After much consideration and many interviews, I presented Blair Barfuss to the Riverton City Council to be appointed as chief of police on Tuesday, February 21. I’m pleased to report that the council unanimously confirmed the appointment. Continue Reading

In January of 2022, Riverton City elected officials met to determine our course for the following four years and establish our new strategic priorities. We established four strategic themes that each of our priorities fall under. Continue Reading

On November 8, Councilman Sheldon Stewart was elected to serve as a member of the Salt Lake County Council representing District 5. Accordingly, he needed to resign from his city council seat. We had a great response and ended up interviewing 12 excellent candidates who wanted to serve on the council. Andy Pierucci was selected by the council to fill the remainder of Sheldon’s term, which runs through the end of 2023. Continue Reading

2022 was a good year for Riverton! Here’s a look back at some of the biggest things that happened in our city last year. Continue Reading

December is an excellent time to serve your family, neighbors and those in need. You don’t ever need an excuse to serve, but this holiday month does provide a great excuse to think a little more about others. As your Mayor, I wanted to encourage you to either give a little of your time, attention or money this month to a person, family, organization or cause that would benefit.

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Since being appointed by the Council of Governments (COG) in February to represent the southwest Salt Lake County region on the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Local Advisory Council, I have discovered there is enormous inequity in service delivery and public transit access in Salt Lake County. Continue Reading

When we surveyed residents in December of 2021, the number one word used to answer the question “Please describe the best aspects of living in Riverton:” was community. This didn’t come as a surprise, but really confirmed what we’ve known: people love living in Riverton because of our strong sense of community. As a result of this finding, elected officials made “sense of community” a core strategic theme in our work for the years ahead. Continue Reading

Improving and expanding our water resources has been designated as one of Riverton City’s top strategic priorities by our elected officials to ensure we have the water we need for our future. I’m pleased to announce an innovative project that will expand our culinary water resources. Continue Reading

Riverton is lucky to be home to a world-class shopping center in Mountain View Village. It was an honor to participate in the grand opening ceremony of the Phase II development on June 30. Continue Reading

Riverton is home to 33 city parks and over 470 acres of city-owned public green space. Over the course of the last year and half, we’ve seen some exciting updates take place at some of our parks that I wanted to make you aware of. Continue Reading

I am pleased to submit to you the Mayor’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 for your review and consideration. In close consultation with our city manager and administrative services director, this proposal accounts for both operational need and the new strategic priorities established by the City Council. Continue Reading

Drought conditions in Utah continue. As a result, snowpack for areas that feed Riverton City’s water systems is at 79% of normal. Utah Lake, the reservoir that holds the city’s secondary irrigation water, sits at 61.3% of capacity, compared to 78% last year. Together, these facts paint a somewhat bleak outlook for where we sit heading into the summer season.

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The 2022 Utah Legislative Session came to a close on March 4. Over the 45-day session, our state legislators passed over 500 bills that covered a wide range of issues from tax cuts, criminal justice, water conservation, and education. Continue Reading

After working tirelessly alongside our great city council and employees these last four years, accomplishing that strategic plan, we convened on January 22 to identify a new plan. Continue Reading

Unprecedented levels of growth throughout southwest Salt Lake County continue to drive the need for further investments into our roadway infrastructure and transportation routes.  Continue Reading

2021 was another great year for Riverton City! The success we have seen is a result of city employees working tirelessly to execute on the strategic priorities laid out by our residents, through their elected officials. Continue Reading

I am humbled by your decision to re-elect me as your mayor. It is my plan to build on the success of the last four years and ensure we continue to innovate, work alongside community partners to provide better services and create a more prosperous Riverton Continue Reading

Today, there are approximately 19 million U.S. veterans which represents less than 10% of the U.S. adult population. These brave men and women selflessly place their lives on the line for our freedom, often leaving their families and comforts behind. Continue Reading

To further community engagement, RPD will be hosting its very first Citizen’s Police Academy beginning this month. Continue Reading

A top priority of Riverton City’s strategic plan is to “create a well-connected community with properly maintained utilities and infrastructure.” This has proven challenging in the midst of such expansive growth; some of which is in our city, but much of it in our neighboring communities that still traffic our roadways.

