Washington City-"The Best Place to Live"

Recently the nationwide real estate company Movoto released its annual ranking of the best places to live [link], in each of the states, around the country.  Not surprising to us, Washington City ranked as the second best place to live in the state of Utah.  We were slightly eclipsed by the city of Holladay, in northern Utah, but we are proud of the ranking nonetheless.

The selections were based upon a point system that measured: total amenities available, quality of life (cost of living, median home price, median rent, median household income, and student-to-teacher ratio), total crimes, tax rates, unemployment, commute time, and weather.  Once this criteria was established, Movoto looked at all cities over 100,000 with populations over 10,000.

Washington City scored the highest of all cities with regards to amenities.  This included not only the great outdoor opportunities available in our beautiful area but also our local parks, recreation programs and community center.  We also scored high in our weather and quality of life.  And even in spite of the fact that, on occasions, the Green Spring/Telegraph intersection can be crowded, we scored strong points for having a commute time of only 16 minutes.

Our neighboring cities of St. George and Hurricane scored respectively 17th and 39th.

We are very proud of this recognition and note that the best asset of our community was not even measured; and that is the quality of our citizens and the spirit of community that exists here.  In that end, it is the citizens that we want to be and the community spirit that we want to create and maintain that will make us the one of the best places to live and raise our families.

Growth

We recently did a calculation in our city of the number of new single-family residential homes that have been built in the last year, the total came to approximately 630.  That represents an increase in population of approximately 1,764 new residents to our community, just last year.  We are not anticipating this growth to curtail at all and should remain constant like this for the very near future.

Growth is always a challenging thing and sometimes not liked by our existing residents.  Too often we have the sentiment "now that I have built my house, please don't let anyone else build."  This "last in" feeling is understandable but not realistic.  As we continue to build this community into a "city of choice," we will continue to attract residents.  They will become our neighbors and friends.  They will become friends of our children and many of those relationships will last a lifetime.  There is much more good that comes from growth than negative, in my opinion.

People often ask why we can't slow down the growth.  That is also challenging when you consider that growth comes because of individual property owners desire to benefit from the land that they own, by subdividing it and selling it for homes.  For local government to intervene in a property owner's desire to do this, challenges the very premise of property rights and ownership-a beautiful component of the society and country we live in.  Of course we will attempt to assist in making sure this new growth has as minimal an impact as possible on the existing residents but growth is driven by supply of land and demand for residency, with local government in the middle helping to make sure this comes together in the best way possible.
In my view, I think that growth is going to continue; at least for some time.  But I like to think of the wonderful people that are now calling this place home, for the children and the relationships that will begin because of these new neighbors, and for the wonderful richness we will experience as our borders expand.  For all of our residents, old and new, it is and will be a wonderful place to call home.

In Remembrance of a President

This week will mark an event that occurred fifty years ago, that event was the loss of our President, John F. Kennedy. I have always been intrigued by this President and his life in large part due to the fact that our lives passed each other, I was born November 21, 1963 and he died November 22. When I was younger I was fascinated by his life and legacy and know that this was, in large part, what motivated me to want to go into public service.

It is hard to imagine fifty years have passed.  For me a good portion of my life. We have changed so much since then and even though much of our national innocence died alongside that president I think it is a good time to remember some of the ideals he set for us. I believe that this nation is truly a "city on a hill" and a light to other nations. I believe we stand on the edge of a "new frontier" in difficult and troubled times. I believe that we do challenging things in this country not because they are hard but because they are right. And I believe that our strength will always lie in what we do for our country and others and not what they does for us.  These are also great ideals to remember as a city. 

So it is not only a good time for reflection on where we have come as a country and city over the last fifty years but more importantly to reflect upon where we are going, and if these ideals will guide us into the future. 

In this spirit, I feel privileged to be a part of a city that bears the name of another great leader of our country and am grateful to be in the public service of such a wonderful community. 

