An advocate for Brigham City
After a decade of Federal service, I am looking to serve locally. I will be an advocate for the citizens, amplifying your voice where it matters most.
Biography
I am running for a seat on the Brigham City Council because as a homeowner, parent, and veteran I want to ensure that Brigham City remains a safe and affordable place to raise a family.
I grew up in Weber County and spent several of my adult years in Davis County after serving in the U.S. Navy. In 2020, my husband and I were looking for a new home and I wanted a change of pace from Davis County. I wanted a quiet city with a true community feel to raise our children in, and we needed it fit into our financial means. We instantly fell in love with Brigham City and all that it has to offer. I don't think we will ever leave this beautiful community.
I have a B.S. in Political Science and a Masters in Contract Administration. In my day job I work on Hill AFB as the Policy Chief for a federal contracting office, and I also serve as an advocate for small businesses. This translates into formal knowledge of economic growth and development with practical experience seeing the effects of policy on businesses. I have been regularly attending City Council meetings and work sessions throughout the year in order to be a more informed citizen.
The main thing that I have noticed in attending these meetings is that many citizens do not feel heard by the council as a whole. I will do everything in my power to ensure that every citizen feels heard, their issue(s) discussed as appropriate, and if further information is needed, that citizen referred to the correct person for follow up. I want to promote healthy communication between the city and the citizens and serve as your representative so that your voices can be heard and amplified.
We have seen costs of everything from homes, groceries, and utilities increase drastically in the past few years. There are some costs that are within the control of the city, and other costs that are not. My primary goal on the city council will be to ensure that increases are not passed on to the citizens without first reviewing the budget and removing any unnecessary expenses. When increases in taxes, fees, or rates must take place I will be an advocate for the citizens to reduce and distribute the financial burdens as much as possible. As Brigham continues to grow, we need to foster meaningful growth in a way that preserves both the history and culture.
In planning for future development, we need to prepare the city's infrastructure and services to handle the new growth but with a minimal impact on the citizens. To keep the costs to the citizens as low as possible, we want to attract new businesses consistent with our culture to the city to provide the additional revenue that will then fund these city projects.
I will be a council member that you can trust to keep your needs and priorities at the forefront of the discussions. I will advocate for alternative solutions and compromises to keep city projects from impacting your finances.
Thank you for putting your trust in me and voting for Kristina Lenderman for Brigham City Council.
Issues
Public Safety
One of the main reasons my family moved to Brigham City was the public safety record. Raising our children in a quiet and secure area with great schools was at the top of our "must list". In the years that we've been here, Brigham has continued to shine in safety and community support.
During the city's budget work sessions this Spring, the Police Chief petitioned the Council for an increase in police budget. The rationale was that his officers are not making a competitive wage based on comparisons of other cities in Northern Utah. As a result, our police force is having difficulties attracting new officers to the force and retaining existing officers.
Chief Reyes provided detail on what a 6% and 8% pay raise would look like and how it would affect the police department. He also provided detail on a 8% and 10% increase. Either of the stated increases would assist the department in attracting quality officers to the force and retaining the officers already on the payroll. He was reluctant to ask for higher increase because he didn't want to burden the citizens with such a large increase.
During these meetings, I requested that the city review the budget to see if there were additional monies available for the higher (8% & 10%) increase without needing to increase any taxes/rates. With gentle prodding the city was able to identify additional funds that had not yet been factored into the budget. The end result was that the city council approved (in the tentative budget) the higher pay raise for the police force without needing to increase taxes. This extra increase will go far in boosting the morale of our police force, attracting new officers and maintaining the safety and security of our great city.
If I am elected to the city council, I will continue to serve the city by finding ways to promote public safety without increases taxes.
Future Development
We all know that growth is inevitable, but growth for the sake of growth is not what Brigham City needs. To ensure that this city remains the beautiful gem that it is, our city will need to smartly plan and prepare for holistic growth.
