Tag: Provo Mayor

_{By Zach Collier}

On February 2, 2023, Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi delivered a TEDx-styled address to an audience of locals in the Covey Center for the Arts in downtown Provo, Utah. After being welcomed to the stage by the Provo City Communications Director Nicole Martin, she delivered an address focused on the exceptional nature of the city.

Provo Named Best Performing City

Last January, Mayor Kaufusi was flown to Beverly Hills, CA for the Milken Institute’s 25th Annual Global Conference. There, Provo was named the best-performing city in the United States. Discussing Provo in an interview, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez humorously said he was thinking of changing their name to Provo to see if that wins them first place in the future.

2 Landmark Developments

When discussing her two biggest achievements from the last year, Mayor Kaufusi pointed to the newly constructed Provo Public Safety Building/City Hall and the new Provo Airport Terminal.

Mayor Kaufusi shared a story of a sad tour through the old Provo Public Safety Building when she first entered office. Originally built for 40 police officers, it had grown to house 120 officers. Some were working out of closets, others in hallways. She expressed her gratitude to Provo citizens for voting to pass the bond that improved circumstances for Provo police and firefighters. The new facilities help them to recruit more effectively, work more efficiently, and retain top talent.

She also shared that written plans from past mayors predicted that a new airport terminal would be built in another 20-30 years. Kaufusi couldn’t find any research or opinions that indicated it couldn’t be done sooner. Through the help of state and federal grants as well as partners in the community, the new Provo Airport Terminal was constructed debt-free. This new terminal provided 1,020 new jobs and $130 million in additional annual revenue to the local economy.

Planning for the Future

Mayor Kaufusi also discussed Provo’s growing rainy day fund, which sits at $40 million. She was also proud of her team’s efforts to educate the community on the state’s drought, which led to 728 million gallons of water saved over the last calendar year compared to the 20 year average. She also announced two new parks (Quail Orchard Park and the Regional Sports Park) and two new bridges (one over the FrontRunner downtown and the other over University Avenue near the old Provo High School).

After her presentation, other presenters took the stage: Bill Hulterstrom of the United Way, Carri Jenkins of BYU, Norm Wright of the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Chad Linebaugh of Sundance.

You can watch Mayor Kaufusi’s entire address below.