Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald
Three months to the day after becoming mayor of Provo on Jan. 6, Marsha Judkins sat in her work-in-progress office Monday at City Hall and fielded questions from the Daily Herald.
Reflecting on her first days in office, she spoke on her initial steps as mayor, her overall vision for the city and more. This is the first of a two-part story recapping the discussion.
‘Streamlining’ processes
When asked what she’s done during her first three months in office, the first item Judkins addressed was building permits.
She said she campaigned on how difficult it is to get a building permit that would lead to business licenses, and that once in office, she started streamlining the process.
“We really want to try to make us more friendly to commercial and retail so that we can increase our sales tax revenue,” Judkins said. “Also, it helps us with our property tax revenue, and that’s really important for Provo City.”
Judkins said her team has had quite a bit of success fixing communication breakdowns. Developers and business owners who have previously had issues met with the city for a round table with relevant city departments to discuss some of the barriers, according to Judkins.
“It’s been super helpful,” she said. “And the employees in Provo City are amazing, like our department directors and just all on down have been really interested in trying to get this to work.”
She said other parts will take more time.
“Just to make sure Provo is a city that, where possible, we say yes,” she said. “We say ‘how do we help you get there. How do we make this work for Provo City?’”
Judkins also said her team is building a transparency portal on the city website and is close to launching it.
“We want to get some feedback from residents, have focus groups so we can make sure that we’re putting information out there that people want and need, and also that it’s easily accessible and usable,” Judkins said. “The information has been on the website. It’s not like we’re pulling in more information. It’s just really difficult to find.”
Working with the council
Provo operates differently than every other city in Utah County due to its strong mayor form of government.
The mayor operates as the city’s CEO, overseeing departments and agencies, preparing the city budget, implementing and enforcing city laws and holding veto power over the Council, which can be overridden by a council supermajority, according to city policy.
The seven-person Council is responsible for passing laws, making development decisions, approving the city budget and providing legislative oversight.
These separations of power are important to Judkins, who said the two sides respect each other’s boundaries while communicating well. A priority of hers has been cultivating a relationship of good communication with the Council.
“A good relationship with the Council is one of my highest priorities,” Judkins said. “We don’t have to agree, but we have to work well together. We have to respect each other, we have to be honest with each other and be able to confront problems together and be willing to listen and rethink our ideas in order to have a successful city.”
Early misunderstandings with the Council have occurred because Judkins has a different leadership style and may work with her staff in a way that requires getting used to, she said.
She said she is “blunt,” is someone who does not equivocate and has an open-door policy with the Council and encourages them to meet with her.
“I just think it takes a little bit of time, and I think we’re getting there,” she said. “I really enjoy every single member of the Council. … I hope that we can develop that respect and trust in each other.”
Park access update
The Epic Sports Park opened in 2024 and has been a financial success for the city, generating at least $12.5 million in local economic impact, Provo Park and Recreation Director Doug Robins told the Daily Herald last year.
Some residents have raised concerns, though, over the lack of public access to the 15 natural grass fields on the city’s west side. Robins told the Daily Herald in January that the city is exploring options for greater community access because Judkins wanted to better the connection between the sports park and the neighborhood.
Judkins confirmed this week that when competitions are not happening, there will be a field for family play available at the park, beginning this month. In addition, one baseball diamond and softball field will be open for families at Footprinter Park and Fort Utah Park, respectively, whenever they’re not in use, Judkins said.
“They have been closed to residents, even though they take up so much space on the west side,” she said. “We don’t have that many parks. But we are opening them up.”
The open field at Epic Sports Park will rotate from week to week so one field is not overused, Judkins said, and the city will try to make it really obvious with flags to show which one is open.
In addition, a park area at the Epic Sports Park will be open all the time.
“If they take their families down, there will be a grassy area that previously hasn’t been opened that will be open all the time,” Judkins said. “And then the playgrounds will be open all the time, but there will also be a field open whenever we can get it open.”
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