WHAT DO THE INCORPORATION FEASIBILITY STUDY RESULTS MEAN?

To incorporate is to create our own city within Salt Lake County, rather than remain part of unincorporated County. The proposed name of the city is The City of Millcreek, to match the name of our township, all of which is included in the boundaries of the proposed new city. An outstanding team of consultants has determined through their research that a City of Millcreek would be feasible.

Feasibility, in dollars and cents terms, means the revenues generated in our new city will be equal to our expenses.  That is terrific news: even in these difficult recessionary times, we can balance our budget!

What is the next step, now that we have learned a city would be feasible? 

By state statute, petitioners for incorporation have 18 months to collect the signatures of about 5,000 more property owners, in order to allow a vote by township residents.  If those signatures are certified by the county assessor’s office to be accurate and complete, then we will go to the polls to vote on whether or not we want to become a city.  Public hearings will be held to discuss the forms of government and their pros and cons so that residents may make informed decisions.

How many layers of government? 

Some have worried that this means we would be paying for duplicate governments.  However, it actually just shifts municipal expenses you are already paying for from one layer to the other.  Only one government will be paid to administer them.  You will still receive only one property tax bill.  When you pay that to Salt Lake County, the county will keep the money required to pay the school district, water district, and for mosquito abatement, libraries, county administrators, surveyors, DA, sheriff, health and safety services, and the like.  The only line item that will change/be affected by incorporation will be the municipal (local) services fund.  This includes things like garbage collection, roads, sidewalks, and so forth.

The new city government will administer municipal services instead of the county government, and the feasibility study has indicated that our revenues will be sufficient to meet the expenses of administering and providing those services.  From the start, city leaders will continue to contract with the county for those services, but the contract will make county providers accountable to the city.

City leaders, with input from us residents, will determine which local roads will be done on which schedule, for example, rather than the county making those decisions based on county-wide needs.  The city leaders will do as you and I do with our family budgets:  Decide what we can afford to do this year or put off until the next year in order to keep that budget balanced and not raise taxes on their neighbors.  And if, down the road, city leaders want to look at bidding out some services to private providers who may give us a better deal than the county, they may do so.  Other cities have found that to be smart money management and have received excellent service in return.  Furthermore, city leaders will have the opportunity to apply for grants and to develop our local economy so as to increase our revenues.

Who are these city leaders? 

The legislature has specified the choices of forms of government for cities and towns to include 3 options:

1) a council-mayor government
2) a 5-member council
3) a 6-member council

The council would be elected to represent the population across our township so that there is fair representation from each area.  We have the talent and interest within our township to have very competent leaders, as evidenced by the local community councils.  The form of government will be voted upon in the same election in which we vote on becoming a city.  If a majority of residents vote in favor of incorporation, then there will be another election to vote for our representatives to that new city’s government.  We are confident that capable people will step forward and indicate an interest in serving.

How will our municipal taxes compare with what we have been paying as residents of unincorporated county?

According to the county tax rates for 2009 and 2010, our tax rates generally should go down if we incorporate.  Our current tax rates for municipal services are higher than those of nearby cities Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, and Sandy, where our homes would likely have comparable value.

What will be the start-up costs? 

Some have wondered about how much starting a new government will cost.  In recent incorporations, expenses have amounted to about $300,000 initially, rising to over $2 million in the first year.  However, also in those recent incorporations, the county council has given back to the new city the portion its residents had been paying in to municipal funds and capital improvements, and it has been sufficient to cover those start-up costs.  Inasmuch as our county councilors and mayor have said they support self-determination and are neutral on incorporation, we trust they will support our new city in a manner similar to what has been done in the past.  Let us as citizens make that respectful request of them.

What will happen if we don’t obtain enough signatures to put the incorporation initiative on a ballot? 

For the next 18 months (until the end of January, 2013), our boundaries are frozen by virtue of the continuing petition drive, according to state statute.  If we do not collect property owners’ signatures equal to 1/3 the land acreage and 1/3 the taxable value of the whole township, and have them certified within this brief window of time, we will not have the opportunity to vote on our future form of governance.  At the expiration of those 18 months, our boundaries are vulnerable to annexation efforts from surrounding  cities, such as Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, and Holladay, all of which have expressed interest in annexing the township (or parts of it) to their cities.  Legislation in 2010 (SB73) removed the border protection we previously had.  We may never have the opportunity again for self-determination as a community.

Now, hopefully that has been helpful.  The future lies in the hands of yourselves, the property owners.

What are the advantages of becoming our own city? 

Primarily, it’s about self-determination.  Millcreek Township is an area of great talent, prosperity, and potential.  It is a mature area and has the right to represent itself on equal footing at the same table as the other cities in this valley and state do.  There is great opportunity for further economic development of this area, particularly within the Millcreek community (west half of the township).  The revenues generated by that development will stay here and service the 63,000 residents of the new city.  And residents will determine how they want the city to be zoned rather than have such decisions made by those who do not live within our neighborhoods or boundaries.

How can you help? 

It is a daunting task to collect the signatures of some 5,000 more property owners, especially within a mere 18 months.  These are not individual voters’ signatures; they are individual properties.  We depend upon volunteers, exclusively, to petition their neighbors, business associates, and friends who own property within the township.

If you are willing to help, please sign up to be a volunteer.  You may consider petitioning door-to-door, holding neighborhood meetings at your home, making phone calls, handing out flyers, donating money or in-kind services to help publicize and pay for paper and printing, etc., or lending your technological expertise.  Please understand that none of the current sponsors or petitioners is paid.  We donate our time and resources because we believe in this cause; we believe we can succeed as a city and be happier through self-government.