Hey Eagle Mountain. Colten here.

I hope that you survived the crazy rain storm yesterday. My street looked like I could have plopped a kayak in the gutter and floated along. Keeping my fingers crossed that your basements stayed dry.

And a quick thanks to everyone who filled out my survey. If you can spare 2-3 minutes, please complete this survey.

Let’s see what’s going on this weekend.

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The City Council made several decisions at Tuesday's meeting.

These are small, single-family houses, not townhomes, built on smaller lots with narrower streets to help keep costs down. Buyers have to qualify based on income, and the sale price is capped using a formula tied to the area's median income rather than set by the open market, similar in spirit to the CDBG income limits below. The homes must be lived in by their owner, they can't become rental or investment properties. During Tuesday's vote, the Council also added conditions requiring water-wise landscaping and certain included appliances as part of the final agreement.

Eagle Mountain gets federal funding each year through a program called CDBG (Community Development Block Grant), meant for housing and community projects. Nothing was decided Tuesday, the Council just gave city staff direction ahead of a public hearing on August 4. The city expects $246,979 in new funding this year, plus $220,000 left over from prior years, for about $466,979 total.

If you're wondering whether you might qualify for a program funded this way, here are the city's 2026 income limits by household size:

Back in May, the Council rejected a specific rule requiring extra open space around homes near wildland areas, over concerns it limited what residents could do with their property. This time, staff came back with a wider range of options: minimum lot sizes, fencing and landscaping requirements, and a rule requiring future buyers to be told upfront if their lot carries these restrictions. No decision has been made, though a vote is likely to come at some point. If a decision is made, it would directly affect residents living near open land, which is a large share of the city. You can explore this interactive map to see where your home sits in relation to WUI land. If your home is close to or inside a high-risk WUI area, this is worth paying attention to.

Three residents spoke during public comment, one bringing a petition signed by 50 people asking for a speed bump or something similar before school starts. The Council said it's aware of the problem and working with the city on it. Councilmember Whiting pointed out that more police funding, tied to the ongoing property tax discussion, could help with catching speeders.

The Council voted 4 to 1 to add support for the Best Friends Animal Society partnership to the list of issues it wants state lawmakers to address, with Councilmember Wood voting no because he felt other issues should come first.

If you're a local business owner and video content feels like a job for someone else, Austin Falters is that someone else. And he's right here in Eagle Mountain. Falter Media handles the parts most business owners don't have time for: editing, scripting, posting, and building an actual content strategy for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Austin has grown his own following past 150,000 across platforms and spoke at TEDx Bountiful on the creator economy. He's not offering advice he hasn't tested himself, he's built his own audience doing exactly what he'd do for you.

If you've been putting off video for your business, this is worth a conversation. Find him at falter.media.

July 27–31: Snapology Summer Camp: Robotics. Registration.

July 27: Scheduled blasting at the Lehi Quarry, audible in Eagle Mountain. Details.

July 30, 6 p.m., City Hall: a joint meeting between Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs leadership, with representatives from the LDS Church, the school district, and UDOT, on growth planning for the area between the two cities.

August 1: Back to School Night, 6 to 8 p.m., Cory B. Wride Memorial Park, with a free clothing swap and safety demonstrations from police and fire.

August 4: CDBG public comment period deadline.

August 5, 2 to 4 p.m., Cory B. Wride Memorial Park: the city's annual Summer Splash, a community water fight where the mayor and Council members can be dunked. Details.

August 6: Truth in Taxation public hearing, 6 p.m.

August 7: John Hancock Charter School's ribbon cutting for its new Lake Mountain Campus, 9 a.m. More at johnhancockcs.org.

August 7: Utah Food Bank's summer meal program for kids ends. Find a site.

October 3: a half marathon in Cedar Valley and Cedar Fort benefiting the local fire department, more details expected closer to the date.

August 18: Final Council vote on the property tax increase.

Eagle Mountain's 2026 Bingo Card marks two milestones this year: the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the city's own 30th anniversary. 25 squares cover things like reading 30 days straight, walking 30 miles, and shopping local. Complete a square, take a picture, get it stamped at City Hall, the Valley Crossroads Welcome Center, or a city event tent. Bingo or blackout earns prize drawing entries from local business sponsors. Full card and event details.

Councilmember Wright announced that the senior center is organizing a food drive for the library's food pantry. I don’t have any more details beyond this, but I expect to learn more in the future.

Councilmember Clark raised a proposal this week to fund $1,500 for flags for returning soldiers and a veterans' breakfast, through a partnership with the American Legion. I expect more details are forthcoming.

Have an amazing holiday weekend.

See you around,

— Colten

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