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06/30/2023 - COUNCIL CONSIDERING SALARY INCREASE; FIREWORKS RESTRICTIONS; 4th CELEBRATIONS; etc. View this email in your browser Mayor Jeff Silvestrini, flanked by Councilmembers Thom DeSirant, Cheri Jackson, Silvia Catten, and Bev Uipi, at City Hall's Council Chambers, delivers the 2023 State of the City address. Announcements PUBLIC MEETINGS Our four Community Councils will be taking the month of July off — no meetings this coming week. The city offices will be closed on Tuesday, 7/4. NEWS Council Considering Salary Increase for Elected Officials MILLCREEK. In August 2017, some eight months after the City's December 31, 2016 incorporation, the City Council established an annual salary of $40,000 for the Mayor and $15,000 for the other Councilmembers. None of them took their salary for those first eight months. The annual salaries for those positions have not increased since then. Millcreek’s Finance Director recently surveyed other communities in Utah with similar ---PAGE BREAK--- Happy Fourth of July!! populations (Millcreek's was 63,034 as of July 1, 2022) to determine the average salaries for their mayors and city council members. The survey showed that in the 2022-23 fiscal year, the average mayor’s salary was $43,234, and the average councilmember’s salary was $19,163. As examples, the mayoral salary in Eagle Mountain (population 54,149) for 2023 was $77,200 and councilmember’s salary was $15,600. In South Jordan (population 85,513) for 2023, the mayoral salary is $43,454 with councilmember’s salary at $17,009. In order to keep up with cost of living increases and to stay in line with what similar Utah communities pay their elected officials, the City Council will soon discuss increasing the Mayor’s annual salary to $43,000 and Council members’ annual salaries to $17,000. The proposed salary increases would not take effect until January 2024, after the upcoming municipal election. Before making a decision to increase salaries, the City Council wishes to provide an opportunity for Millcreek residents to weigh in. The City Council will discuss the proposed salary increases during their work meeting on Monday, July 10, 2023, at approximately 5:30 pm. Please check the City Council agenda on the Millcreek website for an exact time. The City Council will also hold a public hearing on the proposed salary increases during their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at 7:00 pm. Both meetings will be held at City Hall. ---PAGE BREAK--- Fireworks in Millcreek Restricted in Sandstone-Colored Areas A Message From Mayor Silvestrini I recently received this email from a Millcreek resident asking why the city has imposed the fire restrictions shown in the map above: "Thank you for all you do for our city. As a parent and citizen of Millcreek, I wanted to reach out and ask why fireworks are banned this year? I have lived in this area my entire life and have never experienced such a wet year and yet fireworks are not allowed. "I hope we have not forgotten what fireworks represent—'The tradition of fireworks on the 4th of July came from the 1777 celebration in Philadelphia. A ship fired a 13-gun salute to honor the 13 colonies, and the Sons of Liberty set off fireworks over Boston Common.' "Please reconsider as this is a fun tradition for families and kids to celebrate the birth of our great nation." Other councilmembers also have heard from residents with the same question. Here is my response to this resident. I hope it helps explain why these fire restrictions were adopted: "I understand your concern and I have heard from others who share it. State law requires us to set fireworks restrictions early in order to get maps of the restricted areas published and distributed. That requires us to prognosticate the weather and dryness conditions in coordination with our fire marshal, who has the ultimate responsibility to determine the areas which will be restricted. We rely upon the fire marshal, as a professional, to asses wildland fire risk. Although we had a record snowfall, the fire marshal determined that water content in the brush, trees, and vegetation in our restricted areas was still drier than ideal due to prior years of extreme drought. Additionally, the wet weather has increased the growth of vegetation. The risk of hot weather between May ---PAGE BREAK--- when we had to make the determination until July (following last year’s record heat) combined with the continued dryness of