Accomplishments and Assignments from
serving on the City Council 2020-2024

I hope to continue the momentum, knowledge, and forward progress in my second term.

General Plan: We completed the update of the General Plan for the first time in nearly 20 years. 

• With a General Plan and Master Plans in place residents need not be surprised. It is very important to me to be proactive, not reactive as we look toward the future.
• I believe in following the General Plan and being consistent in neighborhood zoning. I believe that the updated master plan should ease the shock as development continues to come to our beautiful city. 

Parks: I chaired the first ever Providence City Parks, Trails, and Recreation Master Plan that is now in place and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding, park land purchase, and will guide the budget allocation for park updates. 

• I came to the council with no pet project or conflict of interest, but with a strong desire to see Providence preserve park space and plan for additional large multi-use parks.
• With considerable effort on the part of the city manager we have made offers on many large pieces of property. It has been extremely difficult, much more challenging than I anticipated, to purchase property, but we have had some success and celebrate the generous donation of Mark Thompson which will add 5.25 acres to Zollinger Park at the purchase price of half the value of the land.
• We continue to seek opportunities to purchase large pieces of property for parks. 

Water: One of my first assignments was to sit at the table with Jeanell Sealy of the city council, Ryan Snow city manager, and two members of Spring Creek Water Company to settle the legal battle between water company and the city. 

• After countless hours and months of meeting we came to an agreement that has blessed all parties. We now have a great relationship with the water company and our city manager, Ryan Snow, is a member of their board.
• Our water situation is better than ever.
• We have updated some very important water master plans. Master plans are critical for receiving grants, for proactive budgeting, and for forward thinking. I chose to take an active role in each master plan. With a city manager leading the way we are becoming much more proactive with updated plans for Culinary Water, Wastewater, and Storm Water. 

Roads: Another updated master plan, one that has been exciting to put into action, is the Transportation Master Plan. 

• It was no secret that the roads in Providence were crumbling faster than they were being repaired, but I can confidently say that we are on our way to having some of the best roads in the valley.
• With a proactive approach, and a city manger that has ten years of road building experience, Providence roads are now in fantastic condition. We now have a plan in place so future councils, should they choose to follow it, will be able to keep the roads maintained in a way that will create longevity and save taxpayer dollars.  

Codification of City Ordinances: In 2022 we did a complete overhaul of the city ordinances to simplify and update our city laws.  

• This was a huge undertaking for the staff and council, but it was long overdue.
• Cleaning up outdated code was on my wish list when I ran for office, and I’m glad to report that it has been adopted.
• The next step will be going through some of the code that needs more detailed and complicated changes that were noted in the codification process. 

Fiber: Working on a fiber solution for Providence was one of my three original council assignments. 

• We are now on track to have an incredibly progressive city owned fiber network available for as low as $10 per month to every home in our city.
• In this process I have gone the extra mile by committing myself to educating citizens on the decisions we were making and how it would impact them.
• I believe that every home in Providence has the potential to benefit from the fiber network. 
• Our timing was incredible.We signed the bond when interest rates were historically low. The contract was made before inflation spiked, and before there were labor shortages, and supply chain issues.
• I believe our citizens will see the upside of this fiber network for many, many years. 

Listening to Citizens: I have been open to listening to every side of every story, and I’ve tried not to create an opinion before openly listening. 

• I consider every citizen of Providence my constituent.
• I do my best to represent what I feel will benefit Providence citizens in the long term.
• I do my homework. I visit sites. I make phone calls.
• I have attended all eight League of City and Town Conferences during my first term to increase my knowledge, to network, and to learn from other public servants.
• Under the direction of the city manager, Ryan Snow, and much to my excitement, we have also been able to implement regular polling of citizens. These polls have been informative in our decision making. 

City Website and Communication: One of my goals was to improve communication between the city council and citizens. 

• I was assigned to represent the council in the implementation of the new city website. I am hopeful that this site will help with communication as citizens will be able to find information more easily.
• We are in the process of transitioning to better communication tools and will roll out a better texting and email system for communication soon.
• It has been my goal to respond to every email I receive from citizens, and in my second term I hope to continue to improve communication between the city council and citizens. 

Youth Council Advisor: I was assigned to be the liaison between the youth council and city council. Due to the resignation of the youth council advisor I took on the advisor role, a role I have enjoyed for the past four years. 

• As the youth council advisor, I have worked with 16-24 youth each year to plan monthly activities that align with our newly refined mission statement which reads: to provide fun and social opportunities for youth to develop mature citizenship, leadership, a sense of personal achievement, community service and understanding of government.
• I believe that influencing the willing youth of Providence will have a positive impact on our future.
• The youth council provides valuable service and manpower for community events. 

Sense of Community: Deepening the sense of community in Providence by reimagining the city celebration and other community events was part of my vision when I ran for office. 

• One of my strengths is gathering people.
• Over the past four years we have been successful at relaunching an extremely successful reinvented city celebration with a visionary committee.
• I have worked with the Youth Council to reestablish the tradition of an annual Easter Egg Hunt, and I have worked with the city staff to establish a tradition of an annual Christmas Tree Lighting and charity event.
• I have also worked with the Stake Presidents to recruit wards and youth to unite as a community in cleaning up Providence Canyon.
• I have become the self-designated people gatherer of the council, and I feel there is value in that role as we create a greater sense of community.