Suntran Mass Transit

Approximately a year ago we implemented the yourwashington.org website.  This site collects ideas from our community and allows citizens to vote on what is most important to them.  Over the past few months the highest vote-getter was for the city to look into having St. George expand the Suntran bus service into our community.

The idea of expanding bus service to Washington has been talked about for some time.  The Washington City Council has conducted two surveys with our citizens to determine an interest to ride and to pay for such a service.  We are showing greater interest in the using of a bus service and we think this interest will only grow.  One of the challenges we face however is not finding an interest to ride a bus but rather an interest to pay for bus services.  The current Suntran system, in St. George, is provided at a fairly high subsidy by the taxpayers.  Because of this, and other reasons, this decision is not just a simple one by the Council.

The Council has heard your voice of interest in this issue however and would like to pursue these discussions more fully.  Because this topic received so much attention from citizens in our community, we are taking it off the yourwashington.org site and creating a separate web page just for the Suntran discussion.  This will be a place that anyone interested can view and stay on top of how this topic is progressing.  We will let you know shortly, where you can access this webpage, so stay tuned.

Manager Ralph McClure

I thought I would take a minute to talk about a man that probably many of  you don't know but who nevertheless has had an impact upon every citizen of Washington City.  This past week Manager Ralph McClure passed away. Ralph served as the City Manager of Washington City for 17 years (1985-2001).

Ralph not only made Washington his home but dedicated his profession to turning this small sleepy community into the robust city it is today. During his years of service many changes and improvements occurred that we are still the beneficiary of today. During the time Ralph served as Manager, the Green Springs Golf Course was developed, the municipal power system was built, the Home Depot and Walmart commercial center was established and there were great improvements in our road and utility systems. He worked hard to make Washington into the community we love today. 

Often times individuals may wonder what kind of lasting impact their life has on others, well for Ralph you don't need to travel too far around our community to see his impact, his contribution, and his handprint. We are enjoying a greater quality of life today because of Ralph's service and dedication to this community. 

So to Ralph's lovely wife Eileen and to his family, on behalf of a grateful city, we express our condolences for their loss and our appreciation for his life. And as one of his successors I recognize the big shoes I must fill but am grateful for the great shoulders on which I get to stand. We will do our best to continue to create the vision you had for Washington City. 

5th Anniversary of the Community Center

I remember a number of years ago, a young man maybe 12 or 13 who would get on the City Council
agenda every few months. He would stand boldly at the podium, with his skateboard in his hand, and tell the City Council how they needed to do something more for the kids his age in the community. He told them that they needed to build a skate park or a recreation center or something to keep young people busy or in his words "we will get in trouble."  The City Council listened to this young man and others in our community who were asking for the same thing and in 2008 the Washington City Community Center opened it's doors.

In May we celebrated our fifth year of the opening of that facility. Over the past five years this facility has not only become highly successful but has endeared itself to the hearts of our citizens.

For your information the Center has been visited over 497,000 times in the past five years and 397,683 of those visits were by paying members (others included events and spectators).  The Community Center currently has 6,342 members, houses over 45 program and oversees events and leagues that include more than 12,000 participants.

We could also share the great number of events that have happened since this facility has opened, the great business partnerships which have occurred, the employment that has been provided for our youth and the many awards we have received.  And all of this we are very proud of.  But what we are most proud of, and what is a little harder to measure, is the impact that this facility has had on the residents of this community from their health to a place to celebrate and socialize, the Community Center has provided that.  And as we think back to this young man, who appeared before the City Council, we reflect upon the thousands of young people the past five years who have passed through these doors and found a place to have fun and "stay out of trouble."

So a happy anniversary to our Community Center for all the good you have given to us, over the past five years, as residents!

2014 Budget

Recently the City completed its budget process as we closed off fiscal year 2013 and began fiscal year 2014.  It was a good year for the city as we continued to see improvements in our economy.  More individuals are employed, our housing market has improved significantly from the last couple of years, and consumer confidence seems to be growing, as our sales tax numbers have improved.  We are still being very cautious in our forecasting and projections but we like the way we are trending.

