435 Podcast: Southern Utah

What should a mayor do when public comment turns toxic, budgets tighten, and traffic swells?


Listen Later

Growth doesn’t wait for perfect alignment, and neither should we. This conversation with Mayor Michele Randall digs into the choices shaping Southern Utah right now: a Northern Corridor designed to relieve real congestion, a beloved Zone Six worth protecting, and a Western Corridor that shouldn’t split SunRiver’s sense of place. We walk the ground-level details—UDOT influence, MPO dynamics, SITLA’s school-funding mandate, and federal timelines—so you can judge the trade-offs with clear eyes.

We also trace how traffic and housing connect. St. George’s topography and past land-use shifts created choke points that neighborhood commercial can finally ease. Think daily needs embedded near homes, fewer cross-town trips, and smarter corridors that carry regional growth without turning downtown into a freeway. On the housing front, Michele backs practical flexibility: ADUs in every zone, mixed-style neighborhoods, studio and mid-rise apartments near jobs like Tech Ridge, and a faster, clearer path through approvals. Affordability isn’t solved by slogans—it’s zoning, timing, and supply that work together.

Budgets matter because priorities do. You’ll hear the unvarnished timeline behind the proposed property tax increase, why the council reversed course at truth-in-taxation, and how the city still funded core public safety—new stations, equipment, and a majority of planned positions—by cutting elsewhere and tapping capital funds. We get into the city’s new budgeting approach where council priorities lead and departments build to outcomes: safer streets, maintained roads, reliable parks, responsive services.

Along the way, we confront labels and look at leadership. Michele argues that a nonpartisan mayor meets with everyone, protects heritage with context (from national historic status for the Sugar Loaf and the “D” to a new interpretive trail), and keeps the focus on what makes daily life better. She addresses attendance rumors head-on, shares her health journey, and emphasizes how city work continued seamlessly with strong staff and open channels—public comment rebuilt, online submissions live, and direct contact by phone and email.

Please make sure you like and subscribe, share it with other voters throughout Washington County to help them make informed decisions in the upcoming election. Visit VoteSTG.com for more candidate interviews.

Looking for a Real Estate expert? Find us here!

www.wealth435.com
https://linktr.ee/wealth435

Below are our wonderful friends!

Find FS Coffee here:
https://fscoffeecompany.com/

Find Tuacahn Amphitheater here:
https://www.tuacahn.org/

Find Blue Form Media here:
https://www.blueformmedia.com/

[00:00:00] Intro and welcome.
[00:03:40] Rebuilding Public Comment
[00:12:45] Direct Access: Calls, Emails, Meetings
[00:16:45] How Agendas Get Made
[00:21:00] Northern Corridor: Support And Limits
[00:28:10] Zone Six: Protect Or Build
[00:33:40] Western Corridor And SunRiver
[00:37:45] Traffic, Land Use, And Neighborhood Commercial
[00:45:40] Zoning For Affordability: ADUs To Mixed Use
[00:53:10] Density, Tech Ridge, And Housing Types
[00:58:40] Budget, Taxes, And Public Safety Priorities

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

435 Podcast: Southern UtahBy Robert MacFarlane

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

13 ratings


More shows like 435 Podcast: Southern Utah

View all
This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

91,097 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,883 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,720 Listeners

The Glenn Beck Program by Blaze Podcast Network

The Glenn Beck Program

26,286 Listeners

Meet the Press by NBC News

Meet the Press

4,053 Listeners

Part Of The Problem by GaS Digital Network

Part Of The Problem

4,867 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,765 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,525 Listeners

Post Reports by The Washington Post

Post Reports

5,461 Listeners

The Megyn Kelly Show by SiriusXM

The Megyn Kelly Show

40,522 Listeners

Morning Wire by The Daily Wire

Morning Wire

26,642 Listeners

Candace by Candace Owens

Candace

10,388 Listeners

The Jefferson Fisher Podcast by Civility Media

The Jefferson Fisher Podcast

8,401 Listeners

The Headlines by The New York Times

The Headlines

626 Listeners

NOT FORGOTTEN: Stories of Utah's Dixie by Lyman Hafen

NOT FORGOTTEN: Stories of Utah's Dixie

87 Listeners