At a Mapleton mayoral forum, candidates and current officeholders focused much of their discussion on emergency response times, staffing and equipment for police and fire services, and the need for a second fire station on the city’s south side.

The issue drew repeated attention from multiple speakers. Theron Garrett, a candidate who identified himself as serving a second term on the city council, said, “the number 1 need right now in the city as far as capital needs is gonna be that second fire station down on the South End. Definitely, I think we should start saving for that. We should start planning for that.”

Why it matters: Candidates described response-time gaps in the city’s newer neighborhoods and raised concerns that growth has outpaced public-safety coverage. Several speakers said reliance on volunteer personnel and mutual‑aid agreements leaves the city vulnerable if staffing falls short.

Details and debate

Scott Ligon, a mayoral candidate with a business background, said he had been told response times “down there range from 10 to 12 minutes, which is not, the way anybody wants it to be,” and noted Mapleton sometimes relies on Spanish Fork for some responses. Ligon added that improved station coverage and staffing were necessary to restore the shorter response times citizens expect in other parts of the city.

Claudia Paradise, a candidate, emphasized prioritizing safety in budget decisions, saying “safety should be the number 1 concern,” and urged funding for both the equipment and the staff needed to operate any new facility.

Incumbent Mayor Dallas Higgs (identified in the forum as the sitting mayor) said Mapleton’s public-safety departments are “fully staffed. 100%,” and that budget adjustments were in progress to add an additional fire engineer by the end of the year. He also described previous multi‑jurisdictional consultations and hiring processes used to strengthen the department, and said the city had secured land dedication for a future south‑side station.

Speakers on multiple sides acknowledged staffing challenges. Several candidates and council members said the fire department had historically relied on volunteers and that volunteer availability has declined, making paid staffing and additional stations more urgent. Theron Garrett and others also raised stormwater and infrastructure issues as related public-safety concerns, noting that severe storms could complicate emergency response.

What was not decided

The forum was a candidate discussion, not a governing meeting: there were no motions, votes or binding decisions recorded at the event. Speakers described existing budget steps, ongoing planning and land dedications already made, but no new formal actions were proposed or taken at the forum.

Next steps

Candidates said they would prioritize public-safety funding and planning if elected. Several said the next formal steps for the city council and mayor would include budgeting for staffing and design work for a south‑side station, continuing interagency coordination, and pursuing incremental infrastructure projects to protect response routes.