By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

Following a meeting of the Helper City Council, which saw the body work to allocate a $121,000 donation, Helper City Mayor Lenise Peterman joined the KOAL newsroom to discuss the behind-the-scenes work of the council and how they kept the process transparent to the public.

Opening our discussion, Peterman explained how the council approached the distribution of the funds,” We thought it best to go to the department heads and ask for their wish list and see what people feel like they need, and then we could adjust. That’s really the best way we thought to approach this.”

With the donation equating to approximately 7% of Helper’s annual budget, the council and mayor did their due diligence to ensure the best outcome for all departments. 

“What we did is we had a work meeting, which was open to the public, where department heads could present their case for the items that they’re requesting. It’s for the council to make those decisions ultimately,” shared Peterman. “To clarify, it’s a weak mayor and strong council system. So I don’t vote; the council votes. I execute the council’s wishes. So, we talked through what it would look like to share these funds out. And what we could do best to make sure every department had a win from this windfall of money.”

Moving to the meeting where the funds were officially distributed, Peterman spoke proudly of how the council handled the funds. “I respect what the solution was for the council, and that’s why we had the work meeting so that they could really put some thinking into how to distribute it. I think that conversation was super productive, and what I was most pleased with is that everyone walked away with a win. The library got what they needed, as did the museum and the Rio, so that’s really a fair distribution.”

Working in an ever-politicized world can create division and turn friends into foes. Peterman gave her perspective on the importance of compromise in local government: “I’m a true believer in the middle road. Coming together to move things forward for the betterment of all of us and avoiding the polarization that we have so evident throughout our country.”

Additionally, Peterman emphasized the importance of transparency within the city government, encouraging citizens to attend meetings and speak with their representatives. “I encourage people, if you want to know what’s going on, to sign up for email alerts through the public notice website. You can see the agendas, the meeting times, and all of those details. We really want to conduct our work in the public view so that they do feel included and nothing is happening behind closed doors.”

In closing, Peterman stated,” I’m excited about this donation, proud of how the council ultimately decided to distribute it, and excited to see the results of the funding.”