the vegetation due to prior drought conditions, convinced our fire marshal to recommend keeping the same restrictions in place this year. Keeping the restrictions consistent also offered the prospect of better compliance with familiar boundaries to prevent accidental fires because the restricted areas will be consistent with last year. "I appreciate that fireworks are a holiday tradition. I enjoy them with my family also. However, the issue is also divisive, as many people (including veterans) and their pets, do not appreciate them, especially when irresponsible folks do not observe the days and times for lawful discharge. They are terrible for our air quality. The scale of fireworks has become far greater than anything our Sons- of-Liberty forebears could have imagined on Boston Common in 1777. There are still community fireworks celebrations equivalent to or exceeding anything Sam or John Adams experienced. "As I hope you can see, this issue presents our council with an unsolvable dilemma. That is why we rely upon our fire marshal to give us a professional assessment of risk and why we rely upon it. If fireworks caused a major fire (and they cause fires every year in our neighborhoods and natural areas) folks would look to blame the city council for not following the advice of our fire marshal. I hope this provides some small explanation of our rationale for what we did. "Millcreek will be providing a free drone show on Millcreek Common as an alternative to fireworks. I hope you and your family will join us on July 3rd to enjoy the show (details below) and on the 4th to enjoy the Lions’ Club 4th of July events on Evergreen Ave. I wish you and your family a happy and safe 4th and 24th of July." Best - Jeff TONIGHT ---PAGE BREAK--- MONDAY ---PAGE BREAK--- MONDAY * * * ---PAGE BREAK--- Join the Millcreek Arts Council Every Monday at 7pm at Canyon Rim Park for the FREE Summer Jam Concert Services This Week (7/3) Featuring David Burchfield & Fire Guild David Burchfield writes Americana that swaggers wildly through raw emotion within a meticulously written and arranged package. With connections to his indie folk, classic country, and bluegrass roots, Burchfield carves a unique path in the folk-rock world with his powerful 5-piece music machine, The Fire Guild. American Songwriter has said: "This type of solid songcraft would make Burchfield fit right in on a bill with the likes of Lucinda Williams or Jason Isbell." TUESDAY ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Be sure to look up around 10am to see the 419th Fighter Wing from Hill Air Force Base flyover of four F-35A Lightning II jets as they join our celebration of Independence Day. #AFFlyover ---PAGE BREAK--- Waste Pick-Up Scheduled to Avoid Conflict With Parade Due to the East Mill Creek Lions Club Parade on July 4th, residents located on Evergreen Ave (east of 2300 E to 2940 the S curve, and surrounding streets can expect their garbage, recycling, and green waste to be picked up after 1 pm. THURSDAY ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Your Surplus Can Feed the Hungry MILLCREEK. Millcreek Promise is providing gardeners throughout the city this summer with the opportunity to contribute surplus produce to fellow residents through organizations in the business of helping those experiencing food insecurity or poverty. This is your chance to eliminate stress about “too much zucchini” and to use your surplus for good. You may deliver your surplus produce to the Millcreek collection site of your choice, knowing that the food you have grown will feed those in need. All produce…fruit, or vegetable…is welcome. You don’t have to donate a lot, and you don’t have to donate every week. There are 9 different collection sites in Millcreek so donating surplus produce will be easy! To find the collection site closest to you, and the day on which each site is operational for collection, check the map at HERE. Collection sites will be open on either Monday or Wednesday (depending on the collection site), and the donated produce will be picked up on Tuesday or Thursday and taken to Millcreek organizations in need. Millcreek organizations that will benefit from your surplus produce include Bud Bailey Apartments, Maliheh Free Clinic, Jewish Family Services Food Pantry, and Hal Schulz Community Action Preschool. Let’s make Summer 2023 a season of sharing our bounty…communitywide. We hope you will join in sharing fresh produce with others, and making Millcreek a stronger community. ---PAGE