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10-20-20 E-NEWS: HOW TO COVID DURING WINTER; HAPPY HALLOWEEN!; POLICE TOWN HALL; CRAs; etc. View this email in your browser Announcements Millcreek Community Council Tues., 11/3/20, 6:30 pm Millcreek City Hall NEWS COVID-19 WINTER IS COMING TO MILLCREEK MILLCREEK. A record 2,300 new Coronavirus cases were reported in Utah today. That raises Utah's 7-day average to 1,621.7, more than ---PAGE BREAK--- 3330 S 1300 E Join virtually HERE East Mill Creek Community Council Thurs., 11/5/20, 6:30 pm Millcreek City Hall 3330 S 1300 E Join virtually HERE Limited in-person attendance, masks required Mt Olympus Community Council; Canyon Rim Citizens Association No November meetings quadruple what Governor Herbert established in August as the school-opening target. Our hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed and health officials are considering how to ration medical care. The virus spikes are no different here in Millcreek. Last May, the highest 7-day average infection rate in Millcreek was 6.4 people. The rate is more than five times higher now as of this past week, Millcreek's average is 33 people infected each and every day in our city. That's a classroom full of school kids. Governor Herbert says that the rates throughout the state are rising, not because businesses aren't following guidelines, but because people are not protecting themselves adequately during casual social interaction. The reasons for these failures are manyfold and personal to each of us, but they mostly boil down to: we are tired of hanging out with our household bubble we want to hang out with non-household friends and family we don't know how to say no to invites from non-household friends and family to come and hang out What happens when we succumb to these "reasons"? Click here for a graphic demonstration of the likelihood of infection without safety measures, and to see how much the risk lowers when common sense (and CDC advice) guides our get-togethers. Here are links to a few tips to help us handle and hopefully get past obstacles to our safety during the pandemic: > Hacks for surviving winter during COVID-19 < ˃ How to say no to a social gathering during COVID ˂ ˃ How to create your own social bubble (of 10 in Millcreek) ˂ ˃ Having the COVID talk ˂ ˃ Mentally preparing for a COVID-19 winter ˂ ˃ How to support those suffering COVID-19 hardships, ˂ ˃ CDC advice on holiday planning ˂ ---PAGE BREAK--- ˃ Ideas for outdoor entertaining during COVID-19 ˂ ˃ Tips for parents ˂ > Friluftsliv < What else can we do? Stay home and isolate if you're sick. Regardless of whether you're sick, wear a mask, socially distance, and wash your hands frequently. Absent good planning (see tips above), avoid gatherings, even with your family or close friends. With the holidays coming up and families who have not seen each other for several months, we know you would like to get together. If you do get together, wear masks, stay in groups of less than ten people, and distance family groups. Party outside, or open your windows and provide as much ventilation as possible. Get together for only a couple of hours, and please don't sing or yell while you're together. If you have family coming in from out of town, ask them stay at a hotel rather than in your home. Please take as many precautions as possible. We CAN get the curve down again. We CAN beat this. ---PAGE BREAK--- HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!! Click here for the State of Utah's tips on how to do that during the COVID-19 pandemic. ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Artist rendering of Millcreek Common, which will be built utilizing CRA tax-increment funding. SO HOW DOES A COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT AREA WORK? MILLCREEK. Utah law allows taxing entities (like cities, counties, school districts, etc.) to agree with each other to hold off receiving additional property taxes from a potential new development for a certain amount of time. Instead, they create a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) to use that tax money to improve the area. This “tax increment” can be used for infrastructure improvements, affordable housing and enhancements to new development. Do CRAs raise taxes on homes or businesses? No. They merely capture a portion of the additional property tax receipts generated by the increased value of new development. Do CRAs take money from school kids? No. Without the CRA, those extra property taxes wouldn’t have been generated in the first place. Also, CRAs have agreements with the taxing entities to share a portion of the additional tax receipts with them during the life of the project. When the project timeframe is over, there is a lot more tax money going to the schools, city, and others because the area has been redeveloped and is assessed at a much higher tax value than what existed before the CRA. What is an example of a CRA in Millcreek? While Millcreek was still a township, the West Millcreek CRA was created around Main Street and 3900 South. Since 2015, the area has enticed enough ---PAGE BREAK--- new development to generate $982,000 in new property tax dollars per year, above and beyond what was previously collected. All of the taxing entities, including the school district, have received the original tax amounts this area previously generated, plus about 20% (on average) of the new taxes the area now generates. At the end of the CRA these entities will receive hundreds of thousands of dollars more that they wouldn’t have received otherwise, but for the existence of the CRA. What is an example of a project showing how the CRA worked? A project called Opus Green was proposed in West Millcreek. It will include some retail (perhaps a market), townhomes, and apartments. An agreement was reached to reimburse the developer (using CRA generated property-tax increment) for building a one-acre park along the Millcreek side of Big Cottonwood Creek, including a pedestrian bridge that will make access to TRAX easier for Millcreek residents. This mixed-use project will be enhanced by being adjacent to a new park, and the city will acquire a new park paid for entirely out of the property taxes from the new development. What about the City Center CRA? A CRA was recently set up around Highland Drive and 3300 South. It was agreed that the property taxes collected in that area from new development will be used to pay for the $20 million bond taken out to purchase and build Millcreek Common. Think of it this way: The ice ribbon, park, and plaza of Millcreek Common is being paid for by the developers through the additional property taxes their projects will generate. All of Millcreek will benefit from these amenities but the rest of city taxpayers will not have to pay for them since the tax increment from the new development will repay the bond. ---PAGE BREAK--- Local Service Committee members (left to right): James Rudin, Sherry Rudin, Rose Defa, Safia Keller, Judy Zone, David Chasse, Denise Chasse, Christine Casper, Laurie Summers, and Andrea White, pictured holding reusable water bottles donated to Granite Education Foundation. ROTARY CLUB OF MILL CREEK HELPS LOCAL SCHOOLS MILLCREEK. The Rotary Club of Mill Creek has been busy at local Millcreek schools. The Club purchased 1,000 reusable water bottles and donated them to the Granite Education Foundation, which designated them for use at Mill Creek Elementary and Granite Park Jr High. Members of the Club who dropped off the bottles were given a tour of the GEF warehouse by David James, who is one of their board members and a local sports personality. The Club also put together 40 weekend food kits for families at Mill Creek Elementary to be distributed over their recent fall break to help families coping with food insecurity. Thank you, Mill Creek Rotarians. You are valued members of our community. REMINDER ---PAGE BREAK--- REMINDER All dumpsters and pods in the public right of way must be removed starting November 1, 2020 and remain off the street through April 1, 2021. If you do reserve a dumpster or pod during this timeframe, it must be placed in your driveway. Keeping our streets clear of vehicles, dumpsters, and pods during the winter is essential for snowplow drivers being able to clear as many streets as possible. Synergy Staffing Eagle Scout Anton Goodick of Boy Scout Troop 34 partnered with Granite Education Foundation this year to open a food pantry at Mill Creek Elementary School and renew the food pantry at James E. Moss Elementary. Mayor Silvestrini was privileged to attend Anton's Court of Honor earlier this month. Congratulations, Anton, and thank you for your thoughtful Eagle Scout project. Meetings with the Mayor Fridays from 2-4pm have been set aside for citizens to meet with ---PAGE BREAK--- Mayor Silvestrini (socially distanced and masked, of course). Please call [PHONE REDACTED] to schedule a slot. VISIT us at Click here to subscribe to this weekly newsletter Copyright © 2020 Millcreek, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Forward Share Tweet