Campaign Issues
So many issues face Nephi. Bart Stanley Miller can tackle them and make our community a better place.
Nephi City Corporation is on a good track. The current and past members of the council have guided the city into a good position. There are items on the horizon though that could use some pointed direction that Bart can fulfill.
Below are details about the key issues on the horizon.
Enterprise Fund Direction
Nephi City is currently expanding their electrical transmission infrastructure as well as reincorporating the Mona Natural Gas system into the Nephi City Gas Department.
Using culinary water on landscaping is a less than profitable venture. New subdivisions are being built out without the infrastructure to support secondary water being mandated. This is very short-sided and needs to be addressed.
Natural gas prices have become quite volatile. Between foreign conflicts affecting the international markets, to domestic permitting issues affecting the local markets, natural gas is not as stable as it used to be. Proper attention to available purchasing hedges as well as potential projects to be a part of is critical.
All assets have a defined life cycle. For most enterprise fund assets this life cycle ranges from 30-50 years. Regular preventative maintenance has the ability to extend these windows of time. However, the time comes when a replacement is merited. This could be the case for the sewer lagoons west of town. Where do they stand in their life cycle and what is the council’s strategy to upgrade and ensure smooth operations.
We live in the information age and all of the City’s enterprise activities depend on technology. Automation continues to become available for more efficient and accurate management and billing of these services. Clear oversight for these enterprises can help to not only establish vision, but also can lead to driving change.
City Fiscal Policy
Nephi City has multiple avenues of generating revenue. From a myriad of taxes to various licensing and impact fees. The correct mix of these revenue sources will ensure that the fee is paid by the individual that utilizes the service. Furthermore, a proper mix will see that the service for which they were collected is adequately covered.
Expense management is the next area of fiscal policy that needs to be watched over. It takes money to make money and as a governmental entity, the focus is to maximize each dollar of the public’s spend. As such, leadership is needed to properly evaluate the proposed expenditures as budgeted and then further analyze the actual expenditures as they occur.
From time to time debt instruments are required to properly ensure that the individuals using the assets, pay for the assets. Our area has strong conservative values and as such the idea of debt issuance is contrary to what is taught and believed. However, when supplying services for a large group of individuals, the usage of debt may be the better option. A 40-year asset will supply value to multiple generations. It is an unfair tax burden to charge today’s payers for assets that they will not be using in the future due to their moving, passing-on, etc...
Having lived in Nephi City for four years now, I have not noticed any rate studies being conducted on the enterprise funds. This makes me nervous given the level of growth in the area and the inflation rates experienced over the past four years. How is the city paying for infrastructure improvements? What is the city doing to ensure it is ready for the Energy Day Ahead Market requirements being instuted by the CAISO and RMP. For a city to be fiscally healthy, regular and thorough rate studies must be conducted free and separate from the pressure of being a low-cost provider. I am not advocating raising rates for the sake of raising rates, I am clearly stating that the costs are what they are and there exists substantial risk that if the rates are low, something else is subsidizing the cost overruns. I have the knowledge to properly gauge and oversee such risk.
Heritage Events
Nephi City has some great traditional events that I term Heritage. Being of native Nephi Pioneer stock, I not only appreciate, but love these functions. I believe that they provide value in ways that are un-measurable.
Keeping tradition alive for the sake of keeping tradition alive is where I might differ from many. It is important to evaluate the tradition and look for the value it can bring to the current. Something as simple as the 4th of July fireworks being relocated to the fairgrounds can have both negative and positive connotations to it. A thoughtful review of the change needs to be done prior to making a change just as a thoughtful review of the event needs to take place before keeping it.
As time marches on, so do the types of events and activities the community supports. When I was a little league baseball player on the Mona Mets, a 90-team Redneck Rumble wasn’t even dreamed of. However, it is a solid event hosted by this community each year now. Nephi is very central in the State of Utah and events such as the Redneck Rumble has the potential to bring the state together in our community for a weekend. We need to make sure that our facilities and local businesses are up to the task.
Having moved away for a time, I came to value my heritage from this community. Each year I have been drawn back to different events that made a profound impact upon who I became. I would hate to rob that from my kids and grandkids. Likewise, I have observed those of the older generation enjoy other aspects and have looked forward to my rocking chair days when I can enjoy what they have.Thoughtful and Directed Growth
Growth is inevitable. Prior to moving back to Nephi, Lyndsey and I lived in Lehi. When we first moved to Lehi, we were in the middle of pasture land. The road I took to I-15 was an old dirt road that cut through a few farmers fields. I felt like I was home in Nephi when I took that path. Today a 5-lane artery has replaced the dirt road and three 5-story buildings and a large Holiday gas station replaced the farm buildings. I mention this experience as the atmosphere of Lehi when we moved there matches the atmosphere of Nephi today.
The development of lands off the southern exit and the construction of a packing plant on the road to Delta are but a few early indicators of the commercial development coming to Nephi. COVID-19 and the lessons learned about remote work have driven residential migrations to places like Nephi. In fact, my remote work opportunities opened up the possibility of our relocation back home.
Growth is not necessarily a good or bad thing. Detrimental growth can happen and needs to be closely monitored. Although my dirt path turned into a 5-lane artery, in all honesty, it should have been a 7-lane without stop lights thoroughfare. Recreation events, business ventures, electric grid, and many other elements critical to Lehi City have all suffered as a result of not having the correct watchmen looking out with vision and forethought. I know that I can bring positive oversight to Nephi City which will help to ensure that growth happens in a controlled and structured manner.