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In 2018, I sat down with the City Council to create an official strategic priorities list which included Priority #3 – “Create a revitalized, pedestrian-friendly downtown destination.” In support of this priority, we have taken many important steps that could enhance the downtown area.

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245 years ago, the American spirit was born, memorialized in the unanimous Declaration that was signed by 56 representatives of not subjective colonies, but rather from united, “free and independent states.” Continue Reading

Despite considerable challenges and headwinds due to the global pandemic, unfunded state requirements for secondary water metering, and commissioned rate studies that recommended substantial rate increases for culinary and secondary water, I am happy to report that our community has demonstrated an incredible resiliency and your government leaders have found innovative ways to restructure the budget to continue to keep costs low for residents.

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Today, I am excited to announce a new contest with our Local First campaign called, “Buy, Shop, Spend and WIN in Riverton!” Beginning May 3, and ending August 29, residents will be able to turn in receipts from Riverton businesses and be entered to win hundreds of dollars’ worth of local gift cards each week. Continue Reading

These last three years of strategic collaboration have been successful as state and county leaders are beginning to take notice of our needs and are working to ensure funds are appropriated to help us manage our growth. Continue Reading

At the heart of any thriving community, you will find good people, good businesses, and good governance. I believe we have all three of those going for us here in Riverton. Continue Reading

While congressional policies and national elections tend to captivate the news, local and state politics have arguably a larger effect on our day-to-day lives. In fact, our state legislature reviews hundreds of regulations along with directing billions of dollars each year in infrastructure and educational costs, whereas local governments are responsible for the majority of your everyday essential services. Continue Reading

I want to thank our elected officials, city employees and you, our amazing residents that have all contributed to our success this year. Despite the incredibly challenging circumstances that 2020 presented us with, together we were able to make some significant accomplishments and advance our position as a great community in which to live, work and play. Continue Reading

Beginning January 2021, Riverton will no longer be a member of the Unified Fire Service Area (UFSA) as the means of paying for fire and emergency services provided by Unified Fire Authority (UFA), and will instead pay directly for UFA services using this newly created Riverton Fire Service Area (RFSA). Continue Reading

In an effort to mitigate some of this congestion, UDOT has listed the conversion of Bangerter Highway into a freeway as one of their top priorities. This includes funding for a much-needed interchange at the crossing of Bangerter Highway and 12600 S here in Riverton. I am pleased that construction for this project has commenced and over the next few months we will see several significant changes being made.

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Over the last two years, city staff have been hard at work to provide much needed updates and renovations to Riverton City Hall. Continue Reading

Over the last ten years, Riverton City’s elected officials have made several strategic planning decisions with the intention of spurring economic growth in our great city. Over the last few years, we have now seen the materialization of those planning efforts with some incredible new development. Continue Reading

Just over a year ago our city made the decision to become self-sufficient and create our own police department. I am pleased to report that the Riverton Police Department has been a tremendous success, and we have seen first-hand the benefits of managing our own department. Continue Reading

244 years ago, the great American experiment of a republican form of government began with 56 patriots. They mutually pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to stand firm in declaring independence from a powerful king and country more than 3,000 miles away. Continue Reading

After extensive consultation with city administration, I submitted the Mayor’s Budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 for the consideration of the City Council. I believe this budget is fiscally conservative, with no fee increases to our residents, and accounts for my administrative priorities while simultaneously emphasizing the completion of the balance of the governing body’s strategic priorities. The council will now work to finalize the city budget by June 16. Continue Reading

Americans do not live in fear – it is not in our DNA. From the days of Independence, to conquering the frontier, defeating Nazism and Imperialism and to winning the Cold War, Americans don’t cower to challenges but find a way to protect and advance liberty throughout the globe. Continue Reading

