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 said the split initially created staffing challenges but UPD "has been successful in recruiting new officers to fill all of the vacancies" and that overtime mandates for officers have since been reduced. He praised precinct leadership and credited the police for how they handled an incident involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying officers "asked questions and pieced things together" and protected civil-rights concerns.

Police community supports: the council and police also introduced a licensed clinical social worker, Greg Golden, who joined the precinct to work alongside officers on crisis and mental-health calls. Golden said, "I am super excited to be here with Mill Creek," and described his background in social work and crisis intervention. Chief Christine Petty Brown also recognized Tessa Cole as employee of the month; Cole was described as Mill Creek’s full-time victim advocate who supports victims — predominantly of domestic violence — by connecting them with services and court information.

Major capital and transportation projects: Silvestrini highlighted several infrastructure projects. The city secured a $10 million grant for an active-transportation, off-road mixed-use trail that will run from the Jordan River toward the Wasatch; Mill Creek’s section is funded to Main Street and staff are pursuing additional federal and state funding for future phases. The mayor also announced a protected bike lane on Wasatch Boulevard that will connect through a segment constructed by a local developer, Elway Porsche, to the city boundary where neighboring Holiday will continue the facility. He said the city completed major street reconstructions last year and is aiming to reconstruct Twentieth East from 3003 South north to the city boundary, pending UDOT coordination.

Parks, recreation and Mill Creek Common: the mayor noted completion of 10 new pickleball courts at Canyon Park and upcoming playground replacement at Fortuna Park funded in part by a $30,000 donation from Porsche and United Construction. He also previewed Mill Creek Common Phase 2: the common will double in size when phase 2 moves forward; the city has raised roughly 85% of an estimated $13 million for the project through state, federal and county grants and will rely in part on tax increment financing and a modest general-fund contribution.

Housing, homelessness and social services: Silvestrini described statewide housing shortages and local efforts. He said the Cottonwood Richmond apartment building is 93% occupied and noted officials estimate the state remains tens of thousands of units short. Mill Creek officials said they will continue to allow varied housing types, including a recent five-unit townhome approval that included deed restrictions requiring owner-occupancy and a six-month no-rent covenant. On homelessness, the mayor said Mill Creek has permitted two facilities (one for men, one for women) that house about 20 people combined with associated mental-health ACT (assertive community treatment) teams; the city holds monthly coordination meetings with service providers and the precinct and reported few neighborhood problems since permitting.

Community services: Mill Creek Promise — a small city-run program that operates largely on grants and volunteers — was highlighted for digital-literacy work, ESL classes (where staff arranged childcare to boost attendance), a garden-share program, a relocation-assistance effort that helped nearly all residents displaced when Holiday Hills Apartments were renovated, and a large coat drive.

Silvestrini closed by urging continued civic engagement and said the council will continue balancing infrastructure, housing and community services while maintaining fiscal prudence.