Santa Clara City relies heavily on the efforts of citizen volunteers to improve the quality of life experience within the community. The City leans on volunteers to accomplish many of the successful events and activities with the community including the annual Swiss Days celebration, the Little League baseball & softball programs, City Planning Commission, Heritage and Economic Development Committees, and especially those serving on the volunteer fire department. Every citizen of Santa Clara benefits greatly by the efforts of our volunteers. I would like to take a minute and thank everyone who volunteers their time and resources to keep this community a truly great place to live and raise families. After a long stint as chairman, Curtis Jensen has “formally retired” from the Planning Commission. His dry wit and ability to resolve difficult land use issues will be greatly missed. Curtis is a great friend and I want to thank him personally for his many years of service. Speaking of Little League, congratulations to the under 14-year-old boys and under 11-year old boys Snow Canyon Little League All-Star Baseball Teams who won their respective State Championship Tournaments held in Cedar City last month. The Little League Baseball and Softball programs have a long and successful history of providing competitive sports and leadership opportunities for Santa Clara youth. These teams represent our community very well and I wish them good luck going forward. Thanks to their parents, coaches, fans and financial supporters as well. We’ll see you young men in the Swiss Days Parade. There are nine individuals running for three City Council seats in this month’s primary election. That’s the most in a recent election and should make for an exciting time. They include incumbent city councilman Jarret Waite, past mayor Denny Drake, past Planning Commission member Todd Jacobsen, Planning Commission member Leina Mathis, and local political newcomers Logan Blake, Matt Wilber, Craig Harter, Ryan Anderson and Gary Allred. Members of the City Council spend many hours studying the proposed ordinances and resolutions, reviewing applications for new land development and commercial opportunities in the City, meeting with the staff to develop the annual budget, and attend training to learn the state statutes regulating what Cities can and can’t do. It takes dedication and the willingness to listen to all voices then determine what’s best for the City as a whole and not necessarily conceding to the clamor from the audience to be a good City Council member. Good luck to all of these individuals who have accepted the challenge to serve their community. The City Council recently approved a new policy to address problems with unimproved public streets in the City primarily located in the valley. These streets require more annual maintenance funds because they have never been improved to minimum City Standards regarding pavement width, curb & gutter, sidewalk, storm drains and safe shoulders. These streets were in service prior to the City Ordinance requiring streets to be improved to minimum standards as is done with new subdivision development today. Residents who live on these streets have requested the City Council fund improvements to these streets for many years but there has been difficulty determining what the overall residents of the City should pay versus how much the adjacent property owner should pay. The new policy defines what the City will pay for and what the expectations are from the adjacent property owners. Contact the City Public Services Department for additional information and more details. Have a great August and stay safe Santa Clara.

Mayor Rick Rosenberg; mayor@sccity.org