Combine this revenue improvement with the streamlining we have been able to do in expenses over the last few years and the City sits in very good financial position.  Employee growth has been held very tight and we have continued to do more with less.

In spite of the challenged economy and the cutting back of expenses, Washington City has grown by almost 1,000 citizens every year and this previous year we grew by over 1,500 citizens.  We certainly continue to be the "City of choice" for many who are coming to our area.

The overall budget this year was $42,265,529 with a General Fund budget of $11,917,413.  We continue to have one of the lowest property tax rates in the county and believe that we offer our citizens good value for the many benefits we offer here in the City.  For ongoing budget information please refer to washingtoncity.org/finance

I know it may be boring but I would encourage you to look over the budget for this upcoming year, even if it is just to glance at it.  It will help you to stay apprised of how your tax dollars are being spent and the benefits you receive from them.  As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Continue to have a great summer!

Washington City Roads

One of the major costs of local government is the building and maintenance of our roads. Because of the fast growth of our community we have all become accustom to the orange cones throughout the community.

Since 2008, Washington City had spent nearly $15 million dollars on the construction of new roads or in the ongoing maintenance of the existing roads. Some of the road projects completed in the last few years have included: widening of Washington Fields road, Telegraph widening and improvements, Virgin River Bridge, 2000 South/Sandia improvements, and Industrial Road. And we are currently working on road connections to the new Southern Corridor. 

Each year we spend a significant amount of money on sealing road cracks, fixing potholes and slurry sealing the surfaces. We currently have maintained a life-span on our roads of greater than 16 years, which is a great accomplishment. 

The money available for road projects is very limited and comes from either the general funds and taxes of the community or from a proportioned share of the tax the state collects from every gallon of fuel sold. It never seems quite sufficient for all of our road needs. 

We have a very dedicated and professional road crew and appreciate the great work that they do in providing for both the quality and safety of our streets. 

Emergency Operations Training

Recently I was able to attend a week-long training on emergency operations with our city's emergency operations director, Chief Jim Keith. This training was conducted by FEMA and took place at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, MD. 

The purpose of this training was to receive instruction and practical experience in the proper running of an emergency operations center (EOC). We received classroom instruction for several days and were then placed in a working EOC to run emergency scenarios for a simulated disaster(s) for a community. The training was intense and demonstrated the challenges that occur while trying to manage uncertain situations during an emergency. 

Washington City has had a written emergency operation plan for many years. As a staff, we practice aspects of the plan several times a year. During the last 10 years we have opened our EOC on a few occasions to deal with floods and power outages. Each year we try to improve upon the physical assets we need to properly deal with an emergency; this has included the purchases of mobile generator units, emergency supply pods, etc. 

Life safety and property protection are the most important roles for local government to take on. To do this effectively good planning and constant training are necessary. This aspect of good governance is a high priority for Washington City and its staff. 

Yourwashington.org

During our recent Cotton Days event the city introduced a new citizen interface platform called
"Yourwashington.org." This platform creates a one-stop shop for interfacing with your elected officials and city staff.

From this site you can connect with all of the ways the city communicates with you,
Including: Facebook, Twitter, Blogger. And you can communicate with the city by contacting your city councilmen, connecting to any surveys the city is conducting, asking a question, or generating ideas for the elected officials to consider.

This last feature called "Yourvoice" is a new feature which allows you to recommend or suggest an idea for the city to consider and vote on other ideas suggested. Through this process the city is hoping to hear your ideas and to see which ideas are most supported by the community. You will need to check this feature out.

As the name of this platform indicates, this is "Your Washington" and we hope you will take advantage of this simple way to influence, direct, and stay aware of all that is going on in your city.