Last month, the county council voted 6-3 to approve zoning changes that allow for Olympia Hills to move forward with their 933-acre development. It is unfortunate that the county officials who voted for this change ignored the thousands of residents who voiced their opposition to the project, along with the six mayors from the cities that will be directly affected by this high-density development. Continue Reading

Over the last twenty years the southwest region of Salt Lake County has seen unprecedented levels of growth. In fact, since 2000 the southwest region has accounted for over 70% of all the growth in Salt Lake County, and projections are that the current number of households will double in the next 30 years. Continue Reading

When assuming the office of mayor in January of 2018, my first priority was to make sure our city had a coherent vision with an accompanying strategic plan. As a result, our governing body convened our first ever strategic planning session that month. A vision and plan were put in place, taking into account not only our own experience, but perhaps more importantly our personal interactions with and survey responses from hundreds of you our residents. Continue Reading

Riverton City had another excellent year in 2019! You, our residents, have become more engaged this last year and hope to see that trend continue as we all work to make Riverton an even better place to live, work and play. As we reflect on 2019 and look toward what 2020 will bring, I thought it appropriate to review the top 10 most impactful projects your city government has been involved with this year. Continue Reading

It’s not often you see city governments take the lead in addressing a state or national issue, but that’s exactly what we’ve done here in Riverton as we work to combat the state and national opioid epidemic. Continue Reading

It was exciting to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2 of Mountain View Village in August. It was just last year that we broke ground on Phase 1, which has already added great value to our community with excellent shopping and dining locations. Continue Reading

The launch of the Riverton Police Department is a big moment in our city’s history. Since January, Chief Don Hutson has been working to lay the foundation for and organize our new department. I am happy to report that not only is our department operational, but that we have an exceptional department, largely due to the caliber of our officers and leadership. Continue Reading

Attending Bingham High School in the late 80’s and early 90’s, I had the opportunity to meet many people and make many friendships from those that lived all over southwest Salt Lake County. The school border extended not just into Riverton and South Jordan, but also into Bluffdale, Herriman, and even into Lehi. The southwest valley’s communities were more distinct and separated at that time. Continue Reading

Over 160,000 new people, or 70% of the entire population growth of Salt Lake County, have made the southwest communities of West Jordan, South Jordan, Riverton, Herriman, Copperton, and Bluffdale their home since 2000. About half of the increase is now attributed to move-ins from other states – in large part due to successful recruiting efforts by the State to relocate certain businesses and industries to the region. Continue Reading

Our city, and the southwest part of Salt Lake County is growing considerably. We have about one-third of the county population. And, with the bulk of undeveloped property left in the county, we could see that grow to over 40% of the total population in the next 30 years. Continue Reading

It’s been a busy 10 months here in Riverton this year. Our city government has been moving forward with projects aimed at making our city an even better place to live, work, and play. Given all that has happened, I thought it appropriate to recap the work that we’ve done and are doing on behalf of Riverton residents. Continue Reading

I represent Riverton City on the Unified Police Department (UPD) Board. The July board agenda showed an action item to change the share of assets for a withdrawing member. Repeated attempts to get the details of the change went unanswered until the night before the meeting; whereupon it was revealed that the change would severely impact Riverton if it ever chose to withdraw. Continue Reading

In an effort to better leverage the talent of the community, I’m thrilled to announce the creation of several new volunteer committees. The committees have been created to assist city leaders in implementing our priorities and will be formed in the following areas: 1) community events, 2) economic development, 3) emergency preparedness and 4) parks, recreation and trails. Continue Reading

In the state of the city address in February, I proclaimed Riverton to be “strong, prosperous and growing.” There is no doubt that we are a city on the move. It’s important that during this time of prosperity and growth that we are moving in the right direction; a direction that enhances our quality of life. Continue Reading

Riverton is lucky to be home to a world-class shopping center in Mountain View Village. It was an honor to participate in the grand opening ceremony of the Phase II development on June 30. Continue Reading