Happy Fourth of July! This is a great time of year!
The other day someone asked me, “So what does the Mayor do anyway?” That’s a valid question. I’m only halfway through my first year but it might be useful to give you an update on what we have been doing, as your Mayor and City Council.
The most pressing issue we faced when we were elected was to protect our neighborhoods and the nature of our community. To do that we voted to change the State Street Master Plan and eliminate the proposed 9,400 apartments on State Street. Those are no longer being built. We made those changes and fulfilled that promise.
Also, we changed the selection process of all of our Boards and Commissions. Our goal was to have all of them better represent you, the
citizens of Orem.
We promised to be the most transparent City Council ever. In that vein we created a transparency portal, to make sure that you have direct access to everything that we do that effects your lives.
We rebranded and recommitted Orem to be Family City USA! Identifying Orem as Family City USA is the one common thread that everyone I meet seems to agree with. As a result, families and family values are the benchmark against which all our of our key decisions will be based. If something benefits or strengthens our families, then we will give it priority.
As you may know, we recently commissioned a study, to determine the feasibility, of Orem establishing its own school district.
This study will determine if the creation of a new school district would provide more benefit the students, teachers and taxpayers of Orem. The
results of the study should be available in the next couple of weeks.
One last significant item, we approved the building of a brand new City Center which will provide an excellent work environment for our City
Employees and allow them to better serve you, the public. The best part is that this building is fully funded and will not require any new taxes or bonding. We are doing it responsibly.
One final thought on this Fourth of July. This is the day we celebrate our precious FREEDOM! The freedom for which 1.3 million Americans since 1861 have sacrificed their lives, in order to preserve. The freedom that makes America the best place in the world to live. The freedom that we sometimes take for granted. The freedom that we are so lucky to have and that we must do everything in our power to preserve. Happy fourth of July and have a great weekend!