BREAK--- Questions? Email Mary Draper, Millcreek Promise, [EMAIL REDACTED]. Fire retardant is dropped onto the Crestwood Fire in the foothills of Grandeur Peak above the north Mt. Olympus area during a fire in 2020. Too Close For Comfort Chipper Days start July 17th MILLCREEK. Following an exceptionally wet winter, Millcreek residents will need to stay vigilant in our wildfire mitigation along the Wildland-Urban Interface. Millcreek and Unified Fire Authority (UFA) Wildland have partnered together once again to educate and assist residents with our Millcreek wildfire mitigation. Millcreek Chipper Days will take place during the week of July 17, 2023. Only homes that are along the mapped route can participate this year. We ask that all residents who are going to participate in Chipper Days have their vegetative debris piled out by July 16, 2023. If you do not live along the mapped route, please do not place any debris out as it will not be chipped and hauled away by crews. ---PAGE BREAK--- Scan this QR code or click HERE to view the map of the areas that will be part of this year's Chipper Days project. If your property is not shown on the map, please do not place material on roadway. Guidelines for thinning and limbing property: Remove all dead vegetation, both standing and down on the property. Thin remaining trees, taking damaged diseased, or leaning trees first, then trees less than 9 inches in diameter. Next, thin out the remaining trees so that all trees are 20' - 30' apart at crowns. Remove limbs of remaining trees from within 4' - 6' of the ground (vary this height from tree to tree, do not limb more than 1/3 of the tree. Remove vegetation within 10' of any chimney opening. Remove all vegetation, debris, and flammable material from under wood decks, stairs, or eaves of buildings, or within 25' of propane tanks. Constructing piles for chipping: Natural vegetation only. Please do not include rocks, roots, metal, dirt, lumber, trash, or construction material. Limbs should be 1 1/2"-10" in diameter and a minimum of 30" long for large chippers. Logs should be a maximum of 13" in diameter and 10 long. Limbs should be placed with the butt (larger) end within 5' and at a 90- degree angle to a good road or driveway. Stacked rows should be no more than 4' high and one row deep. If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Clark, Millcreek Emergency Management at [PHONE REDACTED] or [EMAIL REDACTED]. The Millcreek Arts Council Presents July's "Getting Visual at the Library" MILLCREEK. The Millcreek Arts Council and Salt Lake County Millcreek Library are excited to display the artwork of Kaylee Rakowski during the month of July. A reception with Kaylee will be held at the Millcreek Community Center Library (2266 E Evergreen Ave) from 6-7 PM on July 7th. Music will be performed by Koan Laros and light refreshments will be served. ---PAGE BREAK--- Kaylee Rakowski is an avid outdoor enthusiast who spends her time climbing mountains and searching for the obscurities in nature. Her fascination with nature started as a young child, where she spent weekends and summers camping in Arizona and traveling to national parks in the Western United States. Usually taking to outdoor activities, Kaylee played soccer during the day, and spent nights studying music and academics. She played flute, piccolo, and tenor saxophone locally and nationally. Kaylee later accepted a scholarship to play collegiate volleyball with Pima Community College in Southern Arizona 2011-2013. She graduated with honors focusing mainly on nutrition, landscape photography, and coaching youth volleyball. The following seven years, Kaylee spent working within the outdoor and cycling community where she thrived helping others find the joy she felt so deeply for nature. In late spring of 2021, while on a hike on local trails in her new home of Salt Lake City, UT, Kaylee broke her ankle and landed herself a tremendously long recovery. Looking for an escape, Kaylee picked up her first batch of painting supplies and set out on a new path of artistic creation. With the help of online tutorials and books from the great Bill Alexander, Lowell Speers, Bob Ross, and many others, Kaylee started to learn the process of alla prima or wet-on-wet oil painting in hopes of creating the places she wished to go to. It wasn’t long before she realized she was tapping on the door of a whole new world of imagination, and there was no stopping her. Kaylee spent the summer of 2022 attending her first