A message from Cedar City Mayor Maile Wilson

—Preparing for future water needs here in Cedar City by exploring new conservation and recharge efforts, working with the State Water Engineer on the Groundwater Management Plan for our valley, and looking for other alternatives to secure water going forward.

—Addressing the need for a new animal shelter here in Cedar City to replace the current undersized, outdated, and inadequate facility.

—Beautification of our community and also ensuring that there is adequate signage.

—Continuing to advocate on behalf of Cedar City with our state and national elected officials, businesses, site selectors, etc.

—Working with our youth.

—Continuing to meet with our current and future business community to provide support and to address any concerns. While this list includes just a few items, hopefully it will provide some insight into my priorities this upcoming year.

Each year, we commence our General Legislative Session on the fourth Monday in January and adjourn sine die 45 days later. This year’s legislature will look very different than last year. The Senate alone will have seven new senators, out of a total of 29 senators. The House of Representatives will have 19 new members in its chamber. That is nearly a 25 percent turnover! Most of the changes come from legislators retiring or running for a new office, and a couple come from incumbents who lost their races.

In addition to new members in each chamber, we also have new legislative leadership teams. Every two years, both the Utah House of Representatives and the Utah Senate hold leadership elections, but during the last four years the elected leadership in the Senate has not changed. This year’s election, however, leaves us with an almost entirely new team. Starting in January, Senator Stuart Adams (Layton) will be the Senate President, I will be the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Daniel Hemmert (Orem) will be the Senate Majority Whip, Senator Ann Millner (Ogden) will be the Senate Majority Assistant Whip, Senator Jerry Stevenson (Layton) will be the Chairman of Executive Appropriations, and Senator Don Ipson (St. George) will be the Vice Chair of Executive Appropriations. I am excited for this new opportunity to serve as Senate Majority Leader for the next two years.

One of our top priorities each year is passing a balanced budget. There have been many reports about our state budget lately as we are seeing tremendous revenue increases this year. While we are excited to see such growth, it is eerily similar to the budget in 2006 and 2007, just before the recession. For this reason, our plan is to move ahead cautiously. We will appropriate most funds this year as one-time money, instead of ongoing money, so as not to overcommit our budget if it declines in the coming years. We will continue to fund the big items like education and transportation, but we will also focus on rainy-day funds.

We will be grappling with some big policy decisions in the upcoming session and during the interim, topics like Medicaid expansion, redistricting, the initiative process, tax reform, alcohol reform, land use planning, affordable housing, water development, etc. These are all challenging issues, and many good legislators from both the House and Senate will be working on them this year.

I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to represent you in the State Senate. I look forward to having involvement from our local elected officials as well as our citizens during the legislative session. Please feel free to reach out to me at evickers@le.utah.gov.

As the newly elected Republican Representative to the Utah State House, I look forward to serving the people of our state and those of District 72 in particular. I care deeply for this district and its citizens, so before putting my name on the ballot, I pondered seriously the question asked by many dedicated members of the legislative community: “How can I help?” One approach I took to analyze this question was to apply a method I use as part of my training at my present job as a financial advisor. I went through a lengthy and well thought-out exercise to identify my individual strengths and knowledge and how I could use them to contribute to my state and district. The Iron County residents who know me are acquainted with my drive, passion, and the energy that I give to all the community efforts I become involved in. I have many ideas, but what I hope my constituents appreciate most in me is my integrity and my enthusiasm for execution. That is what I promise to bring to the Utah Legislature. I am truly humbled that so many gave their trust and support to elect me, and I am honored to join the other accomplished leaders in the new legislative session.

I have been assigned to the Health and Human Services Committee where we will discuss agenda items concerning mental health, cannabis, and the opioid crisis that has touched many of our families and friends. I will also be part of the Revenue and Taxation Committee which deals with tax codes, tax amendments, and property taxes. In addition, I will also be working on the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, which reviews and discusses budgetary issues as they relate to public post-secondary education. These budget issues often provide the framework for policy decisions to improve the delivery of higher education to the citizens of Utah.

I look forward to working with every citizen in District 72. I will strive to keep my lines of communication open and available. If you have any issues or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me either by phone at (435) 590-1073 or via email at rshipp@le.utah.gov.