Meet the Candidates Night October 15, 2019
[Note: The first two candidates’ response to the first question were accidentally not recorded, but were reconstructed as close as possible with their approval. Any fault in the following responses is the fault of automatic voice to text app technology and unskilled user error. The Kaysville - Fruit Heights Museum is grateful to Granny Annie's Restaurant and Rod Arquette for hosting and moderating.]
1. What would you do to foster the arts and the museums in our community?
Brett Tarbox:
Stroh L. DeCaire: I am an exceptionally strong proponent for the Arts, Humanities, and Culture. I have volunteered for the Utah Arts Festival for nearly a decade and I have an A Rating with the Utah Cultural Alliance. Being a vocal supporter is key. Working in concert with your organization to deliver a cohesive message to our citizens on how vitally important the Arts and a Museum would be. And finally, being a strong supporter of a RAMP tax and ensuring funds are generated and spent in ways that bolster these programs throughout our community.
Mike Blackham: I’m a real proponent of heritage. I think you would understand that if you drove by my home and saw all the old things that I have around my yard and my house and if you saw my barn that show my heritage. I have my grandfather’s tractor and things like that. As far as arts go, I try to support the local artist people as much as I can. My wife and I have bought art from local Kaysville artists and we currently have several local paintings in our home. Listening, listening to you people, that’s what you’re most concerned about. I will do what I can to help you. I will listen to you. Bounce ideas off of each other. We’ll try to make it work, try to get it to the community. I agree with a lot of what Stroh said, arts bring people together. Museums…
Tim Allen Hodges: As far as the arts in society, I believe that the arts in a society are what distinguish between a society just making it and a society thriving. I also was endorsed by the Utah Cultural Alliance. I believe personally in fostering the arts and understanding where we are coming from so we will have a better path to know where we are going. I’m an advocate. I was a tuba player; I used to play in the half time show in my full football pads, so I’m an avid supporter – we were a very small school and I had to do both. I played on and off the field. I had to run to the coach to get my tuba, whatever score was showing on the boards. Needless to say, I was always there for the band and the arts. I think that really adds to a society. I would really love to see that happen in Kaysville.
John Swan Adams: I think is one of the biggest things right now is a museum. We don’t really have a museum. There’s been talk of taking the old Kaysville library and turning it into a Kaysville museum. To me, that’s just such a fantastic idea. My parents had to sell, unfortunately, the couple of the paintings that they had from LeConte Stewart and they were then able to then fund my aunt who has schizophrenia - for ten years! - off of that sale. I think we have some fantastic artists here in Kaysville and we could start a museum and, boy, people would come to it. The citizens would really enjoy that so that's how I would foster, I would really push for that.
Andre M. Lortz: The first thing that I would try to foster is to engage. Obviously this community has put together to try to help develop some arts, some history within Kaysville. And so, to engage, to understand and to what are your objectives, what are you trying to accomplish? Are there ways that I could find to help make that happen? If you don't understand the need, you can’t solve the problem. So I think the best thing is to try to understand: what is the solution you are looking to do for Kaysville and let’s try to find a way to make that happen. It may not be perfect, but if you have a plan then you should make that plan work. That’s what I would do.
Zane J. Larsen: As a suggestion, I would like to invite business, to have a real music store, get the rising generation interested in music, art work and art galleries, and literature. Myself, I like to have pictures I’ve taken on phone wallpaper on my computer. I’ve commissioned artists to make artworks to have on my phone and on my computer or even hang on my wall. I listen to music all day at work to drown out office noise. We need more of that. For those who are interested in it and to enrich. Not everyone has to program software for a living.
Tami Tran: I've been thinking about this a lot. You know how you watch those Christmas movies and they are about those communities that have a Christmas nativity and the whole town comes out to it and watches - I think I would love to see more activities like that. I think that it would be really fun to bring the community together. One way that we could fund, create funding for those things, is where a percentage of sales tax that can be allocated as a public RAMP tax: recreation, arts, parks - museums. So that’s something that can be put it on the ballot; we can vote. It’s not an additional tax or anything; it’s reallocating a percentage of sales tax that can go towards funding those types of programs. I think that would be a great thing. If we want that, then we need to come up with the money. The other thing I think we could to foster community is to communicate the activities we currently have. We could do a better job of sharing that information.
2. How would you balance a budget for Parks and Recreation with art, museum history and culture?
Larsen: Unfortunately, I believe the city is obsessed in the RAMP which stands for recreation, arts, museum and parks. I believe the city is obsessed with the R & P, not the A & M. I’m not here to pander: I wouldn’t be in support of raising taxes for it because we couldn’t guarantee that a RAMP tax – all of it – couldn’t go where we want it to go. We couldn’t guarantee that. I would be in support of the Parks and Rec - who has enough money – that we put an AM tax on Parks and Rec so it can support arts and museums where we are lacking.
Lortz: … that’s what I do for a living. It’s a pivotal question. Certainly we have a lot of resources to go on the recreational side . … Parks and recreation and then we have so many portions … My sister bought dark glasses in case the city has … I think it’s a matter of looking at what we have and what we want to do with it. Each year there are some increases … look at it and say, “How are we going to balance what we’re doing. Like my previous answer, what are the objectives that we are trying to accomplish and put it in the right place and do something good with it. Find the discretionary. So many times it’s a matter of trying to find out we do things more efficiently so we can do more things. That’s what I would do.
Adams: You mentioned the pickle ball. I think one of things that I thought was so applicable about that, Tami Wursten. She's done so much work to get funding from people and then asked if the city help as well. That's what I think this group does so well. They are saying, “Hey, I don’t expect you to come up with all the money. We’re going to go out and fundraise to get those museums and this art. So for me, that shows a lot. It’s having citizens that are willing to go out and fundraise, then the city should step in and help with that. For me, that would be a really important aspect of having that contribution from the city in making sure that the funds are proportional, proportionally allocated to the arts and the museums, not just to the parks and the recreation.
