Feb. 2023 | Vol. 17 Iss. 02
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WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH DRAPER DAYS? WHO’S IN CHARGE AND HOW WILL IT BE DIFFERENT? By Mimi Darley Dutton | m.dutton@mycityjournals.com
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hange is in the air for Draper’s biggest community celebration. The city is taking over the funding, organization and implementation of Draper Days beginning immediately. With just six months to go until Draper’s biggest event, Mayor Troy Walker addressed the questions swirling around the community about the big change. “In essence, the city was paying to put Draper Days on and we didn’t have a way to control our costs. Now we have the complete purse in our hand and we know and can control what we want to spend,” Walker said. According to the mayor, it’s a matter of transparency with taxpayer funds. Traditionally, the city has donated money to the Draper Community Foundation, letting that 501(c)(3) organization plan and implement all aspects of Draper Days. But that changes now. “All the contracts and all the money will go through the city. The contracts will be with the city and we’re going to take the revenue, too. In the past, we would donate the money, they would sell the tickets and keep the revenue. If we’re going to raise money, we ought to get it back in the coffers,” he said. Walker insists that the Foundation (a private entity that raises funds and supports the Draper Arts Council, the Draper Historical Society and the Miss Draper Scholarship Program) has done nothing wrong. Walker and his wife have volunteered with the Foundation to help with Draper Days in the past. “The Foundation is fantastic. It’s just that we’ve got to change the way we’re doing things because of the scrutiny that governments are under and being mindful of the taxpayer’s investment. For a long time, it made sense. The city was small and the volunteers were great. But last year we had some volunteers who bowed out at the last minute because they had conflicts come Continued page 4
Draper Nights concert 2021. (Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)
Local Postal Customer ECRWSS
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Draper runners
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Teaming up for foster care
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What a winter
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