Lehi City Recorder Gary Lewis, who has been instrumental in turning his city's financial condition around, has been named Recorder of the Year by the Utah Municipal Clerks Association.
Lewis was nominated for the award by Mayor George Tripp and members of the City Council. In a letter to the judging committee, Tripp credited Lewis with helping to develop a purchase order system for the city that "has been the single most important procedure in turning around the financial condition of the city."Lewis' budget monitoring procedures allowed the council to generate surpluses in the past seven years in the face of rising costs and with no significant increases in revenues, Tripp said. And, during the two years that Lewis served as chairman of the Tri City Golf Course Committee, a reorganization and restructuring of the course's operation was completed; since its reorganization, the course has operated without financial assistance from Lehi, Pleasant Grove or American Fork, Tripp said.
"We're not surprised he received the award," Tripp said. "He deserved it."
Lewis was appointed to the recorder position in 1981 by former Lehi Mayor Blaine Singleton, and has served in that position under three other mayors.
Lehi has an annual budget of approximately $5 million. "In our city, because we are not very prosperous and don't have a big tax base, the most difficult problem is finding enough money and stretching it to go around," Lewis said.
Lewis, who is a former teacher and insurance adjuster, said he really did not know much about the operation of a city before becoming a city recorder, and had not consciously set out to work in city government. However, after eight years as recorder, Lewis has found city service to be challenging.
"No two days are ever the same," Lewis said. "A recorder's life is not one of boredom. Everything in a city that takes places goes through the city recorder. We're really a jack-of-all-trades - we have to deal with audits, monthly bills, elections, city records. It's everything.
"We work with the people (of a city)," Lewis said. "Every kind of problem at one time or another passes through our office."
Lewis said he emphasizes control, organization and cooperation with the mayor and council in carrying out his duties. And, he is one of Lehi's biggest promoters, proudly pointing out steps the city has taken in recent years (construction of a new sewer system, culinary water system and library, for example) that put it in an "excellent position to take on growth."
Regarding the award he recently received for his efforts on behalf of his city, Lewis said he "can't think of anything greater."
"There is no greater honor that can come to an individual than to be honored by one's peers," Lewis said.
*****
(Additional information)
All in a day's work
As city recorder, Gary Lewis is responsible for:
-Legal documents generated in the city.
-Records maintained by the city.
-Recording minutes of meetings and other official actions of the City Council.
-City elections.
-Acting as the city auditor, purchasing agent and budget officer.