Hodges: As everyone has stated, there are enough parks and rec in our society, but there has been some lack in the arts and the museum. I would like to see us match, do some fund raising … maybe some RAMP tax, even if it were one cent on every $10 on non- necessity items, not groceries. We want to bolster the arts and museum so that we can get them on par to what we have in our parks and rec. We definitely need to have that and then we can start doing alternate type budgeting every other year, odd-even years or whatever we need to do in order to continue growing … Parks and rec have been growing unchecked for a long time …
Blackham: I believe that you should have a voter approved RAMP tax. With this RAMP tax, you create a commission just like you do a power commission and with that you create an enterprise fund and keep the money there. Those people decide where that money goes and how it’s spent. … When you have an enterprise with that commission you can have them decide is our for museum, for arts because … The parks department already has a budget and when you look at it, it mostly for equipment and personnel when they build a new park, that’s usually with capital improvement … compete with everybody, but with a RAMP tax, you have a commission … with money there you can decide where it goes. … general funds
DeCaire: I am an avid supporter of RAMP tax; I think it’s a good thing. I do agree with … allocating the budget. I would like to see more engagement, more citizen involvement, groups telling us at the city where they would like to see funds being spent: a museum, things along those lines. Getting citizen engagement, getting citizen involvement is absolutely paramount. Like Mike said, a voter-supported, voter-approved RAMP tax is certainly something that could be on the way. I think the last numbers I looked at roughly $350,000 could be generated with that in a year.
Tarbott: Looking at it first as part of the budget – The University … prioritize .. so how we would achieve balanced budgets … I would put a seat at the table for arts and museums … prioritize to see if you can get new or existing funds along with existing funds … fund raisers, art exhibits. I would also support the RAMP tax if it was supported by the community. I understand taxes are a sensitive topic for people paying taxes … support to generate additional money. Programs that foster the arts.
Tran: Three comments – just for clarification, my understanding of RAMP tax … it’s a relocation of money … As far as balancing the budget … in order … to create one … with a lot of proper outreach …
… where the people want their money. In addition to that, … people want to be involved, they want to be engaged, … and I think if we as a city provides an opportunity .. to reach out in public forums, I really think we have a lot of people who are interested in community
[A later correction explained: Although it’s very small, it is not a reallocation of sales tax but it’s a new tax- reallocated due to a decrease in another tax (hopefully) but I was mistaken when I said it wasn’t a new tax. Also it is something that will be on a future ballot If the city wants to see it voted upon.]
3. What would you like to have the Preservation (Kaysville City’s Historic Preservation Commission established by ordinance in 2019) and the Museum Board accomplish with your help?
Lortz: I go back to what I said before – First, you have to have a plan and once you have a plan, you try to figure out how to make that plan become a reality. That’s what I would try to do, try to put together a plan, find out what we want to do. Do we want to convert the old library into a museum, what’s it going to take? What do we want to do? What are the ways to make that happen? For me, we need a plan to be successful. Without a plan, it’s just a hope.
Adams: I was so excited this last city council meeting I wanted to stand up at the end and say, “Hey, did anybody just see that we just saved $240,000 by refinancing the bond! – that Andre had some input in.” I thought that immediately somebody told me that to bring the old library up to code that it would cost us $150,000. Well, there’s our money to bring the library up to code! Those are the types of things that I would want to see happen. I want to work with the museum and the arts and Historic Preservation Committee on doing … Let’s do some stuff with this. These are some determined people out there who want to get things going and maybe they need somebody like me who can stand up and speak for them as well and I’m happy to do that.
Hodges: Well, they’ve been accomplishing so much, the Preservation Committee [re: Museum Board] has been doing great things. I believe they just gained national recognition on the library for the state and National Historic Site which is amazing. Definitely, what Mr. [Adams] said, take we need to invest into that old library and making it into a community type area where we can enjoy not only the parks and recreation, but maybe we could have piano concerts. That would really bring the community together. I think the Preservation Committee [re: Museum Board] has really done a lot with a little and I think that’s great. With a little bit of support from the rest of the community, we can do great things to help build this community and strengthen the fiber of us with the arts. That’s a great thing and I would love to support that in the community.
Blackham: I’m a firm believer that you don’t always need the coolest building to get the coolest stuff out there. I say, let’s find someplace to rent, a place to lease, a place somebody can donate for awhile, but I understand there’s a lot of stuff out there, let’s get that stuff out there where people can start seeing it and they can get excited about it. Let’s find a place, let’s find a place where we can showcase some local art and say, “Bring your stuff into this area, to rent or lease or whatever, get a business to donate an area, that they can use for a write off, but let’s figure out a way to actually get this stuff out to the public so they can see it. We’ve been talking about how we can get a museum for a long time, but there are lots of places in Kaysville that have come up for rent or lease on Main Street or areas that we can find. We can work together, but let’s find a place where we can actually get this thing going and get people to see the heritage that’s out there.
DeCaire: So, two-fold, having a plan in place to service something that is absolutely paramount and then expounding on that plan having a forward-looking vision. I really like to see things in the next 10-15 years or so down the road. In working on the Planning Commission for the past six years or so, you have to look forward; you have to look down the road. You have to know what's going on right now of how we’re going to develop Kaysville - how it’s going to look a generation from now. So, I think that it’s incumbent and it’s paramount for our group, now, to not only look at now but to look into the future and to see how we want to build it, where we want to put our resources.
Tarbox: I, too, would like to see the library preserved and restored and if possible used as a museum and become a center for arts, preserving our heritage for the community. One example that I remember from growing up in Bountiful, is the Bountiful Arts Center was a key thing. My mother in law goes there now for art classes, so I would look to that as an example that I’d like to see, for it to become a community center. We also see that in Salt Lake. I know we don’t have that type of money that they have in Salt Lake but we could use the library for a museum. And if the community supports it, I would like to see a RAMP tax help preserve it. A key thing is that the arts and museum have a home, at would like find a home for it.
Tran: I serve on the Planning Commission right now and one thing that we have been working on is a Strategic Plan for Kaysville and in order to rate a strategic plan, community outreach … make people were listing their priorities … In the top three priority was a sense of community identity… I really think we are losing a sense of community identity. Obviously preserving our heritage and preserving a meaningful … but in order to do that, I think we need to … top down. And so, as a city, if I were a city council member, I would love to be able to support that, to really talk to the people on the committee. We know what their mission statements are - to see how we can truly engage them and support them, and then use a lot of tools
Larsen: I’d like to see the city reach out to citizens with a commission … I live next to a lady who has a historic home in Old Town Kaysville who has artifacts and an old survey from her grandfather. She was raised and lived in the house her entire life and has lost to water damage in the house. She didn’t know what to do with it, where these things should go. If we had a commission that could reach out with the city’s help, to offer assistance if we could gather up that history that is going to waste, in dusty cupboards or trunks could be put out there and displayed and enjoyed by all citizens.
4. What would you consider the biggest challenge facing the city of Kingsville right now, and as a member of the council, what would you do about it?