YourWashington.org Launch Event at Cotton Days 2013

Covington Home

A year ago Washington City was fortunate enough to purchase the Robert Covington home, located at 200 N and 200 E. this home was one of the original homes built in Washington and was the residence of Robert Dockery Covington and his family. Mr. Covington was commissioned by Brigham Young to bring a group of pioneers down to this part of the state to homestead and establish a cotton crop and mill.

The home he resided in was also used as the city's first church, first city hall and the first community center. It is a rich and important part of our heritage here in Washington.

Although it will take several years to restore, the city has been enhancing and improving the grounds. We have allowed the city's Youth Council to use it for their weekly meetings and we eventually look forward to opening it up to the public to enjoy on a regular basis.

In the meantime and during Cotton Days week we encourage you to swing by and take a look at this beautiful part of our (your) history.

Dogtown Resolution

-Submission from guest writer Shannon Hinman (St George Mom)

Time for New Year's resolutions and that means setting goals and taking steps to achieve them. My next goal is to run a personal best in the Dogtown Half Marathon. This February 23, 2013 Washington City will hold their annual Dogtown Half Marathon, 9k, and 5k. I suggest picking an obtainable distance and selecting the best training program to fit you.

 I find running in the morning the best way to start my day and I can do it while my family still sleeps.  This has not been easy with the cold temperatures we have been experiencing lately, so I am glad the Washington City Community Center is nearby. I have been attending circuit classes (great for preventing running injuries), weightlifting, spin class, and swimming. I have even hit the dreaded treadmill for short runs. I save my long runs for the weekends when I can run in the afternoon. I run all over Washington City and love it. You can easily find hills to challenge you or run out to Washington Fields for some flat speed work. 

Check out the Dogtown Half Marathon course. It starts in Coral Canyon and runs down hill through a beautiful canyon. Then it heads out to Washington Fields and has two tiny hills. You also receive a pair of running shorts for signing up. I love both pair I have and ran the St. George Marathon in them the last two years because they were so comfortable. The dog tag metal you receive when you cross the finish line is awesome. Sign up at the Washington City Community Center and look for me at the start line!

-Submission from guest writer Shannon Hinman (St George Mom)

Washington Fields Traffic Signal

One of the items most indicative of our growth is the increase in traffic signals at our intersections. Recently the Washington Fields area hit a new milestone in its growth, as the first traffic signal, in the Fields, was installed at Washington Fields and Washington Dam Road. This installation, along with the widening of the Washington Fields Road, was due to the large growth in homes and traffic in this part of our community. This lighted intersection is also in preparation of the increased traffic we will receive once SR-9 is connected to Washington Dam Road and Washington Fields Road is connected to the new Southern Parkway. These new connections will be the quickest access to the St. George Airport from the east and other parts of our county. Just another sign of a growing community. With the increase in traffic and traffic control measures, please be safe and cautious while traveling in our community.

 

Washington City Boilers

Recently the Washington City Mayor and Council met on-site at the Washington City Boilers to discuss future options for this unique feature and ecosystem. The Boilers are a natural hotspring located between I-15 and Buena Vista Parkway. This "old swimming hole" has been a rich part of the history of our community. The Mayor and Council met to evaluate its current condition and discuss future options to preserve and enhance this wonderful gem of our community.

Christmas in Dixie

By Guest Writer Shannon Hinman stgeorgemom.com

Every year my family and I have attended the Christmas in Dixie Annual Tree Lighting in Washington City at Nisson Park. We have lived in Washington City for over 4 years now and this event has become a family tradition. We enjoy listening to the local school choirs and then watching the giant tree light up. We warm ourselves with hot chocolate and treats. To top it all off, Santa Clause visits. I love the look on my kids' faces when they see him and his helping elves. I feel thankful to live in an area that has everything I could ask for including a small town feel.

Christmas in Dixie 2012 Tree Lighting is Monday Nov 26 at 6pm.

