As Wasatch County Councilor and incumbent candidate for Seat D Kendall Crittenden makes at least one solid commitment to each of his constituents: He studies the issues, and he tries to make the best decision with the knowledge that not everyone will agree. The conclusion of his current term will mark 20 years that he’s been on the council and, if he’s reelected, the start of his sixth term.“I’ve got time,” he said about his decision to run again. “I enjoy being involved.”As ballots are sent out to voters this week, Crittenden’s name will appear next to two contenders vying for his position — longtime local and politically active Jami Hewlett. and Heber City’s Trek Bicycle general manager Tori Broughton, who has only lived in the valley for a few years but launched head first into city and County Council issues as soon as she arrived. Crittenden believes his experience on the council leaves him with a leg up on his opponents, as does his in-depth knowledge of the issues and their background.Redevelopment AgencySeat D is of particular interest not only throughout Wasatch County but also to Heber City, as it covers a large portion of downtown Heber City, an area city leaders are working to revitalize as a pedestrian-friendly hub of small businesses for tourists and locals alike. In doing so, they are seeking tax-increment financing from a number of governments with a tax base in the area to fund a Community Reinvestment Agency. Among them is Wasatch County.While the plan wouldn’t take away from any of their current tax revenue from the downtown area, it would take 75% of increased revenue from those blocks for the next 20 years or until they’ve contributed $3.2-$4 million. So far, Crittenden has been lukewarm to the idea.When the county entered a similar agreement with Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority to help them develop land near the Jordanelle Reservoir, Crittenden said the two entities worked together and spent hours determining what money would go where on what timeline.“We’ve had a hard time, in my opinion, getting that out of Heber,” he said. “I question that.”He said a set list of projects would help him, but he was also concerned with Heber City’s current expansion projects.“The two in my mind aren’t working together,” he said.GrowthCrittenden has been on the council long enough to see a lot of changes from his own boundaries to the issues he’s discussing and voting on. As Heber Valley rapidly expands in population and development, he said the biggest issue he’s looking toward is growth.“The growth is a concern, a real concern,” he said, mentioning Heber City’s potential annexations at the intersection of River Road and U.S. 40 and another that would add thousands of acres east of Red Ledges. “We can’t handle it. We can’t do it.”He said the water, roads and other infrastructure limitations leave him worried.Term GoalsIf he’s elected, then by the end of his next term, Crittenden wants to know that the Utah Department of Transportation has chosen a set path for their Heber Valley Corridor project, an ongoing process that’s faced delays, confusion, periods of little communication and resulting frustration from community members and leaders as its created a roadblock for development, land conservation efforts and other stakeholders.“I probably in four years won’t see the fruition of the byass because it will take years to build, but I hope we’ll have established the route and know where it’s going,” he said. Throughout his time on the council, he said he’s been involved in working on the bypass, and UDOT was aware of the county’s efforts.“Between buying the property from the landowner or Heber City obtaining it because of annexation, we had an 80-foot strip down from Midway lane around ot the sewer district,” he said. “There’s other places around that we bought. … UDOT’s now saying that 80 feet isn’t enough, and there’s developments right up against that now that they can’t widen it.”Now the county and wider community is waiting for UDOT to complete their process.He also hopes to see expansion in the county’s parks and recreation programs and the revenue they’ve been able to bring through tournaments and visitors spending money.Though the county’s agreement with Heber Valley Transit has been both criticized and praised, Crittenden was proud the county has been able to implement those services without raising property taxes.“Fifty percent of that comes from people that are tourists,” he said. “The whole burden isn’t even on our citizens.”As November grows closer, he hopes his constituents will let him continue in his position. “As I move forward, I’d ask for your vote,” Crittenden said. “I would make the commitment that I will continue to do as I’ve done. I know you’re not going to agree with every decision I make, but I can pretty well assure you that any decisions I make have not been made lightly.”The post Kendall Crittenden stands on experience, knowledge as he seeks reelection appeared first on Park Record.