weekly art shows displaying more than 70 paintings with a variety of options for purchase. She was also one of 80 artists featured in Art at The Park Utah, where she showcased her journey from her first pieces to latest works. Her originals can be viewed in The Lazy Day Cafe and Millcreek Cafe, as well as in Casa de Roman Airbnb located south of the border in Sonora, Mexico. ---PAGE BREAK--- Koan Laros began his musical journey at the Open Classroom in 2014, at just 8 years old. There, he began taking classical guitar lessons from Eric McKenna Spreng, who remained his guitar teacher until the summer of 2022. Currently, he continues to study with his new teacher, Troy Lennerd. Koan practices classical pieces by Bach, Tarrega, and others, and has begun to compose his own music. Pair of Cougars Sighted Near Skyline High and Wasatch Junior High MILLCREEK. The City has had several calls this week about a pair of cougars sighted in the area of Skyline High and Wasatch Jr. High. Cougars typically avoid humans and do not stay long in any one area. They usually have left by the time Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) officers can respond, so one-time sightings need not be reported. Nevertheless, the following tips are useful for keeping safe all the time: ---PAGE BREAK--- Be aware and keep an eye on children and pets, particularly during early morning or evening hours. Bring pets in at night. Do not hike or jog alone and make noise while hiking to alert cougars of your presence. You can find advice on how to keep safe if you encounter a cougar on the Division of Wildlife Resources website. It seems that there are increasing cougar sightings, however we are told by staff at the DWR that these big cats have always been around and although the cougar numbers in Utah have been growing steadily for the past few years, there are more frequent reported sightings due to the proliferation of doorbell cameras and more people being out and about in the foothills. If an animal kills something in a yard, exhibits aggressive behavior, or appears several times on the same security camera, you should report it to DWR at [EMAIL REDACTED] or by phone at [PHONE REDACTED]. ---PAGE BREAK--- Skyline Roundabout Construction Update June 27, 2023 The Upland Drive / 3800 South road closure (from Birch Drive to Wasatch Blvd.) will continue until mid-July as crews perform the bulk of the construction of the roundabout. During this closure, drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians should use 3900 South as an alternate route. See map, below. For more information, call or text [PHONE REDACTED] or email [EMAIL REDACTED]. Add "subscribe" in the subject line to sign up for updates. You can also address correspondence to 6576 S Redwood Rd., Taylorsville, UT 84123. In coordination with this closure, UDOT continues to perform work on the northbound I-215 on-ramp at Upland Drive / 3800 South. This ramp is closed during this work. Drivers should use the on-ramp at 3900 South to access northbound I-215. For more information on the I-80 & I-215 Renewed project, and to sign up for updates, visit udot.utah.gov/saltlakeeast or contact the project team at [PHONE REDACTED] or [EMAIL REDACTED]. ---PAGE BREAK--- Millcreek is hosting a blood drive with the American Red Cross on Wednesday, July 26th from 9 AM – 2: PM. The blood drive will take place at Millcreek City Hall in the Council Chambers. Sign up to save lives using the button below. Millcreek Blood Drive July 26 9 AM - 2 PM Millcreek City Hall 3330 S 1300 E Sign Up HERE ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- The Forest Service has posted job announcements for several critical positions: 10 Positions in the Salt Lake Ranger District for entry-level forestry technicians in the following areas: Developed Recreation Technicians, Lead Interpretive Ranger, Interpretive Rangers, Trails Technicians, Special Uses Technician, and Fee Program Technicians. Click HERE for information. Several Permanent Full-Time Project Managers, Recreation Management Specialists and Geospatial Systems Specialists. Click HERE for information. ---PAGE BREAK--- Meetings with the Mayor Fridays from 2-4pm have been set aside for citizens to meet with Mayor Silvestrini. Call [PHONE REDACTED] to schedule a slot. VISIT us at Click here to subscribe to this weekly newsletter Copyright © 2023 Millcreek, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Click here to subscribe to this weekly newsletter Forward Share Tweet