Utah's Centennial City has become a city in fact.
Mayor LaVelle Prince, accompanied by members of the City Council, handed over incorporation papers Monday to Utah Lt. Gov. Olene Walker, culminating a process that began about a year ago to create the seventh largest city in Utah. The city's population is 55,000-plus."I'm very excited," Prince said. "This has been a long-anticipated day today. Taylorsville has come of age."
The council in a special session Monday approved various actions pertaining to the central Salt Lake County city's creation, including an administrative code and a resolution ratifying all prior council actions concerning service contracts and other matters.
City Council member Janice Auger said she only had one comment about the incorporation: "Hurray!" Auger said the future looks bright for the city and the past has been a good learning experience for the council. Feelings are upbeat and positive. The city is moving forward.
"It's the beginning and also the end of a phase that's seen a lot of work," Auger said.
Councilman Bruce Wasden was equally optimistic about the city's future. He predicted Taylorsville would become one of the most stable and prosperous cities in the Salt Lake Valley and that Taylorville's idea of contracting out city services would become a pattern used throughout the Wasatch Front.
"After two years of spending a lot of time, I feel exhilaration, relief and happiness to have it officially be here," Wasden said of the incorporation.
Monday was not just a day for congratulatory back slapping. The council also approved the creation of a $12,000 project to monitor and coordinate work done by contractors for the fledgling city. Among other things, the city will contract out services such as law enforcement, fire protection, animal control, engineering and public works, and janitorial services.
Prince said the concept of contracting out city services follows the city's philosophy of the least government being the best government."We do not intend to grow in personnel or services," he said.
In other business, the council placed a moratorium on new alcoholic beverage licenses until the city can formulate an ordinance pertaining to licensing. The council discussed but took no action on a proposal to construct bus shelters throughout the city and eliminate bus benches already in place.
Prince said shelters are more attractive than bus benches, and a private company discussing the idea with the city has said they will maintain the shelters and give the city a portion of the advertising revenue generated from them.
The next council meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 10.
The incorporation initiative drive began in 1983. Voters rejected the idea then and again in 1988 and 1989. In the years that followed, local residents became increasingly concerned over the area's tremendous growth and began to fear a loss of control over local affairs to county government. Added to that were planning and zoning worries and a suspicion that surrounding cities would try to gobble up Taylorsville in a piecemeal fashion.
These concerns led to a new referendum in September 1995, and this time voters approved the idea. In November that same year, 66 City Council candidates and 10 mayoral hopefuls squared off against one another for the right to govern the new city.
Prince carried the prize as mayor, and Auger, Wasden, Keith Sorenson, Jim Dunnigan and Kent Winder were elected to the council. Officials have spent the past months setting up the machinery of government and dealing with fiscal issues.
In April, voters trimmed the city's name from its historic designation, Taylorsville-Bennion. Taylorsville, the area of the community a bit northeast of Bennion, was named after John Taylor, the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bennion was derived from Samuel Bennion, also an LDS leader.