This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Think Millcreek people were eager to become a city?
Roughly six weeks before the March 17 filing deadline, three candidates already have lined up to be mayor of what will become Salt Lake County's 17th city on Jan. 1, 2017.
Eight others have filed candidacy forms for the four City Council seats that will come into being that day. Four of those candidates are seeking the District 4 seat representing Olympus Cove and the city's southeastern side.
"There's clearly enthusiasm for the new city," said Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen, whose office oversees elections. "The fact Millcreek residents got to determine whether they wanted to be a city or a metro township seems to have made them want to be involved in it."
And, she added, "it's hugely important in starting a new city to get it on the right path. These candidates must be eager to do just that."
Swensen said some of this extra-early interest in filing for office also stems from a quirk in the Community Preservation Act that mobilized the restructuring of the unincorporated county's governing structure.
Usually, the filing period for a nonpartisan city-government position is a week. In this case, she said, it would have been March 11 through 17.
But in multiple rewrites of the Community Preservation Act by the 2015 Legislature, Swensen said the filing period for this year's Millcreek City, metro township and local school board elections was set to begin Jan. 4 — the same day candidates requiring signatures to get on the ballot could start collecting supporters.
Even if the starting date was earlier than usual, Swensen expects typical election-filing tendencies to continue this year.
"We're usually busy on the first day and the last day and quiet in between," she said, noting that as the filing deadline nears, "we see people waiting until the last thing to see what's available and what they want to run for."
In Millcreek, early interest is greatest in the mayor's race, where two leaders of the incorporation campaign are seeking to be the new city's first chief executive.
One is Fred Healey, who was chairman of Millcreek Neighbors for Representative Government, which campaigned vigorously for city status rather than metro township, helping to secure 60 percent of the vote.
The other is Jeff Silvestrini, an executive committee member with that group and chairman of the Mount Olympus Community Council.
Edward B. Frank also has filed for the post.
Four other members of Millcreek Neighbors also have signed up for council seats.
Jem Keller and Jeffrey Waters will square off in District 3, while LaMont Tyler and Kurt Zimmerman are two of four candidates in District 4. The others are Vaughn Howard and Bev Uipi.
Diane Angus, chairwoman of the Millcreek Community Council, is the lone candidate so far in District 1, while Dwayne Vance is unopposed at this point in District 2.
While others have a few weeks to ponder runs for office, Salt Lake County officials continue to work on putting the legal structure in place for this new form of governance.
This past week, the County Council advised Deputy District Attorney Gavin Anderson to proceed with drafting interlocal agreements that will allow the county to transfer sales-tax revenue collected in unincorporated areas to the newly created Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District.
The district then will pay the county to deliver services involving roads, animal control, municipal parks and planning and zoning to those unincorporated areas, Anderson said, noting that community council representatives of those areas unanimously supported this approach.
These agreements only cover this year, he added, since the Millcreek City and metro township council members who take office in 2017 will have the power to maintain their relationship with the Municipal Services District or go a different route to get their services.
In November's incorporation vote, Millcreek residents voted soundly not to remain in the district once the city is established.
If the city opted out, it could still contract for services from the Municipal Services District, it could turn to other cities or the private sector for those services, or it could provide the services itself.
"One-year contracts will let us work the bugs out and see what we need to focus on in the future," Anderson said.
ZAP funding
Small arts groups have until March 31 to apply for grants through Salt Lake County's Zoo Arts and Parks (ZAP) program.
ZAP Director Vicki Bourns said 148 arts and cultural organizations received money this past year from the program, which collects one penny for every $10 spent.
Nonprofits or municipal arts, cultural and botanical organizations with budgets less than $337,500 are eligible for small-group grants, she noted
For the first time, Bourns said, ZAP applications will be accepted online this year at http://www.zapisyou.org.