Adams: That’s a great question. I feel that the biggest issue right now is that there is a civil war in some ways. There is a lot of division between citizens. For me, it’s bringing counsel back to the council. That sounds cliché, but I feel like we can really work together. Our national government is so divided, it’s so divisive. We can't be that way at the local level. We need to be neighbors and work together, come up with compromises. And that's something that I think I do pretty well at. I’m sort of a people person and you talk about challenges: that’s one of the things that I could bring to the council – bringing counsel back to the council, bringing the voice of the people back in the council where we can communicate and come together. I really think I can do that. I know I can do it.
Hodges: I agree with Mr. [Adams.] I believe there is a lot of division. … People talking about a lot of things: gossiping, etc. There is not enough clear facts coming from the horse’s mouth as they say. Disseminating that information to the community as a whole would breach some of that division to make sure that people were being well-informed and with that information make an informed decision on the actual issues that are facing them. And so there wasn’t the divisiveness with misinformation that seems to be paramount with these types of high-profile issues. So I think that would be my biggest thing: to make sure that we are being open and transparent as much as we can and make sure the public is well-informed as they need to make a decision.
Blackham: I think one of the biggest challenges we have is development right now in Kaysville. We’ve grown so fast in the last few years and we need to able to keep up with that. We need to have a division of commercial, residential that have to be able to mesh together. We need to provide services. More people, more need to provide services for them. We need to find a way to bring those services in. With the senate bill, we need to create more moderate housing. Bringing in some high density housing … that’s way too much. Some way we have to meet that legislation. With citizen input, we will try to work with you, listen to you.
DeCaire: By and large there are two things. One is infrastructure. Period. End of story - throughout Kaysville. And two is … having that forward-looking vision, having that vision of what Kaysville is going to look like twenty years from now, how it’s going to be planned, how it’s going to be zoned, what’s it going to look like, how’s the west side going to be developed, what’s happening on the east side. I live on the east side. I’m the only candidate up here that lives on the east side of Kaysville. There’s infrastructure issues across the city: roads, sewer, power lines, … Those are the most crucial things that we have right now and developing a plan so it’s all ready to move forward.
Tarbox: When I was first thinking about running for city council, the thing that really stuck with me was collaboration with citizens, collaborating with neighbors, collaborating with city council. I believe that collaborate, communicate, and reach a compromise we can reach great things. I think that’s one key thing that’s what we’re lacking right now, what we’re struggling with: finding a middle ground, understanding that not everyone is going to get what they want, and finding a way to move forward. I believe I bring a culture of collaboration, communication and the ability to find that middle ground.
Tran: The biggest challenge that I think we’re facing is the question of how do we balance being a bedroom community, realizing that we have growth and that we’ve got to prepare for growth and the future. As a business owner, I have a hundred and seventy employees that …. The decisions that I make impact their families, impact their future, impact their careers and I know that’s a huge responsibility. I like strategic planning. I like keeping the end in mind, that’s how I think. In Kaysville, it’s very important to decide what is it that we want to be. We want to be a bedroom community - that’s what we are. Well, how do we balance that with the infrastructure needs requirement that we have? Our public works director, Josh, says that our streets are a problem, yes, but our sewer system is a problem. Our pipes are old, they are brittle; the fact is that they need to be replaced. We need to figure out how we’re going to pay for that. I think that is the biggest challenge for the future.
Larsen: As is well-voiced already, it’s infrastructure we see in our city. The reason we have so much .. is because everyone sees the problems that our current government is not addressing. We are arguing about recreation and items of convenience for the vast majority of people when we don’t have proper access between east and west Kaysville. We don’t have … our most valuable utility which is our power lines. Fiber Internet isn’t useful if you don’t have electricity. If there is a wind storm, you could be out of power for days or a week. And I am all for bringing back the proper role of government which is providing essential items which it was created to do.
Lortz: I think that strategic planning is the key. The problem we are talking about is that we have big challenges that are facing the future. We have to figure out how we can address them today and tomorrow. If we don’t have a plan, then we are probably going to fail. And so I think that the biggest key is that the city needs to put together a strategic plan, figure out how we have to approach each of these things. Whether it is the sewer district, whether it’s the water system, the electrical system, whichever one we look at, everyone is going to have challenges for five, ten years. If we don’t have a plan how we are going to attack it, all of a sudden the problem gets bigger and bigger every year in trying to address it. So, I think a strategic plan is the way to solve that.
5. What are your thoughts on Kaysville City and the fiber option and what you think the city should do?
Hodges: Regarding this issue, it’s been argued both ways and it’s a critical infrastructure issue which I don't necessarily agree with. I believe that this is a his is a big project and I think that the council had it right when it first said that they were going to go ahead and move this to a citizens’ vote. And then … to change their position and said it’s up to the five council members. I think that the material change in position is problematic and I think that we should go back to being a representative government. As council members, they are supposed to be doing things that are a normal function of government and if something is going to be taken into consideration outside the normal function of government, it should be up to the people to decide to say, “Hey, we want that to be a normal function of our government and we vote Yes to do that. And then it will be managed by the council. I think that is the proper course of action. I hate to say that, but we fall back.
Blackham: I think it could be a good project, there’s no question, but it does not fit into my six top core facilities that the city should provide for its citizens. There is definitely some benefits, but it’s something that the people need to decide if they want. They need to vote for it because it’s an expense. You’ve heard the infrastructure and if we get into this thirty year bond, that’s thirty years. Let’s think back fifteen years ago about technology to now. What’s technology going to be fifteen years from now? We’ll still have fifteen years on the bond. It just doesn’t fit into my top six core facilities that the city should provide for its citizens. If it went to a vote, and the citizens voted for it, then I’d be in favor of it because the citizens have spoken. It's not something, I for one, if it’s fire trucks, ambulances, police coming to your house, if it's not water coming out of your faucet, flushing your toilet and the sewer, it’s just not the same to me.
