Mayor: Mill Creek 'strong' financially; police staffing, trails and housing top priorities

Mayor Jeff Silvestrini delivered Mill Creek’s State of the City remarks at the Feb. 24 council meeting, saying the city’s fiscal position and community engagement are strong while outlining priorities for infrastructure, public safety and housing in 2025.

"The state of our city is strong," Silvestrini said, citing an independent Utah State University survey showing high levels of resident well-being and connectedness. He told the audience Mill Creek’s general fund reserve is nearly the state maximum of 35% of the budget, a level the council says provides resilience against unexpected expenses.

Finances and sales tax: the mayor said Mill Creek’s sales tax receipts remain healthy. "When we started out as a city, we were barely collecting a million dollars in sales tax every month. That's increased now so that we're hitting well in excess of a million dollars every month," he said, adding that December collections were nearly $1.5 million. The mayor and council tied strong sales-tax performance to a stable local business base, including seven grocery stores.

Public safety and police department changes: Silvestrini reviewed the city’s transition away from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office to the Unified Police Department (UPD). He…