Just as many residents of the City are coming to grips with last year’s revenues and expenses for the IRS right now, the City Council begins working with the City Staff this month on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2020-2021. The annual budget process is always a challenging experience as the City tries to balance the needs and wants of the community with the limited revenues available. Santa Clara continues to grow with more sales tax revenue, but building permits appear to be tapering a bit reducing development fees and impact fees. More details will emerge as the budget is prepared over the next few months. Stay tuned.

Construction of the Chapel Street extension and the new Sycamore Crossing Bridge over the Santa Clara River is ahead of schedule and the City is hopeful it will be open for traffic in the spring. Interstate Rock Products, the contractor from Hurricane, has done a great job building a bridge that will be both beautiful and functional for many years to come. Watch for the dedication announcement later next month. Construction has also started on the new Swiss Pioneer Memorial Park on Chapel Street in the downtown. It should be completed this May and will provide some needed recreational opportunities for residents in the downtown, as well as help recognize those dedicated Swiss pioneers who helped settle Santa Clara.

The City signed the RP&P agreement with the BLM for the proposed Santa Clara Adventure Park in the South Hills in January after several years of environmental studies and clearing the way for the final design to begin. This new park will include new mountain biking and hiking opportunities as well as expand-ed parking and educational venues adjacent to the popular Santa Clara River Reserve. Construction of the new BMX Track at Gubler Park is also progressing, and the track is really taking shape. The commit-tee is hopeful the track can open for practice on a limited basis in March and host the first formal race events this summer. This park has been primarily built with donations from local contractors and a grant from the Washington County Tourism Council.

The City Council recently approved changes to the Santa Clara City General Plan to include new strategies to facilitate the development of moderate-income housing in the community to meet a mandate from the State Legislature. The expansion of accessory dwelling units in residential zones is proposed to help provide additional attainable housing for moderate income households is one way the City is trying to help with this continuing problem in Washington County. Our community needs additional housing options to meet the demands for public service employees, teachers, tourism and health service providers.

Spring is just around the corner and the multitude of special events that happen annually in Washington County will begin soon. Baseball & soccer tournaments, bike races, the St. George Art Show, Parade of Homes, the list goes on and on. These events bring increased tourism to Santa Clara with important economic opportunities for our merchants and resorts which in turn provide jobs for our residents. Please visit the Santa Clara City Web-page at www.sccity.org or follow us on Facebook for more information on upcoming events.

Don’t forget Valentine’s Day is this month, make sure to recognize those special people in your life. Sometimes we get so busy trying to keep up with everyday demands, we forget those who mean the most to us. This holiday is all about taking the time to recognize those people whom you hold dear. I’d like to wish everyone in Santa Clara a very special Valentine’s Day, and remind them to please stay safe.

Mayor Rick Rosenberg; mayor@sccity.org