DeCair: Working in the Defense Department and technology the past 25 years, it’s widely accepted that, maybe not fiber optics service, but the Internet as a whole, is certainly a utility. It’s just as important as sewer; it’s just as important as water; it’s just as important as electricity. Can that be argued? Absolutely, I think as we work and we move forward, again, as we talk about that 20 years down the road, we have to look at where we want to position ourselves, how connected we want to be. Connect the entire city? Great idea. $26 million dollars? That’s a little sticky wicket right there. How do we go about doing that? The bandaid that we put in place, sending out an Opt In … form as opposed to taking it to a ballot where 50% of the city will show up – sending it to 9,000 households is a little better than that …
Tarbott: I won’t mince words. I support fiber. Working in outcare industry I see … as more essential. I see the need with radiologists, with urologists where seconds can make a difference ,,, current technology. We have providers here in the city that need … For myself, Internet is essential … University … sole source of income is to work at home and if I believed private enterprise would disrupt… but I don’t think that is going to happen.
than one person picture words that support fiber or seconds can make a difference diagnosis code here oh my soul internet extension pieces we have people that work at home Enterprise with the struts and provides competition and better internet a cheap price and I will do it but I
Tran: … in my home … We do security for the government, so to us, Internet is essential, a very critical thing for us. Personally, I think it’s a great project and I think it would be great if the city would take and help with it. That being said, at this point in time, I think that the only fair way is to put it on the ballot and let us decide what we want. I think it is argued that if we turn in our surveys – I think it will be interesting to see what they say. Deep in my heart, I really feel that it should be on the ballot, and I do support that it is on the vote. I think that the messaging could have been better, the timing could have been better. It’s easy for me to guess – I’m not part of the committee or privy to all that. I know that they worked really hard to get … information, but I think that the community should be able to vote.
Larsen: … but I don’t work for the government. If private enterprise could come along and provide it, who takes the risk? They and their creditors. If the government buys, who takes the risk? The tax payers and the property owners. That’s not a risk that I think the citizens should take and it’s 30 years. And we can’t make a decision on price or the quality of service. There is no … the speeds there is going to be … Purchase long term, those type of commissions. Having the government do it when private corporations can do it, is wrong. … I believe the vast majority of people don’t understand …
Lortz: Like … says, I'll be very straightforward, I support fiber and 12 + months researching the project. I know people think that we rushed it, but we actually took a big pause at the beginning of the year because we …. We learned more about some different ways, and what we tried to come up with is the very best way in Kaysville to get connectivity throughout the city by the best service at the lowest cost for every citizen. Everyone would have the same access … pocket with connectivity and a pocket with no connectivity. We tried to de-risk the project as much as we could. We tried to be straightforward and tell everybody what we looked at. We tried to find options and we listened to the citizens, to the residents’ feedback. They said, “We don’t like this, we like this, we tried to modify the program, we tried to accommodate those who wanted it and those who didn’t want it.
Adams: The answer is pretty clear for me. I was very much in support of this going to go to the ballot. I don’t see it as a critical infrastructure. I don’t see it as something that the city needs to provide. I talked to a lot of people knocking doors, a lot of people that would love to have it and so, I would have loved to have seen what the people would have said. Because for me, just like Mike over here, if the citizens come forth and 51% say they want it and 49% don’t, then we go forward. If it’s flip-flopped, then we don’t. And I think that’s the easiest way to figure out something as big as this. A $26 million dollar bond, and 30 years that we are looking at it – that’s the easiest way to find out.
6. Do we need more businesses in Kaysville and how do we attract them?
Blackham: This question is very critical. We do need businesses in Kaysville. What you see in the business park down there is …. a perfect example of people who have done well in their business that have been able to find a place to expand their business and grow in Kaysville. Now, do I think Kaysville is a place for the big industrial plants? No, I don’t, but service oriented businesses? … he grew and grew in Kaysville. He made a really good business out of it. We had the same with Reading Horizons, the same with … There are all kinds of businesses … When the interchange comes to the bottom of 200 North, there’s not going to be a lot of house that … there are going to be businesses. Service -oriented businesses like Smiths, a service-oriented business that had a great tax base and was a real benefit to Kaysville. Businesses ….they choose not to…
DeCaire: Tax bases are … diversification probably another one of the single biggest issue here in Kaysville that we are facing. We have decades of city council and commissions that are kind of painted Kaysville into a corner with being a bedroom community and now we want to hold on to that rustic charm and be Utah’s Home Town, I get that. Is it fair for all the residential homeowners here to support the entire tax law? The answer is No, obviously. There is a problem with it though with years of land use experience: we’re running out of usable tracts if land that we can do things with, that we can put in, not mixed use, smaller … along those lines and have … So, prudence in planning will help the issue.
Tarbox: I’ll follow up with Stroh’s comments: I am a big advocate of diversifying the tax base. That way, there … be on residents and a key way we can help that is planning in land use. As Stoh said, we have very little land left and a key problem is if you attend city council during a zoning issue, it can be quite emotional. A key thing is can we get businesses and residents together to collaborate and say, “How can we make this work for everybody?” Because there is an attitude of, “Not in my backyard,” that makes it very difficult to plan.
Tran: I appreciate your question. This is the reason that I ran for city council. I served on the Planning Commission and in my previous life when my children were younger, I needed … My background is in … The reason that I wanted to serve on the council is because … to have those conversations. … They distribute outside … those are the kind of businesses that don’t leave a footprint at all … they add to the tax base and they … … is a perfect example … Hey come on, but as a planning commission member … I do have some great contacts. … business is my passion and priorities …
Larsen: Thanks for asking the question. This is a problem that exists throughout all of Davis County where every city has made it that a business where you can actually build a career at, not just work a year or two at to get a skill-set, where all the real career jobs are in Salt Lake City and Ogden. All the traffic problems, rush hour clogs all the streets running north and south. So, I am in favor of getting actual career businesses, real life-time work where you don't have to commute 20 miles. People say they want to support the environment … will be better than worrying about plastic straws.
Lortz: I’m very proud that we brought the first gas station into west Kaysville. I appreciate having my store there. My preference would be to find ways businesses that actually serve Kaysville. We have a lot of people that go somewhere else to … if we can bring some of those services into Kaysville, then it would help our community. I think my background and my experience would help me be able to go and talk to businesses and explain to them the benefits and the opportunity Kaysville has to offer to them.
Adams: Yeah I mean it seems pretty easy when you talk a lot about being a bedroom community and we want to keep it that way so why not a Bed and Breakfast here in Kaysville? I was talking to this gentleman here. When he ran for mayor and it would just 10 years ago or something like that, he garnered a third of the vote. So, his ideas are really good. Offering less taxes to a business downtown - that sounds like a great idea. And so I think that the big thing is getting out there and pitching that idea. I guess what you guys are all going to decide. Which person up here do you want to represent you when we go out and try to find businesses. Who do you want to go out and decide who we should bring into Kaysville?
Hodges: I believe that we do need to diversify our tax base. We need to make sure that we're not only growing as residential but also bolstering residential property owners with a tax base, make sure that we’re offsetting … that we can maintain our residents without being taxed to the dickens. All to often if we need to buy something, we’re going outside. We need to start spending our moneys here. First and foremost, I look for a local business that can provide it. A local business and I think that’s great. I think we should look to grow the community, but also the commercial … Mom and Pop stores are good as well, just make sure we don’t get … industrial type situations.