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To me, holistic growth means planning for both residential growth and commercial growth. Forecasting the needs of future businesses alongside the needs of families. Maintaining balance of residential areas and commercial, adequate roads and sidewalks, planning for sustainable green space (trees, shrubs, flowers). A properly planned out city can allow us to grow without losing the historical small town feel that we all love. It also will allow us to help protect the historical district, agriculture families, small businesses, as well as the breathtaking views.
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We all know that a growing city means adding additional infrastructure (water, sewer, electric, internet, etc.) and that costs taxpayer dollars. In order to keep the infrastructure costs from being passed directly onto the residents, I would advocate for smart commercial development first looking toward the empty buildings along Main Street. Get the existing buildings to house new commercial businesses who will then generate sales tax and property tax. Those revenues should then be used to pay for the infrastructure projects required to continue both residential and commercial expansions.
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In this manner we will boost our local economy, support local businesses, and begin to generate revenue to support long-term grown.
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Amplify your voice
Government can be a difficult place to navigate with all of the rules and red tape. Time after time in both my day job and at City Council meetings I see government dismiss individuals because "that's not our job" and they send the person away. Being in public service means serving the public and more often than not government officials seem to forget that.
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While a single individual on a council cannot make significant changes, I will make it my mission to ensure that all voices are heard, and no one is dismissed or overlooked. If you are having a problem that the council cannot resolve, I will ensure that you are given the correct information and points of contact for who to reach and then follow up to verify you received the support or information that was needed.
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If your issue does fall under the authority of the City Council, I will work with the mayor and other council members to find alternative solutions, seek compromise and ensure that we are always protecting and valuing the citizens first.
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Taxes
Fiscal responsibility lies to close to my heart. I think we've all seen governments pass outrageous budgets and pass the burden onto taxpayers without a second thought. When taxpayers voice their concerns, politicians are dismissive and refer to "assistance programs" that may be able to help. More often than not, those families don't qualify for the programs, or the assistance doesn't offer long term solutions. We saw this exact scenario this year with the inclusion of the Power Purchase Adjustment Clause (PPAC) rate and the city referring struggling families to the B.R.A.G. for assistance. A representative of the B.R.A.G. office unofficially addressed the council and informed them that relief program is income based and only has a one-time payment.
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Costs continue to stay inflated at the gas pump and grocery store. Families are stretching budgets thin and finding areas to cut out excess. The tentative city budget will include increases in fees, taxes and utility rates along with the continuation of the PPAC rate. The families who are already struggling will continue to feel the stress on their finances. When the city council first adopted the PPAC rate this spring, I advocated for a lower rate which was denied. I then requested a monthly status update and ability for the council to be able to lower the rate as soon as possible, this request was adopted. During the budget work meetings, I again advocated for the citizens by requesting that the PPAC rate be suspended during the summer months when will are already at their highest. The mayor and council liked this idea but ultimately kept the PPAC rate during the summer months.
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In the cities tentative budget, there is a proposed property tax increase for sidewalks in the neighborhood of Golden Spike Elementary. For anyone who has been in the area during drop off or pick up time know how desperately sidewalks and crosswalks are needed. During the discussions it was mentioned that the plans for the sidewalks are for the "safest route" and not the "most economical" or "most used" route(s). I specifically asked if that meant we would be spending tax dollars on sidewalks that likely will not be used, and answer was yes. In addition, crosswalks will not be addressed until the sidewalks are in place. To me, this means the city will be raising property taxes to install "sidewalks to nowhere". I will continue to press the city for a revised sidewalk plan, one that will actually be used by children and families so that our tax dollars are not wasted.
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If I am elected to the city council, I will remain steadfast in protecting the finances of the citizens, continue suggesting alternative ways to accomplish goals, and reject any project that doesn't make sense.
Stay up-to-date with all our efforts.
Meet the Candidate
Come meet me on Tuesday October 10th at the Monarch Tea House from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Learn more about me and support one of my favorite local businesses with a fantastic cup of herbal tea.
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Monarch Tea House
90 S Main St.
Brigham City, UT 84302
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