Christmas Tree Lighting 2011

Christmas Tree Lighting 2010

Agricultural Business Zone

Recently the Washington City Council and Planning Commission approved the creation of an "agricultural business zone". This discussion and idea has been developing for some time. The request to create this zone was presented to the city by Sherrie Reeder, representing Staheli Farms. The purpose of this zone is to allow farmers to develop and use their lands beyond traditional agricultural uses. Allowing farmers to develop business options for their land, beyond the normal uses, gives them additional economic incentives to keep these farms functioning and maintains the open spaces found in our community. Some additional uses of the farms in our community have included: petting farms, sports parks, youth conferences, concerts, farm camps, and holiday events. We are excited about this new concept in our community and the benefits it will bring.

Annual Budget Report

Throughout the course of a year, Washington City produces a lot of reports and studies that could almost be overwhelming to one interested in an overall understanding of how the city is doing. For those individuals in our community who have an interest in knowing how the city is doing financially, the goals of departments, strategic plans, construction plans for this year and into the future and how we are performing, I would like to refer you to our *Annual Budget Report*. This award-winning report is a "one stop" location to get a good feel of what we do in the city and how we are doing it. It is written with you-the citizens-in mind and I think you will find it understandable and a good communication tool. It is lengthy because it encompasses many other independently printed reports. If you have a chance to look through this document and have some suggestions please let us know.

These City Financial documents can be found at washingtoncity.org/finance

-Roger Carter, City Manager.

Quarterly Investment Report Presented to Council

At the September 26th Council meeting, the Washington City Council reviewed the quarterly investment report from the City Treasurer's office. In early 2012 the Washington City Council approved an investment policy and directed the Treasurer to invest city funds in public investment tools that ensured safety, allowed for liquidity and maximized the investment return on these funds. The Treasurer reported a gain on investment of over $200,000 in interest earnings this year compared to what would have been an investment pool yield of $70,000. These funds are primarily located in U.S. Treasury
Securities.

Mayor and Council Review Intersection Design

The Mayor and members of the Washington City Council took advantage of a break at recent meetings in Salt Lake City to meet with UDOT on intersection design. The Mayor and council reviewed a road and traffic concept at 106th South that is being proposed as a possible solution for the intersection at Green Spring and Telegraph Street. It was very informative and will be a concept that will be presented, along with others, to the public in the near future

Covington Home

Covington Mansion 1940s

Happy Cotton Days everyone! This, of course is the week that we celebrate our heritage in Washington City. Over 150 years ago, the city of Washington was founded. What a great week this will be, to honor our heritage, marvel at how far we have come, and ponder upon our future. I hope you will all take advantage of the events of this week. For a complete list of events please look at the schedule located at
www.cottondays.org.

There is probably not a better week to formally announce the acquisition, by the city, of the historic Robert Covington Home. This home, located at approximately 200 North and 200 East, is the oldest home in Washington County and is a historic landmark to our city.

Robert Dockery Covington was called by Brigham Young to lead one of two parties to southwest Utah to investigate the ability to grow Cotton. Their arrival in April of 1857 marked the beginning of the Cotton Mission and the establishment of Washington City. The stories of these early settlers is both frustrating and inspiring as they scratched out their existence in this hot desert climate. In 1859, the Covington Mansion was built and became not only the home for Robert’s family but the first social center for the community. In the upper floor of this house was held political activities, dances, social events and church meetings. This residence became the heart and soul of this early community. (for more information on this home go to http://www.wchsutah.org/homes/covington-mansion.php)

After being on the market for some time and having suffered the fate of a down economy, Washington City was able to purchase this home at a foreclosure sale. We are very excited to bring this true gem of a site into the protective hands of the community. Over the course of the next few years we will restore this beautiful residence and open it up to our citizens. In the meantime, feel free to drive by, stop and walk the
grounds. As you stand under those majestic pecan trees and look at that stately mansion, you will be filled with a strong spirit of our history and pride in the community we have become.

Covington Home 2012