1. What would you do to foster the arts and the museums in our community?
Brett Tarbox:
Stroh L. DeCaire: I am an exceptionally strong proponent for the Arts, Humanities, and Culture. I have volunteered for the Utah Arts Festival for nearly a decade and I have an A Rating with the Utah Cultural Alliance. Being a vocal supporter is key. Working in concert with your organization to deliver a cohesive message to our citizens on how vitally important the Arts and a Museum would be. And finally, being a strong supporter of a RAMP tax and ensuring funds are generated and spent in ways that bolster these programs throughout our community.
Mike Blackham: I’m a real proponent of heritage. I think you would understand that if you drove by my home and saw all the old things that I have around my yard and my house and if you saw my barn that show my heritage. I have my grandfather’s tractor and things like that. As far as arts go, I try to support the local artist people as much as I can. My wife and I have bought art from local Kaysville artists and we currently have several local paintings in our home. Listening, listening to you people, that’s what you’re most concerned about. I will do what I can to help you. I will listen to you. Bounce ideas off of each other. We’ll try to make it work, try to get it to the community. I agree with a lot of what Stroh said, arts bring people together. Museums…
Tim Allen Hodges: As far as the arts in society, I believe that the arts in a society are what distinguish between a society just making it and a society thriving. I also was endorsed by the Utah Cultural Alliance. I believe personally in fostering the arts and understanding where we are coming from so we will have a better path to know where we are going. I’m an advocate. I was a tuba player; I used to play in the half time show in my full football pads, so I’m an avid supporter – we were a very small school and I had to do both. I played on and off the field. I had to run to the coach to get my tuba, whatever score was showing on the boards. Needless to say, I was always there for the band and the arts. I think that really adds to a society. I would really love to see that happen in Kaysville.
John Swan Adams: I think is one of the biggest things right now is a museum. We don’t really have a museum. There’s been talk of taking the old Kaysville library and turning it into a Kaysville museum. To me, that’s just such a fantastic idea. My parents had to sell, unfortunately, the couple of the paintings that they had from LeConte Stewart and they were then able to then fund my aunt who has schizophrenia - for ten years! - off of that sale. I think we have some fantastic artists here in Kaysville and we could start a museum and, boy, people would come to it. The citizens would really enjoy that so that's how I would foster, I would really push for that.
Andre M. Lortz: The first thing that I would try to foster is to engage. Obviously this community has put together to try to help develop some arts, some history within Kaysville. And so, to engage, to understand and to what are your objectives, what are you trying to accomplish? Are there ways that I could find to help make that happen? If you don't understand the need, you can’t solve the problem. So I think the best thing is to try to understand: what is the solution you are looking to do for Kaysville and let’s try to find a way to make that happen. It may not be perfect, but if you have a plan then you should make that plan work. That’s what I would do.
Zane J. Larsen: As a suggestion, I would like to invite business, to have a real music store, get the rising generation interested in music, art work and art galleries, and literature. Myself, I like to have pictures I’ve taken on phone wallpaper on my computer. I’ve commissioned artists to make artworks to have on my phone and on my computer or even hang on my wall. I listen to music all day at work to drown out office noise. We need more of that. For those who are interested in it and to enrich. Not everyone has to program software for a living.
Tami Tran: I've been thinking about this a lot. You know how you watch those Christmas movies and they are about those communities that have a Christmas nativity and the whole town comes out to it and watches - I think I would love to see more activities like that. I think that it would be really fun to bring the community together. One way that we could fund, create funding for those things, is where a percentage of sales tax that can be allocated as a public RAMP tax: recreation, arts, parks - museums. So that’s something that can be put it on the ballot; we can vote. It’s not an additional tax or anything; it’s reallocating a percentage of sales tax that can go towards funding those types of programs. I think that would be a great thing. If we want that, then we need to come up with the money. The other thing I think we could to foster community is to communicate the activities we currently have. We could do a better job of sharing that information.
2. How would you balance a budget for Parks and Recreation with art, museum history and culture?
Larsen: Unfortunately, I believe the city is obsessed in the RAMP which stands for recreation, arts, museum and parks. I believe the city is obsessed with the R & P, not the A & M. I’m not here to pander: I wouldn’t be in support of raising taxes for it because we couldn’t guarantee that a RAMP tax – all of it – couldn’t go where we want it to go. We couldn’t guarantee that. I would be in support of the Parks and Rec - who has enough money – that we put an AM tax on Parks and Rec so it can support arts and museums where we are lacking.
Lortz: … that’s what I do for a living. It’s a pivotal question. Certainly we have a lot of resources to go on the recreational side . … Parks and recreation and then we have so many portions … My sister bought dark glasses in case the city has … I think it’s a matter of looking at what we have and what we want to do with it. Each year there are some increases … look at it and say, “How are we going to balance what we’re doing. Like my previous answer, what are the objectives that we are trying to accomplish and put it in the right place and do something good with it. Find the discretionary. So many times it’s a matter of trying to find out we do things more efficiently so we can do more things. That’s what I would do.
Adams: You mentioned the pickle ball. I think one of things that I thought was so applicable about that, Tami Wursten. She's done so much work to get funding from people and then asked if the city help as well. That's what I think this group does so well. They are saying, “Hey, I don’t expect you to come up with all the money. We’re going to go out and fundraise to get those museums and this art. So for me, that shows a lot. It’s having citizens that are willing to go out and fundraise, then the city should step in and help with that. For me, that would be a really important aspect of having that contribution from the city in making sure that the funds are proportional, proportionally allocated to the arts and the museums, not just to the parks and the recreation.
Hodges: As everyone has stated, there are enough parks and rec in our society, but there has been some lack in the arts and the museum. I would like to see us match, do some fund raising … maybe some RAMP tax, even if it were one cent on every $10 on non- necessity items, not groceries. We want to bolster the arts and museum so that we can get them on par to what we have in our parks and rec. We definitely need to have that and then we can start doing alternate type budgeting every other year, odd-even years or whatever we need to do in order to continue growing … Parks and rec have been growing unchecked for a long time …
Blackham: I believe that you should have a voter approved RAMP tax. With this RAMP tax, you create a commission just like you do a power commission and with that you create an enterprise fund and keep the money there. Those people decide where that money goes and how it’s spent. … When you have an enterprise with that commission you can have them decide is our for museum, for arts because … The parks department already has a budget and when you look at it, it mostly for equipment and personnel when they build a new park, that’s usually with capital improvement … compete with everybody, but with a RAMP tax, you have a commission … with money there you can decide where it goes. … general funds
DeCaire: I am an avid supporter of RAMP tax; I think it’s a good thing. I do agree with … allocating the budget. I would like to see more engagement, more citizen involvement, groups telling us at the city where they would like to see funds being spent: a museum, things along those lines. Getting citizen engagement, getting citizen involvement is absolutely paramount. Like Mike said, a voter-supported, voter-approved RAMP tax is certainly something that could be on the way. I think the last numbers I looked at roughly $350,000 could be generated with that in a year.
