellow members of this community. 

I hope everyone has a safe 4th of July! 

D. Scott Phillips

City Councilman 

Candidate for Mayor