Why I'm Running for Pleasant Grove City Council

 

Pleasant Grove City Council ballots are out! The future for Pleasant Grove is bright! I hope to provide a voice on the council that is focused on being fiscally responsible and prioritizes the necessary services of our city like safety and infrastructure. The best way to ensure a bright future is to ensure that we use our resources efficiently and effectively. 

 

Vote for Steve Rogers on your ballot. You can submit your ballot by mail or drop box.

Cocoa and Cleanup was a Total Success!

 I had a great time at our service project on Saturday Morning! Thanks to all who got up early and helped!

Service Project: Clean up and Cocoa!

I grew up riding horses along the Murdock Canal. I may have even jumped off a bridge or two into the canal! The Murdock Canal Trail is still one of my favorite places to walk and ride bikes. With how busy the trail is, it tends to collect litter.

My campaign is sponsoring a volunteer service project to clean up a portion of the trail! Come out on November 4th at 9:00 AM. We are meeting at the parking lot for the Murdock Canal Trail on 1100 North in Pleasant Grove. We’ll have trash bags and disposable gloves for volunteers. We’ll provide hot chocolate to help us keep warm! We will be cleaning up portions of the trail from 1100 North heading south and north for about a half mile in each direction. Come help Clean up and get some Cocoa!

 

Pleasant Grove Should Keep Its Promises

 

We have been told that there is nothing our city can do now because it is a state law. Although some on the city council may have given up hope that our city can keep its promises, I have not!

I do not accept that we have done everything possible to help Pleasant Grove keep its promises. We can still act! The metering law does not require that we install meters until 2030. I will not allow our city to merely lay down and kowtow to the state without using all political processes and pressure to change the state law.

Unfortunately, we now pay a high monthly rate because of rate hikes and various bonds that have been passed related to the secondary water system. This year, the city council voted to require meters to be installed.

In my discussions with folks in neighboring cities, it is clear that there is widespread disagreement with this law. If we act, we can put political pressure on our representatives at the state level to repeal or significantly modify the law to stop the installation of meters on secondary water system. I ask for your vote so I can go to work helping Pleasant Grove keep its promises to us!

Debate on October 10th

 

Debating at Pleasant Grove High School? That takes me back!

On to the General Election

 

Important dates for the Pleasant Grove City Council General Election:

Oct. 31 -Ballots start to be mailed to voters

Nov. 7- Early voting begins

Nov. 21- General Election

 

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or want to get to know me better!

Prioritizing Pleasant Grove

I think Pleasant Grove is a great place to live! I have wonderful memories of Strawberry Days, playing Jr. Jazz in the “C Gym”, concerts in the park, enjoying a Bandito at Taco Amigo, and getting shakes at the Purple Turtle. I love our rich pioneer tradition that is alive and well in us today as we work hard and care for our neighbors!

Life is busy. We are pulled in a lot of different directions. This is true of our city’s resources too. That’s why the idea of setting clear priorities is so important. Part of the city council’s job is to determine what the priorities of the city should be after seeking input from the citizens. I believe the city cannot compromise on prioritizing the maintenance and enhancement of infrastructure or on ensuring the safety of the citizenry. Likewise, the city must continue the traditions of community and a robust recreation system.

I believe that if we continue to only remedy issues with our infrastructure as emergencies arise, we are in danger of not being able to continue the great traditions of our community. As a city council member, I will ensure that we protect the future of Strawberry Days, our library, and our recreation programs by ensuring that our infrastructure is properly maintained and enhanced and that our public safety department is adequately funded.

Having and Sticking to a Plan for Pleasant Grove

It seems like we needed a better plan to deal with the increased costs of police, fire and other city services. This is especially frustrating because the amount of tax has already risen sharply. I would prefer to have a longer-term savings plan and a “rainy day fund” for emergencies so the city does not have to make short term, immediate fixes that ultimately are an inefficient use of tax dollars.

It's a little cliché but true that all civil servants must view the spending of tax dollars as a sacred trust. Between the taxes I pay on my residence and my business I have a vested interest in seeing those funds used effectively and efficiently. In my view, the city must have a plan of prioritization. The reality is some projects are more important than others. The prioritization of projects differs from person to person. That is why it is so important to solicit multiple solutions to foreseeable issues so the city has a plan, a savings goal toward future projects, and funds set aside for emergencies.

I am a big fan of community input. I know there are great ideas spread among the citizenry. There is also a diversity of opinions on the prioritization for use of the tax funds. The city must be more proactive in soliciting information and ideas from broad sources. I think exploratory committees and community comments are crucial to understanding the interests of our citizens. The city also must ensure that the city is getting the best bang for its buck with every project it pursues.

 

Pleasant Grove Can Have Great Roads

 

When will your road be repaved? Check out the difference between these two road plans!

A lot is said about the road situation in Pleasant Grove. Road projects take careful planning for multiple reasons: traffic flow, financial considerations, Utah’s limited road construction season, and availability of funds from other entities like the state and county to name a few. But one thing is for sure- if there is no plan, there will be no repair! We all know Pleasant Grove is a great place to live and work, we need to make sure it’s a great place to drive too! Let’s make roads a priority by having a proper plan that reflects our commitment to repairing one of Pleasant Grove’s most expensive assets- our roads!

Primary Election for Pleasant Grove City Counsel

 

I'm Steve Rogers and I'm runing for Pleasant Grove City Counsel

For PG to be what we all hope it can be, we must focus on proactively taking care of our infrastructure, services, and resources, instead of waiting to react to emergency cases. Looking back over the past eight years. I think there is room for improvement. Boil orders, road issues (even when they are being redone), employee turnover, downtown development, and even our public pool. All have been the subject of emergency reactions. My philosophy aligns with a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin: “an ounce of preparation is better than a pound of cure.” Unfortunately, I fear that many of our basic infrastructure needs are reaching emergency status. My philosophy as a council member would be to evaluate our city’s systems, roads, and services for necessary maintenance, then maintain our service and infrastructure in order to avoid emergencies.