Tarbott: Looking at it first as part of the budget – The University … prioritize .. so how we would achieve balanced budgets … I would put a seat at the table for arts and museums … prioritize to see if you can get new or existing funds along with existing funds … fund raisers, art exhibits. I would also support the RAMP tax if it was supported by the community. I understand taxes are a sensitive topic for people paying taxes … support to generate additional money. Programs that foster the arts.
Tran: Three comments – just for clarification, my understanding of RAMP tax … it’s a relocation of money … As far as balancing the budget … in order … to create one … with a lot of proper outreach …
… where the people want their money. In addition to that, … people want to be involved, they want to be engaged, … and I think if we as a city provides an opportunity .. to reach out in public forums, I really think we have a lot of people who are interested in community
[A later correction explained: Although it’s very small, it is not a reallocation of sales tax but it’s a new tax- reallocated due to a decrease in another tax (hopefully) but I was mistaken when I said it wasn’t a new tax. Also it is something that will be on a future ballot If the city wants to see it voted upon.]
3. What would you like to have the Preservation (Kaysville City’s Historic Preservation Commission established by ordinance in 2019) and the Museum Board accomplish with your help?
Lortz: I go back to what I said before – First, you have to have a plan and once you have a plan, you try to figure out how to make that plan become a reality. That’s what I would try to do, try to put together a plan, find out what we want to do. Do we want to convert the old library into a museum, what’s it going to take? What do we want to do? What are the ways to make that happen? For me, we need a plan to be successful. Without a plan, it’s just a hope.
Adams: I was so excited this last city council meeting I wanted to stand up at the end and say, “Hey, did anybody just see that we just saved $240,000 by refinancing the bond! – that Andre had some input in.” I thought that immediately somebody told me that to bring the old library up to code that it would cost us $150,000. Well, there’s our money to bring the library up to code! Those are the types of things that I would want to see happen. I want to work with the museum and the arts and Historic Preservation Committee on doing … Let’s do some stuff with this. These are some determined people out there who want to get things going and maybe they need somebody like me who can stand up and speak for them as well and I’m happy to do that.
Hodges: Well, they’ve been accomplishing so much, the Preservation Committee [re: Museum Board] has been doing great things. I believe they just gained national recognition on the library for the state and National Historic Site which is amazing. Definitely, what Mr. [Adams] said, take we need to invest into that old library and making it into a community type area where we can enjoy not only the parks and recreation, but maybe we could have piano concerts. That would really bring the community together. I think the Preservation Committee [re: Museum Board] has really done a lot with a little and I think that’s great. With a little bit of support from the rest of the community, we can do great things to help build this community and strengthen the fiber of us with the arts. That’s a great thing and I would love to support that in the community.
Blackham: I’m a firm believer that you don’t always need the coolest building to get the coolest stuff out there. I say, let’s find someplace to rent, a place to lease, a place somebody can donate for awhile, but I understand there’s a lot of stuff out there, let’s get that stuff out there where people can start seeing it and they can get excited about it. Let’s find a place, let’s find a place where we can showcase some local art and say, “Bring your stuff into this area, to rent or lease or whatever, get a business to donate an area, that they can use for a write off, but let’s figure out a way to actually get this stuff out to the public so they can see it. We’ve been talking about how we can get a museum for a long time, but there are lots of places in Kaysville that have come up for rent or lease on Main Street or areas that we can find. We can work together, but let’s find a place where we can actually get this thing going and get people to see the heritage that’s out there.
DeCaire: So, two-fold, having a plan in place to service something that is absolutely paramount and then expounding on that plan having a forward-looking vision. I really like to see things in the next 10-15 years or so down the road. In working on the Planning Commission for the past six years or so, you have to look forward; you have to look down the road. You have to know what's going on right now of how we’re going to develop Kaysville - how it’s going to look a generation from now. So, I think that it’s incumbent and it’s paramount for our group, now, to not only look at now but to look into the future and to see how we want to build it, where we want to put our resources.
Tarbox: I, too, would like to see the library preserved and restored and if possible used as a museum and become a center for arts, preserving our heritage for the community. One example that I remember from growing up in Bountiful, is the Bountiful Arts Center was a key thing. My mother in law goes there now for art classes, so I would look to that as an example that I’d like to see, for it to become a community center. We also see that in Salt Lake. I know we don’t have that type of money that they have in Salt Lake but we could use the library for a museum. And if the community supports it, I would like to see a RAMP tax help preserve it. A key thing is that the arts and museum have a home, at would like find a home for it.
Tran: I serve on the Planning Commission right now and one thing that we have been working on is a Strategic Plan for Kaysville and in order to rate a strategic plan, community outreach … make people were listing their priorities … In the top three priority was a sense of community identity… I really think we are losing a sense of community identity. Obviously preserving our heritage and preserving a meaningful … but in order to do that, I think we need to … top down. And so, as a city, if I were a city council member, I would love to be able to support that, to really talk to the people on the committee. We know what their mission statements are - to see how we can truly engage them and support them, and then use a lot of tools
Larsen: I’d like to see the city reach out to citizens with a commission … I live next to a lady who has a historic home in Old Town Kaysville who has artifacts and an old survey from her grandfather. She was raised and lived in the house her entire life and has lost to water damage in the house. She didn’t know what to do with it, where these things should go. If we had a commission that could reach out with the city’s help, to offer assistance if we could gather up that history that is going to waste, in dusty cupboards or trunks could be put out there and displayed and enjoyed by all citizens.
4. What would you consider the biggest challenge facing the city of Kingsville right now, and as a member of the council, what would you do about it?
