In The Middle of Everything City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047
Marcus’ Message MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY City Hall ...................................................801-567-7200 Finance/Utilities ...................................801-567-7200 Court ........................................................801-567-7265 City Attorney’s Office .........................801-567-7250 City Recorder/Human Resources ...801-567-7228 Community Development ...............801-567-7211 Public Works ..........................................801-567-7235 Ace Disposal/Recycling .....................801-363-9995 Midvale Historical Museum .............801-567-7285 Midvale Senior Center .......................385-468-3350 SL County Animal Services ..............385-468-7387 Communications .................................801-567-7230
MIDVALE CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS MAYOR Marcus Stevenson ...............................801-567-7204 Email: mstevenson@midvaleut.gov CITY COUNCIL District 1 - Bonnie Billings Email: bbillings@midvaleut.gov District 2 - Paul Glover Email: pglover@midvaleut.gov District 3 - Heidi Robinson Email: Hrobinson@midvaleut.gov District 4 - Bryant Brown Email: bbrown@midvaleut.gov District 5 - Dustin Gettel Email: dgettel@midvaleut.gov
WHO TO CALL FOR… Water Bills ...............................................801-567-7200 Ordering A New Trash Can ...............801-567-7202 Permits ....................................................801-567-7213 Court ........................................................801-567-7265 Paying For Traffic School ...................801-567-7202 Business Licensing ............................. 801-567-7214 Cemetery ................................................801-567-7235 Planning and Zoning .........................801-567-7231 Code Enforcement ..............................801-567-7208 Building inspections...........................801-567-7213 Graffiti .....................................................385-468-9769
PUBLIC SAFETY & EMERGENCY CONTACTS EMERGENCY .............................................................. 911 UFA Fire/UPD Police > Non-emergency ..............................801-840-4000 Unified Police Department > Midvale Precinct .............................385-468-9350 Public Works ..........................................801-567-7235 Rocky Mountain Power .....................877-508-5088
OCTOBER 2024 CITY NEWSLETTER By Mayor Marcus Stevenson
The Community Renewable Energy Program Recently, our city council took initial steps to provide net-100% renewable energy to our residents and businesses through the Community Renewable Energy Program. In short, this program gives direction to Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) to match all electricity consumption by participating communities with renewable energy – wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric. Midvale City is the 19th community to join this program. In all, these communities represent about 25% of RMP’s customers in Utah. HOW IT WORKS The communities that are currently part of this program, called the Utah Renewable Communities (URC), will soon gather quotes from renewable energy companies to come up with a plan for how net-100% renewable energy could be provided to each of our municipalities. This plan will then be handed over to RMP to determine how much it will cost them to administer and connect this renewable energy into their current power grid. The current estimate is that the average RMP customer that is part of the program would see an increase in their bill of $2-$7 a month. Fortunately, a unique aspect about this program is that by Midvale City joining, it merely creates the option for our residents and businesses to take part in the program. Individual customers can still optout and see no impact on their electricity bill. Recognizing that it’s still unclear how much the program will cost and not wanting to ask our community to overburden themselves in support of renewable energy, about a year from now, once the cost estimates and program implementation details are finalized, each of the 19 communities will take another vote to determine whether they want to fully enter the program. At this point, the URC has stated that they are not interested in asking their communities to pay more than $7 a month for the average customer. Next year, if our city council chooses to enter the program, multiple notices will be sent out to each RMP customer with the estimated amount the program will impact their bill based on power usage, and give them the opportunity to opt-out. While you can opt-out of the program at any time, the first few months will have no opt-out fee, and after that it’s estimated to be $30 to opt-out. Lastly, the program includes a low-income assistance plan. Customers who are eligible for low-income assistance, and stay opted into the program, will automatically see a monthly credit on their bill to offset the cost of participating. WHY IT MATTERS While it’s no guarantee that our city will ultimately join the program, I believe our strong consideration of the program is important for several reasons including the long-term cost of electricity, giving our community a seat at the table in our electricity supply, and supporting cleaner air. Long-term cost: While this program is estimated to have an upfront cost to get the program up and running, as coal and other fossil fuels become more expensive, renewable energy should provide greater cost stability in our electricity supply. As of this writing, RMP is requesting an 18% cost increase to supply electricity to all their customers. This significant cost increase of delivering electricity is being seen across the country, and this program should help us keep costs more stable for our residents in the long-term. A seat at the table: Currently, neither our residents nor the city
itself has a say in the electricity system that we all participate in. Our options are essentially to create our own power company – such as what Murray does – or to contract with Rocky Mountain Power. When RMP decides they want to raise their prices by 18%, our residents have no say in the matter. By being part of the URC, we now have a seat at the table in the electricity system that we all participate in. Improving air quality: While many different offset programs exist, many of them are offsets that could happen somewhere else in the world. Unlike those options, this program provides new renewable energy resources directly into the power grid that supplies electricity to all our houses and businesses. Further, the URC has a goal that the renewable energy is produced here in Utah – both creating jobs and directly impacting our air quality. NEXT STEPS Whether this program excites you or stresses you out, please know – we’re not there yet. While the Midvale City Council has voted to join the initial phase of this program, it won’t be for another year before another vote takes place to determine if we will fully join or not. During this time, we will learn more about how these new renewable energy sources will be created and delivered, and what cost that will add to each of our bills. While I believe this program is worth going through this process to genuinely explore what it would mean for our community, I also want to ensure that this program is the right fit for our businesses and residents.
COFFEE with the
MAYOR
Join us for a special opportunity to connect with Mayor Marcus Stevenson and meet the new UPD Midvale Precinct Police Chief, April Morse!
October 18, 2024
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tres Gatos Coffee
7567 S Main Street, Midvale