Happy Thursday! Colten here.

Boy, oh boy, did it heat up. And as I’m writing this, I’m still covered in dust from the dust storm I experienced during my son’s soccer match at Cory B. Wride Memorial.

Now that I’ve overshared, let’s jump into today’s Valueletter.

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☀️ Thu 5/14: 76° / 46°, sunny
☀️ Fri 5/15: 79° / 47°, sunny
🌤 Sat 5/16: 74° / 45°, partly cloudy
☁️ Sun 5/17: 57° / 35°, mostly cloudy

Pole Canyon Blvd
Daily lane closures continue Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, through May 22. Details here.

2100 N overnight closure — tonight into Saturday morning
UDOT is closing 2100 N in both directions from midnight tonight through 5:00 AM Saturday. Rocky Mountain Power is installing power lines as part of the ongoing 2100 N freeway project. No power outages are expected. If you are out late tonight, plan your route accordingly. City notice here. The UDOT project tracker has updates on the broader construction if you want to follow along.

Pony Express Parkway — construction begins Monday
Saratoga Springs is starting road improvement work at the east end of Pony Express Parkway near 1100 W in Lehi. The project will eventually expand both Pony Express Parkway and Saratoga Road to four travel lanes. If you commute through that area, expect some disruption starting Monday. Details from Saratoga Springs here.

💧 No-watering reminder
Utah County is still in the no-watering period. Hold off on irrigation for now. See details here.

Two ordinances passed and now head to City Council for final approval. One item was pulled from the agenda.

The commission voted to approve the new Alternative Energy Overlay Zone, which would create a pathway for power generation facilities — including natural gas, solar, geothermal, and small modular nuclear reactors — to be built at specific approved locations in the city. City Council makes the final decision. As a reminder from Monday: no land is being designated right now. The framework only applies when a developer requests it, and state and federal approvals are required before anything can be built.

The commission approved an update to how developers submit early-stage project plans to the city. City Council will take final action on this as well.

The agenda item related to the Smith's Marketplace and Lowe's development near City Center was pulled before a vote and has not been rescheduled. I don't have any information on why. If anyone knows what happened, feel free to reply and let me know.

Work session discussions (no votes): The commission also discussed the Corrigan Farms rezone, the Deer Run concept plan, and a potential rezoning of 223 properties in the Scenic Mountain neighborhood. These were conversations only.

Meeting details here.

This property tax increase keeps standing out to me the more I look into it. Here's what's been on my mind.

For a home valued at $500,000, the city's annual property tax portion would increase by $359.79, bringing the total city portion to $506.64 per year. Source.

Commercial properties face a steeper increase. According to the city's published schedule, the estimated annual tax increase for the average Eagle Mountain business is $4,705.86. The city based that figure on an average business market value of $2,554,303. Actual impact will vary depending on how a specific property is assessed. For example, businesses with properties below that average value would see a smaller dollar increase. Businesses in Utah are taxed on 100% of assessed value, compared to 55% for primary residences, which is why the dollar difference is so significant. Source.

The city's Truth in Taxation page lists three hearing dates, not two as I mentioned Monday:

All three are at City Council Chambers at City Hall. Residents can attend any hearing to speak before the council votes. You can also submit a public comment online at any time.

For context, recent Truth-in-Taxation increases elsewhere in Utah have generally been in the low double digits. Salt Lake County adopted roughly a 14% increase for 2026. Salt Lake City is currently considering a 12.5% increase to its city levy. Eagle Mountain's proposed 245% increase to the city portion is larger in scale than what most Utah municipalities have proposed in recent years.

After reviewing the official impact schedule, I sent questions to the mayor, council members, and city staff. The published document shows $6.96 million in new revenue being requested, but the only budget line item shown is a $1.51 million change to the Sheriff contract. I've asked the city to explain how the full $6.96 million is allocated, what "public safety" includes in this context, and to confirm what appears to be a typo in the published PDF. I have not yet received a response. When I do, I'll share what I learn.

City's Truth in Taxation page.

Eagle Mountain has partnered with Intermountain Regional Landfill in Fairfield to give residents two free landfill passes per year. If you have a city utility account, you qualify.

Pick them up in person at City Hall, 1650 E Stagecoach Run, Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Bring a valid ID. The passes don't expire, so you can hold onto them until you need them.

Each pass covers one pickup load up to 6 cubic yards or 500 lbs of general waste. A few items are excluded, including mattresses, refrigerators, and tires with rims among them. Renters should check with their landlord first, since passes are issued per household.

The landfill is at 800 S Allen Ranch Road in Fairfield, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and Saturday, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Full details here.

📚 Adult Book Club
6:45 to 7:45 PM, Eagle Mountain Library, 1650 E Stagecoach Run.
This month's book is "The Day the World Came to Town" by Jim DeFede. Copies are available at the library front desk upon request. Come for a lively discussion with other readers.

🔭 Star Party at Flight Park
10:00 PM to midnight, Salt Lake County Flight Park, 15300 S Steep Mountain Drive, Draper.
Free public stargazing hosted by Clark Planetarium. Good for families with older kids or anyone who wants to get outside after dark. Keep in mind that 2100 N is closed midnight to 5 AM. Factor that into your route home.

Three things are happening at Thanksgiving Point this weekend. They pair well together if you are heading that direction.

🌷 Tulip Festival
Today is the last day of the season. 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Ashton Gardens, 3900 N Garden Drive, Lehi.

🍩 Utah Dough Show
10:30 AM to 3:00 PM, Electric Park at Thanksgiving Point, 2600 Ashton Blvd, Lehi. Utah's annual donut festival.

🐣 Baby Animal Festival
9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Curiosity Farms, 2502 W Wildflower Lane, Lehi. Running through May 30 if this weekend doesn't work.

If your windows are overdue for a good cleaning, a neighbor has you covered. Nathan McKenna runs Luminous Window Washing out of Eagle Mountain and is offering $30 off as a limited-time deal. Call or text him at 801-458-4036 to get a quote.

As a personal note: I’ve known Nathan for a while now, and he’s the kind of person I could trust with my life. He's a hard worker, passionate about doing high-quality work, and an absolute joy to be around. I can’t recommend Nathan enough.

LOOK AHEAD

🏛 Tuesday, May 19: City Council. Work session at 4:00 PM, regular meeting at 7:00 PM, City Council Chambers.

📅 Friday, May 22: Last day of school for Alpine School District, including Eagle Mountain-area schools.

🎓 Graduation season: Alpine School District has published the full graduation schedule with live stream links. Find the schedule here.

🎖 Monday, May 25: Memorial Day Ceremony. If your family plans a cemetery visit, now is a good time to review the city's decoration policies for Pony Express Memorial Cemetery.

🎡 Pony Express Days — coming soon. Eagle Mountain's annual festival is just around the corner. If you are interested in being a vendor, applications are open here.

Property tax public hearings — mark your calendar: June 16 at 7 PM, August 6 at 6 PM, and August 18 at 7 PM. All at City Hall. Submit a public comment anytime.

If you have any comments, questions, or anything you'd like me to cover, reply to this email. I'd love to hear from you. Thank you for reading.

See you around,

— Colten

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