Adams: That’s a great question. I feel that the biggest issue right now is that there is a civil war in some ways. There is a lot of division between citizens. For me, it’s bringing counsel back to the council. That sounds cliché, but I feel like we can really work together. Our national government is so divided, it’s so divisive. We can't be that way at the local level. We need to be neighbors and work together, come up with compromises. And that's something that I think I do pretty well at. I’m sort of a people person and you talk about challenges: that’s one of the things that I could bring to the council – bringing counsel back to the council, bringing the voice of the people back in the council where we can communicate and come together. I really think I can do that. I know I can do it.
Hodges: I agree with Mr. [Adams.] I believe there is a lot of division. … People talking about a lot of things: gossiping, etc. There is not enough clear facts coming from the horse’s mouth as they say. Disseminating that information to the community as a whole would breach some of that division to make sure that people were being well-informed and with that information make an informed decision on the actual issues that are facing them. And so there wasn’t the divisiveness with misinformation that seems to be paramount with these types of high-profile issues. So I think that would be my biggest thing: to make sure that we are being open and transparent as much as we can and make sure the public is well-informed as they need to make a decision.
Blackham: I think one of the biggest challenges we have is development right now in Kaysville. We’ve grown so fast in the last few years and we need to able to keep up with that. We need to have a division of commercial, residential that have to be able to mesh together. We need to provide services. More people, more need to provide services for them. We need to find a way to bring those services in. With the senate bill, we need to create more moderate housing. Bringing in some high density housing … that’s way too much. Some way we have to meet that legislation. With citizen input, we will try to work with you, listen to you.
DeCaire: By and large there are two things. One is infrastructure. Period. End of story - throughout Kaysville. And two is … having that forward-looking vision, having that vision of what Kaysville is going to look like twenty years from now, how it’s going to be planned, how it’s going to be zoned, what’s it going to look like, how’s the west side going to be developed, what’s happening on the east side. I live on the east side. I’m the only candidate up here that lives on the east side of Kaysville. There’s infrastructure issues across the city: roads, sewer, power lines, … Those are the most crucial things that we have right now and developing a plan so it’s all ready to move forward.
Tarbox: When I was first thinking about running for city council, the thing that really stuck with me was collaboration with citizens, collaborating with neighbors, collaborating with city council. I believe that collaborate, communicate, and reach a compromise we can reach great things. I think that’s one key thing that’s what we’re lacking right now, what we’re struggling with: finding a middle ground, understanding that not everyone is going to get what they want, and finding a way to move forward. I believe I bring a culture of collaboration, communication and the ability to find that middle ground.
Tran: The biggest challenge that I think we’re facing is the question of how do we balance being a bedroom community, realizing that we have growth and that we’ve got to prepare for growth and the future. As a business owner, I have a hundred and seventy employees that …. The decisions that I make impact their families, impact their future, impact their careers and I know that’s a huge responsibility. I like strategic planning. I like keeping the end in mind, that’s how I think. In Kaysville, it’s very important to decide what is it that we want to be. We want to be a bedroom community - that’s what we are. Well, how do we balance that with the infrastructure needs requirement that we have? Our public works director, Josh, says that our streets are a problem, yes, but our sewer system is a problem. Our pipes are old, they are brittle; the fact is that they need to be replaced. We need to figure out how we’re going to pay for that. I think that is the biggest challenge for the future.
Larsen: As is well-voiced already, it’s infrastructure we see in our city. The reason we have so much .. is because everyone sees the problems that our current government is not addressing. We are arguing about recreation and items of convenience for the vast majority of people when we don’t have proper access between east and west Kaysville. We don’t have … our most valuable utility which is our power lines. Fiber Internet isn’t useful if you don’t have electricity. If there is a wind storm, you could be out of power for days or a week. And I am all for bringing back the proper role of government which is providing essential items which it was created to do.
Lortz: I think that strategic planning is the key. The problem we are talking about is that we have big challenges that are facing the future. We have to figure out how we can address them today and tomorrow. If we don’t have a plan, then we are probably going to fail. And so I think that the biggest key is that the city needs to put together a strategic plan, figure out how we have to approach each of these things. Whether it is the sewer district, whether it’s the water system, the electrical system, whichever one we look at, everyone is going to have challenges for five, ten years. If we don’t have a plan how we are going to attack it, all of a sudden the problem gets bigger and bigger every year in trying to address it. So, I think a strategic plan is the way to solve that.
5. What are your thoughts on Kaysville City and the fiber option and what you think the city should do?
Hodges: Regarding this issue, it’s been argued both ways and it’s a critical infrastructure issue which I don't necessarily agree with. I believe that this is a his is a big project and I think that the council had it right when it first said that they were going to go ahead and move this to a citizens’ vote. And then … to change their position and said it’s up to the five council members. I think that the material change in position is problematic and I think that we should go back to being a representative government. As council members, they are supposed to be doing things that are a normal function of government and if something is going to be taken into consideration outside the normal function of government, it should be up to the people to decide to say, “Hey, we want that to be a normal function of our government and we vote Yes to do that. And then it will be managed by the council. I think that is the proper course of action. I hate to say that, but we fall back.
Blackham: I think it could be a good project, there’s no question, but it does not fit into my six top core facilities that the city should provide for its citizens. There is definitely some benefits, but it’s something that the people need to decide if they want. They need to vote for it because it’s an expense. You’ve heard the infrastructure and if we get into this thirty year bond, that’s thirty years. Let’s think back fifteen years ago about technology to now. What’s technology going to be fifteen years from now? We’ll still have fifteen years on the bond. It just doesn’t fit into my top six core facilities that the city should provide for its citizens. If it went to a vote, and the citizens voted for it, then I’d be in favor of it because the citizens have spoken. It's not something, I for one, if it’s fire trucks, ambulances, police coming to your house, if it's not water coming out of your faucet, flushing your toilet and the sewer, it’s just not the same to me.
DeCair: Working in the Defense Department and technology the past 25 years, it’s widely accepted that, maybe not fiber optics service, but the Internet as a whole, is certainly a utility. It’s just as important as sewer; it’s just as important as water; it’s just as important as electricity. Can that be argued? Absolutely, I think as we work and we move forward, again, as we talk about that 20 years down the road, we have to look at where we want to position ourselves, how connected we want to be. Connect the entire city? Great idea. $26 million dollars? That’s a little sticky wicket right there. How do we go about doing that? The bandaid that we put in place, sending out an Opt In … form as opposed to taking it to a ballot where 50% of the city will show up – sending it to 9,000 households is a little better than that …
Tarbott: I won’t mince words. I support fiber. Working in outcare industry I see … as more essential. I see the need with radiologists, with urologists where seconds can make a difference ,,, current technology. We have providers here in the city that need … For myself, Internet is essential … University … sole source of income is to work at home and if I believed private enterprise would disrupt… but I don’t think that is going to happen.
than one person picture words that support fiber or seconds can make a difference diagnosis code here oh my soul internet extension pieces we have people that work at home Enterprise with the struts and provides competition and better internet a cheap price and I will do it but I
Tran: … in my home … We do security for the government, so to us, Internet is essential, a very critical thing for us. Personally, I think it’s a great project and I think it would be great if the city would take and help with it. That being said, at this point in time, I think that the only fair way is to put it on the ballot and let us decide what we want. I think it is argued that if we turn in our surveys – I think it will be interesting to see what they say. Deep in my heart, I really feel that it should be on the ballot, and I do support that it is on the vote. I think that the messaging could have been better, the timing could have been better. It’s easy for me to guess – I’m not part of the committee or privy to all that. I know that they worked really hard to get … information, but I think that the community should be able to vote.
Larsen: … but I don’t work for the government. If private enterprise could come along and provide it, who takes the risk? They and their creditors. If the government buys, who takes the risk? The tax payers and the property owners. That’s not a risk that I think the citizens should take and it’s 30 years. And we can’t make a decision on price or the quality of service. There is no … the speeds there is going to be … Purchase long term, those type of commissions. Having the government do it when private corporations can do it, is wrong. … I believe the vast majority of people don’t understand …
Lortz: Like … says, I'll be very straightforward, I support fiber and 12 + months researching the project. I know people think that we rushed it, but we actually took a big pause at the beginning of the year because we …. We learned more about some different ways, and what we tried to come up with is the very best way in Kaysville to get connectivity throughout the city by the best service at the lowest cost for every citizen. Everyone would have the same access … pocket with connectivity and a pocket with no connectivity. We tried to de-risk the project as much as we could. We tried to be straightforward and tell everybody what we looked at. We tried to find options and we listened to the citizens, to the residents’ feedback. They said, “We don’t like this, we like this, we tried to modify the program, we tried to accommodate those who wanted it and those who didn’t want it.
Adams: The answer is pretty clear for me. I was very much in support of this going to go to the ballot. I don’t see it as a critical infrastructure. I don’t see it as something that the city needs to provide. I talked to a lot of people knocking doors, a lot of people that would love to have it and so, I would have loved to have seen what the people would have said. Because for me, just like Mike over here, if the citizens come forth and 51% say they want it and 49% don’t, then we go forward. If it’s flip-flopped, then we don’t. And I think that’s the easiest way to figure out something as big as this. A $26 million dollar bond, and 30 years that we are looking at it – that’s the easiest way to find out.
6. Do we need more businesses in Kaysville and how do we attract them?
Blackham: This question is very critical. We do need businesses in Kaysville. What you see in the business park down there is …. a perfect example of people who have done well in their business that have been able to find a place to expand their business and grow in Kaysville. Now, do I think Kaysville is a place for the big industrial plants? No, I don’t, but service oriented businesses? … he grew and grew in Kaysville. He made a really good business out of it. We had the same with Reading Horizons, the same with … There are all kinds of businesses … When the interchange comes to the bottom of 200 North, there’s not going to be a lot of house that … there are going to be businesses. Service -oriented businesses like Smiths, a service-oriented business that had a great tax base and was a real benefit to Kaysville. Businesses ….they choose not to…
DeCaire: Tax bases are … diversification probably another one of the single biggest issue here in Kaysville that we are facing. We have decades of city council and commissions that are kind of painted Kaysville into a corner with being a bedroom community and now we want to hold on to that rustic charm and be Utah’s Home Town, I get that. Is it fair for all the residential homeowners here to support the entire tax law? The answer is No, obviously. There is a problem with it though with years of land use experience: we’re running out of usable tracts if land that we can do things with, that we can put in, not mixed use, smaller … along those lines and have … So, prudence in planning will help the issue.
Tarbox: I’ll follow up with Stroh’s comments: I am a big advocate of diversifying the tax base. That way, there … be on residents and a key way we can help that is planning in land use. As Stoh said, we have very little land left and a key problem is if you attend city council during a zoning issue, it can be quite emotional. A key thing is can we get businesses and residents together to collaborate and say, “How can we make this work for everybody?” Because there is an attitude of, “Not in my backyard,” that makes it very difficult to plan.
Tran: I appreciate your question. This is the reason that I ran for city council. I served on the Planning Commission and in my previous life when my children were younger, I needed … My background is in … The reason that I wanted to serve on the council is because … to have those conversations. … They distribute outside … those are the kind of businesses that don’t leave a footprint at all … they add to the tax base and they … … is a perfect example … Hey come on, but as a planning commission member … I do have some great contacts. … business is my passion and priorities …
Larsen: Thanks for asking the question. This is a problem that exists throughout all of Davis County where every city has made it that a business where you can actually build a career at, not just work a year or two at to get a skill-set, where all the real career jobs are in Salt Lake City and Ogden. All the traffic problems, rush hour clogs all the streets running north and south. So, I am in favor of getting actual career businesses, real life-time work where you don't have to commute 20 miles. People say they want to support the environment … will be better than worrying about plastic straws.
Lortz: I’m very proud that we brought the first gas station into west Kaysville. I appreciate having my store there. My preference would be to find ways businesses that actually serve Kaysville. We have a lot of people that go somewhere else to … if we can bring some of those services into Kaysville, then it would help our community. I think my background and my experience would help me be able to go and talk to businesses and explain to them the benefits and the opportunity Kaysville has to offer to them.
Adams: Yeah I mean it seems pretty easy when you talk a lot about being a bedroom community and we want to keep it that way so why not a Bed and Breakfast here in Kaysville? I was talking to this gentleman here. When he ran for mayor and it would just 10 years ago or something like that, he garnered a third of the vote. So, his ideas are really good. Offering less taxes to a business downtown - that sounds like a great idea. And so I think that the big thing is getting out there and pitching that idea. I guess what you guys are all going to decide. Which person up here do you want to represent you when we go out and try to find businesses. Who do you want to go out and decide who we should bring into Kaysville?
Hodges: I believe that we do need to diversify our tax base. We need to make sure that we're not only growing as residential but also bolstering residential property owners with a tax base, make sure that we’re offsetting … that we can maintain our residents without being taxed to the dickens. All to often if we need to buy something, we’re going outside. We need to start spending our moneys here. First and foremost, I look for a local business that can provide it. A local business and I think that’s great. I think we should look to grow the community, but also the commercial … Mom and Pop stores are good as well, just make sure we don’t get … industrial type situations.
